Summer time is coming and a vast amount of people are looking to book their holidays, although the credit crunch has hit hard this year people are still finding a way to take a break whether it's a caravan holiday or a visit to a selection of beach resorts. And so much so as holidays should really be taken at regular occasions to help the body relax. But with the credit crunch biting a lot more people are trying to stay in their jobs so will take away their work with them? And help companies who are understaffed? Let's take a brief look.

Research by Lexmark has indicated that one third of British folk are going to be taking their laptops or new smart handsets away with them, which causes to folk not getting enough rest and relaxation where needed. The worst thing about this is that folk will become a lot less productive as they will not be resting their bodies a sufficient amount. When you go away on vacation you should be spending the time to yourself and clear your mind from all work related thoughts.

But things look even worse as more and more people have said that they work at home after hours. All this has been caused by the huge recession, people are afraid to leave the office or work environment in case they become seen as unreliable. But theoretically you are more likely to get let go from work by underperforming from tiredness. Also being sleep deprived will make you a lot less respectable when you speak to clients and they will be able to tell. So book a trip and take that Barbados holidays that you have always wanted, there is no better time then now.

For great Honeymoons in Barbados

When most brides and grooms make wedding day plans, they take certain things into consideration. They coordinate the date according to vacation times from work. Or they coordinate the wedding day for the family to be able to make it into town. Or they make plans according to the availability of the church or restaurant.

But one of the biggest things they fail to plan for on the wedding day is the photographer. Don't think this is something small.  And I am not just saying it because I am a wedding photographer. 

No planning the wedding day with the wedding photographer in mind could mean all the difference in the world. Especially when you think about the fact the photos are going to be the thing that captures that day for a lifetime.

So what are the key factors to consider when planning with the photographer in mind.  The time and the date.

Let's start with the time.  How many couples would want their photographer rushing through the photo shoot?  I am pretty sure most people will not raise their hand to that. 

Without even considering your photographer, a majority of the times most couples do just that. The couple or family basically rush the photographer to try and take all the pictures. 

How so you ask? Well let's say, the couple makes the ceremony between 1-2 pm.  With the reception starting at 2:30. How many shots can a photographer make when he only has a half hour to work with?  Not many.

Even worse, let's say he does take all the shots? Do you think they can take some real good shots if they are being rushed? No way.

So plan the times for the wedding and the reception with enough space in between to take all the photos.

Second thing to consider when planning with the photographer in mind is your photographer's availability.

Most probably don't realize this, but most good photographers will be booked months in advance.  And if you are dealing with let's say a large photography company, they may have several photographers.

Well planning your wedding without considering your photographer's availability could turn into a nightmare. Because when you reserve that special day, without making sure your photographer is available, come wedding day you might get a shock when you find somebody totally different.

This scenario happens when you are dealing with a big company. You may not even realize that they have a staff of photographers and if the photographer you liked is booked, unless you ask, they might not tell you.  When your wedding day comes, they might just outsource their work or a second rate photographer might show up.

So be ready by not letting this happen.  Planning your wedding day is wonderful.  Make sure you plan it also with your wedding photographer in mind.

Salvatore Buscemi and Bulk REO Investing

Salvatore Bushemi of Dandrew Capital Partners discusses his hedge fund’s involvement in the distressed assets business.

Bulk REO Investing is proving to be one of the most profitable fields of investment during 2009 and beyond. Bulk REO Investors profit by purchasing groups (commonly called "REO portfolios") of properties from lenders who have repossessed the properties and have urgent need to release pressure from their balance sheets. Due to the urgency of the balance sheet needs of the financial institutions coupled with the investor’s ability to buy a package of REO properties rather than individual properties, it’s frequently possible for a well-capitalized bulk reo investor to acquire REO packages at extremely attractive prices.

To get the full details, I chatted with Sal Buscemi of New York-based distressed asset hedge fund Dandrew Capital Partners.

"Dandrew Capital works by making offers to financial institutions on the basis of a percentage of unpaid principal balance. This means that if we make an offer of 60 cents on the dollar for a package of mortgages with a remainder of $3,000,000 in principal balance, then we’ll pay $1,800,000 to acquire that package" says Buscemi.

There are probably few people who are better positioned for the present economic downturn than Salvatore Buscemi and Dandrew Capital Partners. "Several years ago, everyone in the financial world thought that there would be no end to the booming real estate market. That made it very challenging for us, since we began marketing our distressed real estate asset fund before the real estate market began to fall apart."

But Buscemi is obviously on the right side of the market trends. "Clearly, our strategy has been vindicated. Our fund is fully subscribed and we have plans for starting another fund exclusively for foreign investors.

What is particularly interesting about the way Dandrew Capital monetizes their property investments. "At the conclusion of our reo portfolio transactions, we own multiple properties which must then be monetized to bring a return to our fund. To do this, we resell our properties to retail home buyers via seller financing. By cutting traditional lenders out of our transactions, we are able to sell our properties quickly and at very attractive terms" says Buscemi.

The future seems quite bright for astute Bulk REO investors.