Getting Your Money's Worth

Securing outside counsel is crucial to any business regardless of the industry or size. However, more than 60% of legal departments within businesses gave serious thought to firing outside legal support in 2001. The number one reason for this consideration was a problem with communication and response. Then when you consider the expense associated with outside counsel, along with a large movement of lawyers, the numbers of unhappy clients in the past five years have increased.

One of the most important factors when hiring outside counsel is to do your homework, know the law firm, as well as what they represent. After all, establishing a secure relationship is a win-win situation for both parties. To ensure you work with the right outside counsel, you will need to measure services offered with price, communication, responsiveness, professionalism, and areas of expertise. Today, we see many large (and small) corporations consolidating services with outside law firms as a means of tightening up operations, and with great success.

So what is the key to success when looking for and securing outside counsel? The formula is not difficult but it is precise. For starters, look for a law firm that wants and values your input. The foundation of a strong relationship is two-way communication. The firm should actively keep you abreast of changes, and concerns. However, communication is not simply conveying information but also listiening. In other words, if outside counsel does not take the time to listen to the client, to hear and understand potential risks and goals, then the relationship will never work.

Law firms should take the time to learn about your company’s technologies and capabilities. For example, every company has different needs. Whether legal support and advice, technology, or software choices, a law firm needs to take the time to understand the client, their business, the competitive threats and the opportunities. In this way, outside counsel would not only have a comprehensive understanding of your business but also your specific requirements to run that business.

Outside counsel should also be fully vested in your financial interests. Their work plan should include ways to cut costs for your company while adding to or maximizing profitability. A good law firm committed to serving your needs, can add value to your operations by identifying ways that you could better utilize your internal systems, as well as their services.

Good legal counsel can also aid you in growing your business. They would teach you about implementing systems, marketing, and using tactics for surviving against your competitors while also providing support in legal matters. Keep in mind that even if you were to find a law firm you liked, as a best practice meet with three, four, or five outside firms to make sure you choose wisely. A good law firm will show you ways of thinking outside the box, and using innovation to drive business results.

About The Author

Richard A. Hall is founder and President/CEO of LexTech, Inc., a legal information consulting company. Mr. Hall has a unique breadth of experience which has enabled him to meld technology and sophisticated statistical analysis to produce a technology driven analytical model of the practice of law.

Another False Idea-It Takes Money-To Make Money

he idea that it takes money to make money is a false one. This is a common knowledge idea (which are usually wrong).

When you are in the situation of living within a tight expense budget and you do not know anything about any "business model", it certainly does seem like it takes money to make money. It also seems like there is a lot of risk involved.

This whole idea leads most people to believe that investing is risky. In reality, the more knowledge and experience you have, the less risk that is involved and the less money that is usually required.

This is true no matter what business model you choose to pursue. It is all the learning and preparation that take place before an investment that determine the profitability of the investment.

Your level of financial education not only determines how successful your business investments will be but, It is directly related to the quality of people you employee and the businesses you partner with.

Most people have not invested their time into learning about there finances so that is why most people feel it takes money to take money. This belief can lead many people to confuse investing with gambling. Much like gambling when you are relying on "luck" to determine the outcome there is a large amount of risk involved.

Investing is only risky when the person making the investment has no knowledge or experience handling that type of investment. Than the investment may require lots of money and risk.

The less knowledge and experience a person has, the less control they have over the possible outcomes. The less control they have over the outcome, the less certain they are of the outcome. Whenever you invest your money into a situation where you are not certain of the outcome, you are not really investing, you are gambling.

It is important you do not confuse gambling with investing.

Where's The Money? What's Next For Real Estate Investors

Investors who have previously been able to qualify for 100% purchase financing to acquire investment properties are now facing much different conditions in the investor loan market place. Programs for investor loans have literally evaporated under the pressure of the subprime mortgage debacle. Many investors who formerly depended on subprime mortgage programs and ARM loans, are now seeking hard money loans for real estate purchases and rehabs. Demand for hard money loan programs nationwide has steadily increased. Real estate investors are discovering that hard money lenders are funding both residential and commercial investments.

According to Wikipedia: A hard money loan is a species of real estate loan collateralized against the quick-sale value of the property for which the loan is made. Most lenders fund in the first lien position, meaning that in the event of a default, they are the first creditor to receive remuneration. Occasionally, a lender will subordinate to another first lien position loan; this loan is known as a mezzanine or second lien. Hard money lenders structure loans based on a percentage of the quick-sale value of the subject property. This is called the loan-to-value or LTV ratio and typically hovers between 60-70% of the market value of the property. For the purpose of determining an LTV, the word "value" is defined as "today's purchase price." This is the amount a lender could reasonably expect to realize from the sale of the property in the event that the loan defaults and the property must be sold in a one- to four-month timeframe. This value differs from a market value appraisal, which assumes an arms-length transaction in which neither buyer nor seller is acting under duress.

Chairman Ben S. Bernanke who testified Before the Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Representatives on September 20, 2007 regarding subprime mortgage lending and mitigating foreclosures stated, "Markets do tend to self-correct. In response to the serious financial losses incurred by investors, the market for subprime mortgages has adjusted sharply. Investors are demanding that originators employ tighter underwriting standards, and some large lenders are pulling back from the use of brokers. The reassessment and resulting increase in the attention to loan quality should help prevent a recurrence of the recent subprime problems. Nevertheless, many homeowners who took out mortgages in recent years are in financial distress."

Tighter underwriting standards for investors mean that fewer investors will qualify for loans without substantial down payments, generally in the 20% to 30% range. These strict underwriting requirements for real estate investors will also lead investors to pursue more creative real estate funding options such as seller financing, carry-back, and hard money funding for purchase or rehab "fix and flip". While the markets are correcting, real estate investors are already gravitating to programs where they can obtain readily available funding to purchase investment property.

Many hard money lenders are willing to loan up to 100% of the purchase on a property, given the fact that the property LTV is approximately 70% or lower. These lenders are also willing to loan money for "rehabbing" the property and even structuring the loan so no monthly payments are required for 3 to 6 months. These features make hard money loans very attractive to the investor, especially during times when property inventory is increasing and properties can be purchased at substantial values. At the present time, rates for hard money are in the 10% to 16% range and hard money lenders are charging "points" typically, 1-3 more than a traditional loan, which would amount to 3-6 points on the average hard money loan. Commercial hard money loans range from 4 to 10 points. Investor credit may or may not factor into a hard money loan due to the fact that the funding is based on the "hard" asset value of the property collateralizing the loan.

Gary Zaccaria is a Sr. Financial Consultant with OpmCredit.com on the topic of Hard Money Loanoptions for real estate investing. He has marketed real estate investment training programs for Trump University, Dolf De Roos, Robert Allen, and AD Kessler. More Information –
http://www.opmcredit.com/

The Power Of Money

I was watching this movie on television the other day about this man who does whatever it takes to get money. To him money is power. He killed his own brother and even his wife to get what he wanted. This man didn’t allow anything or anyone to stop him.

Money is a source of power and status. People who make a lot of money also have a lot of money to spend. We always considered this to be a powerful people. A lot of money allows people to control other people as well.

Do we as parents realize that at an early age that kids recognize that having money to spend provides them with a feeling of power? It allows them to take control of a situation.

Teens learn this feeling of power from adults when they observe parents showing off their purchases or talking to neighbours about their new BMW. Teens quickly associate money with success and power.

Who are the most powerful people in the world? Bill Gates? President George Bush? Take a look at the well respected business magazine, Forbes. Each year Forbes releases a list of Top CEOs: Corporate Most Powerful People. The list is based on how much money each CEO makes during the preceding year.

Do you know that not all powerful people are rich; some have been very poor. Like our dear Mother Theresa, the nun who worked tirelessly to care for the world’s poorest and most desperate people. She did all these as it came from her courage and conviction and most importantly from the love of her heart.

So does money and power goes hand in hand? Is money powerful? What do we want to tell our teens? Let’s give a good thought about this.

Your teen buddy Christina www.teenagermoneyhabits.blogspot.com

Your teen buddy Christina

Expose Your Money Buttons

Most of the time people are not even conscious of their money buttons. The following questions will expose where your money buttons are.

What is my relationship like with money?

For example, do I think, 'money is my friend', 'money hangs out with me', 'money loves me', 'money slips through my fingers', 'money causes me stress', etc.

What are my feelings like around money?

For example, worry, fear, joy, excitement, etc.

What are my beliefs around money?

For example, money does not grown on trees, money is the root of all evil, rich people are selfish, money flows to me in abundance, etc.

What is my earliest money memory?

This is your earliest memory of the importance, role, or impact of money. Typically the memory had a strong emotional charge to it.

What did I learn about money from my family?

What kind of attitudes do my family have to money, what did they teach me (overtly or inadvertently) about money?

How does saving money make me feel?

How does spending money make me feel?

When it comes to money I should ....

How do I respond when I see images of enormous houses, a BMW or other luxury car, big diamond rings, overseas travel destinations - things that typically have a high monetary value?

What kinds of conversations do I have around money with my friends and family?

What kinds of attitudes do my closest friends have about money and wealth?

How do I explain why some people have so much money and others have so little?

Do I resonate with the following statements?
I deserve to be wealthy
I am ok with being wealthy
I enjoy my wealth
I am wildly wealthy and enjoy whatever I want
There is more than enough for everyone.
I feel good about money and my relationship with it.

What do I want from my relationship with money?

What do I not want from my relationship with money?

What would I do with $20 million?

What would change for me if I had $20 million?

If you felt uncomfortable answering any of these questions, chances are you have exposed a money button. The money button reveals old emotional patterns that were likely burned in to your psyche throughout your younger years. As a result, you would have repeated the same patterns, no matter how uncomfortable or negative, because this is what you learned at a subconscious level to be true about money. The patterns get repeated and worn in to your regular thoughts and feelings just like a path gets worn in grass through repeated use.

As an adult you can recognise that you are not getting the results you want with regards to wealth, money, and abundance and are now ready to defuse these buttons and install a more comfortable and positive money button - one that triggers feelings of excitement, energy, enthusiasm, gratitude, and pleasure.

How do you install new money buttons?

You have just completed Step 1 - become aware of them. For the rest of the steps, read my article, "Install new money buttons and feel your way to financial freedom" on my website http://www.innercompass.com.au and at http://www.innercompass.com.au/content/category/7/28/45/

Subscribe to Compass Bearings and receive updates on my forthcoming ebook, "Aladdin's lamp - your secrets to fun and financial freedom"

About The Author

Cancer survivor Zoe Routh is the Head Coach at Inner Compass, a personal development organisation that helps busy professionals work less and achieve more. Zoë is the author of ebook Absolute Productivity – a handbook for your personal and professional life. Inner Compass offers practical strategies and solutions to improve personal effectiveness and live an inspired life. We also offer tons of free stuff like articles, recommended books, and links. Sign up for our free newsletter, Compass Bearings while you’re there. Want to live with no regrets? Check it out at http://www.innercompass.com.au.

Teenagers- a Great Asset to Save You Money, Time, and Heartache!

When I was a young child I thought that my father knew EVERYTHING. It might have been true in my father's case, but now that I myself am a father (twelve times over) I see that this is as far from the truth as London is from Los Angeles! With the never ending technological and social changes it is almost impossible to be aware of all that is going on. But, do you know what, it really doesn't matter. Vickie L. Milazzo recently wrote in Entrepreneur.com that one of the ways that she grew her business 300% to be worth 12 million dollars was by not only listening to experts but also by listening to $8 an hour employees! Obviously she made the final decisions but she listened to EVERYONE'S ideas. Instead of spending lots of time researching what kind of car to buy, what is the best restaurant in town or even where you should shop, asks your teenagers.

Here are a few areas where they can you money, time, and heartache.

* Big Purchases. If you are planning to buy something expensive for the house, let's say a new dining room set, a new kitchen or a new home entertainment center then ask your teen to ask their friends (if they haven't already) or go on line to compare prices and quality between different brands. Ask them also to investigate which stores in your city have the best service. You'll be saving yourself a lot of time and, if you are like me, also a lot of money. (I usually lose my patience after I compare one or two stores.)

* Home improvements. You'll be surprised what great ideas your teens have to fix up your house. They have seen all types of good ideas at their friends houses and they are not lazy to go on line to find better ideas and to compare prices. An added benefit is they might do it themselves! The other day, after I asked my son how to fix a leaking washing machine he told me that he'll take care of it. He saved me a good few hours and probably did a better job than me!

* Family get togethers. Planning a holiday dinner for the whole family (cousins, parents, parent-in-laws etc.)? I'm sure your daughter will love to help you find new recipes that she heard from her friends. She canalso look through magazines for original ways to set the table. An added benefit you might gain is that since she helped plan the dinner she will help more willingly.

* Vacations. Researching where to take the family on a vacation could take a long time. Your teen can research for you hotel prices, plane schedules and fun and interesting activities in that area. Tell them the time that you are planning to go and basically where and see what they come up. If you feel uncomfortable to discusss with them the financial limitations, tell them to look at different price ranges and then you'll decide in the end. Remember, like all CEO's, you make the final decision. You'll be amazed at the cheap flights and hotels that they will discover. Also, if you choose to listen to what they suggest and it doesn't work out, they won't be able to complain since it was their suggestion!

* Younger children. The area in which they are most helpful is to help you with younger children. As long as you know that they really care about their younger siblings (don't pay attention to their petty fights) then they will help you find out what the younger brothers and sisters are really up to and with whom they really hang out and what they feel is a good intervention. Remember, they understand better than us what, nowadays is considered "normal" behavior and what is bizarre. This can save you much heartache and trips to the school's counselor. Just remember, the younger sibling can never catch on that you discuss him with the older siblings. You have to make sure not to use any information you receive from the older sibling in a way that the younger one will figure out how you know it.

One last word. Don't only listen to their facts and figures and totally disregard their opinions. You surely should decide what to buy, where to vacation, and what to do with your other child but show your teens that you appreciate and respect what they did for you. If you do this, I'm sure, you will probably be pleasantly surprised at how much they helped you.

About The Author

Shevach Pepper is the happy father of twelve children and is a family and life coach helping successful people to utilize their business and leadership skills in their personal life. For more information and helpful tips on family issues visit http://www.greatfamilyman.com.

Another False Idea-It Takes Money-To Make Money

The idea that it takes money to make money is a false one. This is a common knowledge idea (which are usually wrong).

When you are in the situation of living within a tight expense budget and you do not know anything about any "business model", it certainly does seem like it takes money to make money. It also seems like there is a lot of risk involved (and given the circumstances, I would agree).


This whole idea leads most people to believe that investing is risky. In reality, the more knowledge and experience you have, the less risk that is involved and the less money that is usually required.

This is true no matter what business model you choose to pursue. It is all the learning and preparation that take place before an investment that determine the profitability of the investment.

Your level of financial education not only determines how successful your business investments will be but, It is directly related to the quality of people you employee and the businesses you partner with.

Most people have not invested their time into learning about there finances so that is why most people feel it takes money to take money. This belief can lead many people to confuse investing with gambling. Much like gambling when you are relying on "luck" to determine the outcome there is a large amount of risk involved.

Investing is only risky when the person making the investment has no knowledge or experience handling that type of investment. Than the investment may require lots of money and risk.

The less knowledge and experience a person has, the less control they have over the possible outcomes. The less control they have over the outcome, the less certain they are of the outcome. Whenever you invest your money into a situation where you are not certain of the outcome, you are not really investing, you are gambling.

It is important you do not confuse gambling with investing.

About The Author

Hello my name is Robert but you can call me Bob, a year ago I made a decision that I would not be a slave to money. This is what I learned.

Free - Debt Help RSS feed- no sales junk only helpful content to guide you on your journey to financial independence.

Why Knowing Your Chainsaw Parts Will Save You Money And Frustration!

Chainsaw parts can often present problems in respect to finding the right parts when they need to be replaced and many times, woodcutters can incur unnecessary espense by simply going out and buying a new chainsaw.

Preserving chainsaw parts comes down to good maintenance practices; maintaining and looking after your saw on a regular basis will ensure the vital components are preserved longer and will give you greater service. Ignore general maintenance and it not only becomes expensive and frustrating but safety issues can come into play.

When purchasing a chainsaw, it's good practice to buy from a dealer which provides back up service and parts. For example, buying a Stihl saw from a Stihl dealer means specialist parts shouldn't be a problem when they're needed and the same goes for Husqvarna, Echo, Poulan and so on.

Dissecting a chainsaw's parts means concentrating on a dozen or so aspects of a machine which combine to produce the overall work output. These are some of the parts which you need to pay special attention to during a chainsaw's life.

- Chain catcher...this is a safety part which protects the user from being injured by a renegade saw chain.

- Anti-vibration... vibration can cause undue stress to a user's arms and joints. Anti-vibration systems absorb much of the vibration output ensuring smoother handling.

- Chain brake... kickback is a common concern with chainsaw use and causes many accidents. The chain brake was introduced during the mid 90's as a way of putting an effective stop to the chain if kickback occurs.

- Muffler... noise has always been associated with chainsaw use and the muffler assists in alleviating part of this problem by absorbing a good part of the noise thus having less impact on a users hearing.

Flywheel... this part has a two-pronged benefit as it not only controls the speed of the engine but also has coolant qualities. While powerful, chainsaws are not excessively big machines but produce enormous amounts of power. Heating could be a problem however, flywheels reduce a lot of the heat stress.

Other chainsaw parts include the clutch, decompression valves and throttle valves which all have an important part in the performance of the machine.

Maintenance of chainsaw parts should be done on a regular basis. Sharpening of a dull chain, checking the fuel system and making sure it's clear of unwanted contaminants, checking the chain system for correct tension, air filters, spark plugs and making sure the muffler is clean and undamaged on a regular basis will all help to preserve the vital parts of a chainsaw.

Don't forget, maintenance of chainsaw parts is not just about checking them regularly. When your machine is not in use, storage is also an important factor. If your machine is in limbo for any length of time, you'll need to perform tasks such as draining the fuel tank as well as from the carby line and draining the machine's oil. There are other areas you need to pay attention to which should be listed in your chainsaw service guide. The saw itself you be stored away from the elements.

About The Author

Dean Caporella is a professional broadcaster. Save money and frustration by knowing your chainsaw parts! Plus, read the latest chainsaw news and reviews at: http://www.chainsawlife.com.

The Principle Law Of Online Moneymaking Ventures

The Principle Law Of Online Moneymaking Ventures

There are two ways to earn money in the real world. Either you will work for a boss, or be your own boss. Working for a boss entails employment of some nature, in an establishment that has some need for the services you could provide. Being your own boss entails having your own business and facilitating the production of some goods or the distribution of some services. Either way, you'll earn your keep (or at least, you should).

It's the basic law of making money, you have to give or render something to receive something in return. When it comes to making money online, it's the same principle at work. You have to give or render something to receive something in return. And yes, you could work for a boss, or you could be your own boss. The opportunities are there in the World Wide Web. The choice is yours. The first question in your mind, most probably, is this: could I really earn a living online?

The answer to that question is an emphatic "yes!" But let me explain, dear friend. I am not referring to some ordinary opportunities that would reward you with measly earnings that won't even be enough to purchase a happy meal. Oh, most definitely not. I am talking about REAL opportunities that would help you earn REAL money in the World Wide Web.

The things you will learn in this series of email lessons would make you realize that the virtual world is just as profitable, if not more lucrative, than offline ventures. Based on my experience, it is more profitable to have your own business on the internet. Case in point: I personally know 34 people who live comfortable lives by working for someone else via the communication channels that the internet has made possible, but I also personally know around 200 people who have made it big online without having to work as much as those who have decided to render their services for hire. By "big," I mean big time big! I'm talking about a yearly gross in the high six digits, if not over the magical 7 digit barrier! And I'm just talking about the people I "personally" know, people I have befriended and people I have mentored at some point. What more the people outside my circle, right?

But first, we must cover the basics. Tell me, what's the common thing that can be observed in any business? The answer, of course, is that you have to sell something. What you will be able to sell would be your bread and butter. It will be the source of your profits. You can't earn if you can't offer anything for a particular market. You may offer them some goods or some services, which they would need or want. This is related to the driving principle of the commercial world: the law of supply in demand. This principle is quite easy to understand. The lower the supply, the higher the demand. This is the lesson I want you to learn: you can't make money from the real world without delivering something, be it some goods or some services. And you can't make money from the internet without delivering something as well. It's the basic business model at work.

Using what we have discussed so far as basis, we could formulate an outline for your online business plan, one that would allow you to cover the basic concepts and advance to more complicated ones. Here are the things you have to learn, eventually:

1. How to find a profitable market.

2. The different types of products you could sell.

3. How to create your own information product.

4. How to create unconventional products that can be digitally delivered.

5. How to come up with products without having to go through the process of creation.

6. How to build your own digital store.

7. The basics of search engine optimization.

8. The basics of article marketing.

9. The basics of forum marketing.

10. How to make a blog work for your business.

11. How to price your product.

12. How to employ novel packaging techniques to make your product highly sellable.

13. Cross-selling and back-selling items for sustainable profit.

I am not exaggerating when I tell you that you'd be able to earn an amount that might rival and even surpass what you earn from your day job. The Internet, after all, has always been a secret breeding ground for millionaires. Master the basics we have enumerated above and you will be able to realize the extreme profitability an online moneymaking opportunity can truly offer.

About The Author

Stephen Thomas is the owner of and has been helping ordinary people make a living online since 2003 You can request YOUR own FREE Marketing Tips Newletter by visiting his Site or by sending a blank e-mail to stevesbizoppos@getresponse.com

More Money For Pensioners

If you are dissatisfied with your pension or even
your anticipated pension, and need more money
without constantly working then this could be
your solution, it is not as impossible as it may
seem at the moment.

You need to develop a positive attitude to life
and decide that you will not be put down. Yes you
can do it and here is how to go about it. Now
with this positive attitude to life start looking
at an alternative that is not so easy to dismiss.

First to help you believe in yourself, list down
all things that you can do, list all types of
jobs you have done, the paid and unpaid, and
voluntarily and your hobbies.

This preparation will be the foundation of you
newly to be acquired skill. That skill being the
ability to generate real cash from ebay. Yes you
can make a lot of money but you need to know how
to go about it.

I have some free advice on this on my web site.

You will see lots and lots of adverts for showing
how you can make a fortune working from home only
the good ones give you really free start-up
information.

Working direct from your home on items that can
be sold and delivered electronically by email is
the route to consider. The list from above which
you have created is the key. Because electronic
books (ebooks) sell easily and well on ebay so
this is where you need to concentrate your
efforts.

So if you to want to look at ebay for yourself
tread carefully don't spend vast fortunes on
packages that offer tens of thousands per week
without any effort. If it sounds too good to be
true, then it probably is too good to be true.

Instead find guides that get you going free of
charge, then if you like what is on offer follow-
through and buy their package.

So Focus your thoughts on the future, the past is
past and cannot be changed, but in deciding where
you want to go in the future, you will increase
your chances of getting there. Always aim high,
and you too can make it a success.

If you want some free advice and guidance on to
ways to work for yourself without spending a
fortune then have a look at my web site.

In the comfort of your own home you can then read
of exciting ways to develop your own ebay income
and only when you feel comfortable with it do you
need to do anything more about it.

This could be the big solution you have been
waiting for.

About The Author

John Harriyott runs Quality Solutions (UK), developing tools for the layman who wants a better life. To find out more on this visit http://www.quality-solutions.co.uk/pension.htm

How to Stop Spending Your Hard Earned Money

Answer these questions:

a. Does your spouse or partner complain that you spend too much money?

b. Are you surprised each month when your credit card bill arrives at how much more you charged than you thought you had?

c. Do you have more shoes and clothes in your closet than you could ever possibly wear?

d. Do you own every new gadget before it has time to collect dust on a retailer’s shelf?

e. Do you buy things you didn’t know you wanted until you saw them on display in a store?

If you answered “yes” to any two of the above questions, you are an impulse spender and indulge yourself in retail therapy.

This is not a good thing. It will prevent you from saving for the important things like a house, a new car, a vacation or retirement. You must set some financial goals and resist spending money on items that really don’t matter in the long run.

Impulse spending will not only put a strain on your finances but your relationships, as well. To overcome the problem, the first thing to do is learn to separate your needs from your wants.

Advertisers blitz us hawking their products at us 24/7. The trick is to give yourself a cooling-off period before you buy anything that you have not planned for.

When you go shopping, make a list and take only enough cash to pay for what you have planned to buy. Leave your credit cards at home.

If you see something you think you really need, give yourself two weeks to decide if it is really something you need or something you can easily do without. By following this simple solution, you will mend your financial fences and your relationships.

Written by http://www.diyconservatories-and-windows.co.uk/ of http://www.digital-view-web.co.uk/

About The Author

Neil Parnham

Web Design - Programming and Multimedia Services at Digital View http://www.digital-view-web.co.uk

Election 2008 - Put your money on Edwards

There are many prominent candidates in the 2008 election. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Rudy Guliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney are all fighting for not only their parties nominations but also the white house. Who will win? I’ll give you a clue: I did not list the candidate I expect to be our 44th president. Any ideas? It is John Edwards. Now before you roll your eyes and scoff, read this argument. Most people I tell this to think I am completely stupid, until they hear my reasoning.

First, lets examine the fight for the Democratic nomination. The major candidates are Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards. Currently, Hillary Clinton is the front runner. She has broad support across the nation, which is nice, except that you will begin to see that deteriorate because Edwards will start to gain ground in the south and Obama will clash with Clinton in the north over delegates and donations that they both want. Furthermore, Edwards has a strong base of support in the first primary states, IA, SC, NH, NV, FL. So, as Obama and Clinton divide votes between themselves, Edwards will score wins in early states.

Don’t get me wrong, the idea of John Edwards winning the nomination is not bad for the Democrats. The last ticket to win for the Democrats (Clinton Gore) was all southern. (Obama and Clinton are from northern states). Barack Obama may be able to get more African American voters, but 90% of all African Americans vote with the Democrats anyway! Hillary Clinton has very high disapproval ratings, so she will have a hard time convincing Independents to vote with her. John Edwards is from North Carolina (A southern state), was from a humble background, he is white, openly Christian and has a positive image.

So, we have determined that he will be able to win the Democratic nomination, but what about the general election? Well, quite honestly, the Republican field seems to hold quantity over quality. Rudy Guliani’s wives (not to mention his kids that don’t talk to him), Mitt Romney’s Mormonism, John McCain’s age and position on the War in Iraq and Immigration and the fact that Fred Thompson gave his wife divorce papers, while in the hospital fighting breast cancer. These candidates seem to encourage the reputation of “corrupt conservatives.” John Edwards has a strong marriage, and is in touch with the common American, unlike Romney and McCain.

I encourage all readers of this article to inquire about my argument and debate it. Who do you think will win the 2008 election? Why? Debate it at www.JVPolitics.com

Josh Villa
http://www.jvpolitics.com

About The Author

Josh Villa owns http://www.jvpolitics.com.

The Secret to Earning Money

Imagine you found a magic lamp and discovered that the Genie inside not only gave you 3 wishes but gave you a lifetime of wishes. What would you wish for?

More money?

Most of us have grown up to believe that we have to work hard for our money, or that wanting more money is a sin, its wrong! The truth is money allows us to experience many wonderful things in life which without it is impossible. By that I don’t mean our lives our meaningless without it because that would be untrue. What I am saying is that money brings with it more opportunities for us to create different experiences that without it we do miss out on. Life is supposed to be abundant for us all not just for a select few and we are now living in an age where the real knowledge about earning money is out there for us to grasp onto, awaken the urges within us all and open the lid on the box so to speak.

It is easy to earn money and every person who enjoys the abundance of wealth has known how easy it is for a long time. There was a small percentage of people who have by applying the methods I will reveal to you shortly, created wonderful experiences in their lives simply because they knew how to. There is even scientific evidence in favour of what I’m going to talk about. Regardless of whether you believe it or not this works; whether you focus on it or not this works, and it is quite difficult to dismiss as the results you get can be miraculous, quick and phenomenal once you start to focus on it with unwavering strength.

What I am referring to is ‘Prosperity Consciousness’. Prosperity Consciousness links nicely into and is an aspect of The Law of Attraction. If you are unfamiliar with this law, briefly put this is a universal law like the law of gravity in which it states like attracts like. Simply put the law of attraction says whatever you think about most you will attract into your life. Bob Proctor an expert on the law of attraction for over 45 years believes “Everything that’s coming into your life you are attracting into your life…it’s what you’re thinking. Everything that goes on in your mind you are attracting to you.” There’s a lot more to it than the brief explanation above but I will explain it to you in more detail focussing just on Prosperity Consciousness to show you how you can attract more money into your life.

First of all you need to understand what money is? Most of us see money as the paper we fold up and put in to our pockets or as numbers on a computer screen. That is not money. That’s its representation it is not money. This representation is just a piece or pieces of paper with ink on it or numbers on a computer screen. Money is much more than that. Money is an idea a concept. With it we have many more experiences and it allows us to grow spiritually and intellectually. Without it we experience lack and difficult experiences.

We are all so use to trading our services in exchange for money, the more valuable our service, the more money we receive. We have limited our beliefs by thinking we have to work hard for our money which is not true. Money is an idea which you give energy to and attract to you from the thoughts you think in your head as well as how you feel and your beliefs about money. Now if this is the first time you are hearing this then you many think I’m talking nonsense. Believe me I’m not. Let me explain.

If you want more money in your life, first of all you must change how you view money. For example, if you have these kinds of beliefs, ‘Money doesn’t grow on trees’, or ‘You have to work hard for your money’, or ‘Money doesn’t come easily’, these are negative thought patterns and will not attract money into your life. In fact it will do the complete opposite. This thought pattern will hold you back and create a negative reality for you. If you are the type of person who is always complaining about not having enough money then the law of attraction gives you what you think about most which is not having enough money. You need to think the kind of thoughts that attract prosperity to you. Thoughts like “I have more than enough”, or “I am a magnet to money”. We are what we think and being Prosperity Consciousness is the key to increasing your wealth.

Being Prosperity Conscious is not difficult. Begin by changing your beliefs about money. Think thoughts of abundance and wealth. If you are serious bout increasing your wealth, your predominant thoughts should be of wealth. Scientists now know and can prove that our thoughts carry frequencies, just like a radio signal carries frequencies. If we are constantly thinking the same thoughts over and over again, these thoughts will manifest into our realities and we will attract more of what we are thinking about. Just think about it for a second. Everything you have achieved in your life so far started with a thought or an idea you had. You then followed that thought or idea through by acting on it until you created in your life that which you once thought about. The same is true of wealth. If you want more money in you life you have to think positively about it and the law of attraction will give you more of what it is your thinking about.

You also have to feel good about money to attract more to you. Start by thinking, feeling and believing, “I have more than enough money”, or “There is an abundance of money it’s on its way to me”, or “I am a money magnet”, or “I love money and money loves me”. I can guarantee you that everyone who has successfully gathered wealth in their lives thinks good thoughts about money and never focuses on the lack of it. Remember, there is enough of it to go around there is unlimited amounts of wealth available to each and every one of us. It’s never going to run out. How can it it’s an idea which starts in our minds?

Hand in hand with thinking positive thoughts about wealth and abundance is visualisations. Visualisations are a powerful way to put the thoughts in your mind into images. It’s a way of meditating on what you want by creating the life you want in your mind by way of pictures. Did you know that visualisations are so powerful that when you visualise your desires in your mind your brain can’t tell the difference between whether you have experienced it in real life or not? Let me give you an example. As an experiment an athlete was wired up to a computer to test the power of visualisations. He was asked to run his race in his mind as if he was doing it for real on the running track. The results where astounding. It showed that his brain responded in the same way when he was running the race in his mind as when he was running the race for real. It did not know the difference. That’s how powerful the brain is. Don’t underestimate it. We are only just beginning to realize our potential and yet we still have a long way to go to understanding it fully.

To bring all of what I have said together I need to explain one more thing. In order to start the ball rolling and a must for attracting anything into you life is gratitude. Be grateful for what you already have. Everyday be grateful for all the good things you have in your life. This will attract more of what you’re grateful for to you. Remember like attracts like. If you think negative thoughts that is what you will attract more of into your life. If you think positive thoughts that is what you will attract more of into your life. The choice is yours but life is meant to be abundant for us all and is no longer just for the select few who understood the law of attraction long before the secret was revealed. Be happy and joyful for who you are and what you have experienced so far in your life. It will be difficult to attract wealth into your life without these ground rules. Our thoughts create things, go ahead and make your wishes come true and be grateful every step of the way.

About The Author

Mene Asije is an award winning business woman, who continues to excel in all areas of her life due to applying the law of attraction. See for yourself at http://thesgrprogram.com/?a_aid=14288.

Happiness - People say that money can’t buy happiness but …

Most of the time, we always try to distinct money and happiness or simply say that money can’t buy you happiness. I do not agree totally to this statement but there some truth in it.

It is a weird thought to think that when you are rich, you cannot be happy or vice versa. Look at Bill Gates or Donald Trump, do you think they are very unhappy with the money they have? They have both the money and happiness. They worked hard for both items.

To me, both happiness and money is as important. If you still ask me which is more important, I will ask you which hand of yours is more precious? Left hand or right hand? Get what I mean? You cannot directly compare the both but they are indirectly link to each other as well.

Having a wealthy life with financial freedom might not gain you happiness but looking at your situation, you are already more fortunate than many others who are pursing their freedom. In this world, there are many things that need to be pay by money, your dream house, car and grand wedding, they all need money. Is it reasonable for me to say that, in this case, when you have the money, you will be able to fulfill the above dreams and you are most likely to be happy.

I guess money still can buy some happiness to a certain extend. Some may argue that this kind of happiness is short term and when your dreams/goals are fulfilled; your expectations increase and become unhappy again till your new expectations are met. I mean this is unavoidable as humans are creatures that sought after improvements after improvements. If not, there would not be internet and you can’t be reading this now.

So having some money is still an advantage to have in the pursuit of happiness. But, in the end is always best to have both happiness and wealth.

About The Author

Jackson Tan is an University student who wants to promote and spreads the word of HAPPINESS to the whole world. He believes that everyone can be Happy as long as they choose to.

For more free information on Happiness, go to http://projecth.blogspot.com/

This article is free for republishing by visitors provided the resource link is retained.

Make Money as an Act Of Love To God!

Earn money so you can be generous to the work of the Lord and to the poor. And earn money so you can be generous with your loved ones.

Living a simple life doesn’t mean being stingy!

Mary, the sister of Martha, anointed Jesus with expensive ointment worth 300 days wages. Now that’s extravagant! Judas Iscariot complained that the perfume should have been sold off and given to the poor. Jesus, however, didn’t think it was wasteful but rather praised Mary’s act of love. The point? Once in a while, we can be excessive when it comes to giving gifts to one another- out of love.

When my father celebrated his 80th birthday, I recall my family spent a small fortune for an expensive dinner where we invited all his friends. (Well actually, it wasn’t that expensive. At 80 years old, most of his friends were already chatting with St. Peter). Some would have accused us of being “excessive” because what we spent during that birthday party could have fed 10 families in Bangladesh for an entire month. But somehow, I knew that God was smiling when we did that for Dad. It may have been excessive if as a family we didn’t regularly share our belongings with the poor. But that is something we have done all our lives, thanks to my father’s inspiring example. One day, I bought Holland tulips for my wife. Again, a part of me was saying that I could feed lunch to 10 orphans from Nigeria with what I spent. But I felt God assure me that He wanted me to be loving towards my wife-and that He provides me with more wealth so that I can help the orphans on another occasion. One day, a friend of mine who tithes regularly complained that he was still barely making ends meet. I told him, “Tithing is one principle of financial blessings?” He stared at me amazed. “Other principles? I only know one and that’s tithing.” I rattled off my list. “Do you live a simple life? Do you tame your materialistic desires? Do you avoid credit? Do you believe that God has given you all the abilities that you need in order to earn more than enough? Do you work hard? Do you persevere when you fail repeatedly? Do you serve your customers with love and excellence? He shook his head. My friend confessed that he’s an impulsive buyer and uses his credit card recklessly. He never saves. He never opens himself to new income streams.

Many people want to succeed but they’re not wiling to pay the price of success. As much as I love manna and the supernatural miracles of God, let me say it again: Manna is designed by God to teach you an attitude, not a behavior Mixing up these two words has caused untold misery in people’s lives. If you think manna is teaching you a behavior, you’ll say hilarious things like…”Don’t budget. God will just miraculously work it all.” or Don’t save, don’t buy insurance, don’t think of investments or dabble into business. That’s all worldly stuff and will bring you to hell.

Just trust God.” If you say those things, you’ll never leave the desert of financial difficulty. Do you want to be successful in life? Success in biblical language is “bearing fruit”. But God doesn’t give you the fruit of success of success. What He gives you instead is the land that will bear the fruit of success.

So in the Promised Land, you need to work that Land: till the soil, plant the seeds and harvest the crops. A lot of hard back straining work1

My friend, in the Promised Land you decide how much money you want to earn.

About The Author

Luis Gregory is doing Apostolic work with The Life in the Spirit Ministry. Feel God's love, power, mercy, healing, blessings instantly. Send free Bible verses to love ones, ministry ansd study groups. http://www.SuperBibleMail.com

Make Money as an Act Of Love To God!

Earn money so you can be generous to the work of the Lord and to the poor. And earn money so you can be generous with your loved ones.

Living a simple life doesn’t mean being stingy!

Mary, the sister of Martha, anointed Jesus with expensive ointment worth 300 days wages. Now that’s extravagant! Judas Iscariot complained that the perfume should have been sold off and given to the poor. Jesus, however, didn’t think it was wasteful but rather praised Mary’s act of love. The point? Once in a while, we can be excessive when it comes to giving gifts to one another- out of love.

When my father celebrated his 80th birthday, I recall my family spent a small fortune for an expensive dinner where we invited all his friends. (Well actually, it wasn’t that expensive. At 80 years old, most of his friends were already chatting with St. Peter). Some would have accused us of being “excessive” because what we spent during that birthday party could have fed 10 families in Bangladesh for an entire month. But somehow, I knew that God was smiling when we did that for Dad. It may have been excessive if as a family we didn’t regularly share our belongings with the poor. But that is something we have done all our lives, thanks to my father’s inspiring example. One day, I bought Holland tulips for my wife. Again, a part of me was saying that I could feed lunch to 10 orphans from Nigeria with what I spent. But I felt God assure me that He wanted me to be loving towards my wife-and that He provides me with more wealth so that I can help the orphans on another occasion. One day, a friend of mine who tithes regularly complained that he was still barely making ends meet. I told him, “Tithing is one principle of financial blessings?” He stared at me amazed. “Other principles? I only know one and that’s tithing.” I rattled off my list. “Do you live a simple life? Do you tame your materialistic desires? Do you avoid credit? Do you believe that God has given you all the abilities that you need in order to earn more than enough? Do you work hard? Do you persevere when you fail repeatedly? Do you serve your customers with love and excellence? He shook his head. My friend confessed that he’s an impulsive buyer and uses his credit card recklessly. He never saves. He never opens himself to new income streams.

Many people want to succeed but they’re not wiling to pay the price of success. As much as I love manna and the supernatural miracles of God, let me say it again: Manna is designed by God to teach you an attitude, not a behavior Mixing up these two words has caused untold misery in people’s lives. If you think manna is teaching you a behavior, you’ll say hilarious things like…”Don’t budget. God will just miraculously work it all.” or Don’t save, don’t buy insurance, don’t think of investments or dabble into business. That’s all worldly stuff and will bring you to hell.

Just trust God.” If you say those things, you’ll never leave the desert of financial difficulty. Do you want to be successful in life? Success in biblical language is “bearing fruit”. But God doesn’t give you the fruit of success of success. What He gives you instead is the land that will bear the fruit of success.

So in the Promised Land, you need to work that Land: till the soil, plant the seeds and harvest the crops. A lot of hard back straining work1

My friend, in the Promised Land you decide how much money you want to earn.

About The Author

Luis Gregory is doing Apostolic work with The Life in the Spirit Ministry. Feel God's love, power, mercy, healing, blessings instantly. Send free Bible verses to love ones, ministry ansd study groups. http://www.SuperBibleMail.com

Associate Marketing: Is It the Simplest Means To Make Money Online?

Affiliate marketing has been around long before the internet, but it has become so much more popular as a way to make money since then. Let's take a quick look at what it is and what it is exactly that makes it so special, shall we?

Affiliate marketing is not about writing your own product and trying to find people to buy it. Affiliate marketing is about recommending someone else's product or products and making a percentage from that sale. It's basically piggybacking on the efforts of other peoples work, which is ok, because they want you to!

These marketers who have their own products will be very eager for you to recommend their products. If they know what they are doing then you are their best friend! And you can easily have a great, profitable business relationship with these other marketers; they create the products and you sell them!

This is really great for both the affiliate and the creator of the product. The average affiliate marketer just wants to make some extra money. They do not bother with creating products or services or even handling other tasks that come along with being a product creator or owner, like customer service, updates, upgrades, etc. Great affiliates are really good at figuring out what people want to buy and then directing those people to the product. This is one of the many wonderful advantages to being an affiliate marketer: It is not your job to sell the item. It is your job to simply pre-sell the item. Let the items sell themselves.

Affiliate marketing can be even more lucrative for the affiliate marketer by offering buyers incentives for buying through your affiliate link. What kind of special offers? Well, the smartest affiliates are affiliates that have actually tried the product or service they are promoting. When the affiliate has actually tried the product, they can create better offers based on what they know of the product! The affiliate marketer that does this can provide additional reports or even videos that explain the advantages or secrets of what the buyer can do with the product or service! If you are an affiliate marketer selling a software application, then you can tell your visitors that they will receive a video from you showing the best ways to make use of the software program.

Back to the original question: Is affiliate marketing the easiest path to make good money online? Without a doubt, yes, it is. Once you take into consideration the fact that you do not have to make a product and all that you have to do is promote products to people that are already looking for products you are promoting, taking candy from a baby could not be easier.

About The Author

John Gottshall has a FREE step by step guide to making money online. It is not one of those guides that's disquised as a sales letter for something that costs money, it's the real thing. Get it while it's still free => http://www.secretprofitfiles.com

Stop Wasting Money On Higher Cooling Bills!

If you could put more money in your pocket, this summer, would you? Well, you can, by lowering your cooling bill. Chances are, it's higher than it needs to be. You'll be surprised at what you can save. No sacrifice required. Check out these quick and easy maintenance tips that can put you on your way to lower bills in no time.

Quick Facts About Your Central AC

Your central air conditioning (AC) system circulates cool air through your house through supply and return ducts (often the same ducts used for heat in the winter). A typical central AC system has an evaporator, condenser and compressor in a single cabinet located outside the house (usually on a concrete slab right next to it), or alternately, a condenser and compressor outside and an evaporator in a separate cabinet, inside (usually in the basement or crawl space). Both systems have a blower that forces indoor air through the coil of the evaporator where it's cooled, dehumidified, and sent through the ductwork into the house. The heat collected by the evaporator is transferred to the condenser (outside) to dissipate.

Change the Air Filter

This is the most important thing you can do to help keep your system working at peak efficiency. The air moving across the evaporator is cleaned before it gets there by a filter located in the return air duct (usually within easy reach in a wall or ceiling, or at the air conditioner itself). Filters get dirty and clogged through regular use; the dirtier they get, the less air gets through the system. The dirty air that gets through is carried right to the evaporator. Dirt sticking to the evaporator coil further impedes air flow, reduces the evaporator's ability to absorb heat and can reduce your system's efficiency by as much as 10 percent. Not to mention, that dirty air is circulated right back through your house.

Air filters are made by a number of manufacturers and come in a variety of types and efficiencies.

* Most residential systems use 1-inch or 2-inch flat or pleated fiberglass "throwaway" filters (thicker filters may hold more dust but are not necessarily more efficient).

* There are also "permanent" type filters: mesh, electrostatic and electronic, some with pre-filters that collect larger dust particles.

* If you or a family member suffers with allergies or sensitivity to dust or other particulates (i.e., tobacco smoke, pollen or pet dander), consider using a High Efficiency Particulate Air Filter, also known as a HEPA filter. These are specially constructed filters that allow a high volume of air to pass through them while stopping even very tiny particles.

* If you have any question about the right filter for your system, don't guess; check with a professional service technician.

Whatever type of air filter you use, inspect it and either clean it or replace it about once a month during peak cooling season or more often if you're living in dusty conditions or with pets. Never run your system without the filter in place.

Clean Evaporator Coils and Fins

Even if you regularly change your air filter, dirt will still accumulate on the evaporator over time. Check your evaporator coils at least once a year and clean them if necessary, using a vacuum cleaner with brush attachment, careful not to bend the fins.

Clean Condenser Coils and Fins

Condenser coils and fins (outside) are also vulnerable to dirt - from debris and leaves falling from trees, cut grass kicked up by the lawnmower, and lint from a nearby dryer vent - so, check the condenser unit at the beginning of the cooling season. Cut the power to the unit and use the following checklist:

* Gently remove any debris from top and sides.

* Sweep the concrete pad.

* Prune back any overhanging leaves (2 feet is the minimum recommended clearance; 5 feet overhead).

* Use a soft brush to sweep the fins.

* (Optional) Spray the fins with a gentle household cleaner; let it sit for 5 minutes, then gently hose them down pointing the spray into the interior through the fan opening.

* Keep the unit free of dirt and debris throughout the season.

* If you can shade your unit (without blocking airflow), even better: the shaded air around your system will be cooler, and a properly shaded system can operate up to 10 percent more efficiently over the course of the season.

Keeping your evaporator and condenser coils free of dirt and debris can improve your system's performance by as much as 10 percent. Just be careful with those fins. They're a little fragile and easily bent. It's best to use a special tool called a fin comb to straighten them. Those are available through your local home center or online. Be sure to buy the correct comb for the number of fins per inch your unit has.

Other Simple Steps to Savings

* Anything that obstructs the flow of air through your system reduces its efficiency and drives up your bill -- keep your registers clear of furniture, drapes and other obstructions.

* Keep all exterior doors and windows closed when operating the system.

* Raise your temperature setting. Raising the setting even 1 degree can lower your bill by as much as 9 percent over the course of the season.

* Keep your system set on "AUTO" and let your thermostat do its job. If you find you need to run the fan constantly to keep cool, it's time to call a technician.

* Set your system to recirculate the indoor air (if you have the option) rather than drawing outside air. Conditioning the warmer outside air takes far more energy than simply recirculating the already conditioned household air.

* A little money spent could equal a lot of money saved: have a qualified service technician check your system at least once a year. The technician will measure your refrigerant to see if it needs recharging, inspect your coils, measure air flow over the cooling coil, and will do a thorough inspection of the motor, compressor, air handler, and ducts (and of course, the air filter). The technician can spot potentially costly problems early or help you avoid them entirely.

For Owners of Older Houses

If you're still using a central air conditioning system manufactured during the 1970s, you're likely using 30-50 percent more energy than a more recently manufactured unit would use. Even if your unit is only ten years old, replacing it with a new, more efficient unit can save you 20-40 percent in cooling costs. Over the life of the unit, that's considerable savings, especially with energy costs continuing to rise.

About The Author

Liz Pauley is a staff writer for http://ranchrevival.com at http://www.ranchrevival.com, a website devoted to owners of ranch style houses, old and new.

There Is A Very High Probability That You Are Owed Missing Money! Surprised? Read Ahead!

Please do not labor under the wrong impression that you have been successful in keeping track of every cent that you own. In fact, eight out of nine families are owed unclaimed money or missing money. These families have no idea that they are actually owed money by the State. Well, this article will help you find out all you need to know about the unclaimed money owed to you and your family.

Old checking or saving accounts and even accounts that you had opened for your child or the account that you had opened when you were a child can be a source of unclaimed money.

Saving accounts is not the only source of unclaimed money. You may be owed money that you had invested in stocks or bonds. The dividends that have not been claimed by you yet can become unclaimed money. Even alimony or child support payments can lead to creation of unclaimed money.

Escheat laws require that money belonging to individuals who are beyond contact for a period of three years or more must be turned over the appropriate state or federal government.

The governments proceed to hold the money until the same is claimed by its lawful owners. However, the fact that 35 billion dollars is owed to individuals implies that the problem has not been properly communicated. Most have to claimed the money and there are many who do not even know that this problem exists.

The state and the federal agencies have created individual searchable databases for individuals who want to search for unclaimed money. However, performing more than fifty searches to perform a complete search of all the databases does not make any sense whatsoever. The whole process is too cumbersome to be performed efficiently.

Avoid the fifty+ searches and search the all-in-one-database. This single database is the solution to your problem of unclaimed money.

Bill McIntosh, who is the owner of the all-in-one-database Cashunclaimed.com, states that the inability of the individual to search the state databases properly and efficiently is one reason why the problem of unclaimed money is growing at a rapid pace. The limited search performed results in vital information being overlooked.

Simply rejoicing that you are owed unclaimed money is not sufficient. You will be recognized as a smart individual only if you go ahead and claim your missing money.

Once you have found the money owed to you, claiming the same is very easy. Fill out the claim and file the same with the state or the federal government. If you are owed multiple unclaimed money accounts, you will have to file multiple claims.

For most of the claims, submitting the driver’s license and/or the birth certificate is sufficient. However, certain claims require additional documentation like death certificates. In cases of inheritance money becoming unclaimed money, additional documentation is required.

Once the claim has been submitted, the claim is reviewed. Once the claim is reviewed, the payment is made. The whole process takes 2 to 16 weeks.

When you are searching for the unclaimed or missing money owed to you, do not forget your family and friends. Make sure you search whether unclaimed money is owed to your loved ones as well.

Now that you have all the necessary information, finding your missing money will not be a problem.

About The Author

Nicole Anderson offers detailed information about the problem unclaimed money at http://www.cashunclaimed.com. The database of http://cashunclaimed.com includes information from the state as well federal databases. The website offers unlimited search to the members. A free money search to locate your missing money is possible today.

Frugal Living Tip - Giving Yourself a Reason to Save Money

In the US and much of the Western world, we equate money with happiness, even though our personal experience seldom gives us reason to believe that the old saying "you can't buy happiness" is anything less than true. We assure ourselves that if we only get a raise or get a better job or win the lottery, all of the stress of daily life will disappear and we'll have time for those things in life we really enjoy.

This would be true, at least partially, if making more money allowed us to have more money in the bank. However, each raise in pay also raises our desire to spend, so a promotion at work can actually put us farther into debt. How many people do we know who bring in over $100,000 a year who are still living paycheck to paycheck? How many lottery winners end up in bankruptcy court, wondering where all the money went and how they managed to make such a muddle of this windfall that should have set them up for a lifetime of financial security?

An option to spending as much or more than you make every month is to live frugally - and it's refreshing to see the increase in interest in the voluntary simplicity movement. Being intentionally frugal can actually bring you the financial security that a high-paying job cannot. In fact, if you go one step further to voluntary poverty, as I have, you may be able to quit that job and actually do something that could really make you feel fulfilled.

The one frugal living tip that makes the biggest difference is to simply keep track of everything you spend for at least a month. You probably won't keep it up for much longer than that, but it will give you an idea of where your money is going, and whether or not the money you spend on each item is really giving you the satisfaction you're paying for.

However, just keeping track won't help much unless you have a vision of another way of life that would really give you pleasure or contentment. Saving money for it's own sake feels like a sacrifice, but saving money so you can retire early and start that little farm you've always wanted would be a goal worth working for. Creating that goal may take some true soul searching and many deep conversations with your family.

When you come up with a goal you all agree on, decide how much time it will take to get there - this time frame is important, and you should be as realistic as you can. Do you want to own your own home without a mortgage? Will it take 5 years of frugal living? Or 10? Would you like to retire all your credit card debt? How long will it take?

Once you have that goal in mind, the best way to start putting money in the bank is to notice where you're spending your money now.

One thing most people discover is that the simple act of jotting down the $3 you spend on coffee every morning, plus every other small or large expenditure, will magically cause you to have money left over that you ever had before. Keeping track causes us to be mindful of our choices, and even without adding up any numbers or making any deep decisions, we save money by spending more consciously.

Once you have at least a few weeks' worth of figures, you're ready to get out the calculator. Divide the items on your list into any categories that seem reasonable - such as lunch at work, utilities, dog food... Then add up the columns to see how much you really spend.

Then, go one step further to give yourself a true shock - multiply the amount you spend on each unnecessary category, like your morning coffee at Starbucks, by the number of months you think it will take you to reach that long-term goal.

If you spend $3.50 each working day at the local coffee shop, it doesn't seem like a very big deal. Multiply that by the average of 20 working days a month, and you may be startled to realize that you spend $70 a month on coffee that you could make yourself in your own kitchen. But the real eye-opener comes when you multiply that $70 times the number of months you need to reach your goal of financial security.

If you are willing to spend 5 years in frugal living to pay down the mortgage on your house or pay off all your credit cards, multiply your monthly coffee money by 60 months, and you'll see $4200 on your calculator screen. That 's enough money for a down payment on a reasonably priced house, or to buy a good used car for your teenager. It's also enough to pay at least several month's mortgage payments, or to put in the bank for a medical emergency. $3.50 isn't an important amount of money, but to almost anyone I know, $4200 is a serious amount of cash.

Do the same calculation for everything on your list that isn't truly necessary, and you may discover that you can reduce the amount of time you need to reach your long-term goal by several years or more. If your credit card debts are weighing you down and causing daily stress, this simple frugal living tip could lead to a complete elimination of debt in just a year or less. In my mind, that's more important than a fancy cup of coffee.

About The Author

Jonni Good is the author of the new ebook that shows exactly how she went from being flat broke to owning her own home in just 5 years. Learn how to buy a house without going into debt at http://www.BuyAHouseWithCash.com.

Top Tips On How To Make Easy Money Online

Who wouldn’t want to make money online? You choose your hours, you can work from any location in the world and you can leverage your time in a way that makes having a job seem like the biggest waste of time imaginable!

However, it’s only easy to make money online if you do your homework first. The best way to make easy money online is surely to follow what other successful internet entrepreneurs do, rather than trying to reinvent the wheel. You could waste a ton of money and a lot of time trying to make money with, for instance, Google Adwords, or on eBay or with affiliate marketing and so on, if you simply log onto the website, create an account and start trading. There are proven techniques, tricks of the trade and short cuts to enable you to make money online quickly and successfully. There are also a lot of mistakes to be made and a lot of money to be wasted if you don’t know what you are doing.

Tip One is to study first, make money second.

So many people want everything for free and feel that if they have to buy information, they are somehow being ripped off. I bought a stack of information when I started out, and don’t feel that any of my money was wasted – yes, some information helped me more than others, but it was all a learning curve, and saved me wasting a fortune making mistakes. I learnt from the mistakes others had made instead. Think of it this way – if, in one year from now you are earning enough to walk away from the day job, would it be worth ‘going back to school’ and studying your new career path before you get started?

Tip Two is to have a variety of online businesses – some you will take to more than others, some will pay out sooner than others, but at the end of the day why put all your hopes on one business stream when you can have several?

Tip Three. Be patient. Give yourself a year or 18 months to really give your online career a chance. If you don’t see results as soon as you want them, don’t give up only to try something else that you may not stick at either. It takes time, for instance, for new websites to get ranked in the search engines, and although you can learn how to create a website that will rank well, you cannot cheat the system. What you can do, is learn search engine optimisation techniques and put them all into practice, which will reap you big rewards further down the line. (There’s a free e-book on my website about this).

Making money online can give you total financial freedom – you have to want it enough to work hard initially, so that you can then sit back and enjoy it. Follow the leaders, don’t imagine you don’t need anyone’s help, be a ‘sponge’ and learn all you can and kiss the day job ‘goodbye’.

For a free ebook that details all the different and best ways to make money online just click on my website and download your copy.

http://www.easymakemoneysite.com

About The Author

Joanna G Payge

I am an Internet Marketeer. This article has full re-distribution rights as long as the content and links are not changed.

E-Commerce - Easy money or Hard Knocks

When my wife and I got into the WWW. E-commerce world, we had visions of easy money and an auto pilot type of business. You know the kind that runs itself and the money just rolls in. Oh yeah, low start-up cost, little time, and low commitment. Just read the commercials and Internet ads.

The Internet can be your friend or it can bite you like a scared dog. Try researching, starting an Internet business. You will find every easy money method in the world. Here is a list of things to consider and these things are just the surface. This is not meant to scare you but to inform you of the reality, before you fall into the money pit. Just remember you have to give before you receive and sometimes we learn from the pain.

Websites necessities or basics:

Host/Server – to store all your files and images. E-mail and other perks. $8 to $12 month

Purchase your domain – www.mysite.com $8 to $???

Merchant/Credit Card service –Credit Card processing. This is a low price. $25Month, $15 service charge, and 30 cents per transaction and 2.5% of sales. (OUCH!)

Paypal – You can use Paypal for your payment option. It’s free. I don’t use it. Nothing is free.

Rent a ready-made store - Now you can go with a company who will host your site and provide a storefront for you. They will even give you products to sell. These are usually database type and provide no SEO. In other words, the only people who purchase from your site are your friends and family. No one can find your site in the Internet desert. You're on page 200 (if lucky). They run from $40 to $200 month.

Find a wholesaler? No problem, everyone is a wholesaler. What do you want to sell? Leather, Home Décor, Knives and Swords, Collectibles or maybe Kitchen cookware?

Where are the real wholesalers? The ones they buy from. There are many scams and scam tools for sale out there. Now try ordering from them. Late? Back Ordered? Packing? Drop ship costs? Shipping & Handling Costs? Drop ship or Inventory? Taxes???

Build your site - There are many templates out there that look good but if you don’t know how to program HTML forget it. You will probably buy a book or software that shows us dummies that we can create HTML websites without having to know HTML. On the outside it looks good, but on the inside they stink. How are you going to find the time and keep up with the latest in this "part time business"? Search Engine robots don't like bad programming among other things.

Gather Information - Now that you have a wholesaler, download all the prices and images. Create your spreadsheets to upload all the product information (change them to CSV or some delimited format. Or you may have to do this one at a time… Ahhh!

Fix the images - Adjust the resolution, size, etc. to fit your WebPages. Get the right software to do this…It will save you days of work and cost. I hope you get this done before the prices change or the item is discontinued. Remember that if you have more than one wholesaler, you have more than one tax and drop ship charge. You also have different information and images. They could be in other formats.

My wife and I thought an Internet Shopping Mall would be so cool. We could have different stores, oh boy…That’s where the name MallAboutTown.com came from. Oh yeah. Now you have to have a logo and a theme and all the right colors and, and, and.

It's kinda like building a house.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) - You should have been thinking about this from the start. Buy links, buy PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising, buy search engine submissions, buy content, submit articles and link to directories and other Websites, read, read, read and determine who is telling the truth.

After all the smoke clears, you will be in the hole a few bucks. When that first sale comes in you will feel like that golfer getting a hole in one. Then you're back at it, harder than ever. It’s an addiction. I guess it could be described as the spouse that won’t leave an abused relationship. Like any business, Internet business is not for the short-term commitment. There is so much I had to leave out because many things depend on what direction you take on this journey. Good Luck, remember if it’s too good to be true…..

Our advice is to personally talk to someone that is successfully operating E-commerce site, (not on E-bay) and get the facts. This is what made E-bay so popular. But even E-bay can be tough.

Good Luck,

Marc and Kemella Allyn

About The Author

Marc and Kem own http://www.mallabouttown.com and bring their personal experience for your use. Thank You for supporting our ministry http://www.allaboutthecross.com

How To Identify Money-Making Properties!

There are a lot of the properties listed for sale each and every day. So many, that it can be overwhelming to decide on which properties might be good to buy for an investment. Maybe you are one of those individuals thinking about getting into real estate investing. Or maybe you are one of those individuals who already are investing, but have not been all that successful in finding those "diamonds in the rough". In either case, please read on and discover how to correctly identify money-making properties that will help you to realize huge profits time and time again.

Finding a realtor that you can trust is essential if you want to be successful in real estate investing. Without this "external" team member you are left using your gut and more than likely a lot of your time researching the market to help make your decision. Realtors can access information on properties in minutes that may take you hours or days to access, so use them!

When you do find a realtor that you can trust have them assist you with the following:

The property's asking price. Could you get it for less than what is being asked? A realtor can tell you.

The property's selling price and what repairs are going to be needed to get it sold for the same amount as other like homes in the area are selling for. You want to make sure your property is just a "notch above" the others in your market at your price range.

Find out how long like properties in the area have been on the market (on average). This will tell you the amount of time that you can expect until you flip it (if that's the route you're taking).

Find out the average sale price for like properties in your area also. This will help you decide how much to rehab (dollar amount and quality), and how much you can expect your house to sell for.

Next are some suggestions on how to identify a property. These tips will put you ahead of the competition in your area and help you to buy smart for huge profits:

Look for properties with large bedrooms. People like space. They don't want to walk into their bedroom and fall face down into the bed.

Look for openess in a floor plan. A very open floor plan can give the illusion of more space.

Try to locate properties with bigger kitchens. Why is this important, you may ask? The next time you have a party, take a look at where everyone gathers (understand?).

Make sure that the property you are considering has a dry basement and that the foundation is straight with no bowing. Wet basements mean leaks and leaks mean repairs, and repairs mean EXPENSES! In addition, wet basements can mean the dreaded four letter word, M-O-L-D. Steer clear of wet basements!

Find a property that has a maintenance-free exterior, such as a brick or maintenance-free vinyl siding. They're out there, you just got to look.

Consider the neighbors and the neighborhood. Come by at different times of the day to see how the neighborhood is. Is it loud? Are there a lot of kids who should be in school or people milling about who should be at work? Are there any abandoned cars? Are the neighbors' homes next to the property, across the street from the property, and behind the property in disrepair? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions--FIND ANOTHER PROPERTY!

Run a registered sex offender search for your area. You don't want to rent to a family and then find out that there is a sex offender living right next door.

Look for a property with a newer roof and mechanicals.

Find a property with some curb appeal.

These tips offered in this article should have you on your way to identifying money-making properties in no time. Once you get it down to a system, there will be no stopping you from making huge profits each and every time!

About The Author

Matt Bodeman and Scott A. Rozanski are the "Millionaire Real Estate Pros." They have been helping others discover how to make huge profits in the acquisition of undervalued properties for years. In just the last year and a half alone, Matt and Scott have purchased over 50 properties using no money of their own and made millions of dollars.

"The Millionaire Real Estate Pros'" mission is to help others discover the "No-Nonsense" way to accumulating wealth with real estate by providing teleseminars, seminars, CD's, books, ebooks, DVD's, Boot Camps, and their "No-Nonsense" Way Real Estate Investment System. They help others to discover how to become empowered in their lives and to realize financial freedom.

If you are interested in discovering how to make big money in real estate the "No-Nonsense" way and realize financial freedom for yourself without all the hype or the gaps that come with traditional real estate programs, please visit them at http://www.millionairerealestatepros.com.

Money if Power

“Money is power.” This mantra is proclaimed again and again by businesses, politicians, and marketers. Most of us would have to admit that we give a certain amount of power to money. And if we are honest, most of us would admit that we find it nearly impossible to detangle money and power. So maybe we would do better to focus our energy on how we can make positive use of the power of money. One question to consider is, “What power to lead and influence others can spring forth from a more godly use and management of our resources?”

U.S. society can encourage us to comply with policies and actions that strengthen our own position, wealth, or security—and that also, whether consciously or not, hurt God’s children who are materially poor. This isn’t new to our time. The prophet Isaiah warned:

Doom to you who legislate evil, who make laws that make victims…

What will you have to say on Judgment Day, when doomsday arrives out of the blue? … What good will your money do you? (Isaiah 10:1,3, from The Message)

What will we say on Judgment Day if our society makes laws that victimize—laws that make misery for the poor, rob destitute people of dignity, exploit the defenseless, take advantage of innocent children?

Speaking out of the same prophetic tradition in the context of Judgment Day, Jesus provides an alternative way to experience the power of money in Matthew 25:31-40. Jesus shows how the power of money and resources can be used to do good for others:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit me,
I was in prison and you came to me.

Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.

Money and power, power and money: Maybe they can’t be detangled, but that isn’t all negative. Instead we can listen to Jesus’ words and use the resources we have—as organizations, as families, as individuals—for the good of others.

How To Start Making Money Immediately

There is this popular saying that Internet is a Gold mine where money is literally scatterd on the table. But the fact still remains that a lot of people get frustrated in their bid to making money online. They read all kinds of things online and their greatest undoing is that they believe virtually every thing they read. And in the process they get hurt.

The fear of failure had always made a lot of people to stick to their 9 - 5 paid jobs even when such people no longer want those 9 - 5 jobs.O.B (Just Over Broke).

The big question here is: How can one make money from the internet and how soon can this be.

There are various ways one can make money on the internet. Basically, these are divided into two broad categories: 1) Having to sell your own goods and/or services, 2) Becoming an affiliate.

For the purpose of this article, we are concentrating on how to make money as an affiliate. This is because; you can achieve making money online almost immediately as an affiliate. The logistics of doing this is minimal. You may or may not have a web site. You do not need to have a customer service unit and there is no need for you to keep inventory of the goods being sold.

But who is an affiliate? An affiliate is a person who sells other people's products on the internet and receives a commission for every sale they make. A company sets up an affiliate program which gives them a unique URL that can be used to send traffic to their website. If a visitor purchases something from that website, the affiliate will earn either a percentage of the commission or a flat fee. Thousands of people make great incomes selling and promoting other people's products online.

The ability to make money online without having your own products and doing your own customer service has helped many people tremendously. If you are tired of being broke, doing the 9 – 5 job, disabled, or retired or sit at home mom or have any other desire to be able to work from any location, then affiliate marketing can provide an excellent source of income. Talk about financial freedom and time liberty. It's got them all.

Getting Started: As an affiliate, you need to wisely choose the products you want promoted. If you are new to the game, it is better to choose those low priced products with high commission rates. My recommendation is to have products that are priced less than $100 with a commission outlay of not less than 50%. Again, having selected your products, one of the first things you need do to start making money online is to build a list. It has always been said that the money is in the list. With a big list, you are as sure as being a successful affiliate. However, people will teach you how to create a webpage, and how to drive traffic to your site but you don't get a ready made list. You have to build one. The question here is how one who is new to internet business builds his or her list. This brings us to the second point.

Setup A Squeeze Page: To start building your list immediately, you will need to set up a squeeze page. This is where you send your customers who are searching for your information and products, to enter their names and email addresses in order to get that information. You build your list this way. Nevertheless, your squeeze page must have these four basic necessities:

1) An attention grabbing headline
2) A benefit list of why someone should give you their name and email address
3) A call to action telling your prospects what to do and why they should do it
4) An offer – what are you giving them in exchange for their names and email addresses.

Article Writing and Submission: In marketing your products, article writing comes very effective. This is the most effective ways of driving free traffic to yoyr site. You write articles that relate to the particular niche in which you are involved in. By the time people read your articles consistently, you become an authority in such niches and when you recommend any product to them they are more likely to purchase from you. You can always get Ghost writers to write articles for you. So this shouldn't worry you if you can not do it. Furthermore, you should have a very interesting resource box that shows your prospects how to locate your website and invariably buy your products. You can therefore submit your articles to article directories to help drive traffic to your site.

Promoting Your Products Using Paid Advertisement: This is about the best form of promoting your business except for the cost. However, in advertising through pay-per-clicks at the search engines like google, overture, yahoo etc, you only pay when prospects click on your ads requesting for your information. But by and large, if this is done well, this is the best and fastest way of achieving your goal of making money online.

Though these tools are not exhaustive in helping you to make money online, they will nonetheless jump start your making money online in any of your chosen niches. You are yor greatest obstacle to making money online. Set goals and dedicate yourself to those goals. You may not turn into a super affiliate overnight, but with experience and dedication you will be on your way to making a reasonable income online working from the comfort of your home.

About The Author

The Author Is Ejike Arinze. Are You Deeply In Debt And Worried About Survival? Are You Tired Of Your 9 - 5 Paid Job? Would Extra Income Transform Your Life? You Bet It Would! Do You Need Help Immediately? Then Join This Easy To Follow System And Live Your Dreams. http://www.BeyondMoneyBank.com