Filed under: Estates

Wisteria Hill in New Canaan, Connecticut is a 1910 estate drenched in genteel charm. The massive home sits on 8.66 acres that include landscaping that appears straight out of a garden magazine. The home is out of the pages of Architectural Digest. A particularly charming detail is the white and blue tile fireplace surround in the breakfast room. Often window treatments give me the vapors, but in this case, the vibrant window shades offer a nice pop of color in this very elegant home. There is a two-bedroom guest home over the large garage. This home is listed at $11.2 million.
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Companies battle to make a ton of cash for charity - Croydon Guardian
The Croydon 100 Challenge is set to crank into action this week with 11 teams going head-to-head to see who can make the most money out of £100. Local corporate-led charity Croydon Commitment is running the competition, which is now in its second

Brewer Bids $46 Billion for Anheuser-Busch - New York Times
One of the nation’s most prominent family-run companies, Anheuser-Busch , formally became the target of a $46.4 billion unsolicited takeover offer from InBev of Belgium on Wednesday. A deal, if reached, would combine Anheuser-Busch’s best-selling

US Senate Republicans block Democrats’ attempt to impose windfall - International Herald Tribune
WASHINGTON : Senate Republicans blocked a proposal Tuesday to tax the windfall profits of the largest oil companies, despite pleas by Democratic leaders to use the measure to address U.S. anger over $4 a gallon (€0.64 a liter) gasoline. The

Opening Glance: Utility companies open mostly up - CNN Money
NEW YORK (Associated Press) - Shares of utility companies opened mostly higher Thursday as positive news on retail sales and a drop in oil prices helped lift the broader stock market. The Commerce Department stated Might retail sales, which appeared to

U.K. Physicians Protest Brown’s Plans for NHS Clinics (Update2) - Bloomberg
June 12 (Bloomberg) — U.K. doctors state 1.2 million patients support their opposition to Prime Minister Gordon Brown ’s plan to allow companies to run parts of the taxpayer- funded National Health Service . The British Medical Association

Invitrogen to purchase Applied Biosystems for $6.4B - Kansas City Star
Invitrogen has concurred to pay $6.4 billion in cash and stock for Applera’s Applied Biosystems Group, the companies said Thursday. Carlsbad, Calif.-based Invitrogen Corp., which makes technologies for disease research and drug discovery, will pay $38

Travis MacMillian Named President and Chief Operating Officer of GNY - PR Inside
- Warren Heck, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GNY Insurance Companies, announced today that Travis MacMillian has joined the company as President and Chief Operating Officer. With more than 15 years of experience in the insurance industry

First South Bancorp, Inc. Ranked 30th in United Says by American - MSN MoneyCentral
WASHINGTON, N.C., June 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — First South Bancorp, Inc. FSBK (the “Company), parent holding company of First South Bank (the “Bank”), has been recognized by the American Banker as the 30th most efficient bank holding company

A.M. Best Revises Outlook to Positive for AmTrust Group; Downgrades - MSN MoneyCentral
A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of A- (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “ a- ” of AmTrust Group (AmTrust) (New York, NY). The ratings apply to AmTrust International Insurance, Ltd. (AII) (Bermuda

Opening Glance: Gold-mining shares open lower - CNN Money
NEW YORK (Associated Press) - Shares of gold mining companies opened lower Thursday as the price of the metal fell in early U.S. trading. The price of gold on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell $17.80 to $861.90 per ounce. Here’s how some gold

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“The true way to render ourselves happy is to love our work and find in it our pleasure.”

Francoise De Motteville

Photo Credit: Image from Fernando Audibert from stock.xchng

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I’m traveling this weekend back home (Ohio) and to Olde World B&B, my favorite bed and breakfast in Dover, Ohio. About 8 years ago, my daughter- and son-in-law introduced my husband and I to the delight of a great bed and breakfast (our first experience was in Door County, Wisconsin). We were hooked, and we stay in B&B’s whenever we can while traveling. We’ve stayed in about 10 so far, from Ohio west to Wisconsin, Kentucky, Minnesota, and even out in Oregon, along the coast.

If you’ve never stayed in a B&B, it’s worth a visit. But get a good one. I have some stipulations, like private bath (not a shared or down-the-hall one). Most good B&B’s will show photos of the rooms, and some will give you a 360 degree video.

Over the next couple of days, I’ll talk about B&B’s, and how they can be a great business for baby boomers. I I’ll also interview the owner of the B&B in Ohio. She just bought the business from the previous owner about a year ago, and I’m interested in what she considers this business now.

Meanwhile, if you are traveling this summer, look on my favorite B&B website (bbonline.com) for good B&B’s where you’re going. But book soon. With gas prices so high, many people are choosing to stay closer to home and spend their money on a nice out-of-the-way B&B.

Tags: baby boomers, bed and breakfasts, businesses

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In the same way as any kind of investment, do your homework. As I posted yesterday, if the franchisees of Cork and Olive had checked public records in Florida, they would have found out that Michael Probst had a judgment against him for over $800,000. That alone would have scared me off.

In addition, each franchise is required to submit a Franchise Disclosure Document, according to FTC guidelines. Sean Kelly also has information on selection criteria to use when evaluating a franchise.

For baby boomers, choosing a franchise is even trickier, because we don’t get any second chances. Spending your retirement savings on a franchise means you can’t afford to try again.

Don’t forget my “50 things to do at 50-something” contest - comment and put yourself in the running for a $30 book gift certificate. Final comments must be posted by June 20.

Tags: baby booomers, Cork and Olive, Franchise Disclosure Document, franchises, FTC

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