BP Holdings Barcelona & Madrid Spain

12/09/2013

Real Estate Report: The psychology of finance

http://news.bpholdingsmngt.de/real-estate-report-the-psychology-of-finance/

September 10, 2013 Business Strategies

Why do people often fumble in their finances? Why are many consumers unprepared or uninformed and typically jump into wrong decisions? This could be due to the fact that fear of loss has a greater effect than the hope for gain. Nevertheless, a lot of people still get enticed to run after ambitious but unviable gains, with New York now hailing to court Trump University for failing to keep its promises over real estate investments.

Based on the complaints, instead of a personal appearance by Donald, they were met by his cardboard cutout-photo instead. The university instructors assigned were primarily unsuccessful real estate investors who recommended to participants that they request their credit card companies for credit-line extensions in order to purchase the $40,000 “Elite Program.” With the resulting failed investments, it remains to be seen if the investors will still recover their money.

Moreover, various “schools” providing training to clients in real estate, investing, finance and others are being monitored by official regulators. Student Loan scams are disturbingly on the rise, with the latest report showing that trends show borrowers acquiring student loans and then dropping classes except for one or dropping out totally in order to use the money for living expenditures.

The mortgage industry is on the road toward major changes and will soon encounter potholes in the months ahead. Germany, long the bastion of economic stability in The EU, recently revealed frightening jobs statistics. Brazil, France, India and China are all exhibiting marks of economic downturn and the Middle East is about to usher in further stresses.

Syria is besieged by UN troops and the US capital appears to be ready to take harsh action. The consequences of any military intervention will be extensive and precarious. Avoiding the obvious, most will concentrate on oil prices spiralling up rather than on the military option. In reality, Syrian oil production is small in relation to other producers. The greatest concern, in fact, is in Libya, where production has drastically gone down. Increasing oil prices will affect the consumers’ budget for all essential goods. Not just gas, but food, clothes, lumber and all others that are transported either by plane, train or truck which all need oil to run.

And, if rates grow even more, will housing also decelerate and with it the still lukewarm economy? Economists currently warn that an increase in rates beginning in May has already slowed housing in both New Home Sales and Existing Home Sales. While affordability remains high, the mixture of rising prices and rising rates has decreased the affordability for some.

Homebuyers presently scouting have to recognize the potential increases in energy and food costs when purchasing a house. Assign additional disposable income when buying today, even if that requires buying a cheaper house. Using a variable rate mortgage merely to get into a home can be risky (read last week’s article on ARMs), so be sure that you are totally aware of what you are entering into. Oftentimes, avoiding a bad deal, although psychologically difficult, is the better decision.

Speaking of rates, particularly for those refinancing, the latest rate hikes have been hard to comprehend. As equity has grown, more options are present to serve as aid but many are still undecided over wanting to act right away and save money, or wait and see if rates recover. Here is the scenario unfolding: A vital item that you truly need and want is constantly priced at $50. You realize it is worth it but can’t just fork out the money. One day, a friend informs you it is on sale for $10 and you rush out only to discover that the sale already ended yesterday but that the price is now only $12.50.

Do you not purchase it because it increased by $2.50 or do you regard it a benefit that what you wanted and needed is now $37.50 cheaper? In short, do you dwell on the loss or the benefit? So many people are losing out on refinancing savings, despite a little increase in rates, because of how they appreciate things. In terms of finance, every so often, it is easier to make the right decision when you replace a choice with another one, as shown above. Emotion and money are very much like oil and water – they never mix!

12/08/2013

The High-Tech Future of Cars

http://www.bpspainholdings.com/2013/08/the-high-tech-future-of-cars/

If Back to the Future II was right, by 2015 cars that can fly will fill the skyways of America, even in sleepy towns like the movie’s Hill Valley. In truth, the Hovercraft will not be out in two years in car dealerships.

Though gutsy models like Terrafugia are trying hard to realize Robert Zemeckis’ Hollywood dream, an alternate tomorrow will soon have the common car buyer having to settle for something a bit less ambitious. You can count on enjoying some clever standard gadgets; but they will still have to be rolling on four rubber tires.

Collision avoidance

The future’s airbag is almost here. Not anymore confined in luxury brands or in expensive alternative models, safety mechanisms that utilize radar and camera sensors to maintain a safe distance from cars in front, warn drivers of an imminent collision. These features that apply emergency brakes automatically will become as ordinary as tensioned seatbelts.

Until a few years back, only the rich could afford to experience driver’s lead foot or narcolepsy. But step aside, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Lexus! Buyers with lesser budgets (from $30,000 to $40,000) can now afford cars with crash-warning features in standard models like the Chevrolet Malibu, Ford Edge, Subaru Legacy, Volvo S60, Honda Crosstour and Toyota Prius — to mention a few — with more and more coming.

Advanced cameras

Blind spots behind moving vehicles statistically kill 228 people yearly on average in back-over mishaps and a reported 17,000 more injured. Now, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration hopes to get rid of the problem for good. Starting in January 2015 — a target date that was moved a while back from its original deadline of 2014 – car manufactures will be obliged to provide rear-view cameras as standard features in all new transportation.

However, having eyes in the back of our cars is only the start. Welcome the side cameras that turn on with a flick of the turn signal, such as Honda’s LaneWatch system. And marvel at Nissan’s Around View Monitor, providing a virtual, 360-degree view above the vehicle. Presently tag-priced from about $1,000 to $2500, in due time and with enough demand, these add-ons will quickly become more affordable and easily accessible for most consumers.

Integrated 4G

Poised to undo all the intended benefits that those safety technology in tomorrow’s vehicle will deliver is the plan by Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) and Twitter to dominate the car console. And with a real-time, text-to-speech interactivity, our online pals will hear up-to-date status reports. Yes, even about the telephone post ahead, just as we barrel into it.

The 2.0 version of automobile connectivity came from the faulty, hardware-bound, MyFord Touch platform, but General Motors is pioneering the move to bring 4G connectivity to the general public. The automaker’s 2014 convoy of Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, GMC, Vauxhall and Opel brands will arrive endowed with Wi-Fi and Internet technology, hardwired through ab AT&T (NYSE:T) subscription data plan.

Terrestrial and also satellite radio will subsequently disappear from the dashboard, to be replaced by systems that connect automatically to websites such as Pandora (NYSE:P) or the owner’s iTunes library. In April, a joint-venture between Ford and Spotify provided car owners with a Spotify premium account the capability to access their streaming music account by means of the Ford SYNC AppLink, which is dash-controlled and voice-activated.

Alternative energy options

Gleaning from the 375% leap in sales of Ford’s hybrid fleet since last year up to the present, car manufacturers will be rolling more and more Earth-friendly vehicles off their assembly lines. But the products of the first generation of battery-operated hybrids may encounter rough roads if they fail to solve the issue of attaining more power while reducing weight and remove their eco-unfriendly lead entrails.

These issues have brought about a period of investigation into a range of other technological possibilities — some of which are poised to enter the limelight. More efficient batteries using both nickel-metal-hydride and lithium-ion are under process, as well as car-body panels intended to store power and charge more rapidly than traditional car batteries.

When Volvo introduces its 2014 V60 plug-in hybrid in September, buyers will be regaled by one of the most high-tech, sci-fi car accessories of all. The futuristic wonder called the photovoltaic pavilion is a large, fabric solar panel that will charge the V60 and then automatically retract inside its trunk. However, it may take a while before it enters the dealer’s options list soon.

Most principal auto companies have been running around the hydrogen race-circuit for years, but the one that finally made it across the finish line may be the dark horse of the bunch. This year, Hyundai (OTCMKTS:HYMLF) made the first mass-manufactured fuel-cell hybrid, presently available to city fleets in Europe with possible public consumer targets in two years. Honda and Toyota will most likely come in together at second place — also by 2015. Nissan is a very close third in 2017. Unfortunately, the vehicles will not reach our shores without filling stations first being set up.

Head-up displays

Having settled down from the Space Age race — the Russian having started the ball rolling with Sputnik less than 6 decades ago — our automobiles appear finally set to project into really high-tech territory. HUD or the heads-up display brings us quite close to that vision, as far as visual capability is concerned.

Displayed on the car windshield is a virtual dashboard showing the speed and engine RPM — and also curve-by-curve road directions and speed limits — right in the driver’s line of sight and, therefore, without taking the eyes off the road.

HUD retails for about $1,000 and is, as expected, an option presently available only on the Cadillacs of autos – literally, on the brand’s 2013 models — and other top-market automakers like Audi (ETR:NSU) and BMW (ETR:BMW). More than 800,000 cars provided with HUD gadgets were sold worldwide in 2012, and that figure is set to go up ten times in the next ten years. But for now, we can be glad that because of GPS maker Garmin (NASDAQ:GRMN), drivers of even the lowly Pinto can have HUD in a handy display unit for just $150.

Augmented reality dashboards

Although far from getting there, this younger version of the HUD is hot on the pursuit. Augmented reality, or AR, will display contextual data — from traffic information to objects on the highway — and superimpose it upon what the driver actually observes through the windshield. Consider it a Google Glass (NASDAQ:GOOG) for your auto.

Hence, when you are cruising in Portland and do not know who that bearded concrete Goliath you see down the road is, AR will tell you it is Paul Bunyan, provide its exact distance from your car, and ask you to add it to your favorite places.

Autonomous cars

If you can wait for another 10 years to buy your next automobile, you could own the next best thing to a car that flies.

Google has not wasted the last several years tooling around California, Nevada and Florida in cars carrying cameras, radar, and laser range finders (LIDAR) for the fun of it. The large tech firm has been meticulously probing and improving the auto-maneuvering car to satisfy safety standards in anticipation of its coming debut.

Ford, one of the top rivals hoping to offer the product, believes a driverless wonder-world — where cars talk to each other, rush-hour traffic jams and road mishaps are non-existent, and we actually doze off at the wheel — is but a decade or so from us.

Before that comes, we must make do with automobiles that park themselves, which is also quite nifty.

29/07/2013

How to Buy a Used Timeshare

http://www.bpspainholdings.com/2013/07/how-to-buy-a-used-timeshare/

BP Holdings Barcelona & Madrid Spain compare buying a new timeshare to purchasing a used timeshare can be much more beneficial, this is because timeshare depreciates quickly in the first year. An agreeable part of the price of a new timeshare includes the sales and marketing costs which are needless in the resale market. Before actually knowing what they are getting into, a lot of new timeshare holders are tempted into high pressure meetings which in return are making them purchase a timeshare. And it is too late to learn that when they finally decide to sell they cannot sell it even a little higher than the price they bought it for because of the competition.

Do some researches first if interested in used timeshare, check online and do a search for used timeshares for sale by the owner. If you already have a specific location in mind better search for used timeshares in that area. It is more advantageously if you go to the property and check it up yourself; scout out certain amenities desired in the timeshare such as a pool, gym, restaurants or a nearby golf course. Look at some units and check for the proper maintenance, insure that it is kept up to par. Take note of the properties with unclean floors, shoddy workmanship or unkempt grounds, never go for them.

There are more than to inquire about like the fees associated with the timeshare purchase. Many timeshare entail maintenance fees that possibly will increase from year to year. Do not forget to ask about fees from past years and how much they increased. You can also ask the timeshare owners to get some firsthand experiences, as how they like the property and if they have any criticisms and complaints. Present holders that are not in fact selling a timeshare may perhaps be more forthcoming with information important to a buyer for a used timeshare. It will help the potential buyer get the most for his money if you compare prices of used timeshares.

One more important thing a client must inquire about is getting a certificate or a deed to the timeshare which can also be seen through marketing and advertising at times. And never forget to look at the contract a few days before signing. Compare to a certificate of use a deed is far better. And take note of this, the seller may be hiding something if the seller does not want to produce a contract until signing. Get a professional help for unfamiliar languages for the contract and make sure you have it at least a week or a few days before signing. Before signing, the buyer must be solid with his stand with what is included and what is not included in the terms of the contract. A timeshare that’s not what the client expected is not a good purchase and ending up with it is just a piece of crap.

If the price is higher than you want to pay make a counteroffer. The price is open to discussion and with a competitive market, the buyer has the upper hand.

Being knowledgeable with the ins and outs of buying a used timeshare will go a long way in helping secure the right vacation property.

BP Holdings Barcelona & Madrid Spain compare buying a new timeshare to purchasing a used timeshare can be much more beneficial, this is because timeshare depreciates quickly in the first year. An agreeable part of the price of a new timeshare includes the sales and marketing costs which are needless...

17/06/2013

Search engine Optimization (SEO) helps you maximize your website’s potential to be seen by online searchers. It does this by allowing the search engine to prioritize your website in its “organic” or “unpaid” search results. The more optimized your site is, the more chances for Google to display it t...

23/05/2013

The End of Social Media and Digital Agencies

http://www.bpspainholdings.com/2013/05/the-end-of-social-media-and-digital-agencies/

Pan-European survey of 2,000 marketing students reveals current generation doesn’t believe that they are ‘digital natives’. Over 80% think standalone social media and digital marketing agencies will disappear within ten years as the channel becomes a discipline for all marketers. 70% believe marketing landscape will be ‘dominated’ by Content Marketing and ‘PR Thinking’. And it found out that facebook was the chosen most important social media tool.
Generation is critical of marcoms industry for enjoying ‘unfair subsidy’ via unpaid internships and ‘not doing enough’ on sustainability. There were 86% want to work for agencies that are as much about the creation of social good as about creating profit for brands. Red Bull Stratos most admired campaign of the year. Maurice Lévy, Chairman and CEO of Public Group said the results were ‘fascinating’ and ‘even our new talent should not be complacent’ about digital media.The current crop of graduates embarking on a career in advertising and marketing do not believe they are ‘digital natives’. Instead, they believe it is the generation ten years younger than them who will be the true masters of investment digital media.
They also believe stand-alone social media agencies will no longer exist in 10 years’ time, having vanished from a marketing and advertising landscape, which will become dominated by Content Marketing and ‘PR Thinking’.
These are some of the findings from a new report published today by the MediaSchool Group. Titled the ‘Next Generation of Marcoms’, the report contains a survey of more than 2,000 students aged between 20 and 25 years old studying Advertising, Marketing Communications, Design, PR and Events.Students in the UK, France, Spain and Belgium were questioned on five different themes covering: ‘Digital and the Next Generation’, ‘The Future of Marcoms’, ‘Career’ ‘Ethics’ and ‘Inspiration’.The results reveal a generation convinced that social media is something applicable across all marketing functions. Close to 90% said social media was channel that all marketing practitioners should use and that it was not a ‘stand-alone’ discipline. However 70% either agreed or strongly agreed that 20-25 year old today are not digital natives – and that the generation ten years younger than them represents the ‘true digital natives’.The study reveals a generation that understands the evolving nature of the marketing industry and predicts an emerging dominance of Content and word of mouth. 90% agreed or strongly agreed that in ten years the agency they work for would be full service where practitioners would be comfortable creating strategies in advertising, direct, social, digital and PR. 81% either agreed or strongly agreed that Content Marketing where brands become publishers and creators of their own content would be essential part of their job in ten years. 70% agreed or strongly disagreed that ‘PR thinking’ where the creation of word-of-mouth and trust for brands is most important – would dominate the way agencies respond to briefs in ten years times. In a reaffirmation of one traditional channel some 68% disagreed or strongly disagreed that TV advertising would be ‘irrelevant’ in ten years’ time. 70% said that in ten years advertising’s job would be mostly to ‘entertain’ and not to ‘sell’.
The study suggests a generation of optimists when it comes to their career prospects particularly on questions of gender and equal opportunities. 64% thought that in ten years’ time the agency they worked for would pay them the same salary as a member of the opposite s*x. 73% thought they would have the same opportunities as a member of the opposite s*x to rise to a position of senior management within an agency in ten years’ time. 64% thought that on average agencies were more meritocratic places to work than in-house.

Pan-European survey of 2,000 marketing students reveals current generation doesn’t believe that they are ‘digital natives’. Over 80% think standalone social media and digital marketing agencies will disappear within ten years as the channel becomes a discipline for all marketers. 70% believe marketi...

25/04/2013

Spanish Tax Facts

http://www.bpspainholdings.com/2013/04/spanish-tax-facts/

Taxation in Spain occurs at a national level and at a regional (‘Autonomous Community’) or municipal level. The Spanish taxation system was subject to a significant review in 2007 that resulted in the introduction of a new Personal Income Tax Act. The tax regime in Spain is controlled by the Ministry of the Treasury.

Tax Year 1st January to 31st December.
Assessment Basis
Spanish residents are taxed on their worldwide income (earned and unearned), capital gains from all sources and on their worldwide assets. Spain operates a self-assessment regime.

For personal income tax purposes, married couples may choose to file tax returns jointly or separately.
Income Tax Spanish residents are subject to Spanish Personal Income Tax (‘IRPF’). Individuals and couples benefit from personal allowances which reduce their liability to tax and which increase in line with the number of dependent children.

A new structure has been created for the taxation of income, which now falls into two categories: the general base and the savings base of income.

The general base includes salary and other benefits from employment, income from economic activities, and property rental income (either actual or deemed). Such income is reduced by applicable deductions and allowances. It is subject to a progressive scale which is applied to successive portions of taxable income with rates ranging from 24% to 43%*. In the autumn of 2011 a new tax bracket was introduced for higher income earners as an austerity measure, with income over €175,000 now subject to a 45% rate.

Taxation in Spain occurs at a national level and at a regional (‘Autonomous Community’) or municipal level. The Spanish taxation system was subject to a significant review in 2007 that resulted in the introduction of a new Personal Income Tax Act. The tax regime in Spain is controlled by the Ministr...

05/04/2013

Understanding Auto Dealer Fraud

http://www.bpspainholdings.com/2013/04/understanding-auto-dealer-fraud/

Auto dealer fraud” is a term that describes deceptive and unlawful practices used by automobile dealers, at almost any stage of the vehicle purchase process — from advertising, to negotiation of vehicle pricing and financing terms. Examples of auto dealer fraud include “bait and switch” advertising practices, deceptive inflation of vehicle prices, and failure to disclose information about a vehicle.

“Bait and switch” sales tactics are a form of false or deceptive advertising, in which a car dealer lures potential buyers to the dealership by advertising one vehicle at a certain price, then tells the customer that the particular vehicle is no longer available before using aggressive tactics to sell a different, more expensive vehicle (or the advertised vehicle at a price higher than the advertised price).

In most states, car dealers must disclose whether a used vehicle has incurred significant damage in an accident, has been designated “salvaged”, or has been flood-damaged.
A form of auto dealer fraud, a “mileage rollback” or “odometer rollback” occurs when the odometer of a used vehicle (which indicates the total miles the vehicle has been driven) is altered (or “rolled back”) to display a number that is lower than the vehicle’s actual mileage.
Although both dealer fraud cases and lemon law cases involve motor vehicles, auto dealer fraud cases are very different from Lemon Law cases. In auto dealer fraud cases, improper tactics used by a car dealer during the vehicle sale process are the focus, while lemon law cases arise from problems or defects with the vehicle itself.

IF you feel that your car salesman committed fraud when you bought a car, BP Holdings Barcelona & Madrid Spain suggests to contact the dealer. In many states, you (or your attorney) must contact the auto dealer and give them an opportunity to correct the problem to your satisfaction, before taking any legal action for possible auto dealer fraud. This contact should be in writing, and should clearly illustrate both the problem (i.e. the dealer’s failure to disclose certain financing charges), and what steps you would like the dealer to take to resolve the problem (i.e. a partial refund of the vehicle purchase price).

In most cases, the best thing to do is to file a lawsuit for auto dealer fraud. If you recently purchased a vehicle and you suspect that the dealer may have committed fraud in the sales process, you may want to speak with an experienced Auto Dealer Fraud Attorney. An Auto Dealer Fraud attorney will evaluate all aspects of your case and explain all options available to you — including filing a lawsuit for your damages — and will work with you to ensure the best possible outcome for your case. Remember that in some states, you are required to contact the dealer and give them an opportunity to correct the problem before you take any legal action.

02/12/2012

Help! Be a whistleblower
http://www.bpspainholdings.com/2012/12/help-be-a-whistleblower/

02/12/2012

http://www.bpspainholdings.com/2012/12/help-be-a-whistleblower/

A whistleblower is a person who informs the public or authorities about supposed misconduct taking place in a government department or private company or organization. The alleged dishonest or illegal activity comes in many forms: e.g. a violation of a law, rule, regulation and/or a direct threat t...

28/11/2012

http://www.bpspainholdings.com/2012/11/difference-between-negligence-and-income-tax-fraud/

If you are one of the people who are confuse of the difference between negligence and tax fraud you are not alone, many are baffle of these two. Negligence is a failure to take reasonable care to avoid causing injury or loss to another person. However negligence will take time to be proven.

27/11/2012

http://www.bpspainholdings.com/2012/11/combating-tax-fraud/

Problems regarding tax frauds continue to dwell and even worsens. Efforts are now fully focused on the issue of prioritizing VAT fraud. The debate on VAT fraud has been divided into 2 main areas:

20/11/2012

http://www.bpspainholdings.com/2012/11/ubs-germany-questioned-over-alleged-tax-fraud/

Bank employers allegedly helped investors to hide money pass revenue departments’ authorities by transferring it to Switzerland, says Peter Lintz.