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Editor’s Note: This is an updated version of an article first published on March 6th, 2014. Around the time the JOBS Act became law in 2012, some angel groups expressed concern that equity crowdfunding would hurt them on two counts. First,[...]

Who Is This Series For? This series of articles is written for the average “accredited investor.” An “accredited investor” is a legal term that refers to anyone (a) whose net worth, either alone or with a spouse, exceeds $1 million[...]

How Much is Clutter Actually Costing You? What if I told you that digital and physical clutter negatively impact your productivity and performance? Similar to multitasking, clutter of all types overloads your senses causing your brain and body to feel stressed[...]

The S&P 500 fell 2.3% and the Dow fell 2.2% on Friday. Is the sky falling? Look, short-term market swings do not define an economy. On the other hand, a market that constantly swings based on what a single man[...]

Is a university degree a good investment? The Economist Magazine asked this question last year and while the article concludes that statistics support the proposition that a college education generally makes good financial sense, it also concludes that, “like so much else in economics, [it] boils down to supply and demand.” In other words, a college education does not always make sense from a strictly financial perspective.

Family Businesses Need Strategies to Govern Both the Family and the Business Family businesses are unique and the way they are run differs from family to family. Each business has varying degrees of corporate governance. Formal governance structures grow as the[...]

Get Smart with the Ten Best Food Documentaries I am a sucker for a good food documentary. I love to learn more about how our food is made, how it affects our world, and how it affects our bodies. Many[...]

Conflicts between business partners are nearly inevitable. Thankfully, there are a number of ways for parties to negotiate up-front. Precautionary agreements give you space to resolve issues more easily or, at least, provide a picture of what the result will be when resolution is not possible.

A Family's Most Valuable Business Asset is Itself The component to family businesses that make them unique from other businesses is the family. Solving family business problems without understanding the family dynamic is akin to a placing a bandage on[...]

The term “venture capital” is typically associated with high-risk, high-growth potential start-ups that may sink or soar depending on a number of external factors. Any investment in a start-up, however, can be called a venture capital investment, though a common hallmark of venture capital investors is that with their investment they obtain some level of influence over the company in which they invest.

How Accelerators Can Help Your Business Grow Startups need money to, well, startup. In order to get money, fundraising is a likely path that most startups will travel. There are many different funding sources available, and the usefulness of each[...]

The A to Z’s of Carveout Guaranties When utilizing a loan to acquire an investment property, there are two basic types available to the buyer: recourse and non-recourse. Regardless of the type of loan, the borrower may be asked to[...]

The legality of investing in life settlements* (also referred to as a "life settlement") traces back to a 1911 Supreme Court decision, Grigsby vs. Russell, 222 U.S. 149. In Grigsby, a life insurance company refused to pay out the death benefit proceeds on the grounds that the policy had previously been sold to a third party who had no insurable interest in the insured.

So You're Selling a Business: Now What? For most business owners, selling a business is a once-in-a-lifetime event. These owners want to maximize their proceeds and they may be super salespeople, but likely have little experience selling a business. In fact,[...]

Agriculture, as an investment sector, is in its infancy. Even though agriculture accounts for 3% of global economic activity, related public markets are still severely under-developed. In addition, the sector has recently been out-of-favor; so many investors are either ignoring or overlooking its longer-term potential.

A Company Is Only as Good as Its Worst Behavior What is the worst behavior that your company’s leadership will tolerate? Think about it for a minute. That behavior, particularly if it is repeatedly tolerated, defines your organizational culture. There[...]

How to Move on Quickly and Successfully We have all experienced failure in our professional lives. And while no one enjoys opening old wounds, it is important to examine our failures so we can learn from them. In the workplace[...]

The market for online alternative investments has been growing at a steady pace the past few years. Issuers of private placements have realized that they have the opportunity to reach a larger number of accredited investors by using third-party internet platforms. As an investor, it is important to know what distinguishes each type of platform out there, and what to watch out for when considering an online alternative investment.

Let’s Make this (Customer) Relationship Work The customer relationship is one of the most important relationships a business will have. As companies grow, expanding their customer base, their sales and marketing activities can become vastly more complicated. Companies that have[...]

Weekly Meal Planning for a Healthier You and a Happier Bank Account Being fit and healthy impacts more than just clothing size. Research has shown that employees with a healthy BMI earn more money over the course of their career[...]