Category: Internet Marketing

Reading Time: 2 mins

In his first budget, the Chancellor announced help for parents but nothing for low and middle earners.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt talked a lot about what the government has achieved while they’ve been in power. He also glossed over the decisions he had to make back in the Autumn when he was faced with the fallout out from Kwasi Kwarteng’s take on the economy. Rather he focused on the Prime Minister’s five point plan.

As usual, many of the key announcements had already been leaked but unusually he didn’t hold anything back to announce on the day. There were no nice surprises, nothing to sweeten the fact that as much as help with energy costs is much needed and very welcome, there was nothing for the hard workers who keep the economy going.

our CEO Jasmine says:

“I liked the way Jeremy Hunt described the scrapping of the lifetime pension allowance as helping get doctors back into the NHS. Well yes, it helps them but it’s also going to be great for City types and, frankly, anyone earning a good whack. It’s a move to help rich people, and there are no guarantees that retired surgeons will rush back to work because of it.

“Frankly, it would help more if the personal tax allowances were unfrozen and kept in line with pay increases. That would help the lower and middle earners as well who have not been particularly helped with this Budget. If you have children of school age then you will be feeling a bit happier about life, particularly if you drive to work, but those who are working all the hours and struggling to get by won’t have found any solace in Hunt’s announcements.”

So yes, the increase in support for parents in terms of massive increases in childcare allowances and the short term continued help with energy costs are both really good for families. But, living standards continue to fall and in real terms this budget is for the rich.

Let us know what you think in the comments below.

The post Chancellor announces help for parents but not enough for low and mid earners appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

Original source: https://www.moneymagpie.com/make-money/chancellor-announces-help-for-parents

Home Business Magazine Online

The classic 9 to 5 pattern of work is becoming undesirable — and with good reason. It doesn’t often pay well enough, it ties us to a particular location, and tasks can quickly become repetitive. Millennials and Gen Zers are turning their backs on full-term employment and becoming contract workers or freelancers.

If you’re considering joining the 59 million freelancers in the United States, take a look at these benefits you’ll enjoy.

What Is a Contract Worker?

Contract workers, or freelancers, are people hired for a specific project. Alternatively, they may be recruited for a particular amount of time. A fee is negotiated prior to the work commencing and a contractor uses their expertise to support the company’s project goal.

A freelancer may work with the same company regularly, but work with the one organization is rarely full-time nor indefinite.

Freelancers find work on sites such as Quality Contracts, where businesses post details about projects they require support with.

The Benefits of Contract Working

There are a range of benefits that contract working provides that aren’t found in full-time employment. These include flexibility, better income and opportunities to learn new skills.

Better Income

Contract workers tend to be paid more per hour than their counterparts in full-time employment. The challenge for freelancers is finding enough work to secure the equivalent of a salary, but those able to fill a full 9 to 5 day with contract work usually reap the reward of higher pay.

Flexibility

One of the major advantages of being a contract worker is the flexibility it gives you. You can choose when to work — only picking up projects when you have the time and capacity to complete them. This makes freelance work a great option for new parents or those wanting to travel the world.

If your work can all be done online, you can reduce your commute time. You’ll have the freedom to work from anywhere. Whether you choose your home office, local coffee shop or a sunny holiday in southern Europe, the choice is yours.

The flexibility that contract working provides can also lead to a better work-life balance, which results in improved mental health and more time that can be spent pursuing your hobbies or meeting with friends and family.

Opportunities to Build Your Skill Set

As a contract worker you’ll regularly move from company to company, which builds your skill set quicker than if you’re employed by the same organization indefinitely. You’ll be asked to complete varying tasks across different clients — each of whom have unique processes, guidelines and expectations. This will make you better at adapting.

Less Competition

There are less freelancers and contract workers in the talent pool than those interested in full-time permanent positions. This means that if you become a freelancer, you’ll have less competition for desirable work. While the balance is starting to change as more people enter the freelance arena, the stats suggest that the advantage will sit with contract workers for a while yet.

The post The Benefits of Becoming a Contract Worker appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/businesses/freelance-work/benefits-becoming-contract-worker/

Home Business Magazine Online

Real estate investing is a lucrative option for wealth creation. With housing demand continuously rising in the U.S. market, real estate investing brings many opportunities for investors looking to generate positive cash flow in the long run. However, for many, leveraging this opportunity can be intimidating with all the complexities of acquiring and managing a property. Even the most experienced investors sometimes fall back when the deal is a disaster or if their investment fails to generate expected returns. That is why it is always a good idea to take the help of an expert professional who knows the industry better.

Anthony Garland, a trusted Managing Broker from Chicago, IL, and the founder of full-service brokerage firm AGG Realty Group, is a knowledgeable and experienced professional whose ultimate goal is ensuring that investors find the best deals that fit their plans and goals. Over the past five years, Anthony has built a reputation as a trusted realtor known for his extraordinary customer service, uncompromising integrity, and exceptional skills that drive maximum client profitability.

A Bit About Anthony Garland’s Career History

Before starting his career in real estate, Anthony Garland studied aviation at Hampton University, an HBCU located in Hampton, VA. After graduating in 2014, Anthony’s keen desire to start his own business led him to open a catering business with his father, eventually opening a restaurant in 2018. However, the food business didn’t seem to align with his entrepreneurial vision. So, he decided to pursue his passion in the real estate industry. He worked in the sales department for a home remodeling company until his real estate business picked up. He worked there for about three years before becoming a full-time investor and broker in 2021.

What Inspired Anthony to Start His Own Company?

After becoming successful with his first flip in real estate, Anthony fell in love with the real estate investing process. He realized that many people wanted to or had invested in real estate before, but the amount of work involved in closing the deal was so intimidating that many never started or finished. This realization inspired him to start AGG Realty Group. Anthony says, “Although my experience was pretty intimidating as well, I was able to assemble a team and implement a system that allowed the process to be very smooth.” So, he decided to use his team and system to drive profitability for other aspiring investors as well. That was how AGG Realty came into existence.

About AGG Realty Group

Anthony describes AGG Realty Group as a real estate brokerage firm with complete wraparound services for real estate investors. Anthony says, “We represent our investors on all ends of investing in real estate as a buyer or seller. We provide property management, construction management, and consulting.” The primary objective of AGG Realty Group is to make real estate investing easy for investors and to guide them in the right direction to achieve their short- and long-term goals.

How Does Anthony Garland Promote AGG Realty Group?

Anthony leverages social media and word of mouth for most of their brand promotion. “We accept clients on a referral basis only. However, we are also open to outside clients, depending on their goals and if we believe they will be a good fit for our services,” says Anthony.

The Primary Targets of AGG Reality Group

According to Anthony Garland, the primary targets of AGG Reality Group are new real estate investors looking for a complete solution to accomplish their real estate goals with the least amount of stress and worry.

Anthony’s Best Business Achievement

Telling about his best business achievement, Anthony says that since the inception of AGG Reality Group, they have been able to help 5 investors close and complete 11 deals with their complete wraparound service. They are also consistently working with 7 investors at a time and sold over $4.2 million in real estate last year. They accomplished all this by working out of a home office. Anthony also plans to open his first brick-and-mortar physical location before the summer of 2023.

Advantages of Working from Home for Anthony

According to Anthony, the primary advantage of working from home is the low overhead. It also gives him enough time to examine the growth opportunities for his business without spending much. Working from home also allows him to spend more time with his kids, which Anthony says is one of the most underrated advantages people take for granted. “The time I was able to spend with my family and successfully grow my business is something I will be grateful for forever,” he adds. Lastly, Anthony believes working from home motivates him to get out and find new ways to promote his business through networking.

Anthony Garland’s Outlook for the Future

Anthony Garland has a very optimistic outlook toward the future of his business. In the next 3 years, he sees AGG Realty Group with 7 highly trained and committed agents working with 50 clients, consistently helping them to achieve their real estate investing goals. At the same time, Anthony also envisions his property management service managing over 200 units across the Chicago land area and his construction management servicing not only their clients but clients looking for help outside their network. Lastly, he hopes to see AGG Realty Group using its resources to build better communities for underserved neighborhoods.  IG: @ AGGREALTYGROUP

The post Anthony Garland: Realtor with a Natural Propensity to Drive Profitable Investments appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/success-stories-lifestyles/anthony-garland-realtor-natural-propensity-drive-profitable-investments/

Is the waiting list to test drive the new Bing gone? It sure looks that way. We were alerted to this development by a story on Windows Central.

Why we care. Many of us (including me!) have been waiting weeks to gain access to the new Bing. If you were in this group, fire up Microsoft Edge, make your way to Bing and sign in to see if you have access.

No more waiting. Multiple people have been able to sign up and gain instant access to the new Bing. They weren’t added to a waitlist after signing up, according to Windows Central.

One member of our Third Door Media team was also able to sign-up today and instantly get access to the new Bing. She had not been on the waitlist.

Also, many people who have been on the waitlist now have access.

Or, it’s entirely possible this was a bug.

Statement from Microsoft (Update, 4:55 pm ET). Earlier, we reached out to Microsoft for confirmation. A spokesperson now tells Search Engine Land:

• “During this preview period, we are running various tests which may accelerate access to the new Bing for some users. We remain in preview and you can sign up at Bing.com.”

Dig deeper. More coverage of the new Bing:

• OpenAI releases GPT-4 and Bing Chat upgraded
• Microsoft may replace Bing Search answers with Bing Chat responses
• Bing Webmaster Tools to gain Bing Chat and index coverage reporting
• Bing AI Chat testing setting the tone of the responses
• Over one million people signed up to try the new AI-powered Bing

The post The new Bing: No more waiting list? appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/new-bing-waitlist-gone-394350

Twitter has launched a new educational series named ‘Unskippable,’ consisting of eight parts focused on video marketing and creating video promotions that stand out on the Twitter feed.

The series is part of Twitter’s free education platform called ‘Flight School,’ which offers insights into key advertising best practices on Twitter. Twitter’s creative team, which helps advertisers produce thousands of top-performing ads on the platform every year, has provided the tips and advice in the series. With around 70% of Twitter’s top advertisers stopping or reducing their spending on Twitter, this may be a good time to test out Twitter ads and capitalize on new opportunities to get your promotions seen.

What you’ll learn. The series aims to provide a practical overview of all the essential elements required for creating compelling video clips. It is designed for creatives, by creatives, and doesn’t just teach the best practices but also provides insights on how to implement them creatively. Each video is approximately 2 minutes long, making it convenient to consume.

The nitty gritty. I broke down each video into its main takeaways. Here’s what they said.

Video 1: Creating Attention. This video was an introduction to the series. The host discussed what attention is and how advertisers and creators can achieve attention through video. The host says that by providing location and context in each video, brands will see longer view times, better engagement, and “excellent KPIs.”

Video 2: The Right Video Size. What video sizes work best on Twitter. The speaker claims that there is virtually no difference between 1:1 and 16:9 aspect ratios. Performance depends on how you use the space. Avoid black bar or letterbox content. The big takeaway? “Impact is gained, not given.”

Video 3: The Right Video Length. Think about the time you’re asking your audience to spend on a piece of content and how you can make that time spent as worthwhile as possible. Get your brand’s key message across and allow your audience to move on.

Video 4: The Right Video Layout. Where you place elements of your video can make a huge impact on performance. There are three different locations that represent prime locations for information to live:

• Top left
• Top right
• Bottom center

Think of an envelope, with the return address, who the mail is being sent to, and the stamp.

Video 5: Creating Engagement. “Depth” is a critical component of creating content that people want to engage with. By creating content with depth, It’s a natural trigger to the human brain that it’s something that can be engaged and interacted with. Create content with depth and you’ll move people to take action.

Video 6: Providing Utility and Clarity. By providing utility, you’re telling your audience why they should interact. It answers the question of “what value does engaging, clicking, or installing bring?” Clarity means simplifying your value prop to ensure your audience is walking away with a crystal clear message.

Video 7: Pairing Copy & Captions. The video explored three rules for making a major difference in your Tweet copy.

• Keep it brief
• Make it additive rather than disparate or redundant
• Use a hashtag (only one)

Adding captions increased the view rate by almost 30%, so add them when possible, and get creative.

Video 8: Breaking the 4th Wall. Speak directly to the audience and break down the barrier between brand and fan. Grab your audience’s attention quickly, whether through feed disruption, breaking the 4th wall, or talking directly to your audience.

By using those tactics, you can boost metrics such as:

• Watch times
• Brand awareness
• Message association

What Twitter says.

“Receiving a list of best practices is always helpful, but it can be tough to translate a list of do’s and don’ts into a high-performing video. Content can become watered down when every tip on the list is implemented in a single advertisement without proper care – losing its entertainment value and creative spark. That’s why this course was created for creatives, by creatives, and doesn’t just teach you what the best practices are, but how to use them to think about and approach your next piece of content.”

Dig deeper. You can access the videos here.

Why we care. Video has become a dominant format in the digital marketing landscape, and its significance continues to grow. Advertisers must stay informed about best practices and strategies to make their video content stand out and resonate with their target audience.

The post Twitter launches new ‘Unskippable’ video marketing series appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/twitter-launches-new-unskippable-video-marketing-series-394351

Reading Time: 3 mins

With the rising cost of living, we are all keeping an eye on our pockets, whether cutting costs or looking for nifty side hustles to bring in a couple of extra quid. But what if you could make money out of things you do every day?

Good news, we have five fantastic apps & platforms to share with you that are helping to monetise everyday tasks. From walking to surveys, some of these provide benefits to more than just your pocket.

 

1. WeWard. With this free app, users can earn money just by walking. By travelling on foot instead of another means, WeWard gives its users ‘Wards’ which can be converted into gifts, charity donations or cash. Users can also access special offers from leading sports, beauty and nutrition brands and receive the Wards for each pound spent. So far, the app has encouraged more than 10 million users to walk every day, who are now more likely to walk around 24% more. This reduces pollution levels and highlights the importance of climate change by raising awareness around carbon emissions.

2. Checkout Smart. Earn cashback with every trip to the supermarket. Users buy a selection of eligible products featured by the app, then simply upload a photo of their receipt to get credited with the cashback. Users say it’s great for alcohol purchases and has a lot of seasonal offers, and coupons. The company agrees on offers with the big retailers such as Sainsbury’s and Tesco and passes these on to the consumer. Current offers include specified Kelloggs cereals, Yorkshire Tea, Starbucks coffee and Bistro Gravy Granules.  

 

3. Shoppix. This app offers tokens in exchange for answering short surveys on shopping experiences and taking pictures of receipts in the app. Users can upload 30 receipts a week and gain 30 tokens per receipt. These can be converted into vouchers for retailers such as Amazon, ITunes or Love2Shop. Alternatively, they can be exchanged for cash. Shoppix users are also awarded electronic scratch cards in the Shoppix app to win bonus tokens. These are given for completing surveys and snapping or forwarding receipts in consecutive weeks. The data gathered from each receipt is used to provide insights into consumer behaviours.

 

4. Airtasker. This platform is for those looking for a side-hustle. It connects people who need to outsource tasks and find local services, with those who are looking to earn money. From simple to complicated tasks, Airtasker can help with home cleaning, handyman jobs, admin work, photography, graphic design or even build a website. To date, there are more than 2.1 million people using this app and more than $382 million worth of jobs have been created. Users start by posting their task with details of where and when and suggest a fair budget, they get to review the profiles of those who have answered the task. Some users have talked about having generated more than £2,000 a month and using the money to buy their first home.

 

5. Healthywage.  A weight loss app with a difference! Leading academic research shows that dieters are up to five times more likely to lose weight if they have the chance to win money for shedding the pounds. Called HealthyWage, this app uses cash-based weight-loss challenges designed to encourage perseverance. The prize amount depends on several factors that users decide, including their weight loss goal. They only receive their prize if they achieve their goal by the end of their specified weight-loss competition. The average prize for winners is $1,331 but prizes go up to $10,000.

 

Disclaimer: MoneyMagpie is not a licensed financial advisor and therefore information found here including opinions, commentary, suggestions or strategies are for informational, entertainment or educational purposes only. This should not be considered as financial advice. Anyone thinking of investing should conduct their own due diligence.

The post Time is money! 5 ways to turn everyday tasks into money earners appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

Original source: https://www.moneymagpie.com/make-money/time-is-money-5-ways-to-turn-everyday-tasks-into-money-earners

Reading Time: 3 mins

Make Money using less electricity. We take a look at a new initiative called the National Grid Demand Flexibility Service, where energy companies will give you money back if you use less electricity during peak times. 

 

How to register 

Check with your energy provider and if they’re participating, they’ll let you know about the National Grid’s event days. It’s easy to set up, and means that on a particular day you can try and use less electricity – usually at an agreed time between 4-7pm. You’ll be reminded an hour before to get ready for that peak hour. 

 

Only those with smart meters can apply 

The scheme is based around tracking use over specific periods of the day, so you can only take part if you have a smart meter. 

 

You could earn up to £100 over winter 

National Grid ESO has previously said it expects to pay suppliers the equivalent of £3 per unit (kWh) saved. However, suppliers are able to choose whether to pass on the full amount. The exact amount will depend on your electricity use and the number of times you’re prompted to cut your usage during winter. 

Also be aware, some of these schemes only run until the end of winter (March) so act fast to take advantage. 

 

How to prepare 

Once you’ve signed up, go round your home switching off all of the unnecessary plugs and power down everything in your office. 

Keep your fridge and WiFi on, but turn off your microwave, for example, and your Alexa. Anything that’s non-essential and usually running in the background. 

 

How much can I earn? 

 

After the hour is up, you’ll be emailed to say that the event has finished. You could earn anything from £1-£2, if you lasted the whole hour that is! 

 

Make money now! 

It’s completely free to be part of this scheme if you’re with E.ON Next, British Gas, Octopus Energy and Ovo Energy. Sign up now by clicking on the link that applies to you, and you’ll see what deals each supplier is offering. 

 

E.On Next 

To get involved you will need a smart meter that automatically sends half hourly readings, so they can calculate your daily electricity use. If you want to get a smart meter to take part or switch your current smart meter to half-hourly reading then find out how. You’ll also need to give them ‘marketing consent’ so they can contact you about the scheme, which you can do in your E.ON Next customer profile on their website. 

If you’re an E.ON Next customer they’ll contact you if you are eligible to take part – so keep an eye on your inbox. Shifting your energy use with the Demand Flexibility Service is a great opportunity to earn rewards for saving energy to lower your bills this winter. 

 

British Gas 

Taking part is really easy – all you have to do is try and reduce the electricity you use in Peak Save sessions until the end of March.  

• Each session will last between 30 minutes and 4 hours. They’ll be in touch beforehand, so you can decide if it’s convenient to take part. 
• During the session, try to use less electricity than you normally would. The target is 30% less. 
• They’ll do the calculations through your smart meter and let you know how much you saved. 
• Save money on your electricity bill – you could earn the equivalent of 6 days free electricity. 
• As this is a trial, British Gas not able to invite all our customers to take part at the moment. So if you haven’t been sent an invitation, unfortunately you can’t sign up right now. 

 

Octopus Energy 

Earn rewards for using less at peak times this winter: cutting down on energy at certain times of day can have a bigger impact on the planet, the energy system, and your wallet. 

With Saving Sessions, Octopus reward you for using less power – and give you the chance to win mystery prizes too. 

It’s entirely free to get involved HERE, your tariff and energy payments won’t change, and you can opt out any time. 

 

OVO 

• Customers are rewarded up to £100 for shifting energy usage to (on average) greener times of day. 
• New trial helps to reduce peak demand on grid over winter. 
• Typical household uses a fifth of their daily energy between 4pm and 7pm. 

• Supports OVO’s Plan Zero mission to decarbonise homes and save consumers money 

OVO is the UK’s third largest energy supplier, and recently announced the launch of Power Move – an innovative new trial helping customers to cut usage during peak times and save money.  

The trial rewards customers up to £100 in total for moving non-essential energy use to times when the grid is (on average) greener and less congested. Find out more HERE. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The post Make money from using less electricity appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

Original source: https://www.moneymagpie.com/make-money/make-money-from-using-less-electricity

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