Oz Blog Network On Time For Launch

I'm happy to announce the Oz Blog Network is going to be on time for launch this coming January 1st, 2008. It's been long process of getting all Wordpress modules (plugins) customized for autoblogging. The rewriter is working seamlessly as well, so new bloggers can run the in-house installed Wp-O-Matic and the rewriter all in one shot.

This solves allot of problems for bloggers trying to get their autoblogs working properly. We've even installed a link killer that wipes out outbound links after a day or two. This stops the site from being a "bad link" mess.

Ozblogs.net is using all of the new Wordpress MU advantages and disdvantages to full explotation. Some would say that this is just a home for sploggers, but we're removing feeds from the site whenever asked not to, and we ask for full permission from users before they launch a new feed.

Well.....onward and upward. You can get your own autoblog with built in rewriter running in seconds by signing up here.

Found a New Free and Easy Blog Service [Ozblogs.net]

Found a free and easy blog service where you can blog to your heart's content and you can put your own advertising on the blog.

Most blog services (or Wiki Services) let you use their free service, but they don't let you put your Adsense on the site, and they fill your blog with their advertising. Also, they tend to be down a fair amount. AS WELL, I wanted a blog service that uses the latest SEO tricks to make sure I get some traffic on the site.

After a long look, I found OzBlogs.net. They offer a free and easy blog service where I can put my Adsense advertising on my blog. They've had ZERO down time since I've started too, which is a good sign.

Signing up for their free blog service was easy as you would expect most blog service site to be. There were over 20 good templates to use and NO hidden costs, or ugly advertising all over my posts.

You can check out their free blog sign-up page here.

Best Future Google Page Rank Tool Online

The best future Google page rank (PR) tool I could find on the Internet. Terry Zulit is spot on in my opinion as far a future Google PR tool goes.

Drunk Web Site

This site is staggering by the looks of it. This is a web site all about drunks and people getting drunk. Kinda cool...

Silii Gets Real

Silii.com has long been a gross product blog, which posted 6 automatic posts a day. The posts were mostly camping gear, clocks, and allot of other mundane products. Just an experiment I tried.

The experiment is over, and Silli is now joining the blogging community.

Brent

Cosco Wholesale Club Article

Always found the success of Cosco to be wild. Here is a quick article on the Cosco Wholesale Club. Part of the Kei Club over at Zulit.com

Here is some info from the piece.

Cosco Wholesale Club Model of Business
 
Cosco focuses on selling products at low prices, at high volume. These goods are usually bulk, and marketed to large groups and business operations. Furthermore, Cosco doesn't carry multiple brands or varieties where the item is substantially the same. This results in high volume of sales from single vendor, allowing further reduction in price, and reducing marketing costs. Cosco also saves money by not stocking extra bags or packing materials; to carry out their goods, customers must bring their own bags or use the merchandise shipping boxes from the company's outside vendors.

Membership fees at Cosco are 50 dollars a year for Goldstar and Business Memberships, which can be upgraded to Executive membership for an additional 50 dollars a year. Along with the additional benefits the executive membership has (e.g. car purchasing savings, home loans, car insurance, check printing services) executive members also receive an annual "2% Rewards Check" from Cosco on all purchases made (excluding gasoline and tobacco).

The CNN Retirement Calculator

Loan Allot has made it’s opinion crystal clear as to what retirement calculator they recommend. Here is their snippet below. (I get a kick out
of their web site theme……Lancelot/Loanallot…..now that is CHEESE my friends.

I did a little research on retirement calculators, and I have to give the edge to this retirement calculator in particular. This is the CNN retirement calculator.

Here are the instructions they give for using their calculator:

“Our retirement planner helps you estimate how well your savings program is preparing you for retirement. First we help you figure out how much you'll need. Then we tell you your chances of getting there. And if it looks like you'll fall short, we offer some suggestions for improving your plan.” 

Have fun playing with that for awhile. I learned one thing for sure, and that’s that I need to start saving some money in better places if I hope to retire with a pot to piss in.  

 

What the??!!! Key This - Search Search.dll Sofocus Pf,So,Getresults

I get a laugh out of this one folks. Found it on Terry’s new Kei Club idea. 

The keyword is Search Search.dll Sofocus Pf,So,Getresults. I usually think Terry’s ideas are interesting, and sometimes he’s full of it, but this one is just plain hilarious.

My definition of spam is when we create pages only to gain traffic. Terry’s definition of spam is when you create nonsense pages with web site generators (or scrapers).

Terry believes that as long as you write a piece of original content, then the page is not spam. These defintitions could be debated for a very long time.

 

 

 

Oh Yeah...and also the infamous DW230.com Site

Also, the spammers are going after the Japanese search engine Dw230.com. Once again, Zulit has posted the actual reason for this keyword.

Read more…

Google Query Monitor Software aka Googletestad

There has been allot of rubbish thrown up online (literally) by spammers on the infamous Google Query Monitor, or also know as Googletestad.

Zulit.com actually explains what the Google Query is. It’s software folks. There’s a trial as well for it.

Read more…

Wedding Party Wanting Loans

I had the most unusual email the other day. I had someone ask if we could point them in the direction of a site that gave loans for wedding dresses, in particular a loan for a bridesmaid dress order.

I told them that we didn’t find people loans for wedding dresses, and bridesmaid dresses – that we could help her with a car or motorhome, student loan, car loan, and/or motorcycle loan, but not wedding dresses.

I suggested they use Google and find what they needed there for wedding keywords.

Hmmmm…..what next?  

Wedding From Hell

You have to read this!

My sister had to have champagne colored bridesmaid dresses for her wedding (this past July 2006). She was adamant about the exact color, style, and price of the dresses.

She, and her husband Robert, spent a ton of money on this wedding – the the tune of 35 grand. Ouch! 

Not only did the bridesmaids have to be wearing the champagne colored dresses, but she insisted on wearing a tea length wedding dress.

So Here is The Wedding Nightmare

The wedding took place in the back yard of a 4 acre lot outside of Chicago. It was all there and in place. Preacher had arrived and we were all taking or respective seats on the sides of the aisle.

The music started and my Dad was just starting walk my sister down the aisle – she was absolutley georgous in her dress, and the bridesmaid dress choice she made was stunning too. They all looked fantastic.

Out the blue, all three of my Mom’s golden retrievers (two of which were puppies, who were supposedly locked in the pool area….which was half dirt because of the reno work) covered in mud bolted past the minister, and through the wedding party.

All three of the dogs went straight for the bridesmaids in their champagne dresses. They jumped up on all three of them, destroying the dresses with mud, and claw snags. People were laughing. People were gasping. People were crying. Shrieks were heard in the wedding party.

When the goldens were shoed away from the bridesmaids, they bolted straight down the aisle toward my Dad and my Sister, who was in tears by now. My Dad, and both sides of the aisle, jumped out to stop the dogs from further destrying the bride. Didn’t work…

One of the puppies made it through the maze of panicked wedding guests, and leaped on my sister (who is 5’2” and one hundred pounds), and knocked her to the ground. The groom finally made to his bride-to-be and the guests had pulled the excited retriever off her. Too late.

She was covered in mud, dirt, and saliva. The wedding was destroyed and her tea length wedding dress was a shambles. HORRIBLE!

The wedding went on anyway, but the bridesmaid dresses, and the bride’s dress were covered in mud still.      

Searching for Debt Consolidation Companies

Be diligent when you're in the market for a decent debt consolidation company to help solve your financial woes.

Make sure they're on the up and up. Make sure you are dealing with trustees, or financiers, that have a long and solid track record, before you sign ANY of their contracts.

If you need to consolidate credit card debts, or any other kind of debt for that matter, it can be a real puzzle trying to sift through all the manure online. You may be able to qualify for an unsecured loan, which can consolidate your debt with one monthly payment, and never have to use any hard collateral.

If you're self-employed you will most likely have to use your home for collateral, since the banks prefer people who have steady, well paying jobs over entrepreneurs.

There are other companies that will help you manage your debt without having to use another loan. These companies usually charge you a fee and then help negotiate lower interest rates with your creditors and manage your monthly payments. There are various ways to do this and every company is different. Usually these techniques will save you money to start paying down the principle on your credit balances.

A few of these outfits are "sometimes" worth the monthly fee, and you'll end up saving way more than they charge you overall. However, some of these trustees are a little slimy, and they're out to make money by holding their client's cash for collecting interest as long as they can before they make the payment on your behalf. Very slimy indeed.  

The Plus Student Loan In The United States

Here we make a note of the Plus Student loan funding system, and what it can do for parents and students. 

This is a quick description of what a Plus Student Loan is all about. This is the most popular way to get funding for your education.

Administered by the college or university your child attends, the OSL PLUS Loan is one of the most competitive PLUS Loan products currently offered in the U.S.

PLUS loans are not need-based; however, the parent just needs to meet minimal credit requirements to qualify. Unlike other Federal student loans, repayment of the parent PLUS loan is the responsibility of the parent, not the student.

The Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students, or PLUS loan, is a federally-backed loan that enables parents to borrow funds to cover your child's (or children's) cost of attending college, less any financial aid.

A PLUS Loan is more flexible, and less expensive than Conventional Consumer Loans.

Many parents opt to take out a parents PLUS Loan because it offers many advantages over other forms of consumer loans such as a home equity loan or line of credit, credit cards, bank loans, or other private loans.

Dissolving My Ego

Our ego is something we don't need.

Today I will begin dissolving my ego. I will think of how others are affected my thoughts, words, and actions.

I am not my job, my status, or my things. I am a born energy force of love, and I must remind myself of my true calling.

I am here to help others, love others, and love and help myself.
To love me is to love the source of all loving creation.

When I think of others in loving and patient ways, I'm showing respect for the loving spirit that I truly am.   

This week I shall love myself and others, and dissolve my ego.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

We hope this weekly affirmation will give you a moment of peace, and a reminder of your connection to loving spirit.

You ARE a piece of divine energy, and a miracle.
 
Click for the article of the month:
http://www.zulit.com/2007/07/24/pro-travel-network-review-to-end-all-pro-travel-network-reviews/

Becoming a Travel Agent in The New Century

In this exciting new century there is a new way to become a travel agent. The days of the expensive travel agent courses are becoming ancient history, and working in a mall is a non-happener all together.

Classic (old-school) Travel Agent Opportunity

There are still travel agent trainings, that cost an arm & a leg, and leave you with the ability to book travel, but that’s where it ends. My wife took this old-school training and it cost her over $10,000 and she had to pay for room & board for the month-long course.  She ended up with a basic privilege to book travel. 

With these kind of old-school credentials, you are missing out on something BIG, and I’ll get to why further in this article.

Internet Travel Agent Opportunity

Then along came the Internet, and soon there was hundreds of web-sites offering cheap eBooks, online courses claiming that you would get the information, and training you needed to succeed as a travel agent (home-based, or overhead based).

None of these cheap deals actually deliver on their promise, and this avenue usually leaves you out of pocket for some of your hard-earned money. How much can vary – from as low as $5.95, and as high as $2500 USD. OUCH! You want to stay clear of these scams for sure.  

Then Came Programs Like YTB

YTB is a smoother, and slicker Internet based company that promises to provide you with the resources to become a home-based travel agent. The problem is that there are better offers out there now. These new-world networks cost less money, set you up faster, pay higher commissions, and provide for residual income as well. The travel agents make high commissions, and they have lucrative down-lines that grow wealth perpetually.  

The New-World Travel Agent System

The new-world travel agent systems use a Network that provides for online travel booking so that the agent can work from anywhere there is an Internet connection, and they pay much higher commissions. The best example to date is a new travel company known as Pro Travel Network.

This new breed of travel agent gets all the travel benefits the old-school agents get, but they have more freedom because of the Internet based model, and they (more importantly), have downlines. This is where it gets very lucrative.

The best article I was able to find that explains Pro Travel Network in detail is here. There are links to a forum, where you can watch some of these Pro Travel Network agents planning trips, signing up new recruits, and talking about their commissions. Pretty cool to watch.  

The Zulit article also breaks down the different ways new members can be agents. They can either sign up like the old-school agent with the ability to only book travel, or they can sign up for the PTN multi-level-marketing side.
This is not unlike the old Amway system, but it’s based on travel booking, and this is why it’s such a lucrative system. Signing up people for travel deals, and a residual income is an easy sell.

At this writing, I have not become a home-based travel agent, but my sister did a year ago. She joing PTN, and her income is now double what she made as a book-keeper. She has been traveling all over the world, and I’m getting quite envious with the schedule she has.

As I always suggest to my conservative-minded readers, don’t jump into this program without reading allot about it.

I would start reading here if you are researching how to become a travel agent.

Have a super-day, gotta run..

Carla

So Here is The Definitive Info On Pro Travel Network

This post by Terry Zulit is becoming the Internet’s best article as far as detail and information goes for Pro Travel Network.

Terry is an expert in the field of online marketing and this is his work for Pro Travel Network. You will enjoy this read for sure. 

Brent (aka Terry) brings up some invaluable points in regards to getting setup as home-based travel agent. I like the part in particular where he gives you a link from his site to your Pro Travel Network site.

 

     

All Health Insurance Agencies Would Have You Believe

Below is what all health insurance agencies would have you believe. They’re glorified middle-men of the health insurance industry, and if what they all said was true, then the ditty below would ring true.

It doesn’t.

Health insurance premiums are filed with, and regulated by your State’s Department of Insurance. Whether you buy from a local health insurance agency, or directly from the health insurance company, you'll pay the same monthly premium for the same plan.

This means that you get the advantages and convenience of purchasing your health insurance plan through pretty well any health insurance company and know that you're getting the best available deal.

By combining the knowledge of a neighborhood agent with the broad experience and comprehensive understanding of a leading online health insurance source, most health insurance companies are able to offer their customers the following benefits.

Best Prices. Health insurance rates are filed with and regulated by your state's Department of Insurance. Whether you buy from your local agent, or directly from the health insurance company, you'll pay the same monthly premium for the same plan.

Large Selection. Because most health insurance agencies offer plans from multiple insurance companies in your area, they can offer a broad selection of health insurance companies and plans, which allows you find the plan that best fits your needs. In fact, most health insurance companies can provide a quality online source of health insurance for individuals, families and small businesses.

Excellent Customer Care. The licensed health insurance agents and experienced representatives that staff most customer care centers will help you make the most of your money with professional, unbiased advice.

Fast Processing. Most health insurance companies offer the fastest way to apply for health insurance because many of the plans offered on their web sites can be submitted and signed electronically, eliminating the need to manually print and mail applications. This reduces average processing time significantly.

Pro Travel Network Advantages

Here is a quick post on the advantages of working with the Pro Travel Network.

1^st advantage of being a Pro Travel Network member: You get to set your own hours and work out of your home. No boss, no alarm clocks, no hassles.

2^nd advantage of being a Pro Travel Network member: You get to travel like the pros with all the perks and discount travel fares. You get to take fam trips because you are a Pro Travel Network Agent.

3^rd advantage of being a Pro Travel Network member: You are self-employed so you get to write-off any travel expenses you have, a portion of your bills, your mortgage or rent, or almost anything under the sun 

4^th advantage of being a Pro Travel Network member: You have no cap, or limit, to how much money you can make. You can make ALLOT of money with PTN, and the sky really is the limit.  

5^th advantage of being a Pro Travel Network member: Your Pro Travel Network is EASY to grow quickly as the benefits are easy for people to see. Creating a team is not a problem becuase it’s still a new revelolution in the travel industry.

See the Pro Travel Network Blog (PTN FREEDOM) for more information. 

Pro Travel Network - Become a Travel Agent

Found another Zulit post of interest. All of us who make a full time living online, eventually end up traveling allot. As long as we have high-speed Internet wherever we go, it’s all good. The only problem is the expense.

Well Terry found a great way to write-off all his travel expenses in a legit fashion. He signed up with Pro Travel Network, and became a travel agent. Done. All travel expenses written off, a new MLM income stream ta boot.

Here is the post with links:

So I’ve been looking for a way to legitimately write-off all our travel. Don’t want the tax-man knocking on my door you know. I was looking into becoming a travel agent a year ago, but gave up on it, as getting the course, and such, was a pain and expense I didn’t want.

As luck has it, I met one of the go-getters of Pro Travel Network a couple of weeks ago. (Anil) So I signed up in order to promote the travel network, and also become a travel agent.

The beautiful thing is the MLM side of PTN. Right up my alley as an Internet marketer. I’m doing a review of Pro Travel Network today, so I’ll be sure to post a link to the review on this post later.

– Kenny

Pro Travel Network Introduction Video

Click here to sign up NOW and become an a Pro Travel Network Agent

Zulit Posting Earnings Series

Found this interesting post over at Zulit. Terry is posting all his profit and loss graphs, and reports. His earnings are 100% online, so it’s inspiring to see these results. He’s been at this for over 3 years now. See the Zulit earnings series here.   

Story…

This is a simple earnings graph for 2007. This is total average income, total average costs, and total average net profit. The spread sheets this came from have a ton of variables, but this one is a simple graphic on the overall numbers.

Next I’ll try some of the 3D and pie graphs to see which ones show better.

Next posted earnings graphs will be in more detail as to the source of the income, and costs. For the purpose of this series on a Wordpress blog, and this particular theme choice, I need to start using a different configuration.

Notice on the month of May (#5 at the bottom of the graph), I cut it off, because there is of course no numbers yet to display, and the graph takes a nose dive. Net income seems to be floating around the $7000 mark.

I’ll be starting some new sites and campaigns this summer, which will hopefully send these lines in a northern direction.

Average Costs – Average Gross  – Average Net
                                         2007 
 

Posted On Zulit as Terry Begins Daily Earnings Reports

This is the first post on Zulit’s blog regarding his daily Internet income.

This started off as a slow day, with only a gross income of
$150 total at 2:00PM Mountain time. Sometimes the commission reports are slow depending on the day.

This was a Tuesday, and generally a busy day online. This Tuesday would come in as a so-so day. Keep in mind that June 12th is a transitional day for my vectors (markets), and we are on the down-slope to the slower season now. By August we will lower considerably, and we will hit the year’s rock bottom for net income early September.

This day gets a thumbs up because of the high affiliate commission level. This is not the norm. Usually much less than this for my business.

Total Contexual Advertising Income = $361.23 USD

Total Affiliate Commissions - Leads and Sales = $187.71 USD
--------------------------------------------------------
Total Income = $548.94 USD

Total Advertising Costs Out = $194.09 USD

Total Net Income June 12th/2007 = 354.85

Adsense Video From Regualr Guy

Payday Loan Companies Targeting Immigrants?

Very good post here from Financing Usa (origin Payday Loan Times) on the possible abuse of immigrants by Payday cash advance companies. Your humble narrator doesn’t quite buy this, but it’s a clear argument for sure. 

Illegal immigrants could fall prey to loan sharks and other unscrupulous quick payday loans lenders if they have to pay $5,000 in fines and thousands more in fees and back taxes as required under the immigration reform measure now before Congress, some advocates are warning.

Many immigrants work low-wage jobs and have virtually no assets. As a result, they often have poor credit and are forced to borrow on the street from no fax payday loan stores.

“We’re real concerned about the potential for fraud,” said Beatriz Ibarra, who studies Hispanic finances for the National Council of La Raza, the nation’s largest Hispanic advocacy group and a tepid supporter of the draft legislation. “They’ll find a way to pay, but how?”

Some say the measure also could lead to abuse by employers, who could offer to pay employees’ fines in return for repayment arrangements that could be difficult to satisfy, leading to what would amount to indentured servitude. However, advocates and other experts say that is unlikely, because most employers probably wouldn’t find that sort of arrangement worth the cost and risk.

It is not exactly clear how much time the immigrants would have to pay the fines and fees to achieve legal status and eventually obtain a green card, which confers permanent residency. But because of the backlog of green card applications, immigrants may have up to eight years to come up with the money.

“It’s a lot of money, but if they gave us the opportunity, we’ll see how we can get it,” said a young immigrant mother of a 2-year-old U.S.-born daughter, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of deportation.

The native of Guerrero, Mexico, said she has no idea how she would get the money — which could amount to $3,000 for the initial visa application and $4,000 plus back taxes for a green card. However, she said she is confident she would manage, even though she only makes minimum wage working at a Mexican grocery in Georgia and could conceivably be in need of payday loans.

To make it across the border, many illegal immigrants pay thousands of dollars to smugglers, who sometimes threaten them with death if they don’t pay their debts. Then, many make low wages working in agriculture, construction and the hotel and restaurant industry. Out of that, they often send money back home to support their families. And because they are illegal, they tend to distrust banks.

“If you have a family of four or five, it’s going to add up to thousands of dollars, and I just can’t imagine anyone having that amount of money stored in a shoebox — so someone will come up with a lending scheme that will be close to usury,” said Robert Moser, deputy director of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of San Diego.

The Pew Hispanic Center reported last spring that the average weekly earnings for illegal immigrant males who arrived between 2000 and 2005 were around $480, and about $100 more for those who arrived before 2000.

About half of Hispanic immigrants have no checking or savings accounts, and those who have credit cards often pay exorbitant fees and have difficulty managing their debt, according to a study co-authored by Ibarra. Hence, the possibility of cash loans.

(more…)

Related Video On Payday Loan…

Bad Credit - Zero Down - Sub-Prime Loans

Carry Reeder wrote this piece on subprime/bad credit loans. She hits on a few good point regarding zero down loans.

This kind of lending is a bad idea, unless you have a serious and viable plan for repayment, and house-hold income.

Sub-prime lenders now offer financing packages with zero down. Interest rates are higher on these types of loans, but they make purchasing a house easier. And unlike a conventional loan, there is no private mortgage insurance required. There are two types of zero-down mortgage packages, each with their own requirements.

Types Of Zero-Down Loans

100% financing, as it names implies, offers complete financing of your property. The other option, 80/20, finances your mortgage with two loans. Both loans may be carried by your lender, but sometimes the seller or a second lender is required to carry the 20% mortgage.

100% financing is easier to deal with, but not all lenders will offer this type of home loan. 80/20 financing is more common, but takes some negotiation if the seller is involved.

Qualifications For Zero-Down

Each lender has their own criteria for determining who will qualify for a zero-down loan. Most sub-prime lenders require any bankruptcies or foreclosures to have been at least twelve months ago. A conventional loan requires these to be discharged two to four years ago.

While a credit score of 600 or higher is best, large cash reserves can also qualify you. Six to twelve month’s worth of cash reserves in the form of savings, money market, or other liquid assets are considered ideal.

If you choose 80/20 financing with the seller carrying the second mortgage, you can qualify with sub-prime lenders with a score of 560.

Zero-Down Sub-prime Lenders

You can find zero-down sub-prime mortgages with both conventional and niche sub-prime lenders. Make sure that you request quotes from as many mortgage lenders has possible to be sure you find the lowest rate and best terms.

You will also want to decide what type of mortgage you want. An ARM is easier to qualify for and has lower rates. A fixed rate mortgage offers the security of a constant interest rate over the life of your loan.

Typically an ARM will be a better deal if you plan to refinance within a couple of years. After you have improved your credit history, you can refinance for a conventional mortgage with low interest rates.

To view our list of recommended subprime mortgage lenders online, visit this page: Recommended Bad Credit Mortgage Lenders Online.

Carrie Reeder is the owner of ABC Loan Guide, an informational website about various types of loans. Related Video…

Americans Learning To Invest Their Personal Money

This is a great article/piece on SM, regarding the education citizens need to invest their own money wisely, and prosper. Interesting to see a lack of interest these days.

Let’s face it, it’s more fun to be at the golf course, than sitting in front of a computer, with a phone attached to your earlobe.   

Taped to the big wooden doors of the Charlotte, Michigan, library, a photocopied flier offers a free Saturday afternoon course on investing. The program is new to the community library, the pilot in a statewide investor-education campaign. Funded with $30,000 of government money, with more on the way, it looks like a gem: It's free, it isn't selling anything, and participants can sign up for one-on-one financial counseling.

But 10 minutes before the seminar, something is missing — people. The flier, it turns out, was posted only two days ago, and the only other advance notice came in the form of a few radio ads. Standing before an almost empty room, Linda Cena, the state's securities regulator, welcomes two senior citizens and the library director and introduces a financial planner who has driven 80 minutes from suburban Detroit. He begins his PowerPoint presentation with "What is the stock market?" and ends two hours later with "Three keys to building wealth."

The septuagenarian couple don't take notes, nor do they really want financial counseling. "I wish we'd heard this 30 years ago," says one of them, wondering aloud "why more people hadn't come." Her rhetorical question is swallowed by the library's stuffy, echoing stillness.

That silence may be the sound of squandered opportunity. For four years now, Uncle Sam and all 50 states have been engaged in an unprecedented effort to educate Americans about investing, coaching them in everything from 401(k) plans to how to avoid fraud. It is a novel idea indeed, made possible by the high-profile 2003 settlement between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the brokerage industry that earmarked $85 million for investor education. But if you haven't heard about it, or had a chance to sit in on a free seminar, you're not alone. Even some of the officials who are funding the programs concede that some efforts have been disappointing.

At a time when more Americans than ever are interested in the stock market and retirement planning, this money would seem to be a welcome windfall. But a SmartMoney look into just how it's being spent doesn't inspire much confidence. In Minnesota, it's gone to distributing a free CD in supermarkets with such generic financial tips as "obtain information about your investment possibilities from reputable sources" — in Ojibwa and Amharic, among other languages. Meanwhile, in Buffalo, N.Y., a new PBS show called MoneyTrack offers wiser tips but with one drawback: It runs only on Tuesdays at 5 a.m.

The settlement brokered by the SEC divided the investor-education money into two parts: $30 million was turned over to the Investor Protection Trust, a nonprofit group set up to fund state-by-state programs; the rest was designated to support a national initiative. Four years later, however, the states have used less than $8.5 million. Meanwhile, the national endeavor, which started making grants only a year ago, has deployed just $2.1 million, largely for research projects. For now, it's uncertain when the rest will be spent, or on what. "No one has ever had $50 million to spend on doing the right thing, and it didn't have to be hard," says Charles Ellis, a prominent investment consultant tapped by the SEC to develop a national investor-education plan — only to see his efforts dismissed. "We really ended up surprised and disappointed."

For their part, the folks in charge of the money say better programs are on the way. But financial education, even when it's done well, is a tricky proposition. As any financial planner will tell you, people are often reluctant to examine their finances, and for those just getting started, the whole idea of saving and investing is often abstract and confusing. John Gannon, who heads the NASD Foundation, which oversees the national programs, says there's too often a disconnect between the programs that are proposed — which involve creating web sites, brochures and curricula — and what actually works. "They don't focus on how to get those materials into the hands of people who need them," he says.

JIM LOWE ISN'T AN investing expert, nor is he an educator. What the former salesman does know is how to raise money for a consortium of 12 Minnesota public radio stations, where he serves as development director. So when he heard there was grant money available for investor-education programs three years ago, he says, "I immediately saw the potential." Lowe quickly drafted a proposal for a series of public service announcements warning recent immigrants about fraud and shipped it to the Investor Protection Trust. After five months of back-and-forth discussion, Lowe's plan to use foreign-language radio to reach these new groups was approved with a budget of $210,000 — nearly half of the state's allocation for investor education. How far that money went, though, may seem a little disappointing. Most paid for 40-second radio spots — in Ojibwa, Hmong and Amharic, Spanish and English — with advice that ranged from "get things in writing" to "stay alert." The ads, which were also recorded on CDs and distributed free at local supermarkets, referred listeners to a web site — that doesn't offer any investing resources, only information about the consortium. Lowe argues that the project was a big success. "It's hard to gauge any kind of advertising," he says. "But people have told us they think this is fantastic."

Multiply that effort times 50, and you start to understand the problem with this exercise in good intentions. In Texas the money is being used to promote the state regulator's office, says Texas Securities Commissioner Denise Crawford, "or no one would even know we exist." California spent some of the money to warn members of the military about payday lending. And several states pooled their money to award a $1.6 million grant to develop the public television series MoneyTrack. The first 13 episodes, which aired last year in Buffalo and elsewhere, averaged 450,000 viewers per episode — less than half the audience for reruns of Mama's Family. So does any of this help investors make better choices? "We don't have any data, but I think we're making a difference," says Montana State Auditor John Morrison. His state has used some of its money to sponsor seminars covering, among other things, lottery fraud. It's not saving or investing, Morrison concedes, but "if it's what you want to do with your money, better to play the real lottery than a fake one."

TO BE SURE, MOST of this was not what the SEC had in mind in 2003, when it reached a $1.4 billion settlement with 10 brokerage houses in which they neither admitted nor denied allegations that they had provided misleading stock research during the dot-com boom. With the money set aside for the national education effort, the agency drafted Ellis, the Wall Street consultant, and George Daly, now dean of the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown, to develop a strategy. For a year, they and a team of experts combed through research on the topic and came to an alarming conclusion: There was no chance that people would sit down for even a short, relatively convenient, relatively entertaining program on the principles of investing. "The smartest people I knew said, 'You will fail,'" says Ellis.

What would work? The team wanted to direct the funds toward educating the people who run workplace-based savings plans, like 401(k)s. But to some, that plan appeared to hand the money right back to the financial-services industry. "It wasn't a frivolous idea," says a person who worked at the SEC at the time. "But it wouldn't play in Peoria." Frustrated, Ellis resigned, and the funding for national investor education was turned over to the NASD Investor Education Foundation, a nonprofit attached to the National Association of Securities Dealers, in September 2005, more than two years after it was first set aside.

Academics and financial planners alike agree that money spent producing still more web sites, brochures, public service announcements and curricula falls almost uniformly short of helping investors. For one thing, consumer groups and mutual fund companies have been doing that for a long time. "The last thing we need is more materials," says Nancy Smith, who ran the Office of Investor Education at the SEC before becoming vice president of investment services for AARP Financial. "We're not one web site away from successfully teaching people about investing." The folks in charge of doling out investor-education money seem equally frustrated. Don Blandin, who runs the Investor Protection Trust, which distributes money to the states, says the efforts are by definition all over the map. "Every day I'm trying to turn 50 dials, trying to make some progress. But I can't turn them all at the same time."

For its part, the NASD Foundation thinks it has a solution — one that's supported even by people who wonder whether traditional financial education can work at all. Instead of starting from scratch, the foundation plans to tap into groups that already have a wide membership base. Among the early recipients is the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education, which was awarded $630,000 to teach marriage counselors to talk finances with divorcing couples. Similar reasoning yielded funding for the Center for American Nurses to create a financial-education program directed at the country's 2.9 million nurses. "We want the information to be accurate, unbiased and objective," says the NASD Foundation's Gannon. "And we want to make sure it's targeted to the audience."

Neither program is beyond the planning stages, but they seem closer to the right idea: getting information to people who might not otherwise ask. But projects like these are rare. Given what's out there, Gannon doesn't think the foundation will be able to give away more than $25 million by 2015. The rest of the money will go to programs sponsored and developed by the foundation itself.

Still, even projects that seem innovative in the planning stages can struggle in the execution, which may be among the biggest challenges for this experiment. The NASD Foundation funded and applauded, for example, a program designed by the Partnership for After School Education to teach investor education through its 1,400 member organizations. And on a frosty Thursday afternoon in February at a public school in the Bronx, more than a dozen young adults grab a slice of pizza and settle in for the day's "Dollars and Sense" lesson on investing. It all seems very promising until Ken deRegt, a 20-year Morgan Stanley veteran and a member of the PASE board, starts talking about risk-return strategies. He discusses the difference between bond yields and dividends and mentions the 2001 market crash. He's been talking for at least 30 minutes when a young woman raises her hand with a fundamental question: "I don't get it," she says. "Why do I have to invest, anyway?"

"What doesn't make sense to you?" he asks, smiling patiently.

"Everything," she says, shaking her head.

[Source SmartMoney.com]

Related Video…Global Investment Ad 

New York Real Estate Cost vs Cost of Living (Video Incl)

Found some interesting numbers quoted at the Terry Zulit blog (Your Financial Freedom), regarding the cost of living and breathing in New York city, and surrounding areas. I’m glad I’m not trying to make a go of it in New York!

I guess the saying is true…..”if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere”.

All this, with the latest forcast for overall housing prices to drop in late 2007 across the United States. I suppose there are some areas where real estate is somewhat immune from fluctuation, and New York is one of those places.

Some of the numbers below are not directly related to NYC real estate, but they either show the trend, or add a little humor into the fray. Interesting number on how much real estate work you can do when you're serving 33 1/3 years in jail.

Enjoy!

$7.25 million =

Going price for the most expensive of One Brooklyn Bridge Park's 26 penthouse units, making it Brooklyn's all-time priciest condo

$3.8 million =

The borough's previous record, paid this past January for a penthouse in Williamsburg's Aurora building

45 =

Stories slated for Donald Trump's planned condo-hotel in SoHo

12 =

Months it took for The Donald's controversial project to finally get approval

$1,550 =

Rent for a one-bedroom loft in Bushwick advertised - without apparent irony - as "punk rock heaven"

$1 =

Amount residents at the former punk squat C-Spot paid to purchase their East Village building five years ago

40,000 =

Square feet in Brownsville and East New York set aside by the city to be used as community farms

33 1/3 =

Minimum number of years drug dealer Alejandro Lopez-Guevara was sentenced to serve in prison following his 1988 conviction

$1.775 million =

Sum of the real-estate deals Lopez-Guevara has pulled off from behind bars

7 1/2 =

Percentage a rent-stabilized apartment could increase on a two-year lease

$1.2 billion =

Entire 2006 gross domestic product of Belize

$2.4 billion =

Value of residential listings held by Prudential Douglas Elliman, according to a survey by The Real Deal

$940 million =

Price that Urban American Management and the City Investment Fund paid for nearly 4,000 units in former Mitchell-Lama buildings in Harlem, making it the second-biggest real-estate deal in NYC history

34 =

Percentage of Mitchell-Lama's original 105,000 apartments that were moved out of the program between 1990 and 2005

750 =

Number of calculators Halstead Property is donating to Harlem public schools

New York City real estate is a little on the expensive side, you might say. Therefore, real estate in New York NY, is prime for those desiring a solid financial investment.

Related Video……cost of living in New York

Found Agency Slapped By Google For Black Hat Techinques

The Found Agency has recently been slapped hard by Google for using what is know as “black hat techniques”. Black Hat techniques are methods whereby an Internet property is promoted through the use of artificial linking. Black hat techniques are widely used by webmasters, in an effort to gain search engine ranking. The higher your ranking – the more money you make. Google always catches up with these methods in time.   

STORY: The Found Agency, whose estimated $3 million sale to the Photon marketing group is due to be completed later this year, has admitted to pushing the boundaries of Google's guidelines to get other sites to link to its website foundagency.com.au to improve its ranking on the search engine.

Paid search engine marketing and manipulating the more trusted, natural results have become highly popular marketing channels as more people go to search engines such as Google to find services and products.

But Google appears to have stopped counting potentially thousands of links pointing to Found Agency: last month foundagency.com.au had the top natural search position for the term "search engine optimisation", but by yesterday morning it had dropped to 52nd.

Google Australia would not comment on the case -- talk of which had spread like wildfire through the search marketing industry -- but a spokesman pointed to its webmaster quality guidelines, which covered the most common forms of deceptive behaviour.

The guidelines tell site designers to "avoid tricks intended to improve search engine rankings" and directs them not to participate in "link schemes designed to increase your site's ranking".

"Google may respond negatively to other misleading practices not listed here," the company stated. Industry blogs such as seo-sydney.blogspot.com have cited one method used by Found Agency -- whereby it supplies numerous unrelated websites with a hit counter that tabulates the number of visitors but that also contains an advertising link to foundagency.com. au -- as a "black hat link-building strategy".

Found Agency co-founder Tim Macdonald said Google had downgraded the site's search ranking but refused to comment on whether the company used black hat techniques. He said some strategies the company used were "in the grey area".

"We've just had a penalty applied to our site," Mr Macdonald said.

"We haven't been banned."

Similar action does not appear to have been taken on Yahoo, which had about 14,000 links pointing to foundagency.com.au on Wednesday.

The search engine optimisation industry is split into white hat - or approved --methods of achieving a high ranking for a website and black hat practices.

Clear Light Digital co-founder Jamie Silver said black hat tactics were about fooling search engines to achieve an artificially high ranking rather than optimising them for users.

Mr Macdonald said Found Agency had taken "a calculated decision" to aggressively promote its own website but said it did not use the same methods forits clients, which include Realestate.com.au, Travel.

com.au and Wotif. "There are clear things such as hidden text (which are banned by Google)," Mr Macdonald said.

"We've never done anything like that where there are clear guidelines. The rest of the rules are open to interpretation."

Said one rival, who asked not to be named: "Google says a link is a vote of quality and that's not a vote of quality."

Mr Macdonald refused to comment directly on the use of the hit counter. "The only way to rank for a term like (search engine optimisation) is to be exceptionally aggressive," he said.

Mr Macdonald said the company had been open about its practices with its clients.

"Working for a client, you have to stay way, way, away from the boundaries of what could be perceived as being not in Google's rule book," Mr Macdonald said. "Equally, you have to know where the boundaries are. We have tested the boundaries with other sites."

Chris Meehan, general manager, commercial at Travel.

com.au, said he was not aware that Found Agency had been penalised by Google but planned to look into it.

So would Found use grey-hat tactics to improve its ranking on Google again?

"No comment," Mr Macdonald said. "There are other big name agencies that have seen exactly the same thing (happen to them) and they're very strong businesses powering along today We always knew the risks."

[Origin AustralianIT.com.au]

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Personal Finance Daily

God articles from MarketWATCH on their personal finance daily column. A good feed for finance bloggers around the world. Here is a bit from it,  

There are strategies you can adopt to propel you from ignorant beginner to smart novice. For one, you can approach the task of finding a winning horse just as you would finding a winning stock-market investment: Look for undiscovered value in horses with high odds. That’s what one expert tells personal-finance writer Amy Hoak in her Sports Watch column today. Read her column for seven tips on making a better Kentucky Derby bet, and don’t miss Steve Kerch’s story on why two favorites for Saturday’s race will have to buck a long-running trend to win. Plus don’t miss our piece on how to invest in real estate through your IRA, and find out what effect consumers online reviews are having on restaurants, all on today’s Personal Finance pages.

SOURCE = MARKETWATCH 

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Review of Brazen Careerist Review From IWTYTBR

Pluralistic ignorance is a fascinating concept in social psychology. It’s a phenomenon “which involves several members of a group who think that they have different perceptions, beliefs, or attitudes from the rest of the group” (more). For example, Prentice and Miller, two Princeton social psychologists, found that college students tend to think other students drink more than they actually do. Schroeder and Prentice noted that “the majority of students believe that their peers are uniformly more comfortable with campus [drinking] than they are.” This means that

“because everyone who disagrees behaves as if he or she agrees, all dissenting members think that the norm is endorsed by every group member but themselves. This in turn reinforces their willingness to conform to the group norm rather than express their disagreement. Because of pluralistic ignorance, people may conform to the perceived consensual opinion of a group, instead of thinking and acting on their own perceptions” (source)

I find this time and time again when I talk to my friends. People will say things like, “Everyone’s” earning $70,000/year when they graduate, so I should, too. Or obody lives with their parents so it would be embarrassing if I did. We often make decisions based on what we see of our friends, but we don’t see the bigger picture and realize the differences in internal attitudes and behaviors across individuals and groups. Pluralistic ignorance colors our decision-making and the worst part is, we don’t even know it.

That’s why I like the new book by Penelope Trunk, Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success. Penelope writes for the Boston Globe and Yahoo Finance (she’s covered me before), and she has an attitude. I mean that in a good way: Unlike so many books for young people, this one reads like a real person wrote it, not a damn robot. You can actually hear her in her writing. Now, she and I disagree about some career-related things, but she does a great job explaining her reasoning.

And her advice is good. She talks about issues we care about  living with our parents, getting our first job, negotiating salaries, starting a company, how to make ends meet but reassures us that the things we feel guilty about are actually very common (see my thoughts about young people and guilt here).

For example, she writes that Job-hopping in your early twenties is a great idea especially if you’re still sleeping at your parents house. After all, the point of this period in life is to find the right work for you. But if the job-hopping doesn’t stop by age thirty, the feeling of instability intensifies to crisis. How many of your friends don’t know what they want to do, but feel pressured to pick one single job and focus on it?

I know plenty. I also know plenty of friends who don’t know what they want to do, so they go back to grad school. Penelope shows a better way to think that decision.

That’s what’s interesting about the book: It includes not only advice on how to think about large, ambiguous topics like going back to grad school and office politics, but also includes tactical advice that’s actually good. When it comes to creating your resume, for instance, she writes,

She writes excellent tactical advice for building your cover letter, negotiating your salary, writing a resume that stands out (Ditch the line about references on request. It’s implied. Of course if someone wants a reference, you will give one).

But more than tactical advice, she uses research from places like Harvard Business School not just her personal opinions to remind us not to feel guilty about what we’re doing. For instance, did you know that 50% of the Class of 2003 was still living at home 3 years later?

This book reminds me to stop fighting against the same things that everyone else my age is struggling with. If I wanted to live at home so I can afford to take a low-paying job that I love, that chapter on living at home would be worth the book alone. In other words, stop worrying and feeling guilty about what other people think and focus on the important goals. The best thing a book can do is reassure us, refocus us, and then give us the tools to do more than we thought we could do. This book is a great start.

Brazen Careerist isn’t perfect, of course. It’s overly list-y for my tastes, reading in some parts like a Top 10 Reasons to blog post. Also, the book is itself a bit unfocused, with points on starting your own business, perfecting your resume, working with your manager, optimizing your personal life, and doing yoga (?). But the number of insights I got from the book made up for it.

The book is good. So is the blog. And Penelope is a great woman with tons of interesting thoughts about career issues.

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The Importance of Blog Leverage

The importance of a good blog can never under-stated in if you are in the business of making a living from Internet traffic. I suggest to all of those in that category to build a Wordpress blog and grow it up with fresh, quality content. When I say quality I mean spelling and grammer as well. It's no secret the the search engines see spelling and grammer when they spider in depth to learn about your online pages.

As you grow a quality blog, your Internet real estate becomes highly respected by the search engines and now you have some Internet leverage. Then you can introduce the web to your new sites and projects simply by creating a link from your high ranking blog to you new entity. Your "new entity" does not have to be an extremely powerful or "high quality" site to get the spider attention you desire.

This system work quite well so if you don't have Wordpress blog going yet, get going and start building one. Make the subject matter of the blog fairly general so that when you link to othere sites in the future, there will be some kind of relative subject matter. Also DON'T LINK BACK to your precious blog from your new sites. That is considered "cross linking" by some of the search engines and will get your domains banned. As long as you only link ONE-WAY to your sites and the sites are related to your blog there is no problem.

Kenny

Join The Money Traffic Group

For those of you who want some questions answered on how to make money online, please join our new Money Traffic Group. The link is here:
http://groups.google.com/group/moneytraffic

We'll be discussing Adsense income and of course HyperVRE. I'll be answering questions as quickly as possible.

Kenny

Case Study of Dennis The Newbie Affiliate

Submitted by Aaron Krall: if you would like a juicy-PR5-one-way-inbound link submit an original article by registering on Money Traffic. All articles are automatically approved and posted. If your article is offensive or spammy it will be deleted, so please make sure your article is money related and original. Thanks.

Dennis signed up for a super affiliate program and was ready to start making cash. His merchant paid out 66 dollars per commission, and calculated that with just 8 sales a week he would be making about $1,000 a month. He set up a Adwords campaign that would cost him $45 a month, wrote some articles and submitted them and waited for the money to start rolling in. Then he waited.......over a month later he ended up with three sales commissions. After adding and subtracting the numbers, he made just over 95 bucks total net profit.

This case may seem a little extreme, but it may not be as far fetched as you think. Most affiliates don't even get as far as Dennis! 99% of all affiliates barely make a living on the Internet while the other 1% are making a killing! What is the difference? Why do so many fail?

Well, what Dennis and the other 99% don't understand is that there is a lot more to affiliate success then just sending potential customers to an affiliates site. The next 6 steps will reveal some secrets of top affiliates. They are simple but their simplicity should not be overlooked. Follow them and you will succeed.

First, select an affiliate program that pays out a good commission. Anything less than $20 should not be considered. Then you should buy the product and use it. A personal, honest recommendation is very convincing and will help you in your credibility.

Make sure your affiliate program provides you with enough materials to help you succeed. Some affiliate programs will actually give you a re-brand able ebook to brand with your affiliate links that you can give away. Either way you will have to have some kind of free ebook or report to give away, so if your affiliate doesn't provide you with one you can buy one or make one yourself.

Now, you need to get an auto responder. This is how you will contact the list of people you will be creating, but don't worry I'll get to that. There are lot of auto responders out there, but http://doiop.com/aweber is the best, hands down. I would say more than half of all Internet marketers are using Aweber. You will also need to make some follow up emails but we'll get to that in a second.

Now set up your email follow up. It should be about 6-10 emails that reminds them about the report they downloaded, and introduces them to your affiliate program. For instance, you could say something like; Hey thanks for getting Top Ten Secrets of Super Affiliates! Before you read it, go get a copy of insert affiliate here before the price goes up. It will reveal all the secrets of the world's greatest affiliates.

Your emails should be short, but effective. Oh yeah, send them another freebie that they weren't expecting. They will love that, and it will increase their confidence in you and the chance they buy from you will increase!

The last step is to advertise for your free report or ebook. Article writing is the best way to do that for now. It's free, and until you get a website it's your only choice. In your article resource box, have your reader send a blank email to your auto responder to get your free report. Submit 3-4 articles a week and before you know it you'll have a list growing. It will take a while to build your list, but it will become invaluable to you.

There you have it. Using these simple steps you can make money with any affiliate program. Now go out there and get started! Don't get discouraged if you fail, the important thing is you go out there and do it. Here's to your success!

Aaron Krall brings you the: "Affiliate Money Machine". => How would you like to steal a proven step by step instant cash flow system that master affiliates use to fill their bank accounts with cash? Get your $67 Affiliate Money Machine now! Free for a limited time! Instant access here: http://www.truforyou.com/saw/specialoffer003.html

How Much Money Can An Adsense Niche Site Make?

When new-comers start trying to make money with Adsense niche sites they usually ask themselves one big question. HOW MUCH money do these sites make?

That depends on the category of the site, the nature of the content, the amount of content, originality of the content, and overall word count.

1) If the site is all about Insurance it will make more per click than a site all about tiddly winks.

2) If the content is completely original it will get more traffic and of course make more money.

3) If the site has more content it will usually make more money, as long as the article pages are not in a highly-competitive area.

4) If your site has a high overall word count then it will beat out more competition. The search alogs count how many different words are used throughout your site. This IS very important so try to use allot of different words through out your site.

Linking of course goes without saying......get lots of on-topic links inbound.

Kenny

YPN or Adsense

It's a question that comes up often for online marketers. Should I use YPN or Adsense for textual advertising?

There's advantages and disadvantages depending on what your website subject and category is. If you have web content that's related to products and services that are extremely competitive, you will likely be fine using YPN. You may even make more money with YPN.

But; if your web site or blog content is related to an extremely uncommon subject, product, or service, you will have trouble making as much money with YPN as you made (or make) with Adsense clicks. The reason is that the YPN network doesn't have as many advertisers yet and there is'nt enough ads to display on "niche sites". I thihk this will change in time, but for now that's the jist of it. Extreme niche sites displaying YPN ads will have low click through percentages and low earnings overall.

My approach is to stay loyal to the companies that have been consistent paying their commission on time. Some Internet marketers turn to YPN if they've lost their Adsense account for some reason or other.

One BIG con to YPN is if you're a web publisher that lives outside the United States. You have to some how get a U.S. tax identification in order to be paid. I'm hopeful that the Yahoo! Publishing Network (YPN) will soon allow international publishers to take part in their advertising model.

Kenny

Never Ending Grants

With the on-going rush for grant money, people around the world are clamouring online and offline for some free government cash. As I'm sure you know, many of these government grant guides are scammy and spammy deals -- you would be right.

There are a few government grant guides that seem to have the correct information to garner success, but it still takes some work succeed. Even with the right instructions, forms, and education -- you need to roll up your sleeves a little.

Patience is another virtue. If you succeed in getting a government grant it will likely take more time than you think. It can take years depending on your case and circumstances. Don't get me wrong, I've read about people who do succeed and it can be done. Just be warned to get a decent grant guide, and spend some time reading up before you start applying.

Kenny

HyperVRE & Adsense Tutorials

Terry over at Your Financial Freedom is doing a tutorial that encompasses HyperVRE software and Adsense income generation. I've tried Terry's methods and indeed it worked. Took about three weeks for the search engines to find my HyperVRE web sites but once they did they've been solid. (making money everyday)

You can see the first HyperVRE tutorial steps here.

Have fun.

Kenny

When Will I Learn`- Debts & Holidays

It's that time of year again when everyone is caught up in trying pay down their debts from Xmas time. It's been the same pattern since the dawn of the industrial revolution, that consumers in America are paying down debt from the holiday seasond.

Not only are we all (yes....think I'm talking to myself here more than anything) paying down credit card debt, line of credit debt, and bank account overdrafts - we're also trying to pull some pennies and dollars together for the IRS (or whatever tax department your country has). This combination is deadly if you are not earning alot of some good bucks via wages or self-employment.

I think we should all switch over to the infamous "Festivus" celebration as made popular on the Seinfeld show. Festivus was orginally invented by Dan O'Keefe and his son made it popular on the Seinfeld show. The basic idea is that you make Christmas cheap by only erecting a silver pole instead of a Christmas tree. You don't exchange many gifts (if any) and we "sit around the table and tell each other how much we dissapointed each other all year long" Funny but people do this now since the airing the Seinfeld's "The Strike" episode.

If was'nt for the kiddies I would like to celebrate Festivus and make it easy on the wallet and easy on the sweat glands - not to mention the stress nerves that get strung during the silly season.

Yep....got a whack of debt to pay down and as usual, we'll squeeze by.......next year will be different. Yeh...right!

Debt Relief Companies

When seeking debt relief, be an informed shopper. Do your research before signing on with any one service. Here are some questions to ask:

• How much does it cost? Many less-than-reputable services charge hundreds of dollars to start up, money that doesn't go to any of your creditors.
• Does the service notify credit bureaus about your enrollment in their program? Some do and some don't. Creditors may still elect to put a bad mark on your credit report, but the agency you are looking at for debt relief shouldn't.
• What services are offered? Do they offer a range of solutions from trouble-shooting before finances are a big problem to debt management. Beware of companies promising too quick a solution or promising to "fix" your credit report.
• What are the benefits of belonging to one particular group over another? For example, some services offer newsletters and budgeting tips, all to help you become more stable when your debt is paid off.
• Are they a member of the Better Business Bureau? If that is not advertised, check them out with BBB first.
  
  With time, patience and diligence, you can become debt free.
  
  Debt relief is a topic on a lot of consumers' minds these days, and with good reason. American credit card debt in 2001 was $692 billion, triple the amount from 1989. In that same time period, the average credit card increase for a middle-class family was 75%. The amounts were even higher for low-income families and senior citizens. At one time, such a high amount of credit card debt would seem frivolous as buyers spent money they didn't have on luxury items such as electronics or jewelry. Today, however, in less stable economic times and a poor job market, more people are turning to credit cards as a way to extend their income. More and more debt is being rung up for everyday items such as groceries and medical bills. How can people get real help with debt relief?
  
  Credit counseling services were originally established by credit card companies who wanted to get at least some of their money back before a client decided to declare bankruptcy. While that may seem shady to some people, for others it is a legitimate way to pay the debt they owe.
  
  Timothy Gorman is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Debt-Relief-Solutions.com. He provides more debt consolidation, credit counseling, repair and free debt relief information that you can research in your pajamas on his website.

Pet Peeve In Affiliate Marketing

For all new comers to the world of Internet income, I want to relate my experience with some merchants in the affiliate marketing business.

All ebooks and so-called gurus will tell you how easy it is to create websites and simply throw up links with your affiliate code embedded and create great residual wealth. What they don't tell you is that there are some real snags that you will run into. Below I list them off for you. You will understand why Google Adsense, YPN, and Kontera are much better options for "monetizing" your web site.

1.) Often merchants change their a program and render your affliate code obsolete (meaning you don't get paid any longer for your traffic until you change your affiliate code. If you have many many sites you will find this will cause you to lose commission right and left.

2.) Sometimes merchants don't pay on time. (Adsense and YPN do pay on time)

3.) Once and awhile merchants decide not to pay you. This is rare, but it does happen. (Adsense and YPN have never stiffed me)

4.) Many merchants have minimum payout threshold which can fail you in this way; often you run a test by promoting a merchant and find out they convert BADLY. So you withdrawal from promoting them and of course you don't reach their payment threshold and the money you've earned is never sent to you.

5.) Many affiliate programs (and I mean MANY) have terrible tracking. Their servers are not updated properly, and they can be slow to credit you for your earning. (Adsense and YPN are updated through frequently, so you can watch earning come through)

These are just some of the problems with affiliate programs. There are many more that I don't feel like whining about right now. I'll maybe list those off later in another post.

For now,

Kenny

The Google Guys Book

Got the Google Story book (in paperback) for Christmas and started reading it yestereday. It's an interesting read when David Vise and Mark Malseed finally start talking about the facts in the life of Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. I found it very interesting to learn about Larry and Sergey's impressive educational background.

The beginning of the book raves on a little too much about the accomplishments of Google and all that work within the Googleplex. I too see Larry Page and Sergey Brin to be amazing people, but the authors over-do the praise a little.

I have more to read, and I'll update this when I've finished it.

Kenny

PS - (I love the irony that Gates funded the building (Stanford University Gates Building Room #360)in which Larry and Sergey developed the early Google idea.