Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Ten Reasons People fail to Become Wealthy

1) Many people will not take responsibility for their lives. Instead they blame others for their problems.

2) Many people lack audacity. Some people are very afraid of taking any calculated risks, and…

3) People want guarantees. There are obviously no guarantees for stock market, bond, or real estate investments. There is no guarantee a new job will work out or that your degree will really be an asset.

4) People will splurge on payday rather than socking away money.

5) People will accept credit cards and splurge on unneeded items, dinners, vacations, etc.

5) Many people will not read nonfiction books that will help them. People chat on IM, watch TV, and drink at the bar. These activities obviously do not lead to wealth.

6) People sometimes take charge of their new job before they are competent at it. I can’t tell you how many times I have had to work with an idiot who sees himself as the new boss after two days on the job. Learn your job inside and out before trying to get promoted. Be a good and loyal worker.

7) People tend to be biased and closed minded. Many people are biased against investments, entrepreneurship, and other ideas and things that can help them. The arrogance of some poor people is outrageous. Investigate new things.

8) Many people just write off all success as luck. This is pure BS. Study the law of cause and effect in your life. Study how others became successful.

9) Far too many people suffer from poor self esteem, and say, “I am not good enough.” If you have this problem, cut yourself off from negative people, and bad relationships, and start to associate with positive and goal oriented people.

10) People fail to take the long view of their life. At least once a month, look at where you are going in life. Review your life goals and the progress you are making on them. Please don’t think of becoming rich instantly.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Financial Help in this Crisis

How do you survive job loss?
How do you survive pay cuts?
Where do you get money to take some of these great deals in the stock market?
Take a look at:

http://www.independentwealth.us/MoneySavingIdeas.html

Escape Poverty and Find Financial Independence

The first thing to do in your journey to financial independence is to take 100% responsibility for your entire life and all your actions. Do not blame others. If people keep you down, then move away from them.
The second thing to do in your effort to become wealthy is to study the laws of cause and effect as they apply to your entire financial life. What things can you do to cause the things and conditions (effects) that you want? The first things that financially independent people do are to work hard, save money, learning new skills, read in their field, and start a business. Here’s how to get started on these things.
Apply yourself at your job. Be dedicated. Show up on time. Be on task and don’t cause trouble.
Living below your means is essential. How can you save more? How can you earn more? How can you earn a raise, promotion, or get overtime? Start listing things you can do to earn and save more. Start an emergency fund of three months living expenses before opening a brokerage account. By living below your means, you are moving to the head of the pack.
Reading in your field and learning new skills are as essential as putting away money. Go to the library and get some books, audios, or videos that teach you what you want to know. Learning about how to become an excellent salesman would be a great idea. Learning basic economics is essential. Or you could learn how to start your own business doing what you are doing now, if possible. Getting a degree would be a huge boon to your success.
Starting a small business, even a sideline business could be the thing to do. Take this business seriously. Take care of your customers and make sure the product or service is excellent. Always be looking for more customers. Learn about search engine optimization (SEO), marketing, and advertising.
Here are some “random” ideas for you to implement. It is important that you review your goals every day. Keep track of your progress and see what things you need to keep working on. Also, see yourself as the type of person who is on track to become a millionaire. Your self image is very important. Keep informed of major developments in your field. Take action on your goals every day.
Here are a few more “random” ideas. Resist the urge to think too big, act like a kingpin, or to make too big of a gamble. Be wary of detractors, and phony friends. If a person was unfriendly before and left banana peels for you to slip on, expect the same from them. Be wary.
I will leave you with this: dare to think outside the box, be open to new ideas, and don’t be afraid to go against the grain.

The Truth About Credit Repair

The Truth About Credit Repair Companies.
You can do a lot on your own to repair your credit or to rebuild your credit.
Watch out for credit repair companies making false claims, like, "We can erase bad credit".
In reality is that no one can erase bad credit information from your report if the debt is real!
Also, many credit repair companies claim that only they have the secret knowledge about how to get inaccurate information off your credit report. Any living coherent person can get errors off their report on his/her own, and for free.
Remember, old information, means credit information older than 7 1/2 years. Accurate credit info must be older than 7 ½ years to be removed. Bankruptcy information older than 10 years can be removed.
Order your credit report from Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union. The reports will be under $10 each, unless you have been turned down for a loan (within the last 60 days), in which case the reports are free. You can also get one free report in any 12 month period if you are unemployed and will be applying for a job within the next 60 days, if you are on welfare, or if you have reason to believe that your report contains inaccurate information due to fraud.
Look for errors in your report. If you think you see an error, you should fill out a dispute form or write a letter explaining what you think is wrong. Attach any supporting evidence.
The agency must then investigate your report and get back to you usually within thirty days. (The credit agencies can decline your request only if they decide that it is frivolous. They must notify you of this decision).
The agency must notify you within five days of completing the investigation and must include a copy of your credit report if it has been revised.
If the problem is not resolved, you may file a written statement of up to 100 words explaining your side of the story.
If you think you are being discriminated against, by all means, consult with a lawyer.
If you are able to reestablish your credit, there is no guarantee of continued success in the future. You must continue to make regular payments, get good interest rates, and make sure you have ample cash reserves, etc.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Serious Motivation

If you want something bad enough, you can likely have it. But how do you get motivated enough to really take focused and consistent action?

First, write down your goal and list as many reasons as possible why you want to achieve it. Be brutally honest with yourself. If you are sick and tired of the status quo, write down the reasons why. Remind yourself of why you want to achieve this goal. This goal could be to get out of debt, to lose weight, to quit a bad habit, or to finish your degree. The philosopher, Nietzsche, said that a person can achieve any “how” if they have enough “why”. This is largely true.

Second, write down all the positive reasons why you will be happier after this goal is achieved. Keep these two lists and read them every day. Visualize life after your goal has been reached, and really feel the emotions associated with your goal, and the sights and sounds that go with it. Visualize people talking to you about your achievement.

You must be certain there are no inner conflicts in your mind about achieving your goal. You must decide to completely cut off negative influences and thoughts that can hold you back, like negative friends, etc.

Third, create a plan to achieve this goal. List items such as: what will you have to learn to achieve your goal, what obstacles do you face, when your goal must be reached by; concisely restate your current status as it pertains to your goal, who will help, and list the steps to achieve your goal.

Fourth, take action every day on your goal. Do as much as you can to help you with your goal each day, including: reviewing your reasons why you want your achievement, visualizing, seeking proper help, maintaining positive self talk, doing the work you need to do, engaging in intense workouts, and being wary of slipping back into debt, bad habits, etc. A good councilor could be a great help.

Fifth, associate with good and positive people with similar goals, beliefs, or people who have done what you intend to do. If you are serious about your goal, getting around the right people will be a boon to your success.

www.independentwealth.us will help you do what you need to do to escape the rat race.

I truely hope you succeed!

You Can Save Far More than You Think

You can save far more money than you think you can.
People frequently tell me it is impossible for them to save any more money than they are now.
I have a challenge and a free gift for you.
I bet you can save at least $1000 a year from the Money Saving Ideas page at:
www.financialindependenceuniversity.com

Monday, February 9, 2009

Cicero Quote

"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance." - Cicero - 55 BC

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Seven Different Investing Strategies

There are over 5000 publicly traded companies. But how do you figure out which ones to trade or invest in? I will show you several good investment ideas (plays) to consider.

You can buy shares of a company that is reportedly going to buy back its own shares. This is simply called a buyback. Buybacks are good because the company buying back its shares shows the confidence of its board in the future of the company. Investing in companies that buy back their shares usually prove to be superior investments.

You can find a company that is a good candidate for takeover by another company. Frequently, the share price of the company being acquired will rise, while the acquiring company's shares will usually decline.

You could also invest in a small cap or micro cap company that you believe could increase in value. The reasons to be optimistic about a small company's future could be a rumor the company is about to become profitable or to receive a contract. There could be significant insider buying, which is frequently a good sign. You could also choose to invest in a company because of increasing earnings.

Another strategy you could try is a dividend play. An above average dividend yield is a sign that a company is in good financial shape. Dividends can be cut, however. You could buy shares of a company that's dividend has increased over the years. If such an investment pans out, you could profit from both growth and income.

Selling short could be an option for you too. If you know of bad news looming for a company, selling short may be the thing to do. Watch for signs that a stock is way overpriced, like a high P/E ratio.

Look at changing demographics for investment ideas. For example, look at the aging of the U.S. What will the Baby Boomers likely spend money on in the next ten to thirty years? This should give you several ideas, including: healthcare, retirement centers, entertainment, leisure, and travel. You will have to hold on to these types of shares for some time to really profit.

Last, I will talk about value plays. If you see the shares of a company that you like is really getting battered, but you believe that things will turn around for the company eventually, consider buying shares. This sounds easy, but investors, and the family and friends of investors frequently see such an investment as suicide. But this is how Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway has invested throughout his career. Buffett buys quality companies while other investors are fearful.

In conclusion, try to use what you know about the economy, and the companies you know about to earn profits in your investments. If you need more help, hire a well referenced stock broker, and start reading the classic investment books.

David K Drews runs http://www.independentwealth.us , a site you want to visit if you want out of the rat race. The investment books I recommend are listed inside.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Commandments for Start Ups

+15 Startup Commandments

1. Your idea isn't new. Pick an idea; at least 50 other people have thought of it. Get over your stunning brilliance and realize that execution matters more.

2. Stealth startups suck. You're not working on the Manhattan Project, Einstein. Get something out as quickly as possible and promote the hell out of it.

3. If you don't have scaling problems, you're not growing fast enough.

4. If you're successful, people will try to take advantage of you. Hope that you're in that position, and hope that you're smart enough to not fall for it.

5. People will tell you they know more than you do. If that's really the case, you shouldn't be doing your startup.

6. Your competition will inflate their numbers. Take any startup traffic number and slash it in half. At least.

7. Perfection is the enemy of good enough. Leonardo could paint the Mona Lisa only once. You, Bob Ross, can push a bug release every 5 minutes because you were at least smart enough to do a web app.

8. The size of your startup is not a reflection of your manhood. More employees does not make you more of a man (or woman as the case may be).

9. You don't need business development people. If you're successful, companies will come to you. The deals will still be distractions and not worth doing, but at least you're not spending any effort trying to get them.

10. You have to be wrong in the head to start a company. But we have all the fun.

11. Starting a company will teach you what it's like to be a manic depressive. They, at least, can take medication.

12. Your startup isn't succeeding? You have two options: go home with your tail between your legs or do something about it. What's it going to be?

13. If you don't pay attention to your competition, they will turn out to be geniuses and will crush you. If you do pay attention to them, they will turn out to be idiots and you will have wasted your time. Which would you prefer?

14. Startups are not a democracy. Want a democracy? Go run for class president, Bueller.

15. You're doing a web app, right? This isn't the 1980s. Your crummy, half-assed web app will still be more successful than your competitor's most polished software application.

+10 More Startup Commandments

1. You will have at least one catastrophe every three months.

2. Outsource effectively, or be effectively outsourced.

3. Do you thrive on stress and ambiguity? You'd better.

4. The best way to get outside funding is to be successful already. Stupid but true. But you, cheapskate, don't need money, right?

5. People will think your idea sucks. They're even probably right. The only way to prove them wrong is to succeed.

6. A startup will require your complete attention and devotion. Thought your first love in High School was clingy? You can't take out a restraining order on your startup.

7. Being an entrepreneur requires a healthy amount of ignorance. Note I did not say stupidity.

8. Your software sucks. So what. Everyone else's does also, and re-architecting is the kiss of death for a startup. Startups are no place for architecture astronauts.

9. You do have a public API, right?

10. Abject Terror. Overwhelming Joy. Monstrous Greed. Embrace and harness these emotions you must.

- Mark Fletcher ( http://www.startupping.com/ )~Founder of Bloglines.com

Monday, February 2, 2009

How to Achieve Infinite Returns

In this article, I describe three ways to achieve infinite returns. The first way is by investing in the stock market, the second is through Internet marketing, and the third is through real estate.

The first way to achieve infinite returns is to take some of your cash on hand, and buy a stock that you believe will rise or drop significantly in value. If your investment is a success, sell the principle, and continue to invest with the proceeds. This is called playing with the houses money. If the investment using the proceeds of the original investment is a success, you have more or less achieved an infinite return.

You can employ a lot of investment strategies to help you choose investments. You can buy shares of a company that is reportedly going to buy back shares, or you could buy a company that is rumored to be taken over by another company. You could invest in a small cap or micro cap company that you believe could increase in value, or you could try a dividend play. Selling short could be an option for you too. There are many investment options in the stock market, and all of them involve risk.

If you get a good streak going, you could generate a fortune. You could increase your returns and the size of your account by keeping your principal invested.

Here is a way to earn infinite returns through Internet marketing. The idea is to create a buzz about the product you sell. If you have a percentage of customers who sing praises to your products, and recommend them to others. This saves you advertising costs and time spent promoting your products. Look into using an affiliate program to get affiliate marketers promoting your products for a commission.

You will only create a strong buzz and loyal following with superior products, customer service, and content.

Make sure to build an “opt in” list on your site. If you do, you can sell to many of your customers again. Add-ons are another good way to add to your total sales too.

You can earn infinite returns in real estate too. In his book, “Increase Your Financial IQ”, Robert Kiyosaki described a real estate deal where he borrowed money to buy a property, then sold the property for a profit and paid off the loan. There are many real estate pros that “flip” properties. They basically make infinite returns.

If you believe the economy is too bad right now to make any serious profits, then study and learn more about investments, Internet marketing, and real estate. Improving your credit could be an idea too. You actually can make profits in this economy, it’s just harder, and many people are offended by the idea of selling short.

If you want out of the rat race, visit: www.financialindependenceuniversity.com