ProfNet Wire: Business for 1-3-05

ROUND-UP: FOREIGN TAX HAVENS (continued)

We've added the following to items posted previously at http://profnet2.prnewswire.com/organik/orbital/thewire/lst_leads.jsp?iLRTopicI D=6120

**1. JEROME B. LIBIN, partner at SUTHERLAND ASBILL & BRENNAN, is president of the 10,000-member International Fiscal Association, the largest professional organization in the world devoted exclusively to the study of international tax matters. (1/3/05)

_____ LEADS

**1. AUTOMOTIVE: AFRICAN-AMERICAN CAR BUYERS ARE A DRIVING FORCE. BOBBY JONES, director of strategic solutions for AMPDI, an urban marketing agency: "The minority marketplace is driving today’s automotive industry. Much like in fashion, it has been elite companies like BMW, Mercedes Benz, Cadillac, and Infiniti that have responded to the trend and have tried to stay ahead of the curve. With an estimated $650 billion in spending power, the African-American car buyer has become a driving force of the automotive industry. Making a car that is 'street credible' is just as important in driving an automaker’s bottom line as making one that is fuel-efficient. Whereas things like the size of the wheelbase and the factory stereo were not often taken into consideration by the automotive companies, today’s hip-hop dominated culture has made these elements crucial in not only design, but also more importantly the marketing of the automobile." (1/3/05)

**2. BUSINESS: BALANCING SARBANES-OXLEY. SAL SALIBELLO, managing partner of SALIBELLO & BRODER LLP, can discuss Treasury Secretary John Snow’s comment that regulators and prosecutors should enforce the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in a way that is "balanced" so innocent mistakes are not criminalized: "A lot of the complaints -- especially those coming from smaller public companies -- have to do with the costs and requirements for improving internal controls. SEC Chairman William Donaldson has acknowledged the criticisms and the costs businesses are incurring. A new advisory committee on smaller public companies has been established to determine if modifications need to be made for them." (1/3/05)

**3. CONSUMER ISSUES: BETTER SERVICE FOR HOLIDAY SHIPPING RETURNS. EYAL DANON, vice president of New Jersey-based NICE SYSTEMS, a provider of telephone call recording technology: "This holiday season, to ensure easier returns, more consumers are requesting a recording of their phone orders via e-mail -- or that it be attached to their customer record -- to prove they ordered that cardigan in green, not in blue. Further, customers requested documentation of rain-check items, promise of refunds, the date and time of a repair visit -- or just if the call was extra pleasant or unpleasant. This allows for much better customer service." (1/3/05)

**4. CONSUMER ISSUES: THE TOP CONCERNS OF CONSUMERS. MICHAEL FINNEY, consumer correspondent at ABC-TV in San Francisco and author of "Consumer Confidential," can point out the top five concerns of consumers who have been taken advantage of or unfairly marketed to, and how to insulate oneself from these occurrences: "It always amazes me that people seem to complain about the same things all the time. But they need to know what they can do to prevent these things from happening. They can stop getting swindled, putting up with poor service or losing their appeal for a refund." (1/3/05)

**5. GAMING: THE ONLINE POKER BUSINESS IS UP 100 PERCENT. BRAD DAUGHERTY, manager of EMPIREPOKER, an online poker site, and former World Series of Poker champion, says poker accessories are among this holiday season's bestsellers, and the business of poker is up 100 percent from last year: "From people who have never picked up a deck of cards, trend seekers looking to be a part of the next big thing, to poker veterans looking to brush up their game, Americans from across the nation are learning to play poker. With films like 'Oceans Eleven' and 'Oceans Twelve' and shows like 'Celebrity Poker,' 'Las Vegas' and the 'Casino,' as well as celebrities, such as Paris Hilton, being spotted doting around casinos, online poker is chic.” Web site: http://www.empirepokerschool.com (1/3/05)

**6. INVESTING: WAR AND MIDDLE EAST INVESTMENTS. SHLOMO EPLBOIM, chairman of Los Angeles-based BLUE & WHITE FUND, a mutual fund comprised exclusively of publicly traded Israeli stocks, says Israel's economy has exploded in the last five years, with exports having grown nearly 700 percent to $29 billion, more engineers per capita than any other place on earth and the third highest number of patents globally, which shows technology companies there are ripe for rapid success: "As the Middle East has slowly stabilized, stocks have gone up, and when the war with Iraq is over, value will boom. Investors are increasingly looking at Israel as a viable option for investments overseas." News (1/3/05)

**7. MANAGEMENT: MANY LEADERS FEEL LONELY AT THE TOP. DR. JUDITH T. DAVIS, psychologist, coach and president of PERFORMANCE DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATES, has created a new format for coaching business leaders: "I have found that many business leaders are 'lonely at the top,' that is, they lack trusted peers with whom they can freely and confidentially discuss certain kinds of difficult business issues. Those interpersonal communication issues and conflicts can easily derail a company if left unresolved." Davis has developed a format called a “Business Coaching Forum," which allows participants to discuss their own actual business concerns and set goals for resolving them. Davis: jdavis4727@aol.com Phone: +1-631-470-1960 (1/3/05)

**8. MANAGEMENT: BUSINESSES NEED TO SPICE UP THEIR MEETINGS. HOWARD GIVNER, CEO of PAINT THE TOWN RED: "Whether it be wearing a 'bling-bling' dollar sign necklace to show new business success or strapping on the old fire-engine red bra to imply you need support on a particular project, companies need to take dramatic measures to spice up meetings. Both small and large businesses regularly need to re-evaluate and re-arrange meeting structure/content, goal setting and result measuring to ensure maximum productivity. Creativity allows people to succeed and thrive in the office environment, and companies need to do more to get reactions from employees as well as to entertain and excite them in the most extreme to dull circumstances.” (1/3/05)

**9. PERSONAL FINANCE: A FRESH START FOR FAMILY FINANCES IN 2005. DAVID G. CHUNG, interim president of CREDITXPERT INC., a provider of credit management technology: "If holiday spending pushed your finances to the limit, learning to understand, analyze and manage your credit can give you a fresh start. With credit standings affecting more critical relationships that ever, credit management is a key aspect of sound financial planning. People with knowledge of the credit process and access to technology can manage their credit and improve their finances." (1/3/05)

**10. PERSONAL FINANCE: CURRENT AND FUTURE TRENDS IN INTERNET BANKING. SANJEEV DHEER, CEO of CASHEDGE, a provider of online banking technology to the nation's largest banks, is available to discuss current and future trends in Internet banking and the risk management provisions that ensure one's financial security when banking online: "People make resolutions to organize their finances every New Year. In 2005, the tools are available to do this efficiently online. Analysts have been touting the benefits of online banking for years. 2005 is the year they predict that the scales of mass adoption will tip, with over 50 percent of online customers using aggregation and 50 percent of large banks offering account-to-account transfers. Highly secure online banking solutions are now widely available, allowing consumers to save time, and money and get their financial lives organized." (1/3/05)

**11. TAX PLANNING: DON'T FORGET SECTION 165. RICHARD A. KESS, senior vice president of JK HARRIS 165 SERVICES, LLC: "With April 15 right around the corner, taxpayers who have been victims of investment fraud should give serious consideration to see if they might qualify for an accelerated tax benefit through an often- overlooked provision of the IRS tax code, Section 165(c)(2). Section 165 accelerates the deduction of a loss to give the full tax benefit immediately. If a taxpayer meets the qualifications, they can deduct the full amount of their investment loss to reduce their taxable income." (1/3/05)