Jason knew that somewhere there was an investment vehicle that would allow him to realize his ROI (return on investment) goals, AND contribute to the greater good. He set about searching the internet, talking to friends and other investors, looking for an investment that combined social responsibility and a high rate of return.

Jason looked at something called “Green Funds.” He soon discovered that these mutual funds aided the environment, but didn’t necessarily improve the lives of people. Not Jason’s cup of tea, and he was more familiar with real estate than mutual funds, so he kept looking.

Living in Detroit meant that Jason lived in a real estate market filled with foreclosures, and he briefly considered helping people whose houses were either in or about to be in foreclosure. He thought that by buying these people’s houses – at a serious discount – he could stop the foreclosure process and help them preserve their credit record.

The more he thought about it though, the more Jason realized that wasn’t the kind of “help” he wanted to offer people. He knew that even though he was helping them avoid the stigma of foreclosure and keep their credit record clean, the reality was that after they sold their house to Jason, many of them were left without a home of their own, and without the equity they had given away to Jason.

It wasn’t that Jason thought they would be better off without him, which wasn’t the case at all. It was simply that he believed the assistance he was offering was incomplete in some way, and that there had to be a better way. Jason was looking for an investment in which ALL parties benefitted, a true win-win-win. He was discovering that an investment like that was very hard to come by.

Undeterred, Jason kept searching. Then, one evening as he was channel surfing, Jason stumbled across the program 20/20 and became interested as John Stossel talked about a young man named Ephren Taylor. The report focused on “Winning In America” and Taylor was featured as a highly successful investor and entrepreneur. Something Taylor said during the 20/20 interview sparked Jason’s interest.

”Ephren Taylor was talking about not just making money,” Jason explains, “but actually returning something back to urban communities, rebuilding them and making money at the same time. That intrigued me.”

Jason followed up on the 20/20 report by researching Ephren Taylor on the internet. He discovered that Taylor became a millionaire while still a teenager by creating and selling video games to his high school classmates, and is the nation’s youngest African-American CEO of a publically traded company.

Jason also found that Taylor and his company, City Capital Corporation, had pioneered a first-of-it’s-kind, socially responsible real estate investing program that combined the dual goals of double-digit ROI for the investors and the rebuilding of our nation’s urban areas. Jason felt like he was finally getting somewhere!

He also learned that the program was unique in another way as well. Investors could of course participate by putting their cash into the program, and City Capital would use the funds to obtain and rehabilitate urban homes. They would then find willing and well-qualified working-class families who needed housing, and these families became the buyers for the rehabbed homes.

But there were two other ways investors could participate. First, by tapping into a powerful but under-utilized source of capital, Ephren Taylor had come up with a way for individual investors to use their retirement funds – in the form of self-directed IRAs! This opened up a completely new wellspring of investment dollars that would otherwise be lying dormant in mutual funds and treasury bills, not doing anyone much good at all.

The second unique way investors could participate was by using only their good credit. Credit investors – those with a credit score over 700 and annual income over $70,000 – could participate by “loaning” city Capital and it’s investor-partners the leverage of their good credit rating, effectively securing low rate financing for the urban properties and working families in the program.

This astounded Jason with it’s simplicity and creativity.

”By allowing people to use their IRAs, or even just their good credit,” Jason observes, “Ephren Taylor effectively opened the door to investors and sources of capital most investment vehicles completely ignore. That’s pure genius.”

One other thing about City Capital’s socially conscious program greatly impressed Jason.

”Ephren Taylor and City Capital have gotten one crucial component of their program exactly right,” Jason states. “They target middle class homes in working-family neighborhoods. There are thousands of these kinds of homes in every city in America, waiting to be rehabbed, and they are affordable for millions of working families.”

What that means, according to Jason, is that City Capital and it’s investor-partners will literally never run out of homes to invest in, or families to sell them to.

”Every business should have such an endless supply of cheap, easy to obtain inventory AND ready-and-willing-to-buy customers,” says Jason. “That makes for a can’t fail combination.”

Jason’s research led him to conclude that Ephren Taylor and City Capital Corporation were worthy of a serious look, with the end result being that Jason became an IRA investor. After just two years, Jason has invested in seven homes in two different cities. The results speak for themselves.

”I’ve realized double-digit returns on my investment, and at the same time I’ve been able to help rebuild two urban neighborhoods, providing safe, affordable housing for seven families. I especially appreciate how Ephren goes after whole streets, not just one house here, one house there. That can change the face of an entire neighborhood.”

Jason has recommended the socially responsible real estate investing program to several of his investor acquaintances, and many have since become involved. When someone asks him about Ephren Taylor, City Capital, or the investing program, Jason is happy to tell them the straight story.

He explains, “I can’t think of another program, another company, or another man I would recommend as highly as City Capital or Ephren Taylor. Their socially conscious program is exactly what I was looking for, and my family’s financial picture has improved greatly because of it. You should definitely check out this opportunity for yourself.”

The good news is, you can learn all you need to know for free by visiting Socially Responsible Real Estate Investing. Who knows? You may run into Jason one day soon.

In today’s world of global uncertainty, one thing remains certain: gold coins. Gold bullion coins continue to outperform traditional vehicles the same way gold coins and bars outperformed everything under the sun during the 1970’s. By holding gold coins in one’s portfolio, you dramatically reduce the overall risk of your portfolio. Just by having some gold coins as part of your strategy, you also allow the price of gold, as it increases, to bring up the value of your portfolio.

It is much easier to buy gold today than it was 30 years ago. Gold bullion coins are easily bought and sold with the click of a mouse. Not only is it easier to buy gold, but gold investments are exploding onto the investment scene like never before. In fact, gold coin sales by the U.S. mint in recent months have outpaced the gold coin sales of the prosperous-for-gold 1970’s. Despite this recent fact, the gold price is just beginning its increase.

As gold coins become more scarce, quite naturally, investors covet the yellow shiny metal at an ever increasing rate. The type of gold coins sought after by investors who follow the price of gold are American Gold Eagles, Canadian Gold Maple Leafs, South African Gold Kruggerands, Australian Gold Kangaroos, Chinese Gold Pandas, and Austrian Gold Philharmonics. These are the most popular gold coins available to investors who want profit potential and protection. The benefit to owning these gold bullion coins is four-fold.

1. You get immediate liquidity. This means you can sell your gold bullion coins at or near the gold price at any time, anywhere in the world.

2. You are in control. A strong gold investment is an investment in certainty. Knowing you have gold coins in your possession that you can rely on makes a world of difference to one’s sense of financial well-being.

3. There is tremendous profit potential with gold bullion coins, more so than just about every other vehicle out there. It matters not whether you hold American Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs, South African Kruugerands, or any other type of these gold bullion coins, they will provide a well positioned investment portfolio an increased probability of profitability.

4. Last but not least, gold bullion coins provide economic safety and stability in a world increasingly plagued with uncertainty and dangers.

Those are some of the “pros” of owning gold bullion coins. There is more that a first-time purchaser of gold coins should be aware of; the “other side of the coin,” so to speak. If you own American Eagles, Canadian maple leafs, South African Kruugerands, Austrian Philharmonics, Chinese Pandas, or Australian Kangaroos, they are subject to confiscation by the federal government. In 1933 Franklin Roosevelt issued an executive order which required U.S. citizens to turn in all gold bullion coins produced by the U.S. mint, as well as any gold coins and bars produced by foreign governments. Our country, in that period was in the peak of a crisis: the dollar was in trouble, smart investors were getting out of stocks and bonds, and unemployment was on the rise. This period was the great depression. The consequence of not turning in your gold bullion coins or gold bullion bars was a huge fine and jail. If you buy gold bullion coins today, like the American Eagle, the U.S. mint prints a $50 denomination on the back of the coin. Why? Because if the government were to confiscate gold bullion coins like they did in the 1930’s, you would only receive the $50 denomination value, despite the current price of gold in the market, whether that price be $500, $1000, or even $2000. The chance of such Federal government confiscation is universally deemed as unlikely.

Also gold bullion transactions are reportable to the IRS. We will also cover in detail the type of gold transactions that are not reportable, private gold, momentarily.

Also important to recognize is that as the price of gold fluctuates, so does the value of gold bullion coins.

Nevertheless, despite these contingencies, asset managers all over the country are recommending allocating at least some portion of an investment portfolio to gold. Prices are on the rise, in what analysts have termed a long-running bull market which is just in its beginning stages

PRIVATE AND NON-CONFISCATEABLE GOLD COINS

Investors naturally gravitate to gold investment vehicles where they can expect the greatest return with the smallest amount of risk. In the physical gold market certified gold coins reign supreme. Certified gold coins are the gold coins minted by the US Mint befor the year 1933. $20 Saint Gaudens, $20 Liberty, $10 Indian, $10 Liberty, $5 Indian, $5 Liberty and $2.5 Liberty gold coins are all examples of the most profitable gold coins an investor can acquire for several reasons.

1. Certified gold coins have a limited mintage. The government can not go back and mint any more of these gold coins. You want to own gold coins that continue to go up because of this fact year after year regardless of what the gold price does. Because of their limited availability these gold coins can surpass the gains seen by gold bullion 2 to 5 times.

2. Certified gold coins are also one of the last legally private assets the government allows you to acquire. World Financial and goldcoinsgain.com are not required to ask for a social security number when you buy gold coins or when you sell gold coins.

3. Non-confiscatable. Certified gold coins are exempt from confiscation. Certified gold coins are exempt from confiscation if the government decided to confiscate gold like they did in between 1933 and the early 1970s. You were in a world of hurt during those almost 40 years of you were holding the wrong kind of gold coins. So you can rest assured your certified gold will do what its supposed to do under the most strenuous conditions — protect your money.

4. Immediate liquidity. World Financial is a major market maker in certified gold coins and will assist in converting your gold coins back into cash on a moments notice.

In addition to the advantages listed above, certified gold coins are also more stable than bullion gold coins. The value of a certified coin is not solely determined by what the spot price of gold does. In fact, certified gold provides more stability than the stock market, bond market, or just leaving your money in cash. So if you are tired of having to worry about the current economic environment you may want to consider diversifying out of riskier vehicles into an asset that has stood the test of time.

Portability is also something you should keep in mind when selecting which type of gold coins are right for you. To put things in perspective, you could carry one million dollars worth of certified gold coins in an attaché case. This should give you a sense of comfort knowing that you have acquired an asset that is completely portable and discreetly portable.

IRA AND 401’s BACKED BY GOLD COINS

Gold Coins backing your IRA or 401k rollover makes the perfect diversification asset in today’s uncertain economic environment. Gold coins can be added to your retirement strategy in just a few easy steps.

Step 1. Determine what portion of your retirement account you would like to convert over into gold coins.

Step 2. Print out the one page Gold Coin IRA Setup Form and fill out to the best of your ability. Fax the form into our retirement account department at (818) 506-6597.

Step 3. A Gold Coin Customer Service representative will contact you in a very short amount of time to confirm and guarantee the availability of your gold coins. We then work with your existing custodian to get the appropriate funds transferred over into your new self-directed IRA, backed by physical gold coins.

American eagle bullion gold coins are one of the most popular gold coins allowed by the IRS for your precious metal IRA. American eagle bullion gold coins come in 1 ounce, 1/2 ounce, 1/4 ounce, and 1/10 ounce denominations. These gold bullion coins are guaranteed by the US Mint for purity, weight and size. The Gold American Eagle bears the “W” mint mark reflecting the gold coin was struck at the US Mint at West Point. The obverse of the American eagle bullion gold coin features Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ full-length figure of Liberty with flowing hair, holding a torch in her hand and an olive branch in her other hand. On the other side of the gold coin a male eagle carries an olive branch as he flies above a nest containing a female eagle and her eaglets. Each gold coin is encapsulated in plastic and comes with a custom designated Certificate of Authenticity.

American Eagle Proof gold coins are also available. The proof gold coins are more desired because each year they are produced by the US Mint in a limited quantity. Each proof gold coin is struck several times with a special die to create a more lustrous finish. Because of the limited quantity, investors will typically prefer these gold coins for their retirement accounts. Weather we are talking about gold coins or widgets whenever there is a limited amount naturally prices increase faster and become more valuable. The American Eagle Proof gold coins are also exempt from confiscation. A lot of investors like knowing they have the type of gold coins backing their retirement account that are not subject to confiscation by the Federal government.

Most retirement accounts, mutual funds, and other large pension funds are invested in the S&P 500 corporations.

Unfortunately, many, many seniors do not understand how their investments are being managed, or simply do not understand the basic nomenclature of the “so-called” investment gurus.

In fact, today, (12/4/2008) I heard a very prominent mutual fund manager who is extremely experienced and respected in the financial community state, “Do not sell your funds as I expect the market to turn around momentarily and produce returns of 10% over the next 10 years!”

He obviously gets paid whether your investments go up or go down, and he needs to keep as much cash in his family of funds as he can.

I disagree with his prediction and I will explain why, as follows.

First, let’s try to make the senior or novice investor understand what the S&P 500 really is, and why its members are so important to both the American economy and more importantly, to the welfare of the planned retirement community.

Why are most equity funds invested in the S&P 500? A summary of the definition from “The Wikipedia”, the free encyclopedia. . . The S&P 500 is the most widely followed index of large-cap American stocks. It is considered a bellwether for the American economy, and is included in the Index of Leading Indicators. Some mutual funds, exchange traded funds, and other managed funds, such as pension funds, are designed to mimic the performance of the S&P 500 index. Many hundreds of billions of US$ have been invested in this fashion.

Companies such as General Electric, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Alcoa, Apple Inc, Black & Decker Corp., and Home Depot are just a few of the more recognized of the 500 listed. If you want to see the complete list, click on this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_S%26P_500_companies

How has this group of funds performed for the past 10 years?

The following link shows a chart of data from Yahoo.com and graphically depicts the ups and downs of the S&P 500 performance. The overall chart is for 58 years. (1950 through 2008)

To see the chart, click on this link: http://www.cabinetsoflasvegas.com/S_P500Sum

Unfortunately, if you or your financial administrator invested in the index or stocks or funds that mimicked this index, you made no headway in your account during the last 10 years.

Will the volatility continue for the next 10 years? Obviously no one can predict the future, but there simply are better ways to invest than to buy and hold, and you can do it yourself with such a little bit of effort.

There are trading systems using funds that invest in the same S&P 500 stocks that have produced returns over 27.7% annually during the same 10 year period for which the “Buy and Hold” investors received 0%.

Remember the rule of 72. This rule states that to find the number of years required to double your money at a given interest rate, you just divide the rate into 72.

If your investment earns 7.78% return, like it did for 44 years, it will double every 9.3 years (72 divided by 7.78%). So, if your $40,000 investment had grown at 7.78% for the past 10 years, it would be worth $84,771 after 10 years.

However, if you traded the same mutual funds and received 27.7% return for the past 10 years, your account would be worth $461,285.

Isn’t it worth looking into a better way of getting your retirement fund back on track?

And to think it was just a short while back in September 2007 when Rick and I had our monthly chat on the economy and he brought up the fact that ‘we’ had reached the goal set up when I spooned over my cashed-out pension fund and the 401(k) account with my ex-employer. 

Last month when I called Rick to query any recommended changes in the direction of investments, he assured me the current allocations would be good for the short-run, to which I assumed was another way of saying there aren’t any safe bets in the markets right now.  

In normal times it would be odd to be relieved that after five-years the value of your retirement savings is at near zero in gains, but these past 18 months of economic distresses are anything but typical. I struggle with resigned acceptance and remain doubtful the recession nightmare will soon be over as predicated by guru economists still floating their boasts on an overcrowded magic carpet. 

It seems foolish that people rejoice when economic indicators aren’t as bad they could have been, especially when April’s figures put another half million workers freshly beating the pavement in the chilly climate of hiring freezes and more gotta-let-ya-go’s. It’s strange days on high-ballin’ Wall Street and lonely nights for the homeless in the back alleys off Main Street.   

Therefore, as I’ve done quite often, I ponder the thought of aggressively invading my retirement account on a hunch that the next big dip in the markets will again deflate my financial ego. Even a low interest-bearing MMA or CD (FDIC insured way beyond my funds) would be better than what I perceive lies ahead. If I don’t act now, I’ll have to invent a time machine, go back to 2007, retroactively clear out a huge chunk of money, bury it in the back yard and get an automatic assault weapon to protect my non-investments. Oh well, the SEC, IRS and ATF would be on me faster than Obama can take ownership of yet another private enterprise. 

No, it’s not a good idea to take out funds from a 401(k) or IRA. It’s the 10% penalty on an early withdrawal that keeps me from acting foolishly, as if I were a rich man. Although there are withdrawal penalty exemptions prior to reaching the age of 59.5, the tax bill still comes due.

Individuals on SSD/SSI will receive their share of Obama stimulus package with a $250 payment this month. They’re pretty much tapped out on their retirement accounts so it won’t last long or go very far in easing their personal financial crises. 

Consider the prospect of presently ineligible Americans being able to withdraw funds from their IRA’s without penalty. The Katrina Emergency Relief Act of 2005 did just that, allowing those affected by the hurricane damage to withdraw up to $100,000 of their retirement savings without penalty. That’s quite a big chunk of change when the typical account value is $45,000. 

There are murmurs that Obama should consider this same action to ease the financial devastation that’s fallen on most American households, perhaps avoiding foreclosures and bankruptcies. According to a recent study by consulting firm Watson Wyatt, early withdrawals rose from 15% in October 2008 to 44% last month. 

There’s $2.5T waiting to be purged from retirement accounts nationwide. Two years ago Americans had $4.5T in those same accounts. So, why wait until it’s gone as never before? What the heck, let’s all withdraw every last penny from each of our retirement accounts and have one great big final WHOOPEE! And save a few bucks for a whoopee cushion – you’re gonna need it. 

On August 3, 2005 www.seniorjournal.com posted the following statement – “Late Boomers, have nearly 40 percent of their assets in blue chip stocks, which are most often favored by conservative investors.” For full results of the Baby Boomer report visit www.clarkconsulting.com/execreport.

Why is this information important? Because, late Boomers (those born 1946-1951), are about to reach 60 and be eligible for early IRA distributions without penalty.

Since, Baby Boomers are now on the cusp of retirement many new changes will be taking place in our economy. Their numbers are staggering; about 79 million American Boomers were born from 1946 through 1964, the oldest of whom are now in their late 50s.

Lets do the numbers, in 2008–just two years from now–the leading edge of the Baby-Boom generation will reach 62, and the IRS has stipulated that IRA owners have to start taking distributions at age 70 ½. But remember that early distribution of IRA funds is allowed at 59 ½. Here comes the glut of stocks into the market (various retirement plans hold investment in stocks not just IRAs but we are only addressing IRAs). What does that mean to the rest of us? Well, if the market experiences a glut in stocks then that translates to lower prices for the stocks. If your retirement monies are based on 45% or more in stocks investments you will be hit hard for several years. The general rule for retirement investing is to diversify. Many custodians and financial advisors translate this to diversifying into various different stocks. However, investment strategies are not limited to the buying of stocks. Investors should look into other areas such as: commercial paper, bonds, real estate, annuities, trust deeds/mortgages, tax lien certificates, promissory notes, timberland investment, currency exchange, hard money lending, secured loans, ext. Unfortunately, it is very hard to find a custodian that offers this much diversification. Here comes the ultimate tool; Integrating an LLC with a self directed IRA (also you can roll other retirement plans into an IRA).

And IRA funded LLC gives you the freedom to invest in what you desire. You manage your IRA funds and direct your retirement future. This is called having “checkbook control” of your retirement funds. As an added plus the LLC fully shields the IRA account from outside liabilities. In addition there are numerous other advantages. Some of these advantages include:

The LLC may have multiple investors besides the IRA account.

Multiple IRA accounts may be investor/members of the LLC.

Non-IRA investors/members of the LLC may guarantee loans for the LLC.

The LLC is not limited to real estate ownership, virtually any other investment type

can be made under this business structure.

LLC income and capital gains pass thru to IRA account member’s tax deferred, under the same rules as other IRA income.

Lower fees from the IRA account custodian since there is only one asset to manage the LLC.

To implement this technique, the self directed IRA purchases membership units (shares) of a privately held LLC. This is a straightforward procedure. If you are interested in how to create and implement such a powerful tool then do not wait and build your own IRA owned LLC today.

Right now is the right time to buy a home, when there is a very high inventory of foreclosed houses. In fact, you are likely to get a lot of amazing deals, particularly with homes that have been foreclosed. If you buy a house that has been foreclosed by a bank, you can expect to save up to 50% of the home’s property value. To find out which houses in your area are under the foreclosed category, it will be a good idea to get some free foreclosure listings.
It can be challenging to find free foreclosure listings of homes in your area. Most real estate investors will usually snap them up by buying these foreclosed homes at very low prices, then selling them at a price they can profit from. This makes foreclosed properties very high in demand.

There are a good number of foreclosure listing services who will offer these listing free in a 7-day trial offer. These free trial offers will show you a hint of what full access memberships to these services will give you.
There are some websites that you will be able to find on the Internet that offer free foreclosure listings, and while they do not charge a membership fee, these website have their share of advantages and disadvantages.

Among the advantages you will find is access to a huge database of hundreds of listings that you can compare side by side to find the best deal. Some services are reputable enough to have 24/7 customer support to answer any of your questions. You will also find that they update their inventory on a daily basis, giving you a fresh listing each time you visit their site. If you have done your research and know what you are looking for, you will find that a 7-day trial period is enough time to locate the ideal home.

If you still haven’t found what you’re looking for after seven days, you might want to consider paying a reasonable monthly fee for another month of searching. One thing about this free trial offers is that the listing service requires you to give your credit card information for the trial basis. Make sure you find reputable service listing to avoid unwanted credit card bills.
Look through realtor websites that may have lists of bank-foreclosed properties. Usually banks work with these realtors to have these foreclosed houses sold, and they give permission for a listing of these properties on the realtor’s website. These listings are for free, and you can take good advantage of them.
Another source of free listings are the official websites of the State you reside in. These government websites will normally have a free listing of all foreclosed houses within the region.
*****

Is this obvious to you?

Let’s state the obvious: The very cause of debt is overspending. Saving more money does not fix the problem, but it can help. Earning more money does not fix the problem, but it can help. Most debt managers and counselors focus heavily on ways to reduce spending. The results are often mixed. Many financial institutions offer investment products. For the majority of society that does not save money, these products do not work. Think about it for a moment. If nobody is saving money, then there is nothing left to put into a mutual fund, IRA, or other banking investment product. These products work great for a society that saves money consistently. Clearly, that is not the society America lives in today.

Taking a different direction…

For this article, we are going to take things into a different direction. We are going to focus on prosperity thinking. We are a society that likes to spend, and that is the basis of our commerce. Prosperity thinking does not discourage spending. Rather, it refocuses our spending. It makes us think about spending money on things that will get us more income. The same thing that has brought our society into debt (i.e. spending) is also the same thing that can get us out of debt. To get different results, you have to change your focus. You have to ask yourself a different set of questions. The questions are simple:

How can I create more income?

What can I do to increase my cash flow?

How can I reduce my debt liabilities?

How do I create money generating assets?

What are my financial goals?

As many folks have started to think about the possible answers to these questions, some have already taken action. Their answer came in the form of starting a small inexpensive business online. They used their little online business to pay off their debts. Their goal was simple: Get out of debt. The results have been surprising. Let’s take a look at what these people are doing in a real world example…

While we are a country in debt, we are also a country of free enterprise. By exercising that freedom, each one of us is free to start a money making business. If this scares you or make you feel uncomfortable, get over it. No kidding. Not being able to pay your bills to survive is far scarier. Being in deep massive debt can destroy your life. Starting a little business can be the first step in adding a financial destiny to your life. I recently spoke to a customer of ours who had over $34,000 in credit card debt. It was more than an entire year’s worth of income on her current job. Within one year she pretty much wiped out the debt. I was impressed. Here is how this open minded lady did it.

1. She heard about people selling things online and making money. So, she contacted the Secretary of State’s office and incorporated a business to get started.

2. She got a merchant account to accept credit card purchases.

3. Her next stop was to search for products to sell. She found a wholesale manufacturer that offered single item drop shipping. This meant she did not have to buy inventory.

4. Next, she started a little do-it-yourself-no-geek-computer-skills-needed website with her new company name and a few pages describing her business. Her business?…She sold ballet dancing accessories.

5. She spent time in the book store studying online marketing techniques and gradually began to get customers on her little website.

In total, she had spent a little over $400 in getting the business started. In her first year she made $58,000 in sales and netted a profit over fifty percent. She took that money and paid on the majority of the credit card debt. She said, “Normally I would have taken that $400 and spent it on something I didn’t need…like another handbag.” In short, she made money by converting her spending habits. She spent money on an asset (online business), versus a liability (handbag). Notice how this did not involve saving money or buying mutual funds? It involved spending and prosperity thinking.

A Drop Shipping cash flow?

She said the drop shipper really made things easy for her. She did not have to spend money on product inventory. Each time she received an order on her website, she worked with the drop shipper to get the product sent to her customer. This process kept repeating as orders came in. Over a period of time, a significant flow of cash started to happen for her stockless retail business. She achieved her goal.

Always remember…

You become what you study. If you study chemistry, you can be a chemist. If you study music, you can be a musician. If you study prosperity, you can be prosperous.

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Why didn’t Wall Street warn anyone that the market was going down? It still amazes me to this very day that major Wall Street firms upgrade and downgrade stocks and sectors, but they could not save themselves. Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Wachovia, Washington Mutual, and countless other financial institutions have failed in this debacle. Why didn’t they downgrade themselves to an under perform or sell rating? The reason is simple and it’s Wall Streets dirty little secret. They simply have no clue about the markets and really don’t know anything but selling their services. They only have one bias and that is the greed bias. Most of the mutual funds are structured to charge fees and tell the investor to average in or dollar cost average for the long term. What about the baby boomer’s that are planning on retiring this year and next? How can someone make up a 40% loss that occurred in a single year? In fact, the only mutual funds that were positive in 2008 were bear funds or the Madoff Fund. These are funds that invest on the market going down instead of up. It is what traders call short selling. Unfortunately, most 401k investors have never shorted a stock and don’t even know that this type of investing is even possible. Then again, why should they? Wall Street mutual funds still generate their fees regardless of what the market does. Can you imagine paying someone to lose ten years worth of your savings? It happened all last year. Then Wall Street says, don’t worry you are in it for the long term. What about the baby boomer’s who don’t have a long time to wait? What happens if this lasts until 2015 or longer? These are questions people need to ask themselves.

Oh, I forgot the new stimulus plan is going to bail everyone out. This will be the third stimulus plan since President Bush’s first term and it will just cause this country more debt. It looks like the first two stimulus plans worked out really well. Don’t forget the bailouts of AIG, Citi Bank, the automakers and countless other financial institution that are using the TARP. Who is paying for all these bailouts anyway? Isn’t it the taxpayer who is going to pay? What is going to happen to the U.S. Dollar as it becomes so diluted? What happens to the current retired individual’s purchasing power? What happens to the baby boomer that was planning on retiring? Again, these are the questions people need to ask themselves.

The stock market is now back to the same levels as it was in 1997. Are housing prices back at 1997 levels? Are food prices back at 1997 levels? Are gold prices back at 1997 levels? Are energy prices back at 1997 levels? You get the picture. The answer to all these questions is a simple NO! If I hear one more time that the markets are out of the woods and the new President is going to fix this mess I have news for you, not anytime soon!

The beauty of the American financial system was the fact that the market could go into a recession. Believe it or not recessions are healthy. They allow the system to clean out by getting rid of the excesses. Yes, times are tough for many during recessions. However, it allows the markets to get a fresh start and resolve the problems until the next overheated mania. It is called peaks and troughs. The problem today is simply an excessive peak after an 18 year bull market(1982-2000) that was never allowed to have a correct recession. The market moves in extremes like a pendulum that moves from one side to the other and takes time to find the mid point. In the 1990’s the market moved to new all time highs as the dot coms and anything technology was being bought by the public. In the year 2001 the tech bubble burst and the 9-11 tragedy took place. The economy was going through as tough recession and then Fed Chairman Greenspan lowered the fed funds rates to 1% sparking the next bubble, this time in housing. The housing bubble is much bigger than the prior tech bubble due to the fact that most investors and traders could only borrow 50% from their broker to buy stocks(Reg T). In the housing market borrowers where in many cases allowed to borrow more than the price of the home. In many cases 125% loan to value. Also, many borrowers were not even qualified to own a credit card let alone a home. Can this problem be solved with another stimulus check? Of course not. What about the rising unemployment? Oh, I forgot the government is going to rebuild the roads in the country. That didn’t work in the 1930’s and it’s not going to work now.

This crisis will take time to resolve itself. The more government intervention, the longer it will take. We believe that a first quarter or even first half rally is very possible. However, the second half is likely to be very tough. How can doing more of the same be any good. You can only patch up a flat tire so many times before it rides on the rim of the wheel and rips the tire in half. This tire(economy) appears to be on it’s last tread.

Source: Nicholas Santiago: InTheMoneyStocks.com

If the people of America want to get control of their country now is the time but it can only happen if they take responsibility for what happens in their country. You see, people seem to have forgotten the rest of the story when it comes to our Bill of Rights. When they published the full title of the Amendments to the Constitution the editors left out part of the title. It should have read the Bill of Rights and Responsibilities.

There is no better generation to fix that problem than the battle tested, Cold War conditioned, oil shortage hardened Baby Boomers who are the only generation of the past century to understand the price of freedom and the dangers of democracy. I think every person who cares and wants things better should wear a tee shirt and paste bumper stickers that proclaim, â??This is My Country!â?

We can start by telling the politicians who want to be president that we the people will tell them what we need and what to do. Last time I checked they work for us. So the true Agenda for Change will be presented in this series of articles on Taking Back America. The pollsters, political advisors and advertising agencies that put words or sound bytes into the mouths of politicians have it all wrong. They are the very people who got us into this mess.

No we need to give government back to the people, give God back to the government and give meaning back to our Declaration and Constitution. We need to provide what people need, stop promoting what we donâ??t need, and start seeing government act like our friend and protector rather than a front for greed and power hungry individuals or corporations.

America must be wealthy, not the rulers who try and run or own America. Donâ??t you think those who claim to know have victimized us for long enough? We want a nation where housing laws protect the homeowners not the mortgage and financial institutions. We want banking laws that protect the citizens not the credit card companies, debt collectors, lawyers and hidden fees.

Our government licenses telephone companies, television and radio stations, banks, mortgage companies, investment banks, doctors and stock brokers among many others, while we regulate the stock market, commodity market (including the price of oil and food), energy companies, interstate commerce, foreign aid and practically every other aspect of our lives. Do you feel protected?

We spend more money protecting oil producing nations, arms dealers, drug companies, banks and investment houses than we do protecting people and that has simply got to change. Look at the cost, $500 billion and 4,000 American lives in Iraq to protect the Arab nations from Arab terrorists, or is it the Arab oil producers from disruption? What do we get? Record oil prices, no effort by OPEC to increase production and lower prices, and the scorn of the world.

Or how about our Afghanistan experience? We spend billions to chase the terrorists out of Afghanistan into hiding in Pakistan, a nation where we spend billions to protect the military and government that gives the terrorists safe haven. We have no viable foreign policy, we just support the arms dealers of the world who make sure there is always civil unrest, genocide and demigods running amok where we can spend billions more defending people. If America stopped financing war directly and indirectly do you think the arms dealers would spend their own money to cause wars?

Back in the good old USA we have more than enough wars of our own to fight against the destruction of our immune systems by the pharmaceutical companies, the addictions imposed on us by television, video games, hospitals and doctors, the health care industry, the wellness industry, the physical education industry, and all those who think the only way to good health is through the pocketbook.

Then there are the phone companies, banks and credit card companies with their incredible hidden fees and confusing billings, insurance companies that increase rates for reasons having nothing to do with their insurance coverage, the media whose message is always influenced by the advertising dollars it might generate, and the government who works for everyone but the people it is supposed to represent.

Oh it is time for change all right, and the change we need must be cataclysmic to do any good. All the shadowy figures that profit from our difficulties, steal from our treasury and attempt to influence our minds and destroy our wills are counting on us being too weak, too self-centered and too preoccupied to bring about change but I say they are wrong. Once again the bad guys have underestimated the power of freedom and the will of the people.

Proudly display your sign This is My Country and then do what they donâ??t expect, show you care. Help establish the Agenda for Change that we need, not the one politicians say we need. Start out by making a concerted effort to send a message to the oil profiteers by joining in a national effort to stay at home from Memorial Day until the Fourth of July, Independence Day, and reduce oil and gas consumption as much as possible.

Spend weekends with your family, seeing what you missed in your community, state and surrounding areas. Enjoy the local festivals and events. Turn off television and limit your time on the Internet and we can start to get back our nation. Asking you to save money does not sound like too much to ask.

What are the targets for change?

1. Money Mongers of the Financial Institutions

Who are these people and what threat do they represent? Well, the intricate web of interlocking ownership, access to media, control of pricing in stocks, currency, commodities and bonds, and insulation from scrutiny probably make this the single most powerful force on Earth, capable of controlling governments and destroying opposition without ever getting their own hands dirty. You see they are invisible to the general public.

Financial institutions control the world simply put and they do not serve the world in the process, as serving is not a good return on investment. They set up mutual funds to consolidate investment power and get government to create more sources of funds and turn them over to the financiers to manage such as pension funds, 401K funds, IRAs and many others.

They create financial â??expertsâ? to tell us what is happening to our investment markets and how to invest what money we do control completely ignoring the conflicts of interest when the greatest beneficiaries of the advice are the market makers, the very financial institutions whose experts are giving supposedly objective market advice.

What does that mean? The media takes the advice of industry experts and tells us the price of oil is going up because of the potential for a hurricane in the gulf that may or may not disrupt supply lines and drilling operations. A suicide bombing in Iraq shows that the crude oil supply from that country is not stable so a shortage of future oil may result if a bombing of the oil pipelines is successful. Cold weather in American means there will be a shortage of heating oil no matter that there are sufficient inventories already in the country. So the price of oil goes up, and up and up.

Who benefits? The owners of the crude oil, the companies that pay them for the crude, the banks that finance the companies, the stockholders that own shares of the companies, the IRAs, 401Ks, pension funds and mutual funds that pump money into the companies, the companies selling and buying their stocks, or the companies setting market prices? Guess what, all of them could be part of the financial institutions benefiting from the market manipulations caused by the speculative reports on the industry by the media.

So why does the Federal Trade Commission and Securities and Exchange Commission let them do this? The FTC and SEC are supposed to be our government watchdogs protecting the public from unscrupulous financial manipulators. For two years the same financial sector was behind the unethical, immoral and often-illegal manipulation of the sub-prime mortgage markets as well which nearly sent the USA into recession and certainly left millions of homeowners in foreclosure. Where were the federal regulators?

2. Mortgage Lenders â?? Vampires of the Golden Dream

Even though mortgage lenders can be owned, controlled or manipulated by the financial sector and banking institutions they are often set up independently until they finish preying on an unsuspecting public, having got caught using questionable practices (sub-prime loans for example), using heavy handed tactics, misleading consumers and initiating mortgage foreclosures.

When this happens the lenders now approaching bankruptcy get bought out by the financial and banking sectors that are seeking to acquire real estate property at far below the loan value. So losses are written off, property is acquired far below the loan value, new mortgages are written to resell or refinance the property, a few million people lose their homes due to foreclosures, and the financial institutions now have a new division with secure assets and credit worthy clients.

Of course we then lose sight of the fact illegal mortgages and unethical selling practices caused the bail out cycle to take place. Or that mortgage lenders, sales people, lawyers and credit rating firms were all players in this billion-dollar scam. That closing fees, collection fees and late fees have made someone millions of dollars at the expense of the hapless homeowners.

Finally even the government backed mortgage programs like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, (what great names for federal backed mortgage players), not to mention the long list of programs such as VA, Indian, Rural, Low Income and other federal mortgage and housing programs must be ever more vigilant to root out corruption, contract fixing, slipshod construction and repair work, inefficient heating and utilities and other problems that beset our federal and state housing efforts.

3. Credit Card Industry Standards, Fees and Collection Methods

Now this is an area of regulatory meltdown and benign neglect involving federal and state agencies ranging from the FTC to Congress, from the SEC to Justice Department. There is a body of law at both the state and federal levels that regulates these practices but no one seems to pay attention.

The issuance of credit cards through the mail and Internet and the proliferation of offers from credit card companies are astounding. The never-ending changes in interest rates charged, the justification for such changes, the explanation of such practices and the downright deception in consumer information is appalling and predatory.

Fees change constantly for ATM charges, handling, processing, vendor, fraud, security, and any other excuse to stick it to the consumer. Credit rating companies feed information to credit card companies and collection companies making the whole business of debt collection a financial windfall to lawyers, collection agencies, process servers and even the courts. Lies regarding the rights of the cardholder are overwhelming to most people, threatening to them and their credit, and fraught with heavy-handed tactics.

Simply stated there is no protection for people from getting the cards, understanding the changing fees, and especially getting caught in the late payment and collection process. Debts are written off yet collection efforts go full steam. When debts should be forgiven efforts are still made to scare the consumers into making payments. If we allow a credit card company to write off the bad debt, then why is the collection industry pursuing the poor consumer with no money? Why are the bad debts written off years before the debt is forgiven to the consumer?

4. Health Care Industry Cost, Insurance and Unnecessary Treatment

Just look at the facts and there is no doubt this system is broken. In 2006 we spent $2.1 trillion on health care, over $7,026 for every person in the USA, and it took over 16% of our Gross Domestic Product. That is 4.3 times more money than we spent on defense. The cost of health care increases at more than double the inflation rate annually.

At 16% of GDP we have the highest health care costs of any developed nation with the next highest being Switzerland 10.9%, Germany 10.7%, Canada 9.7% and France 9.5%. Americans spent one third more on health care than any of these nations, and while 50 million Americans do not have health insurance all of the citizens in the other nations mentioned receive health care. At our current pace we will be spending $4 trillion on health care in just 7 years, by 2015.

With the war in Iraq one might expect the cost of health care for veterans to be substantial as treatment in the war zone is far improved from earlier wars and for every death of a soldier there are 9 wounded soldiers that return home. Yet the cost of veteranâ??s health care drops to $5,000 per person, $2,000 less per year than civilians.

What is causing these statistical aberrations? Are we much sicker than citizens of the other nations? Is there a greater medical risk to civilians in America than our soldiers in Iraq? Why are 50 million Americans uninsured when all of the citizens of other nations receive health care?

According to the latest statistics employer paid health insurance premiums in the USA were $11,500 for families and about $4,200 for individuals. That means annual health insurance premiums account for a substantial portion of health care costs. Something is very wrong with the system.

So what is the average educational debt for new doctors coming into the market? According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the average educational debt of indebted graduates of the class of 2006 (including pre-med borrowing) is $130,571. The average debt of graduating medical students increased in 2006 by 8.5 percent over the previous year. 72 percent of graduates have debt of at least $100,000. 86.6 percent of graduating medical students carry outstanding loans. 40.2 percent of 2006 graduates have non-educational debt, averaging $16,689. Source: AAMC 2006 Graduation Questionnaires

So how much do they make when they graduate? Cardiologists were the most sought-after specialists last year, fetching salaries ranging from $234,000 to $525,000 and averaging $320,000 a year, according to surveys. Close behind cardiologists are radiologists and orthopedic surgeons. Now why do we loan med students the money when bank financing would be readily available in light of their low risk?

5. Pharmaceutical Industry Proliferation of Prescription Drugs

This can be short and sweet. In 2002 we spent $162 billion on prescription drugs and in 2006 we spent $217 billion on prescription drugs. One out of every five Americans takes 5 or more prescriptions per day. All Americans average 2.9 prescriptions per day. Our senior citizens, who are increasing very rapidly with the aging of the Baby Boomers, averaged $559 for prescriptions in 1992, $1,205 for prescriptions in 2000, and $1,912 in 2005 with spending expected to reach $2,805 in 2010.

Every day it seems the health authorities announce yet another prescription drug that does not work, or whose long-term effects are determined to be more dangerous than expected. Yet every day it seems there are new prescriptions for new diseases. We live longer but spend far more. Kids are over-prescribed with Ritalin and other drugs. They are addicted to drugs they donâ??t even take raiding medicine cabinets for the new drug culture.

6. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) Drug Approval Process

If drug prices in America have been rising almost five times as fast as inflation then the FDA must assume some of the responsibility as they are the regulatory agency charged with overseeing the over-the-counter and prescription drugs so abundant in our society.

The FDA new drug approval process with layers of clinical animal and human trials is the most costly, most lengthy and often most bizarre in terms of protocols and criteria for approval in the world. It is a process designed for the benefit of wealthy pharmaceutical companies, not for the small and independent research companies and laboratories.

Major pharmaceutical firms have managed to negotiate with FDA for new drug approval even if the drug extends the life expectancy of the patient by just 30 days. Yet when these products are sold to the public no one seems to mention they might only be good for 30 days at a cost of thousands of dollars

Things have gotten so ridiculous in the approval process that television ads for the drug Celebrex contain so many warnings of side effects and drug interactions that the ad actually states â??the FDA says the benefits may outweigh the risksâ? when taking it. Are they crazy? It might be safe to take it?

Human trials approved by FDA require a protocol where half of the patients are given a placebo rather than the drug so results taking the drug can be measured against a control group not taking the drug. Not a bad practice unless the drug is experimental and the disease is going to kill the patient.

For example, stage 3 cancer patients have weeks or months to live. At stage 3 any normal and extremely expensive treatment like chemo, radiation or surgery has already failed. When they are offered a chance to participate in an experiment that might save their life and the option is certain death you might think they would jump at the chance, but that is not the case.

Why would they sign up when only half the people will even receive the treatment, with the other half getting meaningless placebos? If they are in the half that gets the candy and not the drug they die. If they get the drug there is a chance they might live. When you are facing death there should not be a 50-50 chance you wonâ??t get the treatment.

Other problems with the industry include their price gouging, opposition to generic drugs selling for much less, opposition to foreign drugs also selling for much less, payments to doctors for prescribing their drugs, and unsubstantiated claims regarding over-the-counter drugs like cough syrup which has been proven to do no good.

7. Agriculture â?? Food Testing, Ingredients and Source

You go to the grocery store, check the fresh meat, see something that looks nice and red and fresh and buy it. Or maybe you buy the chicken to fry up for dinner. Then again you might buy pet food for your favorite dog or cat. Now did anyone tell you fresh meat like beef should not be red? Did they tell you color dyes and carbon monoxide are used to give the cuts of meat that color and they are injected in the butcher shop?

Did they tell you the chicken was raised in a hen house and pumped with hormones, steroids and God knows what else to fatten it up for the slaughter? Did they tell you about everything you just bought included rendered animal parts?

Did they mention rendering plants use raw product including thousands of dead dogs and cats; heads and hooves from cattle, sheep, pigs and horses; whole skunks; rats and raccoons? Did they mention the millions of maggots swarming over the carcasses? Did they tell you the carcasses would be ground up and cooked to create batches of yellow grease, meal and bone meal, and that the meat and bone meal would be used as a source of protein and other nutrients in poultry, swine and pet foods?

That the animal fat is used as an â??energy sourceâ? and millions of tons will be trucked to poultry ranches, cattle feed-lots, dairy and hog farms, fish-feed plants and pet-food manufacturers where it is mixed with other ingredients to feed the billions of animals that meat-eating humans, in turn, will eat.

When you look at the ingredient label and it says the meat included protein it sounds good but is that protein from the rendered carcasses and what are the health consequences of eating a standard diet of rendered byproduct? The deadly Mad Cow disease was caused by feeding rendered products to cattle.

8. Campaign Reform â?? Empty Promises and Empty Wallets

For the first time in our history the presidential campaign alone in 2008 is expected to cost over one billion dollars. Now that is a whole lot of money being spent to win a job that pays $400,000 a year and only lasts four years. One billion dollars spent to make $1,600,000. If that is the result of capitalism then we might have a problem.

Campaign reform has been talked about more and acted upon less than any other issue facing congress and the president. Political advertising costs are criminal. Some campaigns spend more money raising money than they do getting elected. Special interest groups give to candidates, give more to national political parties, more to state political parties and then spend money themselves to influence elections.

Over $1 billion will be spent running for president and that can be changed if the president and congress have the guts. Paid ads can be stopped, special interest funding can be stopped, and a logical schedule for primaries can be held. Candidates can receive free media time since all the airways are government regulated. Voter registration can be increased.

There are about 226 million people eligible to vote in the USA and about 142 million are registered to vote. In 2004 about 121 million did vote for president. That means about 53% of the eligible voters participated in the last presidential election, a pretty weak total for the citadel of democracy in the world. That needs to be fixed. Require automatic voter registration with social security cards or drivers licenses if need be but get people back involved in the process. We canâ??t make people vote but we can make sure they have the opportunity to vote.

9. Immigration Reform â?? The Slumbering Social Issue of the Day

So far the candidates have done a masterful job of avoiding the issue of Immigration reform although before the campaign heated up they had a variety of ideas to offer. Now it seems the ideas have been taken off the table in hopes no one noticed they flip flopped on an issue.

There are a few areas of agreement. For one everyone agrees we need to strengthen border security on both the Canadian and Mexican borders. We also acknowledge that there are millions of Mexican workers illegally in the USA gainfully employed at jobs typically not wanted by Americans. What to do about them is a huge problem.

Since there is widespread opposition to any kind of amnesty program allowing them to remain without consequence perhaps a better alternative would be to allow those illegal immigrants and their families to remain with a permanent work visa if they are gainfully employed and have paid taxes in the United States.

They are here and they pay our income and sales taxes. They have cars and drivers licenses. They are making a substantial contribution to Social Security even though they cannot draw benefits. What amnesty are we giving them? If we throw them out donâ??t we owe them back their income, sales and social security payments? I say they have paid enough already for a permanent visa and they should be welcomed if they complete our citizenship requirements.

If the illegal immigrants that are gainfully employed and contributing to our tax and social security system are granted permanent work visas, overnight we will reduce the border security issues saving substantial money and improving relations between our two countries. This will free up resources to pursue the criminal elements from foreign countries that come illegally for far more sinister reasons.

Not only do millions of illegal immigrants pay taxes and provide services we would not otherwise have but they are also victims to hordes of unscrupulous people involved in car sales and repair, medical treatment, legal assistance, and many other areas because they have no way to protect themselves. They cannot go to law enforcement agencies for help, as they would be prosecuted. The simple act of granting well-earned permanent work visas would stop predators from taking advantage of their status.