By: Bill Willard An estate is the total value of everything we own--and business and personal assets can add up quickly. Everyone has an estate. And realize it or not, everyone also has an estate plan. An estate plan can be designed by clients...

By: Bill Willard Annuities are long-term investment tools for supplementing retirement income. There are no IRS-imposed annual contribution limits, and annuity earnings grow tax-deferred until the funds are withdrawn or paid out as income. Though...

By: Bill Willard "There are those who get things done and those who think about getting things done." --Col. Wesley L. Fox, USMC (Ret) Marketing cannot be hit or miss; it must be part of your business model. Formal market planning systematic...

By: Bill Willard Leadership, like class, is hard to define, but easy to spot. Someone once defined management as "the effective coordination of the efforts of the individuals in a group to accomplish that stated objectives of the organizati...

By: Bill Willard Generation Y--The second-largest crop of young people in America's history, offspring of the Boomers—80 million of them, nearly 27 percent of the U.S. population—are in their late teens and 20s, and already a market force to be re...

By: Bill Willard A powerful consumer market with annual spending power exceeding $350 billion, Hispanics—or should that be Latinos?—have become the largest minority group in the United States, and a marketplace well-worth looking into and with ple...

By: Bill Willard Multicultural marketing mirrors the changed face of America and is getting the attention of small-business and other organizations looking for an edge in diverse ethnic markets. "Gone are the days when businesses succeed with a...

By: Bill Willard Unless you've been in a dimly lit cavern for the past several decades, you know that "Baby Boomers" is the collective name given to the 76 million people born in the United States between the end of World War II and 1964. Often de...

By: Bill Willard The "Matures" are the generations that came along between 1909 and 1945. Born to and tempered by economic uncertainty, older Matures were nurtured by the New Deal and served in the mightiest armed force fielded by any nation. The ...

By: Bill Willard Generation X"--the 40 million or so people born between 1965 and 1976--understands it is living in a world of uncertainty where neither the govern¬ment nor private employers offer lifetime financial security. This is, however, the...

By: Bill Willard This widely circulated after-action report prepared by a 1stSgt Paul Berry, USMC following Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 offers priceless leadership advice for business owners and managers. While much of this may seem obscure or...

By: Bill Willard In "Leadership Lessons Learned the Hard Way, Part I," Marine First Sergeant Paul Berry's after-action report on Operation Iraqi Freedom offered priceless advice for business owners and managers. In Part II, 1stSgt Berry reveals the ...

By: Bill Willard In many organizations, sales managers and experienced producers have training responsibilities for which they are ill-prepared and, in some cases, barely qualified. If that's you, the following may just be a lifesaver. "Traini...

By: Bill Willard "I learn by going where I have to go." – Roethke Sales managers and experienced producers often have training responsibilities that require them to manage this process, helping people do their best by: • Assessing individual ...

By: Bill Willard You'll be judged from the moment you walk into a room; the way you stand, sit, and use your hands can send messages—intended or otherwise. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good—and sometimes contradicting your intended meaning. B...