In today’s current global economic climate, just having an online business presence is not enough to stay competitive in today’s global economy. Competition from various e-commerce sites around the globe, providing a vast array of goods and services that impact all of our lives, and communities in this global village that we live in.Especially now with the global economic downturn these past 2 years, you must have a competitive edge, mindset and a product and or service that makes your competitors envious of your business acumen. What is your unique selling voice-your brand of one that sets you above your competition?I receive many online inquiries from many online home business and offline business owners regarding what action steps and techniques can business owners take regarding how to better market themselves online, from the WAHMs, to the small work at home business that you’ve just started in your home to the old-fashioned brick and mortar business-it doesn’t really matter because the concept is still the same. Product and/or Service must provide True Quality and Value This is probably common sense to most people, however the reality of online businesses, is that the vast majority of online opportunities (sadly to say), are not providing a quality product and/or service with true value. The product and or service that you are promoting is KEY. If the product and or service you are providing does not provide true value then you need to seriously question what it is that you are promoting/selling. Most are promoting a system of recruitment which is the business which is fraud and illegal.Secondly, would you buy the product and or service even if you were not in the business? This is crucial. If you are unwilling to buy the product and/or service yourself, how do you expect to sell and promote a product and/or service that you would not purchase? This is like a Honda car salesman owning a Ford vehicle but selling a Honda car. You lose credibility and integrity and people are smart enough to know phonies and fakes a mile away. If you want to be successful online or offline, it is imperative that you actually own the product and/or service that you promoting, so you can succinctly and directly bestow to your potential customers, the benefits of the product and or service you are promoting. People don’t CARE how much you KNOW, until you show them how much you CARE This is key not just in an online or offline business, but is a bigger parable for life. It doesn’t matter what field your business is in, whether vacation travel, or real estate. People do not want to be SOLD to, they want to be informed with clear, concise, and understandable information that causes the customer to want to take action. The potential customer visiting your online website or offline store should want to buy a product and or service that addresses their emotional needs. If it doesn’t the customer will leave your website or store and go to another that will address their emotional need to take action. Traffic the LIFEBLOOD for any Online or Offline Business Just being online these days does not guarantee success for anyone. You could have the best site in the universe with the best product and/or service offering since sliced bread. But guess what? If nobody notices or see’s your website-to the rest of the online world-you don’t exist. With millions of websites that exist, you need to ask yourself, how will your site get noticed? How will you drive traffic to your site on a regular and consistent basis? And more importantly what steps can you do now in planting the seeds for tomorrow’s business harvest? Establish a Website Linkeage Program You must have website links to your site to stay competitive in the online business game if you want to have any chance of reasonable success. Just as blood is the life-force for our bodies that God made that flows daily through our veins daily giving us life-website links too is the business life force that increases your online presence by giving your website exposure. Irrespective of your website business niche, you need to seek out links from other websites to link to your site. Seek out other like minded business owners and offer link exchanges for a reciprocal link to your site. But do not exchange links with POOR quality websites. MOTHER GOOGLE, YAHOO, and now BING will penalize websites that have links all over the place that link to poor sites. Quality should also trump Quantity! Submit Articles in Your business to Online Article Directories If your website is about vacation travel, submit article tips about travel- how to get the best vacation deals, the best flights. Become a travel planning expert in your niche by providing invaluable information related to the travel industry. Maybe you’re a home business work at home business expert, offer helpful inside tips and other helpful information to home business directories and the entrepreneur how to create his or her own business idea. Or maybe you run a travel website. Join online Forums by contributing in your area of Expertise The internet has revolutionized how business is done globally via the internet. There is a wealth of information only a mouse click away, but you have to be savvy enough how and where to look without being distracted from the gazillion of other rubbish sites that also exist. Again, if your expertise is in the home business work at home business field, why not join several online forums and offer valuable insightful information in the home business niche. What should people be aware of? What sound business steps should one take. And more importantly, what business field or product line or service offering should they decide. But remember that you are joining to provide helpful information-not spamming others. Spamming will not only get you banned, but could adversely impact negatively your online business presence. Promote a contest or Promotion Free Give Away Irrespective of your niche business (providing you are providing a product and/or service that provides true value), people like freebies. Who doesn’t. if you go in almost any ice-cream store, the salespeople behind the gallons of ice-cream will gladly give away FREE spoonfuls of ice-cream to waiting patrons. Why? Because they know customers are in the store to buy anyway-and it strengthens the product offering.An online business should be treated the same way. If you’re selling antique porcelain dolls from China, why not give away a free porcelain doll for the first 100th person sign up in your newsletter? Conduct a contest. You win because you are getting more sign-ups for your quarterly or monthly newsletter for possible future sales-and potential customers who see your quality website to take a chance of winning something of value fee. Remember, you are only limited by your imagination in how you can promote your online website and growing your business presence.Remember: “The only Unfulfilled Goals in Your Life are the Ones you Never Attempt”
How to Keep, Maintain, and Grow a Successful Online Business Presence
Payday FAQs – Ten Common Things You Want to Know About Payday Loans
In this article you will get information about common questions being raised by payday loan borrowers to lenders. The common questions such as “What is a payday loan?”, “What are short term loans?”, “What is interest rate?”, “How soon to pay?”, “Does it require payroll information?”, “Do lenders check you credit history?”, and same day bank transfer possible etc. Borrowers are also asking questions such as “Is it risky loan, spiraling into high interest loan?” etc.1. What is a Payday LoanThis loan is an unsecured loan given to borrower till he or she receives next paycheck. In other words loan is given against the guaranty of next paycheck. Typically the need of this loan comes as emergency need on part of borrower such as car repair, medical emergency or unexpected bills etc. These loans existed earlier also and were called as private loans. These loans came with higher interest rate. The reason for higher interest rate was readily available and with less documentation. Same loan features are provided under payday loan term. The difference is loan is given against next paycheck. The length of loan is 2-3 weeks.2. How to Qualify for paycheck LoanWell qualifying process for paycheck loan is easy and does not require long procedural documentation process as in the case of traditional loan with banks. The basic requirements of loan are very few:1) Applicant must have a current job2) Applicant should have age more then 18 years old.3) Applicant should be United States Citizen4) Applicant must have a saving or checking account with any American bank.5) Applicant must earn at least $1000 per month to avail a small loan as $200Please be aware some states in America have their own laws governing payday loans. In some state such loans are banned and also length of the loan period is fixed.3. Length of Loan processSince a payday loan is backed with technology the approval process is fast and typically money is wired to applicant’s account with 24 hours. Different states and lenders have their own terms an conditions, before applying check with staff for complete details. The online process is simple and can be completed in few steps. The important thing to remember is during this online application process you will be entering personal details, social security, driving license number, and payroll details. Be sure and confirm first with customer care and get all details you want to know.4. Can person with bad credit apply for such loan?Most of the lenders are able to work with people with bad credit. Since loan is given against payroll check from current job and that is the reason lenders omit background d check. However different lenders have different set of terms and conditions.5. Length of Loan termThe typical length of loan term is 2-4 weeks max. Since loan is given against your monthly or bi-weekly payroll check the loan length is less then 4 weeks.6. How secure is online application process?Well lenders are dealing with applicant’s personal, payroll information so they have placed max security precautions on their website. If you read information on their website you will see Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption technology seal on their website. They have to ensure users are given secure way to input their personal details.7. When to use this service?This service shouldn’t be used as excuse to get some extra cash for party, vacation etc. Use a payday loan only in very emergency situations when you are not able to arrange funds from any other sources. short term loans should be availed only when you know you can pay back with in stipulated time. NEVER TAKE MULTIPLE PAYDAY LOANS.8. Why are so much negativity about these loans?Since these loans come with higher interest rates and if not paid on time lenders will raise penalties and interest more. Some people use multiple loans and end up paying multiple higher interest on loan and eventually fall behind the payments and come under debt. Also some lenders charge higher penalties once borrower misses due payment. All these things have made paycheck loans less popular.9. How much documentation is required?Since this is online application process most of the information is your personal details and payroll information. Some lenders may require extra information if the required given information through online application is not enough to award a payday loan.10. Read, Review and ConfirmLoan borrowers should read, review terms and conditions of loan lenders before applying for a loan. Get you clarifications confirmed from customer care staff.
Impacts of Digital Marketing on The Popularity of Traditional Marketing
Any market has a standard law being old products, views, system, strategy would be replaced with new and improved versions. With increasing popularity of internet globally, popularity of digital marketing is beaming high. Millennial have changed the way market runs, traditional tools is still prevailing in the market but its popularity has been impacted due to internet.Traditional Marketing (TM) has stronger roots and have been in run for a long term and therefore older generations still have blind trust on the tools, but with newer generations coming in the market is now a mixture of both the tools, traditional as well as digital.Though in the initial stages traditional tools are a great choice, to expand globally digitalization is needed. Where traditional tools such as newspapers, and hoardings help in local advertisements digital tools like social media, helps reach out to a wider customer base, and interact with them.TM though being an older form of marketing is not so ecofriendly as it includes wastage of resources and is costlier. Digital Marketing (DM) has not replaced traditional way but surely has provided with effective and efficient options.Digital ways and traditional ways could be made to work together for a better form of marketing which benefits the firm for a longer time period. Social media marketing and print media could work together to reach out to a huge prospective market, and attract a great number of customers.Different objectives of marketing lead to usage of different tools, at times a mixture of tools are used to market a product or product line in order to make the effect more effective on the customer’s mind which would persuade them to buy.Branding and advertising are two main objectives for marketing whichever the reason may be, in today’s digital savvy market, it’s important to place your products in the customer’s head properly.With increasing usage of internet for everything it’s important to have a virtual image and presence in front of the target audience. Which is formulated through digital marketing tools such as social media marketing, SEO, Mobile Advertising and many more.Multiple Marketing Options with Digital MarketingThere are so many options to work with DM, you will plan strategic process according to budget. DM pursue different options like Email Marketing, SEM, SEO, Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing, Inbound Marketing, Web Analytics, Copywriting, Advertising and Mobile Marketing. You can keep watch on each and every activities and consider which promotional activities will best meet your marketing needs.Changing times demand a change the strategies running in the market, and as the market is moving towards digitalization, the marketing needs to move in the direction too. DM provides with ample options to search through and find the best alternative according to the objective of marketing.Marketing is a pillar to expand, attract and search for target audience and therefore, decisions regarding it needs to be well planned, and digital tools help you to plan accordingly for each platform, which saves cost and facilitate proper use of resources.DM is the new and international way to grow, none of the businessman dreams to be stuck to the point from where they started, they always aspire to grown, and in order to grow you need to be in touch with the most significant part of the market: THE AUDIENCE, and that’s what digital marketing tools excel in.Conclusion being, significance of internet and digital marketing has increased over the last few years which have negatively impacted on the popularity of traditional marketing.Significance of traditional marketing in the initial stages is not neglected, but in order to grow digitalization is the key.
Has There Ever Been A Better Time To Start An Online Business?
With the economy on the rise and unemployment at its lowest for a number of years, together with the fact that online sales are growing significantly year on year, the answer would seem to be No. There has never been a better time to start an online business!Having said that, there is talk of economic growth starting to stall in certain parts of the world, so what’s the answer? Well the reality is that there will never be the perfect time to start a business whether it is online or offline and if you are waiting for everything to be just right, you will be old and grey and still waiting.Online business is certainly the growth sector at present and looks set to continue for the foreseeable future. It is also a viable addition to the marketing channels for many offline businesses.In a recent study carried out by the Centre for Retail Research, which looked at eight European countries and the USA, it was estimated that combined online sales for 2014 would be in excess of $518 billion (€379 billion). Which is an increase of 18.1% over the previous year. As far as Europe is concerned online sales are strongest in the UK, France and Germany, who together account for 81.3% of purchases.In terms of online sales as a percentage of retail sales, the UK currently tops the league table with 13.5%, followed closely by the USA on 11.6% and Germany on 9.7%.This impressive growth has been fuelled by the increase in mobile shopping using smartphones and tablets, which in 2013 accounted 8.3% of online sales in Europe and 13.8% in the US. These are final transaction figures, browsing numbers are considerably higher. After all it is worth remembering that the world carries the Internet around with them in their pockets and bags nowadays, making browsing and buying online ever easier.With a market of this size and projected growth rate, it’s almost goes without saying that online business is here to stay for the foreseeable future and offers an unrivalled opportunity for those who are either looking to start a business or to expand an existing enterprise.Of course this does not mean that everyone who decides to start an online business will be successful. There are record numbers of start-ups and closures in this arena. For those who make it though, the rewards can be staggering.So how can you ensure that you are one of the winners rather than the losers? Well a good place to start is by following some of the tried and tested rules of business. Your chances of success both online and off are greatly improved if you choose a business sector in which you have previous experience.However if you choose to venture into an area outside your range of knowledge, make sure that you get good advice on how to proceed. Again the success rate is greatly enhanced if you are advised and mentored by someone who has been there, done it and knows what works and what doesn’t.
How to Get the Most From Travelling on Business
So, you’ve polished your shoes, had your suit dry cleaned and finally persuaded your boss that you are the best employee to send to the overseas expo conference, but what now? Travelling on business for the first time can be a strange balance of both exciting yet nerve-wracking, as you are being paid to visit a new country but are expected not to mess the opportunity up. Like most trips though, the key to simplicity is in the planning.Even in the internet age, business travel is just as popular as ever amongst all levels of employees, and the advent of new technology has undoubtedly made the whole process easier to organise and probably more fun too. Before you go, make sure you have all the essentials covered.Book the hotel before you do anything else (on the work credit card, of course) and make sure it is both near the conference facility for an easy morning commute, and also mid-priced. Do not go for cheap just because you are not paying for it, as your company will certainly be claiming the tax back on your trip, so don’t rough it unnecessarily. Of course, try to get as much for your money as possible though, like free wireless internet, breakfast and parking. Once you have found the perfect hotel, make sure it is close enough to any amenities you might need during the trip, including restaurants and entertainment.Next prepare your technology. It almost goes without saying that being able to find a reliable internet source abroad to send any necessary paperwork is never going to be simple, so make sure you take everything you need. Try and borrow a work laptop if you don’t already have one, and always bring a small USB flash drive, so that you can transfer data quickly and easily if need be. Likewise make sure your mobile phone is set for international use. Finally, make sure you save a copy of all of your bookings, boarding tickets and itineraries in your office e-mail, so that a colleague can access them in an emergency.The day before leaving, pack with consideration. If you’re only going for a day or two, you might not need to check-in any luggage, This would save you time at the other end and you don’t have to worry about losing anything either. Pack simple, with one key piece, like a suit, and then two or three accompanying shirts and ties to match. Most hotels provide irons or trouser presses, but it’s a good idea to call ahead and check.Arrive at the airport early and double-check everything is on time immediately. Afterwards, get online and start researching who you are likely to meet on your business trip and, if you have time, perhaps try and find somewhere to eat once you have landed. If your flight is delayed or cancelled, there are many hotels near Heathrow Airport where you can spend the day working, or book a room for the night.Once you are at the conference or meeting, keep a pen and notepad on you at all times and don’t be afraid to introduce yourself immediately. Always use people’s name when addressing them if possible, as this will help you remember who’s who, and always remember that you are representing your company.
How to Develop a Marketing Plan for Online Business: 4 Tips to Market Your Business Online
Every year businesses fail or lose revenue because they neglect to create a marketing plan for online business. Whether you are a typical brick and mortar company, a small business owner, a network marketer or a work from home mom, establishing a marketing plan for online business is crucial in today’s competitive markets.4 Tips for Creating a Marketing Plan for Online Business1. Determine your Ideal Potential Client: It’s important to perform market research to pin down who your perfect customer is. Think about their age, income, geographic region, and without a doubt their needs. Determining the type of customer you want to reach will help you assess the optimum and most efficient ways to market your business online to reach them.2. Think of Promotion Ideas: Consider the ways that you could boost your online business simplifying it into short-term and long term strategies. Those strategies can be further defined by your budget; can you build traffic quickly utilizing paid marketing methods or are you going to have to’ work for your traffic’ using slower lower cost marketing methods. Let’s define those campaigns as:Short-Term – PPC, Facebook ads, search engine optimization and marketing,Long-Term – Social media engagement, article and video marketing, list building, local search optimizationPaid Traffic – PPC, Facebook ads, offline print marketingFree / Low Cost – Social media engagement, online classifieds, Forum engagement, blogging, local search optimization3. Consistent Branding: Marketing online is no longer about having a good-looking website, it’s about being consistent with your business personality. It is worth investing time and resources to ensure that your identity is recognisable whether the customer is on your Facebook page, you tube channel, Twitter page, website or reading an article you have on ezines. Consistent branding helps identify you as a consistent expert in your online business.4. Work out your Budget: To be consistent in creating and following a marketing plan for online business it is important to set an annual and monthly budget. Research the costs involved in advertising and marketing your businesses in line with the promotion ideas you decided on. The online world has many tools and services that you may feel you need but that can quickly eat through your finances if not budgeted for up front. Consider adding in an emergency buffer for such events.It is important to periodically look back and reassess your marketing efforts, on a monthly or quarterly basis to ensure that the methods you are using are working to your best advantage. Remember that even using short-term and paid traffic methods it can still take 60 to 90 days to drive significant traffic to your website.
All You Need To Know About Personal Loans
Loans are of several types. It can be classified according to the needs of the person. Suppose, if one wants a loan for his/her home, he/she should take a home loan. If the person needs money to fulfill the educational needs he/she shall be allowed the educational loan. Other types of loans are personal loan, payday loan, etc. However, when one is considering to take a loan he /she should keep in mind that the interest rates for all the types of loans do differ. In this article we shall be dealing with the personal loan and will try to find out how one can get a loan.A personal loan is something that you might need at any moment for buying anything of your choice. This can be a television, a fridge or even a designer dress that you have come across in the shop. This can be the medical expenses that crops up immediately without any notice. Anything and everything can fit into the personal loan bill.To apply for a loan one needs to have a good credit. This will make the loan approval process quicker. If one is having a bad credit score then the chances of getting a loan are much less. So, when you apply for a loan make sure you have a clean credit report.A bank would take time to approve for a loan as they check all details before finally saying you “Yes”. If you want a loan fast you can apply to those financing institutions that offer loans quickly. The crucial point of choosing these organizations over the banks is that they might charge high interest rates, although all the some are an exception in this case. And of course it is better as the process is fast and hassle free when you are really in need of money.If you are applying for the loans please be sure to go through the terms and conditions of the loans. This will make sure that you are aware of what you are agreeing to pay.What are the things you need to be careful about?Be careful about the repayment terms. We advise you not to go for long term loans. There are certain companies which charge hidden amounts and you will never know what you are paying for. So, make sure that you do not fall into their trap. Always take a bill when you pay them so that you have a proof of the money you have paid.
Auto Loans for Those With Bad Credit – Get Your New Car Financed
When Paying Cash Is Not An OptionMillions of Americans deal with the process of getting a new car (or a new used car) every year. A few folks who are well off can plop down the cash with no concern about loans or interest rates. However, the majority of buyers will need to rely on a loan to cover the cost. And many will have to shop for financing in the form of auto loans for those with bad credit. Bad credit should not stop you from getting a new or better car when you need one.Things Can Get TrickyIf you have bad credit because of slow payments, no payments, or even bankruptcy, you represent somewhat of a risk to car dealers and car loan lenders. You will need to find dealers and lenders who are willing to work with people who need auto loans for those with bad credit. Loan companies and dealers equipped to make loans will usually charge those in the market for an auto loan for those with bad credit at a much higher rate. The answer may be to search among local banks and speak with bank officers. It is possible, especially if you have other ties with the institution such as a checking account or certificates of deposit, etc. Often, though, these institutions require a hefty down payment and tend to run for a longer time than regular car loans.Co-Signers Could HelpIf you are having trouble securing an auto loan for those with bad credit, you might want to consider getting a co-signer. This would have to be person you trust and with whom you feel comfortable talking very personally about your finances. They are in essence taking the auto loan for those with bad credit in your place. While you are the responsible enacting party, should you default on the loan, the co-signer becomes legally responsible for repayment. And since that is the case, the lender will want the co-signer to have all the traits that someone would have that they would grant a loan to in the first place: steady income at a substantial rate, reasonable personal debt load, and pretty darn good credit scores.Auto Loans for Those with Bad Credit Require a PlanIf you have poor credit scores, you should look at a way to start improving them before you begin your search for an auto loan for those with bad credit. Pull your credit reports from all three agencies, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, and scrutinize them. It is not uncommon for mistakes to show up. Just by cleaning up any errors you could improve your scores by a good number of points. Once you get any errors cleared up, you will have a good idea of how lenders see you as a financial being.Get a Better LoanMake sure you have all loans paid off that you possible can. Be sure that you have been faithfully making payments to creditors over the last few years. If you have no creditors, you might consider taking out a few small loans and paying them back faithfully to add some good marks to your credit scores. Doing all this my put you in a position to be more readily accepted for an auto loan for those with bad credit. You may not be as bad off as you thought you were and may be able to go after a standard car loan.Online ShoppingOne of the best venues for an auto loan for those with bad credit would be to go shopping online. Punch your browser with Auto Loans and you will be rewarded with page after page of those who will be willing to finance your new car (or new used car). Just be careful, there are scofflaws out there as with any business.
Have You Developed Your Marketing Plan for 2016?
All of the giants of industry are putting their marketing plans and budget together now. It is essential to have a well thought-out marketing plan that is proactive, not reactive. A marketing plan without a firm foundation merely sways in the breeze, with decisions being made willy-nilly about each shiny and novel marketing opportunity that is pitched by a company – some with the best of intentions, and others with more questionable purposes.Step 1: Gather the InformationBefore drafting your marketing plan, it’s critical to answer some key questions that will shape the plan to meet the specific marketing goals of your business. Here are a few you should start with:
Who is my target customer? Be specific. Look at demographics and consumer preferences.
What needs does our company meet? List the ways your products and services uniquely serve your customers.
Who are our competitors and what sets us apart? Look at the products and services they provide, and see where you can exceed their offerings. Research the marketing efforts of your competition. By doing so, you might notice that you’re missing the opportunity to take advantage of a “new” or previously underutilized marketing channel.
How are we going to reach those target customers? Learn how your target customers prefer to receive information (e.g., email, social media). Demographics can tell you a lot about this.
How will I quantitatively measure the results of my marketing efforts? This is huge, because you cannot know what is working for you unless you have hard data to reflect on at the end of the day.
Step 2: Determine the Marketing Channels You Will UseSuccessful budget allocation depends on a thorough examination of the marketing channels you’ve used in the past, as well as promising new activities you can explore. If you’ve identified your target customer, you will already have a better idea of which marketing channels will take precedence over others. For example, if your target audience relies heavily on social media to make buying decisions, this may be a channel you want to fortify with more resources. Some of the ways companies reach their target customers are:· Online/radio/TV/print advertising· Promotional products· Direct mail marketing· Cross-media marketing· Social media marketing· Email marketing· Search marketing· Blogging and article writingStep 3: Determine How to Allocate Your BudgetA marketing plan must have a comprehensive budget that encapsulates all resources required to achieve its goals. Some things to consider:
According to the Forrester Research Interactive Marketing Forecasts 2011 to 2016 (US), 32% of the average 2015 marketing budget was spent on interactive marketing (such as social media, mobile marketing, and search marketing), and it’s expected that this amount will increase to 35% in 2016.
Many businesses allocate a portion of their budget (say, 10-15%) for new or novel marketing opportunities that come up over the course of the year. This way they can test the waters of a new venture while knowing their spending limit.
Your allocations must capture all costs associated with marketing and the various channels you utilize. This includes staff, monies paid to outside agencies, etc.
If you’re struggling, a simple formula for budget allocation is what experienced marketers call the “70/20/10″ rule: 70% for time-tested and proven marketing strategies, 20% for those that are promising but not yet fully established, and 10% for trying new things.
As you can see, there are various factors to consider when developing a marketing plan. You must invest the time and resources to build a solid plan that delivers results. Your marketing plan is your marketing roadmap and will keep your business headed in the right direction with its marketing efforts. It will also outline, and allow you to secure, the resources you will need to arrive at your marketing goals. Without it, you have no way of measuring the results and determining which channels provide the best ROI for your business. Figure out your allocations and but a solid and comprehensive plan in place before your next event sponsor comes a-calling.
Calculating the Community’s Interest in a Separate Property Asset
A transmutation of property occurs when the spouses agree to change the nature of the property. For example, suppose Henry owns a house, classified as his separate property, located in Corona, California. Henry decides he wants to share this property with Wendy and give her a legal interest in the property. In this example, Henry wants to change to the nature of his house from his separate property to community property. In order to validly transmute the property, or change the nature of the property, Henry must execute a written document according to the specifications of the Family Code.Without this written document, the nature of property cannot change from separate to community property. So, if Henry tells Wendy “I would like the Corona house to be our community property,” this statement alone is not a valid transmutation. There must be a writing that confirms the intent to change the nature of the property.In certain circumstances, the community can develop an interest in a separate property asset; however, despite this newly acquired interest, the nature of the property does not change from separate property to community property. That is the fact situation of Marriage of Moore.As discussed above, without an agreement otherwise, separate property remains the property of the separate property holder. In some instances, however, the community may acquire an interest in the separate property. In Marriage of Moore, Lydie Moore, prior to marriage, purchased a house in her name and acquired a mortgage for that property. Additionally, she made a down payment and began to repay loan. This occurred prior to her marriage to David so both the house and the loan are classified as Lydie’s separate property.After David and Lydie married, they moved into Lydie’s house and made payments on Lydie’s mortgage using community property funds. During this time, the house appreciated in value. When the couple separate and moved for dissolution of marriage, David argued that the community acquired an interest in the property and that the community should be compensated for this interest in the property.The Court agreed, however, it had to decide the extent of the community’s interest in the property. Ultimately, the Court decided that the community’s interest is based on the amount of community funds used to reduce the total purchase price. Additionally, the Court decided that community funds used to pay interest on the loan and taxes would not be included to calculate the community’s interest in the property.To illustrate the Court’s decision, I will use the marriage of Henry and Wendy. Assume that in 2000, prior to marriage, Wendy purchased a house in Rancho Cucamonga. The purchase price of the house is $100,000. Additionally, she secured a mortgage in her name and put $20,000 down. By 2003, Wendy paid a total of $10,000 in payments. In 2005, Wendy and Henry marry. The couple decides to live in Wendy’s home. After marriage, the couple pays $10,000 in mortgage payments. In 2010, Henry and Wendy file for dissolution of marriage. At the time of divorce, the property is worth $150,000.The house in Rancho Cucamonga is indisputably Wendy’s separate property because Wendy acquired both the property and the loan prior to marriage, using her own funds and credit for the mortgage. The community acquired an interest in the property because community funds were used to pay mortgage payments. The court must, however, compensate the community for the interest it acquired by making mortgage payments. Effectively, the community will receive the monetary value of its payments and proportional share of appreciation of the property. It takes several steps to calculate the community’s interest.Step One: Calculate the Community’s InterestTo calculate the community’s interest the court will divide the purchase price, here $100,000, by the total amount of community funds used to pay the mortgage, here $10,000. Thus, the community’s interest is 10% and Wendy’s separate property interest is 90%.Step Two: Calculate the AppreciationAdditional calculations are needed to determine the monetary amount each spouse receives. First, we have to calculate the appreciation of the property. To calculate the appreciation one must subtract the fair market value of the property at divorce from the original purchase price. The fair market value of the house at divorce is $150,000. The original purchase price is $100,000, thus the appreciation is $50,000.Step Three: Calculate the Amount of Compensation to the CommunityFirst the court must multiply the community’s interest by the amount of appreciation. Here the totally community interest in the appreciation is $5,000 (10% community interest times $50,000 the appreciation amount). Next, the court will add the $5000 to the total community contributions to mortgage equal. Here the community contributed $10,000 so the community’s interest in appreciation plus its total contributions to the mortgage equals $15,000.Therefore, the total community interest in the property is $15,000. Each spouse is entitled to half of the community property, so Henry will receive $7,500 and Wendy will receive $7,500.Wendy also receives the remaining value of the house as her separate property and the remaining amount of the mortgage is assigned to her as her separate debt.The Court in Moore specifically excluded taxes, insurance payments, and interest payments from its calculations. The Court reasoned that taxes, insurance payments, and interest payments are merely expenses and do not enhance the value of the property. Owners derive value from the property due to its equity; because these expenditures do not enhance the value of the property they are not to be included in the calculations of the community’s interest.While the nature of property cannot be changed without an agreement, it is possible for the community to develop an interest in a separate property asset. If community funds are used to pay the debt incurred for a separate property asset, such as a house, the community earns an interest in that property. The interest earned is reflected by proportion of community funds used to pay the original purchase price compared to the actual purchase price.Additional calculations are used to reflect the appreciation of the asset. Thus, the monetary value assigned to the community includes both the money used to pay the debt and proportional amount of asset appreciation. Finally, taxes, interest payments, and insurance payments are mere expenses and not to be included in the calculations.