Author: Complete Controller

A Financial Institution makes a mortgage loan to a person who aspires to acquire a house, allowing him to cover the purchase expenses. The guarantee of said loan is the ownership of the property. Many families do not have the sum of money that requires the purchase of a house, so the loan provides the necessary amount.

After the loan is approved, the monthly installment payments by the applicant can last several years or decades, depending on the conditions under which those Who requested the loan are due. Applying for a mortgage loan to purchase your home is considered the most changing and transcendental decision in every individual’s life.

If it is the first time buying a real estate property, some basic mortgage loan steps can be confusing. For example, What does obtaining a mortgage loan approval from a financial institution take? How is the loan paid? This article explains all the information you need to consider below.

Mainly, we will clarify the following basic terms: When you apply for a loan to buy real estate, you should know the main words.

• Initial Amount: 
  This is the sum of money you give in advance to show the financial entity that you are interested in the business. The most advisable thing is to collect 20% of the price of the house (for example, $40,000 for a home of $200,000). The initial amount will allow you to avoid an additional charge called PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance). However, suppose you do not have the opportunity to have the whole initial amount. In that case, lenders accept less than initial amounts, such as 10%, 5%, or up to 0%, to be advanced based on certain circumstances. Also, loans include the payment of the closing costs of the business and additional fees that the processing of the credit entails.
• Principal:
  It is the amount of money you are borrowing and must pay, which translates into the cost of the house, deducting the amount of the initial, for example, from a home that costs $200,000 or $40,000 of initial, the principal loan. It would be $160,000.
• Interest rate: 
  The financial entities do not lend the money without any interest in return. They do it to obtain money for this service since you must pay the funds provided for the purchase of the house plus interest, which is a percentage of the amount financed. The interest rate varies according to the loan entity and your circumstances.

Loans are paid gradually in the form of a monthly payment, which combines the expense of the principal amount plus interest.

Another amount that You must ensure in the mortgage payment is the amount to pay property taxes and insurance premiums. These funds are set separately in a rigorous account that the loan entity will use to pay these bills as they are present.

 

When to Apply for a Mortgage Loan?

It would be best to have the loan application ready before you start searching for the house since many sellers are interested in knowing that you are pre-approved for a loan and that a financial entity will secure their money for the home sale. We assure you that the pre-approval of the credit is not as fun as the search for the house, but it is more important.

In this pre-approval process, the financial entity will review your credit record, reports, income, expense summary, tax payments, and other aspects of your financial profile. This process has two purposes: first, it will let you know the maximum price you can pay for a house, and second, and more importantly, the pre-approval shows sellers that your intentions are profound regarding business, which is particularly crucial in a highly competitive market.

You must know the difference between pre-approval and prequalification. At first sight, the prequalification of a mortgage loan implies the ability of the lender to obtain a loan without the paperwork to back it up. For example, prequalification is an easy and fast way to get an approximate amount of up to how much you can aspire to pay without guaranteeing that you will effectively obtain the loan from a said financial entity. So do not let expectations excite you unless you are pre-approved.

Another easy first step is to enter your information into a system of calculating economic accessibility for home purchases, which will give you an idea of ​​how much your loan can be.

About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.

Managing your finances is challenging, especially when saving money within a certain period. There are many ways to manage your finances; however, here we remind you of the critical points you should remember when managing your finances.

1. Learn to manage your finances

When you want to give a personal finance organization, one of the main recommended points is to research and educate yourself on handling money more efficiently, according to your income and lifestyle.

Whether you are a multimillionaire or just starting your professional career, personal finance management requires a basic knowledge of the best ways to handle money and an analysis of your current financial situation to make a better decision.

Determining to address your financial problems to respond and pay attention to the economic needs of your life is another crucial point to leading an excellent financial administration.

Organize a weekly time frame to review your finances. Being aware of your economic situation and making decisions that help you streamline your management is very beneficial.

2. Give actual value to things

We often organize and manage our finances based on what we want to buy. We look at the prices of the number of products or services that we want to acquire and make a total, believing that these are the total expenses we need to consume.

Although it is wise to list the recurring and extraordinary expenses we present during the month, it is essential to decipher the actual value of the products we wish to acquire.

Although it may seem like a savings opportunity, a new TV on offer, we must ask ourselves if we need to buy that product.

Doing that type of analysis will allow you to save much more money than you imagine. You can also focus on the money saved in the needs you have given more significant value to when managing your finances.

3. Review your finances and make decisions on time

Performing a personal balance of all your income, expenses, assets, and debts will allow you to know your actual economic situation and make decisions to free you from a future financial crisis.

Add all your income and real estate and subtract all monthly debts and expenses. It will allow you to validate your financial balance. You can measure your position monthly and compare the extent to which you had programmed the financial plans you set when you decided to manage your finances.

You can quickly develop this organization in an Excel spreadsheet. Noting monthly or even daily, all your income and expenses. It will allow you to visualize your finances better, make it much easier to include or cut costs, and validate how that affects your monthly economy.

4. Saving is better than spending

After applying your first economic strategies to improve your finances, save the money left over from your monthly expenses.

It is best to allocate them for savings to avoid generating unnecessary new expenses from your monthly finances. Having extra money available makes you prone to spend it on new products outside your administration. That could unbalance your accounts in the future or leave you without any source of savings from any unforeseen event.

It is preferable that you manage your expenses with the regular budgeted income and any extra income received or surplus from the expense plan created you dedicate to the savings.

5. Pay your debts

Paying all your debts will give you the economic freedom to manage your finances with a positive balance. You can schedule the installments of the credits or payment terms of your loans within your monthly expense organization, so remember to make payments on time, avoid paying higher interest, and eventually pay off all debts incurred. About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.

The goal of an agency is to find the best tenant for a property in the shortest possible time so that the owner is satisfied with our rapid management. At the same time, real estate maintains a continuous flow of properties without accumulating in a portfolio and occupying agents’ time in visits and promotion.

 

Publication in Real Estate Portals

 

The greater the exposure, the greater the likelihood that the ideal client will find what they seek. Today, someone looking for a rental apartment usually goes to the real estate portals to avoid wasting time searching the real estate pages.

That does not mean we do not stop exposing the house, which should appear on our website and other media, such as advertisements in the office window.

Publication in Social Networks

 

Another of the places where to expose the house is in our social networks. Usually, those who follow our page on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., are because they are looking to buy or rent a property. You will not hesitate to contact us if we announce one that falls within your interests.

On the other hand, we must not settle for announcing the flat in our accounts. Let us try to create a community by forming groups of followers who want to rent, buy, and sell. The greater the interaction, the greater the visibility.

 

Include Virtual Visits!

 

Do you know about virtual tours for real estate? It is a multifunctional tool that allows you to display property in 360º view. In this way, the interested party can immerse themselves in the house by traveling at will and without leaving any details to display.

Being able to see every aspect and particularity of the apartment without having to visit it in person and with greater realism and information than the videos and photographs that are inserted in the files, the possible tenant will clear all your doubts without having to contact, make a visit, ask the agent, and waste time throughout this process.

 

Solve Doubts at a Distance

 

As we indicated regarding virtual tour software, the more we abbreviate the “traditional” and standard processes that follow to rent a flat, the sooner it will cease to be part of our portfolio of properties successfully.

Within these processes, going to the agency and commenting on the aspects we are looking for on the floor, as well as possible inconveniences, etc., is one of the biggest “robatiempos”: you must make an appointment at the agency, find a place, have available the agent who showed the house, consult the owner …

If we resolve all these doubts through other more agile means such as WhatsApp, we will avoid wasting time you can use to convince the potential tenant or capture others with a more excellent disposition.

 

Optimize Visits

 

If we answer questions, we have indicated it as one of the greatest “robatiempos.” The kings are the visits to the property. There are so many steps, and the difficulty of setting an agenda that reducing unproductive visits has become necessary for any real estate agent.

You can solve unproductive visits by tuning in with the profile chosen to arrange a visit. Suppose we know in advance that a property will not be liked by the type of tenant interested in it. In that case, we must offer you as much information as possible to go to the visit only if there are accurate probabilities of keeping the rental contract.

On the other hand, virtual tour technology allows the potential tenant to obtain this information and arrange remote online visits through videoconferencing, which an unlimited number of interested parties can attend.

Thus, to make approximately four visits in two hours, we can show the apartment to as many as we want in just the time you need to detail everything.

About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.

Many individuals assume life insurance is beyond their financial grasp because they lack an understanding of the elements that influence the cost. On the other hand, life insurance is among the most cost-effective components of a sound financial strategy. Because cost misconceptions are a big reason individuals don’t get life insurance, let’s look at what goes into the pricing.

Do you want to see whether you can get a reasonable price on life insurance? When trying to determine how to obtain the best deal on a policy? Some essential elements influence how your insurance provider calculates your rates.

Age

One of the essential elements that determine life insurance prices is age. The older you are, the higher your life insurance premiums will be. According to the same LIMRA and Life Happens research, 40% of insured customers wish they had purchased their life insurance policy when they were younger.

Younger applicants obtain the most excellent deal because they pose less risk to insurers. They’re more likely than older applicants to outlast their term life insurance or make additional payments on a permanent policy before dying. Purchasing a $300,000 25-year term life insurance policy in your 30s rather than your 40s, e.g., might save you hundreds of dollars in premiums throughout the policy’s lifetime.

Gender

Because women have a higher life expectancy, they usually pay less than males. This is excellent news if you’re a woman searching for a low-cost policy.

However, several states are moving toward unisex law, which prohibits insurance firms from basing pricing on gender. (It’s already unlawful in Montana to charge males more than women.) It’s also crucial to understand that insurance companies cannot base premium prices on race or ethnicity.

Weight and Height

Your size and form also influence your life insurance prices. Insurance companies use these figures to estimate your general health and the likelihood that you may develop an illness that will shorten your life.

Certain insurers use the body mass index (BMI) to determine the cost of life insurance. It measures a person’s body fat based on height and weight. A higher BMI can suggest an increased risk of certain illnesses, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, gallstones, malignancies, and Type 2 diabetes. However, BMI isn’t a perfect system. Athletes, for example, may have a larger muscle-to-fat ratio, which raises their weight but does not increase their risk of health problems.

Medical Background

Your health and age are the most critical factors in determining your rates. Because healthier people are less likely to die while their life insurance policy is active, they are usually approved for cheaper life insurance premiums.

When applying for a policy, your life insurance provider will inquire about your health history. In some situations, you may also be required to ask for a medical examination. These tests will examine your medical history, prescription medication, and nicotine use.

The insurance carrier will consider any chronic ailments you have, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or respiratory issues. All these factors will influence the price of your insurance coverage.

History of the Family

What part does your family have in the cost of your life insurance? Insurance companies value family health history since it might provide insight into your health in the future. Insurance providers use that information to assess your eligibility and set your prices.

Tobacco Use and Smoking

You’ll pay for life insurance if you smoke, chew tobacco, or vape than if you don’t. Even if you smoke once a day, it might affect your life insurance premiums.

The same is true if you use marijuana recreationally or for medical purposes. While insurance companies have eased limits on plans for marijuana users, your eligibility for coverage and the prices you pay may still be affected.

Hobbies and Occupation

High-risk jobs are among the most courageous and vital careers available. They’re also a bit of a gamble. As a result, life insurance plans for persons in these professions can be more challenging, and when they do, they can be more costly.

About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.

E-commerce Platform

An essential tool for your eCommerce business should be an eCommerce platform. Many such platforms are now available to you. The primary purpose of these platforms is to make eCommerce more accessible for you.

E-commerce systems frequently come with various tools and resources you can utilize to build your website, regardless of whether you are technically skilled. You can quickly start an online store, select a theme, and design your unique website using these platforms. The best thing about these websites is that they assure your payments are safe and secure, which answers a significant concern that hinders most customers from purchasing online. BigCommerce is a well-known e-commerce platform that is making noise in the industry. Because of the functionality, SEO optimizations, security, and ease of use it provides is a popular option among both novice and experienced users.

Inventory Management Tool

Every successful retail business relies on suitable inventory management methods. Your inventory level swings within seconds as you expand. At this point, depending on manual procedures might be a risky approach. As a result, investing in an inventory management system that integrates seamlessly with your platform is recommended.

These tools provide a plethora of functions. When the final item in their inventory, for example, is sold, they will continue showing an out-of-stock notice until it is back in stock. You may also sync your offline and online channels, providing greater leeway to experiment with omnichannel selling.

Payment Processing Systems

If you have an e-commerce website, it signifies that your items are available for purchase. Unlike in a physical business, where you may accept cash or credit card purchases, online payments can be a source of dispute for many.

As an internet retailer, you must deal with security, dependability, and trustworthiness. Fortunately, there are now various trustworthy third-party programs from which to pick. These solutions make handling payments simple, and customers trust most of them.

One of the most famous digital payment processing systems is PayPal. Using this tool, you can easily offer card payments to your customers. PayPal also facilitates refunds, an important aspect that you should not forget. That’s because easy refunds will help you gain confidence and bring back customers, no matter the experience.

Digital Marketing Tools

Going digital with your marketing efforts is advisable when opening an e-commerce business. There are several digital marketing tools available. These tools, from complete SEO tools to social media scheduling tools, make digital marketing easier to handle. You’ll locate your target audience where your store is: on the internet.

Digital marketing is what will help you stand out from the pack. Competition is raging in the world of e-commerce. You’ll confront a slew of opponents at every step. Using digital marketing tools guarantees that you do not lag behind the competition. These techniques ensure that you are consistent and constantly giving your best effort. Using a few tools, you can develop content, schedule articles, learn which SEO strategies will help your site rank higher, and even identify the best-performing sites for backlinking.

You may also employ social media listening tools. These tools will help you interact with your audience in real-time. They assist you in locating and dealing with unfavorable comments on social media sites, regardless of where they occur.

Email Marketing Tools

Emails are excellent for not just advertising your e-commerce platform but also for establishing key partnerships. Marketers may use email marketing software to send consumers automated promotional campaigns and instructional information. Allow me to give you an example.

Assume you own an online clothes store. You don’t need to limit yourself to only offering discounts or sending sales emails. Instead, you may advise your consumers about fashion trends or how to wear specific apparel. You’ll need the necessary tools to launch these email blasts. It will take time to send emails one at a time. Fortunately, there are several email marketing products available on the market.

Sendinblue is one of the most cost-effective methods to get started with email marketing. Using this tool, you can quickly modify your emails, schedule them, send various emails to different persons based on their responses to your previous emails, and much more. You may send up to 300 emails daily on your free plan without spending a thing.

About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.

Consider the following scenario: you’ve just arrived in a strange city and must immediately drive a rental car to your hotel. Do you like to drive, or do you want a car with GPS navigation? Seriously, how difficult can it be to navigate Hong Kong?

A net worth calculation acts as a navigation system for your retirement funds. It shows you where you are now and which direction you must travel to reach your objective.

Key Points to Remember

• Sum up your assets and remove your liabilities to calculate your net worth.

There’s no hard and fast rule for calculating your “correct” net worth, but you should know if it’s on track to provide you with a secure future.

If not, it’s time to cut costs, pay down debt, or do both.

You can calculate your current net worth in the table below. Then, you can figure out how to put this calculation to good use in your retirement planning.

How to Calculate Your Net Worth

Net worth is the difference between the total dollar value of all assets and the total dollar value of all liabilities. It’s a metric for assessing financial wellness that may be used by corporations and individuals alike. The formula is straightforward: it consists of two columns of numbers, with the following events occurring in each column.

Assets

You have assets that are both liquid and illiquid. Liquid assets are investments or possessions that can be rapidly converted into cash and cheaply. This includes bank accounts, certificates of deposit, equities, bonds, mutual funds, and other similar investments.

Investments or possessions that are difficult to convert into cash fast are illiquid assets. They are difficult to exchange for cash. Your home is an illiquid asset like any other real estate, retirement savings plan balance, and business partnership. Most personal belongings, such as furniture, automobiles, and clothing, should be excluded. They may have been costly but are unlikely to be valuable if resold. Works of art or collectibles with a high investment value may be considered.

Determination of Liabilities

Your debts are listed on the other side of the ledger. This includes credit card balances, auto loans, home mortgages, overdue educational debt, and company loans. Any personal loan counts as well.

Your current net worth is calculated by adding all your assets and subtracting your obligations.

Where Are You Located?

Based on data from a Federal Reserve study, compare your net worth to the values in the chart below, which show all Americans’ median and average net worth by age group. The number in the middle is the median. Half of the group has a lower net worth, while the other half has a higher net worth. The average net worth is the number in the center.

Concerning these figures, don’t place too much emphasis on your entire net worth. There is no demographic split in the data because it is national. For example, living in the Northeast versus the South nearly doubles net worth. In general, people in the Northeast earn more and pay more to maintain a similar standard of living.

Take note of the significant variances in average and median net worth by age group. Keep in mind that the middle number is the moderate number. A small number of wealthy individuals can skew the average. This could explain why Americans aged 18 to 24 have an average net worth of $90,000. The median of $4,395 may more appropriately reflect the net worth of younger Americans, at least in this age group.

The Ideal Number

How much do you think you’re worth? No single, globally acceptable figure exists because everyone’s lifestyle and expectations differ. The authors of The Millionaire Next Door, Thomas Stanley and William Danko, proposed this method as a rule of thumb:

Net Worth=Age

About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.

1. Media display

In digital marketing, online display media is not a new marketing tactic. Ads were sold as traditional media in the early 2000s by impressions, and monitoring was low or non-existent, as was the usage of demographic data. Display media is now essential to a successful digital marketing effort.

You may hire sponsored links on the display network in two ways: through Google AdWords or another ad platform. Cost per click and cost per acquisition are also factors to consider. In other words, the brand only pays when someone clicks on the ad or does the requested action, like completing a form.

2. Email marketing

Email marketing, unlike SPAM, is only delivered to those who have agreed to accept communication from a firm. As a result, the odds of him opening the email and learning about the brand’s content are higher. An intelligent email marketing strategy must include segmented email lists, which categorize consumers based on their interests and attributes; this is an excellent idea for cultivating relationships and engaging your consumers.

A capture page is one of the most excellent methods to build a solid email list. Only individuals who are genuinely interested in that business will receive more information in this manner. Furthermore, you may measure the outcomes of an email marketing campaign from the moment a Marketing automation technology is deployed. It is possible to determine how many emails are going out, how many individuals got them, how many people read the material, and how many people clicked on it. You must study this data afterward to ensure the campaign can provide marketing value; otherwise, suspending it and making changes is better.

In 2020, Rock Content reinforced research that humanization will be the best way for this digital marketing strategy to be efficient. Therefore, there is nothing like starting to put it into practice right at the beginning of a campaign. It is necessary to invest in three main points: ethics, empathy, and emotion to reinforce the point that people carry out every commercial negotiation. And that makes all the difference for good results.

3. Native advertising

Translated into Portuguese, native advertising (or native ads) is publishing articles and posts in the middle of the website or social network content, such as sponsored content, which is an advertisement but mixes with the other posts. Each platform determines native advertising policies.

Users tend to ignore sponsored links and banners; native advertising appears as an alternative to this scenario. The concept is similar to the editorial used in magazines, newspapers, and blogs. In them, the advertiser offers valuable content within the user experience. Advertisers can use it within a company’s communication channels; this is an ideal digital marketing strategy to start planning. Native advertising also works well for mobile device users, who rarely click on banners.

4. Guest post

Guest Posts are articles written by guest authors who are not part of the content production team of a blog or website, for example. Just as there are advantages for sites that use Guest Posts, there are also advantages for writers of this type of article. It allows the page to gain more credibility with users, as it brings an expert to speak to the public. Anyone who generates quality content can write on a website. And you can become known with the help of your articles.

5. Remarketing

The final, but not least crucial, approach is remarketing. The Google AdWords technology tags and corrupts website visitors, causing advertising to appear more frequently on the Google display network. It’s called Retargeting on other platforms, but it works the same way.

This proposition is highly frequent and required in electronic trade. Taking advantage of this method in immediate conversion is a powerful current, especially when brand recognition — Branding.

6. Sponsored links

Sponsored links are one of the essential digital marketing methods nowadays. They do well on the Google search page and social media platforms like Facebook. Investing in sponsored links has several advantages. One of them, for example, is the return on investment. The ad boosts the conversion odds because it shows precisely when the user searches for a specific term.

Another advantage is promoting through display networks on Google-affiliated websites and blogs, such as Gmail and YouTube. Targeted sponsored links produce qualified leads.

About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.

Unlock Success: The Top 10 Project Management Tools You Need

Managing projects, deadlines, and tasks in today’s fast-paced business world can feel overwhelming. Over the past 15 years as the founder and CEO of Complete Controller, I’ve partnered with businesses across industries and witnessed the game-changing impact of project management tools. They don’t just help you get the job done—they simplify workflows, enhance collaboration, and save precious time. Whether you’re heading a small startup, a large enterprise, or anything in between, the right tool can transform your team’s productivity.

Let me share with you the most effective project management tools available today, along with insights from real-world applications and my own professional experiences.

Why Project Management Tools Matter

Time is money. Every hour spent chasing emails, fixing errors, or managing redundant tasks costs your business more than you realize. In my early days as an entrepreneur, I managed everything with spreadsheets and email threads. And while it worked for a while, it didn’t hold up as my team and client base grew. Deadlines were missed, misunderstandings cropped up, and projects stalled. My world changed once I implemented project management software: less chaos, better communication, and streamlined execution.

These tools consolidate communication, optimize workflows, and ensure accurate financial statement accuracy—all while reducing errors that eat into your bottom line.

Top 10 Project Management Tools to Maximize Team Productivity

monday.com: Best all-around performer

Key Features:

• Customizable dashboards for visual task tracking
• Automated notifications to minimize manual follow-ups
• Comprehensive mobile functionality for updates on the go

Case Study: A tech startup grappling with late deliveries switched to monday.com. The result? A 30% boost in productivity and elimination of delays. With features like real-time notifications and task accountability, their team quickly achieved cohesion.

Smartsheet: Best for fast-growing teams

Key Features:

• Advanced Gantt charts for resource planning
• Real-time collaboration across large teams
• In-depth reporting for performance analytics

Case Study: An international enterprise managing over 15 global projects adopted Smartsheet, which, thanks to its unique customization capabilities, cut project timelines by 25%.

Asana: Best for remote teams

Key Features:

• Project roadmaps and dashboards for team alignment
• File integration with platforms like Google Drive
• Visual timeline functionality

Case Study: A fully remote marketing team used Asana to cut down project delays by 20%. Its intuitive dashboard allowed for seamless collaboration across time zones.

Jira: Best for agile teams

Key Features:

• Backlog management tailored for development cycles
• Sprint tracking for enhanced delivery
• Customizable workflows designed for Agile methodologies

Case Study: A software company utilizing Jira saw sprint completion rates improve by 15%, meeting client demands faster than ever before.

Notion: Best for creative teams

Key Features:

• All-in-one collaborative workspace
• Integrated brainstorming tools, including AI capabilities
• Fully customizable project dashboards

Case Study: A branding agency streamlined planning with Notion, trimming 25% off their project ideation times by creating boards that combined team wikis, schedules, and task lists under one roof.

Trello: Best for smaller projects

Key Features:

• Simple Kanban boards for visual task management
• Drag-and-drop capability
• A robust free plan ideal for small project teams

Case Study: A local bakery went paperless by organizing tasks through Trello. Completing tasks faster and with less duplication, they saw a 10% improvement in daily workflow efficiency.

ClickUp: Best for freelancers

Key Features:

• Task views tailored to individual preferences
• Collaborative whiteboards for brainstorming ideas
• Integrations to streamline client workflow

Case Study: A freelance graphic designer used ClickUp to organize timelines, simplify client communications, and increase satisfaction scores by 20%.

Basecamp: Best for collaboration

Key Features:

• Message boards and group chats
• Unified task calendars for team alignment
• File sharing and progress summaries

Case Study: A non-profit eliminated hundreds of back-and-forth emails after switching to Basecamp. Their collaborative efficiency improved, and project delivery time dropped by 15%.

GanttPRO: Best for beginners

Key Features:

• Intuitive Gantt charts to simplify timelines
• Quick task assignments for new managers
• Collaborative functionality for team updates in real-time

Case Study: A first-time project manager used GanttPRO and immediately saw smoother workflows, leading to 10% fewer missed deadlines in their first quarter.

Adobe Workfront: Best for complex projects

Key Features:

• Powerful asset and proofing management tools
• “What-if” scenario capabilities for forward planning
• Integration with Adobe Creative Cloud for full campaign management

Case Study: A marketing agency juggling multiple client campaigns saved 20% on project timelines with Adobe Workfront while also staying under budget.

How to Choose the Perfect Tool for Your Team

Selecting a project management tool depends on understanding your goals and challenges. Here’s how to break it down effectively:

1. Team size:
   • Fewer than five members? Start small with Trello or ClickUp.
   • A larger team? Explore Gantt chart-centered options like Smartsheet or monday.com.
2. Budget:
   • For zero-cost solutions, free tools like Trello provide surprising functionality.
   • Expecting customization or higher complexity? Reach for paid tools like Adobe Workfront.
3. Ease of use:

• • Agile development? Skip the headaches and go with Jira. Creative team? Tap into Notion’s versatility.

By defining your team’s needs and pairing them with small business bookkeeping tips, you’ll uncover the system that fits like a glove.

Unique Benefits of Remote-Friendly Tools

Managing a distributed or hybrid team presents challenges, but project management solutions erase distance through:

• Streamlined communication: Tools like Basecamp smooth communication chaos.
• Automated workflows: Platforms such as Smartsheet lock in productivity by cutting repetitive tasks.
• Global collaboration: Notion makes sharing creative projects across time zones intuitive.
• Financial precision: Applications with automation support better cash conversion cycle management.

Case Study: One global accounting firm adopted Asana for its hybrid staff, ultimately reducing inefficiency and completing tasks under tighter deadlines.

Key Takeaways and Next Steps

Great tools don’t just solve problems—they change how your team performs. From freelancers looking for simpler client management to multi-department enterprises needing collaborative solutions, there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach.

Here’s your condensed takeaway:

• monday.com excels across industries with automation and cohesion.
• Remote workers thrive with Asana and seamless integrations.
• For creativity, Notion fosters structure without stifling its process.

Take action today—start exploring these top project management software options and watch your team’s capacity shift to new heights. Need guidance? Connect with our experts at Complete Controller to find the perfect fit for your business goals.

FAQs

Are these tools expensive?

Many, like Trello, offer free plans. Paid tools come with scalable pricing based on team size.

Which tools work for remote teams?

Asana and Basecamp are perfect for collaboration with dispersed groups.

How do I choose between simplicity and customization?

Evaluate needs: Use Trello for simplicity or Smartsheet and monday.com for customizable options.

What are “beginner” tools?

Start with GanttPRO if you’re learning project management for the first time.

Do these systems work for solopreneurs?

Absolutely. Freelancers love ClickUp and its ability to automate while saving time.

Sources Cited

• “10 Best Project Management Software 2024 Buyers’ Guide.” Project-Management.com
• “Top 21 Project Management Tools: 2024 Guide.” Wrike
• “Best Free Software Tools for 2024.” Zapier

About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.

A study conducted by IAB, along with, among others, Unilever and Nestlé, examined the effect of digital marketing on online and offline sales. The result is incredibly positive for marketers but not expected.

It has been said that it is difficult to measure the ROI you get in digital marketing. Several studies show that a digital ad does not necessarily lead to increased sales in digital channels. Therefore, IAB now wanted to find out how it was, and it took nine assorted brands to help, including Unilever and Nestlé.

IAB examined companies’ digital marketing on desktop and mobile and in channels like The Guardian and eBay. The study then compared the buying behaviors of those who saw advertising with those who did not see advertising.

Return on Marketing

The result showed that the brand received an average sale of $1.94 for every dollar spent. Each dollar generated 3.40 times the money in sales for the brand that performed best. However, it is not clear which brand it was.

Interestingly, digital marketing primarily led to increased sales in physical stores. It confirms what was previously assumed, that digital marketing influences buying behaviors offline, which has been challenging to prove.

Given that more people are starting to use ad blockers and that Chrome will soon automatically begin blocking ads that are considered disruptive, it is time for marketers to give it some thought. Suppose digital marketing can generate this kind of result. In that case, it is worth spending more time and energy (and money) on developing advertising that does not drive more users to install an ad blocker. It may be time to make sure that advertising is appreciated rather than get it perceived. There is money to be made from more people seeing and liking advertising.

More accessible, Cheaper, and Better ROI with Digital Marketing

Historically, controlling who is exposed to which advertising has been challenging, making it challenging to target the ads to the right target group. With the help of digital marketing, you can instead tell your product/service to precisely the right target group. Today, it is possible to tailor their target groups to most digital advertising tools, which means the conversion rate will be higher.

Another great advantage of marketing yourself via digital channels is that you can easily measure the results of your efforts. Here, KPIs are used to see whether the investments are successful. However, the type of measurement value used can vary depending on the industry you work in and what your goals are. If, for example, you want to work with brand building and get more people to recognize your company – then you can use the number of exposures to evaluate the effort.

The Challenge of Digital Marketing

According to the report, it turns out that most people believe that advertising disturbs them in everyday life, digital or not. Most people find advertising annoying when people cannot avoid it, incites consumption and unnecessary purchases, and persecutes the recipient (e.g., after searching for a product on the Internet).

A study also indicates that digital channels generate more cognitive stress. The result is that the consumer becomes more fragmented and risks paying attention to fewer relevant messages and building a less emotional commitment to the brand. 

On the other hand, digital advertising that comes after physical advertising reinforces the effect on brand communication.

Digital Marketing Today

Today, many companies choose to invest only in digital marketing as digital development is becoming more extensive, and it is easier to measure ROI in digital than in traditional marketing. However, there may be a danger in dropping the “traditional marketing” channel altogether. Statistics often show that traditional and digital marketing combinations have the best effect.

Summary

Ultimately, it is always about which channel choice you make and who the recipient is. However, the most important thing is the message you send out and the feeling it conveys – whether digital, traditional, or a combination of both. About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.

Few products and services cater to “everyone.” There are always some groups that you focus on in the first place. These are the company’s target groups. We go through what a target group is and how to find your target audience for luxury brands.

Reaching a new target group can succeed with this strategy without taking the risk of returning to the water simultaneously.

What is a Target Audience?

A target group is a limited group of people who are particularly interested as buyers of the company’s products or services. Your company’s target groups are thus the same as your most important potential customers – and it is these that your marketing should primarily target.

How to Find Your Target Group?

Try to map and describe significant customer groups as clearly as possible and separate them from the total market. The delimitation can be based on, for example, geographical location (everyone who lives in New York), gender and age (girls aged 18-24), occupation (bricklayer and roofer), or lifestyle (homeowners with an interest in gardening).

You have a clear idea of ​​the target groups you are targeting. You start by researching what solutions your potential customers have today and who sells these solutions to them. Then, try to argue why they should become your company’s customers. To justify this, consider how your offer differs from your competitors.

Look for Customer Benefits

Another method of expanding knowledge about your target audiences is to start with potential customers you already know, such as friends or former co-workers. Ask them if they can be your sounding board when preparing for your startup business. Examine the factors that are crucial when choosing a supplier.

Do they lack critical features of the competing products or services they use today? Each part they lack is a customer benefit on which you should focus. Find out if you can offer your target audience these customer benefits at a reasonable price.

More companies and consumers are attracted to luxury. While psychological and symbolic motives drive consumers’ longing for luxury, companies seek better margins and higher profitability. But neither consumers nor companies can ignore the sustainability and sustainable consumption trend, so luxury must also embrace these perspectives.

How to Best Reach Luxury Consumers?

In today’s social media-driven consumer society, an entirely new way of interacting has emerged, fundamentally changing traditional luxury marketing channels.

Marketers must figure out how to make the most of this data to contact their target audience successfully. Here are three actions we believe luxury products and service marketers should take right away:

• Use internet platforms to transmit the emotions elicited by their products, not just to sell to potential customers but to enhance the in-store experience. Enticing prospects with excellent content best accomplishes it.
• Create information aimed at all people who can impact a buyer’s decision, such as peers, friends, and family.
• Not every luxury shopper is the same. When researching buying items, the three personas seek different things and have other triggers. Promotions, birthdays, and anniversaries are all easy triggers to find on social media.

It would be best to rethink the old manner of selling your premium items in the coming years. The luxury market is chaotic and fragmented. Your customers have a wide range of purchasing patterns. Furthermore, your top spenders are no longer demographically or psychographically the same as they once were.

It is critical to comprehend the psychological processes involved in purchasing luxury products. To summarize, many of your consumers will fall into one of the following psychological groups:

• The Desire for Individuality
• The Self and Self-Narrative
• Signaling and Status Building

You can easily take advantage of these chances if you are adaptable, open to change, and customer-focused!

About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.