Category Archives: Business Reports

By Robert Snell

If you don’t have a spouse or children, you might think you don’t need to do much estate planning. But if you have any assets, any familial connections, any interest in supporting charitable groups—not to mention a desire to control your own future—you do need to establish an estate plan.

In evaluating your needs for this type of planning, let’s start with what might happen if you die intestate—that is, without a last will and testament. In this scenario, your assets will likely have to go through the probate process, which means they’ll be distributed by the court according to your state’s intestate succession laws, essentially without regard to your wishes.

Even if you don’t have children yourself, you may have nephews or nieces, or even children of cousins or friends, to whom you would like to leave some of your assets, which can include not just money but also cars, collectibles, family memorabilia and so on. But if everything you own goes through probate, there’s no guarantee that these individuals will end up with what you wanted them to have.

If you want to leave something to family members or close friends, you will need to indicate this in your last will and testament or other estate planning documents.

By Wendy Waldron

As we build the new normal and reconstruct our economy, let’s take a moment to get back to the basics. Whether you are an owner, foreman, manager or director, there are three things that every leader needs to be doing to make the most of every day. Bring the ABCs to the jobsite.

A – Avoid Busy-ness.

“Quick, look busy, here comes the boss.” It’s so classic it’s almost a cartoon, and yet most of us fall into this trap of “busy-ness” on a regular basis. Is it enough to “keep the guys working?” Well, are they doing profitable work? What do you really know about an office worker’s “production” by walking by their desk? When so many switched to work from home, did you lose a sense of knowing what they were doing?

Do you know what drives the profit in your business? What key activities should be done each week and who is responsible for accomplishing those actions? What are the leading indicators of your future outcomes? What if you paid as much attention to those as you did to the resulting bottom line? Identify the most powerful actions and keep it simple. You need information now, not at the end of the quarter. Maintain a weekly scorecard listing the priority activities, the goal, and who is responsible for making them happen.

B – Boss Mode.

You are not leading a social group or choosing a restaurant for dinner. It’s important to make your expectations known. Imagine that you are coaching a basketball team. It’s your job to clarify the rules of the game. Do you really want all of the players running together in a pack playing offense and defense simultaneously? How can your team deliver if they don’t know exactly what’s expected? Don’t be afraid to use your whistle (or voice) when someone is out of line.

By Brian M. Johnson

When it comes to where and how you live, and what you do with your money, you want the freedom of choice and confidence that you’re making the right decisions. The same is true with your long-term care strategy, helping you set the stage for the future and legacy you have planned.

Long-term care is quite simply assistance with simple everyday tasks, even as simple as eating or getting dressed. The need for care could arise from an accident, illness, cognitive impairment or the aging process.  You may never need it.  But, the best time to start thinking about it is before the need arises and while you’re still able to take control.

Many Americans work hard, save diligently for retirement, yet fail to address the single biggest risk to their portfolio and families: extended healthcare.

When it comes to long-term care, do not be swayed by common misconceptions such as:

“It won’t happen to me.”

By Skip Carlson

In 1918, the world was fighting the Great Influenza, a pandemic that killed an estimated 50 to 100 million people. As I prepared to become the chair of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce in 2021, I wish that I could have spoken to those business leaders who formed the chamber back then. I would have appreciated any advice they could have offered about dealing with a pandemic.

But like most of us, there was no one with firsthand knowledge of that pandemic to help guide us through this one. We had to figure it out ourselves; for our families, our businesses, and the community we all love. We were all in some way flying a plane while building it.

Under the leadership of Kevin Hedley, our 2020 chair, I think this past year was perhaps our Chamber’s finest moment.

The Chamber provided relentless communication about the resources and data that really mattered. The Chamber promoted the Stronger Together campaign and lived this mantra as it forged a collaboration with Discover Saratoga, the City Center, the Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership and the Saratoga Springs DBA.

The Chamber was a beacon of hope working to Save Our Locals and to answer thousands of questions that arose as our economy was shut down and later reopened.

BY ROB SNELL

Now that we’re a few weeks removed from 2020, it’s a good time to reflect on such a momentous year. We can think about developments in the social and political spheres, but we also learned—or perhaps re-learned—some valuable lessons about investing.

Here are four of them:

• A long-term perspective is essential.

Volatility in the financial markets is nothing new, but, even so, 2020 was one for the books. Of course, the COVID-19 outbreak was the driving force behind most of the wild price swings. Soon after the pandemic’s effects were first felt, the S&P 500, a common index of U.S. large-cap stocks, fell 34 percent but gained 67 percent by the end of the year.

Consequently, investors who stuck with their investment portfolios and kept their eyes on their long-term goals, rather than on shocking headlines, ended up doing well. And while 2020 was obviously an unusual year, the long-term approach will always be valuable to investors.

• Investment opportunities are always available.

The pandemic drove down the prices of many stocks, but it didn’t necessarily harm the long-term fundamentals of these companies. In other words, they may still have had strong management, still produced desirable products and services, and still had good prospects for growth. In short, they may still have been good investment opportunities and when their prices were depressed, they may also have been “bargains” for smart investors. And this is the case with virtually any market downturn – some high-quality stocks will be available at favorable prices.

By Michael Cruz
Your employees are working under new circumstances and new expectations. In fact, we all are, you included.
After years of working to ensure good culture, we now see each other less often. How are you ensuring that remote working and less meetings do not negatively affect your company culture? Locally, we have been able to pass through the crisis mode.
Yet, every time we watch the news, we are treated to doom scenarios. And as employees and coworkers hear those stories, it creates anxiety. We’re bombarded with messages like “new normal,” “social distancing” and, of course, “lockdown.”
In the face of that, it is hard to do back to (old?) normal.
Therefore, some of the changes are for a while. You can focus on that in your business. What makes sense for one business will not make sense for another. You will find ways to make your teams physically safe. Yet, what all businesses face is the need to keep everyone engaged. As leaders, we need to focus on keeping our people psychologically safe. There is a lot to react to right now.
Each and every person has a different capacity to accepting and adapting to the changes. How can you help your people do what is needed in a different environment?

By Dorothy Rogers-Bullis
As New York state begins to look toward a post-COVID-19 reopening strategy, many businesses, organizations, and schools are trying to reinvent or re-imagine how they will safely operate. And it won’t be business as usual for most.
Each individual organization will need a thoughtful and highly customized approach, taking into account their business objectives, their space, and their employees’ work styles, while also creating appropriate social distance.
Here are some of our top tips for organizations as they explore their reopening options.
Create a committee. It’s going to take buy-in from numerous people in order to approve and implement a workable reopening plan. Your return-to-work steering committee should include leaders from HR, communications, and facilities, plus employee representatives. You’ll need their help with brainstorming ideas and managing expectations, as well as modeling positive behaviors.