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Voice conservation day 3.

Romney takes first overall lead this cycle over Obama:

Bottom Line:  Three Friday’s ago I posed the question about Romney possibly becoming the favorite.  With a bounce from the Democratic Convention just around the corner – that notion seemed quite unlikely.  It was based on history and doesn’t seem like such a silly question after the post debate polls have poured in. 

At the time I posed the question it was based on this premise…  Historically (since we’ve been polling), the challenger has won over about 75% of declared undecided voters after the conventions.  That meant that even when Romney was slightly behind a few weeks ago he still was projecting a slight lead in the popular vote.  By the time the Post-Obama convention bounce was fully felt that had reversed to just under a projected one point lead by President Obama (you can find all of that data and info in the archives of the Cheat Sheet).

By now you’ve likely heard about the turn around in the polling data after the 1st debate.  The data that has been pouring in over the past couple of days has overwhelmingly moved in the direction of Romney with Mitt now posting an overall lead for the first time since he has been the Republican nominee (the only time he led head to head with Obama in polling data was in the fall of 2011 & that’s not valid for comparison purposes since the primary season hadn’t even begun).  What the first debate did was convince many of the undecided voters to commit who were previously undecided. As I type this fewer than 5% of voters are undecided.  Right on cue at least 75% of previously (more like 95% so far due to the debate) undecided voters have broken for Romney.

The net result is that as of right now Mitt Romney is now showing an “official” lead in the national popular vote (with just under a one point). 

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/us/general_election_romney_vs_obama-1171.html

 

What to know before enrolling in your 2013 health plan:

Bottom Line:  More change has occurred within the last two years with regard to healthcare plan options than in the previous twenty years (yes the healthcare reform law, is the biggest driver…  So what needs to be considered before delving into your healthcare renewal options for 2013?

  • More so than ever before the expense difference between what your employer will cover for a single person vs. dependants is especially wide (meaning if you and your wife both have employer plans – you’ll almost certainly be better off using the separate employer plans).
  • FSA limits are being cut in half from $5000 to $2500
  • Perhaps most importantly – check your doctors (network coverage areas are being reduced in many insurance plans – if you have a doctor(s) that you absolutely want to be able to continue to see – run the plan options by their office to ensure they’re still part of the in-network coverage)

http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/01/pf/open-enrollment-employees.moneymag/index.html

 

Flipping homes is back & profitable:

Bottom Line:  Ahh yes flipping -  the other F word (shame on you), or at least it used to be.  Unlike the over leveraged flipping of years gone by, flipping real-estate in 2012 isn’t leveraged and is working for many. 

Nationally flipping is at its highest level since before 2007 and the average profit of a flipped property is nearly $30,000.  This isn’t a bad thing though…  So far in 2012 greater than 60% of all properties be purchased in Florida, for example, has been purchased with cash & while we don’t have firm numbers, it appears as though greater than 90% of flips are being purchased with cash. 

The net effect of the flippers is profit for them with the risk being loss of principal rather than a defaulted mortgage loan.  Flippers are also helping restore and renovate blighted properties which is of benefit to the communities they’re being purchased in and helps properties values upon the higher resale. 

Flipping isn’t for amateurs but for those who know how to do it – its working and for everyone this time.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2012/10/09/house-flipping-revival/1622429/

 

Wal-Mart testing same day delivery:

Bottom Line:  In recent months I’ve been sharing information regarding same and next day delivery that Amazon.com and other are ramping up for actual use in 2013.  Wal-Mart is already in the testing phase.  


Wal-Mart is testing same day delivery in four markets (none in Florida) for a $10 delivery charge.  Once Wal-Mart works out the kinks they are almost certain to make it the norm around the country.  While online ordering will soon offer the demand of our instant gratification society, it’s an important consideration for small businesses that operate in a retail environment.  If you’re in the retail business, you should be thinking about a strategy to account for this development because it is likely that same day delivery will likely lead to less foot traffic in traditional retail stores.  

http://allthingsd.com/20121009/walmart-gives-same-day-delivery-a-shot-in-four-cities/?reflink=ATD_yahoo_ticker

 

Big reason not to try to steal software:

Bottom Line:  Many people who won’t consider stealing from a person or a store are willing to consider stealing software.  It’s a name less, seemingly faceless situation (crime) after all…  Well it is and always has been stealing and Microsoft has been the biggest victim of stolen software over the past thirty years.  It’s beginning to appear as though crime isn’t paying anymore.  

Microsoft studied stolen software and found that 76% of software theft resulted in a virus or malware contagion.  That’s added motivation to do the right thing…

http://thenextweb.com/microsoft/2012/10/09/microsoft-76-of-pirates-trying-to-get-free-software-end-up-with-malware-infecting-their-pcs/