Issue 122 December 2016

Have you recently separated from your partner? Have you formalised your property settlement by way of a Consent Order or Financial Agreement? This article explains why you should formalise your property settlement. If you do not formalise your agreement you leave yourself open to a property settlement claim being made against you in the future. Say, for example, you separate...

Colin Ellis, Author of "The Conscious Project Leader who will speak atConvergence in 2017 Photography: Richard Tuffin Brexit, Trump, cloud computing and the smartphone revolution are just a few of the major disruptions we've seen in recent months and years. Big shifts like this have an impact on everyone, and businesses have to develop the skills to adapt. "Modern organisations...

Tim Maly, Managing Director at LJ Hooker Strata ACT, recently took over the mantle of Strata Community Australia ACT President. This is Tim's second stint as he was also president in 2013/14. Tim says that he has worked in the strata business for over a decade, and that he is passionate about his work and this rapidly expanding industry. One...

Photo: Sam Halstead Young, vibrant, smart and innovative are all well-used descriptors of Canberra. But they also perfectly describe Wellington, our cool apital sister city from across the ditch. Canberra and Wellington have much in common. We are two of the most liveable cities in the OECD, both cities leverage business opportunities that extend from the seat of our respective...

Dickson Wetland Warren Ganter Saunders (native plant 'guru"), John Finch (sales manager) and Richard Ploog (senior horticulturist and drummer for Australian band The Church) are the core crew at South East Natives, based in Pialligo ACT. You may not know these three gentlemen, but you have probably seen their handiwork throughout our beautiful bush capital and beyond. Warren Ganter Saunders...

How does a CLV determine a customer's true worth? Back in 1956, legendary old-school management consultant Peter Drucker declared that the purpose of any business was all about creating a customer. But six decades later, too many business owners still misunderstand a customer's true worth - the true lifetime value of those customers responsible for buying their products and services....

Photography: Tim Benson Tony LoPilato has seen many changes during his thirty plus years in the accounting profession. One thing that hasn't changed in all that time is the enjoyment he finds in the relationships he builds with clients. "My primary focus is to assist all my clients, from individual taxpayers to small and medium sized business owners. Having owned...

It's a typical scenario for many business owners. An employee puts in an application for annual leave for a tropical break to Hawaii. You smile as you put yourself in their shoes imagining yourself lying on the beach with a cocktail and then reality hits and you start to think how it will impact you and your business. Your immediate...

Single Touch Payroll (STP) is now becoming compulsory for businesses, which have minimum 20 employees. You will be required to report on the new system from 1st July 2018. What needs to be prepared to get ready for the new system? Would there be any impact on your business transaction or cash flow? Here are few check points to ensure...

The increasing use of social media has had a profound effect on the way that people do business. The ability to reach a large market for low cost and engage with customers and potential customers in real time can have a major positive impact on your business. However, with the benefits also comes the risk from both improper use and...

When you're running your own business and you're in the thick of keeping everything running smoothly; taking a holiday might be the last thing on your mind. Or maybe it's something you've considered and you concluded that it would be more stressful than just keeping your nose to the grindstone. But it's generally acknowledged that there are a lot of...

Phishing is the action of exploiting human nature in order to acquire information for the purpose of identity theft, financial fraud or obtaining unauthorised access to sensitive information. A phishing attack is typically delivered in the form of an unsolicited email designed to lure a user into visiting a web site or to open an attached document. Typically, the link...

I was recently contacted by a professional colleague asking that I meet with a director of a company facing reasonably serious financial problems. The problems themselves were not insurmountable. The issues had been identified at a stage where there was still a range of options able to be deployed. Money was available to satisfy debts (or a goodly portion of...