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A money club is a great place for people to get together and share thoughts, ideas and goals about money, planning, finance. Here people learn about finances and ways to reach ones financial goals. Friends in the money club provide encouragement that each member needs to succeed.

This is one major reason why money clubs have picked up significant momentum since their inception a couple of years ago. Their aim is not to evaluate price/earnings ratios, but to help members navigate pricky personal finance dilemmas.

In a time of economic unease, by joining a money club people can establish and follow through their personal financial goals, which may include improving money management, increasing ones savings for retirement, spending intelligently, saving for children’s education, diversifying portfolio, curbing debt and advancing estate planning or buying a home etc.
In order to have a successful club take certain precautions
A new investment club must have a solid structure to ensure the club’s agenda is carried out efficiently and without friction with legal agreements and bylaws in case the club invests jointly in order to avoid any unscrupulous person joining the club. make sure that the number of members is such that it is not too much to find a meeting place and also this would mean a higher retention and too much management would not be required.

An investment club must have a clear way of determining each member’s share at a given point in time as members are likely to contribute funds on a periodic basis, and may intend to withdraw funds from their share of the club’s assets at some time in the future.

Make sure that all members equally share the work. Pick a leader or rotate leadership. Stay organized. Help the members to learn and polish their stock researching capabilities, this way all the members can contribute.
There should be regular guest speakers and field trips so that the club members are able to sustain their interest instead of sticking to the same routine.

Meeting should be once a month since more of the meeting would be a burden for some people and if it is less than people would gradually loose interest. The meeting should be regular with time and venue set. Changing venues could be inconvenient for people and can derail them from their focus and subsequently lessen their zeal to attend.
Make sure that the members are performing correct maths. This will not happen if careful attention to paid to club accounting system. The National Association of Investors Corp. (NAIC) offers instructions and software on how to keep track of contributions and gains.

When looking for members of the club, one can select friends, coworker or search internet in order to make sure members have similar interest, goals and backgrounds for them to understand each other and contribute accordingly.

When a member attains a financial goal, it should be celebrated with adequate prize or gift certificate. This would drive competition and thereby encourage everyone to do well.

Mansi aggarwal writes about money clubs. Learn more at http://www.meetformoney.com

One of the crucial elements of real estate negotiation is time. Understand and master the use of time, and you can buy a home for thousands less. Here is one of the most important aspects of time:

Deadlines In Real Estate Negotiation

Time is of the essence. It even says as much on most real estate contracts. What does this mean? It means that whoever controls or understands the elements of time has the better negotiating position.

When I bought my first piece of property, I asked the seller why he was selling. He said he was moving. I asked him when he was moving, and he said in a couple weeks. He also mentioned that he wanted to close the sale before he moved. I offered him 20% less than he was asking, and he accepted.

He gave away too much information. Specifically, he gave away his deadline. One of the most important things to understand in real estate negotiation is deadlines. The two specific things to remember are: 1. Don’t give away your deadline(s), and 2. Find the other side’s deadline(s).

Find out whatever you can about any relevant deadlines. Sometimes there isn’t a clear deadline, or there are several deadlines for different parts of the negotiation. Whatever the case, the more information you can gather about those deadlines, the better.

How do you use that information once you have it? The crudest method is to simply delay and wait until the last moment to negotiate. This only works if the other side doesn’t walk away, and if your own deadline permits it. It also requires that you don’t violate any of the terms of your purchase offer, so the seller can’t sell to someone else.

A bit of sophistication is required to use this information effectively. You may want to start by identifying what is most important to you in the negotiation. For example, is the price or the terms the crucial element for you?

Let’s assume that price is most important to you. When you wrote the offer, you put some price on it, but you have inspections and other contingencies that allow for everything to be renegotiated. The process of inspections and negotiations ties up the property, so your competition is excluded for the moment. Then you learn that owner really wants to sell by the start of the school year, because he will be moving with his children.

Work on everything else in the negotiations except the price. Have inspections done, agree on what will be included with the property, etc. As the seller’s “deadline” approaches, he will be getting anxious to close the deal. Then you let him know you’re ready to close quickly. Of course, you’ll need the price adjusted due to the results of the inspections.

At this point the seller has the choice of throwing away the whole deal. This means starting over, and not moving when he wanted to. Alternately, he can be happy that he got what he wants most – a quick close. This means giving you your price.

This points up the importance of getting information on the other’s deadline, but also the importance of not revealing your own. When I was a real estate agent I heard the story of a man who sold his property for a large profit. He had to pay $80,000 in capital gains taxes unless he rolled the money into another property, as a “title 31 exchange.” He had 60 days to close on the new property.

Imagine the abuse he would open himself to if, with ten days to go, the seller learned of his deadline and the cost of missing it. He could threaten to delay closing unless the buyer paid $10,000 extra for some old coin-operated washing machines, for example. Overpay by a few thousand, or lose $80,000. What do you think he would do? You can see the power of time in real estate negotiation.

Steve Gillman wrote the book: Cheap Homes – How To Save Thousands Buying Your Next House. To learn more about time, and the other elements of real estate negotiation, and to see a photo of the beautiful home he and his wife bought for $17,500, visit http://www.YourCheapHome.com

A lot of investors may wonder if they should have invested in stocks or bonds or both. Both investment vehicles have their own merit in the investment world. However, the best investment choice depends on your investment horizon and your risk tolerance.

Bond is a certificate of debt issued by governments or corporations which will be repaid later at maturity. Bond investors get steady stream of interest while the principal will be paid at maturity. Currently, the ten year treasury bond yield 4.48 %. This guarantees investors that held the bond to maturity, an annual 4.48 % return on investment assuming a default risk of 0. Since treasury bond is backed by the United States government, it is safe to say that the default risk is nil. Treasury bond price fluctuates daily. But the potential capital gain from the price change is fairly minimal. As of Tuesday December 6th 2005, the 10 year treasury bond is priced at around par value of $ 100. Therefore, the investors’ main return on investment is through the interest payment of the bond.

When investing in common stock, investors may be rewarded with either dividend payment or capital appreciation or both. Mainly, investors are aiming for capital appreciation profit when they invest in stocks. Historically, stock market indices has returned 10.5% since world war II. Stock investors may be exposed to a lot of risk due to the price volatility. When the company is doing poorly, investors may lose half or all of his principal. Bond investors do not have this problem if the debt issuer still survives.

In my opinion, investors are well served investing in stocks if they will not use the savings for more than five years. The reason is simple. Common stock gives a much larger return than bond. Investing in bond merely get you even with inflation. Some common stock can even give you that kind of return from dividend alone. If stock investors properly calculated the fair value of the common stock, the short-term volatility of stock will not matter. In the long run, stock will be traded close to their fair value.

There is no need for investors with five year investing horizon to avoid common stocks. While investing in treasury bond is theoretically safe, its return barely match inflation. In other words, investing in treasury bond will not make us richer.

Investing idea is free at http://www.noviceinvesting.com Furthermore, 2004 annual report is given to you for free at http://www.noviceinvesting.com/Annualreport.php
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Credit card debt is not an issue to be taken lightly. It has made many individual victims of bankruptcy and devastation. Report has it that the Average American family has over $7000 in debt on their credit card alone. This debt coupled with the high interest rate charged by the credit card company over a period of time, if not checked will get families into the ocean of accumulated debt.

But thank goodness, there is a way out of credit card debt irrespective of the amount involved. The tips below will be of a great benefit to you in reducing your credit card debt…

Transfer of your Credit Card balances

The interest rate is an enemy that makes credit card debt increase. There are credit cards that have very high interest rates and there are some that have low interest rates, avoiding the former and embracing the latter is a wise decision.

However, if you already have a credit card with high interest rates, this debt could be transferred to a low interest credit card with a transfer option.

The advantage of this method is that it compresses your debts into a card, which invariably helps you to focus on paying your debt on just a card instead of multiple payments. Also, it eliminates the interest you would have paid on the high interest credit card, thereby making extra cash available for payment of your credit card debt.

It should be noted that when credit card balances are transferred, the account has to be closed to avoid mere movement of money from one credit card to another.

On-time and Above-minimum credit payment

Paying above the minimum credit payment requirement is a wise decision to make. It will reduce your credit card debt repayment period. Again, the amount you would have paid if the minimum payment were what you were making would have reduced tremendously.

Late payment of your credit card debt is risky! It will increase you debt. A day delay in the payment of your credit card debt will lead to payment of a higher interest on your debt. This has to be avoided at all cost if credit card debt reduction is your goal.

Budgeting

It is said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”. There is always a very great need to plan all your expenses. This planning has to be done without leaving out any detail no matter how small. Here, all your needs and your wants have to be broken down and analyzed.

It is advisable that your budgeting should not be done on a monthly basis. This is because there is a high tendency of losing track of some of the details in your budget. The best way of doing budgeting should be on a weekly basis.
Budgeting your expenses may look strenuous but it has a lot of advantages. It saves you from impulse purchase thereby reducing your expenses.

A well-executed budget will help you condition your mind on what to acquire and what you don’t even need to acquire, thereby making available for you some cash for the payment of your credit card debt.

The borrower they say is a servant to lender. Being free from debt is good! So work at it and you definitely get there.

To get to know more about anything related to debts, credit cards, mortgages and loans, visit Credit Card Debt Consolidation.

“Italy, and the spring and first love all together should suffice to make the gloomiest person happy.” – Bertrand Russell

The strains of classic Italian folk music are heard in the distance as the doors open on something new, yet something altogether regal. The villa in Carpi is one of Italy’s national historic landmarks and the Villa Bellentani sits as one of its crown jewels. Built in the 18th century, the Villa Bellentani harkens to an era of rich heritage and rural sensibilities. Now, this same villa is a perfect blend or uncommon historic beauty coupled with state of the art facilities for aging balsamic vinegar for yet another appreciative generation.

It’s plain to see that the world has discovered a special love affair with Modena balsamic vinegar, yet it is also true that two other facts are equally evident. 1) There doesn’t seem to be enough quality balsamic vinegar to meet growing world demand and, 2) while inferior vinegars are easily obtained they spoil the pristine image and taste of true, aged balsamic vinegar. The Italian producer Villa Bellentani is making efforts to offer some of Modena’s best vinegar, yet preserve the integrity of the balsamico heritage.

It was with a deep respect for the thousand year history of balsamic vinegar that Italian vineyard growers join with producers at Villa Bellentani to develop quality aged balsamic vinegar that holds to the timeless traditions of Italy’s finest producers.

Americans discovered balsamic vinegar in the 1980’s, but it was tradition passed down from father to son over many centuries that resulted in the ‘overnight success’ of the finest vinegars the world has ever known.

The same country that brought you such notable artists as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci as part of the Renaissance also provides a culinary artistry that offers incomparable quality and taste – the wonderfully adaptable aged balsamic vinegar, aceto balsamico di Modena.

It is certain that such taste has value far beyond the purchase price. Long standing Italian history comes into focus when the balsamic vinegars of Villa Bellentani are tasted and found worthy to attain the ranks of the ‘world’s finest’.

Producers around the world have attempted to duplicate the Modena balsamic vinegar, but few pay regard to the tradition and taste that find customers willing to pay hundreds and even thousands of dollars for well aged blends. It is a shame to see something so precious treated in such a common way by many who will claim a product of comparable quality. In truth, much of what sells as balsamic vinegar is little more than common vinegar mixed with caramelized brown sugar. Yet in Carpi there’s a wooden cask of balsamic vinegar that has aged for more than a decade, and one day some of the precious liquid inside could find its way to your table. Your eyes will close and you take in an appreciative breath, for the taste was worth the wait.

The pace of life in Carpi is a world removed from most urban cultures. Perhaps it is that slower pace that is beneficial when you discover the difference in well aged balsamic vinegar in the grand tradition of Italy. Villa Bellentani a family estate producer seeks to fill that void.

James Zeller writes for gourmet gift related websites and blogs. Here is a selection of balsamic gifts that he found, and a creative collection of culinary gourmet gifts.

Mobile broadband is the last achievement in the telecom technological world that is the secret to the development of internet. So far, broad band was available on a basic telephone landline, fast internet connection, that brings internet access to your PC through an ADSL modem or router. WI FI broad-band will soon be more and more popular, whereby the Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line modem is connected to the laptop through a wireless network, and people are ridding their homes of cables. But mobile broadband will take the internet technology one step further and offering another important step in the evolution of internet; a broadband line pretty much in all the house without the need for a traditional telephone landline cable.

The concept of connecting with a reliable broad band connection at home is an attractive idea to many internet users, especially those people who often use their laptops not from home. Business people for example who usually travel for business are the obvious target for mobile high speed internet who will enjoy the idea of not having to search at all for a WiFi public hotspot for internet internet connection. Mobile high speed connection reaches much further than that, and as fees soon begin to be reduced and connection lines get faster we will witness the broad-band users applying for mobile broadband.

Mobile broad-band works by attaching a portable modem to any modern pc, generally called a ‘dongle’, from where your personal computer will work with whichever mobile high speed connection connection the customers have purchased. Telecom companies are selling mobile broad-band connections and coverage of the networks, also called 3G networks, which is 90% of Great Britain. Get the cheapest mobile Broadband deals with Compare Broadband UK.

Broad band speed has been an important issue for any high speed internet line and mobile broadband providers at first had some problems to convince potential clients that their mobile broad-band could be as good as traditional, ADSL landline internet. Internet speeds are better, however, with Vodafone reporting mobile high speed connection lines up to 7.3 mb, which is as fast as most of the traditional landline internet connections. Many countries, including the United Kingdom, are ready to finance with capitals in fibre optic cable networks, in order improve broad band speeds to up to 100 mb.

In New Zealand, however, a leading telecommunications provider has announced that mobile high speed connection networks will soon improve fast over the coming years and they have said that mobile broadband could be delivering connections of up to 100mb by early 2011, the year the UK’s fibre optic network is to be finished. This will create a major turning point in industry thinking, with the development of an efficient super fast mobile broad band connection network with serious advantages over the laying of lots of Kilometres of fibre optic cables, without mentioning the practical point of view.

Trust is the foundation of all successful interpersonal relationships, both personal and business. Trust is the confidence or belief a person feels toward a particular person or group. Trust is, therefore, one of the primary binding forces in any interpersonal relationship. It permits people to overcome doubts and unknowns and enjoy peace of mind. The absence of trust causes confusion, worry, inaction, and fear. When interpersonal trust is present, a person feels a confidence that everything will somehow work out. In the workplace, trust is a prerequisite for effective interpersonal communications. Without trust, employees may feel uncertainty, worry, and a sense of insecurity. No relationship, personal or business, can exist for even a short period of time if some element of trust is not present. Trust is an essential leadership training ingredient that binds any human relationship into an effective, working partnership.

Even though trust is fundamental to human relationships, it is actually misunderstood by many people. People use trust, or the lack of it, to explain good and bad relationships with others. Consider the cliché phrases: “Don’t worry, you can trust me” and “Just trust me.” Trust has become both a buzzword and an excuse in our society. Trust is as much abused as it is used in today’s business world. It is used to define and explain; yet few leadership training programs have seriously considered what it is and what it is not.

Psychologists are just beginning to learn how trust really works. Research suggests that trusting relationships are predictable, caring, and faithful. When a manager’s behavior is consistent over a period of time and another person can reasonably predict that behavior, trust is possible. By contrast, it is difficult to trust a person whose actions are inconsistent or unpredictable.

Caring in a relationship involves actions that express consideration toward the other person. Through effective leadership training, a caring supervisor knows when final exams are scheduled at the local college and asks employees who will be taking the tests how much time off will be needed to study. A caring supervisor finds out about a birth, death, anniversary, graduation, or sickness and sends a card to the employee’s home.

Faith is the belief that an employee’s behavior will be in direct response to the trust placed in that relationship. Faith can be demonstrated by communicating clear expectations and then telling the employee, “I know you and I believe you can accomplish this assignment.” Managers who have difficulty demonstrating faith in others typically have difficulty trusting them as well. Trust as a leadership training component can help change this.

Building trust in the workplace is vital for a long-lasting, satisfying, rewarding, and successful relationship. Leadership training helps effective managers practice behaviors that promote and build trusting relationships. They learn to do this with consistent actions each day. In return they obtain the benefits of high-trust employee relations. These benefits include higher morale, increased initiative, improved honesty, and better productivity. All are important aspects of a profitable and rewarding business experience.

It’s not uncommon for people to use the word “trust” to describe a feeling they have regarding some interpersonal relationships. Trust does not magically appear in a relationship without certain elements preceding it over time. And once trust has been breeched it is difficult and sometimes impossible to establish once again.

Three steps pave the path before enduring trust begins. The first step is effective communications. When we communicate effectively with another person we have an opportunity to move that relationship to the second step, which is real understanding. That is when two people have communicated to the point of honest and deep understanding. This can lead to the third step in the relationship of mutual respect. A respecting relationship demands that each person contribute enough respect that it can be reciprocated back from the other person. Unilateral respect in relationships is temporary and superficial. Mutual respect that can lead to trust is much deeper and must come from communicated understanding. Once a relationship has experienced mutual respect it is possible for the participants to experience enduring relational trust. This is a feeling that binds people together over time and through trials.

The four steps are dependent upon the actions or integrity of the individuals involved. Integrity is not only keeping agreements, but it is also “walking the talk.” If, for example, a person communicates deceitfully, how much understanding will there be? And how much respect will the other person have? Ultimately trust will be lacking.

Enduring trust is a leadership training process that takes time and effort. It is clearly the essence of what fuels meaningful relationships.

Test your Trust

Answer the following five statements on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is not true and 5 is completely true.

1. My actions each day demonstrate that I trust my employees.
   
2. My employees can trust me with sensitive or private information.
   
3. I would never betray a trust with an employee.
   
4. I keep confidences and would never share confidential information inappropriately.
   
5. I am able to trust my employees.

Tally your scores from the five items. A total score of 20 to 25 would indicate that you and your employees probably share an atmosphere of trust. A score of 15-19 would indicate that trust is present, but not in abundance. A score of 14 or less probably means that some additional leadership training efforts in building trust would be appropriate.

To learn how leadership training programs and building trust in the workplace can help your organization, contact a CMOE representative at (801)569-3444

Dr. Richard L. Williams has conducted more than 6,000 workshops to more than 250,000 managers and executives.

He specializes in building trust in the workplace, leadership training and development, performance coaching, and quality improvement.

If you want to buy a house but don’t think you can for any of the following reasons, this article is intended to give you correct information so that you can make smarter choices and open yourself up to a world of wealth, possibilities and realistic expectations.

The truth is you are being unrealistic when you believe the following reasons to be true:

I can’t buy property now because…

• I don’t have 20% for a down payment, let alone 5%, let alone even 1%.
• I don’t have any money for closing costs.
• I won’t qualify for a loan (I have poor credit, don’t make enough money, can’t prove my income, haven’t been at the same job long enough, etc.)
• The market prices are too high now.
• I don’t want to live in a bad neighborhood and that’s the only place I can afford one right now.
• I can’t afford the mortgage payments with my current income.
• Fill-in-the-blank.

I am here to tell you that you CAN buy property, regardless of any of the above.

In this day and age, there is absolutely NO reason why anyone can’t own their own home. The strict days of the 20%-down-excellent-credit-and-stable-well-paying-job loans are over, replaced by no-down-payment-prior-bankruptcy-and-stated-income loan programs.

With the wide array of today’s diverse lifestyles comes an abundance of opportunities and programs created for each and every possible situation. Businesses need to make money, and the best way to open themselves up to a larger range of customers is to offer services for the vast and varied circumstances of each individual.

Many lenders today offer little to no down payment programs, poor credit leniencies and even no proof of employment or salary requirements (in lender speak, it’s called “stated-income programs” where you simply state your income to the lender without having to prove it with pay stubs, W2’s, etc. This is widely used by freelancers and consultants).

In addition to the countless programs offered by lenders, there are now government grants and (often free) services available for the low-income, low reserve home buyer as well as plenty of programs for first time home buyers. Government programs and many private loan programs also offer assistance for closing costs (the costs required up front to pay for lender fees, escrow & title charges, etc.), with some programs requiring the seller to pay for most of them.

For a list of government grants, go to www.cfda.gov (The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance) or www.firstgov.gov (The US Government’s Official Web Portal). Click on “Benefits & Grants” to get to their grants page.

“Ok, that’s great,” you’re thinking, “but the real estate market is so inflated now, even if I could qualify for a loan, how am I going to afford a house in the neighborhood I want?”

Welcome to the wonderful world of foreclosures, tax auctions and rehabs (otherwise known as fixer-uppers)! It is a myth that all foreclosures and tax-defaulted properties are in poor, run-down neighborhoods. One good thing about foreclosures and tax-defaulted properties is their indiscrimination. They occur in gang-ridden crack neighborhoods, middle class neighborhoods and elite million dollar communities alike.

Another benefit is that they are generally much cheaper than the lowest priced house in the same neighborhood. We all know the difference between retail and wholesale. You could go to the mall and buy a shirt for retail at $20 or you could go to the garment district in the city and buy the same shirt for wholesale at $10, or better yet, with the advent of the internet, you could do all your wholesale shopping online in the comfort of your pajamas.

The same is true for real estate. If you wouldn’t spend that extra $10 dollars to buy a shirt at retail, why would you spend an extra $10,000 (or usually more) to buy a house at retail?

In the industry, houses that are listed on the market are considered retail. Houses you find through foreclosures and tax auctions are considered wholesale. These are discounted houses, available at a low price for a quick sale, usually because the Bank or County is seeking to simply make back the money they’ve spent on it before (and after) the buyer defaulted. This equals to huge savings for the educated buyer.

Rehabbing is buying houses that are a little less than perfect and fixing them up, either to sell for a profit or to keep as a residence. Some people enjoy the challenge of buying a property that needs a complete overhaul (new roof, extensive remodeling, structural fixes, etc.) while others prefer a “cosmetic fixer,” a house which needs a little touch up paint here and there, some flowers planted in the yard, maybe even a new kitchen countertop, etc.

Cosmetic fixers are a fun and easy way to make money. You get to do a little artistic handiwork (even if you’ve never done it before) and make money at the same time. The quick profits you yield can be rolled over into a bigger and better house, you can repeat the process over and over again, working your way up from a $50,000 house to a $500,000 house within a few years – and the best part, it’s all tax-free!

Called a “1031 Exchange,” the gains you receive from selling the house can be tax-deferred as long as you continue to buy an equal or higher priced house with the proceeds you make from the sale. Unlike a straight sale of a residence, there are no occupancy requirements or live-in time restrictions for a 1031 Exchange. For a residence, federal law states that you must live in the home for 2 out of 5 years of ownership in order to avoid capital gains tax. You may choose to live in it for 2 years and bank the proceeds – yes, tax free! – or you may choose to flip it and do a 1031 Exchange – yes, tax deferred!

If you’re sitting there scratching your head, thinking all this sounds like too much work when all you want is simply a house to call your own, chances are good you can still find a great deal in the retail market as well.

If you are convinced, or even slightly convinced that you just might be able to buy a home after all, here are some steps for the average, traditional home buyer.

• The first step is to figure out how much you are willing to spend. Get your finances in order by evaluating your current total monthly income against your current total monthly outgo. If you are paying $800 in rent now, how much more can you afford per month? If you don’t want to pay any more than $800 a month, but really can, I urge you to look at the bigger picture. Is it worth it to spend a little more per month now to ensure you have an investment that could reap significant returns for you a few years later? Is it worth it to invest that $800 a month (and a little more if necessary) into YOUR future prosperity and not your landlord’s? Is it worth it to live without Direct TV or 100 cable channels or 3,000 cell phone minutes in the short term to invest in your financial freedom in the long term?

  Be careful not to overstretch, however. You still want to enjoy your home without cursing it for breaking your bank. Depending on your financial situation, it may not be necessary to cut costs or stretch to purchase a home, but if so, what is owning your own home worth to you?

• The second step is to find the right lender or broker. You need to find a lender/broker so that you will know how much house you can afford. They will tell you how big of a loan you qualify for, based on your income vs. your debt (debt-to-income ratio), how much the monthly payments will be approximately, and how much your upfront costs will be, if any.
• Once you find the right lender, the third step is to find an agent. As a buyer, you do not pay an agent. The agent makes a commission from the seller’s final price. The commission (usually 6%) is split between the buyer’s agent and the seller’s agent (and their broker). If you can, be your own agent. If you find a house you like on your own, you can often offer the seller a lower price since they won’t have to pay part of that to the agents and can afford to lower the price for you. Sellers usually factor in the agents’ commissions when setting their asking price.
• The fourth step is to get to know the market. Knowing what to buy, when to buy and where to buy is key to making money in real estate. Watch the market, talk to agents, sellers, buyers, investors, anyone who might know the neighborhoods you’re interested in. Be open to neighborhoods you haven’t thought of or heard of. Your agent can help you with this too. If you have found a good agent, they will share with you their knowledge of the market based on their experiences being in it every day.
• Know what you want and why. There are numerous ways to make money in real estate. They range anywhere from simply buying low and selling high, to rental income property, to purchasing notes and certificates, to the aforementioned ways and more. Do you want to make a quick, instant million? Or do you want a modest but steady stream of income to be comfortable? Or do you just want to buy a house to live in, a house your children can grow up in? Study your options and go with the one that appeals to you regardless of whether you know anything about it and whether you think you can do it or not. Find your niche in the market and follow it.
• Learn from others who have done it. If your knowledge is insufficient due to lack of experience, let someone else’s experiences guide you. Take courses, read books, talk to others who have led the way and have achieved success in what you want to do. Don’t listen to anyone who hasn’t done it themselves, especially ones who tell you that you can’t. “Borrow” someone else’s knowledge until you gain your own through experience. There are a lot of materials out there to get you started.

Above all, the BEST thing you can do for your success is believe in yourself, believe it CAN be done and go out and do it! Stop wasting your time making up excuses why it CAN’T be done and start spending your time more effectively by finding ways it CAN.

Teresa Franklyn is author and publisher of The Daily Dose, a popular inspirational online publication. When she’s not passionately typing away at her computer, she enjoys investing in Real Estate for fun and profit. For more information and helpful links about how to get into Real Estate, visit her website at http://www.followyoursoul.com. To read about her adventures as an Owner/Builder, visit her Blog at http://followyoursoul.blogspot.com

When you scan the morning paper, how do you decide which articles to read and which to ignore? I bet it’s the headlines. A great headline hooks you in and keeps you reading. A ho-hum headline will, at best, get a polite “so what?”

It’s the same with the headline in your sales or marketing piece. It has to promise your reader something she needs or wants, and create such excitement and curiosity in her that she just can’t avoid reading on. It doesn’t matter how punchy or grabby the rest of your copy is, if your headline doesn’t get her attention quickly (within 3 seconds) she’s gone, maybe forever.

Here are a few ideas to help you craft attention-getting headlines:

1. Build your headline around your biggest benefit. Show how your product or service can solve a problem for the reader.

2. Create a mystery with the headline so that you arouse curiosity and make the reader want to read on to find the solution.

3. Use figures or statistics. Odd numbers work better than even.

4. Percentages are also good.

5. Rephrase a well-known saying or quote.

6. Ask a question the answer to which points to, guess what? Your product or service.

The format you use depends on your product or service and the target market you’re writing for. Think about which approach is most likely to appeal to them.

An idea I picked up from master copywriter Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero is to set a timer for 20 minutes and brainstorm on paper as many different headlines as you can. Don’t stop to edit or evaluate. Use the format suggestions above to light your creative spark. Go all out. Dump all your ideas on the page, no matter how wacky they may seem. When the timer goes off at 20 minutes, stop. Go back and review them. Discard the ones that are irrelevant. Then take your time to play around with the rest, tweaking and combining until you come up with one that stops you in your tracks.

To see excellent examples of good headlines that pull you in, you need look no further than the papers and magazines at the supermarket checkout counter. Prevention magazine is particularly good, as is Reader’s Digest. And the National Enquirer, whether you like it or not, certainly has a way of coming up with headlines that get your attention.

Happy headline hunting!

Maggie Dennison is a Marketing Consultant and Writer. She is the author of “11 Steps To Marketing Materials That Get You Clients NOW!” Maggie holds a Master’s Degree in Applied Psychology, and is fascinated with what triggers people to do the things they do. And that’s exactly what marketing materials are all about. Pick up a free report “11 Hot Keys to Website Content That Works” at her website.

Did you know that you can still grow your own beautiful
flowers and vegetables, without having to spend many hours
every week looking after your garden?

One of the biggest problems many gardeners face is never
having enough time to maintain their garden. There’s always
weeds to remove, insects and other pests to take care of,
and steps to take to prevent plants becoming diseased. Even
watering the garden each day can be very time consuming,
unless there’s an automatic sprinkler system in place.

If you want a garden but only have limited time to look
after it, hydroponics is a great option. Hydroponics
gardening has many time-saving advantages over conventional
gardening methods.

Some of these advantages are:

1. No weeding required.

With hydroponics gardening, the plants are grown in a
solution of nutrients dissolved in water instead of soil.
You don’t have to worry about weeds sprouting amongst your
plants, because soil isn’t used.

2. Fewer problems with pests and diseases.

When growing hydroponically, you have less of the typical
problems with pests such as slugs, snails and caterpillars
attacking your plants.

Although the nutrient solution of your hydroponic garden
will have to be changed regularly, this only takes a
fraction of the time compared to conventional gardening
maintenance – eg. greenhouse gardening, where soil has to be
replaced between crops to prevent disease.

3. You don’t need to spend time watering your plants.

Plants grown in a hydroponic garden have an unlimited supply
of water. You never need to be concerned that your plants
are getting too much or too little water.

4. Say goodbye to digging your garden.

Preparation of a conventional garden involves loosening the
soil to add oxygen for the plant’s roots to extract. Once again, as soil isn’t used with hydroponics, this means
one less time consuming job for you to do.

Plants grown hydroponically extract oxygen from the nutrient
solution via their roots. The oxygen can quite quickly be used
up, so it’s important that it’s replaced. The way
it’s replaced depends on which system is used. The most
common hydroponic system is the passive system, which uses
an aquarium bubbler to put oxygen back into the solution.

Plants can be grown rapidly without all the concerns of
regular gardening. Although a hydroponics system can take
some time to set up, you’ll find it’s well worth the
effort.

For more information on hydroponics gardening visit: http://www.ultimate-hydroponics.info

Article by Stephen Provis, who has an interest in plants and home gardening.