Friday, December 28, 2007

Student Shopping Habit

Shopping can be an emotional release for many students. Lots of students shop to reduce stress or just to pass the time with their friends. Shopping out of boredom or to cope with life’s woes can lead to much bigger problems. When it starts to get out of control, consumerism becomes a bad habit, even an addiction. If your bank account has been taking a beating due to over purchasing, you might have a compulsion to shop.

Shop-a-holics show signs that are similar to other addicts. You think that shopping and buying things, even little things like make-up or gifts for others, is going to make you feel better and forget about your problems. Actually, it makes you feel worse, compounding guilt, financial hardship and anxiety on top of whatever was wrong to begin with. Finding yourself in a financial struggle or deep in debt can strain relationships with your friends and family. Living beyond your means stretches your sanity as well as your wallet.

Do you go out for just a few things and come home with your trunk full? Do you seem to shop more after an emotional trauma or stressful situation? These are questions that students with a problem don’t want to face. Don’t get caught in that downward spiral of spending due to stress where that moment of elation leads to even more stress and worry. Ask yourself every time if what you are about to buy is a “need” or a “want”. The hard part is not buying the things that you only “want”. Try to recognize the signs that you may have a problem. Have you made purchases and regretted it later? Bought things that you never used? Maybe your family or friends have expressed a concern or disapproval that led you to hide items, or lie about prices. Many compulsive shoppers report feeling elated and nervous at the same time when making frivolous purchases. They later feel guilty or embarrassed about the truth of their shopping spree. They also have a general belief that shopping is “bad behavior”.

Something to think about is that you’re letting marketing control you. Commercials and ads seem to prey on your psyche. Just passing a store or getting a little extra in your bank account sends you into a “What can I buy?” mental frenzy. Remind yourself that you will only feel worse afterward. It’s really not worth the guilt and trauma that it causes.

Avoid circumstances that may make you want to spend. Never use credit cards. Keep one emergency one at home. If it is in a store, it’s most likely not an emergency. Exercise, yoga and hot baths generally curb the temptation to shop. Take a drive through the country where there aren’t any stores. Patience is a learned skill. Have patience with yourself and your money. Immediate gratification doesn’t last long, but patience can benefit you for the rest of your life. If you need more help than you can give yourself, there are support groups out there that can help. If you have a real emergency, take the time to research if your credit card is really the best option. You may be eligible for student loans or private student loans that have fixed payments and are easier to get out from under than a credit card.

Holiday Spending

Spending extra money around the holidays can be very easy. There are so many family members, friends and important people in your life that you would love to express your appreciation to. All too quickly, we seem to run out of money and still have things on our wish lists that we try to find a way to buy. A lot of people resort to running up their credit card bills at this time of year. But what other options are there?

Try to find a way to make extra money if you can. Offer to clean your friends’ houses or do some yard-work around your neighborhood. Have a garage sale and get rid of some useless items. This is a good way to make room for new stuff coming in around Christmas time anyway. Ask for extra hours at work or take a second job providing seasonal help to local businesses. If you just don’t have time for the extra work, don’t give up. There are other ways that you can get some Christmas money fast.

Running up your credit cards should be your absolute last resort. Many people find that when they charge Christmas gifts, they just end up making minimum payments on them for the whole next year. Then when the next Christmas rolls around, they still haven’t paid off the gifts from the year before, and the problem compounds. Not only did the interest cause you to grossly overpay for each and every item that you charged, but now you’ve probably racked up a few miscellaneous fees as well. If you made one late payment on those fifteen dollar slippers, then you probably paid about fifty dollars for them in the end. That is, if you decided to pay off the principal when you paid the late fee.

So what’s another alternative? If you need to borrow money for the holidays, then your goal should be to only borrow as much as you need. Your second goal should be to pay it back as quickly as possible so that you don’t give the loan time to cost you a lot of interest. You especially don’t want to carry on making minimum payments forever or risk having a late payment at some point. Both paying late and only paying the minimum can hurt your credit. So how do you help your credit while borrowing for the holidays without getting yourself into a long-term bind? You could consider a quick online loan.

Online loans generally have less paperwork and involve less scrutiny than a regular bank loan. Some web sites even boast a faxless approval process. Just fill out an application online and you could have money in your bank within twenty four hours. The payoff is much quicker, sometimes as fast as your next payday. You can choose to pay it off in a shorter or longer amount of time. See if you can get a payday loan or cash advance with someone who doesn’t charge an early payoff fee. Some also offer to pull payments directly from your bank account on your payday so that you don’t have to worry about late payments. If you need money fast, then a payday loan or cash advance could be your answer.

The Power of Titles in Marketing

"A good title is a work of a genius!" - E. Haldeman-Julius E. Haldeman-Julius single-handedly sold over 100,000,000 (One Hundred Million) Books by only describing each book by its "Title Only."

Haldeman-Julius used to sell little blue books at $.05 each back in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

If a particular book didn't hit its quota of 10,000 sold a year, for a couple consecutive years, it would go to what he called the hospital. That is where he would analyze the book to see if he could improve the title to increase the sales and revive the book.

He did this with several books, even classics, and often increased sales drastically. Here are a few examples:

"The Fleece Of Gold" in 1925 only sold 6000 copies but in 1926 with the new title of "The Quest for a Blond Mistress" sold a whopping 50,000."The Mystery of the Iron Mask" at 11,000 vs. "The Mystery of the Man in the Iron Mask" sold 30,000 copies. "The King Enjoys Himself" at 8,000 sold vs. "The Lustful King Enjoys Himself! Snatched From The Grave!" sold 38,000 copies.

This is only a few examples of the hundreds of books that he was able to increase sales with by improving the title.

Now this does not only apply to books. This applies to all kinds of things, even marketing life insurance.

Titles to Express a Message

Having the right title can serve you, and your life insurance business well. A company's name for example. Like Budget Rent-A-Car. The name alone conveys a message and appeals to a certain demographic.

Hertz and Avis have to do much more advertising to convey their marketing message. There are plenty of places to get your oil changed in your car quickly...but Jiffy Lube instantly comes to mind when I glance down at the odometer and realize that I'm over due for an oil change myself.

Some titles brilliantly convey a much desired promise of speed and ease. Minute Maid Lemonade Or Minute Rice Or Easy Mac.

Some titles convey superiority. The Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Other titles convey a trustworthy and desirable service, like Certified Retirement Planners, CRP.

Consider the Purpose of the Title

If you ever intend to put a title on anything: like a book, service, product, business or whatever...consider its purpose. Think about the message you want it to convey. A title is no less than a headline. It is often your first and last chance to lore in new prospects and clients. Take full advantage of the opportunity to stand out and make a good first impression.

What is Mortgage Broker Bonds?

In general term, a bond is similar to IOU. An investor obtains a bond from any financial institution for a fixed amount of money. It is then that financial institution promises to return the money back years from that day with a small percentage of interest added to the actual amount.

Lets sort this with an example, when a person purchases a house, he or she usually require to go for a loan that is to borrow money from a bank or a mortgage lending company. To borrow this amount, people need to sign up a promissory note stating he or she would pay back the loan amount by particular given time, plus a percentage of interest that is accrued each month. Normally, a mortgage fee spans fifteen to thirty years and is paid back in way of EMI Monthly installations.

To issues these mortgage loans, the mortgage lending institute might require to "borrow" a huge sum of money from a higher financial institution. The mortgage lender provides a number of mortgage contracts in one lump-sum package to a fiscal institution that issues a mortgage broker bond in return. With a mortgage broker bond, the higher financial company "buys" the mortgage contract from the mortgage lender and gets the borrower's monthly fee in exchange. The mortgage broker bond process assists the mortgage lender get the money it requires, while the larger financial company earns excess money by getting the monthly payment from the borrower.

On the whole, a mortgage broker bond is a win-win place for both financial institutions. The current augment in the cost of homes, on the other hand, has caused some complexity with the mortgage broker bond arrangement. Because homes were rising in cost, mortgage lenders issued mortgage to people who were not the perfect candidates. As such homeowners defaulting on more loans and the cost of housing levels out, the mortgage broker bond might be value more than the worth of the house.

If the borrower defaults in his/her on the mortgage loan, the loss is passed on to the financial company, which issued the mortgage bond. To recover the money lost from the mortgage broker bond, the financial company that issued the mortgage broker bond could resell the house. This could yet result in a loss of money if the mortgage broker bond is value less than the home.
By Ron victor

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

What Is An Earnings Run?

We often get a chance to put dollars in our accounts by looking for "earnings runs". What are they and why do they work? Well, the bottom line is that the market still runs on fear and greed. Earnings season brings out both.

The concept is really pretty simple. When earnings reporting season approaches, we get a lot of traders who get excited about what they "might" hear, so they start buying into the hope. If a stock hasn't come out to warn or preannounce any bad news, it gets really interesting as traders almost fall over themselves to get a piece of the action. So, just about 10 days before actual earnings start flooding the airwaves, we generally see stocks start inching higher.

But what happens when they actually report? More times than not the stock gets a smackdown, even if it's just temporary. Why would that be? Well the report is never as glowing as people want it to be. Even if a company beats their numbers they rarely do by a measure that gets everyone excited. Then of course there is the conference call to deal with. Remember earnings are posted for the quarter that just ended. Like yesterday's news. Traders want to know what's coming down the pike now.

We have watched earnings seasons for many years now. Almost every time, we get a lift into them and then we get a pullback when they are about done with as everyone looks around and says "that's it?" The most important thing we can tell you is do not hold a stock over its earnings report. Yes, you might miss a big gap open the next day and yes, you may be locked out when a stock gets upgrade after upgrade. We know. It's called "missed money".

But we have all seen the effects of a bad earnings report or a cautious outlook for the future. It's not uncommon for a stock that ends a day at 50 to open at 40 the next day on a poor report. Is the risk/reward worth that kind of pounding? Not on your life. In fact, the last time we did a comparison study, almost 74% of all the stocks that reported earnings sunk, even if they beat the estimates. That is a number we simply cannot ignore. So, yes it stinks when you miss a big spike, but it stinks considerably less than being down 12 bucks in a stock that got beaten!

The Onset of Any Investment

If you want to be serious in trading, you must look at trading as a business. Before you set up any business, planning is essential. Although tempting, before you pour your hard-earned savings into this venture, the first step is to establish your investment goals and objectives. It is best to have this written down because there will be moments that you will forget your goals and purpose of investing.

Keep your "mission statement" of this business as simple as possible. Each time you feel that you are losing your discipline; this is the time to refer to your goals that you have set.

As a guideline, decide on what you would like to achieve financially. Develop a plan, tactic or method to achieve your goals. The method that you choose or develop must have a proven track record for you to eventually arrive at your destination.

Your mission statement should contain, but not limited, to the below:

- What is your Target Net Worth (set a realistic goal)? - What is your target Monthly Residual Income? - What is your initial investment capital? - How much would you allocate a month from your savings in this new venture? - How much time will you allow for this investment to mature? - How much time per day would you allocate to achieve the above goals? - What type of investment vehicle would you specialize in?

When setting your target net worth, set a goal that is achievable. Of course, it is always in many of our dreams to be a multi-millionaire. Set an initial achievable goal as a stepping stone. Periodically, you can always review and revise your goal. For example, if you currently are starting out with $10,000, you may want to be realistic by setting an initial 3 year goal of $50,000, which would represent a 500% return on investment. After the initial goal has been accomplished, you may then set a bigger goal. If you arrive at this goal before the 3 years is up, you can always review and re-set a new goal. Setting achievable goals will keep you motivated to strive further with your investments.

Investing can be risky no matter how safe it looks. Always use only risk capital for all your investments. Risk capital is money that you can lose without affecting your lifestyle. If you need these funds for your next meal, your kids education, or to pay your house rent (you get the idea), then please refrain yourself from investing. Risk capital should only be a small percentage of your monthly savings. For example, if you currently save $1000 per month, you may want to allocate 20-30% of your monthly savings for investment purpose. It is prudent to be conservative while taking risk. You do not want any bad investment to ruin your current lifestyle.

Establishing the "big picture" before you start trading or investing will provide you a roadmap as a reminder of why you even bother putting your hard-earned money at risk.

Understanding Technical Analysis

Stocks need to be understood before making any major moves. This can be accomplished by a few methods known as analyses. Technical analysis is one of the most useful methods to understand the trends of the stock market. Technical analysis is a method in which the stock chart data is examined and the future moves in the market are predicted on their basis. Investors using technical analysis are not bothered about the kind of companies they are dealing in. These investors are playing for short-term. They will sell their stock as soon as they reach the limits of their projected profit.

Experts who study technical analysis presume that the stocks will move in certain predictable patterns. These would take into account natural disasters that could drastically affect the stock market. These experts consider both geographical and historical information to decide in what manner the stock market would move in the future. Technical analysis depends on such external factors, but it does not study the potential of the company itself whose stock is being considered.

For this reason, investors who rely on technical analysis do not play for the long-term. They are not interest in the growth potential of a particular company, because they will likely be gone from the market by then. The whole premise is based on the movement of the market as a whole, and the entry and exit points will be charted on the base of such market fluctuations.

It is possible for investors to benefit from upswings as well as downswings in the market by playing for either the long-term or the short-term. Orders such as stop loss and limit can be used to make the investments safe.

The modern technical analyst has several tools available at his/her disposal. Since the stock market has been playing for several centuries now, many stock patterns have developed. The basic concepts are still the support and resistance, which are applied to the lowest limit a downswing price can go to and the highest limit an upswing price can go to, respectively. Support and resistance are the limits from which the prices will bounce back, once they reach that level.

Charts are a very important tool used by the technical analyst. The most popular charts are the bar charts, which contain vertical bars representing the stock prices over a particular time period. The bar chart will show the highest and the lowest prices at both ends of the bar. If the bar is long, it means a larger price spread, while if the bar is short, then it means a smaller price spread. The position of the side bars would indicate whether the price increased or decreased and also the spread between the opening and closing prices.

Another popular kind of chart is the candlestick chart. Here solid bars (known as candles) are used to show the variations between the closing prices and the opening prices. Shadows are used from the candles to indicate the highest and lowest prices respectively. Color coding is used in this method. A black or red candlestick would indicate that the closing price was lower than the previous period, while a white or green candlestick would indicate the price closed higher. Apart from the color coding, shapes can also be used to indicate several things. A green candlestick with short shadows would mean a bullish market, while a red candlestick with short shadows is a bearish market. The candlestick pattern is a very sophisticated type of pattern, with about twenty different kinds of shaped in use.

Market Cycles: The Key to Trading Success

Every market goes through trading cycles. There is no exception to this. Be it the Stock Market, The Futures or the Forex market. They all go through different phases. Today, I want to point the different phases in the Forex market, identifying which will help the trader know when to stay in the market and when to stay out.

Range Days: Historically, it has been seen that nearly 80 of the time and when it does, it creates new trends and levels. Rally days usually happen when price breaks out of the range and establishes a new high or low.

Strange Days: Strange days are those days when the market hardly moves at all. It is as if the financial world is on a vacation and simply not interested in trading. This is a rare phenomenon, yet is one of the phases of the market. Usually, when a market is well below the usual daily range, it is classified as Strange Days.
Here is a bit of statistics to help understand the market phases better. I have listed below, the 4 major pairs and their daily average range.

GBPUSD - 122 pips Daily Range
EURUSD – 84 pips Daily Range
USDCHF – 96 pips Daily Range
USDJPY – 78 pips Daily Range

In the above examples, when a pair falls below the daily movement, it is considered to be ranging and when it is way below it, it is considered to have entered the unknown land. If analyzed over a week, Range days occur at least 3 times a week. Generally 70-80 of the time in a week. The best day in the week is Tuesday, followed by Wednesday and Thursday. Tuesday, historically has had the best rally days.
Again, strange days occur less than often, and when price stays well below the range and when there is little movement. They happen, once or twice a month and are times when one should stay out of the market.

Lastly, I should add that the best days to trade are Tuesday and Wednesday followed by Thursday and the days to avoid trading are Monday and Friday.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Land Investing

One area of investing that is sometime s overlooked when thinking about areas to invest money in is land. Investing in real estate, that is developed land with homes and buildings is one of the most popular types of investing. But, ask those who do some serious investing and you will find that many of them invest in undeveloped land. As our country grows there is an ever-increasing need for new homes and services and land is a definite requirement for this to happen.


Typically investing in land is not as popular as developed real estate because of the amount of work that must be put into it. However as the need for land escalates this is changing. If you consider the tracts of unused land around your town, someone has to own them right? There is likely a large amount of available land in your area that can be purchased relatively inexpensively. The idea with land investing is to hold on to it and sell to a developer in future years. However, keep in mind that investing in land takes a bit more knowledge and research than investing in homes. One of the most important aspects of investing in land is knowing the zoning of the land you are buying and whether or not that is likely to change in the future. The zoning will, of course dictate who will likely be interested in property in the long-term.


Buying land that is zoned for commercial use is highly sought-after, but the most attractive land is that which is zoned for both commercial and residential. This land can be hard to locate but it is worth the effort and investment of time. This is really the investment that you want to be holding when your town starts a real estate boom. It's a vein of investing where a fortune can be made overnight if the demand is high. Don't forget to do your homework first. Educate yourself on the land that is available and the real estate trends in your town so you can make an educated guess at which way the industry is heading.

Property Disclosure

In real estate transactions there is a stage known as "disclosure." First time home buyers may not be familiar with the term but anyone who has purchased real estate in the past should be well acquainted with this step of buying or selling.

Essentially the process of disclosure is the step wherein the seller of the property "discloses" any issues with the property as it is. Now this can apply to a pretty wide range of things from issues with the actual home to problems with the neighborhood to things that have occurred in the home in the past. Either way, sellers are required by law to disclose all of these things when selling their home.


Let's have a look at some things that would need to be included on the disclosure paperwork for a home. The most common things you will find in a property disclosure are issues with the home itself.

Let's say there was a fire a few years back and an area of the home was rebuilt. Or perhaps at one point the basement flooded and there was resulting rot or water damage. Termite or insect damage must also be noted as well as any other issues in relation to the home or it's integral systems.


There are other things that should be included in the disclosure statement as well. Sometimes things like a particularly noisy neighborhood dog, or problem neighbors. Also there is usually a section that deals with the title to the home itself. If there are any claims to the title such as liens or easements, they must be noted in detail. Another things that should be detailed is any common property that is shared with adjoining properties.

Something that has become more of a concern in recent years is whether or not the home was ever utilized in any sort of drug operation. This is not saying that the current seller was involved in said activities, merely that if the home has been used for such purpose in the past it must be disclosed.


Failure to disclose information on the home that is important to buyers is punishable by law. As the property seller you have a responsibility to be honest and scrupulous in your disclosure regarding any property. Failure to do so can result in big trouble.


Austin Lansing is a representative of High Country Realty, specializing in the sale and purchase of North Georgia real estate. For info on homes in the Blue Ridge Mountains and other area of Georgia's beautiful high country, contact us today or visit us online at www.cbhighcountry.com

Remortage: Chase the Chance

To fail to get any chance may be bad; but to fail to do justice with a chance is certainly tragic. Thus, to fail to use the chance of getting away with your current burdensome financial obligation is really a pathetic matter.

Ignoring the chance of remortgage can be an example. If you find that you are overburdened with the repayment terms and condition of your current mortgage, it makes no sense in sticking to it any more.

Rather, it makes real sense if you search for a better deal and switch over to that. You can do so by going for a remortgage. It is quite easy but full of some assured benefits.

It will give you respite from he hassles you are facing now to deal with your debt obligation. At the same time, it will also give you scope to save money. You can save money on every month or in the long term; may be at the end of the repayment term.

For a remortgage, it is not always necessary to change the lender. You can talk to the current lender and take quotes from him. If you see that the deals offered by him are better then you can stick to him. If you find that there are other cost-effective deals available then you can switch over to other lenders.

For that you have to explore the market and make some comparisons.

While comparing remortgage packages, make sure that you consider all the fees attached to a mortgage. According to general belief, interest rate is the main thing to be considered while taking a deal. Well, it is true that the interest reflects the majority of the cost of the mortgage. But certainly it does not include the whole cost.

So, go beyond the interest rate and consider the APR. Most importantly, do not forget to keep the early repayment penalty under consideration. Compare the packages o the basis of all these factors and go for the package that suits your need best.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Use The Power Of Niche Blogs To Generate Income Online

If your into internet marketing chances are you have a website or two, making you some money. You could increase your income dramatically by using niche blogs.

Many people have already discovered the power of using blogs to generate income online. They may use blogs to promote products as an affiliate, sell their own product, or monetize them with adsense.

If you want to create a decent income from using niche blogs you are going to need more than one or two sites. You will need to create your own little empire of niche blog sites. How would you go about achieving this?

It's not as hard as you may think. There are many resources out there which are free and some you will have to pay for to start your own empire. However, creating an empire of niche blogs mainly consits of three elements.

1. First off you need a niche site. That is you need to find a niche and then build a site around it. There are almost an unlimited number of niches out there waiting to be expoilted.

2. Content. You need content for your site. Original content is always the best. If you don't have original content there are other ways of getting some, outsourcing being one of them.

3. Promotion. You need people to visit your site. So you must start promoting your site which ever way you can. Through the search engines and pay per click advertising, other blogs, articles and any other means you can think of.

Once all the above is done and you have your first niche site up, just start over with another niche topic and repeat. Soon you will have your own empire of niche mini sites generating income for you month after month.

Sunday, July 8, 2007

Internet Banner Advertising Secrets

When the internet started banner advertising was one of the most popular ways to advertise. However, once this kind of advertising became popular it dramatically reduced its effect. People became blind towards it and click through rates become as low as 0.5%. However many of the top internet marketers still use banner advertising as one of their top producing strategies. You will reap the rewards with internet banner advertising once you know how to apply the correct marketing strategies.

One of the challenging aspects of banner advertising is to get people to actually click on your banner. With all the banners looking like adverts people have become oblivious to this. You need to make your banner not look like an advert. Make the background white because this makes it blend in and look like content. Then use blue text to denote the advertisement. People are conditioned by using the internet to associate blue with a hyperlink and this will make them click on it. Use a good attention grabbing headline for example "How To Lose 30 Pounds In 20 Days".

Once you have created your banner you need to find good places on the internet to advertise. I suggest you look for websites related to yours and you contact the owners directly. Use your negotiating skills and try to lower the advertising rate that a website owner may want until you are satisfied that you have a good deal. Also try to get at least a month or a week's trial to test the effectiveness of the internet banner advertising before you enter into a long term contract.

You need to create an appropriate landing page for your banner advertisement. This could be in the form of a squeeze page. I would strongly suggest that you do not send your visitor to a sales page as a visitor usually needs to see your offer at least 7 times before they will consider buying.

Follow these internet banner advertising tips and you will find that you can produce substantially more traffic to your website and increase your profits.

Would you like to know more about the traffic techniques have helped me to drive thousands of visitors to my website? I have just completed my new guide.

Financial Needs Analysis

Financial Needs Anaysis (FNA) is defined as a process to identify individual financial needs in order to strategise an investment plan that meet such needs and financial goals. Before I go into details about FNA process, let me explain the three broad categories of financial needs;

(i) Accumulation Needs It is defined as a future financial need that one desire to set aside. The motivation to accumulate a sum of money in future include children education, starting a business, property investment, buying a car, retire early or giving to charity.

(ii) Retirement Needs It is defined as financial need that provide fund to support our life after our retirement. When we retire, our pension or social security benefits begin but our earned income ceases. Our working expenses reduce but our leisure and medical expenses increase.

(iii) Protection Needs It is defined as financial obligations that we need to fulfil upon death, disablement, contracting critical illness, loss of or damage to property and/or when a personal liability arises.

Having a general idea about the three main categories of financial needs, let me go through the process of Financial Needs Analysis:

(1) Fact finding --> (2) Identify and quantify financial needs --> (3) Identify investment products that meet financial goals --> (4) Periodical review of financial needs

1. Fact Finding

Gather personal details, employment details, number of dependants, financial information, existing insurance policies, retirement needs, saving goals, objective and investment preference. Personal details such as age, gender, martial status and smoking habits will offer us a preliminary assessment of the types of financial products that will likely suitable for us. Employment status enables us to determine if income protection is needed for high risk job, and the ability to commit long to medium term investment product. The number of dependants will determine the amount of additional financial support. The more dependant we have, the greater the number of years we have to support them, which means we need more life insurance and income protection. Financial information such as monthly income will help to determine the continuing income needed in the event of death, disability or retirement. Expenditures information will help to determine the level of income needed for the family to survive in the event of premature death of the breadwinners, and to estimate the funds available for investment. Assets and liabilities information helps to determine net worth, which enable us to decide on the amount of funds for investment or to adjust our lifestyles to reduce liabilities. Existing insurance policy will serve as a starting point for any further insurance products. The objectives and investment preferences will help to determine our attitude towards investment risk, which classified into Risk Averter, Cautious, Balanced and Risk Seeker. Retirement needs information enables us to determine the monthly amount in today's dollar that we and our dependants need to live on retirement. Generally, most singles need about 50% to 60% of their pre-retirement income to maintain same living standard after retirement. The percentage increase to 60% to 70% for married couples with one retiree. Saving goals information helps to determine if the funds earmarked for various financial goals are adequate.

2. Identifying and Quantifying Financial Needs

After we have gathered all the data through facts finding, the next steps of FNA process is to analyse the data to identify and quantify the financial needs. We should pick up weaknesses that can negatively affect the financial objectives. For examples; amount of debts, investment portfolio, existing insurance products, living within means, investment time horizon, liquidity need, children education and risk profiles. Determine which objectives should be given higher priority. Three factors should be considered when analysing objectives:


Establish if the objective is short-term or long-term. Short-term objective is more appropriate for retired person who may wish to increase income produced from investment capital. Long-term objective is more suitable for someone who want sufficient fund to send his new-born child to university in future. However, objectives can be both long and short term.
Establish if the objective is for the benefit of us or for others, such as dependants. For example, the objective may be passing our estate to our grandchildren in the event of death. Alternatively, the objective may be to retire early.
Prioritise the objectives. For example, we may want to invest a second property but to achieve this objective; it may detriment a reasonable income in retirement. It is important to tackle each financial need and uncover those needs that need immediate attention.
Once all the financial needs are identified and prioritised, each need must be quantified. The ways to quantify retirement, protection and accumulation needs are different. There are two methods to quantifying retirement needs, namely the replacement ratio method and expense method. As for protection needs, the method include determine the sum of total liabilities and immediate expenses required at the time of death and the amount needed for dependants as long as needed. Multiple approach and needs approach are two common approach used to quantify the amount needed for dependants. For accumulation needs, the approach is to find the future value of the target amount taking into consideration of inflation. After we have quantified the data, proceed to next step to identify investment products that meet financial objectives.



3. Identify Investment Products that meet Financial Objectives

Points to consider includes investment objectives, product suitability, affordability, taxation, tax relief, rick tolerance, pension schemes, prioritisation and effect of inflation and time value of money. Investment Instrument that meets accumulation and retirement needs includes Money Market Securities, Fixed Income Securities, Equity Investment, Derivative Instruments, Property, Unit Trusts, Whole Life Insurance, Endowment, Investment-Linked Products and Annuities. Investment products that meet protection needs include Term Insurance, Whole Life Insurance, Endowment Insurance, Investment-linked Life Insurance, Riders, Critical illness Insurance, Long Term Care Insurance, Medical Expense Insurance and Managed Healthcare Insurance and Disability Income Insurance. General Insurance products that meet protection needs include Fire Insurance, Household/House owner Insurance, Personal Accident Insurance and Personal Liability Insurance.

4. Periodical Review of Financial Needs

The process of identifying financial needs does not stop with implementation. Our financial needs may change over time. It affects our initial investment plan, as they may no longer be adequate. For example, a steep fall in price of equities would signal that a review of our investment portfolio and saving is required if we invested substantially in equities. Regular review of financial needs ensure we stay on course to our financial goals.

For more information about Financial Needs Analysis, go to http://growmoneytree.com

Financial Needs Analysis

Financial Needs Anaysis (FNA) is defined as a process to identify individual financial needs in order to strategise an investment plan that meet such needs and financial goals. Before I go into details about FNA process, let me explain the three broad categories of financial needs;

(i) Accumulation Needs It is defined as a future financial need that one desire to set aside. The motivation to accumulate a sum of money in future include children education, starting a business, property investment, buying a car, retire early or giving to charity.

(ii) Retirement Needs It is defined as financial need that provide fund to support our life after our retirement. When we retire, our pension or social security benefits begin but our earned income ceases. Our working expenses reduce but our leisure and medical expenses increase.

(iii) Protection Needs It is defined as financial obligations that we need to fulfil upon death, disablement, contracting critical illness, loss of or damage to property and/or when a personal liability arises.

Having a general idea about the three main categories of financial needs, let me go through the process of Financial Needs Analysis:

(1) Fact finding --> (2) Identify and quantify financial needs --> (3) Identify investment products that meet financial goals --> (4) Periodical review of financial needs

1. Fact Finding

Gather personal details, employment details, number of dependants, financial information, existing insurance policies, retirement needs, saving goals, objective and investment preference. Personal details such as age, gender, martial status and smoking habits will offer us a preliminary assessment of the types of financial products that will likely suitable for us. Employment status enables us to determine if income protection is needed for high risk job, and the ability to commit long to medium term investment product. The number of dependants will determine the amount of additional financial support. The more dependant we have, the greater the number of years we have to support them, which means we need more life insurance and income protection. Financial information such as monthly income will help to determine the continuing income needed in the event of death, disability or retirement. Expenditures information will help to determine the level of income needed for the family to survive in the event of premature death of the breadwinners, and to estimate the funds available for investment. Assets and liabilities information helps to determine net worth, which enable us to decide on the amount of funds for investment or to adjust our lifestyles to reduce liabilities. Existing insurance policy will serve as a starting point for any further insurance products. The objectives and investment preferences will help to determine our attitude towards investment risk, which classified into Risk Averter, Cautious, Balanced and Risk Seeker. Retirement needs information enables us to determine the monthly amount in today's dollar that we and our dependants need to live on retirement. Generally, most singles need about 50% to 60% of their pre-retirement income to maintain same living standard after retirement. The percentage increase to 60% to 70% for married couples with one retiree. Saving goals information helps to determine if the funds earmarked for various financial goals are adequate.

2. Identifying and Quantifying Financial Needs

After we have gathered all the data through facts finding, the next steps of FNA process is to analyse the data to identify and quantify the financial needs. We should pick up weaknesses that can negatively affect the financial objectives. For examples; amount of debts, investment portfolio, existing insurance products, living within means, investment time horizon, liquidity need, children education and risk profiles. Determine which objectives should be given higher priority. Three factors should be considered when analysing objectives:


Establish if the objective is short-term or long-term. Short-term objective is more appropriate for retired person who may wish to increase income produced from investment capital. Long-term objective is more suitable for someone who want sufficient fund to send his new-born child to university in future. However, objectives can be both long and short term.
Establish if the objective is for the benefit of us or for others, such as dependants. For example, the objective may be passing our estate to our grandchildren in the event of death. Alternatively, the objective may be to retire early.
Prioritise the objectives. For example, we may want to invest a second property but to achieve this objective; it may detriment a reasonable income in retirement. It is important to tackle each financial need and uncover those needs that need immediate attention.
Once all the financial needs are identified and prioritised, each need must be quantified. The ways to quantify retirement, protection and accumulation needs are different. There are two methods to quantifying retirement needs, namely the replacement ratio method and expense method. As for protection needs, the method include determine the sum of total liabilities and immediate expenses required at the time of death and the amount needed for dependants as long as needed. Multiple approach and needs approach are two common approach used to quantify the amount needed for dependants. For accumulation needs, the approach is to find the future value of the target amount taking into consideration of inflation. After we have quantified the data, proceed to next step to identify investment products that meet financial objectives.



3. Identify Investment Products that meet Financial Objectives

Points to consider includes investment objectives, product suitability, affordability, taxation, tax relief, rick tolerance, pension schemes, prioritisation and effect of inflation and time value of money. Investment Instrument that meets accumulation and retirement needs includes Money Market Securities, Fixed Income Securities, Equity Investment, Derivative Instruments, Property, Unit Trusts, Whole Life Insurance, Endowment, Investment-Linked Products and Annuities. Investment products that meet protection needs include Term Insurance, Whole Life Insurance, Endowment Insurance, Investment-linked Life Insurance, Riders, Critical illness Insurance, Long Term Care Insurance, Medical Expense Insurance and Managed Healthcare Insurance and Disability Income Insurance. General Insurance products that meet protection needs include Fire Insurance, Household/House owner Insurance, Personal Accident Insurance and Personal Liability Insurance.

4. Periodical Review of Financial Needs

The process of identifying financial needs does not stop with implementation. Our financial needs may change over time. It affects our initial investment plan, as they may no longer be adequate. For example, a steep fall in price of equities would signal that a review of our investment portfolio and saving is required if we invested substantially in equities. Regular review of financial needs ensure we stay on course to our financial goals.

For more information about Financial Needs Analysis, go to http://growmoneytree.com

Why Use Escrow In Real Estate Investing?

Which is engagement? Engagement is when two people or more or parts enter a legal agreement which envisages the placement in third for certain properties, instruments, or capital of guard, and the release of these properties, instruments, or capital is contingent on the execution or the realization of certain conditions or acts. An account of setting in third hand is an account which is specifically established to spend only funds for a reason or a specific use.

In transactions of investment and other real of this type, accounts of setting in third hand are normally employed to hold the funds which are planned for the premiums of insurance and the taxes on buildings which were paid in advance and can be only released with these aims envisaged. In real estate, the collections of engagement are quantities which were recovered of the borrower by the supplier of loan to put in engagement for specific expenditure. This expenditure is insurance of owners of a house of risk, taxes on land, mortage insurance, and all the other amounts which are paid on an annual or sémestrielle basis.

When money is released from an engagement to explain the envisaged use, this is called a disbursement of engagement. To employ engagement for these types of expenditure protects the borrower and the lender. The borrower obtains the peace of the spirit knowing that the lender can only reach the funds for the goal envisaged. This guarantees that the lender will not take the monthly payments for this expenditure and will not apply them towards the envisaged use. The lender can rest easy knowing that the borrower cannot remove the funds or spend the money in other things. The two parts have a assurance which these invoices are met.

The lender can be particularly interested by the payments of insurance, because if something arrives at the house and the premiums of insurance were not met, then the lender is held to loosen much. If the taxes on land are not paid, the property can be seized for back taxes, costing the lender or the borrower more money. This is why it is important to employ engagement for monthly payments of this type. Certain expenditure is paid each year or twice a year. The majority of the borrowers of time pay a sixth or a twelfth of this expenditure on a monthly basis, and these funds are put in engagement until the expenditure comes due. To take guard always of no matter whom who refuses to put these payments in an account of setting in third hand. Any investor or lender real legitimates will be more than wanting to put these amounts in engagement, and if they seem uncomfortable with this which should be a red flag on the subject at least of their procedures of management, if not their ethics of businesses. An account of setting in third hand should indicate that it is an account of setting in third hand.

The funds in an account of setting in third hand always belong to the borrower until the expenditure which the account is established for is paid. It is important to employ engagement so that the two parts are protected, and the funds are held for specific expenditure. This is protected from the fraud, as well as to guarantee that certain expenditure like taxes on land and payments of insurance is made per hour protect the interest from the lender for the property. The purchaser at the house with the safety of knowing that the money will go exactly where it would have, and cannot be removed for any other reason.

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Domain Name Portfolio Announced For Sale

A powerful real estate domain name portfolio composed of all 50 U.S. state names is for sale. The announcement of the portfolio was made by the developer of Housing Predictor.com, an information driven web site, which provides more than 250 local housing market forecasts in all 50 states.

It’s been said to be one of the richest domain name portfolios to ever come along, and it even includes Washington D.C. as a bonus. Every name in this premium collection starts with the word Find, followed by each state name, and ends in Houses.com like FindFloridaHouses.com. All of the domains are currently in use on the web and may be accessed online.

Real estate is one of the top five topics visitors search for on the Internet, and the purchaser of this real estate domain name portfolio will be able to write their own ticket.

A prototype program to market real estate in the next generation is already quietly underway in Florida. Crews are out collecting video of each and every major city in Florida to show the exterior of homes. Eventually it’s clearly the way real estate will be marketed and sold almost without a need to visit a home. Studies show 80% of all buyers and sellers of real estate now go to the Internet first to conduct research and view listings.

This real estate domain name portfolio, which is composed of all 50 U.S. state names, could be used to explode innovative real estate marketing on the net like never before.

Names like this don’t come along every day and they offer endless possibilities. They will provide the new owner the competitive edge in today's new world of marketing. Netscape now estimates there are more than100 million web sites on the Internet, and the web is growing like never before.

This domain name portfolio could be a network of sites providing the search for real estate listings in every state of the nation. It might be developed into a video streaming network, providing high tech tours outside in the neighborhoods and provide a virtual tour of the inside of the home with a sound track narrated by a broadcast professional.

Blogging for Beginners - A Guide

Exactly what is a "blog"? A blog , shortened from "weblog", is basically an online journal where you can digitally put down your ideas, thoughts, opinions and practically anything that you want people to read. Blogging is very popular all over the world and basically there are no rules when it comes to blogging. Bloggers have the freedom to express themselves how ever way they want, and the best thing about blogging, is that most blogging sites are free.

Blogs can come in all different styles, formats and settings, depending on the users preferences. Many blogging sites, offer built in features such as hyperlinks, pictures, mp3's, videos, etc. Some bloggers choose to make their blogs more audio friendly, by using spoken word entries. This is called audio blogging. There are also video logs.

Blogging is really for everyone. Overall, it can be lots of fun, very simple and easy to do. Basically, a blog will contain these features at a minimum:

archive- list of older articles,

title- where you label your post,

body- the content of your post,

blogroll- other sites can be linked back to your blog,

comments- this allow readers to post comments on your blog.

Unlike other websites that are made up of numerous individual pages, blogs are usually made up of only a few templates making it easier for blog users to create new pages. This can be very helpful for beginners, since they can start blogging right away once they've set up their account. One of the appeals of blogging is that it creates a community of people sharing similar ideas, thoughts, and comments with each other.

The most popular blog type by far is the personal journal. This is the type that is normally used by first time bloggers. Individuals who want to document the daily struggle of their everyday lives, rants, poems, writings, ideas, and opinions find that blogging offers them a medium in which to express themselves.

Blogging is not just limited to personal usage. There are a lot of blogs that follow a theme such as: philosophy, mobile technology, sports, politics, social commentary, web design, pets, etc. These blogs focus on their specific themes. In this way blogging becomes a medium where people can share their knowledge and opinions about a variety of themes and topics.

There are a lot of other things you can do with a blog. Some bloggers use their blogs as a means to advertise and earn money. Some authors advertise their books or products on their blogs while other bloggers use their blogs to shed light on currents issues, news, family issues, personal thoughts and discoveries, events or catastrophes.

A lot of entrepreneurs benefit from blogging by promoting their products and businesses on their own blogs. With millions and millions of people logging onto the net each and everyday, blogging has become a lucrative move. Some bloggers who run online businesses promote their merchandise online. Others profit through advertisements placed on their blogs.

Blogs can also play an important part in education. Professors can use blogging to document the lessons that they have previously discussed and taught. This is one way students who missed class can easily catch up with their assignments.

Want to learn more about blogging in general or a topic in particular? Blogs varying in topics, themes, and set-ups, and can be found in blog directories. First time users who want to get an idea of what the blogging world is all about can browse through a number of blogs using these kinds of directories. In this way people can get an idea of what these blogging communities, and blogging in general, are all about.

Want to find out more about blogging? Go to Google and search for blogging directories. You'll get a list of a lot of blogging sites that are available on the net. In this way you can find exactly what you are looking for and are interested in. After that you can decide whether or not you want to enter the world of blogging to share yourself with the world.

What Is MCSE Certification?

Studies show that people who work in the IT industry are paid much more than others. This is probably because it is a specialized field to get into and you have to study and get certified to work among the best.

One of the most prestigious ones around is called MCSE certification. Those who pass are called Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers and only those that have been working in the IT industry for about a year are allowed to enroll in the program.

There are two types of MCSE's currently available. The first is for Windows 2000 and the other is for Windows 2003.

Those that decide to take the first one will have to deal with exams such as 70-210 Windows 2000 Professional, 70-215 Windows 2000 Server, 70-216 Network Administration, 70-219 Active Directory Design and elective exams such as 70-220 as well as 70-224 Exchange 2000 Server.

The second one which is Windows 2003 has an exam called 70-290, which is supposed to test your mental ability when it comes to managing and maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003. There is also 70-291 that is an environment exam and 70-294 that tackles tests planning.

Anyone that wants to become certified will have to undergo IT training before taking the exam. Such places are called boot camps and after paying between $4,000 to $6,000 for a course that will last 2 weeks, you will be given all the review material needed such as practice tests with questions and answers to help you understand key concepts, tutorials, study notes and other tips. Some of these learning centers will even offer a money back guarantee if you don't pass on the first try.

If the review material is not enough, you can even have someone tutor you along the way. This person will be there to determine your strong points so more focus can be given on topics that you need a lot of improvement. Those that can review on their own can buy the book that already comes with a CD, which costs about $1,000.

In order to get MCSE certification, you have to pass a battery of exams. Five of which are operating systems while the other 2 are electives.

Given that the cost of the program is quite expensive, you can try to ask your employer if they are willing to pay for it. Some companies do that in exchange for a number of years of service. Other firms already have the material on hand and will offer this to the employees for home study, which will save you hundreds of dollars.

If they won't help out, you should try getting a loan or saving up the amount that is required.

Getting MCSE certification has its advantages. For one, it will be easier for you to find a job since almost every company needs to have someone checking on the computer network at all times. This will also allow you to demand more money should you decide to work for someone because you have a document in your hand saying how good you are.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

MLM Training - How One Person Sold One Billion Dollars Worth of Products

If you want to increase the profits in your MLM Business, a good starting place is to sell more product. There are hundreds of different "selling tactics" being taught, but I have always found this one specific approach to work like magic.

How in the world could ONE person sell a billion dollars worth of products? He knew his product...and he knew it well. The one thing that snagged my attention was how well he knew his product.

Which comes first? Knowledge of your product...or selling a billion dollars worth of it? Obviously knowledge of your product comes first.

This MLM training article is about the very important Communication Quality called, "Know what you're talking about."

The reason I mention this is because there is a group of characteristics an MLM business professional must possess in order to truly have success in speaking with customers and selling products.

I call these characteristics the 10 Communication Qualities. Once you're fully knowledgeable about these qualities and have the proper and correct MLM training to learn them, you will be amazed at how many prospects and customers will be interested in your MLM business and/or products.

I was watching a TV infomercial not long ago of a guy who was selling cutting knives. I became greatly impressed with the knowledge of the sales person. By the way he presented his knives I could tell he really knew everything one could know about knives.

I'll admit, in the beginning I was listening, trying to find a hole in what he was talking about.

The more I listened the more I could see and hear, "This man knows about knives!" There wasn't one part of a knife he didn't know about - and he demonstrated to me why he was right...and he discussed it so clearly that anyone could have understood it.

He did several demonstrations with his knives - everything from cutting a can in half to cutting other knives in half with his knife. He did everything without making me feel stupid for my lack of knowledge about knives. He did this without being too assertive (Communication Quality #4). In fact, the more I watched this man the more I realized he was using all 10 of the Communication Qualities.

Very rarely have I seen all the qualities in one person. Now, I didn't personally talk to him to see if he was "truly interested in me." But in the way he delivered his knowledge to me I could tell that he had researched everything about his knives. He explained what a good knife was, and then told where the largest cost is in a knife and why you (the listener) didn't need to have that in your kitchen knives. He gave a "no questions asked, money back guarantee." That certainly sounded like he was "interested" in me.

I bought the knives. The whole set.

Intrigued with his charisma, I started researching him. Ha! Guess what I found? He has sold over one billion dollars worth of goods! NOT through a downline of thousands of people...or a company with hundreds or thousands of stores...but he personally has sold a billion dollars worth of goods!

His name is Ron Popeil. His mother and father split up when he was three. Neither parent wanted him or his brother. So he grew up on the streets in the Bronx (a neighborhood in New York City). At 16, he visited his dad in Chicago and got a job working in a small kitchen appliance factory. One day walking home he walked past a place in Chicago called Maxwell Street. It was the equivalent of a dirty flea market today.

The main things sold on Maxwell Street were stolen goods - hub caps, steering wheels and car radios. As he watched the people selling their stolen goods and people buying them, he got an idea. The next day he bought some of the items from the appliance factory where he worked at wholesale (same price as a store would pay). He then went to Maxwell Street and sold them. As he describes it, "I had never been loved as a kid - I finally found love. It was with my customers. I made a connection with them."

He then found out about state and county fairs...and mastered those. He then volunteered to do live demonstrations inside of stores that carried the manufacturer's products. He mastered selling products live in stores. Then he went in front of cameras on television networks that sold products. You've probably heard his company name before; Ronco. He's the man who came up with, "It slices and dices..., but wait, that's not all...you'll also get...," and "If you order now you get absolutely FREE..."

To date, he has personally sold over one billion dollars worth of products.

You see, because he was the one working in the factory making those knives he KNEW HIS PRODUCT!

My whole interest in this was stimulated by his knowledge of knives. It was THIS quality of "know what you're talking about" that jumped out and grabbed my attention. When you know what you're talking about, prospects really admire it because your knowledge can help them get what they want.

Your downline will also greatly admire you if you know what you're talking about...and they will follow you. If you invent answers to their questions (instead of knowing what you're talking about) - they quickly learn you will say anything (truth or not) to get them to buy the product or sign up in your downline...and they won't.

This doesn't mean you have to work at a manufacturer to know all about the products you sell in your MLM business. It also doesn't mean you have to have a master's degree in nutrition to sell a nutrition product. The thing that impressed me the most was that Ron Popeil talked in such simple language that everyone could understand it.

He never tried to impress his audience with big words. He would say things like, "The steel this knife is made out of is tough - look how tough it is"...and then he would demonstrate it. He didn't try to explain the difference between anodizing (pronounced an'a-diz') and case hardening (two processes used to make steel hard and durable).

He instead would demonstrate for you what he wanted to communicate. It's the sign of a true communicator - to know everything about something, but to communicate it simply to make it very easy for the prospect to make a decision.

Be knowledgeable about your MLM business. Know everything there is to know about the products you sell. Then, when you find people who can benefit from your business and/or your products, you can confidently help them get what they want. It's this kind of knowledge that really pays you in network marketing.

Investment on Returns

So there I stood, feeling incredibly stupid. Having waited in line for a few minutes to return a paperback copy of Harry Potter, which I realized I already owned once I brought it home, I stood face-to-face with the cashier. I looked over his shoulder and ready “Barnes and Nobles”, I looked down at the imprint on my plastic bag “Waldenbooks”. I paused , turned beet red and said “Oops, I am obviously in the wrong place”. I started to turn and leave when he gently stopped me with the words “If we carry that book we would be happy to refund it for you”. “Really???” I asked. “Sure no problem let me have a look”. He determined that he already had 24 copies in stock and was more than happy to take one more. He handed me a credit card looking store credit, had me sign a receipt and that was that.

But that was not the end of the story. I was so blown away and so grateful I decided to go buy a CD. Now the CD was about twice what my refund was so I handed the card and the money and I took my CD and left

But that was still not the end of the story. As soon as I got out of the store I called my brother and 5 of my friends to tell them about this amazing customer service. And now of course I am telling you, too.

So let’s look at this story and see what actally occurred. Barnes and Nobles made an “Investment on my Return”. What exactly was the “cost” of this investment? Perhaps there was a cost for training the employee that taught him to act in this kind and generous way. But other than that it cost them nothing. Okay maybe there was some cost for restocking. They will surely sell that other copy. But then we need to reverse this formula and see what the Return on Investment was.

Here is where the real power of this theory is seen. They not only were repaid their initial outlay of $7.99, they received an additional $7.99 that I most surely would not have spent otherwise. They received free word of mouth advertising (which is far more powerful and effective than traditional advertising) and they created a loyal, raving fan customer.

“Returns” are often emotionally charged events. Think about it. People return things that “don’t fit”, that they “don’t like” , that they “can’t afford” , “wasn’t what they expected”, that are of “inferior quality”, that” they don’t need” or “they don’t want”

For a lot of your customers returns are either embarrassing, filled with disappointment or frustration or at the very least a major inconvenience.

How you handle this touchy situation will impact on your customer’s decision to continue doing business with you.

There are many stories going around about how Nordstrom would take anything in a return (including a car engine). Of course you don’t have to go to that extreme to make your return policy fair, easy and effective.

What does it take to create a return atmosphere that will keep your customers coming back?

1. Create

Management needs to create a policy that is fair, easy and effective. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and make a decision that benefits them.

2. Train

Once you have your policy make sure that your employees understand what the policy is and how to implement it.

3. Empower

This may be the most essential element of the process. Empower your employee to “do the right thing” to “err” in favor of the customer. Then publicly stand behind that employee even if his or her decision goes beyond your policy. Take them aside privately and discuss and modify.

4. Educate

Your customers need to know your policy inside out. This is especially true if your business has strict regulations. If they need to have a receipt to return the product then it is best to say to the customer as they are checking our “Remember if you need to return this we require the receipt. Would you like it in the bag or would you like to have it?” Granted this will not guarantee that the customers will remember but it does help. Also have the return policy displayed at the check out line and on the receipt.

5. Bend within Reason

Rules are important, but customers are more important. Even with a strict return policy you need to be customer focused. Do what you can to help that customer with their need. Remember the Investment of Return.

Truly looking out for your customers best interest is actually in your best interest. Take a long hard look at your policy. Is it serving you and your customers? If not change it NOW!

The Secret to Negotiating with Creditors like A Pro

So many businesses these days are saddled by overburden some debt, and when debts go unpaid negotiation with creditors becomes a necessary tool for a debt-laden business to survive. Whether you do it on your own or hire a professional, skilled debt negotiators save businesses real money. However, some business debt negotiation succeeds and some fails. Why?

The secret to succeeding in business debt negotiation is in understanding how to best position a debt-troubled company to negotiate a fair-minded settlement with creditors. The use of proper positioning will impress creditors and promote reasonable settlements. Failure to position a company properly will put it at a significant disadvantage with creditors, dooming it to a negotiating “rut”.

In positioning a debt-troubled company, the primary types of variables that are relevant for effective debt negotiation with creditors are economic, credibility, legal, and collection history. Understanding how to use these variables correctly allows a company in serious debt to create a strategy to win the debtor/creditor “negotiation game”. Sound interesting? Read about the variables below.

Economic Variables. Economic variables consist of effective communication and documentation with creditors regarding current cash flow, future earnings potential, assets, guarantees, outstanding business debt loans, security on any debts, liens, judgments, etc. A good negotiator needs to consider that some creditors are in deep need of their money, while others have deeper financial reserves. Proper use of the economic variables results in an informed and interested creditor who is most receptive to communications and offers. Negotiators also need to be prompt and honest. Negotiators who are not knowledgeable about the details of the business they are negotiating for are lost!

Credibility Variables. Having clear goals and adequate resources to settle debts are instrumental. But the best laid plan will be useless without creditor cooperation. This takes a credible negotiator. Open communication with creditors has to be correctly managed by negotiators. High quality information, current information, and frequent communications need to be exchanged and maintained in order to reach equitable debt settlements. Broken promises in the past, lack of clear goals or a clear reorganization plan, unanswered inquiries, etc. damage credibility and slow the process. Negotiators need to maintain creditor respect, and reestablish the credibility that has been lost by the debtor.

Legal Variables. Every creditor and collector has a wide range of legal options in trying to collect their money--everything from doing nothing to winning a judgment and seizing assets. A good negotiator knows each creditor’s exact position in the collection process. Negotiators know that creditors will be considering, among other things, whether or not the debt is in suit, if the debt is disputed, if the debt is secured, if bankruptcy has been filed or contemplated, if they are the original owner of the debt, the collectability of the debt, etc. Negotiators should always factor in the costs of legal action in their analysis.

Collection History Variables. The history of a debt account is important to the creditor's collection stance. Variables such as prior collection efforts, the number of prior collectors, the age of the debt, prior offers and demands, etc. help creditors decide how to proceed. Some collectors have set rules provided by creditors for collection, while others have more internal flexibility to fashion settlements and solutions. As a negotiator, try to gather information about the creditor’s limits, payout terms, willingness to settle, etc., while maximizing the use of the collection history data to turn the creditor towards a reasonable solution.

The above list of variables is not meant to be complete, and there are secondary variables (the discussion of which is beyond the scope of this article) that can come into play during negotiations.

The negotiator’s strategy is to use the above variables as a “system” to provide creditors with lots of accurate information about the business’ problems, so that the creditor will be most informed of how dire the cash flow is, how burdensome the debt load is, how repayment cannot be made, how operating expenses are not being met, etc. Typically, there will be two outcomes. Creditors will either agree to settle debts for less than is owed, or they will agree to extend the time in which they are paid. Either way, an efficient debt negotiator will allow a business to allocate more resources towards increasing revenue, as opposed to wasting resources on debt load it cannot pay.

Which option a creditor decides to take is dependent on each particular debt and each particular creditor. There is no steadfast rule as to what a creditor will do. Some debts are just recently delinquent, while others have been through litigation and have judgments entered. Some debts are unsecured, while others have an asset pledged against them in case of default. Some creditors are in deep need of the money, while others have deeper financial reserves. Good debt negotiators will balance creditor “wants” with debtor “needs”.

Mastering the debt negotiation process begins with understanding the "ins and outs" of these factors. Using the strategy mentioned above will certainly influence a creditor’s decision-making process, potentially saving a lot of money for debt-strapped businesses.

Making Your Fortune with Virtual Real Estate

Every now and then someone puts together a couple of obvious thoughts, packages them with a snappy name and captures the imagination of the world.

Virtual Real Estate (VRE) is just such a case.

John Reese – a ‘guru's guru', and famous for his obsession with testing – did just that in 2006. And not only is the idea snappy and smart, it's also available to anyone and everyone with time and patience. John claims to make hundreds of thousands with the idea and given his reputation, I believe him, but, I'm equally sure everyone can make something. The size of the ‘something' is in your hands.

So what is the idea?

VRE is really a web page, filled with content and optimized through key words, on which Google AdSense or the Yahoo Publisher Network (YPN) advertisements are placed. The Google etc ads are, of course, made automatically appropriate to the content. So if you're writing about buying a golf club; ads for golf clubs will appear. Every time someone clicks on an ad, the page owner gets a little shot of income.

A single web page is, naturally, not going to bring in much – even if someone finds it. So the trick of VRE is to create sites containing hundreds or thousands of pages, (or networks of inter-linked mini-sites) hence the need for time and patience. The bigger the site, the more attractive it is to the search engines that will gobble up such a feast of content, and, over time it will be well served with *free traffic*.

That's the concept and IT WORKS because it goes "with the flow" of the Internet.

*It satisfies what has emerged as the internet's primary purpose – providing information.

*It lines up with the philosophies of the search engines – content.

*And it uses a tool that the search engines depend on for their core profitability – AdSense and YPN. Brilliant!

So who is doing VRE?

Well, VRE practitioners fall into two groups – the "force-feeders" and the "organic farmers."

The Force Feeders

The Force Feeders want to set up passive, money engines that will chug along providing a stream of cash. This is how they do it.

Step One: they select a theme that meets the following criteria:

• Keywords associated with the theme that have a high bid price in Google AdWords; this means a high pay out in Google AdSense and YPN

• Those keywords attract a high number of searches; partly why they are high priced

• The keywords have low competition in the search results; not many other webpages are ranking in the search engines for these terms.

Step Two: they publish a page (or massive collection of pages) with *keyword optimized* content derived from the web itself through automated feeds and copying articles etc. They may even make the content dynamic, and even more attractive to the engines.

Step Three: they place Google or Yahoo ads and flesh it all out with affiliate links.

They now have a site that attracts high-paying, high-search, low-competition keywords and gets lots of people looking at its pages (traffic), lots of people finding its pages (targetted customers), and thereby solid Google AdSense etc revenue.

Great so far?

But (there is always is a but!) the side effect of these sites is the creation of massive duplication of content across the web. This clutters up the search engines and they really don't like it! This has led to a backlash from Google that (as so often happens on the web) crimps the effectiveness of this program for those coming in after the first wave.

The Organic Farmer

I‘ve focused on the word ‘organic' because this player believes success in life (and web business) comes ultimately by sticking with the natural flow, compared with the ‘force feeder' who (like his real-world farming counterpoint) tries to accelerate and warp natural growth processes.

Here's how the organic folks do it…

Step One: the organic farmers start inside themselves; looking for something they have a passion for. Building a huge site takes a lot of effort and persistence – you'd better love it.

Step Two: they build an ever-expanding site or network of sites filled with *keyword optimized* pages full of **original content**, that will attract searchers in their niche by working with the search engines – thereby avoiding the search engine blockers. Naturally, every page is populated with Google, Yahoo and affiliate links.

Step Three: they promote traffic to the the site(s), by recycling the original content as articles, viral books etc that they spread across the web. They may even promote in other ways, but articles etc give a strong, long term push.

Step Four: they repurpose their content into other digital assets such as Special Reports, ebooks etc and sell them through the site, but also through other channels such as Amazon.

Step Five: they make sure the site captures an email list so creating yet another long-term digital asset.

Which are you?

The force feeders are part of the ‘instant passive income' crowd that fills the web. They may not get-rich-quick with VRE (it takes time to mature), but they aim to get rich without continuing effort. And this is fine.

The organics are fascinated by their passion and that comes through in their persistence and the quality of their content. They may also get wealthy and they will have fun doing it.

Both are viable strategies, which one you chose depends on your personality and strategic philosophy.

Bartering Online

Online bartering has been going on for at least ten years. High profile websites that feature the service have been online for at least five years; a little surfing reveals that they are going through a process of consolidation and realignment.

There are a couple of models for online barter. A few sites charge substantial fees for member merchants to join and advertise. Their membership figures number in the tens of thousands. There are also sites that provide free access to people and merchants who wish to barter. Each site has a method of establishing value for the members’ goods or services, and each member has an account with the service based on what has been sold or bought. The host site takes a piece of each transaction, generally five to eight percent.

www.ctebarter.com is now known as international monetary exchange. Membership costs $595.00 and the fee structure is 7.5% buy or sell commission. In addition there is a $12.00 monthly fee. The site claims 15,000 members and advertises that base as an extension of your business advertising and account sources, should you join.

www.internetbarterexchange.net was established by a web hosting company ostensibly to assist its clients in expanding their business transactions. The host company, config.com claims to advertise the bartering service – and member clients - through the purchase of keywords on Google and Yahoo. For clients who do not use the config.com web hosting service there is a $199.00 membership fee, a $14.95 monthly maintenance fee and a 5% buy or sell commission.

The service available at www.trashbank.com is a general trading site with no evidence of fee structures at all. They are heavily engaged in selling advertising. www.u-exchange.com is also a fee-free site that has international aspirations, providing a search tool by country. Their financial model is also adverting-based.

At www.travelforbarter.com you will find the World Barter Banc which seems to have started as a travel barter service and has now expanded into the general marketplace. They claim 41,000 merchant members and have a specific and detailed index of product categories – eBooks, cosmetic surgery, costume jewelry, etc. The page has featured products which presumably cost the merchant for prominent placement, as well as a product search feature. www.barterbucks.com is a site with a different look and a “founder” who came to the barter business through participating with her own online company. However it has the same product index and is clearly the same operator.

www.frugalreader.com is a book exchange that works on non-monetary credits – one for a paperback, two for a hardbound book. The service is free, but provides a premium level for a monthly fee that gives members the first shot at new listings, the ability to limit listings, and so forth. www.bookins.com provides a similar service, with a more sophisticated point system and a centralized shipping system which presumably provides the site with a source of revenue.

www.bigvine.com is a well organized directory of barter sites. You can choose from general barter, B2B, travel, and a number of straight commercial options such as services that provide apartment listings and, in fact, vine vendors. Bigvine is a lead generation site, not a barter site.

www.barteritonline.com is a general bartering service with no membership fee. Their home page divides your search options into B2B, media buying (read ad-swapping on the Internet), travel, human resources, office equipment, real estate and more. This service has gone for wide distribution as opposed to a paying membership base; it is a pass-through service that advises its members to nail down shipping costs before closing a deal.

I Hate Writing Articles - There Must Be An Easier Way?!

Owning, running and maintaining an internet based business or a site needs articles. Plain and simple, everyone who has a site knows this. Even those who don’t have sites but are frequent internet users knows this as well. Articles quench the thirst for information and knowledge of the people. Plus, the articles provides many other benefits for the site.

The benefits that articles provide are putting a site high in the ranking in search results of keywords and keyword phrases that pertains or are relevant to his or her site. They also provide attraction to website visitors when they are appreciated and is linked to your site from another site or newsletter. Articles provide for the increase of the confidence and trust levels of customers to your site and company.

Many articles are also beneficial to both company and its traffic. When the readers like the articles, they would tell more of their friends, family and peers and recommend your site to them, providing for a larger volume of traffic. You get bigger sales if your traffic trusts and believes in you. Your product or services would be much easier to sell when they know you know what you are doing and talking about.

So ok, we have established that articles are very important to a site and to business. Articles are crucial and to keep ahead in the game, a site must have an article, it is imperative. There is one dilemma though, not many people like writing articles.

Many website owners would rather spend their time on something else, and unless you’re a big time company, you don’t have the necessary resources to use on a pool of article writers. Plagiarism or copying of other articles is frowned upon and could easily get you into trouble, worst case scenario; a hefty fine and jail time.

So what are the other options?

Well, for starters if you hate writing articles and you can’t afford to hire people to write for you then don’t. Get free articles. The first place to look at for free articles is the public domain. Here you won’t have problems with copyright infringement and the following penalties and fines if you get caught for plagiarism.

Public domain articles are articles freely given to the public for public use. You can do whatever you want with it. You can place it on your site, name it as yours, put it in a newsletter its you decision. Always remember though that you will have to choose articles that is very relevant to your site.

The downside to public domain articles is that since it is free for everybody, many of your competitors may have access to them as well. Since every site needs to be original and unique even though you have the same niche, this could be a predicament. You may also have to edit them a bit to place more keywords and keyword phrases to make them better.

Another way to get free articles is to allow other sites which has the same subject or topic as yours to submit articles to your site. This would be only to augment your existing content or else all your articles would be leading to other sites since these articles would have resource boxes with them that could link or direct the readers to their site. That’s why it is important to have your own articles; you cold use them to link your site to other sites as well.

But, to truly feel the impact of what a good article to you, go for original ones. There are many article writers who do part time and freelance article writing jobs that charges only minimal fees. You can get good articles that have all the keywords and keyword phrases you need and people are looking for.

The investment you made for these articles would be worthwhile because you could use them for all the benefits you could offer. You hold copyrights to them and you will be able to use them anyway you want. As your articles help you in building your business and your site, you will have more articles to write and maybe then you wont be having second thoughts about articles.

We have tried our best to resolve all the doubts that might be in the minds of the readers about Articles. We hope that you have obtained some benefit from all this discussion.

Small Business Success Secret

The real secret to small business success has doesn’t have to do with technology tools, the internet, or anything like that. In fact, it’s not even a real secret. It’s been around since man started to verbalize communiqué. The secret is WORDS!

Words carry enormous power. They can make you laugh hysterically, or destroy the strongest relationship. Words can be more powerful than any other tool at your disposal.

T effective use of words, especially in business, translates into skyrocketing sales, satisfied clients, happy employees, and a profitable and secure future. Yet, less than 1% of small entrepreneur businesses use words to their full potential.

The power of words can be learned and used effectively by anyone, and when you harness and unleash this power, there’s nothing on this earth that can stop you. This art of using words is what is called copy writing. It makes or breaks your sales and advertising material. A true word smith can forge the most potent of copy for their site.

One of the ways an “amateur” copywriter, one who is writing for her own product or business, can beat the experienced pro is by infusing the sales letter or ad with her own, honest, genuine, and unmitigated enthusiasm. When selling in online, enthusiasm is just as important as in face-to-face selling.

This is why you can’t just sit down and write an ad “on command”, like you can sit down and do bookkeeping. You have to muster up some enthusiasm for the job and the proposition you’re putting across.

If I’m going to write an ad or some other sales material the first thing in the morning, as I often do, I try to set my subconscious mind to work on that job before I go to bed the night before. There are times when I wake up with the “big idea” that I need and other times I wake up with some ideas and a readiness to write them down and pick and choose which ones I want to use.

Don’t force yourself to “grind out” direct-response copy when you really don’t feel like it because the result will be flat and mechanical. It may be technically correct with a headline, subheads, bullet points, an offer, etc., but it will lack spirit and enthusiasm.

The person who is genuinely enthusiastic about what she is selling definitely has an advantage. That’s why the freelance professional copywriter should always download as much of the pitch from the product’s most enthusiastic salesperson as possible. Then transfer it to paper and shape and mold it to perfection.

Over the years, the work I’ve done for clients and ad agencies has proven that the most successful work was for clients that were passionate and enthusiastic about what they were selling. So before you tackle that next ad for your business, make sure you’re as enthusiastic about it as you want your clients to be.

Easy Ways To Make Extra Cash Online

There are numerous simple and easy ways to make some extra cash online. This article will give you some ideas.

Surveys

One of the best ways to earn some extra cash online is by taking surveys. There are many companies that need consumer opinions on a wide range of topics, and many of them will pay you money or with points you can redeem for cash or prizes. It's easy and free to signup and the more surveys you take, the more money and prizes you will get. It just takes a small investment of your time.

Writing

If you have decent writing skills, there are many publishers and content distributors who need content for their websites. Two such sites are AssociatedContent.com and Helium.com, they will pay you for each article you write. You don't have to be a fantastic writer either, just have a good grasp of English and be able to write something of interest on a given topic.

Blogging

Blogging is fun and easy and, again, you don't need great writing skills. You just need to be able to communicate your thoughts and ideas well. You can get your own customizable blog by getting a domain and hosting package that includes the Fantastico module. This module allows you to install the blogging software, WordPress, with 1 simple click. It's super fast and easy and you'll be blogging in no time. Once you have some visitors, you can add Adsense ads or affiliate ads to leverage your visitors and make money from them. Remember, the more interesting your topic, the more people will be interested, and the more readers you get, the more money you will make from your advertising. Blogs can be about anything, what do you have a passion for? What is your interest? Blog about it!

Affiliate Marketing

Many online companies have affiliate programs. Amazon.com, for instance, has a great affiliate program that allows you to sign up and get a customized URL to any page or area of their site. Then you can send this URL to your friends and family and encourage them to buy gifts from Amazon.com. With every purchase from your affiliate link, you get a commission! There are thousands of other affiliate programs out there, in addition to Amazon's program.

Sell Your Extra Stuff

We all have extra stuff laying around our houses or garages. Why not get rid of it and make some money too? Get your stuff and take a picture, write a description and put it up on eBay. You may find that something you thought that wasn't worth anything, is actually worth something!

Contests, Sweepstakes and Instant Win Games

Everyday there are new contests, sweepstakes and instant win games launching. If you are vigilant and spend an hour or a few a day entering contests and playing these games, you will win something eventually. Playing these games and contests is often fun anyway, so why not take a chance? Check out sweeps.ws for a great list of contests, sweepstakes and instant win games.

Free Lottos

You know how you go to the convenience store every week and spend a few bucks on lottery tickets? Well, there are also online lotteries where you can get tickets and win cash prizes. The difference is, these lotteries are free! Yes, free! You can find a list of free lottos at sweeps.ws.

Online Casinos

There are hundreds of different online casinos on the web. I bet you thought that you needed money to play at them and win? Well, you were wrong. You can signup for free poker tournaments that have cash prizes. There are also slot, roulette and blackjack tournaments that you can play that have real money prizes. All for free! Check out freerolls.net and gambling.com for listings.

There you go, 8 fun and easy ideas to make some extra cash online!

Internet Shopping Guide

When shopping on the Internet there are many things to consider, following are some guidelines to keep your experiences a positive one.

Shop online, or brick and mortar!

Many people shop at brick and mortar stores because they feel shipping charges only raise their total cost, however, unless you live in a high density populous like a major city, most often shipping charges cost less than the gasoline required to travel to and back from a brick and mortar store, especially when looking for bargains, which would probably require a stop off at more than two stores for price comparison, and even then when you find the best price, (even if you researched your favorite stores online) you run the risk of a fuel expense only to find your item not in stock, so by the time you actually come home with your item, your fuel expense was probably greater than most fast shipping costs would be. There is also the consideration of time, I live in a rural area where the nearest grocery store is about 12 miles away, and the discount big box retail stores, over 15 miles away, with an average speed limit of 50 mph, it would take approximately 20-25 minutes travel in each direction, around 20 more minutes to identify and locate the specific item(s) in the store, then there is the line at the check out area, depending what time of day/evening you go, it could be as little as 5 minutes and up to 30, as I have waited in check out lines at big box retail stores, so online shopping is not only green, ecologically, but you get more than an hour and a half of your life freed up to do other more desirable activities!

Is it safe to shop online?

Many people still hold on to the idea that online shopping is very risky, however with the implementation of a number of encryption techniques, your personal, and credit card information, is quite secure, but should you still feel a measure of insecurity inputting your credit card information at a website, there are additional steps you can take to insure zero liability on your part. Most credit cards offer a zero liability rider on their cards for any fraudulent charges if you pay a small monthly fee, usually after a 30 - 90 day free trial, in which case any charges that show up on your statement that are not your authorized purchases, will be unconditionally credited back to your card, and an investigation will most likely ensue to try to prevent a reoccurrence.

Once you get past the apprehension of credit card fraud, there are a number of practices that will ensure a positive experience.

Is the lowest price the best deal?

When price comparing different e-commerce stores there are some things to consider, is the item brand new, refurbished, re-packed, a factory second, or even the name brand that is stated, these are all important factors to consider when comparing prices, and many sites will state what grade of merchandise they carry if it is good for business, for instance, I have seen prices for a specific digital camera range from $99.95 to $279.95 for the exact same camera and the msrp was $229.00, so I ask myself, why so high, or so low, if I choose the lowest price am I getting what I would get if I paid the high price? Well obviously the highest price is not one's first choice, but here are some answers, the higher prices might be due to a poor choice of wholesaler or distributor, or a lack of buying power due to low volume sales, or a high overhead that needs to be considered by the merchant, or maybe they are also brick and mortar store and do not want to severely undercut the prices in the actual store with their online prices. Now when evaluating low prices consider buying American made, because there are a number of foreign manufacturers that produce cheap knock offs of the original, which are available at much lower prices than their American counterparts, also check the item listing for very small,(fine print) or similar colored text (almost invisible), stating that it is either refurbished or a factory second, and when buying branded items make sure the item picture reflects the advertised brand name, and is not an inferior knock off, this happens most when shopping for accessories like picture cards, removable mass storage devices, and other types of digital media, and similar accessories. Something else to look out for is the price of shipping, and the geographical location of merchant, for instance, compare the shipping charges for the same item on a few sites, that are located in the same area, if one price is much higher, they might be advertising a low price but make it up in the way of a handling charge added to the shipping charge, also if you narrowed down your choice of sites to just a few, then buy from the one geographically close, which will minimize the shipping charge, an example would be if you live in California, and your narrowed down sites are located in New York, Dallas, and Seattle, the lowest shipping charges would likely be from Seattle, now if there is a site also in California, you might still consider the Seattle site to save on sales tax, provided the company does not also have a physical store in California as well, because then they will also be required to charge sales tax, on the positive side, some merchants might show extremely low prices on items that have been discontinued by the manufacturer, and the merchants want to move excess inventory before they lose their profit margin all together, so checking with the manufacturer, if the item is current, will explain such a low price, or they might be a "wholesale to the public" type merchant with tremendous buying power, and warehouse space in which case the savings are passed to you, another explanation for low prices can be the use of drop shippers, and warehouse co-ops, which reduces the overhead for online merchants because they do not need to tie up thousands of dollars in inventory to make minimums, and the expense to house that inventory, all of which can contribute to lower prices, along with being in a very competitive retail venue.

Feedback and ratings!

There are many opportunities to give feedback or rate your experience with a site. What do you choose, a highly rated store with higher prices, or a store with little or no rating with lower prices, well I for one have many times, passed on offering a rating, by not responding to the email sent, just because of the lack of time, so these should be considered on the lighter side, for instance, a high number of ratings may not all be positive, or they might have lost sight of a customers value because business is so good they no longer feel the need to go the extra mile to make or keep a satisfied customer, on the other hand, no ratings at all might only mean it is a reasonably new store and has not received the customer count of the big guys, but my thought is this, give the little guy a shot, in their pursuit of sales they are more likely to go the extra mile to win over a customer, and possibly offer an incentive to return to them for future purchases.

How to search for your purchase!

I would recommend getting as much information about a product or products from the original manufacturer's website, they usually offer the most comprehensive information about their products and usually a suggested retail price, but generally do not sell direct, but instead provide a list of sites you can purchase from, with that said, consider this, after visiting the manufacturer's site you probably made the decision as to which product model you want to purchase, when doing a search engine search, include the make and model in your search query, rather then a general search term like "fish finder" or "digital camera" this will accomplish a few things, first it will reduce the number of results, and make the results you do get the most relevant, then search engines usually, under these circumstances, will provide a "price compare" link, for instance Google will provide Froogle results, or a Yahoo! Search might provide a Yahoo! Shopping link to a price compared list of possible merchants, and then there are the links like Shopzilla, Price grabber, Next tag, or shop.com, to name a few, these links all provide easy access to price comparing, but be advised that many of these results are "sponsored" which means merchants paid to show up in that search result, and may not be the only relevant sites to choose from!

Where do I go to shop for many items?

Many e-commerce sites are pretty specialized, in as much as they offer a comprehensive selection of the type of merchandise they specialize in, a metal detector store for metal detectors and accessories, or a camera store for digital cameras, picture cards, and batteries, etcetera. Although these stores often have the most competitive prices they might not be your best choice when shopping for many different items, that's where your Internet department stores might be a better choice, and I will tell you why, if you were to buy a metal detector for your Nephew, and a digital camera for your Mom, and a GPS fish finder for your Dad, and a paintball gun for your Brother, and some jewelry for your Niece, buying these items each from a different store will not be as cost efficient as taking some time to find a department type store that has all these different items for offer, even if their prices are a little bit higher, because all the shipping will be calculated by the total weight of the order, not rounding up each item to the next whole pound as when purchased from separate stores.

May all your Internet shopping experiences be positive ones!