Financial

For the last 23 years, Intuit has been making financial management easier for accountants, small businesses, and individual consumers. Their goal of making money management simple has propelled them to constantly develop new products that free their customers of complex financial dealings, tax season headaches, and new business owner ulcers.

Intuit is perhaps best known for their tax preparation software that serves novices and professionals alike. TurboTax (for non professionals) is the #1 selling tax software program in the country, with their TurboTax Online service also being the most popular online filing agent in 2005. Their Instant Data Entry technology further simplifies tax season by allowing users to download 1099 and W-2 information "from the source into their tax returns." People are so appreciative of Intuit's mission to make taxes easier that one out of four tax returns are prepared using an Intuit product.

Since the release of Quicken software in the mid 1980's Intuit has been centered on making money management simple, and their efforts are paying off with reports that more customers buy Quicken than all other personal finance software combined. They boasted annual revenue of $2 billion for 2005, and have offices in more than 10 states in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Intuit offers a number of different products for financial geniuses, everyday people, and even those of us who are monetarily challenged. They've worked to eliminate (or at least reduce) costly accountant fees, and made their customers feel like they can actually be in control of their financial handlings. Intuit is one company who's putting the power back in the hands of the people, providing the gentle 'you can do it' reassurance that each of us needs.

Since 1971, the World Economic Forum has been providing CEO's and government officials with the opportunity to share ideas and debate even the most highly controversial topics in a safe environment. Today the World Economic Forum is "the foremost global partnership of business, political, intellectual and other leaders of society committed to improving the state of the world." It all started when Klaus Schwab, a former business professor who holds six honorary doctorates, decided that European business executives had a thing or two to learn from American management methods, and planned a retreat where ideas could be openly shared. And they've been sharing ever since.

The World Economic Forum is an annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland comprised of some of the most influential people from around the world. This year's key players include Tony Blair, Bill Gates, Michael Dell (Dell computers), and celebrities like Bono (U2) and Angelina Jolie. In all there will be about 1,300 participants from the business world, 165 political leaders and government officials, 50 non-government organization leaders, and a select number of celebrities who remain rooted to "the cause." 300 of the worlds most well recognized, not to mention international, journalists are also on hand, making this a great opportunity for businesses to get highly coveted worldwide press.

The theme for the 2006 Forum is The Creative Imperative, or how creativity and innovation are essential to sustained global development. Subtopics include issues such as New Mindsets and Changing Attitudes, that look at "global freedom and democracy, the impact of technology and digitization, the emergence of the open society, responding to extremism, and the expectations of the next generation," along with other topics such as Building Trust in Public and Private Institutions, Regional Identities and Struggles, and Creating Future Jobs. The notion of a conference on Creativity, an infinite pool of strategies and ideas, is interesting because usually these economic leaders are dealing with issues regarding the competition for finite resources.

So why is the World Economic Forum (WEF) different from any other major business conference? For starters, none of the speakers get paid; rather they have to pay a sum of about $23,000 a year just for the possibility of an opportunity to speak. And the price goes up from there if a company is looking for the chance to talk about industry-specific topics such as oil and pharmaceuticals. Also, the WEF is firmly tied to a mission, it's not just another gathering of CEOs looking to strut their stuff. Believe it or not, there are a lot of companies out there who are tired of always being driven by numbers and profits, they want to do good things but just don't know where to start. Stanley Bergman, CEO of Henry Schein, a Fortune 500 medical supply distributor, summarizes the appeal of the conference saying that, "The business community wants to respond to a crisis. Government wants businesses to respond, and with NGO's (non-government organizations), it's their job. Very often, people talk at cross-purpose. The World Economic Forum lets these sectors communicate directly." And since the WEF is an internationally attended meeting, it's ideal for companies who operate in more than one country because government officials from across the globe are all there together in one place.

It would be most unlikely to find a gathering of such influential people without at least a little bit of protest. Even with the "common good" purpose that the WEF promotes, there are still people who feel that this meeting is only truly conducive to powerful (and rich) men who are in a position to control the rest of the world. And while the topics of the WEF certainly pertain to a higher good, it's easy to see protester's concern about the few who make the decisions for the rest of us. So what do you do? Support a "good cause" and look past the fact that money can buy influence even in this most well intended conference? Or perhaps you could make sure you know what's going on in the rest of the world, and more importantly, work to improve it.

So whether you love the World Economic Forum or hate it, it's important to remember that there are an abundance of companies, political leaders, and everyday people who really want to make a difference. And while global changes don't happen overnight, it's encouraging to know that a place exists where people can still sit down and have a good, long talk. If you're an opponent of the WEF meeting, we would encourage you to become a member, go in, infiltrate the ranks, and reshape this conference to something that really stands for the global population. If you're a WEF supporter, we would encourage you to find an opponent, and help fund them so they can get to the next WEF and see what it's really all about. After all, sometimes we just have to be willing to put aside our social, economic, and even religious beliefs to get to a better place.

Everyone hates dealing with bland bank transaction processes. Most of us have experienced the extremely unpleasant dark suited, brick wall mentality of banks. Dealing with one's bank can be a painful experience, leaving us to wonder at what point will banks get a wake up call and start recognizing the need to really take care of their customers.

Fortunately Citigroup, the leading global financial services company, with some 200 million customer accounts, and doing business in more than 100 countries, is starting to see the light, and is working to offer a broader customer experience. This may be a slow process, but we do recognize that at least one financial institution is heading in the right direction.

Citigroup is trying hard to build its cultural capital and is involved in a number of clever programs. For example, in Mexico they have invested in a contest challenging entrepreneurs to establish business ideas. What's interesting is that the program offers small loans to local businesses and entrepreneurs to encourage new ideas. We like this because it helps new business get started, rather than just rewarding the few successful business that actually make it. In Lebanon, Citigroup has evolved into an active corporate citizen, with a particular interest in supporting financial and higher education, micro finance and other humanitarian needs in the country. Finally, Citigroup was the leading provider for the annual "Operation Santa-Claus" (OSC) project in Hong Kong in 2005. Citigroup involved its employees in the exciting, innovative campaign providing an incredible service to local children. Each employee was encouraged to contribute a specified amount, and in turn each member of staff is entitled to one paid day off in 2006. There was a keen response from employees who were eager to contribute.

What is great about these ideas is that the bank is not just throwing money at charities, but is looking for ways to make that behavior a fundamental part of their business offering. Who knows, maybe in a few years this will lead to Citigroup finding ways to treat customers with respect, and offer us something less painful than what many banks offer us today. Isn't it nice to see a major financial organization finally pick up on the importance of cultural capitol as it relates to their customers as well as their employees?

While many of us find tax season, doing taxes, and all things related to accounting less than exciting, frightening even â€" John Hewitt does not. In fact, in 1969 Hewitt enrolled in an H&R Block tax course that would be one of the most interesting classes he would ever take. From there Hewitt embarked on a career as a tax preparer, a position that began his journey through the ranks at H&R Block. Hewitt eventually ended up managing more than 2,000 preparers in 250 offices. His ability to embrace technology, visualize the future, and implement steps for constant improvement made him one of a kind. Ultimately, Hewitt's innovations eventually led him to creating his own tax preparation service company. With all of the focus Hewitt had on technology he never lost sight of the importance of quality customer service. Once Hewitt realized that his vision was unique, he went into creating his own tax service based on cutting edge technology mixed with unparalleled customer service standards-and Jackson Hewitt Tax Service was born. Since 1986 Hewitt has been offering franchise opportunities to hungry entrepreneurs around the country. Six years later Jackson Hewitt was named as one of Inc. Magazine's fastest growing private companies in the U.S. Two years later, in 1994, Jackson Hewitt became a public company and was later sold for almost $500 million. Then, in 1997, Hewitt had a new vision for Liberty Tax Service. Nine years later, Liberty Tax Service is the fastest growing tax preparation service in the United States and Canada. Entrepreneur magazine ranked Liberty Tax Service in the top 10 franchise opportunities on the Franchise 500 list which analyzes companies based on financial strength, stability, growth rate, size, start up costs, and financing options. More and more people are turning to Liberty Tax Service, making it the fastest growing international tax service ever.

In an effort to make tax preparation as fun, engaging, and experiential as can be, Liberty Tax Service created Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty, two comically engaging characters that draw customers in by the truckload. These costumed "wavers" started with much skepticism, but soon proved to be a reassuring part of Liberty Tax Service's customer experience. John Hewitt gives his iconic wavers a lot of the credit for the success that his once small business has seen. And the fact that Liberty hires wavers from all walks of life creates new and much needed job opportunities for homeless, illiterate, and minimally English speaking people. At anywhere from $8 to $10 an hour, in four hour shifts, waving new customers in seems like a pretty good job. To ensure quality waving, new hires watch a training tool that teaches them the in's and out's of quality waving.

Liberty Tax is offering better, friendlier experiences to stressed out tax customers, and in doing so they're creating a priceless brand that exemplifies what service oriented business should be about.