blog

Lyoness USA - On Tour

Tue, 17 May 2011 15:47:23 +0100

Letter from CEO Mitch Buchwalter

5/6/2011

I can’t believe May is already upon us. When I look back at all of our achievements, I am overwhelmed with excitement over the progress Lyoness has made over the last month. On April 3, 2011 Hubert Freidl, our Lyoness founder and I began our very first North American Tour. It was a memorable month as we traversed the continent visiting 8 different cities in 13 days. We were met with warm receptions and large crowds wherever we went.

We began our tour in Toronto, the hub for Lyoness Canada, where we were pleased to announce our new Loyalty Partners in the gas and food sectors. After receiving a standing ovation in Montreal, we headed to our beautiful home office for Lyoness America in the Empire State Building in New York. The great cities of Chicago and Las Vegas followed, where the crowds were so passionate we could see the vision for Lyoness America truly take shape. Heading further West to Los Angeles and Vancouver, we continued to be greeted by more and more dedicated individuals. Finally our trip culminated at the The Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, Florida where we announced our new local Loyalty Partners to an enthusiastic crowd. The energy of south Florida can’t be beat!

Since we began Lyoness America, Inc. from south Florida, leaders have been developing all across the continent. Lyoness America has come so far and we can’t wait for it to keep growing. To that end, we revisited six of the cities with Mario Hoffmann, our Vice Director of European Sales to hold workshops with all our leaders for an incredible learning experience.

What an unbelievably simple concept, shop, make money and help change the world by preserving life through education. We can all make a big difference in many people’s lives because TOGETHER, WE ARE STRONG! I am honored and humbled to lead you.

See you soon!

Best Regards,

Mitchel Buchwalter

CEO of Lyoness America, Inc

Suddenly I'm a businessman - who knew?

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:06:15 +0100

The Irish Times - Monday, November 29, 2010

Suddenly I'm a businessman - who knew?

For the self-employed, it can take a while for it to sink in that, no matter what they are doing, for tax purposes they are running a business, writes Patrick Freyne

I AM A businessman. After a lifetime believing that Denis O’Brien and Richard Branson were a breed apart, I’ve realised relatively recently that the first word in the phrase “freelance journalist” puts me in their exalted company. I’m a freelancer, a self-employed person, a businessman.

I am not the only person to ever suddenly wake up to this realisation. It’s surprisingly common among the self-employed. Whether they’re plumbers, solicitors, journalists, or web designers – the fact that they are, in fact, starting a one-person business can elude them. This means that best-practice rules of running a business often pass them by, and can ultimately cost them money.

Greg Swift, of the Dublin City Enterprise Board, frequently sees this phenomenon. “People who are consciously entrepreneurs go out and find out all the things they have to do and set up systems to deal with them,” he says. “But often self-employed people have left nine-to-five jobs without a specific plan. They find themselves doing different jobs here and there, and without consciously deciding to, they suddenly find that they’re running a business.”

The first thing people should do is register as self-employed for tax purposes, not only for income tax, but also for VAT if their gross income is above a certain threshold – €37,500 for services and €75,000 for goods, although these figures could change after next week’s budget.

If the thought of tax and VAT automatically stresses you out, Swift has two pretty simple suggestions: “Throw every receipt you get into a shoebox – it all adds up to saving you money,” and more crucially, “develop a relationship with an accountant from an early stage.”

Keith Bohanna, a self-employed business and web consultant adds: “make sure it’s a good accountant. It’s important to source them by word of mouth from someone whose opinion you absolutely respect. There are an enormous number of crap accountants out there.”

Even with a well-sourced professional doing your accounts, it’s advisable to keep a tally of your incomings and outgoings.

There are many free accounting packages for this, and a good accountant will set you up with one. Apart from anything else, without making rough calculations of costs, people can underestimate, and more usually, over-inflate, their earnings.

Bohanna says it can take the newly self-employed a while to realise this. “We’ve all been ostriches,” he says. “I often find myself in a position with fledgling businesses where I have to get them to accept that their actual earnings are a lot less than they had extrapolated based on the fees they were charging. Those fees don’t always take account of the money that was spent chasing up the work.”

It can also be difficult not to get carried away projecting a glorious future based on one good week, month or year. “It’s very important to take a longer-term view,” says Swift. “Self-employed people should always, where possible, have some money put aside.” And in this spirit, it’s crucial that self-employed people take account of the things that PAYE employees take for granted: sick pay, holiday pay, pension payments and parental leave. These are things that must be saved for and should be factored into financial planning.

There are also some elements of the freelancing life that are simply discriminatory.

The self-employed pay a lower rate of PRSI, which means that should the person require the State’s assistance, they are not entitled to job-seekers’ benefit unless they had sufficient credits from previous PAYE work. Instead, they can only apply for the means-tested job-seekers’ allowance.

Mark Fielding of ISME has been lobbying to change this. “For the past two budgets the Minister has been promising to look at that,” he says. “Even if it meant that the self-employed paid more PRSI, at least there would be some equality to what they’d get if they were to go out of business.”

Such things aside, however, success in self-employment is about thinking ahead. “This can be difficult in the early stages, but you’ll eventually see the dynamics of your own business and you’ll learn to plan,” says Bohanna. “If I’m going to need money in March, I need to have invoiced in February, I need to have done the work in January, which means that in November I need to be talking to half a dozen people to make sure that that work comes in.”

He is also involved with the entrepreneurs’ networking event Bizcamp, and is a strong advocate of meeting and talking to other small-business people, start-up companies and self-employed people.

“Self-employment can be quite a lonely experience,” he says. “So peer support is very important.” For those who wish to brush up on their business skills, courses run by local enterprise boards teach the rudiments of tax, cash flow and time management.

There are immense benefits to being your own boss. You design the parameters of your job and control and shape your working life in your own way. I’m writing this article on a Sunday morning in a ragged bathrobe – a practice that would, I suspect, be frowned upon if I were sitting in the The Irish Times offices.

However, to make working for yourself a sustainable option, you need to be organised, cognisant of the potential pitfalls, and prepared to plan ahead. All in all, I’m happy to be a businessman.

The Irish Times-Tuesday,November23,2010. Making a Virtue of Necessity

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 03:01:46 +0100

IT IS arguable that the Taoiseach has made the right decision in “the uniquely serious circumstances in which we find ourselves”, as he put it. Brian Cowen, with the full support of his Fianna Fáil Ministers, will proceed to publish the four-year plan with the €15 billion “adjustment” tomorrow, a budget containing €6 billion in cuts on December 7th and the necessary measures to bring it into effect thereafter. He will seek a general election early in the new year. So, after months of denial, mismanagement and crude dissimulation, the life of this Coalition Government can now be measured in weeks.

Unpalatable though it may be, it is damaging to the national interest to change horses in the negotiations on a bailout from the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund at this time. It should have occurred many weeks ago.

That being said, the manner in which the Green Party Ministers finally faced up to their responsibilities and found that they had lost faith in their Fianna Fáil colleagues made for a stunning, if somewhat dishonest, start to the week. Green Party leader John Gormley described the decision to force a general election as being in the national interest. So it is. One suspects, however, that his announcement was motivated more by a desire to offer his party a chance of staving-off electoral disaster. Junior partners in coalition arrangements do better when they force a contest on a specific issue rather than wait for the axe to fall. In this instance, trust broke down within Government because of its handling of the financial rescue package. Green Party Ministers were kept largely in the dark, according to Mr Gormley. Pity that he didn’t say so earlier.

The harshness of the language is unforgiving. But, after three years of committed cohabitation in government, voters may not be impressed. There is no denying the Green Party’s bad luck in entering government at a time of economic crisis. It supported difficult and unpopular decisions. But it shared in a failed and inadequate response to the banking crisis. Now, in a statement of resignation, Mr Gormley has sought all-party support for harsh economic measures that will be decided by Government and overseen by the EU/IMF. The absence of detailed consultation with the Opposition parties makes this scenario seem unreal.

The Green Party’s action in forcing a general election will bring Brian Cowen’s leadership of Fianna Fáil to an end. For the past year and more, his survival has rested on the vain hope that the economy and the party’s electoral prospects would improve. The bailout has dashed those expectations. He may be expected to shoulder the fallout from an unpopular budget before making way for a successor.

We now have a parliamentary situation without precedent in uniquely serious circumstances. And yet, the Labour leader believes that we do not have to agree €6 billion in budget cuts. He said yesterday: “We’re now out of the markets, so who now is the six billion meant to convince or meant to impress?” Who is in denial now?

Organize Your Business With Google Products…

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 00:44:22 +0100

So how do you keep yourself organized as an entrepreneur?

Sometimes this can be a challenging task. Google products make this easy. They offer so many good products that can help you run and organize your business… and their all free!

I’ve created some quick videos sharing these tools…

How To Use Google Voice For Your Business...

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO

How to Use Google Docs for Your Business....

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO

How To Use Google Calender....

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO

Trevor Gillespie. www.trevorgillespie.com

Mentors in Business. Online Mentors a Necessity. Become a Mentor

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 13:38:10 +0100

“Limits exist only in the mind” ~ Author unknown

Imagine this… You are walking along a dirt road with the goal of getting to the other side of town. Along your way, you run into a big brick wall. This wall is completely blocking your path and it stops you dead in your tracks.

What do you do? Do you give up and go home? Do you just sit there and “hope” the wall will eventually disappear? Do you push against it to try and move it with force? Or do you overcome the obstacle by finding a way to get around it?

Our limiting beliefs are like big brick walls blocking us on our path to freedom, wealth, and success. We all have them… It’s just a matter of learning how to work through them when they arise. Most people, unfortunately, don’t know how to let go of their own illusions of limitation. They end up “buying into” their limiting thoughts and beliefs and either just quit or struggle against them tirelessly to the point of exhaustion.

Successful people, on the other hand, have just learned how to walk around the big brick wall and continue along their path with even more enthusiasm, motivation, and empowerment than ever before. Now, there are actually many ways of working through limiting beliefs… But at the end of the day, it really just comes down to your ability to see the TRUTH.

I recently learned a 4 step process to overcoming limiting (false) beliefs by a mentor and teacher of mine… And it’s been so transformational for me, that I couldn’t wait to share it with you!

CLICK HERE TO LINK TO 1 OF MY MENTORS DISCUSS THIS TOPIC

Here is some info about Katie : -

Hey there, my name is Katie Freiling and I’m a social media, blogging, and personal development coach in the online home business industry. On this site right here, you will find a wide variety of content, information, tips, and tricks when it comes to online marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, personal growth, and development, and many other topics that will help you along the path of true freedom. I am incredibly passionate about pushing myself to live life to my highest potential… And that’s what I want to help YOU do as well.

This blog right here was designed to help empower and inspire you to live life to the fullest, create the reality you truly want for yourself, and live according to your true purpose on this planet.

So first, a little bit about me…

I grew up in Southern California in a big family with 5 younger brothers (Yes, you heard that right… 5 brothers!) From the age of about 4, I suddenly became consumed with self consciousness, fear, and extreme shyness when it came to social situations. I’ve always said it was a curse, but now I see it as just part of my incredible journey of growth. This stayed with me until I was in high school, but the inner pain still came back to haunt me every now and then.

The reason I share this with you is because life was not always easy for me… It was immensely difficult to live life with no real idea of who I was. To me, my identity was consumed in what other people ‘thought’ of me.

I went to San Diego State University for college and ended up going through 4 whole years of schooling before deciding that college wasn’t for me. School always came easily, but I just could NOT figure out what I wanted to major in and what I wanted to do with my life. All of the options I was being handed just didn’t seem to resonate with me.

Losing It All…

So, at the age of 21, I moved to Las Vegas on a whim. I worked in a high end nightclub in the Bellagio for 2 years, saved every penny, bought a home, made a couple investments, and then moved back to California. To my complete surprise, I lost every penny when the economy took a downturn. Not only was I then completely broke, but because of a lack of investing knowledge, I was also in severe debt… (about $30,000!)

This was definitely the ‘low’ point in my life… I lost touch with my old friends, I didn’t have a job, I didn’t know how I was going to pay my bills, I was in a town in California where I didn’t know anyone, and had NO CLUE what my true purpose in life really was… Now that I look back on this, it was a blessing in disguise.

This pushed me to do some serious soul searching…

I started doing yoga, reading self help books, and meditating to try to figure out who I really was. Up until that point, my self identity had been wrapped up in things that were completely false… And now I’m so grateful that those things were taken away from me to clear the space for a much deeper Truth I was about to discover.

I became incredibly passionate about personal development, self awareness, yoga, and true empowerment. I decided that I wanted to play a contributing role in the evolution of our planet and help others see the beauty, peace, and love that I was starting to see within myself. My first business idea was then to start a yoga and healing community. And at that point, I knew that if I really wanted to make a difference, I would need to get some capital…

My First Introduction To The Home Business World…

And coincidentally, that’s when one of my good friends introduced me to network marketing. The entrepreneurial spirit inside of me began to stir and awaken and I knew that THIS was what I had been waiting for. I immediately thought I was going to make millions and became increasingly more and more disappointed when my efforts turned into failures time and time again. I tried for an entire year without making ANYTHING… But my focus on self growth was still going strong. Even though I experienced many setbacks and seeming ‘failures’, it was precisely what I needed to go through to help me grow into a much more powerful human being.

Discovering The Power of The Internet…

So after about a year of that, I came online one day to do some research on buying some internet leads. I soon realized that there was an entirely new world in front of my eyes that I never even knew existed!… The world of online marketing. Fortunately for me, I listened to my intuition and decided to get real training and coaching from some of the best internet marketers in the industry.

And because of the training I received and my iron clad commitment to success, I ended up becoming quite successful in a relatively short period of time. Within about 60 days, I was making a full-time income… Enough to keep me from having to get a job that I absolutely drudge. And then within about 4-5 months, I was making a 5 figure monthly income.

And then 8 months after my introduction to online marketing, I was introduced to another company and quickly rose to become the #1 recruiter and one of the Top Producers in the entire company. But I didn’t stop there… I fully realized that internet marketing was all about building your own LIST, or your own personal following. I built up a brand for myself in the social networks, focused on what I was passionate about, built a targeted list, and I now make a multiple six figure a year income through network marketing, affiliate marketing, and launching my own products and services (even making as much as $160,000 in about 2 weeks).

So now, I see the enormous power in social media and list building and that’s exactly what I specialize in teaching. But honestly, the real reason I was able to become so successful online was my commitment to personal growth and development. I have an incredible desire to know myself at deeper and deeper levels, and the more layers that become unveiled, the more empowered and successful I seem to become.

My Role…

And now I have a great desire to help others see just how darn powerful they are inside, too. I see what’s happening on our planet right now… And it’s time to create a real SHIFT. There are way too many people right now who live in fear and are completely unaware of their true essence. They settle in life… They settle for an unfulfilling job, they settle for superfluous relationships, they settle for mediocrity, and they live lives of quiet desperation…

Well it’s time to wake up the planet! I want to do my part to spread the Truth of our existence… We are all connected beings who deserve to be happy, fulfilled, and FREE. We are so much more than most people know themselves to be… And the more you investigate your own self within, the more you will see how beautiful, perfect, and powerful you are. We are all creating our own realities with every thought, action, and feeling whether we know it or not. So I just want to help as many people as possible see that they have the power to change their own lives around…

Let’s Create Together…

And if you subscribe to this blog right here and stay tuned to my messages, you will learn so much about how to create true freedom in your life. You will grow as an entrepreneur and as a human being, I promise. And I’m very much looking forward to sharing my knowledge with you. Let’s grow together and become the true artists on this canvas called life. Feel free to leave me a comment and let me get to know you as well!

In Love and Light,
Katie Freiling

Check out her website at www.katiefrieling.com

TG

Network Marketing Tips - Content Marketing for Online Marketers - Marketing on a Shoestring

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 13:18:28 +0100

Content Marketing for Network Marketers

Most people just starting off with Internet Marketing think that Pay per Click is the best way to get fast results. This, however is often a big mistake, the majority of Pay per Click advertisers loose money, get discouraged and call it a day. There are many reasons for that, firstly Google are pretty strict with what they will allow, so it may take a while to get your ad approved. Then, there is cost, unless you’re using a pretty obscure keyword, it is going to be pretty expensive, and finally you will be competing against companies with bigger budgets and better copywriters than you.

So although you can achieve reasonably quick results with PPC, it is a short term strategy which will cost you dearly unless you are an expert. Also, your ad can be withdrawn at any time, the cost per click can increase and you are heavily reliant on Googles ever changing rules and the famous Google Slap.The internet is all about content, and content is king, that is why if you can combine original content with the right keywords and set it up correctly you will get a constant flow of traffic to your site. If your site is selling something that people want, and they can find it, you will soon be in the money.

Marketing On A Shoestring

Where do you find good content?

There are numerous content sources on the web, the best are often to be found in ezines such as http://www.ezinearticles.com http://www.hubpages.com and others.

Once you decide what you want to write about, you can head off to these directories, read about your topic and take notes, watch some videos on video sites and then just sit down and focus on writing an article that combines the best of what you’ve found and your own conclusions. There are so many machine written articles that an article that is well written and useful will attract traffic and readership. The traffic will be slow initially but if the article is good, it will gather speed, and others may take it and publish it on their website.

The idea is to have your article send the reader back to your blog or money making site, and therefore you will hyperlink your article back to your own site. On your site you will provide further information and offer the reader to opt in to your mailing list. Very few people will buy anything until some form of communication has been established, unless of course it is exactly what they are looking for and it’s at the best price possible (say a specific TV set or hi fi, that they have already reserached and decided they want).

So, the article you write should just be an introduction to your topic, enticing the reader to head back to your site for more.

How to get traffic to your content?

There is immense competition out there, but very few people know how to create a ton of traffic to their site and here is the method I use to get thousands of viewers to my site:

1. Write an article based on a long tail keyword that has fewer than 30,000 monthly searches, simply use the Google Keyword tool. Then go and post different versions of the article, changing the title and re writing the paragraphs and submit to a few of the following sites:

http://www.squidoo.com
http://www.hubpages.com
http://www.livejournal.com
http://www.wetpaint.com
http://www.wordpress.com
http://www.vox.com
http://www.opera.com
http://www.blogspot.com
http://www.ezinearticles.com

Make sure that each one of these points back to your own site, use anchor text based on your keyword research.

2. Write a short overview of each one of your aritcles and post to:

http://www.digg.com
http://www.propeller.com
http://www.bumpzee.com

3. Use Social bookmarking sites to point to the articles and overviews from steps 1 and 2:

http://del.icio.us/
http://www.stumbleupon.com
http://www.spurl.com
http://www.reddit.com
www.simpy.com

4. Take the RSS feed from the blog sites and social bookmark them through

http://www.pingomatic.com

Once you’ve done that you will start receiving traffic to your site. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but once you see the results you will realize that this is a great way to achieve results for no cash. You can add articles daily or weekly and increase your traffic dramatically.

Trevor Gillespie.
1 Hanover Plaza, Kennedy Avenue, Carlow. Ireland.

www.trevorgillespie.com www.myshoppinggenie.com/tgif

Ph: +353 (0)86 8256598 www.jointhegenie.com

Ireland by Numbers - Tell the World about OUR Great little Country

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 12:15:04 +0100

Came across this cool video created for IBEC by Another Avenue. At a time like this we can all do our bit to tell the world about this great little country, and this video has the right message so let’sshare it, please.

CLICK Here To WATCH the Video - Too Much Doom & Gloom in Ireland 2010. This Video worth Watching.

Did you know that Ireland is home to 8 of the top 10 global technology companies and 15 of the top 25 medical devices firms. We produce enough beef each year to feed 30 million Europeans. 1 out of every 5 burgers served in McDonalds in Europe is Irish beef. Find out more in this 3 minute overview.

Ireland by the Numbers (Script)
Ireland means business for the world
960 foreign companies
- employing 138,000 workers
- cutting edge
- technology
- research
- IT hardware and
- software
- pharmaceuticals
- medical devices

Home to some of the world s leading companies:
8 of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies
15 of the top 25 in medical devices

More than 50% of the world s leading financial services firms
8 of the top 10 technology companies.
In fact the total US investment into Ireland is greater than into:
- Brazil
- Russia
- India
- and China
- COMBINED.

More food for thought ?
- Ireland produces enough beef each year for 30 m Europeans
- In fact we re the largest exporter of beef in Europe and the fourth largest in the
world
- One out of five burgers served in McDonalds across Europe is Irish beef
Speaking of cows:
- Ireland exports 80% of its dairy production
- We make 15% of the world s infant formula

We re taking care of people in other ways:
- 10 of the world s top-selling prescription drugs are made in Ireland
Ireland is a giant in medical technology

More than 24,000 people are employed by 160 medical technology companies in
Ireland and 80 of these companies are INDIGENOUS.

For every 100 jobs created in life sciences manufacturing, an additional 100 jobs are created in supporting services.
6.9 bn in exports of medical devices
2nd largest exporter of medical devices in Europe after Germany
And one Sligo-based medical devices firm makes enough tubing to circle the globe.
Every year.
Twice.
Exports like these will lead Ireland back to growth.
In fact, Irish companies own more stock invesments overseas (ODI) than foreign
companies make into Ireland. ( 189.7bn v 169.3bn)
Which shouldn't really surprise you.

But here are some other things that might:
Half of the world's fleet of leased aircraft is managed from Ireland.
We employ 16,000 people in forest products, and the sector produces 1.9 bn for the economy.
Ireland is the largest provide of cross-border life insurance in the EU with 16.4bn in premiums in 2009
1.4 TRILLION euro in funds are administered from Ireland

And we re competitive:
4th for labour productivity
3rd for flexibility and adaptability of peope
3rd for being open to new ideas
1st for real corporate taxes
1st for financial skills
1st for availability of skilled labour
So we re not kidding when we say Ireland MEANS BUSINESS.

You Should Say It Too. Go n'eiri an bothar leat. Trevor. www.trevorgillespie.com,

Business Start Up's

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 19:14:37 +0100

Helpful Websites

Starting your own business?

When starting your own business the more information you have the better. We have listed some helpful websites with information to help you on your way to making your business idea a reality.

www.smallbusinesscan.com
www.enterprise-ireland.com
www.intertradeireland.com
www.sfa.ie
www.enterpriseboards.ie
www.isme.ie

Joining a franchise?

By joining a franchise you have the opportunity to enjoy being your own boss while benefiting from the security and support that comes with being part of a franchise family. We have listed some informative websites to guide you through the process of becoming part of a franchise.

www.franchise.co.uk
www.franchiseoptions.ie
www.whichfranchise.ie
www.thebfa.org
www.irishfranchiseassociation.com

Starting an Online Business:

Coming soon.......www.trevorgillespie.com

Trevor Gillespie

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 19:07:03 +0100

Trevor Gillespie

5 Facts :

40% of the letters are vowels. Of one million first and last names , 29.7% have a higher vowel make-up.
This means it is well envoweled.
In ASCII binary it is... 01010100 01110010 01100101 01110110 01101111 01110010 00100000 01000111 01101001 01101100 01101100 01100101 01110011 01110000 01101001 01100101
Backwards, it is Rovert Eipsellig... nice ring to it, huh?
In Pig Latin, it is Evortray Illespiegay.
People with this first name are probably: Male.
So, there's a 98% likelihood they sweat just thinking of the price of shaver blades.

Forename:
Origin: Welsh. Meaning: Big Village

Surname:
Origin: The Gaelic for Archibald, from Gille, a youth or servant, and speach, a word expressive of quickness and sharpness in battle; spuaic, Gaelic, to break the head, to knock.

3 Things You Didn't Know (because they're fiction):

My personal power animal is the Giant Octopus
My 'Numerology' number is
If it wasn't bulls**t, it would mean that I am enthusiastic, creative, optimistic, and fun-loving.
According to the US Census Bureau°, 0.04% of US residents have the first name 'Trevor'
The US has around 300 million residents, so estimately

'Trevor Gillespie'

Ireland 2010

Sat, 06 Nov 2010 16:28:25 +0100

WITH THE effects of the recession still being felt and a brutal budget looming, it is perhaps hard for Irish people to see any silver lining in the dark clouds.

But it appears things are different from the outside looking in, with a UN Development Programme report ranking Ireland fifth in a quality-of-life index.

Ireland retained its spot in the top five countries in the annual Human Development Index, with just Norway, Australia, New Zealand and the US rated as better places to call home.

Despite the country’s recent economic turmoil, Ireland remains unchanged since 2005, while Iceland, which suffered its own financial meltdown, slipped by 10 places to 17th place in that period.

Ireland is among 42 countries which have a “very high human development” ranking based on indicators such as life expectancy at birth, which stands at 80.3 years; gross national income per capita, which is $33,078; and average schooling totalling 11.6 years.

In Zimbabwe, ranked last out of 169 on the list, life expectancy is just 47 years, average schooling stands at 7.2 years, and gross national income per capita is just €176.

Ireland ranked ahead of Canada in eighth place, Germany in 10th place and the UK, which slipped to 26th.

However, Ireland fares a lot less favourably when it comes to gender equality in which it ranks 29.

The index was devised in 1990 as a rival to gross national product per capita, the traditional marker of human progress.

This year’s index was published on the day a report by the World Bank placed Ireland ninth out of 183 countries in its
Doing Business rankings.

PAMELA DUNCAN. The Irish Times. Friday, November 5, 2010