Archive: Business & Technology

Investment clubs are quite popular these days. In fact, even if you aren't in a club yourself, the chances are pretty good that you know someone who is. Should you consider joining such a club?

There's no one "right" answer for everyone, of course. But if you do join an investment club, you will find that there are both "pros" and "cons" involved. Let's take a quick look at a few of these.

ITHACA, NY — In coordination with WOMEN’S EXPO 2007, Cayuga Radio Group is honoring “20 OUTSTANDING WOMEN YOU SHOULD KNOW.” The 20 women, representing a wide range of backgrounds and careers, will be honored during a ceremony on May 10 at the Ithaca Hilton Garden Inn.

A call for nominations promoted in January, February, and March on WHCU News-Talk 870, Lite Rock 97.3, Q-Country 103.7, and Progressive Talk 1470 WNYY in Ithaca yielded more than 200 names, according to Susan Johnston, General Manager of the four Cayuga Radio Group stations.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Small Business Administration recently introduced a new online training resource for budding entrepreneurs to provide the fundamentals of starting a small business.  The Small Business Primer Strategies for Success online training is a free course designed to assist individuals who are thinking about starting a small business or who are in the early stages of running a business.

The Small Business Primer is a self-paced assessment tool that focuses on three key areas to help small business owners (1) determine their business readiness, (2) provide an overview of basic small business principles, and (3) introduce them to key SBA resources for small business counseling and training.  The assessment tool is highly recommended and useful for those who have considered starting a business or thought about what it takes to be successful as an entrepreneur.   

Linda Santos joins REMAX from Guam, USA. She has traveled extensively through points between Guam and New York, spending time with family in Hawaii at every opportunity.

Education is a lifelong priority for Linda, and this focus brought her to NYC in 1996. She has studied many subjects, including Real Estate at the prestigious NYU Real Estate Institute. She has also distinguished herself as a professional Personal Trainer to many discerning clients in NYC, including Grammy winner James Taylor, many other artists, and residents of the downtown community.

If you get laid off or "downsized," it's unquestionably a tough break, and it can be stressful in many ways. However, if you make the right investment-related moves, the loss of a job doesn't necessarily mean you have lost the opportunity to achieve your important financial goals.

Above all else, don't panic when you learn of an impending termination. If you are going to get a severance package, you may not have to take the first offer that comes your way; you might be able to negotiate for more attractive terms. But even if there is no room for negotiation, you need to make sure you get all the information you need, such as whether the severance will be paid at once or in stages. As severance packages may have tax consequences, you should consult with your tax advisor before making any decisions.

April 23, 2007, Ithaca, New York --  GARY WOLOSZYN, Store Manager of the Ithaca Wegmans, was named the 2007 Agda Osborn Award recipient for outstanding community service and volunteerism at a special ceremony held in his honor on Sunday, April 22 at Taughannock Farms Inn. Nearly 70 community leaders, Wegmans employees, and family and friends attended to honor a man whose name is synonymous with community service in Tompkins County. The award is presented annually by Family & Children’s Service of Ithaca to an individual or organization that has made significant contributions as a community volunteer and was created to honor Agda Osborn, a long-serving and dedicated community volunteer with many area organizations, including Family & Children’s Service of Ithaca. She served as a Board member in the early 1980s and was the first recipient of the award in 1983.

Gary Woloszyn, (2nd from left) Store Manager of the Ithaca Wegmans, poses with his wife Sharon (far left) and two of his three children, Adam and Jessica, after receiving the 25th Annual Agda Osborn Award for Outstanding Community Service at a special ceremony held April 22 in his honor at Taughannock Farms Inn.

To achieve your financial goals, you need to be a diligent saver and investor. But you need to do more than just build your assets - you also must do a good job of managing your debts. If you let your debts get out of control, they will eventually erode your savings and investments - and when that happens, the road to financial success can get pretty bumpy.

Unfortunately, your fellow Americans are doing a poor job of saving money and staying out of debt. Here are some telling statistics:

Everyone was welcome to help celebrate Triphammer Wines and Spirits' 66th anniversary last Saturday.  And even on a sunny day with tempretures in the 70s, a lot of people packed into the store to taste wines and take advantage of an anniversary sale.  "It's been a great turnout," says owner Julie Crowley.  "It makes you nervous, because there are so many things people want to do in the nice weather, but we had a good turnout."

(Ithaca, NY) - Olivia Restaurant, located in Ezra Cornell's historic Train Station in East Hill, now serves only local, organic, free range chicken and turkey.

Olivia is a regional leader in the local foods movement, using local produce and ingredients whenever feasible, and featuring organic, grass-fed, dry aged beef. Olivia has now has found two more great local farms- Grassland Farms of Ovid for free range, organic chicken and Finger Lakes Farms of Trumansburg for free range, organic turkey. "Our chicken and turkey is not just free range, but its fully pasture raised- meaning the animals are truly free range- typically most "free range" animals only see a few minutes of freedom in their otherwise caged existence. This creates amazing flavor, the chicken actually tastes like chicken. It's well worth it, much more humane, and best of all, you can taste the difference!", exclaims Gregory Silverman, co-owner/ head chef.

(Ithaca, NY) The Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce and Ithaca/Tompkins Convention and Visitors Bureau announced a special ribbon cutting ceremony for Experience! The Finger Lakes, LLC. The event will take place outside the Visitors’ Bureau Building at 904 East Shore Drive, Thurs., May 3 at 10:00 a.m.

Experience! The Finger Lakes provides packaged and customized tours of the Finger Lakes region. Popular tour packages such as “The Cayuga Lake Eastside Sampler” and “Finger Lakes Falls & Gorges” are complemented by personalized services allowing visitors to tailor itineraries to match their desires. The service fills an important niche because there are currently no organizations in the Ithaca area that provide a full-service touring options, said Fred Bonn, Director of the Ithaca/Tompkins Convention and Visitors Bureau.

You've made it through another tax season. If you got a refund, you might be pretty satisfied with how things turned out. But if you'd like to see a somewhat different outcome in 2008, you may want to review all areas of your tax return, including your investment-related taxes. As you may know, some investments are more "tax-friendly" than others are - and municipal bonds might be some of the friendliest ones of all.

If you aren't that familiar with municipal bonds, here are the basics: Municipal bonds, or "munis," are issued in two main categories: general obligation bonds and revenue bonds. General obligation bonds finance the activities of state and local governments, while revenue bonds pay for specific projects, such as airports, hospitals and other civic institutions.

(Ithaca, NY)  Executive Chef Samantha Izzo opened Simply Red Bistro at Sheldrake Point Winery at a  special ribbon cutting ceremony Friday, April 6th. Located in the heart of Finger Lakes Wine Country on the shores of Cayuga Lake, Samantha Izzo brings Simply Red Bistro and her creative talents and an exciting regional, wine county cuisine to Sheldrake Point Winery.

According to Executive Chef Izzo, “Sheldrake Point’s lakeside location and gardens provide a wonderful setting for Simply Red Bistro’s cuisine and service. I am looking forward to our opening for Easter Brunch on April 8, 2007 and seeing all of our friends once again.”