Wealth Building

Financial Intelligence - Compounding (The Ninth Wonder of the World)

2005-09-18T06:01:00.000-07:00

Compounding is often described as the ninth wonder of the world. It is a concept that initially sounds quite dull, but when you understand how compounding just quietly works its magic - or conversely its naughtiness – it’s a very exciting concept to grasp indeed!

Compounding is the difference between linear and exponential growth, or put more simply, about earning (or incurring) interest on the interest on the interest, generated by your savings (or your debt). On an energy level, it's about making sure that every little bit of effort you expend, works on many different levels to bring a reward greater than the original effort required.

It’s a very powerful tool and can be likened to the wind under the wings of a jet. The plane creeps slowly, slowly along the approach runways, then moves into position, then starts down the runway slowly, but as it picks up speed, the power of the engines and the wind lifts its wings and it takes off, climbing very quickly and steeply into the sky.

Compounding can turn just one – just one - £1 or $1 into a million pounds or dollars within 20 years. If you took £1 or $1 and achieved a 100% return on your money each year (put another way, if you doubled your money each year) then you would most certainly be a millionaire in your lifetime. Imagine if you added another £1 or $1 each year – how much faster would that get you there?

And if compounding is that powerful when applied annually, how much powerful could it be when applied monthly or even daily?

On a personal finance level, most people ignore the potential of compounding, because the % interest rates we are quoted by the banks, other savings vehicles and financial institutions are so paltry. If you took your pound or dollar and increased it at the usual 3% or 4% per annum, then it would grow so slowly that we might as well not bother saving at all. You would be dead several times over before your personal wealth increased noticeably.

I know I used to feel like that! Why save now, I thought, especially when you are only saving to spend later, and when you can only earn 3-4% per year on your savings? I want to share with you, today, some of the exciting things that I learned about the power of compounding, things made a huge difference to my thinking about money. And changed me from a non-saver to an investor in one fell swoop!

There is a huge difference between saving and investing, and experienced Investors achieve returns on their money between 30% and 100% per annum – some even manage to achieve an infinity return on their investment, because they are able to pull their own money back out of the deal, which means that they are making money with no money! These are the supermodels of the investment world!

On a personal finance front, even looking at the returns generated by investing in property over the years (12% per annum) and the stockmarket (14% per annum) gets a little more exciting. The compounding effect means that, on average, property doubles in value every 7-10 years – that’s a thrilling thought! How would you plan your property investment differently if you knew that to be true?

There is a great example of the difference in what you can achieve in just two years, if you invest £60,000 (or dollars! I'm going to work in pounds now but the principle is the same!) by buying outright one small rental unit, versus what you would achieve if you invested the same £60,000 in deposits on several small rental units.

At the end of the two years, if you just bought the one unit, and assuming average rates of growth, you would be worth £6384 more than when you started. But if you invested in deposits on several units, you would be £56,304 better off. You choose. That’s compounding at work.

On a business level, compounding can work for you too. The difference between what you can earn if you are a solo self-employed person, and what you can earn if you build a business consisting of a team of “you’s” is quite amazing.

The compounding effect can also be utilised in your business by automating as many of your business processes as possible. Think of the potential difference between having the services of one marketing person and one sales person (both of whom can only work so many hours in a day, both have to be paid, even when they are on holiday or off sick, so not working) and then consider the possibilities of having an automated marketing machine working 24/7 plus a team of affiliates – unlimited numbers of independent people who are all being paid a little bit, on sales (results only!) to promote your service or product.

Nicola Cairncross is a specialist Wealth Coach, Hotelier and Internet Entrepreneur, working with bright, entrepreneurial people to enhance their financial intelligence. Visit her website at www.nicolacairncross.com.

If you would like a more detailed copy of the flats investment example in this article, just email flatsexample@nicolacairncross.com).

Visit http://www.nicolacairncross.com/free.htm and join the mailing list to enjoy downloading some awesome free resources including a 13 page report on how to create Financially Intelligent Bank Accounts.

Is Accumulating a $1,000,000 Net Worth Easy? Yes and NO

2005-09-18T05:37:00.000-07:00

Is accumulating wealth as easy as following a 3-step plan? Yes it is and no it isn't. As with many things in life, accomplishing a goal such as accumulating one million dollars (or even $100,000) depends on your desire, your personal choices and your daily actions.

Let's start with one example on how you might miss this goal. One of the first components of successfully meeting any goal is to have the desire (or a compelling reason). You've probably thought about losing weight, running a marathon or accumulating a great deal of wealth.

However, the 'want', 'wish', 'dream' or 'thought' is often not enough to propel you to take continuing action steps to successfully attain your goals. Even if you take the first action step, your ability to sustain enough motivation to meet your goal may soon disappear after a few months or possibly after a few days. Until you create and internalize a 'compelling reason' (true desire) to meet a specific goal, it will be difficult to meet your goal. You have to make this desire a 'must-have' instead of just a 'want'; you need a compelling reason to meet your goal. You need to create a true desire.

The simple part of accumulating wealth is many people have already succeeded in meeting their wealth accumulation goals. I have personally accomplished my net worth goals on two separate occasions and in 3 years I expect to reach my next net worth goal. I started with a net worth of a negative $10,000, mostly consisting of personal credit card debt. Meeting my net worth goal wasn't easy; but I created a compelling reason, made some personal financial choices & took specific, daily actions to make these goals.

Many other people from all walks of life, with all types of educational backgrounds are also very successful in meeting their net worth goals. Since it has been done many times before, setting and making your own personal wealth accumulation goal can be very attainable.

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Let's say you determined that accumulating a $100,000 net worth is one of your personal goals. If you've created a compelling reason (a true desire), then you're ready to proceed forward to accumulating $100,000 and probably, much more. If you've not made it a 'must' goal and you are still only dreaming about accumulating $100,000, then you're not ready to start. You're not ready to take the second action step. This first step is critical - you must have a "compelling reason" to make your goal.

Anthony Robbins has made a living by proving that success starts with a strong desire. Check out a product review of his latest - Get the Edge program at www.your-key-to-success.com.

Ok, let's say you have now created your own personal compelling reason to attain your goal. You're ready to get started with the second action step. What are the key elements in meeting your wealth-accumulating goal?

1. Your income must exceed your expenses

2. You will invest your excess funds

3. You will be patient and let the magic of compounding work

1. Your income must exceed your expenses: This is a simple mathematical statement. However for many people, this is the most difficult step to overcome on a consistent basis. It is all about your choices. If your income does not exceed your expenses, you have to make a choice. You will need to cut your expenses, increase your income or if you are really ambitious and have that 'compelling reason' to accumulate wealth, you'll choose to do both.

In my personal situation, I focused about 70% of my energy on cutting expenses & 30% on increasing my income. I decided to spend less on clothing, entertainment, dining out and I also cut coupons to help reduce grocery bills. I decided to live within my personal financial situation. I decided to spend less than I earned. Remember, you have a choice.

A. Do you have a compelling reason & discipline to accumulate wealth?

OR

B. Do you lack the discipline and have an immediate gratification need so strong that to satisfy your need, you need to purchase the newest fashion, go to all the home football games, dine out 4 nights a week, etc? It's all about choice.

2. The second step to accumulating wealth is to invest your excess funds. You need to invest your excess funds to meet your personal financial goals. Investments can range from real estate, stocks & bonds, CDs or possibly investing in a small business. Whichever route you choose, create a systematic approach to investing, change direction if necessary, but don't stop.

Investment diversification is important to help ensure that you can ride through the normal up-and-down cycles of the stock market or the real estate market. Personally, I started with investing in a 401K, then stocks and bonds and eventually real estate. While other young people decided to spend all their weekly paycheck, I made a choice to first, put a few dollars away each week into a 401K and other investment vehicles. I 'paid myself' first and then I spent money on the other entertainment activities. See some of the investing books at the end of this article.

3. The last step is the magic of compounding. You'll often hear the phrase, "The rich get richer." While this phrase can mean different things in different situations; in the context of compounding it has a major impact. Let me share a few examples on how you can accumulate $1,000,000, based on average investment return of 10% (stock market average).

Let's say you are 40 years old and you have $20,000 to invest. To accumulate $1,000,000 by the age of 65, you would need to contribute $567 per month.

If you're 30 and have $5,000 to invest, you'll need $218 per month to reach $1,000,000 by age 65.

Let's say you are only 20 years old and you have no money to invest. You can start with absolutely $0 and still only have to add $94 per month to reach that same $1,000,000 goal by age 65.

Wealthy individuals understand the benefits of compounding. Here are examples that show how the rich get richer.

A. If you have accumulated $10,000 and your investments yield a fantastic 20%, you will have earned $2,000 for that year.

B. If you have accumulated $100,000 and your investments don't do as well and you only earn 10%, you still outpace the person with only $10,000 and you'll earn $10,000 for the year.

C. OK, let's say you met your goal of accumulating $1,000,000 and your investments do even worse at 3% for the year. You will still make over $30,000 for the year. If your investments performed well (10%) you will have made an unbelievable $100,000 for that year.

There it is. The 3-step plan for meeting your own personal wealth accumulation plan. Whether it's $100,000 or $1,000,000; you have the potential to attain your personal wealth accumulation goal as long as you have a compelling reason (a true desire), you make the right personal choices and you take daily actions towards this goal.

Is it easy? - Not necessarily

Is it possible? - Absolutely yes!

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Take Action Today!!

First, set aside 30 minutes or 3 days and create a compelling reason to set your own personal net worth goal.

Then, set a specific net worth goal for 3 months, 1 year, 5 years and 10 years. Not sure what your goal should be. It doesn't matter right now. Just set a goal and change it as needed - you'll probably change it upward.

Next, take $10 out of your wallet or purse - TODAY - and deposit it into your new "Wealth Accumulation" account. You've just now taken the first steps and are now on your way to meeting your goal. You'll be amazed at what you can accomplish!

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To start your wealth building education, there are many great books on the specific subject of accumulating wealth and you can search your local library as an inexpensive and resourceful first action step. In addition, check out some of these titles listed below. You can find these titles and many more online at Amazon.com, Books-a-Million or Barnes & Noble.

The Automatic Millionaire, The Finish Rich Workbook, Smart Couples Finish Rich, Smart Women Finish Rich - by David Bach

Multiple Streams of Income, Creating Wealth, One Minute Millionaire - by Robert Allen

Rich Dad Poor Dad, Rich Dads Guide to Investing, Own Your Own Corporation, Rich Dads Retire Young Retire Rich, Real Estate Riches - by Robert Kiyosaki

The Laws of Money, 9 Steps to Financial Freedom, The Road to Wealth, The Courage to be Rich - by Suze Orman

The Truth about Money, Ordinary People Extraordinary Wealth - by Ric Edelman

Secrets of Six Figure Women - by Barbara Stanny

The Savage Truth on Money - by Terry Savage

The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need - by Andrew Tobias

The Millionaire Next Door, The Millionaire Mind - by Thomas Stanley

The Intelligent Investor - by Benjamin Graham

About The Author

Mike Matthews is a writer with many personal successes in the areas of small business, personal finance, real estate investments and reaching fitness goals. He writes informative articles and conducts honest product reviews with a focus on the four main areas outlined above. His articles & product reviews can be found online at, http://www.Your-Key-to-Success.com. His book on 'Taking Action - Your Key to Success' is due out in 2005.

feedback@your-key-to-success.com

Wealth Building: Waiting 20 Years Can Cost You Millions - Don't Wait Start Today

2005-09-18T05:33:00.000-07:00

Drop Ship Your Way To Wealth

2005-09-15T22:39:00.000-07:00

Your customer sees a marvelous array of products on your website. After thoughtful consideration, she purchases the product she wants. Amazingly, you have never actually seen the product. That is because your supplier shipped the order directly to her.

1. Problems With Stocking Inventory

After deciding what products you will sell, you are immediately faced with many challenges.

First: "To stock my products, will I need to rent store or warehouse space? I was hoping to sell by Internet, mail order, or export, but I don`t have much storage space for inventory at home."

Second: "Will the supplier even deal with me if I don`t have a retail location? I was counting on keeping my overhead down by operating from home."

Third: "I know that many manufacturers and distributors have a minimum order, sometimes in the thousands of dollars. I don`t have that kind of money!"

Fourth: "Even if I did have the money, why should I tie it up in inventory? How do I know if the product will even sell?"

Fifth: "I guess I will have to add extra insurance coverage for my inventory. Maybe I better upgrade my security system while I`m at it."

Sixth: "The shipping charges are going to kill me. First, I have to pay to get the goods here (freight-in). Then, I have to pay to ship the goods out to my customers (freight-out)."

Seventh: "If I expand and hire employees, how will I control the inventory? How will I know if my employees are stealing from me?"

Eighth: "How much time and money am I going to spend packaging and fulfilling orders?"

These problems can be reduced or eliminated by drop shipping.

2. Drop Shipping to the Rescue

Drop shipping is a method of selling products without stocking inventory yourself. You don`t need to stock inventory, because you only order an item when a customer requests it.

With drop shipping, when you make a sale you contact the manufacturer or authorized distributor and make arrangements to pay for the order at your wholesale cost. Your distributor then ships the product to the customer with your invoice and shipping label.

For example, let`s assume that you have just sold a product to a customer for $100.00 plus shipping charges of $15.00. Having received the customer`s payment, you now need to fax or otherwise send your order to your drop ship supplier. You will need to pay your supplier, by credit card or other means, your cost of $50.00 plus $15.00 shipping. This leaves you a $50.00 gross profit. Your supplier will now ship the product to your customer.

With this arrangement of not having to stock inventory yourself, there are many advantages.

You eliminate the high costs of holding inventory. There is no need for you to rent expensive storage space, finance high minimum orders, get stuck with goods that don`t sell, or pay other expenses associated with maintaining inventory.

Indirectly, you do pay inventory costs. Your drop ship supplier must maintain his inventory and pay all associated costs, including freight-in, storage space, insurance, accounting, shrinkage, and so on. To make a profit, he must pass these costs on to you.

The real advantage to this drop shipping arrangement lies in keeping your costs variable. Instead of being stuck with these expenses up front, whether you sell or not, you pay only when you make a sale.

3. Profit From Drop Shipping

Many legitimate drop ship suppliers may not require you to have a retail location, but they will want to see evidence that you are in business. They may require you to produce a resale license or retail sales tax permit.

To be sure, there are pitfalls to watch out for in drop shipping. For example, some suppliers claim to sell at wholesale prices but are actually selling closer to retail. Also, margins are very slim in some competitive areas, such as electronics. However, with proper research and information, you should be able to avoid these problems.

Whether from your home, retail store, directly from your website or through an online auction, you can arrange to sell an item before you purchase it. That way you have nothing invested in inventory and won`t get stuck with stock that won`t sell.

Rather than financing and stocking inventory yourself, consider drop shipping your way to wealth.

About the Author: J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years. For more information about drop shipping and other Work at Home Small Business Ideas, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/dropship.html

If You Know These 5 Wealth Secrets Then You Are Probably Already A Millionaire

2005-09-15T22:33:00.000-07:00

Wealth Secret 1 - Decide Your Outcome Right Now.

Unless you are incredibly lucky you will not be successful straight away. In fact you will inevitably face many challenges which will test your character. One way of overcoming these challenges is to know what you are striving for. If you don't have a clear outcome then you may give up at the first setback.

If instead you imagine yourself with $1 million in the bank, a Ferrari on your driveway etc. etc. then these crystal clear images will help you overcome adversity and spur you on.

Wealth Secret 2 - Commit To Growing (Your Brain).

Spend some money on some products that will help you learn new things. There are some amazing books out there that will inspire and motivate you in your quest for personal wealth. You need to look upon this as an investment not as money going out the door.

You cannot just keep doing things the way you always have been because nothing will change that way. Learn from people who have been more successful than you. Take inspiration from them. Most of the successful people in the world today devour new products, ideas and teaching even though they are already successful.

Wealth Secret 3 - The Most Successful People Have Often Been The Biggest Losers.

It is said that the inventor of the light bulb, Thomas Edison, tried 10,000 attempts until he struck success. That meant he failed 9,999 times! Most people try something once before giving up, can you imagine most people even trying 50 times, I can't.

Wealth Secret 4 - Failure Doesn't have To Exist.

If something doesn't work out the way you wanted then you have found one way which you can discard, you are closer to success. Now take that knowledge and try again but in a different way - and keep trying and trying until it does.

Wealth Secret 5 - Provide Some Value (Do Something!).

It's easy for many people to try take shortcuts to success by doing little or even trying 'scams'. You can't expect people to pay you vast sums for not doing anything or not offering some value or improvement to their lives. If you can save people time they will gladly pay you vast sums. If you can write a great book people will pay you vast sums. If you can save people money they will pay you vast sums. If you don't provide anything of value - then you won't get anywhere.

Copyright Mark Eastwood.

About the Author: Mark is the publisher of http://www.Choosewealth.com The site that provides you with the techniques and strategies used by millionaires together with loads of business ideas to help you get started.

Secret To Amazon.com's Success As A Home Based Business

2005-09-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

Starting out from his Garage

Jeff Bezos built the foundation of Amazon.com from the garage of his two-bedroom house rented outside of Seattle. He fashioned his first office tables from wooden doors, angle brackets, and two-by-four lumber purchased from Home Depot.

This article summarizes the recognizable aspects of Amazon.com's success and lays down lessons learned in the form of tips. You have the opportunity to analyze the tips given here and apply them with prudence to your own business.

You as the owner of your own home based business started - or about to embark if you have not as yet started - with the same resources as Jeff Bezos. You are in a similar situation - if not much better position - than the Amazon founder because you have the secret to his success to learn and apply into your own business.

Tip No. 1: Be modest in your initial investment. For example, your laptop or PC shall not necessarily be top of the line. Your office location could be a corner of the house or your room, basement or garage. Save on office rent by all means. Be like Jeff Bezos and other successful marketers who spent prudently and succeeded.

Motivation
You should motivate yourself to succeed. When Amazon was struggling to make profits for the first time, only its founder Jeff Bezos believed that the business goal could be achieved in a year's time. Everybody was astounded when Jeff Bezos achieved his goal after one year.

Tip No. 2: The lesson that could be learned from the above account is to lay down and make known in clear fashion your goal to every stake holder of your small business. They include your spouse and your web designer, among others.

Write down this goal and post this on the wall beside your desk. Save this goal in your hard disk and make the text the start up page when you boot your computer. You can convert your goal into a screensaver. Read your goal to yourself every day as you go about your business on the Internet.

Tip No. 3: You should motivate yourself every day and pass this motivation on to every one who's involved in your business. To paraphrase the author Wallace D. Wattles who wrote The Science of Getting Rick in 1910, envision yourself right now as having a very successful business and do every which legal and ethical way to actualize your vision. FYI, Wattles' book is featured in my web site.

Change
It is said that change is the one single permanent thing on this planet. Amazon changed the way it does business through the years. First it was an online book seller. Next it expanded into selling music and videos.

Then it offered toys, consumer electronics and software to its customers. These were linked with a host of new products until this very day. Amazon has a constantly evolving product line. Its competitors have a hard time catching up with the innovator.

During its initial years of operation, Amazon was not making any real profit. It practiced instead the habit of reinvesting its income into new markets. This it did to make possible for its customers to make wider choices for the company's offerings.

Tip No. 4: Your home based business should be run like Amazon. You could be selling your single information product now. Two weeks from today you will have added another back end product. Next month you will have introduced into your product line the inventory of the affiliate program you have joined in.

Tip No. 5: If your web site is content based, you should be adding new content every day. Casual visitors to your web site will become your regular visitors when they see new content every time they come back to your site. And these visitors will in the end become your regular customers.

Be a Generalist
A generalist is one who does a multitude of things. In computer language it is known as multi-tasking. This has been the culture at Amazon.

Tip No. 6: You as the single person in your home business must be a generalist, too. This means doing and knowing everything that goes in and out of your business.

You don't know any HTML coding? This is tolerable. You must strive however to understand at least the basic formatting that goes into you site code. This way you can make small insertions into your web pages when your web designer is nursing a cold or is out of town. Or you can learn a thing or two on scripting. By the way, HTML tutorial is one of several categories among the home based business free learning stuff presented in my web site.

Work Ethic
Jeff Bezos was the company CEO and he and his wife were the first workers at Amazon. Their work ethic was marked with hard work and consistency, among others. These traits were handed down to their employees through the years.

Tip No. 7: To succeed and last long in your Internet business, you should work hard to put your business online in the fastest and frugal manner possible. The important thing to consider is to start up and put your small business online early and rapidly. If you have to wake up at two in the morning to do your Internet work, by all means stick to this routine.

Tip No. 8: You should be consistent in your business-related tasks. If your content needs updating twice weekly, follow this schedule with devotion. Visitors to your web site will notice even slight changes to your content when they go back to visit your web pages. Not to mention the search engine spiders which would just be too glad (i.e., in electron manner of speaking) to index new contents to your web site.

Be First to Embrace Technology
Amazon was among the first, if not the first, to adopt online book retailing. When the major book sellers - Barnes & Noble and Borders Books among others - realized this new way of selling books, Amazon was miles ahead. Jeff Bezos surveyed the Internet horizon and embraced the best technology on sight.

Tip No. 9: New technologies come and go almost daily. Some of these technologies enable you to run your business fast and easy. Other technologies rob you of your investment. Your duty is to examine each technology and assimilate into your business the best.

About the Author: Rick Tanzo is the webmaster of the InternetMarketingLearningCenter.com. Internet marketing and home business articles are featured in his web site. Reprint rights are granted so long as article, by-line and active links are reproduced intact. To learn more about Internet marketing and home based business, visit http://www.internetmarketinglearningcenter.com.

Five Simple Steps To Significant Savings

2005-09-13T06:17:00.000-07:00

We all know that we should be putting aside an amount of money each month and saving towards our futures - right?

Well, if you’re anything like I used to be you get to the end of the month and the cupboard – or the bank account in this case - is bare…if you’re lucky you just have enough to meet your monthly bills but you certainly don’t have anything left to play with.

Well – what if I told you that there were five very simple steps that you – yes you – could take to cut your monthly outgoings, increase your monthly income and thus free up money and create an amount each month that could be squirreled away for a rainy day?

Step One - Trim Everyday Expenses

We all have a mountain of essential payments that we must make every month; these include all our utility bills, our car, telephone, internet and even cable TV bills.

Although we’re all aware of these amounts draining our bank account every month, few of us give a second thought to whether we’re paying too much when often we actually are!

So, here are just a few things you could easily do to wipe off significant amounts from those bills – amounts which will, over time, compound to create a nice tidy little sum thank you!

Oh, and if you think about every bill you have I’m sure you’ll come up with many creative ways to reduce all of them.

Your Utility bills – have you considered switching your suppliers? Some suppliers in your area will be cheaper than others and all should give you a free quotation of how much you could be saving based on your previous month’s usage. You may get a further discount if you pay each month by direct debit.

Be aware of the amount of energy you use - switch to energy saver light bulbs, don’t put half a load of washing in the machine, wash-up small amounts instead of using your dishwasher every time and slowly but surely you’ll notice a significant reduction in your overall bills.

Your Car – shop around for cheaper car insurance, combine chores into one journey so that you drop the kids off on your way to work and do your shopping on the way home. The more ‘extra’ journeys you can cut back on the lower your fuel bill, the less often you’ll have to have your car serviced and the lower the mileage on the car when you come to sell it.

Step Two - Cut Interest Payments

According to industry statistics, the average home owner in the UK could reduce their annual mortgage payments by up to £1,600 by just re-mortgaging to a better deal. You need to examine the options available to you!

Next look at your credit cards, store cards, loans and overdrafts and check out the rates of interest you’re paying – obviously the sooner you can pay off all debt and stop accruing new debt the better, but in the meantime you should consider switching to credit cards offering 0% on balance transfers, consider switching to lenders offering lower interest rates on loans and consider switching to a bank with lower account charges for things like your overdraft.

Cut your interest payments right down and free up more cash!

Step Three - Reign in Extravagance

Trust me, I know that this is the least popular of all the steps – but, do you really need that daily cappuccino from Starbucks, could you live without that health club membership that you hardly ever use, what about stopping smoking, cutting back on alcohol consumption and spending a few more quiet nights in than party nights out? If you can’t get rid of your satellite or cable TV could you reduce the packages you subscribe to? If you like to eat out could you reduce the number of times you do it per week?

Don’t worry, I’m not suggesting that you should give up living your life the way you like it, I’m just suggesting that you could maybe trim a little off the load and live life today whilst at the same time saving for your life tomorrow.

Step Four - Stop Making Bad Investments

There are so many poor performing, rubbish returning, invisible interest paying savings policies out there that banks and financial advisers push upon us that it’s just not funny!

Yet at the same time there are some fantastic inflation proofing safer alternatives that could just net you a nice rate of interest too. You need to look around a little, use the internet as a good starting point and find out what the banks and financial institutions are offering. And if you’re saving money make sure you’re saving tax too – ISA and pension payments can be made tax free!

Oh, and when it comes to insurances – from car, health, home contents and even life insurance – shop around, shop around, shop around! Big name brokers often cost far more and if you buy your home contents and life insurance all in when you get your mortgage be prepared to pay way over the odds!

Step Five - Add Income Strings to Your Bow

Are you entitled to any tax credits, child payments or other benefits? If you’re entitled you should be claiming what’s rightfully yours! Could you, your partner or your teenage children be contributing a little more to the monthly pot by taking on a part time job, doing extra shifts or working the odd weekend?

Think as creatively as possible and make good use of any extra time and energy you have to boost your family’s income…you might even be able to earn extra income from doing the things you love – maybe you could teach an evening class in something you specialize in, maybe you could sell arts and crafts you make as a hobby or perhaps you could just baby-sit your friends children?

Just remember that there are many options available to you and that every single step you take towards reducing your outgoings or maximizing your income will be a step towards a more secure financial future for you and your family.

Good luck!

About the Author: Rhiannon Williamson is a freelance writer whose many articles about international and offshore savings and investments have appeared in financial publications around the world. Visit this link to read her latest articles about Offshore Investment: - http://www.shelteroffshore.com/

What if You Fed Your Mind as Often as You Feed Your Stomach?

2005-09-10T06:57:00.000-07:00

Wealth Building

Many people consider reading books a waste of time. It is just so easy to switch on the television, put the brain into neutral and accept everything that is shown to you. Some even boast that they have not read a single book since they have left school. That is definitely something that I would not be proud to admit.

Reading books is one of the greatest sources of information that is available to us.

Just think about this. A person can write a book and explain, in a couple of hundred words, what it took them all their life to learn. By reading their book, you can learn what they did in just a couple of hours. How powerful is that?

Or you can attend information seminars or view knowledge videos or watch relevant DVD presentations.

There is so much knowledge in the world now. It is increasing exponentially. Why not take advantage of that? Don't deny yourself.

If you feed your mind as often as you fed your stomach, can you imagine how much knowledge you would accumulate? Knowledge is power. There are lashings of knowledge available on every subject under the sun. Read some good books. Get the power. Enrich yourself. Grow as a person.

[If you like this article and would like to use it on your own website or ezine you may do so ONLY if the article is not changed in any way and the final paragraph: "About the author", with all links intact, is included.]

About the author: Gary Simpson is the author of eight books covering a diverse range of subjects such as self esteem, affirmations, self defense, finance and much more. His articles appear all over the web. Gary's email address is budo@iinet.net.au. Click here to go to his Motivation & Self Esteem for Success website where you can receive his "Zenspirational Thoughts" plus an immediate FREE copy of his highly acclaimed, life-changing e-book "The Power of Choice."

Waiting 20 Years Can Cost You Millions - Don't Wait Start Today

2005-09-10T06:54:00.000-07:00

Wealth Building

Many Young people live for Today. They really don't fully understand the power of compound interest. The Difference between investing as little as $20 a week at age 20 or waiting until age 50 can be over $3,000,000 (yes 3 Million). Don't wait start today!

Recently I was in a 7-11 and I watched as a young man Purchased $10 worth of Lottery Tickets. As he was walking away from the counter he started talking to me. He told me he just turned 21 and he was going to buy $10 worth of Lottery Tickets for every Pick six as long as he had a steady Job. In Missouri they have 2 Pick Six Drawings Weekly. I said to him Here is my card give me a call and I will show you a surefire way to become a Millionaire.

He looked at me and said sure sure. I looked back at him and Said I will meet you tomorrow across the street at the coffee shop and Coffee is on me would morning or afternoon be better. He Replied I get off work at 2pm So I can be here at 3pm. I said 3pm it is.

I went home and plugged some numbers in an Excel Spreadsheet. Remember I did promise to make this 21 Year old kid a Millionaire. I was going to do for him what no one ever did for me.

The Results are very telling. If my young friend were to invest his $20 a Week and receive a 10% Return on his investment

In 20 Years when he is 41 he will have a little over $66,000

In 30 Years when he is 51 he will have a little over $198,000

In 40 Years when he is 61 he will have a little over $550,000.

In 45 Years when he is 66 He would have a little over 920,000

In 50 Years when he is 71 He would have over $1,500,000.
If my young friend were to be able to average a 12% return the numbers are even more staggering

In 20 Years when he is 41 he will have a little over $86,000

In 30 Years when he is 51 he will have a little over $307,000

In 40 Years when he is 61 he will have a little over $1,000,000.

In 50 Years when he is 71 He would have over $3,400,000
The Above numbers are very telling. Not only do they show my young friend the power of Compound interest but the Show my Young friend the Power of Waiting. As an Example if my young friend Continues to Buy lottery Tickets for 10 Years until he 31 and then decides to take my advice and invest the $20 instead of having $1,500,000 when he is 71 at 10% he would only have $550,000. Waiting 10 Years cost him almost $1,000,000.

At the 12% Return My Young Friend would loose over $2,400,000 the Difference between $3,400,00 and $1,000,000

Now if my Young Friend were to Play the Lotto for 30 Years and Wait until he is 51 to take my advice he would loose over 3,300,000 at 12% the Difference between $3,400,000 and $86,000.

About the Author
Mike Makler is a Financial Consultant in the St Louis Missouri Area Specializing in Real Estate Loans and Annuities. To Learn More Call Mike at 314 398-5547 or Visit Mike's Web Page: http://ewguru.com/finance

Get Mike's Newsletter Here http://ewguru.com/fin-news

Success Is Based On A Realistic Plan

2005-09-09T23:56:00.000-07:00

Everyone wants to be successful. However, many people often rely on luck and chance to achieve results. The best example in this case is someone who wants to be rich but only try the most ineffective method: playing the Lotto. Of course, there are chances of becoming rich over night, but how likely is it that this will actually happen? Creating a realistic plan in order to achieve the desired results is vital in any case, no matter how high or low your goals are.

The safest way to achieve your dream is by taking successive steps and gradually increasing your chances of reaching your goal. Try to think of a metaphor and compare your desires with a professional swimming competition.

The first thing you need to do, in order to have chances of winning the race, is to make sure you are not afraid of the water. Before you even consider entering the race you have to eliminate your fears. They are the ones holding you back, but be careful, some of your fears might save you from getting hurt or failing.

Once you are convinced that your goal is worth fighting for, you have to start the hardest stage in you plan: preparation. You cannot expect to win a professional swimming race when you don't even know how to swim. Start with the basics and never skip any steps out of desire of reaching your goal faster. The experience and knowledge you are skipping will probably come back and hurt you later on. Prepare by taking gradually increasing steps. Swim half a lap first, and then move on to a full lap. Your skills will progress each time and you will soon beat your own lap records every time you enter the swimming pool.

It might take days, weeks or years to prepare for the "race", depending on what your goals are. The main thing is to enter the race feeling confident in your own success and having all the skills that would allow you to win.

Taking steps one at a time and keeping your plan realistic gives you two important benefits. The order and precision of a plan brings confidence. You don't feel like you are reengaging each new issue on a day-to-day basis. Organizing your strategy reduces the chances of making wrong moves or taking less efficient decisions.

Secondly, having a sound plan has many psychological benefits and your subconscious mind worries less, giving you more energy to concentrate on what's important. You are creating a pattern in your awareness that accepts success and integrates it in your plan.

When both you conscious and your subconscious mind believe in your chances of reaching a goal you benefit from a power of concentration and focus that eliminate outside interference and let you follow the shortest path to success.

Even though chance may still play an important role in your quest to reach your ideal, having a realistic plan let's you change the "unlikely" into "possible".

-------------------------------------------------- Need a marketing plan for your online business? Check here: http://www.marktse.com/marketing-plan/

This article is written by Mark Tse. Mark shares free tips, articles and downloads about Internet Marketing. You can visit his Internet Marketing Blog and read his latest posts here:

http://www.marktse.com/blog/

Top 10 Reasons We Don't Talk About Money…and What To Do About It!

2005-09-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

Money is a difficult subject. We believe one big reason people get into debt and their finances get out of control is because of a general taboo around talking about money both at home and in the community. We simply don’t talk about money. That’s just the way it is, the way we were brought up, right? But have you ever asked yourself WHY we avoid the topic? What would happen if we began to understand why we have the negative messages we have and began to change our way of thinking? We’d like to help you to learn to make choices and adopt behaviors that increase your wealth as well as understand the source of your current financial state and how to combat negative influences. We can start by exploring the many reasons we don't talk about money.

Reason 1:

“It’s not polite to talk about money”. This is the old industrial age school of thought. We never talked about money with our parents or learned about it in school, which only fueled fears and anxiety about money. We were never taught useful money beliefs, skills, tools and attitudes.
“My money problems will just go away if I don’t talk about them”. Fears and anxiety about money are all too common. We are often overwhelmed by debt - paralyzed by guilt, remorse and shame. It’s often easier to think money problems “will just go away”, or be miraculously solved by themselves. This way of thinking sells a lot of lottery tickets.

Reason 2:

“People that talk about money are just bragging ”. Money is often used as a scorecard or used as bragging rights. You’re either a winner or a loser. Wealthy people are perceived as materialisticand of having a superiority complex. The truth is many if not most charitable and philanthropic organizations owe their existence and ability to contribute to their communities because of the generosity of wealthy people.

Reason 3:

“Money cannot buy happiness”. We don’t see money as a tool to enrich our lives. We haven’t been taught that money can make a difference in our lives and it can make a difference in the lives of others by giving them the peace of mind that comes with financial security.

Reason 4:

“If I talk about it I might lose everything". Some of us have heard the stories of our grandparents who lived through the great depression. We may be afraid to "jinx" ourselves or to invite disaster by openly discussing our finances. This is simply an untrue myth.

Reason 5:

“You have to be really smart or lucky to be rich”. Lack of education has often been a great excuse for not talking about money. We were not taught how to set financial goals and we learned to be poor money managers thus fueling the thought that money is a complicated matter. Most people don’t realize that making money is just a system anyone can follow, it is not exclusive to those who are educated or born rich.

Reason 6:

“Money is evil and the root of all problems”. Perhaps we have seen the misuse of money by someone we know or someone had what we perceived as “power” over us because they were wealthy. Money is simply a medium that can be exchanged for goods and services and is used as a measure of their values on the market – it is not a living, breathing thing.

Reason 7:

“It’s just too hard to make money”. We were told that only hard work is rewarded, that “money doesn’t grow on trees”. Without learning the very basics of personal finance such as cash and credit management or how to understand a financial baseline, it’s no wonder the rest is overwhelming.

Reason 8:

“You’re a loser if you’re broke”. We mistakenly value our selves in terms of money. It often becomes a symbol of success in areas of love, status, power, control and security. Logically we know this is not true but emotionally it is frequently reinforced by outside influences such as the media.

Reason 9:

“It’s bad to think only about money…you should be happy with what you’ve got”. We often think only in negative terms about money, such as how can we pay our monthly bills? We’ve been taught it’s wrong to covet material objects. We have not been shown that it’s OK to grow our money and enrich our lives and the lives of those around us. We focus only on what we DON’T have as opposed to focusing on our ability to MAKE MONEY!

Reason 10:

The “What to do About It” part of this article is really pretty easy…when you practice it. We’ve been conditioned to think about money in a lot of negative ways and we’ve been taught it’s not cool to talk about money. We do, however, have the choice of changing our way of thinking. We can decide to think and behave about money differently. When we begin to think of money as a tool, as a servant rather than a master, then we can appreciate the value it can bring to our lives. We can teach our kids about money early in childhood. We can discuss money early in relationships. (It’s common knowledge that unresolved money issues are a leading factor in the break up of many marriages.)

It’s helpful to be clear on your values about money and to develop a healthy attitude about how your lives and the lives of others can be enriched. Philanthropy and charitable giving are a great place to start. You can begin to practice good savings and spending habits so your finances become a positive experience. Most importantly, you can begin to get into healthy conversations about money by getting rid of the negative messages we've been taught over the years.

About the authors

Theresa Bradley-Banta and Richard Banta, founders of Wealth Ready Go!,
offer strategies in wealth planning and business success.
For more free downloads dedicated to achieving the life of your dreams
please visit: www.wealthreadygo.com.

Pay Yourself First - If the Only Thing You Did Was This, You'd be Rich

2005-09-08T06:29:00.000-07:00

Bottom line. No exaggeration. No hype. If you want to be rich, all you have to do is make a decision to do something that most people don't do. And that's to PAY YOURSELF FIRST.

What most people do when they earn a dollar is pay everyone else first. They pay the landlord, the credit card company, the telephone company, the government, and on and on. The reason they think they need a budget is to help them figure out how much to pay everyone else so at the end of the month-or the year, or their working life-they will have something "left over" to pay themselves.

This, my friend, is absolutely, positively financially backwards. And because this system does not work, people wind up trying some pretty strange ways to get rich.

When you boil it down, there are basically six routes to wealth in this country. You can:

Win it
Marry it
Inherit it
Sue for it
Budget for it OR
Pay Yourself First.

Let's quickly review each of these methods.

Win It: Can you guess the No. 1 way average hard-working people try to get rich in this country? They play the lottery. People in this country spend more than $8 billion a year on lottery tickets. That's more than $250 for every person, including those not old enough to buy a ticket. Can you imagine if these same dollars had been invested in retirement accounts? Now let me ask you something else. Have you ever won the lottery? Do you know anyone who has? Did that person share any of their winnings with you? Exactly. So let this one go.

Marry It: How's this working for you so far? There's a saying that it's as easy to marry a rich person as a poor one. Really? The truth is that people who marry for money generally end up paying for it for the rest of their lives. So let's skip this one too-unless, of course, you really do fall in love with someone who happens to have money.

Inherit it: This obviously isn't worth thinking about unless your parents are rich. And even if they are, isn't there something a little sick about visiting them during the holidays, asking how they are, and then thinking "bummer" when they say, "I feel great"?

Sue for it: This one is big in the United States, where more than three-quarters of the world's lawyers practice and upwards of 94 percent of the world's lawsuits are filed. But Canadians are becoming more litigious too. While Canadians have usually left it to the Americans to sue each other for spilling coffee in their laps or abandoning the wheel of an RV on cruise control, some Canadians feel that, rather than earn, save, and invest, a better strategy is find 'em. sue 'em, and sock it to 'em. In any case, it's not a real system that can be counted on to build wealth.

Budget for it: You can scrimp, brown bag it, clip coupons, track every penny you spend, never have fun, and put off living for thirty years in the hopeful expectation that someday you'll be able to retire and start enjoying your life. Yuck. That sounds terrible. No wonder this rarely works.

This leaves us with the one proven, easy way to get rich. And that is...

PAY YOURSELF FIRST

Pay Yourself First means just what it says. When you earn a dollar, the first person you pay is you. Most people don't do this. When most people earn a dollar, the first person they pay is the government. They earn a dollar and, before it even makes it onto their paycheque, Canadians pay the government something like 30 cents and Americans pay somewhere around 18 cents in federal income taxes (often more). On top of that, for Canadians there's the Canada Pension Plan, provincial health insurance and employment insurance. In the end, they wind up paying the government first as much as 35 or 40 cents of their hard-earned dollar. Seems like everyone is getting paid but the person who earned the paycheque.

The Secret is the Way Your Money Flows

You have a right to legally avoid federal and provincial taxes on the money you earn. The key word is "legally." You can legally Pay Yourself First, instead of the government, simply by using what is called a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) for Canadians or a 401(k) plan for Americans. You can hold a large number of investments in an RRSP or 401(k).

Who You Work for is Waiting for You at Home

As much as our employers would like us to believe otherwise, the reason most of us go to work each morning isn't the company mission statement or even serving the customer. It's ultimately about us. When it comes down to it, the reason most of us go to work is for the sake of ourselves and our families. We go to work to protect those we love. Everything else is secondary. We are our first priority.

Or are we? The truth is that we are not raised to put ourselves first. We are raised to be nice. We are raised to share. We are raised to help others.

These are wonderful values, and I believe in them. But there's something else I also believe: the old saying that the Lord helps those who help themselves. I think there is timeless truth in this. So before you start laying out a financial plan, really focus on these questions: Are we helping ourselves? Are you helping yourself? Are you REALLY working for yourself? I'm not asking if you're self-employed. I'm asking whether you're really working for your own benefit and that of your family when you go to your job each morning.

Visit InvestorGazette.com today for articles about retirement income planning for the individual investor. The Investor Gazette - weekly edition of investment properties and investment opportunities.

If You Know These 5 Wealth Secrets Then You Are Probably Already A Millionaire. By Mark Eastwood

2005-09-08T06:11:00.000-07:00

Wealth Secret 1 - Decide Your Outcome Right Now.

Unless you are incredibly lucky you will not be successful straight away. In fact you will inevitably face many challenges which will test your character. One way of overcoming these challenges is to know what you are striving for. If you don't have a clear outcome then you may give up at the first setback.

If instead you imagine yourself with $1 million in the bank, a Ferrari on your driveway etc. etc. then these crystal clear images will help you overcome adversity and spur you on.

Wealth Secret 2 - Commit To Growing (Your Brain).

Spend some money on some products that will help you learn new things. There are some amazing books out there that will inspire and motivate you in your quest for personal wealth. You need to look upon this as an investment not as money going out the door.

You cannot just keep doing things the way you always have been because nothing will change that way. Learn from people who have been more successful than you. Take inspiration from them. Most of the successful people in the world today devour new products, ideas and teaching even though they are already successful.

Wealth Secret 3 - The Most Successful People Have Often Been The Biggest Losers.

It is said that the inventor of the light bulb, Thomas Edison, tried 10,000 attempts until he struck success. That meant he failed 9,999 times! Most people try something once before giving up, can you imagine most people even trying 50 times, I can't.

Wealth Secret 4 - Failure Doesn't have To Exist.

If something doesn't work out the way you wanted then you have found one way which you can discard, you are closer to success. Now take that knowledge and try again but in a different way - and keep trying and trying until it does.

Wealth Secret 5 - Provide Some Value (Do Something!).

It's easy for many people to try take shortcuts to success by doing little or even trying 'scams'. You can't expect people to pay you vast sums for not doing anything or not offering some value or improvement to their lives. If you can save people time they will gladly pay you vast sums. If you can write a great book people will pay you vast sums. If you can save people money they will pay you vast sums. If you don't provide anything of value - then you won't get anywhere.

Find even more wealth secrets on Mark Eastwood's website ChooseWealth.com

Mark Eastwood is the publisher of http://www.Choosewealth.com the site that provides you with the techniques and strategies used by millionaires together with loads of business ideas to help you get started.

Finding Your Passion and Profiting From It

2005-09-07T05:16:00.000-07:00

Is there something that you are so passionate about that you would do it no matter what? If so, have you ever thought about making it your life work?
I want to share with you a quote from a great Australian talent, Rolf Harris. Here is what he said:

"Someone once said to me - first identify your obsession, then make it your profession and you will never do another day's work."

So, let me ask you again - have you ever considered making your passion your life work? Can you make the transition? You don't have to make a "clean cut" from what you are doing now. Do it in stages - a little bit at a time. Set some goals for yourself.

I have known people who have quit their boring day jobs because they have been earning so much money "part-time" pursuing a passion. But they didn't do it through luck or by being idle. Nobody gets rich between 9.00am and 5.00pm.

Identify the thing that you would do even if you would never get paid for it. That is your passion. Next, take some of that useless and unproductive "TV time" and work on that passion. You will find a way to make a profit from it if you put the time in and come up with an "angle." When passion steps in procrastination, laziness, excuses and all the other negative traits walk out the door.

Millions of people earn money from their passion. Not co-incidentally they are also the happiest and wealthiest people on the planet. Why not join their ranks? Remember, the old cliche that "Rome was not built in a day." Conversely, "inch by inch, it's a cinch."
Turn your passion into a profession and you will never have to "work" again.
[If you like this article and would like to use it on your own website or ezine you may do so ONLY if the article is not changed in any way and the final paragraph: "About the author", with all links intact, is included.]

About the author: Gary Simpson is the author of eight books covering a diverse range of subjects such as self esteem, affirmations, self defense, finance and much more. His articles appear all over the web. Gary's email address is budo@iinet.net.au. Click here to go to his Motivation & Self Esteem for Success website where you can receive his "Zenspirational Thoughts" plus an immediate FREE copy of his highly acclaimed, life-changing e-book "The Power of Choice."

How This Best Kept Internet Marketing

2005-02-17T23:17:00.000-08:00

Do you want to double your web site income? How about triple it?

Yes? Did you say yes ? Can't hear you…

Okay... okay... I'll stop teasing! There are ten steps to increasing your web income exponentially. Are you ready? Here they are:

STEP #1: Test

STEP #2: Go back and repeat step #1

I know there are a lot of you out there who do not take testing seriously. Before I increased my sales by over 300% almost overnight, I didn't test much either!

However, when I saw the incredible difference a headline made, I became a testing convert.

The reason?

If I hadn't been testing and tracking the results of my classified ads, I would never have known why I suddenly received a flood of orders. I probably would have attributed all of my new customers to advertising in a new publication. I would have had no idea that my sudden success was the result of a simple change I'd made to the headline.

The headlines I tested were for my book, “Car Secrets Revealed”. When we first launched the product, we made the mistake of assuming that people would purchase the book to save money on their overall car expenses. Our classified ads and banners reflected this assumption and read:

“Money Saving Tips on Car Buying, Leasing, Repairs and Insurance Reduction Tips”

This was a big mistake. Never make assumptions – always test!

Not long after the initial launch of Car Secrets, I surveyed my clientele (easily done by e-mail)… and was completely surprised by the results! I discovered that 73% of the Car Secrets customers had bought the book because they wanted to learn how to buy a new car at $50 over dealer cost.

Only 40 of the 211 pages in the book were devoted to buying a new car, but after learning this I changed our headlines and banner advertisements to read:

“How To Buy A Car At $50 Over Dealer Cost”

Once I did this, the sales increased by over 300% in 48 hours!

The crazy thing is, had we not been testing, I never really would have understood why our sales jumped so drastically. It was because of that one, simple headline!

The fastest way to skyrocket your sales is by testing! Try something different ... experiment ... and track your results!

But what should I test?

Well, it depends on what you are doing. Let's go through a couple of examples.

If you are running a classified ad, you should test:

- The different places you are running your ad
- Your headline
- Your offer
- If applicable, your price

If you are selling a product with a sales letter, you should test:

- Your headline
- Your offer
- Your price
- Your layout (i.e. How you lead your prospect through your sales material.)
- Your ordering process

You can also test things like:

- The use of color
- Typestyle
- Your copy

Usually changes to things like color and typestyle only make small differences in the response you receive… unless your choices are very unusual. But keep in mind that even these small differences can add up!

If you are running banner ads, you should test:

- Where you purchase ad space from
- Your headline
- Your offer
- Your design
- Animated vs. static

At this point, many of you may be thinking to yourselves, “But that means I have to test EVERYTHING!”

You're right! Glad you noticed! You're on the right track!

Now I'm about to list things that you should be testing in the order of their importance. Please remember, however, that any change can potentially make a big difference in the response you receive!

I'd also like to point out that you should try 3 or 4 (even more) versions of your ads and sales letters. Then, choose the one that produces the best overall results to use as your "control ad". From then on, only test one thing at a time. That way, you'll know exactly how each little change affects your overall sales.

1. Test your headline.

This is your title or your opening sentence. This one thing alone can make a huge difference in the response you receive. Spend a lot of time working on it. Your title or headline will be the first impression that your reader or visitor has of you, so it is very important. If you don't get their attention with your headline, the game is over.

2. Test your offer.

Your offer is different than your price. It is the total package that you are selling. It includes your main item plus any incentive items (i.e. Bonuses) you have included. Try changing your offer. Try emphasizing different benefits. Try using different motivating words and phrases.

3. Test your price.

A price that is too high is just as bad as a price that is too low! You might wonder how any price could be too low. Well, a low price could devalue your product or service. Potential customers might think, "If it'sTHAT cheap, there must be something wrong with it!"

Test your prices, starting at what you would consider too high and slowly go down. It goes without saying that you have already figured out your cost per sale and know your breakeven prices by heart!

4. Test the body copy

Try adding some testimonials or experiment with a photo or two. Try redoing your opening page ... and your closing page. Are you using a P.S.? You should. Are you really stressing benefits and features? Use bullets! Test long versus short paragraphs. Try running one long sales letter ... and try breaking the copy up into several pages.

5. Test where your banner is being run

Back when I was doing direct mail selling, I could test the various mail lists that were for sale as well as the response from my classifieds in newspapers and magazines. On the Internet, it gets a little trickier, but it still can be done. It is easy to test a classified you place in a newsletter or e-zine... it is a little harder to get consistent test results from banner ads that are displayed on a variety of sites, especially if you cannot choose the sites. (Keep reading and I'll give you some good tricks for accurately tracking your test results…)

6. Test your site layout

A good site statistics program will tell you where people are entering your site and where they are exiting it. If they are consistently exiting on a certain page (before ordering), then changes need to be made.

7. Test your order process

Again, a good site statistics program will tell you if there are potential problems with your ordering process. If people enter the order section (already knowing the offer and the price) and then exit it without ordering, this may indicate that there is a problem with your order form or process. Ask a few people to run through your ordering process… and tell them that you want their honest opinions.

So what should I do next?

After you have tested all of these things, you should also test the colors you use, the text typeface, and design elements. Your site must be fast loading and easy to navigate! Your site must be visually attractive (this does NOT mean complicated or busy, with flashing lights and spinning graphics). You need to test and tweak every aspect of your web site!

Okay - now here is some news I know you really wanted to hear! Ready?

Your job of testing never ends!

Yup - you read it right! Your job of testing never ends! There is almost always something you can improve on. You could have a winning ad for years ... and then one day a new generation of buyers could appear and change everything. That winning ad no longer pulls like it used to. So test again! Test and learn what appeals to your new audience.

The good news is, as long as you are testing and experimenting with different marketing techniques and strategies, your sales will increase! Remind yourself of this important point if you ever start to feel that testing is too much work!

Tracking your ad campaigns to maximize profits!

Okay! Now that you know WHAT to test, HOW do you keep track of which classified ads, banner ads, links, search engines, etc… are pulling the sales?

It's not as hard as you might think. In fact, there is a very simple way that you can track most everything!

If you have a web site, a good site statistics program is a must. It will allow you to track:

- Where your traffic is coming from

- What pages visitors are looking at

- What page the majority of your traffic is entering on

- What page the majority of your traffic is leaving on

- How long they are staying

… and much more!

If you are running classified ads, banner ads, or a serious linking campaign, you will want to track these kinds of statistics. But how? How will you know how many people visited your site as a result of a classified ad in the Pet Owners Journal?

I'll explain....

Let's pretend that you own dogsite.com and are promoting your newsletter "Fabulous Canine Feats ... Stories of Heroic Dogs Throughout the Centuries", through classified ads (bought and traded) and in pet focused e-zines.

Can you track the number of visitors that are generated by each individual ad? You bet!

You would…

1) Use a different URL in each ad. These “mirror entry” pages would bring visitors to the same page. For example, if you were running a classified ad campaign and wanted to track the amount of traffic each individual ad pulled, you could assign each ad an URL like this…

dogsite.com/dogs01
dogsite.com/dogs02
dogsite.com/dogs03
dogsite.com/dogs04

2) Then you would use a web site statistics program to track the amount of traffic and sales each ad pulled.

You could easily use this strategy to track the results of the same ad placed in a variety of e-zines to see which e-zine generated the most sales… Or you could run four different ads in the same e-zine to determine which copy pulls better.

You could also code the URL for use in e-mail promotions in your own newsletter. This way, you could track any sign-ups that come in, knowing which ad they came from.

Here's an example of what your ad might look like:

Free biweekly newsletter "Fabulous Canine Feats" features stories of heroic dogs throughout the centuries. Our "Ask the Vet" column answers questions about your pet's health, while our feature articles will keep you informed about the latest gizmos, gadgets, and tidbits for your precious pal. Subscribe now by clicking here: mailto:subscribe01@dogsite.com?subject=subscribe01 or by visiting our site at http://www.dogsite.com/subscribe01

The first bit of coding is:

mailto:subscribe01@dogsite.com?subject=subscribe0

This will automatically launch an e-mail with the subject heading filled in. When you receive these e-mails, you can simply filter them into separate mailboxes, allowing you to easily track the results.

The second bit of coding is http://www.dogsite.com/subscribe01

This link would take visitors to an entry page that could be a replica of your main site entry page... or could be a page just about the newsletter. You would, of course, want to know which page brought a better subscription response! This is where the site statistics software comes in…

Your site statistics can tell you:

1) Exactly how many people arrived at any given page.

2) How many of those people signed up for your newsletter… bought your product… requested more information… etc…

This means that you can keep track of exactly where your customers and subscribers are coming from… and which ads produce the best results!

If you are using our AssocTRAC software ( http://www.assoctrac.com ) to run your Affiliate program, then you may already be aware that it is the ultimate ad-tracking software. You can track banner ads, text links, buttons, or any type of advertising you pay for.

By assigning an associate number to an ad, you can track exactly where your visitors are coming from and how many sales are generated by individual ads. This is really important because you'll want to know which ads are earning big profits… and which are wasting your money.

If you advertise through classified ads, banner ads, buttons, links, etc… then this software may be worth the price just for its tracking capabilities!

Once you know the number of buyers and subscribers each ad produces, you will be able to make better decisions about where you are spending your advertising dollars.

For example, if you placed a classified ad in 5 different e-zines and received a .005 (1/2 percent) response from one ... and a whopping 4% response from another, there would be no question as to where you would continue advertising!

There is no way of knowing this without tracking and testing every single ad!

Some people argue that advertising is an art ... while others insist that it's a science. I personally believe that it's both.

You need to do the math - check the numbers - to figure out what works… but you also need to be creative in order to come up with the great headlines and killer copy!

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About the Author

Cory Rudl is the Grand Master of Internet Marketers and strategists. Everyone who is thinking of making an extra money or marketing his or her company will benefit from Corey's The Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business on the Internet.

Information is Power! Predicting the Future of the Internet ...by Corey Rudl

2005-02-17T23:05:00.000-08:00

A short while ago I was giving a presentation in Las Vegas. One night, after several hectic days of seminars, dinners and shows, a friend of mine and I shared a couple of cokes and a bag of chips while talking about one of the shows we had seen the night before.

As we both got another coke from the in-suite refrigerator, our conversation turned to upcoming applications of information technology. The hotel suite that I was staying in was already equipped with a refrigerator and snack bar that "knew" when I removed an item such as a coke or a bag of pretzels. The items were automatically added to my bill … and the housekeeping staff was automatically informed, so that they would know what items had to be replaced! Cool!

The refrigerator and snack bar are connected to the hotel's "Intranet" (note, this is not the same as "Internet") … an internally operated computer network. Each can of pop, each liquor bottle, each chocolate bar, each snack item has an electronic sensor under it. The electronic sensor is programmed so that it knows that a 5-oz bag of potato chips is sitting on it. If you lift an item off the sensor, it is automatically billed to your account. This way, the hotel staff knows exactly what they need to replace before they even clean your room after you check out! You are informed of this when you are given the keys to your room, so that there are no misunderstandings later.

We both thought this was a neat use of available technology ... and we got to talking about what other uses the same technology could be put to. Just think about the kinds of data and information that a "smart room" could be programmed to collect! Sensors could be attached to doors, light switches, phones and TV sets … so that hotel management could figure out how much time people spent in their rooms … how much time they spent watching TV … and how much time they spent talking on the phone, and when.

Why would they want this information? What would they do with it? Well, in Las Vegas, hotels are often connected to casinos … they don't WANT you in your room. They want you on the gambling floors, or attending their concerts. So the hotels could experiment with a number of different models - all aimed at keeping you out of your room and in the casinos. They could lower the room rates … and then charge you to watch TV, or they could entice you down to the gambling floors with free gambling chips or vending machine tokens.

Within a few days, the hotel could then compile statistics to see what worked and what didn't. In addition to their information on room usage, they would have backup data in the form of their gambling revenues … which would confirm if their strategies had worked or not.

Going a step further … what if the hotels gave you a door card (card key) that acted like a tracking device? They would be able to track your movement around the hotel … and even off the premises. They would be able to tell what you were doing and when, and figure out where you were spending your money. That kind of information would be worth a fortune!

Now, don't get me wrong! I'm not saying there is some kind of conspiracy theory out there … nor am I saying this IS going to happen. Many people will say this is a gross invasion of their privacy … and true to form, many others simply won't care. What I DO want you to be aware of is that the technology for doing this kind of information gathering is already here! And in the next two to three years, it will be getting even more sophisticated!

Knowledge of what is coming in the near future could have positive influences on the way you develop your business ... and your career. Job analysts say that the people who know how to design, implement, and use this kind of information and technology will be rare (and therefore desirable) commodities in the future! By knowing where technology is heading, you will be able to position yourself and/or your company for a bright and financially lucerative future!

Here's another example of what is happening right now. One of the major soft drink manufacturers is experimenting with a temperature based pop machine. It adjusts prices of the pop based on the temperature outside. The hotter it is … the higher the price! Basically this is "demand" based marketing. Right now the pop machines are stand alone machines … but in the future, they could be connected to the Internet. Someone at the manufacturer's headquarters could literally adjust prices based on things like special events, temperature, and other such factors - driving the price of pop up or down accordingly!

Additionally, the vending machine companies could do all their trouble shooting over the Internet. Say the change maker malfunctions … the repair department would immediately be notified and they could send a technician out immediately... instead of waiting until people have kicked the machine to death! Ditto with refilling the pop machine. Right now, the pop machine guy comes by on a regular schedule. He has to open the machine and check it out. Sometimes it is still full, and other times it has stood empty for days! (Lost revenue!) But with an Internet connection, the folks back at pop central would know exactly how many cans of pop were in the machine. Instead of sending a guy out on a regular route … they could just send him out to the machines that need refilling. Talk about a super efficient use of human resources!

This market driven model of pricing, service and repairs is not too far off in the future! In fact, right now in Norway, the Nokia phone people are testing various add-on features to their cell phones. In parts of the country, the beta testers can walk up to a pop machine and dial up their account code for a "pop" … the pop comes out and the price is added to their phone bill.

Unless you were born on January 1st, 2000 you may have noticed how fast the world is changing. The only way to cope with the change is to embrace it! Accept the fact that change is going to be a permanent part of our lives ... and use information and predictions about future technology as a guide to building your business. Predictions for changes on the Internet are plentiful! Here are some of the things you will be seeing in the not so distant future.

You will be able to surf the web from your airplane seat in the next year or so . Telecommunications is exploding and soon we will sit in our airplane seat, surfing the web at a cost that will be affordable to many ... just as sky phones are an affordable and justifiable expense to some people. Surfing from your airplane seat will start off as a high cost luxury ... but you can be sure that the cost will steadily decrease as the demand for the service increases.

At this very moment Internet pioneer Leonard Kleinrock, a scientist at UCLA and owner of a company called "Nomadix Inc." is developing "smart space" technology. When you walk into a room, it will know you are there ... and you will be able to "talk" to it and get the information you want. Sound like Star Trek? You betcha! Communication devices called MEMS (micro electromechanical systems) will be embedded into desks, rooms and even shoes! The device will be able to recognize different people and deliver up their preferences. Kleinrock predicts that Internet technology will be invisible, will be capable of following you around ... it will be available anywhere! Kleinrock also predicts that we may start using some aspect of this technology within three to four years.

Within two to three years we will start seeing high definition screens on cell phones that will allow us to view Internet content. Because navigating the web using cell phone keys is highly impractical, users will be able to surf the web using voice activated technology.

Major car companies have embraced the Internet wholeheartedly! In the near future we will be seeing totally integrated communication systems in new cars. Internet access, voicemail, fax machines, and email ... you won't have to wait long!

Within months, some of the first Internet-enabled vehicles will be available! GM is gearing up to equip vehicles with "OnStar", a satellite service that will act as a mobile Internet service provider. They are taking this very seriously and are predicting over a million subscribers to the service within the next year!

GM is already using the Internet to involve its customers in the designing of new vehicles. Within five to ten years you may be able to order up a vehicle custom designed to your specifications!

And more Star Trek devices will appear every day. Right now we have Global Positioning devices installed in boats, planes and automobiles ... well, in the near future you can join Kirk, Picard and Janeway with your very own wireless badge that connects you to a satellite GPS and keeps track of your location. Now my staff will not only know WHEN I'm goofing off, but where I'm doing the goofing!

The development and appearance of these amazing new Internet technologies and products will only accelerate in the years to come. By knowing what the future will bring, you can position yourself and be ready to profit when it does "become public". Get ready for the new century!

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About the Author

Cory Rudl is the Grand Master of Internet Marketers and strategists. Everyone who is thinking of making an extra money or marketing his or her company will benefit from Corey's The Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business on the Internet.

"One Pipeline Is Worth A Thousand Paychecks!"

2005-02-11T02:12:00.000-08:00

Dear Friend,

It is with great pleasure of having you drop by at my blogsite. Please visit my website at http://www.my.archbrowser.com if you've yet to come across it. Let me get it straight and be honest with you at the very outset. First of all, I'm not going to sell you anything here. And second of all, if you are hoping that you could learn some tricks to earn Quick & easy Money, you are definitely in a wrong place.

What I'm offering you are some personal story and lesson which I hope you will find it useful and beneficial to your well-being - be it financially or spiritually. Below is an article which I wrote to an online magazine, some time ago. The response was phenomenal and overwhelming. I hope you will enjoy reading it.

The Power of Dream

Have you ever dreamed of being financially free seomeday ? Yes, let me repeat, FINANCIAL FREEDOM. I bet some of you do. However, I believe only a handful of you would actually commit yourselves into making your dream comes true. Instead of committing to pursue your dream, you would just sit back and do nothing about it. Am I right to say that most of you have no confidence of yourself , let alone your dream?

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Well, some people will doubt it and think that being financially free seems to be an impossible dream to attain. - Never ever doubt about yourself !- To have financial freedom is not impossible and is within your reach if you possess the fundamental understanding of how wealth is created and accumulated.

By the same token, the depth of your financial knowledge and planning will determine your financial future whether you will retire broke, debt-ridden or leave a huge amount of wealth for your dependence. The choice is yours because you are the navigator of your own destiny.
As Burke Hedges the author of the book The Parable of the Pipeline eloquently writes , " becoming a millionaire is a matter of choice, not chance ."

How to Be Financially Free

Most of you must have heard of people saying; you either be a professional or run your own business to earn BIG INCOME, right? It is true to a certain extent, however, a profession per se does not guarantee you a better financial future. Why? Because no matter how much you earn as an engineer, a manager, an accountant, an architect, etc. you will still depend on a paycheck or a fee for a living. Think about it, the moment when you stop working, your income will stop flowing in and the next thing you know, your bank-savings is drying up.

Thus, being a professional with a big income is never going to make you financially comfortable. You will never make your family safe and secure. Burke Hedges calls this group of people a "bucket carrier". He writes, "as long as you carry buckets, you have to show up and do the work in order to get paid."

Does it sound familiar to you? This is how the rat-race world works. Instead of working for the money as Robert T. Kiyosaki, the author of the best selling book Rich Dad and Poor Dad pointed out, "we should make the money work for us." What a brilliant saying!

So how do we get out of this rat-race world? The answer is we need to start thinking on how to make the money work for us. Have you ever heard of the concept of leverage? It is a concept that is widely applied in all fields of work including the financial world. So what is it all about?
What is leveraging?

Leverage is a phenomenal concept that has been known to people throughout the ages. The root of the word leverage, lever is originated from an old French word that means, "to make lighter." Say, if we want to move an object, which is many times heavier than us, what do we do? That's right. We place a rigid bar on a pivot to lever it and the object becomes so light that even a child can lift it easily.

"Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." - Archimedes

This is the power of leverage. In today's financial world, we apply the same principle of leverage to time and money, and the outcomes are exponential. Leverage allows people to work smarter, not harder, and it is the reason behind the creation of so many millionaires in the last century.
Leverage: The Source of Residual Income

Residual income, which is also known as passive or recurring income, is an income that will continuously generates inflow of money to us after the initial effort that we have put to work or money we have invested in an investment fund. Alternatively, if you are an inventor, your residual income will basically derived from the rights and patents of something you have invented and used by others. The same goes to an artist or a musician.
Two Types Of Leveraging

Leveraging Money

Have you heard of Warren Buffet? Yes, the second richest man in the world and a legendary figure in the stock market that earn his living by leveraging other people's money and as result he made himself and his investors rich in the course.

Check this out. One share of Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway stock was worth around $19 in the mid 60s and by the end of 1998, the value of that single share has shot up to $70,000. Say, if you have invested $ 10,000 back in 1965, your investment at the end of 1998 would have been worth a whopping $ 51 million. WOW ! That's unbelievable. The money was left to compound by itself as time went by. That's how money-leverager makes their millions.

Nevertheless, most of these 'money-leveragers' would only get to see their wealth touches the million-dollar mark only after they have reached their 50s or 60s. Though it's a long wait before they could see the result, it is worth the wait anyhow. Wouldn't it be great to be a money-leverager?

Ok, let's be honest to ourselves. Not everyone of us has the patience to wait, not to mention, some of us even find it hard to come up with the initial capital to invest. So, if we don't have the money, what do we have to leverage then? The answer is TIME !

Leveraging Time

A day has 24 hours and all of us regardless whether we are rich or poor, have that same amount of time in a day. Time helps us to level the playing field. We can no longer give ourselves excuses not to be rich. We have been given an equal opportunity in this era where every one of us can have easy access to information and knowledge on wealth building.

All we need to do is to leverage an iota of our leisure time and spend it wisely to build our pipeline that will continuously pay us day and night. Always remember - pipelines are no longer an affair of the rich. Pipeline belongs to people who believe they CAN do it.
Why Leveraging Time Not Money ?

"Life is a waste of time; time is a waste of life; so why waste your time when you could be having the time of your life?" - Unknown

Why leveraging time not money? Well, if you were a money leverager, you wouldn't be reading this article in the first place. You would probably talking to your broker looking for stocks to invest or busy looking for real estate properties to add to your investment portfolio. Right? So I believe you are here because you do not have enough financial means to leverage money to build pipelines of ongoing residual income. ( Admit it, I won't tell anyone. )

Up to this point, I hope you understand the difference between leveraging time and money. Let us put aside the latter and pay more attention on the concept of leveraging time as we have mentioned earlier that building pipelines through leveraging time is within everyone reach.
In the next few years from now, believe it or not, many millionaires will be created through Internet marketing - either selling your own or other people's products. ( What if I could show you how to start an Internet Business in less than 24 hours, and see profits by next weekend — would you be excited? - keep reading if you want the answer) Internet marketing gives you the edge over other types of businesses because it is not limited by boundaries and physical limitations. It is accessible 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

Do you know that a recent report has shown that e-commerce revenue has trippled in the last 5 years ? And it has been forecasted that transaction from online buying would reach up to trillions dollars in the next 5 years.

Ok, so much of the hype and yet you're still not convinced that people do make money via internet. Would you believe if I tell you that I could earn U$ 2K-3K a month for having only to spend 30 minutes a day online? Well, the rest of the day I spend on reading and working - yes, I still work because I "want to work" and not I "have to work". There's a big difference here. With some extra cash in hand, I invest some in stocks and Real-Estate. Well, as the saying goes, "Never put all eggs in one basket."

Hey, why don't you go have a look at what I have on my websites? Please go to:

http://www.archbrowser.com

or http://www.archiquotes.info

ArchiQuotes.Info was started as a hobby. Like you perhaps, I did not know how to create website at first - it's not hard to learn though. Anyway, there are ways to earn some extra cash through internet. You don't have to create a website on your own. I can assure you that Donald Trump of the Apprentice reality show, knows nothing about computer-aided drawing (CAD) software and yet, still able to build a business empire related to buildings. The reason being, he has MONEY! Like I said earlier, you need to find something - a tool - to make the wheel cart moving. Once you've got it moving, it'll be so much easier to keep it going. That's physics - the law of inertia. YOU have to start the initial drive!

What I'm going to share with you is something personal - You and Me. But first of all, I want to thank you so much for bothering to read so far. Words of Advice: if you are a type person who has no determination to succeed, please do not read further or attempt to try it. If you insist you want to try, good. Welcome to the BIG THINKER group. You will see result in less than a month provided that you put 101% effort in what you are doing.

I owe much of my online success to one person that is, none other than the foremost online guru, Corey Rudl. I believe some of you must have heard his name or read his book. He is the Grand Strategist of all Internet Business and Internet Marketing.

To win a war, you need to have strategies in place - echoing the wisdom of ancient Chinese sage, Sun-Tzu. Likewise, if you want to succed online, you need strategies. There's an old saying that say,

"Don't Reinvent the Wheel."

That's right. You are lucky because you don't have to start from scratch. Corey Rudl has put in place all the strategies for everyone who wish to earn some extra cash or - let me be a little bolder - earn a six figure income! If you are serious about going online to make some extra cash, look no further. Corey Rudl's is a proven internet marketer - he earns U$ 7.8 million a year. Is that convincing enough for you to start an online business?

Perhaps, some of you will comprehend what I've written here and proceed to set your own financial goal. Others may just call it a quit before even trying it. Whichever path you decide, always bear in mind this saying by Napolean Hill, "winners never quit, and quitters never win." All success begin from a very small step of faith in yourself. Let me end by giving you an old chinese proverb,

"A journey of a thousand miles, start with one steps."

Believe me, one pipeline is worth a thousand paychecks. Start building one, my dear friend. If you ever succeed after reading my letter, please remember me. All I ask from you is to buy me a dinner.

Thank you for your time.

Best Wishes,

Edward Chew

P.S. For more info on Corey Rudl's, click here The Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business on the Internet.