Shop till you drop! The best prices of the holiday season are on this day. Is it worth the long lines, getting up before 6 a.m and rushing to get this year’s favorite toy before it’s sold out? I have always loved black Friday, especially watching the people go wild. Great start to the holiday season, it really puts me in the mood. Of course, if you can’t stand crowds or don’t enjoy long lines, you can always shop the Internet!

It is the day before Thanksgiving. Though we have seen turbulent times this year we still have so much to be thankful for. Take a few moments and reflect on your blessings, take a deep breath and enjoy the beginning of the holiday season, and don’t forget to take some time for you!

Show me the money. If you are experiencing cash flow problems, follow these tips from a recent survey where 80% of small business owners say they plan to take the following steps to improve cash flow:

Be more aggressive in collecting accounts receivables
Raise prices
Offer customers discounts for paying early
Take advantage of special payment plans with vendors
Use a credit card

Below is a list of resources to help you get a head start on this year’s tax planning. Make a resolution to stay on top of your business and minimize this year’s tax bill.

The IRS (www.irs.gov) is the original source for tax information. There’s a one stop resource for small businesses under the site’s business tab.

The National Federation of Independent Businesses web site (www.nfib.com) has a wealth of tax tips and useful links.

At www.smbiz.com you will find information on small business forms and resources.

Ever get confused as to what generation title you fall under? Here is a cheat sheet based on age?

Silent Generation: age 63-82
Baby Boomer: age 44-62
Generation X: age 32-43
Generation Y: age 21-31

So now you know. When does old age begin? I will leave that answer up to you!

As more of us will be traveling this holiday season, for both business and pleasure, the hotel and airline industry should wake up and take care of us! Why? Because:

80% of women polled say their traveling for business is a sign of professional achievement.

53% of women say they eat the turndown-service chocolates left on our pillows!

$175 billion was spent by us this year on travel.

100% of us want a clean room away from the elevator or ice machine in a SAFE location!

3 questions to ask yourself to determine your job status:

1. Is the job permanent? If you are working full time from 9-5 every day for an indefinite period, you are an employee.

2. How important is the job to the organization? If you are selling the company’s product or services, chances are you will be classified as an employee.

3. Do you have other clients? If not, you are an employee.

First-Of-Its Kind Card Facilitates Immediate Access to IRA Funds for Investment Purchases, Making It Easy to Pay for Goods and Services or Take Distributions at ATMs

RENO, NV, November 17, 2008 – The Entrust Group® (www.theentrustgroup.com), the leading administrator of self-directed retirement plans, today announced the introduction of the first-ever IRA Debit CardSM product together with The IRA Card Checking AccountSM service. Called the Entrust IRA Card CheckingSM service, these new offerings provide an innovative, easy, convenient way for self-directed IRA account holders to purchase new, or improve existing, IRA assets, or take required minimum distributions from the available funds in their retirement accounts. Self-directed IRA account holders can use Entrust’s IRA Debit CardSM product, which is marketed under the Visa® brand, to pay for goods or services wherever Visa is accepted. It can also be used at ATMs around the world for cash withdrawals.

Hugh Bromma, Entrust’s CEO, noted that “Entrust’s ground-breaking IRA Card CheckingSM service – both the IRA Debit CardSM product and The IRA Card Checking AccountSM service – provides our account holders with a simple, handy, easy-to-use way to purchase an asset for their self-directed IRA (such as making a loan or purchasing precious metals), improve an existing IRA asset (i.e., building an addition onto a real estate investment property inside an IRA) or take a required minimum distribution (RMD).” Bromma added that the IRA Debit CardSM product builds upon the popularity of the “checkbook IRA,” providing debit card convenience, anywhere Visa is accepted, and/or the flexibility to use a check at a merchant that doesn’t accept Visa. Entrust clients can opt for The IRA Debit CardSM product, The IRA Card CheckSM product, or both.

Entrust’s IRA Debit CardSM product and The IRA Card Checking AccountSM service stand in stark contrast to the much-maligned 401 (K) cards, which allow people to take loans from their retirement accounts. “Unlike other retirement plan-linked cards, our IRA Debit CardSM product and IRA Card CheckingSM service do not have, or allow for, loans of any kind. Those are prohibited transactions. All available funds must be un-invested in the IRA (minimum $1,000 opening balance). Any transaction that is not an expense or asset purchase, for the IRA, is viewed as a distribution and will be administered as such,” Mr. Bromma added.

Specifically, all IRA Card CheckingSM transactions are considered distributions unless proven otherwise. Account holders have 30 calendar days, following a transaction, to submit the proper documentation to show that the expenditure was for an IRA asset. If the documentation does not reflect this, Entrust is legally required, and will file, reports to the IRS that indicate the amount of the payment taken from the IRA in question (IRS Form 1099-R).

It is also impossible to overdraw on an Entrust IRA Card CheckingSM account because, whether using the IRA Debit CardSM product or The IRA Card Checking AccountSM service, an individual is limited to only the funds that have been transferred to their IRA Card CheckingSM account from the un-invested funds within their IRA. Any transaction that would exceed the account’s limit would be declined.

For people who are of the age that they must begin to take required minimum distributions – starting at 70 ½ years of age – distributions can be taken seamlessly at any ATM, making this the most convenient way for people to access their money.

About The Entrust Group®
The Entrust Group® is the world’s premier provider of account administration services for self-directed retirement plans. For more than 25 years, Entrust has been an acknowledged authority in the field of self-directed retirement accounts. Entrust is the only self-directed IRA administrator that serves you right in your community. Entrust affiliate offices are staffed with experts in law, finance and business, all with first-hand experience in self-directed accounts.