Every government in a developed country has large numbers of officials whose sole task is financial planning. In every department from health to education, from agriculture and fisheries, to transport and industry there are financial planners at work.

Poor countries simply do not have the number of skilled people to fulfill all these tasks. Even if the education system of a poor country can produce enough graduates they may be tempted abroad by higher salaries and better prospects. It is extremely difficult for an underdeveloped country to create this human infrastructure of skilled financial administrators.

International bodies such as the UN and its many agencies, the IMF and the World Bank can help. They can provide trained personnel or they can pay the salaries of local administrators. Non Government Organizations often provide skilled people to work as volunteers training locals in the techniques of financial planning.

Developing countries may even lack the technical means to carry out financial planning. There may be too few computers available. Economic and social figures are frequently out of date. Up to date figures are essential to plot trends and plan ahead.

We hear more about medical and educational experts volunteering to help underdeveloped countries but people skilled in financial planning can be just as useful. Where long term development projects are concerned financial planning expertise can be even more important. They ensure that services can be delivered in the long term and not just as on an emergency basis. To achieve real, sustainable development financial planning must be established in underdeveloped countries.

There are important democratic issues involved. Emergency aid is essential in a drought, a famine or a war, but it is seldom controlled by local people. Once local people have the necesssary skills to undertake financial planning they are able to take decisions about where money should be spent.

Financial planning also makes transparency possible. If the finances of a government or agency are chaotic it is impossible to tell if its resources are being used well or honestly. Clear planning means that decisions can be reviewed. A program can be assessed for its effectiveness. Wastage can be eliminated.

If all the money is accounted for there is no danger of money being used as bribes or disappearing into the offshore bank accounts of powerful individuals. Vast amounts of the money intended as aid to developing countries has been lost in this way. There is not enough public scrutiny of funds to prevent it. Good financial planning can empower the society to control the government and enhance the democratic process.

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The most obvious step for anyone with a stable career is to begin investing in a 401K. This is simply a financial plan which allows the employee to invest a portion of their income back into the company. The employee typically gets to choose how this money is used and the company agrees to match a portion of the amount the employee defers. This is a great way for a company to invest some of the employee’s salary and for the employee to get a big payback when they decide to retire. It is important, however, to make sure that the 401K is secure. Today, most 401K plans are protected from creditors, which has not always been the case. Retirement financial planning can be made much easier, and much more secure, with a good 401k plan at your heels.

Most people also pay into social security. This is a governmental program intended to provide retired citizens checks for a portion of their previous daily income. It can be a vital asset to retirees. While there has been some concern in the United States that social security will not last very much longer, it is still a big benefit for those who receive it. The importance of financial planning is being ready for the future and social security is only one way to prepare for it at the present time.

Retirement financial planning can be planned with a company, through the government, or by personal means. One of the safest ways to plan for retirement is to set up a long term savings account or bank account that pays interest. By depositing even a small portion of a paycheck, a person can receive large gains over time. This method allows a person to plan for retirement without relying on an outside body. It is one of the safest methods of retirement financial planning as well.

People are living longer now than ever before. The retirement age, however, is not changing. This means that some people are living a quarter or even a third of their life in retirement. The importance of financial planning for retirement has never been so great. To avoid problems after retirement, it is important to plan wisely for the future. Money should not be a concern after a person retires and if they plan their future smartly, there is no reason it should get in the way of enjoying retirement.

If you don’t have any clear idea of your income and expenses then it can lead to difficult situations like a bad debt. Financial planning services are great tools to avoid such situations. These services build and protect your wealth by suggesting some financial plans. A financial plan or budget is simply a guide to help manage your money and spending habits.

A well thought out financial plan offers great benefits to you. You can do it yourself or hire a professional financial planning services establishment. No matter what you choose, remember to do it in the right way and in the right direction. A good financial plan can transform your financial outlook and it can remove some problems.

A financial planning services organization may help to manage your wealth in more than one way. They can educate you regarding wealth strategies and asset management. They can suggest you some traditional financial planning tools like funds, bonds, equities etc. You can also avail some banking solutions for better financial management. You can also manage your wealth through various bank accounts and deposits like savings account etc.

Furthermore, financial planning services include availing some investment and insurance plans also. These plans are very helpful for getting long term and short term financial goals. Having a sound financial plan is also a great way to protect you and your family in times of financial hardship. You never know what the future hides. An accident, a job loss or a natural disaster can occur at any moment and change your life to a great extent.

So, all of us need a sound financial plan for a healthy present and safe future and financial planning services are very helpful for assuring that we have the same.

Established in 1843, Arnotts is Ireland’s largest department store group with 4 stores across located in Dublin. With a selling area of more than 300,000 square feet it is ranked in the top five stores in Britain and Ireland, providing an unparalleled choice of leading brand fashion, footwear and homeware. Welcom’s leading Financier Storecard Account Management solution will manage Arnott’s existing customer accounts, sales promotions and loyalty schemes, as well as enable them to offer enhanced services to new customers.

Developed in conjunction with some of the UK’s leading financial services organisations, Financier is a robust web-enabled software package providing retail finance, revolving credit and loyalty schemes. Delivering the flexibility and scalability required by Arnotts, the implementation of Financier provides card and cardholder maintenance, flexible payment profiles, arrears management and a configurable real-time till interface amongst other features. In addition Financier provides an interface with Irish Banks to facilitate new European banking practices.

The addition of Arnott’s to the Welcom Software client portfolio highlights the increasing growth of its consumer and commercial lending software solutions. Nigel Welch, Welcom Software Chief Executive Officer said: “We are thrilled to have signed up Arnotts. Our leading Financier Storecard Account Management system provides them with a high level of customisation and can be configured to automate business processes leading to improved efficiency, effectiveness and profitability. The workflow engine will allow business strategies to be defined, monitored and modified to meet the changing needs of Arnotts and the marketplace.”

                                                                                                                                                                                             -ends-

For further information please contact Emma Gannon, Marketing Manager on 0845 456 5859 or email egannon@welcom.co.uk 

Notes to Editors:

The Welcom Software Group comprises of e-inbusiness and Welcom Software.

Welcom Software provides leading edge business software solutions, both off the shelf and customised, to the financial, retail and supply chain sectors. Its clients include, Hermes, Singer & Friedlander, Aidrie Savings Bank, Oldrids, United Cooperative Limited and Forrest Furnishings. As well as offering IT solutions, Welcom provides a full business process consultancy and planning service, employing specialist consultants from within their target sectors. www.welcom.co.uk

 e?inbusiness: Founded in 1999, multi-channel full service eCommerce agency e-inbusiness specialises in providing fully integrated, next generation eCommerce sites which combine high impact creative design with best of breed technology to build an effective online user experience.  e-inbusiness invests in strategic partnerships to provide a robust multi-channel eCommerce platform that supports Web2.0 technology. These partners include: Omniture, Mercado, PayPal, EPiServer, QAS, Google, Scene 7 & Cheetahmail.

With a passion for brand and proven expertise in online marketing, e-inbusiness designs, builds & delivers integrated eMarketing strategies that maximise online revenue opportunities and deliver measurable results.  Omniture web analytics is integrated to provide detailed ROI & site performance analysis, improving business knowledge and decision making. e?inbusiness has developed over 100 eCommerce sites with high profile clients including: Farrow & Ball, Jacques Vert Group, New Look & Radley. www.e-inbusiness.co.uk

About Arnotts

Established in Dublin in 1843, Arnotts is Ireland’s largest department store group with 4 stores across the Irish Republic. With a selling area of more than 300,000 square feet it is ranked in the top five stores in Britain and Ireland, providing an unparalleled choice of leading brand fashion, footwear and homeware.

The NFL Extra Points™ Platinum Plus® Visa®™ Credit Card from Bank of America has important features, which include:

•           No Annual Fee.

•           0% Introductory Annual Percentage Rate (APR) on balance transfers and cash advance checks for your first 12 billing cycles.

•           A $50 NFLshop.com gift card after your first qualifying transaction(s) using your NFL Extra Points™ Visa® Credit Card.

•           100% fraud protection

•           Earn 1 Point for every dollar you spend in net retail purchases. Points are redeemable for NFL merchandise, tickets, and VIP passes to NFL experiences.

•           Online account access and Points management.

At a time when consumers are nervous about the uncertainty in the stock market, illiquidity in the credit market and the softening real estate market, one thing remains constant – sports fans love NFL football.  Historically, football has given its fans something to believe in and something to hope for, particularly during difficult economic times.   With the NFL Extra Points™ Platinum Plus® Visa®™ credit card, Lions fans can be reminded of their favorite team every time they open their wallets.  Real fans carry the card with pride.  Visit www.lionscreditcard.com to complete the credit card application online in just a few short minutes.

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The NFL Extra Points™ Platinum Plus® Visa®™ Credit Card from Bank of America has important features, which include:

•           No Annual Fee.

•           0% Introductory Annual Percentage Rate (APR) on balance transfers and cash advance checks for your first 12 billing cycles.

•           A $50 NFLshop.com gift card after your first qualifying transaction(s) using your NFL Extra Points™ Visa® Credit Card.

•           100% fraud protection

•           Earn 1 Point for every dollar you spend in net retail purchases. Points are redeemable for NFL merchandise, tickets, and VIP passes to NFL experiences.

•           Online account access and Points management.

At a time when consumers are nervous about the uncertainty in the stock market, illiquidity in the credit market and the softening real estate market, one thing remains constant – sports fans love NFL football.  Historically, football has given its fans something to believe in and something to hope for, particularly during difficult economic times.   With the NFL Extra Points™ Platinum Plus® Visa®™ credit card, Dallas Cowboys fans can be reminded of their favorite team every time they open their wallets.  Real fans carry the card with pride.  Visit www.cowboyscreditcardoffer.com to complete the credit card application online in just a few short minutes.

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We’ve all seen these types of hyped up ads. I mean, the Internet is literally drowning in them. With so much publicity and marketing flooding your browser, how can you tell which of the opportunities are legitimate – and which just want to scam you for your credit card numbers?

Basically, there are only 2 ways to find the ripe fruit in an orchard virtually overgrown with rotten apples.

1 – Sign up, pay the price. Do the “work” and realize too late that you just flushed your hard-earned cash down the toilet.

2 – Do your due diligence. Search & research; find views, reviews and opinions of those who have already signed up (DO NOT rely exclusively on the onsite testimonials for this as they are just too easy to fake); search for bios of the creators, designers AND those who provide testimonials; read EVERY word on the page promoting the opportunity; follow available links to affiliates and check out their credentials too; read every online article you can find relating to the opportunity; if you sign up for their newsletter, create a special email account to receive it just in case you can’t unsubscribe (keeps the spam out of your main inbox). Lather, rinse & repeat. Then, if the opportunity still appeals to you, sign up, dive in and STICK TO IT.

I think we can agree that option #1 is pretty much a gamble. Option #2 would however probably deliver much more satisfactory results. So why is it that so many of us get lured in by the scams? That’s actually quite an easy question to answer: gratification. Taking the route outlined in option #2 requires a lot of work, a lot of time and a lot of patience. The gamble illustrated in option #1 does have it’s appeal: “Wow, this could be THE solution I’ve been looking for!”.

Any search for solutions that we may undertake (whether for online business opportunities, or for anything else for that matter) is influenced by our desire for gratification – and the sooner, the better. It’s that desire for immediate results that gets us into trouble. Unscrupulous marketers know this and are able to capitalize on it; it’s called impulse buying. How many times have you purchased that cheap gadget or that totally useless little doohickie at the drug store checkout only to have wind up in the trash within a week?

Frustration is the result of unfulfilled desire.

Signing up for an opportunity with no due diligence is simply an attempt to fulfill a desire for immediate gratification: instant cash. There’s the trap: NO legitimate online business opportunity is going to provide you with such immediate income. Legitimate opportunities do require work, research & education. Most of them provide that education based on their years of experience and the research that they have already done for you.

So, how do you deal with the frustration that you may be feeling after having been “suckered”? Simple: you must first understand – and accept – that you were reacting to a very human desire to feel better right now. The key here is then to invest in your feelings before you invest in an online business opportunity.

Invest in my feelings? Huh? Let me explain. Which emotion do you prefer: disappointment or excitement? I think the answer to that is obvious. You can easily generate disappointment and frustration by reacting to your desires. You can just as easily generate excitement and mounting anticipation of future fulfillment by acting on your desires. Notice the difference? You can choose to react or to act – it’s up to you. Either way, it’s of the utmost importance to accept responsibility for the consequences – including how you feel.

Take your time to investigate the online business opportunities that interest you. Visit websites that provide information on a variety of affiliate programs. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of signing up with programs that provide one income stream versus those that provide multiple streams of income. Due diligence; with both your feelings, and with the online business opportunities you may be considering. It’s what will make or break your online success.

Stay tuned for my next article: Define What Really Motivates You to Start Your Online Business.