Jimmy's Favorite Sites

By Jimmy R. Hammond, CPA

Here are a few sites I have discovered which are helpful, informative or interesting. These sites relate to Annapolis, to business or are just worth dropping in for a casual visit. Let's go surfing and take a look.

The minutes and bylaws of small- and medium-sized businesses are often overlooked or ignored. The result of this omission can be embarrassing and costly. Painful as it is, the first real demand for these documents is often made by the IRS.

However, for just $40 at www.minutebook.com, you can purchase software that will put all your decisions in good form using Word or Word Perfect compatible templates. At a minimum, this process will hopefully limit your attorney costs and avoid the embarrassment. Make it your New Year's resolution and check it out to see what you haven't been doing.

During a recent review of several local and regional magazines, I came across www.acookscafe.com. This is an Annapolis-based gourmet carry-out, a sit-down café and a cooking school for wannabe chefs or those more advanced persons who want to hone their pastry, pasta, sauce or soufflé skills. This school will let you tackle a recipe or a dinner under skilled supervision. Their gift certificates for these culinary experiences make great Christmas presents as well. Tell Craig Sewall you saw him here. Bon appetite!

Stuck for a great gift idea? At www.oneshare.com you can purchase a framed share of common stock (at market) of almost any traded company and have it framed and returned to you in time for the holidays. Some of these stock certificates, like Coca Cola and Harley Davidson, are art-like in their appearance. This could be an annual tradition worth starting. Who said you can't afford a piece of the rock?

I was searching the web for "Chesapeake"-related sites and found www.coastaltradingcompany.com. This site has the greatest model collection of Chesapeake Bay skipjacks, oyster boats and other famous yachts I have found to date. The site layout is museum-like and well-organized. The collection even includes a 46.5-inch model of the yacht Columbia, the America's Cup winner in 1899 and 1901, for $160. This might be the perfect keepsake and icon to reflect upon during the upcoming America's Cup challenge. Check out these offerings and drop an email to the site's owner, an Annapolitan.

If you have never attended a computer flea market, here is the link to the best---www.marketproshows.com. This nomadic computer show can be found several places regionally or locally at New Carrolton and Upper Marlboro. Check their site for specific dates and times. Computers, monitors, printers, software and thousands of other computer related items are sold from booths by more than 150 vendors at substantially below retail. There is a $6 admission price, which is discounted if you print the coupon out from their site and easily recovered through savings on the smallest purchase. This might be the perfect spot to make those casual but impulsive computer buys for home, office or to add a second gaming computer. It's also a great place to work on your bargaining skills if you are a bit rusty.

As always we encourage your thoughts and suggestions. Thanks.