Is CM Punk his own worst enemy?

This is the story in the mind of the WWE Champion: CM Punk vs. The World, an underdog tale of a disrespected champion who fought and clawed and scratched to the mountaintop and was met with nothing but mild appreciation, if that. It?s a story of a slighted conqueror who has deferred to others and who, in his mind, has become little more than a straight-edge doormat waiting for someone ? anyone ? to acknowledge the magnitude of his accomplishments.

Because make no mistake, CM Punk has accomplished a great deal. WWE as we currently know it would not exist if not for that fateful ?pipe bomb? in Las Vegas (WATCH) and the goodbye kiss to Mr. McMahon at Money in the Bank last summer (WATCH). Punk?s actions opened the door for underdog Superstars across the WWE roster and arguably led to the rise of such under-the-radar competitors as Daniel Bryan and Zack Ryder. Punk?s WWE Championship run is among the longest in WWE history.

It makes sense that such a competitor would draw hungry foes looking to knock him off his perch, but maybe ? just maybe ? The Second City Saint is looking for his enemies in the wrong places in this case. Maybe the only enemy here is Punk himself.

The fact is that Punk hasn?t encountered a whole lot of animosity since the ?pipe bomb.? It?s only now, a year and change later, after he?s been denied the final match on eight straight pay-per-views, that foes appear to him from all sides. He, and only he, sees detractors and haters wherever he turns, and hasn?t hesitated to lash out ? violently ? against those he counted among his friends as recently as a few months ago (see: Lawler, Jerry).

Raw General Manager AJ Lee has labeled Bryan as the unstable one, but the statement seems to apply a little bit more to Punk nowadays. All it took were two passive-aggressive conversations with Eve and Big Show about how he was still second fiddle to the likes of John Cena, Triple H and Brock Lesnar before Punk snapped. The next week, he lashed out against The Rock at Raw 1,000 ... in a match where The Great One was ostensibly trying to help him, no less. From then on, each of The Voice of the Voiceless? sermons became less of a paean for change than a demand for vindication. Specifically, a verbal one wherein some Superstar of repute, be it Cena or Lawler, declared Punk as the rightful ?Best in the World.? Both those men refused, and it was Lawler who paid the price, left in a heap when an irate Punk beat him into unconsciousness this past Monday on Raw (PHOTOS?| VIDEO).

But consider this: Punk has defeated any and all challengers who have come his way for the supreme prize. The only time he lost the WWE Title ? at SummerSlam 2011 ? was when Alberto Del Rio cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Punk, after Kevin Nash had flattened him with a Jackknife Powerbomb. Not so long ago, he retained the title against a Superstar who claimed that HE was, in fact, the ?Best in the World" (PHOTOS: PUNK VS. JERICHO) Punk won the title, he won the bragging rights, he has won and won and won again, and the only person who thinks it?s not enough at this point is him.

He?ll have a chance to end it, though, and soon. Punk vs. Cena at Night of Champions is a made match. The ?Best in the World? will get to go one-on-one against the man who he believes is overshadowing him as WWE?s alpha dog. He?ll likely even be the final match of the night. Maybe that will be enough. Maybe then, CM Punk will finally look in the mirror and see the supreme Superstar everyone else besides him seems to see. Maybe he?ll find his voice again.

Then again, maybe not.

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Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2012-08-27/is-cm-punk-his-own-worst-enemy

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Dolphin for iOS Updates with a Completely New Interface, Enhanced Smoothness [Dolphin]

iOS: Dolphin browser is one of your favorite iOS web browsers, and it just got a lot better: the entire interface has been redesigned, with tabs available in a side panel, a better home screen, and a lot of smooth, fancy animations.

The new interface looks fantastic, and it's super easy to use. You have a new speed dial page with a search bar and bigger, prettier icons, a tab sidebar that you can access with a swipe from the right edge, a reformatted bookmarks bar, menu button loaded with extra settings (like opening links in the background), and more. Check out Dolphin's full rundown of the new version by hitting the link below, or just head to the App Store and update your copy to see it for yourself.

Dolphin Browser: Improved Usability Design on iPhone | Dolphin Blog

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/4oHMY0QFOnM/dolphin-for-ios-updates-with-a-completely-new-interface-enhanced-smoothness

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For Home Buyers That Want The Real Estate Commission For ...

I remember many years ago, long before I got into real estate, talking to a listing agent in another city about how I should be able to get the real estate commission on a purchase because I wasn't going to use a real estate agent. Wow! She looked at me like I was from another planet. What in the heck was I talking about? I HAD to use a real estate agent and there was no way an ordinary person could get a commission that was earmarked for the anointed. I was dumbfounded by her reaction, which just confirmed that the real estate industry was messed up.

That was probably 20 years ago and if you try what I tried today you probably wouldn't get quite the same reaction that I did but you might very well discover that saving the commission is not quite as easy as you think. We've actually gotten quite a few calls over the past few months from home buyers that are running into obstacles trying to do this.

Why is it so hard for a home buyer to receive the commission on a purchase? Well, in theory it shouldn't be and often home buyers can pull it off. But you can also run into a lot of hurdles along the way and it can get unbelievably complicated. For example:

The Listing Agent May Decide They Are Entitled To Both Sides Of The Commission

This is probably the most common problem that we see all the time. When a buyer represents him or her self the listing agent is absolutely going to do more work. The listing agent might have to show up for showings they would not otherwise have attended. They will have to answer more questions. They will have to do additional paperwork. They will have to do more hand holding. Given the choice between working with an unrepresented buyer and a represented buyer almost all agents, myself included, would choose to work with a represented buyer. This phenomenon is so real that when we sold my parents' home in Dallas earlier this year I offered the listing agent a higher commission for unrepresented buyers (but lower than the total commission with 2 agents involved).

Anyway, because of this dynamic many listing agents will refuse to give up any commission to an unrepresented buyer and this can get really sticky. For instance, they can make a very credible claim that they are the procuring cause of the buyer finding the home and therefore they are the only agent entitled to the buy side commission. Even if the buyer later brings in their own real estate agent the listing agent can refuse to pay them anything or the whole amount. In fact, in the Chicago suburbs it's not unusual to see a listing with a variation of this note: "If listing agent shows property, buyer's agent must pay 50% referral." I suspect that note is there to prevent a buyer's agent from swooping in at the last minute to collect a big fat commission.

The Listing Agent May Decide To Keep Both Sides Of The Commission Just Because They Can

This is actually a subtle variation of the previous issue often encountered. Technically the listing agent is entitled to the entire commission and they decide how to share it with a buyer's agent. If there is no buyer's agent they can keep both sides - even if they don't really do any additional work. Many listing agents will decide to exercise this right. They might even tell you that they are foregoing a portion of the commission but then still pocket the whole thing. You won't ever really know if they did - until perhaps closing.

The Listing Agent Might Insist That You Get Your Own Agent

This actually happened to some buyers who consequently became our clients. The listing agent was concerned about the buyers not having their own agent. Either it was an integrity issue for the listing agent or she wanted to avoid the difficulties of dealing with unrepresented buyers. In either case she told the buyers to get their own agent.

The Listing Agent May Believe That A Buyer Can't Receive The Commission

When I was taking one of the required Illinois real estate classes several years ago the instructor was actually the woman who wrote the book. She has been in the business since 1975 and has been teaching real estate classes since 1989. She has worked with the state and local real estate organizations on educational materials. Yet, when I told her that my business model involved a commission rebate to the buyer she insisted that I could not do this because it was illegal. I knew she was wrong so I just dropped it. But there are a lot of realtors out there that believe that buyers can not receive the commission.

How Exactly Do You Get The Commission And How Should It Be Documented?

There are actually 3 different ways that you can get the economic benefit of the commission. You could get a price reduction. You could get a credit on the closing statement. You could receive a check after closing. And there are a variety of documentation alternatives for these. The listing agent, the seller, the two attorneys, and most importantly your lender all have opinions on this. In fact, if not handled properly your lender can totally disallow the commission savings.

That reminds me. If you are buying a short sale or a bank owned property then the seller's lender has an opinion on this matter also and that opens up a whole other can of worms. In these cases the seller's lender can prevent you from getting the commission.

So Is There Any Way For A Home Buyer To Get The Commission?

Yes. And the solution is pretty simple actually. Just find a realtor that either rebates a healthy portion of the commission or works by the hour in exchange for a 100% rebate of the real estate commission. But, in light of the issues I discussed above, be sure to engage this realtor early on in the process - before you actually start seriously looking at properties. You can go to open houses by yourself but to keep the vultures at bay just tell the listing agent or their minions that you are already working with someone - but be prepared with a realtor's name in case they ask you.

With this approach, on a net basis, you won't get the full economic benefit of the commission but, depending upon the brokerage model you engage, you can get substantially all of it. In exchange for giving up some portion of the commission you will get the benefit of professional help. Like I always say you can change your own oil but is that really the best use of your time? The goal is not to "save" as much money as possible but rather to save as much money as possible without wasting your own time. If you effectively pay a realtor $75 - $100/ hour to do work that you would not do as well in twice the amount of time then that's a pretty good trade off.

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Source: http://www.chicagonow.com/getting-real/2012/08/homebuyers-that-want-the-real-estate-commission/

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FSBOs often flop, but success encourages FSBO repeat ...

If decide to sell your home on your own, you?ve got to somehow muster what amounts to a boots-on-the-ground level of experience akin to that practiced by real estate agents who?ve been in the trenches for years.

As a ?FSBO? (for sale by owner), you?ll compete against real estate agents as they wield the mother-of-all marketing tools, the multiple listing service (MLS), a service agents provide only for sellers who list with them.

Also, agents are learned in marketing beyond the MLS, they?ve gained negotiation prowess and they have a network of professionals at their fingertips ? just for starters.

Even with special FSBO (for sale by owner) websites and tech tools that make it easier than ever to sell your own home, real estate agents have a 120 percent higher closing rate than FSBOs, according to HomeGain?s 2012 FSBO vs. Realtor Survey.

Do the math.

Among 400 homeowners surveyed from July 31 to Aug. 10 this year, 79 percent used an agent, 21 percent went it alone.

HomeGain said 66 percent of owners using a real estate agent successfully sold their home, but only 30 percent of FSBOs managed to do the same. That?s a 120 percent higher closing rate for sellers who used an agent.

?The value of a realtor in a real estate transaction is made strikingly apparent in our 2012 FSBO vs. Realtor Survey of home sellers. A qualified realtor understands the dynamics of the market and can better assist home sellers in the pricing and preparation of their homes for sale,? said Louis Cammarosano, HomeGain?s general manager.

FSBOs typically go it alone to save thousands of dollars on commissions real estate agents get for their work. Is it worth it, given the high rate of failures.

To successful FSBOs, yes.

? The survey also found that 90 percent of FSBOs who managed to sell their home said they would go FSBO again.

The survey also found:

? Twenty-two percent of FSBOs eventually decided to hire a real estate agent.

? Fifty-five percent of unsuccessful FSBOs who enlisted the aid of a REALTOR were able to sell their home.

? Homeowners who used a HomeGain agent to sell their home had a success rate of 73 percent.

? Homeowners who did not use a HomeGain agent had a success rate of 62 percent.

? FSBOs, again, had a success rate of only 30 percent.

Source: http://www.deadlinenews.com/2012/08/26/fsbos-often-flop-but-success-encourages-fsbo-repeat/

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How To Get Insurance policy You Desire Quickly - Total Vibration

Insurance policy will help you when in disease, tragedy, injuries, and other financial functions. There are many different ways you can guarantee your self. It is possible to deal with your own health, your home you reside in, your automobiles as well as the domestic pets which you very own. Insurance policies are vital when an accident happens. It can help spend on unpredicted charges linked to mishaps. This informative article offers techniques for different kinds of insurance coverage and shares the way they can provide you.

Try out bundling your insurance policies with 1 company to save cash. For example, you might possibly insure equally an auto and motorcycle for a discounted set rate. Numerous insurance providers have a selection of property owner insurance coverage choices. You need to nevertheless, always make sure the insurance policy you buy meets your needs.

Annually, you should go over the details of your insurance coverage to verify that this correctly mirrors your needs. As an example, it might no more be proper to transport collision protection with an older motor vehicle. You can also get other opportunities for further discounts. In case your situation has changed drastically, it might be time for you to evaluate your insurance plan.

A lot of insurance companies offer special discounts in the event you bundle insurance policies allowing you to have several insurance plans with the exact same insurance company. You can purchase protection to your motorcycle and also your automobile for just one quality fee. Several insurance coverage suppliers also bundle with each other varying types of home insurance policies. You need to even so be sure to are getting insurances that you need to have.

Investigation insurance providers and get estimates on the internet to evaluate insurance coverage and look for the best rates. This makes you an knowledgeable client, and you will definitely possess the information to know what the correct value must be if the decision making time comes. Online quotes will not be popularity. The insurance companies will nevertheless expect you to submit programs and take medical examinations.

To spend less along with your insurance, try out looking around. You will be able to get websites which will offer you cost-free rates, and also enable you to evaluate unique companies and coverages.

If you are running a small business, you should make sure that all of your insurance coverage choices are protected. Comparison shop for an insurance policy that handles all hazards linked to your kind of enterprise.

There is nothing quite as challenging as sifting through plenty of paperwork and trying to starting point an enormous monetary choice on some thing you don?t fully grasp, but that?s exactly what it believes like. With any luck, the tips and info you?ve just read through can help you come up with a wiser choice. You will likely obtain the absolute top deals when you are a lot more proficient.

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Source: http://blog.thorsrubberhammer.com/2012/08/how-to-get-insurance-policy-you-desire-quickly-3/

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Law Professor Says One Of Romney's Tax-Avoidance Schemes ...

Legal experts continue to crawl through the massive cache of Mitt Romney's Bain fund documents that Gawker published on Thursday.

And one law professor, Victor Fleischer of the University of Colorado, believes he has found a tax-avoidance trick used by the funds that is illegal.

As expected, the Bain funds appear to have employed pretty much every sophisticated tax-dodging scheme in the book, including:

• creating "blocker" corporations that allow the funds to avoid business taxes,
• entering into credit-default swaps that allow the funds to avoid dividend taxes, and, of course,
• taking advantage of the ludicrous "carried interest" tax loophole that allows private-equity and hedge-fund managers to treat their performance fees as capital gains instead of ordinary income and thus pay a tiny fraction of the taxes on them that normal professionals would pay

All of these tricks rely on legal technicalities and sophisticated techniques to avoid taxes.? For practical purposes, none of them are available to average taxpayers, because they require considerable sophistication and expense to set up and maintain. But they're common in the fund-management industry. And, for now, they are considered legal.

One of the tax-avoidance tricks that Romney's funds employ, however, is not legal, according to Fleischer.

This trick involves treating not just "performance-based fees" but management fees as capital gains rather than ordinary income.

Private-equity firms, like other fund management firms, generally charge two kinds of fees on each fund:

• Performance-based fees, which pay the firm ~20% of any gains
• Management fees, which assess an annual ~2% fee on all invested capital

Both of these fees are standard professional fees, so they both should be taxed at ordinary income rates.

In one of the most outrageous loopholes in the tax code, however, the fund-management industry has bamboozled (or simply bribed) Congress into treating "performance-based" fees as capital gains rather than income. So, unlike lawyers, doctors, architects, mechanics, and hundreds of other service professionals, fund managers get the privilege of having their fees accrue tax-free in their funds. And, if they structure the funds well enough, they can avoid ever having to pay ordinary income taxes on their fees. This is likely the primary means by which Mitt Romney has managed to pay such a low tax rate for so long.

But Bain went further than claiming the common "carried interest" treatment on its performance fees, says Fleischer.

In a much more controversial move, Bain also claimed capital gains treatment for its management fees. This allowed the funds (and Romney) to avoid paying ordinary income taxes on all of its fees, not just its performance fees.

How did Bain claim that its management fees were capital gains?

By "waiving" its management fees in some years in exchange for receiving a priority payment of "profit" in future years.

In other words, instead of taking a $20,000 cash payment for each $1 million under management in a particular year, Bain opted to take the $20,000 payment in a later year, as the first portion of any profit distributed from one of the fund's investments.

The theoretical basis for this tax treatment is presumably the same as the one used to justify the regular "carried interest" exemption, which is that by keeping its fees in the funds, the Bain partners are subjecting them to some risk: If the particular investment ends up losing money, the partners won't get paid.

For two reasons, though, this justification is weak.

First, for normal Americans, investment capital is eligible for capital-gains treatment only after it has been assessed with ordinary income taxes. A doctor who makes $1 million for rendering medical services would pay his ~35% tax rate, and then whatever he has left over would be available as investment capital. If the doctor put this capital at risk, he would then be entitled to capital-gains treatment. Thanks to the "carried interest" loophole, however, fund managers can put the whole $1 million of fees at risk simply by keeping it in their funds. Thus, they can let all of their fee-income compound tax free and never pay ordinary income taxes on it. Over decades, this generates vast wealth above and beyond what they would have earned if they had had to pay ordinary income taxes before they invested like everyone else.

Second, as Fleischer explains, Bain had extraordinary flexibility in choosing which investments to take its guaranteed share of "future profits" out of, in addition to when.

Basically, all Bain had to do to ensure that it would get its management fees was to choose one investment in each fund that would appreciate in value at some point in the future.? And given that Bain also had lots of control over the "carrying values" of these investments, it had superior knowledge of which investments would be the most likely to gain value. Thus, Fleischer argues, although there might have technically been some modest risk that Bain would never get paid its fees, this risk was extremely low.

Fleischer says this trick, treating management fees as capital gains, is "not legal." He also believes it would not stand up in court.

But this trick has also likely saved Bain and Mitt Romney millions of dollars in taxes over the years.

Read Fleischer's post here >

SEE ALSO: Many Romney Supporters Appear To Be Delusional About A Key Reason For His 13% Tax Rate

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/law-professor-says-one-of-romneys-tax-avoidance-schemes-was-illegal-2012-8

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Creative Small Business Advertising: Car Wraps | 7 Seater Cars

There are plenty of different ways to advertise, billboards being one of them. The question however is whether or not billboards will be effective. It is true that billboards and their deployment have changed over the years, but there are more than a few cities now that have banned the use of billboards due to the fact that they are responsible for much of the traffic congestion. Because of this little fact,?vehicle graphics?have risen in popularity. What is?car signage? How will it function? How can you take advantage of it for your business? Continue reading!

Vehicle graphics?are often referred to as wrap advertising. In this practice you will either cover the vehicle completely or partially. In some cases (very early cases), the advertisements were painted on the vehicle, but this is a considerable amount of work, and is much more expensive. With vinyl sheets, you can change the advertisement rather easily.

There is a strong chance that you have seen vehicle signage at some point, and it is commonly used on buses. Why would that be? Buses usually have more flat space, which provides more room for words. In addition to that they will be recognized by more people. Smaller cars however, those with curved surfaces, can be used for wrap advertising.

The technology has changed a bit, and the vinyl sheets today actually use air channels to prevent bubbles. Until the user is ready, glass beads will actually stop the adhesive from being deployed. You will be able to place the graphics right where it needs to be. In addition to that, you will not affect the longevity of the wrap by removing and replacing it so long as the beads are still in effect.

If you wish to make the signage permanent, you will have to use a blowtorch or some other process. This process will mold the signage to the vehicle. The advertisement can be removed and replaced whenever you wish.

These?vehicle graphics?are and important part of the advertising process. It is lighter than paint, though visibility has been a concern. Make sure you place the advertisement on your vehicle properly. Remember that with some curved surfaces, the signage can bubble, so make sure you choose carefully.

Once you apply the signage to your vehicle, you will find that it offers you an entirely new method of advertising. You will attract more customers, and ultimately promote your business to the masses. Do your research now and choose the right signage for your vehicle. It will take a little bit of work, though you should note that it is not nearly as much work as it was in the past.

Source: http://which7seater.com/creative-small-business-advertising-car-wraps/

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