Reginald Chan

Author: Reginald Chan

  • Hiring A Personal Injury Lawyer? Here Are The Qualities You Need To Look For

    Hiring A Personal Injury Lawyer? Here Are The Qualities You Need To Look For

    When people become involved in accidents it can be highly stressful. They often occur suddenly and unexpectedly, sending people into a state of shock. If it occurred on the road, there may be damaged vehicles and scattered debris. Worse still, people often get injured and require immediate medical treatment. 

    Right from the start, the involved parties try to assess what has happened and why. There may be a profuse apology or a shifting of the blame. If it seems another party has breached their duty of care or been negligent, the accident victim may be able to claim financial compensation. Because of the complexity of the law and the potential battle that could ensue, many people use personal injury lawyers to support their claims. Perhaps this is you right now, in which case this article will help you choose the most suitable attorney. 

    Transparency 

    In Oakland, California in 2019, 46 vehicles were involved in incidents, resulting in 32 deaths. Tragically, 11 of these were pedestrians. At times like these, people often make the internet their first port of call for guidance. If you visit KerleySchaffer.com you’ll learn that people want to see how much money lawyers successfully recovered from compensation claims. They desire to read what previous clients have said about them and to discover how long they have been in practice. 

    Accident victims also want it to be easy to gain a free consultation or to have a live chat with a professional. 

    Honesty About Fees

    If someone has just had an accident, they may be struggling to pay their medical expenses. If they are currently not fit for work this could make things even worse. 

    If someone is considering employing an attorney they will want to know exactly how much it could cost them. They won’t want to be blinded by complex pricing structures or fall prey to hidden fees. 

    Compassion

    Some accident victims suffer trauma as a result of what has occurred. There may be an uneasy time of waiting for a medical diagnosis or surgery. The individual may have been harassed by the other party’s insurance company or be struggling to prove another person was responsible.  

    At such a vulnerable time an attorney must be human and personable. There could be discussions about sensitive medical issues and personal finance. The client needs to feel they can relate to their attorney and that they are being listened to compassionately. 

    Accessibility 

    If a person’s lawyer lives in another state they will know little about the area in which the accident occurred. Some laws vary across the USA, so a local firm could be far superior. If your attorney works nearby, you can pop in for a chat whenever you need or to drop off important documentation. 

    You need to establish your required methods of communication from the very start, be it by telephone, text, or email. Define how frequently you will require updates. See if a member of staff will be your dedicated contact point and find out the hours they will be available for. 

    Experience

    It’s uncommon to find a personal injury lawyer who can deal with any type of claim. Work-related injuries require a strong knowledge of employment law, including Workers’ Compensation. Incidents involving trucks are more complex than those involving cars. Medical negligence is a totally different arena where attorneys look for untrained or careless staff. Sports injuries are different once more and could involve faulty equipment or poor crowd control.

    For this reason, most attorney websites will specify their area of specialism, be it slip and fall accidents or dog bites.

    Negotiation Skills

    If you read ten websites hosted by personal injury lawyers, you will be surprised how often they use the word ‘aggressive’ when discussing negotiations. This is because the party responsible for the accident will have an insurance company that doesn’t want to lose money. 

    If they can avoid paying out or can get away with paying less than requested, they will do so. They’ll use their own attorneys and claims adjusters to protect their interests, and seek to blind people with medical terminology wherever possible. Personal injury lawyers are fortunately adept at countering such resistance, and doggedly pursuing justice. 

    As we can see, the most appropriate lawyer will be the one who has all of the above competencies and qualities. Added together, they can create a force to be reckoned with in your fight for justice. As your legal advocate, you will be able to rest secure in the knowledge that they will be seeking the best possible outcome for you.

  • Should You Relocate Your Employees During a Pandemic? Here are 3 Ways to Successfully Do It

    Should You Relocate Your Employees During a Pandemic? Here are 3 Ways to Successfully Do It

    With the pandemic lockdowns in 2020, companies were forced to adapt to remote work protocols where possible, or close down operations. For companies that were able to successfully transition to a remote workforce, there were certainly positive benefits, but there have also been complications as well.

    One of the complications is employee relocation, whether it’s the company asking a new hire to relocate, or an employee asking to relocate. Both situations have different complexities, but we’ll address both in this article, and give you 3 tips on successfully navigating employee relocations during the pandemic.

    Be helpful to the employees travel plans

    Companies used to pay lump-sum relocation packages to employees, but this strategy has shown to cause extra stress to employees’ lives, lowering productivity. If at all feasible, you should be there for them throughout the procedure.

    Housing is one of the most stressful aspects of relocating. If your employee is a homeowner, you’ll want to do all you can to make the process of selling their property as painless as possible, which includes finding a buyer as quickly as feasible.

    When you try to set up staff for employment in new states, you’ll be adding a lot of work to your plate and causing a lot of disturbance. Businesses can utilize the services of specialized employee relocation companies to streamline the process and take care of a lot of the paperwork and needful things. You can check out a helpful employee relocation guide from one such company.

    Relocating during a pandemic has its own unique challenges. While some employees are willing to relocate, they expect their employer to provide assistance. 82% of respondents expect living assistance in either the forms of moving expenses (60%), a lump sum (60%), or temporary living expenses (54%).

    In a 2020 DSJ Global survey, 69% of respondents in the United States said they would relocate to a different place within the country for the proper job. COVID-19 has also been a big influence in Americans’ propensity to relocate, as seen by studies indicating that 35% of people would migrate for this reason.

    Make sure safety protocols are followed for travel

    Your employees’ safety is your first responsibility during this epidemic. Because it’s likely that they’ll want to avoid flying or taking the bus, you could want to supply them with a rental car if they don’t already have one.

    You must be prepared to give allowances for their stays if they stop anywhere overnight, depending on the route. Keep in mind that if they bring their family with them, you’ll need to set up more money for them.

    Be mindful of out-of-state work taxes and labour laws

    When an employee works outside of the state or states where the company does business, it creates a physical nexus, making the employer liable to the tax regimes of that jurisdiction. State income taxes, gross receipts taxes, and sales and use taxes might all apply to employers. Taxes levied at the city or county level may be relevant.

    Being subject to state and local taxes generally requires both the preparation and filing of tax returns, and the payment of taxes

    According to Cincinnati-based law firm Taft Stettinius & Hollister, certain states have temporarily disregarded the development of a business nexus for state taxes for COVID-19-related remote labor on behalf of out-of-state employers. However, out-of-state employers may be required to withhold state income taxes from remote workers who live in these states.

    How can you adapt to employee relocation requests?

    Businesses throughout the world have had a challenging year, but the most successful ones have adapted to their new circumstances. While struggling to adapt to remote work protocols, it created extra complications when employees suddenly thought they could work from literally anywhere.

    Great businesses are able to strike a balance between the demands of the company and the requirements of its employees, which sometimes necessitates accepting and managing risk.

    Before approving relocation plans, check with human resources to ensure that workers’ relocation plans will not violate any regulations or exceedingly burden the company with paperwork.

    There have been situations where once telecommuting became normal, employees simply casually asked to be able to move further away from the office, and travel to the office would be unnecessary. HR later discovers that this employee relocated to a new state or nation, and the situation is far more serious than the immediate supervisor knew, because of tax regulations across state lines.

    If the employee is relocating for personal reasons and it is not something the company is requesting, there is very little moral dilemma over offering a relocation package.

  • Top Useful Tips To Avoid Any Financial Issues In Your Business

    Top Useful Tips To Avoid Any Financial Issues In Your Business

    Finance management is an important aspect of running a business, and as your business grows, it becomes more and more complicated. If you are a freelancer or a sole proprietor, managing your accounts is fairly straightforward. You don’t have to worry about paying employees, filing taxes is simple, and managing your invoices is a walk in the park. However, as your business starts to grow, things begin to get complicated. From paying your employees, accounting for their benefits and taxes, managing debts, and calculating depreciation, to accounting for tax-deductible expenses; there are too many components to account for. Given its complexity, managing the finances of your company can become quite overwhelming. The added pressure can often lead to mistakes which can result in heavy fines and losses. It is almost like a game of Jenga; one block out of place, and they all come crumbling down. Financial issues in your business, even poor bookkeeping, can often lead to an audit. 

    The purpose is not to scare you, but rather to prepare you. If you know the things you must look out for, you can avoid any financial blunders. Here are a few useful tips that will help you avoid any financial issues in your business.

    Ensure Timely Invoicing And Payment

    To manage your finances, there should be something to manage to begin with. It is important to ensure that your customers pay you on time. One way of doing this is to clearly communicate the terms of payment when you enter into a contract with a client. If you know that you can expect timely payment and clearance of invoices, you can plan your finances. However, if your customers don’t pay you on time, irrespective of how much you try and manage the finances of your company, there will always be problems that will crop up. You need to realize that in the event of late payments your clients are not always to blame. Part of the responsibility also lies with you. You should always provide your clients with invoices that are clear, easy to understand, and free from any kinds of errors.

    Develop A Bulletproof Business Plan

    A well laid down business plan is what provides the company and its employees with direction and motive. It tells you what your objectives are and how the company should proceed and grow in the next couple of years. Your business plan should include everything, from sourcing funding to attracting customers, managing inventory to marketing your product. It should not only lay down where the company wishes to be in the near future but also what should be done to get there.

    Keep Your Books Updated

    Bookkeeping is probably one of the most boring aspects of managing your finances. At the same time, however, it is also one of the most important. Keeping track of all your incomes and expenses can help you manage your finances, simplify processes, and save time in the long run. Without well-organized and updated records, managing your finances can become very difficult. Keeping your books updated will make it very simple to file taxes, in addition to meeting government regulations.

    Seek Professional Support

    As your business grows, its complexity increases exponentially. While you may have been able to manage and track all the finances at an early stage, it can soon get out of hand. Seeking professional support by hiring a finance management company can help you get access to seasoned professionals who have years and years of experience in managing the finances of various companies. Such companies provide you access to finance gurus who can offer you financial advice, as well as accountants who can maintain your books. Although Finance management companies do charge you a basic amount to maintain your books and manage your finances, it turns out cheaper in the long run. 

    Automate Routine Payments

    There are so many bills and payments that need to be cleared on a routine basis. Bills like electricity charges, real estate rent, the salary of employees, and paying subcontractors are generally made periodically. By not processing these payments repeatedly and automating the process instead, a lot of time and energy can be saved, and mistakes can be avoided. There are numerous applications and software suites that are available which can help do this. Such payroll management software not only helps in managing payments but can also account for the leaves availed by employees, reimbursement claims, and other benefits that have to be offered.

    Maintain Your Credit Score

    The main purpose of having a good credit score is to enhance your ability to secure a loan. While, for businesses, this is an important aspect, that however is not the only advantage. A high credit score has numerous advantages. It reflects the health of your business and helps attract customers, investors, contractors, and potential partners. A company with a high credit score is less likely to default on its debt payment while a company with a poor credit score might.

    Plan Well In Time

    As far as your finances are concerned, you should always plan well ahead of time. You can only cater to the financial needs of your business if you know what they are. In addition, arranging finances requires some time, and knowing your requirements in advance can help you meet them in time.

    Don’t Default On Deadlines

    Defaulting on deadlines can not only give your company a bad name but at the same time, also result in a hefty fine. Make sure that you always file the taxes of your company on time. Not doing so can result in an audit which can prove very expensive to arrange. Any fine that you pay as a result of a delayed submission is a pointless expense and reduces the profitability of your business.

    Yes, managing the finances of your company can be quite complicated and a simple slip can result in significant losses. However, if you keep the above things in mind you will easily be able to avoid some of the most common mistakes that are made and this can help you not just streamline your financial records but also minimize your expenditure.

  • Reasons to Hire a Marketing Professional for a Start-Up

    Reasons to Hire a Marketing Professional for a Start-Up

    In this day and age, everything can be easily done. A teenager can make a beautiful website, there are virtual accountants, and you can design an entire house through an app on your phone. Still, while most of these look intriguing, most of these areas should be left for the experts.

    Most start-ups look for ways to save as much money as possible. This means self-made websites, designing a logo on an app, and so on. But even if this is doable, there are a couple of professionals you shouldn’t “save on”, and one of those is the marketing specialist. As easy as it may seem, marketing is a layered area of work, and while a lot of websites and apps say you can do it on your own, this may not be true. Even if you manage to do it yourself, you’ll end up losing time and energy, which for a start-up equals money.

    A marketing manager is in charge of everything that your company is for the consumer. They write statements, press-releases, sometimes they talk in interviews as the face of the company, but mostly they polish your image from posters and logos to written statements. Their job is to attract a wider audience while raising brand awareness by creating marketing campaigns. These campaigns promote products and your image through almost every form of media such as radio, television, print, and online platforms.

    There are various types of marketing positions depending on what type of company you have. Some companies focus on social media, while some focus more on public relations and international marketing. Some have a product, therefore they need someone who’s the best in product marketing. There are B2B (business to business) and B2C (business to consumer) businesses, each needing different types of marketing campaigns. B2B marketing focuses more on the economy and society of the demographic, and relies on logical, process-driven decisions, while B2C marketing focuses on emotion-drivel purchasing decisions, and leans on a specific group within customers (some may aim for communication with mothers, while others lean on children or a specific profession, or maybe 5-10 different groups of demographics).

    Marketing managers are the main creative, analytical, and managerial outlets in the company. Their position ranges from print to social media, meaning that a good marketing professional can be the spine of all your social media platforms, taking yet another weight off your shoulders. A marketing manager could be the best investment you ever make. The range in which they operate, and the tasks they’re responsible for include everything that your audience sees, and that is the most important thing when talking about a start-up.

    Even a well-seasoned company needs constant publicity in order to keep up their image, and for a start-up, it’s the most important thing for staying afloat and introducing yourself. Being a significant figure in the eyes of the public (even if it’s just a tiny demographic) is the most important thing, as companies stay alive thanks to their audience and customers. That first introduction, and the very first campaign strategies can make a huge difference, and for that, people need a marketing manager.

    But what makes a good marketing manager? To really get your money’s worth, you’ll need someone with experience, and someone with excellent oral and written communication skills. Furthermore, a good marketing specialist is someone who thinks outside the box, is interested in your area of work, and knows the economy and society you work in. The number one job of a marketing manager is speaking to your audience. So they must know who you are, and they have to know how to speak with your audience. They should be worldly in a way that allows them to attract a bigger audience and know how to reach out to more than a few demographics.

    Now, why do you absolutely need a person to do that if you could do it yourself? The reason for that is because you can’t do it yourself. Marketing eats up the entire workweek, every week. It’s loads of research, it’s coming up with strategies, it’s creating entire campaigns, sometimes going to interviews and events as the face of the company, and the head of the company can’t afford to lose all that time and focus on just one area.

    The other reason is that a marketing professional knows tactics, strategies, and methods that you don’t. It’s not your job to know everything about every area. Simply put, without a marketing manager, or any type of marketing specialist, companies don’t have a leg to stand on regarding image and public presence.

    There are some crucial people that make up a company. Starting with the CEO and COO, the accountant, the product manager, all the way to the marketing manager. Today marketing seems like an easy task. Everyone can handle a few posts on social media. But to save your time, energy, and make more money along the way by using effective methods and strategies, a marketing manager can set you apart and take the business to a whole new level.

  • House Moving 101: 5 Steps To Making A Quick House Move With Your Smart Devices

    House Moving 101: 5 Steps To Making A Quick House Move With Your Smart Devices

    If you’ve decided to get that house or that place for you and your family – congratulations! Getting a new place now would allow you and your family to have a more comfortable time in a neighborhood and community that would open up a lot of opportunities. Moving to a new home means getting closer to work, being closer to a better schooling, or even access to more amenities and amazing tourist locations. If you’re doing this by yourself, with a partner, or with your entire family, then you’re going to open a new and better chapter in your lives. Unfortunately, given today’s reality, you may have to manage your house move alongside your obligations at home, your tasks at work, or even your schooling. Sadly, this might mean being pressured and overwhelmed with your house moving process.

    Thing is, there’s no need to be pressured at all, even if it’s your first time! In fact, if you have smart devices with you – your smartphone, a tablet, or even a laptop – you can manage and fix your move wherever you are, and whenever you need! Here are some quick steps:

    • Opt for digital conferences and submissions for your household paperwork. If you’re decided on your move, one of the first things you’d have to do is get a hold of your household paperwork – various documentation, requirements, and even calling services such as your best long distance movers. However, instead of wasting time and money on gasoline and trips to offices for submissions, you might want to digitize this part of the process. In terms of paperwork, you may want to ask your local office if they ask for digital submissions you can send over services such as DocuSign. This way, you maximize your time and stay at home where you’ll be able to go anywhere you really need to throughout the day.
    • Use organization apps to manage your inventory. Instead of using a physical ledger or notebook to list down your belongings, you might want to use organizational apps in order to be able to list down as many entries and data as you could regarding your belongings. A spreadsheet or an organizational app may be able to list down things such as quantity, quality, and weight, take pictures, or even indicate which items you want to keep, sell, or even throw away. This is a handy reference to keep, as movers may be charging you for their services based on the weight of your items overall.
    • Get familiar with your community via social media and the internet. Instead of being surprised with what kind of community you’ll be having once you move to your new home, the internet can be a surprisingly handy tool in getting to know your location even before you go there. You can use your smartphone or your laptop to become aware of the local news, any new developments, or anything that goes on in your community throughout the moving process. That way, you won’t be surprised with new developments, what kind of neighbors you have, the establishments around you, and more importantly things about school or at work. Instead of directly going to your new area, the internet may be able to provide you the necessary facts you need with a bit of research and asking around forums. 
    • Streamline your moving timeline with your routine calendar. If you rely on a calendar app to organize your needs on a daily basis, this should also be the exact calendar you’re using for your move. You may do this, or use an organizing app that fits into your calendar app but separates your moving timeline. That way, you know exactly the days where you have your time off, or if you have any urgent meetings, or whenever you have your breaks. Instead of risking your status at work or at school with too many absences, maximizing your free time with your moving timeline can help you accomplish more things with the time that you have. 
    • Hire and communicate with services online. If you’re having a rough time with your moving timeline, you might not necessarily have to do it alone. In fact, you’ll be able to hire professionals such as a moving company to help you out with the heavy-lifting of some of your tasks. Thanks to social media and the internet, you may be able to reach out to these services via their websites, social media pages, and even online directories. Likewise, your services may be able to accommodate you via virtual calls in order to avoid having to travel far. Thanks to video conferencing applications, you simply need an internet connection to connect with your movers. 

    Digital House Moving 101: Make It Possible For Your Needs

    With the above tips in mind, it’s important to understand that it’s completely possible to have a very “hands-off” move by relying on your smartphone and gadgets to do much of the work for you. Thanks to modern apps and modern methodologies, you can use various programs and services to digitize and streamline your house move for you and your family’s benefit. With this process, you may be able to have a much more comfortable time with your house move without having to worry about missing out on your important obligations or even missing items and belongings along the way.

  • Learn How To Save The Data From Your Business

    Learn How To Save The Data From Your Business

    Saving and storing data efficiently and safely should be one of the top priorities for all businesses. We have all seen the stories of major data breaches and losses which have cost businesses and their customers a huge amount of money as well as an awful lot of distress. There is so much data produced by modern businesses and a lot of it is extremely sensitive so it needs to be handled with the utmost care. In this digital age, there are many different data storage solutions for businesses to consider so that they can make the right decision about what is best for themselves and their customers.

    To help you make the right choice and keep your business and customers safe, here are the top ways to save your business’s data.

    1. Cloud Storage

    Despite being a relatively new technology, cloud storage has already established itself as the number one way for businesses to save their data, files, and important records. With quality cloud storage, you essentially have unlimited storage space because some offer up to an exabyte of storage (that’s a million trillion bytes!). Cloud storage will enable you to store all of your business’s data in one single place so that it is easily accessible to anyone you give permission to. This means that many people can collaborate on one file at the same time if they have been given access. This is ideal because it means you don’t need to send anything via email or another risky method. 

    Cloud storage also has the highest levels of cybersecurity which is very important because hackers and cybercriminals are becoming ever more sophisticated. A major data breach or hack can cause serious damage to your business. If sensitive files or data are stolen then it could be used to sabotage or blackmail your business or your customers. If this happens, you could end up with enormous financial costs and a significant hit to your business’s reputation. There are various cloud options available which offer different features. You can learn about the Dynamics 365 Business Central Implementation to get a better idea of the benefits of one cloud service. The first important thing is to check that the storage capacity is large enough for your business and that there is up-to-date cybersecurity.  

    2. External Solid State Drives

    Solid-state drives (SSDs) are the next generation of traditional computer hard drives which have been designed to ultimately replace standard hard disk drives (HDDs). SDDs and HDDs work in a very similar way but SSDs have some significant advantages. First of all, they will enable your business’s computers to load up faster and to run quicker even if they are storing a lot of data. You may have previously been put off buying SSDs for your business due to the higher price when compared to a standard HDD. This should no longer be a factor, however, because the prices have come down significantly in recent years. You will now be able to purchase a 2 terabyte SSD for around $250-$300.

    3. External Hard Disk Drives

    As explained above, hard disk drives were usually the best option before SSDs and they can still provide excellent storage for your business. All your business’s computers will already have their own built-in HDDs of different storage capacities, but when this is no longer enough for your business, you can purchase external HDDs to provide additional storage. External HDDs and SDDs both plug directly into your computers’ USB drives so that your employees will be able to get access to all your files and data no matter what computer they are doing. 

    4. USB Thumb Drives

    USB thumb drives are just like mini SDDs or HDDs but they generally only have a few gigabytes of storage capacity. This means that thumb drives are not usually big enough for storing all of your business data, unless you have a very small business, but they are excellent for transporting and storing a decent amount of files. Most business owners and employees these days will have at least one thumb drive so that it is easy to take files home to work on or to use for presentations to customers or partners outside of the office. Thumb drives are small, light, and can be carried easily in a pocket, purse, or even on a keychain. Make sure that you always put a password on your thumb drives so that if it is lost or stolen nobody will be able to access your files. 

    5. Protect Your Company’s Data From Multiple Angles

    Incorporating additional security features to protect your corporate data is essential these days, especially in the wake of high-profile cyber attacks and breaches. One of the most common mistakes companies make is to simply rely on passwords as their primary means of protecting their data. This approach is inherently flawed because accounts can be easily compromised if one password is guessed or cracked. Adding additional security features such as mfa on premise, virtual private network, monitoring and other solutions will significantly reduce the risk of a breach, while also increasing the overall level of protection and the overall user experience.

    6. Save Your Data Directly on Your Business Computers

    One really simple storage plan is to just save all of the data on your business’s computers’ internal hard drives. This is a very convenient form of storage and will make all of the files accessible to everyone in your office. One major disadvantage of saving the data on your computers is that it could be potentially vulnerable to cyber attacks or viruses. Make sure that you always have up-to-date cybersecurity and virus protection and try not to store anything very sensitive. Always have a secure wifi network in your offices so that nobody passing by can connect to the network and access your computers. 

    7. Use SD Cards

    In addition to USB ports, your business computers may also have SD slots. If this is the case, you can store and transport your data and files on micro SD cards rather than USB thumb drives. One big benefit of an SD card is that you can use them in other devices such as digital cameras, smartphones and other gadgets. One downside of SD cards is that they are more expensive than USB thumb drives so you may want to take that into consideration.

    Deciding on the best way to store your business’s data should always take careful consideration. You need to think about security, accessibility, and the capacity of the different storage options. Remember that you are not only in possession of your company’s data, but often your customers’ data as well. Consider these storage options and you will be able to make the right data storage plan.