Poole Group

Christmas is quickly approaching and plenty of you will be planning your end of year Christmas parties and gifts for your employees. There are important decisions to be made in terms of venues and drinks. Below is a summary chart of Entertainment & Gifts. A simple rule is that the more exuberant the function or gift, the greater the chances of incurring Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT). The cost of providing a Christmas party or gift is only income tax deductible to the extent that it is subject to FBT.

So you may have heard a lot about Cloud Accounting lately, but have you thought about other Cloud Applications?

You can’t deny that the new technology buzz word is ‘Cloud’. It has been around for a while now, but businesses have only caught onto the concept in the last couple of years. With the likes of Mobile devices & Tablets, everyone is going mobile. It was only a decade ago that businesses were driving the developers in the technology market but its now the consumers who are paving the way as to how apps are developed.

Are you a 'Cougar' or did you marry one? Or maybe you fell for someone your own age? In any case, there's a little known super strategy that you need to hear about. Did you know that it is possible to allocate some of your super contributions each year to your spouse? This is a powerful strategy, especially for couples where one (the cougar) or both (the high school sweethearts) are approaching retirement.

Have you ever noticed when walking in a busy shopping mall, how we all seamlessly engage with other pedestrians, move fluidly and avoid bumping into each other, yet we have no markings, signs or methods of signalling our intention?

Or have you noticed when you approach a doorway at the same time as someone else, both of you instinctively move to the side, offering for the other to go first and with a simple wave of the hand and a pleasant smile, both of you continue on your way?

Put the same two people in cars and put them in a situation on the road that requires them to merge, change lanes or give way and the likely outcome is significantly different – it usually involves hand gestures, blaring horns and flashing lights.

Isn’t it strange how, when we are cocooned in a metal box on wheels, we lose our ability to use common sense and show some common courtesy.

There is a lot of hype and excitement about the new hospital in the press and government and how it will be the Sunshine Coasts own “resources boom”.

We receive a lot of questions such as:

• What is going there?
• When will it happen?
• How big will it be?
• How will it help the coast?

The Sunshine Coast University Hospital (“SCUH”) is actually only a part of the proposed Kawana Health precinct which will also house a 200 bed private hospital and a Skills, Academic and Research Centre, whilst across the road will be a medically focused business precinct with specialists and associated medical businesses and support services. 

A month of hairy upper lips and awareness of men’s health.

You don’t have to wait until you are sick to see a doctor. The fact that in Australia 1 in 2 men are diagnosed with cancer and 1 in 8 men will experience depression in their lifetime, should highlight the importance of staying on top of your health.

• Men live on average 5 years less than women.
• Almost twice as many Australian men die of skin cancer than women, the fourth most common cancer among men.
• A man’s life span is affected by genetics (24%) and modifiable risk factors (75%).
• More than two thirds of Australian men are overweight or obese – increasing their chances of many diseases.
• More than 5 men die prematurely each hour from potentially preventable illnesses.
• Every cigarette you smoke takes 8 minutes off your life. Smoking a pack per day for 20 years reduces your life expectancy by 13 years.
• Men account for 70% of alcohol related deaths.
• The suicide rate is 4 times higher for men than women.
• 75% of people with diabetes die from cardiovascular diseases.
• One third of men have not seen a doctor in the past year. 10% have not seen one for five years.

These alarming statistics not only highlight the fact that men are not bullet proof like most of them would believe but also shows the importance of having the right personal protection in place when serious health events arise.

Earnings – Looking for Growth in 2012 ?

At the time of writing this report the month of November saw the ASX 200 drop 200pts or - 4.7%. The rollercoaster between black and red continues however we have been using the red to buy quality at compelling yields of 7% plus 3.5% franking credits in all of the big 4 banks. Whilst the European crisis is being played out we have seen that buying around the low 4100 point level has rewarded long term investors. We have seen on at least four occasions in the last 5 months the ASX 200 continuing to find support base around the 4100 level. So whilst we may be looking for growth we have focused on what income we can earn from investments.

INTRODUCTION - BUSINESS REVIEW AND PLANNING

In order to commence a business review and planning process there are 5 key areas which a small business operator should focus on in order to establish the current position of the business and key areas to focus on to maximise the return on your investment.

These 5 areas are:

• Profitability
• Cashflow, liquidity and Solvency
• Efficiency
• Business Planning
• External Issues and Trends