PROFNET EXPERT ALERTS: Retail Investors / Small-Biz Credit / IRS Audits

1. Building: Does My Home Need a New Roof?

2. Energy: Foreign Investors Targeting U.S. Shale Reserves

3. Finance: Capital Is Readily Available despite Small-Business Credit Crunch

4. Finance: U.S. Stock Market: Why Are Retail Investors Pulling out So Much Cash?

5. Hotels: Using Technology to Find Guests the Right Price While Generating Revenue

6. Law: Amazon Teaches Video Professor a Lesson

7. Marketing: Does Your Marketing Company Work with a Facebook Account Rep?

8. Real Estate: How Can Young Homebuyers Prepare for a Home?

9. Tax Planning: Beating the Odds When Standing up to an IRS Audit

**1. BUILDING: DOES MY HOME NEED A NEW ROOF? Brian Kearney is owner of Neponset Valley Construction, located in Norwood, Mass.: "The three most common factors for replacing a roof is age, appearance and leaks. The average lifespan of a roof is 20 years. Sun exposure, shingle color and ventilation under the roof will also play a role in your roof's longevity. If you are unsure of your roof's age, your next evaluation factor is appearance. If you have shingles that are broken or look buckled or warped, it may be time to consider replacement. The last factor is a leak. Unfortunately, this is not the best way to find out that you may need a new roof. By the time you find water leaking inside your house, it most likely started a while ago, and leaks will lead to ceiling and wall damage and can cause structural damage. If you think your roof falls into any of these categories, you may want to consult a certified roofing company for a consult." News Contact: Stacey Rudy, Stacey@ExposeYourselfPR.com

**2. ENERGY: FOREIGN INVESTORS TARGETING U.S. SHALE RESERVES. Scott Schwind of the Houston office of Thompson & Knight, who has provided legal counsel for two transactions totaling more than $2.75 billion involving foreign investment in U.S. shale production over the past three months: "Although the development of U.S. shale reserves was once a niche market dominated by independent producers, major energy companies are now active in the sector, while international companies are also seeking joint ventures and outright purchases. These cross-border deals are not new, but they're increasingly attractive in today's economic climate. Domestic producers need capital due to lower gas prices, and the current high costs and restrictions of conventional bank financing. Even though gas prices are low, international companies are looking for investment in a comparatively stable and developed market, with expertise and technology they can use globally." News Contact: Barry Pound, barry@androvett.com Phone: +1-800-559-4534

**3. FINANCE: CAPITAL IS READILY AVAILABLE DESPITE SMALL-BUSINESS CREDIT CRUNCH. Jeffrey Sweeney, CEO and managing director at US Capital Partners, a lender and financial services firm in San Francisco: "According to the Federal Reserve, $40 billion worth of loans to small businesses have disappeared in the last two years. After the recent debacle in the credit markets, loose credit is no longer readily available as banks implement more stringent criteria for securing loans. The resulting challenge facing most businesses now is overcoming unrealistic borrowing expectations. It's very similar to the bubble burst in the housing market, where we've had to firmly reset our expectations of the residential real estate market borrowing possibilities. While banks are returning to more prudent small-business lending practices based on realistic asset value and ability to repay debt, alternative lenders have always focused primarily on assets. With the widespread tightening of lending standards, businesses that aren't a good fit for marquee lenders need to look outside the bankable box to these private banks that are readily available to help businesses secure financing for appropriate working and growth capital." Editor's Note: Jeffrey Sweeney has a profile listed in the ProfNet Experts Database. To view the profile, go to http://www.profnet.com and, after logging in, click on "Search Expert." News Contact: Emilia Doerr, emilia@webmarketingtherapy.com Phone: +1-310-709-4620 Website: http://uscapitalpartners.net

**4. FINANCE: U.S. STOCK MARKET: WHY ARE RETAIL INVESTORS PULLING OUT SO MUCH CASH? James Frischling, president and co-founder at NewOak Capital, an asset management, advisory and capital markets firm in Manhattan: "U.S. equities markets had a strong week, with many analysts bullish about the upcoming quarterly numbers. Yet equity investors pulled nearly $12 billion out of mutual funds for the week ending July 7. The data reflects the battle between the bulls and the bears, with the bulls able to push the market higher last week. However, retail investors continue to show they don't have confidence in these markets. High unemployment, continued uncertainty in Europe, and market domination by computer algorithms and technical trading are yet more reasons reason for the retail investor to lose confidence in the market and either pull money out or stay on the sidelines. Expect the market to go sideways unless there is an exceptionally strong earnings season combined with some clarity to the European debt story." News Contact: Marisa D'Vari, MDVari@newoakcapital.com

**5. HOTELS: USING TECHNOLOGY TO FIND GUESTS THE RIGHT PRICE WHILE GENERATING REVENUE. Jean Francois Mourier, CEO and founder of REVPAR GURU, developers of a new integrated revenue management and pricing solution to help hotels worldwide increase their occupancy and revenues, can comment on all stories related to hotels' pricing and financial operations. His expertise includes the integration of technology into a hotel's operational systems to generate more bookings and revenues for the property: "It's important to use technology in optimizing a hotel's revenue management activities. In today's global marketplace, only those properties that leverage the abilities of technology to maximize their bookings and RevPAR continuously in real-time, all day, every day, will be successful. A revenue manager's task should no longer include the minutiae of analyzing and manually updating rates across all of the distribution channels or manually adjusting inventory to reflect sales; instead, revenue managers need to be focused on the bigger picture, thinking and planning strategically, proactively rather than reactively." Mourier is able to provide comment on the revenue and channel management industry, as well as the hotels and hospitality industry as a whole. He would be an excellent resource on many topical issues, including: what the future holds for the hotel industry's finances; how hotel guests can get better deals for their upcoming vacations; how hotels can increase occupancy and revenues; innovative revenue management tactics; and other topics related to the financial and operation aspects of hotels worldwide. News Contact: Jennifer Rodrigues, jrodrigues@thinkinkpr.com Phone: +1-305-316-3719 Website: http://www.revparguru.com

**6. LAW: AMAZON TEACHES VIDEO PROFESSOR A LESSON. Dyan House, trademark attorney at Dallas' Munck Carter: "A recent court loss for software maker Video Professor provides businesses an important lesson about keyword advertising and protecting their trademarks. Video Professor and Amazon.com agreed that Amazon would sell Video Professor computer learning software online. To fuel business, Amazon purchased Google keywords containing Video Professor's principal trademark, and continued doing so even after Video Professor terminated the agreement. Video Professor sued for trademark infringement, but lost because the agreement with Amazon granted a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free trademark license. Unfortunately for Video Professor, it learned the hard way that you must carefully consider the terms of agreements, especially concerning rights that may survive post-termination." News Contact: Mark Annick, mark@androvett.com Phone: +1-800-559-4534

**7. MARKETING: DOES YOUR MARKETING COMPANY WORK WITH A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT REP? Heather Logrippo, CEO of Expose Yourself PR, located in the Boston area: "There are so many marketing companies out there stating that they are social-media gurus, but how do you know if they are? When looking to work with a marketing company that specializes in social networking, you want to make sure the company is working with their own Facebook account representative. This is something that is not commonly known, but a company needs to spend a minimum of $10,000 on Facebook advertising for a Facebook account rep to be assigned. Why is this important? A Facebook account representative will work closely with a company and share tips and tricks on what type of ads work and what will increase page 'likeability.' Pages can triple in size with some of the tips and tricks they provide." News Contact: Stacey Rudy, Stacey@ExposeYourselfPR.com

**8. REAL ESTATE: HOW CAN YOUNG HOMEBUYERS PREPARE FOR A HOME? Lisa Sevajian, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker in Andover, Mass.: "Many young buyers prefer buying homes in our current economy because there tend to be more opportunities in the marketplace. The buyers are looking at the low interest rates and housing prices and comparing these reasonable monthly totals to higher-than-expected monthly rent. Buying a home has always been considered a better investment, and there are tax deductions buyers can take advantage of; however, first-time homebuyers need to be prepared financially. Not only do buyers have to budget for their monthly mortgage, taxes and insurance, they should also be prepared for monthly utilities, home repairs and maintenance. Certain home repairs, such as a new roof, windows, kitchen and any structural damage, can increase your home repair costs, so be sure to ask the sellers about these features when looking at a home." Sevajian: Lisa.Johnson@nemoves.com

**9. TAX PLANNING: BEATING THE ODDS WHEN STANDING UP TO AN IRS AUDIT. Michael Rozbruch, CEO of Los Angeles-based Tax Resolution Services, Co., one of the nation's leading tax negotiation and mediation firms: "When it comes to audits, the IRS wins 80 percent of the time. Taxpayers are deemed guilty until proven innocent, which means the IRS can start an audit by disallowing every deduction you made on a return until each one is proven to be legitimate. If a taxing authority has decided to audit you, it's important that you don't let yourself be pushed around by the IRS. Every taxpayer has the fundamental rights of due process, fairness and representation -- even if the auditor does not explain this to you. Additionally, government auditors may not always perform a comprehensive review of all appropriate documents, and an incorrect assessment by an IRS auditor can end up costing you thousands of dollars or even fraud penalties. With IRS audits on the rise, it's more important than ever for taxpayers to know their rights or seek professional representation from tax experts who know how to preserve those rights to your advantage in an IRS audit." Editor's Note: Rozbruch has a profile listed in the ProfNet Experts Database. To view the profile, go to http://www.profnet.com and, after logging in, click on "Search Expert." News Contact: Debbie Edwards, debbie@taxresolution.com Phone: +1-866-477-7762, ext. 326. Website: http://www.taxresolution.com

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/PRNewswire -- July 19/

SOURCE ProfNet