Bear markets happen. You can’t avoid them, so you might as well prepare for them before they hit.

First things first: What exactly is a bear market? It’s when the stock market as a whole is off by 20 percent or more from its high point. If you look at stock market trends, you’ll see that this shows up about once three years.

Preparing for the Bear’s Rampage

When the bear starts his rampage, your initial reaction may be unsettling. It will probably look like tough times are on the horizon, and you start envisioning yourself losing all the gains you’ve made financially. But don’t let the bear fool you. There are ways to not only prepare, but also to succeed with bear market investing.

If you keep your wits about you and a cool head, the market’s troubling timespan be used to your advantage. Knowing that a bear market is inevitable, there are a few things you can do to prepare for it.

Accept that the Bear Is Going to Come Along

Downturns are going to happen, and there is nothing we can do to prevent it. Just like everything else in life, the stock market has ebbs and flows. If you want to get biblical about it, look at it this way: the market giveth and the market taketh away. These swings are just a normal part of the investing game. Take advantage of the downturns when they occur and you’ll come out ahead when the bear goes back to hibernating.

Cut the Leverage

In financial circles, the term “leverage” refers to money borrowed at any level. It could be money you borrowed from a bank to buy your home, or from a credit union to buy a car. You may even have borrowed money to get into some investments.

The problem is that leverage is just a fancy way of saying debt. And debt can rapidly grow into a massive burden during challenging economic days. When you get a hint that a bear market is rearing its ugly head, you’ll want to get rid of as much leverage as you can, from both your invested portfolios and your everyday life. Doing this shields you from some major financial problems that can arise when hard times hit.

Spread It Out

This simply means to make certain all your investments aren’t sitting in one stock or fund. Diversification should be the strategy that rules your portfolio. This will give you flexibility during a bear market. To keep your assets performing at an acceptable level while the market is down, spread your money out into cash, bonds, favorite commodities, varied real estate and stocks.

Keep It Fluid

If something in your portfolio is doing well, sell some of it. Purchase some of what is not doing so well. This is the basic tenet of the “buy low, sell high” strategy that is time tested. Even when the popular trend may be going in the opposite direction, don’t jump on the “buy it while it’s hot” train. This process of rebalancing your portfolio shields you from the bear market while allowing you to sell stocks at a profit and buy bonds while they’re low.

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Smartphone usage is on the rise across India and this has revolutionized banking, as phone users can use several mobile banking apps that improve convenience and efficiency. Banking institutions adopt new technology and increase their product offerings to retain and expand their customer base.

Mobile banking services are experiencing rapid growth and innovation, with the aim to incorporate cutting-edge technology in financial services. Opting for these services gives users different benefits, such as convenience, time saving, and flexibility.

Mobile banking applications have several interesting features that allow users to view information, perform transactions, and enjoy other value added services. Some of the features include:

Viewing

• Bank account overview and transaction history
• Track term deposits
• Scheduled payments
• Statement request
• Credit card statement
• Demat account overview
• Investment details

Transaction

• Fund transfer through NEFT, RTGS, One-time transfer without adding beneficiary or message money
• IMPS money transfer
• Payments for mobile bills, utility services, direct-to- home recharge, and credit card
• Service requests for debit card, credit card, or cheque books
• Bookings for flights, hotels, and other services

Applications

• In My Kotak you can customize and personalize your home screen
• Modify different settings for your account

Benefits of Mobile Banking

• Convenient – Users do not have to visit bank branches, travel agents, or utility-service providers. You can do more than just transfer funds, with some mobile banking apps even allowing you to recharge your mobile or DTH connection, make flight and hotel bookings, and lots more, all through your smartphone.
• Flexibility – Mobile banking in India has grown so rapidly, increasing versatility, allowing users to perform a wide variety of transactions that were previously unheard of. The message money feature, in Kotak Bank’s mobile banking app, even allows you to send funds to friends, relatives, and associates through a messaging service!
• Safe – Almost every transaction done through your mobile phone requires authentication. Moreover, the bank will usually send you an SMS whenever a transaction happens in your account. Any mobile banking apps require 2-level authentication to prevent mobile fraud. Users need the login password (MPIN) and the activation code for authentication.

Almost every private and public sector bank in India provides mobile banking services to customers, but the services offered by some banking apps are exemplary. The app from Kotak Mahindra Bank is notable in this regard. Some of the innovations give users the ability to customize settings, setup transactions and view information. This adds several benefits to the user experience.

Settings

Certain mobile banking apps allow users to even customize their banking settings. This means that users can:

• Add or delete multiple customer relationship numbers
• Personalize the Home Screen

Transactions

Banking transactions are redefined with mobile banking, as they are no longer restricted to fund transfers or payments. Users can perform the following actions:

• Money transfer – Through RTGS and NEFT
• IMPS fund transfers – generating one-time password for IMPS2M
• Customer can view/modify the MMID
• Bill payments – utility services, mobile or DTH services, redemption requests, balance transfer, purchase, cancel request
• Service requests – request add-on card, auto debit for credit card payments, report lost or damaged cards
• mStore – Book flights, buses and hotels

View

Users can also track their financial activities, not just in terms of transfers executed via the app. You can access and update information related to the following:

• Activity – bank account, Demat account, investments, and credit card
• You can also create or modify your profile, if you’re the primary CRN, go to Settings> Mange Profile and change the CRN, the same goes for modifying one. This is only applicable if you’re the primary CRN.
• Financial History – Credit card summary, bank account summary, My investments, bill pay, mobile recharge, JIFI

Technological innovations are driving rapid growth across all sectors and banks are taking the lead by offering new and improved services to customers. The scope of mobile banking is only likely to grow in the coming years.

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All kinds of costs come with running a business. Of course, a lot of your budget should go on your primary operations. Many companies choose to invest money in things like marketing, great equipment, and a large workforce. But while these costs are helpful, some expenses are absolutely essential. Here are some of the costs you must pay to keep your business running smoothly.

Workplace Upkeep

Whether you operate out of an industrial building or rented office space, you’ll likely have to pay monthly costs. While the main cost of the building is a big concern, there are also other costs associated with the upkeep.

Naturally, you’ll also have to pay for utilities like water and electricity. You may also need building maintenance work from time to time. Some workplace problems can cause you and your employees illness. Make sure everything is well-maintained to avoid health and legal problems.

Sometimes rented office space covers a lot of the upkeep themselves. By renting out a small office unit in a business building, you won’t have to worry about handling building maintenance costs. This can save a lot of money.

Taxes

All companies must file business income taxes each fiscal year. Failing to do this can result in penalties and fines for your business. If you fail to pay the full amount back, you’ll have to pay extra interest on the rest. Therefore, it’s essential you plan for this cost in advance and handle it on time.

What you pay and the forms you fill out can vary depending on what type of business you’re running. It can get confusing trying to handle it all on your own. Most companies enlist the help of an IRS lawyer to make sure their taxes are handled professionally.

If you can’t pay your taxes on time, you can sometimes get a short extension. The good news is you can get all kinds of deductions from your business tax. Things like office supplies, premises, and work-related travel can often be taken off your tax bill. This can make the costs much easier to handle, so keep receipts for anything you might be able to deduct.

Payroll

You’ll need to pay your employees what you’ve agreed to on time, every time. Terms are often set out in employee contracts about how your employees will be paid and when. Some businesses choose to pay workers weekly, some monthly. Either way, make sure employees get their money.

Paying employees late can severely reduce their motivation to work. Not only that but if you fail to fulfill payment agreements with employees you could find yourself in legal trouble. If your payroll is becoming a crippling cost, you may need to look into downsizing. However, not paying employees is never a suitable option.

Internet Connection

The internet is essential for many business operations nowadays. Make sure you pay for internet connection with the best uptime- this is the most important factor for company internet.

It’s also a good idea to use I.T. services to handle any computer or internet problems around your business. Computing problems can affect your business’s productivity, so it’s important to pay to keep it running well.

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In the often confusing world of the stock market – and its fondness for acronyms – an IPO is an initial public offering – simply meaning when a company sells shares of its stock to the public for the first time. Before it becomes an IPO, a company is said to be privately held, meaning its ownership falls into the hands of a select few, and it isn’t listed on any Stock Exchange or traded by brokers such as CMC markets, you can look but you won’t find.

So how and why does a company decide to become an IPO? The reason is usually a financial one – a large company stands to make a lot of money from the sale of its shares, although many smaller companies also issue IPOs. The company will try to anticipate exactly how much profit and what the capital will be used for – for example to fund expansion or development. The company’s management decides on a particular day that the shares will be made available, and of course the anticipated asking price, with guidance from at least one investment firm. The 1990s saw many small start-up companies selling large amounts of stock through usually well-publicized and successful ventures, which has made the IPO popular among small and large investors alike.

Investing in IPOs can be risky and unpredictable though, and many investors advise against it unless you are particularly experienced and knowledgeable. One of the difficulties is that there is no existing track record as to how the shares will perform over time. Much of the profit and risk potential of buying shares in an IPO depends also upon the state of the market that particular time, the level of interest and even the general economy.

So how does one try to make a profit from these investments? Sometimes it depends on who you know as well as what you know. If you are lucky enough to work for the company in question, you may be offered a number of shares at a substantial discount or even have them given to you. Many IPOs are heavily oversubscribed, meaning there are more offers to purchase shares than there are available shares; in this situation, an employee or client would be given preference. This is one of the drawbacks of IPO’s – the majority of the shares may be allocated or offered first to employees, retirees, clients, etc. rather than the general public.

Do some research on the company that is intending to put out an IPO. There are many different financial newspapers, journals and web-sites that provide information and forecasts. The company is also required by Federal law to put out a prospectus detailing the offer, although this can be a lengthy and confusing document. Pay particular attention to the most recent earnings of the company as well as their projected earnings. Is the company you are planning to invest in solvent? Do they borrow money heavily to repay debts? Find out what the company’s product or service is, who its competitors are and what percentage of market share it has. A company whose product or service is seasonal or temporary might not be a profitable long-term investment.

One of the most attractive features of IPOs is that the shares offered are usually priced very low. In fact, the stock price of many companies can increase significantly during the day that the shares are offered, occasionally as much as 500 %. If you are fortunate enough to move quickly and buy the shares as soon as they are offered, you can sell them again that same day for at least a small profit. Many ‘speculative’ investors are more interested in this short term profit potential rather than any long term gains. If you are what is known as an ‘income’ investor, you are more concerned with the company’s long term profits and dividend potential.

Some serious investors advise that rather than buy shares when the company is first launched, you should wait a while – say a period of several months – even years – to get a better feel for how the company is doing financially. The share price usually ‘settles down’ after the initial excitement, and you can get a better idea whether it’s a good buy or not. In the long term, this can be a safer way to make a profit rather than buying at once.

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So – you’ve had an excellent idea for business and thought it might be a success? Well, congratulations. It’s an amazing experience owning a startup and seeing something grow from an idea to an actual business. However, there are a lot of things that can go wrong – unless you have the right protection in place.

Most business owners understand the importance of security – but you have to start sooner rather than later. In fact, ask any legal expert and they are likely to tell you to sort out your protection before you even write your business plan. In this guide, we’re going to reveal five simple legal tips for fledgeling startups. Take a look and make sure you have the right protection.

Consider your structure

Before you start work, you will need to register your business with HMRC. It’s advisable to register as a company, rather than a sole trader, as it gives you a little extra protection. You should have a chat with an accountant, too – they will tell you the type of company you should be to save on your tax bill.

Contract everything

From the second you start dealing with other people, make sure you have a contract. It could be a partnership or an employee – it can also be a supplier or investor. In short, anyone that has any contact with your business needs to be held in a contract. It outlines everyone’s responsibilities and expectations and holds both parties to account.

Intellectual property

Don’t forget that your ideas have value, too – and it’s essential you protect them. Trademark registration is a simple process, as is applying for patents or copyrights. Ensure you do this as early as possible. If you have a very good idea, you don’t want someone stealing it from you and making a fortune off the back of it. It’s happened many times before, and will continue to do so if you don’t have intellectual property protection.

Hire a business lawyer

Don’t underestimate how useful a business lawyer can be for your fledgeling startup. They can help you cover yourself in a legal sense, and highlight areas of potential improvements. If someone files a claim against you, they can react quicker as they already understand your business. Just like having an accountant, it will save you money in the long-term. The amount of legal help you might need will be enormous as you grow your company. It makes sound sense – financial and otherwise – to use the same person.

Get insurance

If the worst happens, you have to have insurance. No matter how safe you think you are operating, there is always the chance of something happening. A slip, trip, or fall on your premises can lead to an expensive lawsuit. An unhappy client could pursue you for damages – even if you think you have done nothing wrong. It all adds up to a large payout, which could blow your startup out of the water before you even get started. Insurance will give you the peace of mind you need to make your business success.

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