Experience Matters

ADP Small Business Services

401 N. Washington St., Suite 200

Rockville, MD 20850

(301) 296-7760

ashley_krout@adp.com

Come learn about their low interest, fixed rate mortgage loan program for first time and repeat homebuyers and the important steps to homeownership. Space Is Limited, So Register Today! Limited parking is available in the rear of the building.

Learn more at: www.dchfa.org.

RSVP here:

There are many great purchasing options designed to help renters become homebuyers. These programs offer very low initial investments and excellent terms. If you would like to be a homeowner, please give us a call. One of our greatest pleasures is helping people buy their first home.

Lorenzo M. Wooten, Jr.

President, The Wooten Group

We meet at James Hoban’s Irish Restaurant, One Dupont Circle (www.jameshobansdc.com).

A great referral for Tim would be a business owner or office manager in the small to mid size business realm that wants to reassess their companies IT situation. Someone who is frustrated with the reliability and/or efficiency of their current technology applications, or someone looking to realize the true potential of what a customized and focused technology solution can achieve. Technology is an ever-evolving and dynamic field, organizations must consistently adapt their technology strategy and applications accordingly to compete in any market. Let Vantage Point be the vessel that aligns your organizations goals with the technology solutions that will help you achieve these goals.

Contact Information:

Vantage Point Solutions Group

10th St. NW, Ste. 207

Washington Dc 20001

877.523.3393 ext. 284

www.vpsg.net

trobinson@vpsg.net

Stephen Gould Corp.

20111-A Century Blvd.

Germantown, MD 20874

(301) 528-8700

drbeukema@stephengould.com

Eagle Bank

1228 Connecticut Ave., N.W.

Washington, DC 20036

(202) 466-3161 Main

(202) 507-1108

jsilvers@eaglebankcorp.com

District Title

1707 L St., N.W., Suite 1020

Washington, DC 20036

(202) 518-9300

scott@districttitle.com

A sorority’s rush period is chaotic and short; thousands of students visit dozens of sorority houses, and everybody has to learn how to get acquainted quickly. Houses are evaluating candidates, and candidates are considering their options. In many ways, it’s a model business networking situation.

What does a successful sorority do to attract quality candidates? Many of the same things a business can do to attract and retain quality customers and a powerful business network:

• Rely on your personal network, but go beyond it — tap the networks of people in your network, to get an exponential boost in contacts and information.
• Be the kind of group people want to join — positive enthusiasm and energy demonstrate the benefits of membership, and inspire others to contribute.
• Listen to prospects — learning about someone’s priorities will ensure that you are attracting and recruiting the right talent for the group.
• Make prospects feel included — introduce them to other members and get them involved in the conversation.
• Select people who can help grow the organization — in addition to finding a business resource for your own business, you want to find people who will take on the role of growing the organization.

Both traditional and Roth IRAs are good opportunities for professionals who need to save for their own retirement. In fact, changes to the rules make the Roth IRA an attractive option for more people than in previous years.

Saving for retirement with an IRA provides flexibility to the account holder, and definite tax advantages. Rolling over a traditional IRA into a Roth IRA can provide more leeway when it comes to managinf the eventual distribution of those savings — including the ability to pass those savings on as part of your estate.

One of the advantages of working with a dedicated Financial Advisor like Doug is that he can create a retirement savings plan tailored to your goals, your tax obligations, and other facts unique to your situation.

While many of us may think we need a home run hitter who can deliver that golden tax deduction, Keith’s approach is to look at several incremental measures, that, when added up, deliver results.

For families who need to juggle living expenses with tuition, parent care, and other eventualities, Keith can provide expert advice about how to transfer stock or other under-performing (or over-performing) assets within the family, to take a timely depreciation or defer gains to a future tax year.

New opportunities for retirement saving come out of nearly every legislative session; they have inevitable effects on your tax burden, both now and in future years. The conversion of traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs is one common example. Keith can not only help you with the decision, he can also help you review your decisions, and make rollbacks when necessary to help you with your immediate and long-term tax responsibilities.

Similarly, Keith can help a small business with the tax implications of its retirement plan, no matter how many or few employees are involved. The relative ages and compensation levels of employees can make a crucial difference when it comes to an employer’s responsibilities. Discussing this with a tax professional like Keith now can help ensure a future of positive savings growth.

While the long process won’t be completed for another 9-10 months, Warren has had an opportunity to meet with senior menegement at Capital One, including the C.E.O., Richard Fairbank. This itself represents a departure from business as usual at Chevy Chase, and one that Warren and his fellow branch managers are excited to discover and share.

Capital One will be planning seminars for Chevy Chase’s personal banking customers, and also for their small business and corporate account holders, to introduce them to Capital One and its senior management in the months ahead. This is a plan that Warren is proposing to the bank, and one that will give Chevy Chase customers first-hand understanding of the transition from Chevy Chase to Capital One and the benefits this merger will bring to current Chevy Chase customers.

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Our next Visitor’s Day will be Oct. 28th. If you want to learn more about BNI can grown your business, please write us at president@dcbni.com to receive an invitation to Visitor’s Day.

The healing model that underlies Zinnia’s work is one that sees the body as part of a positive continuum that is our reality. When fear, tension, and other negative influences distort this continuum, the distortions of reality that we label as “illness” come into being. Zinnia’s role is to discover where these distortions (blockages) have occured, and release that blockage, with therapeutic touch, acupuncture treatment, and/or herbal remedies.

Discovery entails a great deal of listening for Zinnia. Her goal is to develop a whole understanding of her patient’s work life, social network, support system, and habits of diet and exercise. Each of these areas can be a source of strength; they can also become depleted through inattention or the cultivation of negative habits. And a depleted body is more prone to illness, injury, and accident.

Zinnia’s approach allows her clients to find and express their best selves. When this image of the self is brought into the foreground of our attention, the health of the body will improve itself.

The overwhelming reality today though is that it’s a buyer’s market. Sellers need to make some basic preparations before putting their home on the market, if they want to maximize the value of their property. Tyler talked about these basics at theis morning’s meeting.

When you put a property on the market, it’s important to remember that you aren’t selling “Your Home”, but simply selling a property. That is to say, your subjective impressions of what makes your home uniquely yours don’t automatically convey to a stranger who’s looking at your house. As a seller, you need to be able to look at your home through a stranger’s eyes. A professional like Tyler can provide that objectivity.

Every seller wants to sell fast and get top dollar. Achieving this goal starts with setting the right price. Some sellers deliberately overprice in an attempt to “test the market”, but this can waste valuable time, especially in a supply-rich market such as we see today. Your property’s complete history will be available to every real estate agent, and as a property spends days and then weeks on the market, agents will use this as leverage to demand (and get) a reduced price.

A Competitive Market Analysis (CMA) is an indispensible tool to get your property right-priced. A CMA looks at the properties in your neighborhood, so that you can see the local context and what your opportunities are.

The other key to a successful property sale is making sure your property shows well. Clear, clean and free of clutter are the three things every property on the market should have. Whether you need to rent a storage unit, fill the attic, or hold a yard sale, the fact is that most homes have too much assorted stuff in them to show well. A prospective buyer wants to imagine themselves in the space; seeing how you live there now can be a distraction that leads them to come & go, and make an offer elsewhere.

Fixing or replacing major items is an area where sellers should proceed with discretion. A few buckets of paint can make a big difference in a buyer’s eyes. But a complete bathroom or kitchen renovation almost never recoups its cost.

The above  goes for the exterior as well as the interior. “Curb appeal” is the first impression a buyer has about your property, so having a clean, clutter-free yard and exterior is an effective selling point.

The first of these is a Will. If you die without leaving a Will, your children and your estate will be caught up in lengthy and potentially destructive litigation, as the courts make decisions for you. The physical custody of your children, the financial management of any money you have for them, and the disposition of your possessions and assets will all be handled by people who have no understanding of what you would actually want.

The second essential document is a Durable Power of Attorney. Travel, health events, and unanticiapted emergencies may put you in a position where you are not able to write checks and do the other mundane tasks of managing your life. When you are incapacited in this way, the Durable Power of Attorney gives someone you trust the authority to conduct business on your behalf. Imagine having the money to pay your mortgage, but without the ability to write the check because you’re in a coma or otherwise unavailable to send the payment. A Durable Power of Attorney can ensure continuity for yourself and your home & family.

A third document to prepare for the future is an Advanced Directives. Sometimes called a “living will”, Advanced Directoves spell out your wishes in the event that you should be permanently incapacitated or suffer from a terminal illness. Without such a document in place, your family as a group will have to take responsibility for decisions such as a Do Not Resuciatate order. This can be a devastating decision to leave in the hands of close or distant relatives, who may or may not agree with the decisions you would want to make for yourself.

Finally, a Revocable Power of Attorney is a crucial document to prepare, and to review regularly. This document gives a trusted individual the power to make decisions about your estate afterr your demise. This will save your heirs and estate the cost, delay, and aggravation of going through the probate process unguided.

Of course, all these documents are emergency measures, and come into use when you’re not around to make decisions on your own behalf. Planning for the future with a talented legal advisor like Hughes & Betzen can allow you the freedom that comes from knowing that you’ve done the legwork you need to protect your family from the worst that can happen.

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We’re happy to welcome Keith Fulk, CPA, to the Wednesday Morning Chapter of BNI.

Probably the most dangerous misconception to have is the myth of “Full Coverage”. We like to think that our premiums equate to complete recovery in the event of an accident or disaster. But this is rarely the case. Depreciation and appreciation are just two of the factors that will affect whether the payout from your insurance will actually cover the cost of your loss or not. Again, careful of the fine print, with the help of an agent, is the best way to determine if your coverage is in sync with your needs.

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In other chapter news, we’re happy to welcome Keith Fulk to DC BNI. Keith is a CPA with his own practice, helping individuals and businesses in Washington with their accounting needs. We’re also happy to have Yolanda Segal visit us this morning. Yolanda is a therapist in private practice, with an office in Woodley Park.

Credit scores have become more important in recent years. The tightening of the credit market has continued, and not only affects your ability to get a loan, but affects the interest rate you’ll pay as well. This has trickled down to all levels of financing, including things like car loans that have previously been issued in large part based on demand.

Keeping and maintaining a credit score in the 600s is a sine qua non for almost any mortgage financing these days; 620 is the targeted minimum for FHA financing — the most lenient home financing available.

Credit scores are impacted by every move you make with credit and debt. The three credit buereaus each look at your payment history to see if there is a track record of timely and adequate payments on each of categories of debt (home, car, student loans, revolving credit), as well as larger financial events, such as bankruptcy or foreclosure.

But it doesn’t take a catastrophe to damage your ability to secure a loan at a good rate. Hits to your credit score can come from little things as well. If even a small item like a parking ticket were to get handed over to a collection agency and reported as a delinquent account, your credit score would go down, and stay down until that debt is paid. Tim related a true story about an unpaid $15 ticket that eventually reduced the scofflaw’s credit score by nearly 100 points! Fair or not, the failure to address little bills can cost you thousands over the life of a home mortgage.

Tim also shared ways to learn about your credit score and ways to manage and repair it. There are many companies that promise to work magic on your credit score, but a lot of what they do are simple things any consumer can do for themselves. Call Tim at (240) 223-1701 today to find out he & the team at First Heritage can help you affordably finance the home you want.

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We were happy to have three visitors at this week’s meeting. Kathleen Rice of Turning the Page (www.turningthepage.org)  paid us a second visit; Cassandra Pope, a Wealth Coach with FDI (www.FDIdvd.com/115945) visited our chapter for the first time, and Eric Eisenberg, BNI’s General Manager for Maryalnd and D.C. visited and shared some of his networking expertise.

Arbonne is not only a global leader in skin care health, but has also been an innovator in the network-marketing business model. For 30 years, the company has relied on its network of independent consultants to carry the Arbonne message directly to th customer. Their success with this model has helped Arbonne create a better product in serveral ways. Since Arbonne products do not appear in stores, they do not get warehoused for the extended periods that are customary in retailing. This allows Arbonne to avoid the use of chemical preservatives that extend shelf life but result in an adulterated product.

With no broadcast advertising or retailer network to support, Arbonne can focus on continued research, discovering new botanical solutions to bring to their customers. Arbonne’s slogan is “pure, safe, and beneficial”. Keeping petroleum products, potential carcinogens, and other non-plant substances is one factor that sets Arbonne apart from its competitors.

Educated as an attorney, Jennifer made the switch to Arbonne for several reasons. Like many people, she has grown concerned about the influx of mystery chemicals into our daily lives, and wanted to find products for her own family that would be safe and natural. As an Arbonne consultant, Jennifer gets to promote products that she uses and trusts, as part of a company that is a leader, both for its science and its business model.

If you know someone who wants a reliable source for the best in skin care products, or someone who wants to learn more about becoming an Arbonne representative, drop Jennifer a note at jennifera@myarbonne.com.

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We were happy to welcome three visitors to this week’s meeting: Tony  Frye of Tony Frye Design, Kathleen Rice of Turning the Page, and Charlie Wheeler of Hughes & Bentzen.

Thanks again to McPherson Square Business Council and the good folks at Intelligent Office for making the conference room available.

If you’re putting on an event, or find out about one, send a note over to events@dcbni.com, and we’ll get it posted online.

The Meridians are lines of energy that course through the body and connect all the organs and parts of the body into a functioning whole. Managing this energy is at the heart of Zinnia’s practice, and Tapping is a take-away practice her patients can learn to keep themselves in good condition between office visits.

In Tapping the Meridians, the patient can help to regulate her body’s functions by lightly striking the body along the lines, known as Channels, that correspond to the major organs and systems of the body. There are discrete Channels that govern the health of the Lungs, Large & Small Intestines, Stomach, Spleen, Heart, and more. Each organ relies on the flow of positive energy, or Qi, to perform its proper function. Manipulating the Qi through the touch of the Tapping technique is an easy thing anyone can learn to do to improve their health, energy, and mood throughout the day.

Teaching her clients how to manage their Qi, Zinnia actively enlists each patient in the cause of her own health and happiness. Beyond recuperating from sickness, Zinnia works with her clients to actively build wellness into their daily lives.

Concerto Networks provides outsourced IT support for small and medium businesses. Companies that aren’t large enough to have a trained IT person on staff try to get by in this area, by doing it themselves, or turning to emergency measures (and expenses!) when things go really bad.

A do-it-yourself approach is not the best for most small businesses. Testing and updating computer hardware is not a core proficiency for most of us. Even if we know what we’re doing, Bill points out, “troubleshooting a printer isn’t making you money.”

When Concerto Networks takes on this responsibility for their small & medium business customers, they provide continuity and consistency. The cost of staying up to date is much less than the cost of recovering from a disaster. When every business relies on technology to meet their goals, every business needs a technology partner to make sure than IT is contributing to the bottom line.

IT infrastructure is not as satble as the home and office appliances we’re accustomed to. Regular review and maintenance are improtant for computers, printers, and other complex machines. A lot of things happen inside a computer, and a lot of things can happen to a computer. A machine that’s up to date is much easier to troubleshoot and/or repair.

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We were also happy to welcome two visitors to this week’s meeting: Warren Edwards of Chevy Chase Bank, and Keith Fulk, a CPA with his own practice in DC.

As a lender, First Heritage has advantages over the typical mortgage broker. Since they provide the initial capitalization that makes a loan happen, First Heritage can take advantage of the best rates provided by big lenders like Bank of America.

First Heritage enjoys this advantage as part of a larger company, George Mason Mortgage, a regional lender. George Mason lends to homeowners from Georgia to Maryland, and First Heritage is their Corresponding Lender for this area. This means that First Heritage enjoys the financial leverage of a large bank, while still having the responsiveness and flexibity of a small brokerage.

Lending practices have changed a lot recently; another good reason to work with a mortgage professional like Tim. Rates have stayed low, and cash is available, but documentation and credentials are more important than ever. Lenders are looking at a borrower’s income history in closer detail, even as the supply of available cash continues to grow.

The market has seen some sudden rate changes as the bond market and other markets that affect interest rates have gone through their own readjustments. While mortgage rates have been below 5% for much of 2009, Tim warns that this is bound to change. “Normal” interest rates, in the 6-8% range, are bound to return, and when they do so, it will be sudden and likely to last for a while.

So now is an opportune time to get in the market, as a first-time buyer, an investor, or a homeowner who wants to refinance and take advantage of great interest rates.

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We were happy to welcome Keith Fulk, CPA, to today’s meeting. Keith visited today’s meeting at the invitation of Lisa Hughes. If you’d like to find out how word-of-mouth marketing can grow your business, please pay us a visit any Wednesday morning.