Written by Bob Meyer, Editor of BarterNews

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Bentley Commerce Makes CEO Change, Kamm Terminated

The Bentley Commerce (OTCBB:BLYC) board of directors, pursuant to a resolution by the board dated September 13, 2005, has removed Bruce Kamm as CEO and CFO and from all consulting positions with the company.

Anna Taylor has been appointed as Interim Chief Executive Officer and Interim Chief Financial Officer. The 40-year-old Taylor will also continue her current positions of Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President and Secretary. Robert Schumacher continues as president and CIO.

Prior to joining Bentley Commerce Ms. Taylor served as the District Manager for KinderCare Learning Corporation, a major education corporation that operates over 2,000 centers nationwide. For the past five months, she has had the responsibility for the daily operations at Bentley Commerce...auditing and managing accounts, overseeing its programs, and training and developing new associates.

Trade Exchange Owners...

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Barbara Martin Appointed National Sales Manager At IMS

International Monetary Systems (OTCBB:INLM) has appointed Barbara Martin, a long-time respected veteran of the commercial barter industry, to the position of National Sales Manager. Over the years Martin has done a remarkable job of running regional offices for IMS’s Continental Trade Exchange network.

Her elevation to this prestigious and important position shows the growing importance of having a competent on-the-street sales team in addition to inside brokering services. IMS is on track to break the 10,000 client milestone within the next 60 days.

According to CEO Don Mardak, the company has a dozen full-time sales representatives who are bringing in around 100 new clients per month. “We intend to continue expanding our training and recruitment program for new salespeople so that we can eventually sign up 500 to 1,000 new members each month.

“Additionally,” Mardak disclosed, “we believe that we will have the ability to continue our acquisitions and roll-up of the existing barter industry, because of our good reputation and past relationships with trade exchange owners.”

For additional information go to www.internationalmonetary.com.

Now available ...BarterNews issue #64, get your copy now! Orders will be shipped within two business days of publication. Click on Order Form.

(If you are not sure if your subscription has lapsed, e-mail your name, address, and zip code to bmeyer@barternews.com.

ITEX/BXI Integration Successfully Moving Forward

Steven White, CEO of ITEX Corporation (OTCBB:ITEX), reported that former BXI brokers and members are “rapidly adapting to the new brand and are quickly making significant contributions to our marketplace performance.”

Business metrics for August 2005:

• Cash deposits of $1,211,000, compared to $801,580 in August 2004.
• Transaction volume of $16,121,000, compared to $10,543,000 in 8/04.
• More than 22,000 member businesses, compared to 13,400 in 8/04.
• 27,437 completed transactions, compared to 15,624 in 8/04.
• 1,814 new online listings, compared to 1,064 in 8/04.
• 257 new business registrations, compared to 165 in 8/04.

Every barter company in the world is listed on our web site, click through to our Global List of Barter Companies.

Our Fascinating World

Chauncey Starr, a physicist who has been pondering energy problems for seven decades (he’s 93), and is now president emeritus of the Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto, is excited about the future. He has a big idea which he refers to as SuperGird.

It’s the building of a network of air-cooled nuclear power plants that would be located every 100 miles along a transcontinental “spine,” and located underground for safety and security. Starr contends the project, which would take 30 years to construct, would end our country’s foreign-energy dependency.

BarterNews Online Classified Ad Service

Rainbow Vacuums & Regal Cookware

Available on 100% trade. Cookware is guaranteed for life. Also available, accessories such as deodorizer, carpet cleaning formula, floor cleaner concentrate, and other cleaning products. Contact Grizelda at (847) 588-1818 ext. 133, or grizeldas@itatrade.com.

Measuring Tape

Will do minimum order of 140 at $1.00 each. Great for giveaways, promotions, flea markets or dollar stores. Display at the registers and use as an impulse purchase. Call Gabi at (847) 588-1818 ext. 120.

Chicago’s Finest Gift Basket

A unique gift basket that includes Chicago’s finest hot dogs, sausages, Italian beef, brats, breads, and condiments. Will ship anywhere in the U.S. Contact Karen Zaur at (847) 588-1818 ext. 122, or karenz@itatrade.com.

(For information on placing your company’s classified ad in the Tuesday Report, see Classified Advertising.)

Chambers Of Commerce Able To Access Currency Business

A new web based program is being introduced to chambers of commerce which provides chamber members the ability to easily create, edit, or delete coupons that are printable by consumers. The program can be operated as a stand alone web site or easily integrated into a current site.

One doesn’t have to be a seer to envision the possibilities of chamber members using the new ASP (application service provider) technology to begin bartering their products and services, via coupons, amongst themselves.

Specialty Marketing Service says the program will allow chamber members to sign into an online control panel to access printable coupons, without intervention of chamber staff. Individual members thus have the ability to control the coupons, allowing them to use the service to test new products and services, liquidate excess inventory, or take advantage of a special purchase opportunity from a supplier.

While Chambers of Commerce are a focal point of a local business community, other local associations such as convention and tourist bureaus or local media outlets, such as newspapers and radio or television stations, can leverage the program for their benefit as well. This is still another sign that the “cashless marketplace” quietly continues its expansion.

Specialty Marketing Service offers vertical marketing solutions for niche industries. For program details, a live demonstration and licensing information, go to http://www.coccoupons.com.

Get New Money-Making Ideas And Valuable Contacts!

You can obtain useful, informative ideas and contacts in every available back-issue of BarterNews.

New Study Shows Real Estate “Flippers” (Traders) Doing Very Well

A study released by First American Real Estate Solutions, an Anaheim (CA) data provider, found that the practice of flipping real estate can pay big returns.

(The study looked at sales in three hot markets—Las Vegas, Miami, and Orange County, California—between 1999 and June 2005, and found that the annualized rate of return for three-to-six month flips was usually 20% to 40% or more above the market appreciation rate.)

The popularity of so-called flip deals has made section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code popular with real-estate speculators. In a 1031 exchange, also known as a “like-kind” exchange, a person who sells a business or investment property can defer capital-gains taxes by immediately rolling the gains into a similar piece of property.

However, according to some tax experts, the trouble is that people don’t understand the rules and therefore many trust the advice of real-estate brokers, who often aren’t well versed in tax law. Also some amateurs are buying and selling properties too quickly, running the risk that the Internal Revenue Service may deem the transactions a person’s trade or business, with gains taxed as ordinary income and subject to self-employment taxes.

Novice real-estate speculators who attempt to flip properties should be certain they understand the rules. The best way to avoid a problem is to consult a CPA or tax attorney before beginning the real-estate transaction.

The problem or mistake for novices occurs when the seller takes possession of the cash proceeds of the sale. Under IRS rules, the money must be placed in escrow or held by a qualified intermediary (such as a trust company) until the replacement property is acquired.

To avoid taxes, you have to roll the proceeds into a similar property, which generally would be a business property or raw or developed land. (You can’t trade an investment property for a personal asset, such as a primary residence or a vacation home.)

In a like-kind exchange, if you replace a property used for business or investment with a similar property, no gain or loss is recognized at that time. Most people do a “deferred” like-kind exchange, wherein a seller has 45 days to identify a replacement property and 180 days to close on the new asset.

Aside from like-kind exchanges, remember that you must also hold your investment for at least a year before selling to qualify for the preferential 15% capital-gains tax rate. If you sell before a year, the gain is subject to the highest income-tax rate of 35%.

And you can avoid the capital-gains tax altogether if you own and use your home as your primary residence for two years. Gains of as much as $250,000 for an individual and $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly are excluded. The two years doesn’t necessarily have to be continuous, as long as you have used it as a primary residence for a total of two years within a five-year period, ending on the date you sell the property.

Every barter company in the world is listed on our web site, click through to our Global List of Barter Companies.

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Here & There...

• In 1935, average 65-year-olds worked until they were 69 and were dead before they were 77. Today, the average worker retires at 62 and can expect to live another 20 years. And the number of retirees will start surging in a few years when the first big chunk of the 1946 to 1964 baby-boomer generation retires.

• Decades ago Americans used to snicker at the 40-year mortgages the Japanese families were shouldering for their sky-high real estate prices. Don’t look now, but guess what’s ahead in the U.S.—the 40-year loan. And with Fannie Mae, the nation’s largest mortgage finance company, buying certain 40-year fixed-rate loans, look for continued lender interest in offering this new product to the budget-constrained consumer desperate to get into a home
  
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