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Used mainly for outdoor birthday parties and other children’s events, inflatable slides and other inflatable options are super for outdoor fun.

As the spring/summer approaches, being prepared with a quality product can extend your rentals for the whole year and also for years ahead. Not only does this product have to last to make a “good” profit this year, but also for years to follow. As an inflatable rental company, there are many options to choose from when purchasing the inflatables from types offered to various supply companies. Below are some factors to think about. When purchasing inflatables for rentals, keep in mind your goals and the consumers wants and you are sure to have a profitable business.

What does your consumer want?

The consumer wants a product that will entertain the children. The main reason for renting inflatables is to give the kids a fun and lasting activity. There are many suppliers of inflatables, but choose inflatables that will keep the party going. You may choose from slides, obstacle courses, moonwalks, games, and the newest inflatable sensation, theatre systems. Having a well-rounded supply gives the consumer options.

In addition to making the children happy, you also want to make the purchaser feel safe and comfortable about the product. There are tons of low cost inflatables out there. But, with the low cost, comes low quality materials and construction. It is important to think of the user and their safety.

What are you looking for/your goals?

Any business owner knows that quality brings back clients. To have a long standing profitable business it is important to start with quality products. Purchasing low cost inflatables may help your bank account in the short run, but in the long run will not work. In addition to continual repair or even new purchase costs, accidents may happen that will not only hurt your bank account, but children as well. That is nobody’s goal.

Choosing a quality supplier with great customer service is extremely important. With good service and products comes trust and comfort. It is important to shop around and see what is out there. Talk to suppliers and read testimonials from others. Purchasing your product is an integral part of your business. It your product doesn’t work, your business won’t either.

In summary, think of the needs of both you and the consumer. A great business has a balance of pleasing both and it all starts with the product.

Inflation is defined as: “A persistent increase in the level of consumer prices or a persistent decline in the purchasing power of money, caused by an increase in available currency and credit beyond the proportion of available goods and services.”

To simplify matters a bit, it means the government has been deliberately debasing the value of our money for years, in order to meet its political policies

In 1912, you could purchase tickets for the finest first class three room suite on the Titanic for about $4350 US. Remember there was no income tax back then.

If the Titanic were still around, that suite would cost about 86,120 after-tax dollars – about $112,000 pre-tax, assuming a very modest 30% tax rate.

It is impossible to predict what inflation will do over the next 23 years, but over the last 23, inflation was devastating. What cost $1,000,000 in 1983 would now cost about $1,910,000 in 2005 – the last year for which numbers were available. Or put another way, what cost $523,500 in 1980, now costs a cool million.

The US dollar lost almost one half of its buying power. Imagine if you retired in 1983 on a $1000 a month fixed pension. At the end of 2005, it could only buy $523 worth of goods, if there were no such thing as taxes. Let’s be gentle and only reduce your pension by 15% for taxes – now you only have about $444 in buying power.

The early 80’s had high inflation and interest rates, which have fallen over the years. But the figures given above only reflect a 3.9% inflation rate.

I am using 1983 for a reason. The leading edge of the baby boom generation is turning 60 right now. The average male life expectancy for a 60 year old is 22.8 years. At 65, the life expectancy goes to 18.9 years. (The overall life expectancy for someone born in the US today is 77.6 years.) So the typical baby boomer will be around for about the next twenty three years.

As the United States grew, its leaders decided that they could not afford first gold coinage and later silver coins. Eventually, the US abandoned the gold standard and just began to print bits of paper backed by “the full faith and credit of the United States.”

The problem with that is that the government can and does print as many of these bits of paper – dollar bills – as they feel like. The only value they really have is that which people choose to give it.

Now we are even moving away from paper currency to a “cashless” society. You could spend a large portion of your life never handling currency of any kind if you choose to do so.

But that brings us back to inflation. As trade deficits soar and with the government trillions of dollars in debt, people start to assign less and less value to those bits of paper or those electronic entries on your bank statement.

The problem is that the paper money really has no intrinsic value.

So how do you protect yourself against inflation? The answer is simple, but hard to implement. You just have to make an after-tax return on your investments greater than the inflation rate.

This is hard to do with cash or money market investments. The interest rates rarely exceed the inflation rate, either pre or post tax, and the value of the cash is constantly deteriorating.

Let’s go back to the Double Eagle. In 1933, the last year it was minted, it had a value of $20 – it would buy you $20 worth of goods and services. You can still buy that double eagle today, but its numismatic value distorts the equation.

In April 2006, gold bullion is selling in the range of $595 per ounce. The Double Eagle’s reincarnation, the “American Eagle”, which contains an ounce of gold, sells for about $618.

It now takes $270 to buy what cost $20 in 1933. But gold is selling for over twice that amount. So the intrinsic value of gold has doubled, while the US dollar has fallen by half over a much shorter period of time.

Obviously gold has a much higher intrinsic value than paper currency and, for that reason, is attractive to investors.

Even after you have reached your “golden years”, you have to be aggressive with your investments. One share of General Electric stock – representing maybe one 50 millionth ownership of the company – has more intrinsic value that the dollar bill in your pocket.

So you have to stay invested in either the carefully picked stocks of financially solvent companies or in no-load, low cost, quality mutual funds.

Corporate and tax free bonds should play a role in diversifying your assets into something that holds up better than cash.

From there, there is an infinite supply of investment opportunities some of which are quite risky.

But holding real estate or Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT’s) or gold coins, bullion, gold stocks or mutual funds will help you safely diversify among assets that are likely to not only hold their value, but appreciate better than inflation.

You cannot rely on your pension payments retaining their buying power, nor can you expect the government to control itself.

So keep inflation in mind and go after higher yields than you will get on your savings account. Otherwise you might outlive your money.

A new countrywide consumer poll from Lloyds TSB has indicated that worries about food, fuel and energy costs are forcing expectations of high inflation in the coming year.

The consumer barometer identified that average expectations for inflation in the next 12 months were found to approach four per cent, as opposed to the official three per cent set out by the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee’s (MPC’s) quarterly retail price index (RPI) report. Conducted earlier this month, the barometer questioned 2,000 adults throughout the UK and found that 90 per cent felt that average prices had risen in the past 12 months, compared to the 63 per cent recorded in May 2007. A further 89 per cent said they expected prices to increase again in the next 12 months. Both of these results were at their highest level since 2004.

Respondents to the study envisaged that by this time next year, inflation would be up to 3.8 per cent, up from 3.6 per cent estimated in last year’s survey. Lloyds TSB also suggested that consumer confidence in employment and their own job security was also slipping. Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of respondents said they felt their job was less secure than it was a year ago, while 48 per cent of people said that overall employment prospects in the UK had got worse in the past 12 months.

For those who have found themselves struggling with general living expenses, taking out a low-rate loan may be of assistance in meeting the costs of food and energy. Meanwhile, consumers who have become increasingly indebted as living costs soar, taking out a debt consolidation loan may provide a lifeline.

Trevor Williams, chief economist at Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets, said: “Currently at three per cent, there is no disputing that the current prediction is that inflation will stay high. However the latest report from the Bank of England suggested that in the long term inflationary pressures would ease as food and fuel prices start to fall in the next 12 months. In stark contrast to this, our latest barometer shows that consumers do not believe prices will ease and so inflation expectations for the next 12 months are tipping four per cent. The MPC continues to highlight the need to anchor inflation expectations as key to bringing actual inflation under control.”

He added that any future cut in the interest rate would send the wrong message to consumers. Mr Williams suggested that the UK will be in for a period of flat or rising interest rates if consumer expectations continue to rise.

In a press conference following the MPC’s May RPI publication, Bank of England governor Mervyn King attributed the current rise in inflation to increasing global costs of food and energy. He added that consumers will continue to feel the effect of these inflated prices over the course of the next 12 to 18 months and as such, he asserted that it “doesn’t make sense” to focus on bringing inflation down to the Bank’s target level of two per cent within this timeframe. However, Mr King said that “we should certainly” look to tack inflation back to this level in two years’ time.

Although it held the base rate of interest in its last decision, the MPC has made two cuts so far this year. In April, the base rate was cut by a quarter of a percentage point to stand at its current level of an even five per cent.

Why do you need an inflatable river kayak in the first-place? It may be the case you already enjoy kayaking but don’t have a place to store a standard kayak. Or if you enjoy kayak fishing you should definitely invest in one. There are many places where one can find an inflatable river kayaks, it’s just the matter of looking in the right place. Here are few companies that you should try out.

Sierra South

Sierra South have a vast selection of new and used inflatable river kayaks and rafts for you to consider, and at affordable prices. You should check out their Dagger Agent 6.0 which is one of their best sellers, the Agent 6.0 is the latest play boat design from the Dagger. The rocker front and back allows one to do front and back surf as well as traditional moves.

Another Dagger kayak that we rate is the Dagger Agent 6.2. The Agent 6.2 is basically an upgrade from the 6.0 and at the time of writing was retailing for hefty $1000. No doubt it is pricey but in our opinion well worth it because it is an inflatable river kayak that you know is going to be durable and should last you for years.

Clavey

You would likely have heard of Clavey if you have purchased an inflatable river kayak in the past or are an experienced kayaker. They offer inflatable kayaks as well other interesting gear such as white water rafts, touring kayaks, camping equipments, gear bags and other kayaking equipments which you will find useful on your kayaking trip.

Zebec Boats

If you don’t mind looking through a large collection of inflatable river kayaks this is the company for you. They feature number of kayaking brands, including the Sport Bug, which is one of their best sellers. If you haven’t heard of the sport bug, this kayak has built-in transom, self bailing floor, patch kit, collapsible aluminium oars, foot pump, carrying bag and it also comes with 5 years warranty.

These are just a list of few retailers and companies that you may want to look at for a durable inflatable river kayak, so relax and browse through their selection before deciding which one is the best for you. If you want more input you should visit a good kayaking store where a well-trained staff will be able to help you determine your needs and suggest the best kayak for you. A quick list of criteria’s to consider are how many people will be using the kayak which can help you decide number of seat you need in the kayak. Also consider whether you want to buy a kayak or would you be better off renting one, which could be a better option for you. This basically depends on your enthusiasm for the sport and whether you are willing to participate regularly otherwise there is no point of buying a brand new inflatable river kayak. You can find more information on inflatable kayak on various web sites on the internet.

For a number of years US economy has enjoyed a relatively low inflation rate. According to official statements, annualized inflation over last decade or so has been in very low single digits. Depending on the source and method of calculation, the rate has been about 2%. That is despite massive infusion of funds into the economy in the form of very low interest rates.

That course of action has been long supported by US financial authorities, the FED. For years the central bank has been concerned with growth, doing everything it could to fight economic slow down and stagnation. It was done in the form of cutting interest rates and seemingly endless liquidity increase. Let’s not forget about lending hand in order to bail out large financial institutions from the masses their questionable practises created. In fact, month after month we have been treated to speeches that inflation is under control and not a threat. Until now.

Published inflation figures pertain to the so called “core inflation”, compilation of prices on consumer goods, which excludes food and energy. Runaway cost increases in oil/gas and main food commodities are finally being reflected in the number, as their effects trickle down to other areas of consumer goods. Some of the newly released figures are stunning-soaring energy costs pushed inflation up in May at the fastest pace in six months, according to data released Friday by the U.S. Labor Department. Food prices had the biggest one-month leap in 18 years in April. That’s something.

Higher energy and commodity prices also fuel inflation pressures in other parts of the world. They are being acutely felt in Asia in particular, as the region continues to function as a commodity importer/manufactured goods exporter. One way countries can offset such inflationary pressures is to allow their currencies to appreciate more rapidly. All of a sudden, within a couple of weeks, the once neglected subject of inflation has catapulted itself onto front pages.

As of this writing in mid June, finance ministers of the of the Group of Eight industrialized countries (G-8) are holding a meeting in Osaka, Japan. Main subject have been inflation causing soaring oil and food prices, which are emerging as serious threats to global economic growth. The ministers are vowing to work together to address the problem. They urged oil-producing nations to increase production to help stabilize the spike in oil prices, and called for aid to address a looming food crisis in developing nations.

In response, Saudi Arabia pledged to increase its daily output by additional 500,000 barrels a day. This is surely to stretch their capacity to an absolute maximum, but in opinions of many this decision should calm energy markets, which, by the way, do not have a shortage of supplies. The recent run up of crude oil price to new high of about $140, is likely to be the extent of the rally for some time.

Where does it leave the dollar? There is no one certain answer, but her is one very possible scenario. Inflationary pressures are likely to cause FED to halt its rate cutting policy, maybe even to start gradual rate increases. That is always appealing to Forex traders. Falling oil prices should also benefit the dollar, as record energy costs have been vilified as the single biggest force behind USD weakness (rightly or not). And one more thing, Treasury Secretary Paulson warned earlier this week that he isn’t ruling out intervening in currency markets to stabilize the currency.

So, what is the relationship between US Dollar and inflation? Under current market conditions and in light of most recent fundamental and technical developments, USD might just get a much needed bust from the much dreaded inflation. This relationship is, however, fluid and unstable. Unchecked, inflationary forces can do just the opposite some time down the road- start another Dollar slide.