Do You Need to Rethink Your First-Choice College?
Study Shows Less than 60 Percent Enroll in Top Option; Expert Provides 3 Criteria to Consider

Tens of thousands of high school students will be receiving their college acceptance letters in April. It's an anxious time - students, and their parents, want to believe their school holds the promise that attendance will be their "Golden Ticket" to eventual financial success.  So, if they are trying to get from "Point A" (here and now) to "Point B" (financial independence), how do they select the school that will deliver that return on their investment?

"Young people tend to quickly fall in love with a school, and parents tend to quickly wear their son's or daughter's acceptance as a badge of honor, or at least validation as a successful parent,'' says David Porter, social architect, consultant to colleges and universities throughout North America and author of "The Porter Principles," a guide to college success through social engineering, (www.porterkhouwconsulting.com).

"Students and parents should be skeptical and consider all of what a college has offer, and how it will deliver on the implicit promise of financial independence. Which school will nurture and grow the prerequisite face-to-face problem-solving skills required to secure gainful employment and financial independence upon graduation?"

According to the most recent study from the University of California, Los Angeles's Higher Education Research Institute, only 58 percent of the surveyed 204,000 college freshmen enrolled at their first-choice college, the lowest percentage to do so since the question was first asked in 1974.

The major factors behind the decline are cost and financial aid. A 2012 study by the research group Ipsos and the student loan giant, Sallie Mae, indicates that roughly 70 percent of families are ruling out colleges based on cost.

First choice or otherwise, Porter says students and their families should consider a variety of factors in estimating the most value to be had at a campus. Some are more relevant than others:

• A school's ranking: According to one of the world's leading public intellects who regularly weighs in on academic issues, Malcom Gladwell, the national ranking a school receives doesn't necessarily reflect the needs of individual students. Just like an expensive sports car is valued, in part, from an arbitrary, expensive price tag, so too are colleges. The various needs a young adult will have are by no means fully represented by the seven variables used by the U.S. News rankings, run by Robert Morse. The variables include undergraduate academic reputation, financial resources and alumni giving.

• On-Campus culture and community: In addition to academics and the rigors thereof, a college offers (or fails to offer) a unique on-campus college experience.  Will the environment foster success (post-graduate financial independence) or, will it essentially be a few more years of high school under the guise of "college"?  Look for safe, wholesome campus venues, like a student union or a next generation dining learning commons that invites student interaction, collaboration, problem-solving, and dining 24/7.  Social architecture - the conscious design of an environment to encourage social behaviors that lead toward a goal - is a ground-breaking approach that social architecture visionary Porter is successfully introducing to more campuses across North America every day.

• Parent-student understanding: Move out and stay out (because you can). Mom and dad, we want a nice home, a nice car, nice vacations, nice stuff, nice meals, etc. etc. etc.  It costs tens of thousands of dollars per year to attend most colleges. Whether or not a student assumes massive debt to follow her dreams, or a parent shares the burden should be moot if the student can identify, pursue and secure gainful employment upon graduation. Having debt is an enourmous burden at any stage of life if you are unemployed. Choosing a school is a great opportunity for parents to lead by example on how to make a purchase decision for any "big ticket" item.  Do your homework.  Buyer beware. Coach them using some of the same skills you would use to buy a house or purchase a car or invest in a new business.

About David Porter

David Porter, author and social architect, is CEO and president of Porter Khouw Consulting, Inc., a foodservice master planning and design firm based in Crofton, Maryland. David has more than 40 years of hands-on food service operations and consulting experience and is a professional member of the Foodservice Consultants Society International. He is the author of "The Porter Principles, Retain & Recruit Students & Alumni, Save Millions on Dining and Stop Letting Food Service Contractors Eat Your Lunch," (www.porterkhouwconsulting.com). Porter Khouw Consulting has worked with more than 350 clients to conduct market research and develop strategic plans, master plans and designs for the college and university market. Porter is a graduate of the prestigious hospitality program at Michigan State University and has been recognized repeatedly as a leader in his field.

Dreaming of launching a business from your home? You'll join an ever-growing number of entrepreneurs, according to a broad new report based on 6,000 surveys.

Sixty-nine percent of all U.S. businesses start in the home and half of them are still home-based long after they launch, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report.

"The median start-up cost was $15,000 but remember, that's the median - it means plenty of people spend much less than that," says Renae Christine, a serial entrepreneur who has created dozens of successful home-based businesses for herself and others. She shares practical how-to advice in her new book, "Home Business Startup Bible," (www.richmombusiness.com).

"I started out helping other stay-at-home moms who wanted to create businesses, but there are men and women of all ages who want the freedom and independence you get from owning your own business and keeping it in the home."

Christine says she learned a lot from early colossal failures and from her successes, too.

"A lot of people just starting out don't think in terms of, 'Will this choice still work in five years if the business is very successful?' You need to consider that because it's difficult and sometimes bad for business to go back and change things once you've become established," she says.

If you're thinking about starting a home-based business, she shares some tips for laying the groundwork.

•  It all starts with an idea - is yours a good one?
You need to be able to easily explain your idea (product or service) in one or two sentences because that's all you'll get to "sell" it to customers, investors and the media, including bloggers who you seek out for reviews. If you can't explain it well in two sentences, either work on a simpler way to describe it or come up with a new idea.

•  Determine whether your idea has been done before or if it's brand new.
There are generally three possibilities: It has been done but there's still demand; it has been done and the market is saturated; or it has never been done. You can be successful in any of these scenarios, if you know where your idea falls and strategize appropriately. Search keyword phrases to see if what you have in mind already exists. If you come up empty, there's either no demand or it's never been done before. If it's been done, search for competitors and see how many they are, what they're doing, and how you might innovate to provide something even better, whether it's product quality or service.

•  Create a list of all the things you need to plan for in your business.
The list might be a series of questions whose answers will be the basis for your business plan. They might include - but by no means are limited to: What are you going to sell and for how much? Will you make or buy the product? How will you package and ship it? Will you ship internationally? How will you communicate with customers? What will be your business colors? Will you hire a bookkeeper or explore software to do that yourself? The list may seem daunting, but take time to make each decision one at a time and soon, you'll see your business taking shape.

•  Name your company after yourself or give it a made-up, easy-to-remember one-word name.
Naming the company after your product or service seriously limits future expansion (remember - it's important to think ahead!) Naming it after yourself or giving it a one-word, made-up name allows you to expand into other products, services, and even industries. It also provides a common denominator that ties everything together. If you think you may eventually sell the company, go with a made-up name (think Zappos, Etsy, Google.) Doublecheck the U.S. Patent and Trademark website to ensure the name - even if it's your own! -- is not already trademarked.

About Renae Christine

Renae Christine is the owner of by Renae Christine, a company that has launched several successful businesses and has helped launch dozens more for others. A journalist, she's known for her popular YouTube videos (search Rich Mom Business channel), which use humor and pragmatism to advise others who want to launch home-based businesses. She recently published "Home Business Startup Bible," (www.richmombusiness.com), a comprehensive how-to guide. Christine is also the founder of the Rich Mom Business University and co-hosts the online TV show, "Funny Stuff and Cheese."

Tips for Preventing & Handling Disaster & Distress on the Job

Disgruntled employees, workplace bullies, active-shooter situations, illegal drug use, ex-spouses and dissatisfied clients - all can be found in a random sampling of the 2 million people affected by workplace violence in the United States, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

"Of course, of the millions of reported cases, there are many more that go unreported; workplace violence includes any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site," says Timothy Dimoff, one of the nation's leading voices in personal and corporate security who has worked with the U.S. Army, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, corporations, universities and non-profit groups.

"From demeaning jokes to sexual innuendos to genuine fear of shots fired at work, hiring managers and their bosses need to understand these problems of human nature and know how to react. In my decades of experience with law enforcement and as a security entrepreneur, I've seen the evolution of workplace violence and management often do not know how to respond."

Dimoff, founder and president of SACS Consulting & Investigative Services, Inc., (www.sacsconsulting.com), which analyzes and overhauls security for large public and private facilities, reviews today's problems and offers a path for conflict resolution and prevention.

•  Inadequate use of hiring tools: Know who you're hiring! "I can't emphasize this enough; this is the age of information, yet potential employees often provide falsified or misleading details," Dimoff says. "With so many candidates and so much information available today, employers often overlook useful tools in a hurry-up effort to maintain productivity with a premature hire." There are many resources, including drug testing acknowledgment and consent forms; fully understanding laws including the Fair Labor Standards Act, equal employment opportunity guidelines and military leave guidelines; and simply knowing how to ask revealing questions to applicants.

•  Workplace intimidation & cyberbullying: Bullying is not exclusive to the schoolyard; it can follow adults into the workplace, and even home via email, texts and social media. "The first and best thing employers can do isprevention, and you do that by creating a positive and fair company culture," Dimoff says. "Next, implement a zero tolerance policy for bullying; encourage employees to document and report bullying, and take those accusations seriously. Hold occasional staff meetings so that employees are taught to recognize signs of bullying and everyone is reminded of the zero tolerance policy."

•  Gun violence: It can happen at what appear to be the most secure places in the world, and it can happen to the most innocent among us. Nidal Hasan, the U.S. Army psychiatrist turned jihadi, shot 13 fellow soldiers to death at Fort Hood, Texas. Twenty first-graders at Sandy Hook Elementary School never had the chance to become second-graders. We hear story after story about shootings in movie theaters, parking lots and neighborhoods. Train managers to recognize and attempt to de-escalate the situation, which can include talking to the potential aggressor in an empathetic, non-judgmental way. Fail that, there are situations for which heroes are necessary.

•  Violence against women: Homicide is the leading cause of death for women in the workplace, according to OSHA. Of the 4,547 fatal workplace injuries that occurred in the United States in 2010, 506 were workplace homicides. Once again, this comes down to a zero tolerance policy for bullying and sexual harassment, applicable to all workers, patients, clients, visitors, contractors, and anyone else who may come in contact with company personnel, such as an ex-spouse. A well-designed on-site security protocol can significantly reduce the risk of severe violence.

About Timothy Dimoff

Timothy Dimoff, CPP, founder and president of SACS Consulting & Investigative Services, Inc. (www.sacsconsulting.com), is considered one of the nation's leading authorities in high-risk workplace and human resource issues, security, vulnerability assessments and crime. A former award-winning narcotics detective and SWAT Team member, Dimoff analyzes security for churches, businesses and other places where people gather, develops a customized plan for each, and implements it. He has multiple certifications, including as a Certified Protection Professional (CPP™), a designation that is recognized worldwide.

3 Steps for Turning a Real Estate or Business Sale
into the Ideal Retirement
Financial Experts Share Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

Throughout life, we encounter a number of "financial impact points" -- pivotal events with the potential to make our dreams come true, say financial advisors Chris Snyder and Haitham "Hutch" Ashoo, co-authors of "Exiting Strategies: The CEO's Seven Critical Steps To Cashing-Out of a Business, Managing and Preserving Wealth."

"The sale of a business or real estate is one of those," says Chris Snyder, co-founder with Ashoo of Pillar Wealth Management, (www.pillarwm.com). "With the right planning, it can become your ideal retirement."

Unfortunately, sellers often make fundamental mistakes: They underestimate how much money they'll need for their retirement; they overvalue their business or property; and they often fail to properly invest the proceeds in a diversified portfolio of equities, bonds and money markets for income.

How can you turn your business or property sale into your ideal retirement? Snyder and Ashoo offer these tips:

1.  Determine the retirement lifestyle you desire, and how much money it will cost.

If you don't know how much money you'll need, you can't identify how much you need to net from the sale, Ashoo says.
"How many homes will you have? Do you see yourself traveling? Creating a charitable organization?"

Create a detailed list. How much money will it cost you each year? If you retire at 55 or 65, odds are good you'll enjoy a 30- to 40-year retirement.How much will you need for that length of time?

"When you meet with your wealth manager, insist on running that number through 1,000 different 'launch' scenarios - what we call a 'space shuttle' analysis - to test whether it will meet your expenses under a wide variety of market and world conditions," Ashoo says.

"You can't rely on an Excel sheet analysis based on fixed rates of return and fixed expenses for the rest of your life. It's a sure way to financial disaster because there's no such thing as zero risk."

2.  Get an objective valuation of your business or real estate.

Very often, Snyder says, he and Ashoo work with clients who have a vastly inflated idea of how much their business or property is worth. When they decide to sell, they either can't because no one will pay what they're asking, or they get far less than they expected.

"People often attach an emotional value to the asset, particularly a business or legacy real estate," Snyder says. "Hire a merger and acquisition professional to provide you with a real market valuation for your business, or a real estate appraiser to do the same for property."

If the value isn't where it needs to be, you may need to make some lifestyle changes or hold onto the asset longer.

Another caution: "If you performed step 1 thoroughly and you are confident you need $15 million for your retirement and someone offers you $20 million, take it," Ashoo advises. "Don't hold out for $23 million just because you think that's what it's worth."

3.  Invest the proceeds prudently and in a way that will generate income.

Once your real estate or business is sold, you need to build a diversified portfolio of equity, bonds and money markets that will balance your risk and generate an income, Snyder says.

"Modern portfolio theory holds that 93 percent of the return on your investment is based on your mix of these asset classes," he says
Adds Ashoo: "But prudent investing entails not accepting more risk than is required to achieve your retirement lifestyle." Don't rely on a simple risk questionnaire to make that determination for you, the two say.

Again, have your wealth manager run your portfolio through a "space shuttle'' analysis to test how it will perform under many different conditions.

About Chris Snyder and Haitham "Hutch" Ashoo

Chris Snyder and Haitham "Hutch" Ashoo are co-founders of Pillar Wealth Management, (www.pillarwm.com), of Walnut Creek, Calif., and co-authors of numerous published works including  "Exiting Strategies: The CEO's Seven Critical Steps To Cashing-Out of a Business, Managing and Preserving Wealth," available as a free download at their website. The two specialize in customized wealth management advice to affluent families. Their unique five-step consultative process for new clients ensures they have a deep understanding of clients' goals. The two have a combined 51 years of experience.