I spend a lot of time reading books and passing them on to others. I recently picked up a used copy of Tim Sanders little book called "Love is the Killer App." It made me feel like I was doing something right, that the little voice inside of me wasn't so crazy after all. If "Swimming With the Sharks" and "The Art of War" never made much business sense to you then get your hands on this book.

According to Sanders we all possess three huge intangible assets: our knowledge, our network, and compassion. By sharing these three assets unconditionally with your business partners you can set yourself apart and build a life of success and fulfillment.

Sanders believes knowledge comes from books, good books that you digest, pick apart, evaluate and finally share with others. The second intangible, your network, grows and develops as you connect different people who can help one another, without ever keeping score of when your good deeds get repaid. Finally, compassion pulls everything together and makes you human, it shows your vulnerability and gives others an "in" to get to know you.

Sanders calls people who share their intangibles effortlessly 'Lovecats.' I've always just called them good people. They are the ones you like working with, when they call you get a smile on your face, and when you get a chance to help them out it makes your day.

If you love what you do and the high point of your day is being able to help someone else then Sanders book will resonate deeply. If you've been burned in the past, if you're cyncial and guarded, then Sanders might be able to convince you that keeping score isn't the answer.

When does leasing make more sense than buying? This is another one of those questions that comes up a lot. The short answer (like everything in tax planning) is it depends. Businesses have long favored leases because they offer more immediate tax deductions. But having equity in a vehicle can be good for your balance sheet. To get a sense for how these two options stack up we will consider a real life example.

You have just negotiated a pretty good deal on a fully loaded, new Nissan Maxima for $35,000. You plan to put $3,000 down but you haven't yet decided whether to lease or buy. Now stop.

If you don't know anything about car leases get educated. Do not let the dealer put you in a lease unless you understand what is going on. In a lot of cases a lease is the best deal, but not always. If terms like residual value and money factor do not make any sense to you then leave the dealership, go home and visit the websites listed below to find out what you are getting yourself into.

Back to our example. In our scenario the monthly payment on a three year lease is $512 You decide the monthly payment on a three year loan is too high, but if you finance the car over five years the payment comes down to $653.
The big difference is that after three years you will turn the leased car in and get nothing (maybe). But if you own the car you can sell it or trade it in for something else. So the big question is what will the car be worth in three years. In lease terms this is called residual value.

Residual value is an estimate. No one knows for sure on the day you sign the lease what the car will be worth. When the finance company estimates the residual value too high it looses money because the monthly payments were not high enough. If it estimates the value as too low you can exercise the purchase option at the end of the lease, sell the car (or trade it) and pocket the difference.

As it turns out in our example the leasing company estimates the car will be worth $19,380. We cannot know whether this is true but we will assume that if we bought the car we could sell it for this amount later. In this case leasing saves $141 per month, but we also don't have anything to sell (or trade) after three years. That $141 per month adds up to $5,076. But if we buy the car we'll only owe $12,151 after three years netting us $7,229 at sale (19,380 - 12,151). That's $2,153 to the good if we buy. So buy it, right?

Not so fast. If I give you $5,000 today is it worth the same as a promise to pay you $5,000 a year from now? No! That's called the time value of money and it makes a big difference in leasing. Since leasing payments trade a lower payment up front for no equity (and no ability to make money selling the car) we have to ask ourselves if the up front savings is worth it. At first it doesn't look like it because I can make more selling the car than I saved in monthly payments. But if we factor in the time value of money the advantage to buying drops to just $389 For some people the lower monthly payments are worth this trade off, especially if the monthly loan payment is just too high.

If we stretch the scenario out to five years (a five year lease vs. buying the car and selling it after five years) leasing pulls ahead and wins by $874

So leasing sounds pretty good, but first consider the following:

1. If you put significant miles on the car leasing may not work. At between 10,000 and 12,000 miles per year finance companies start to impose mileage penalties that can significantly increase the cost of leasing.

2. Much of leasing's benefit comes from the higher tax deductions you can claim. The lower your tax bracket the less impact these deductions will have.

3. If you are not using the car for business you will not get any tax deduction (see the point above).

4. Dealerships realize different profits on leases vs. car loans. If you change course midway through negotiating don't be surprised if the dealer changes his tone. That's why it is always best to negotiate the car's price first, then discuss financing.

5. Dealerships are not your only option for leasing. Credit unions and banks will also write leases on new cars. As always shop around.

You can view detailed worksheets and calculations used in this article here .

For more information on leases and lease payment calculations visit leaseguide.com.

In 2003 the President signed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003. This year the program takes the last step toward a fully voluntary prescription drug benefit known as Medicare Part D.

Enrollment in this new plan is already underway and closes May 15th. If you or someone you know is eligible you need to act fast to survey the plans that are out there, understand the options and make the appropriate decision.

I am not going to even begin to profess any expertise in this area. Luckily I have two very knowledgable and professional friends who can help you.

Michael Vejins is with Raymond James and is making himself available to answer questions regarding Part D each Tuesday from now until May 15. Mike will be at the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce from 9:30 - 10:30 and the Longboat, Lido, St Armands Key Chamber of Commerce from 11:30 - 12:30.

Wally Crawford is with National Health Insurance Agency and possesses a wealth of industry knowledge as well as some outstanding products and great service. He has allready helped countless people make the decision most appropriate to their situation while simplifying the process. Wally can be reached at (941)780-3087.