How to select the right real estate agent in for your needs?

When it comes to buying or selling real estate, you would always need the expert assistance of real estate realtors, otherwise known as real estate agents. This article would focus on how to choose the right real estate agent for your needs. The quality of services provided by real estate realtors differs significantly, from wonderful to appalling.

For getting a really good real estate agent, you should search for one who is:

• An honest person
• Working in the real estate industry as a full timer
• Skilled with the kind of services you want
• Familiar with your choices and requirements
• A certified professional, meaning he has fulfilled the minimum prerequisites of training, education and examination.
• Well informed about the locality where you want to stay
• Conversant with business affairs
• A member of the trade organization like the National Association of Realtors (NAR). This indicates the real estate agent is aware of market information, listings and other details that nonmembers would find difficult to obtain
• A receiver of supplementary credentials (search for initials on their business cards - for instance, NAR confers credentials like a GRI or Graduate Realtors Institute or even more sophisticated CRS or Certified Residential Specialist. You wouldn’t get many agents with these credentials.

Look for recommendations

If you want to find out a truly good realtor, then going for referrals is also a good decision. You can get recommendations from your friends, family members and colleagues. You should especially look for referrals from those who have most recently bought or sold a home. As soon as you get a short list of capable realtors, let every one know you wish to question him or her for around 30-45 minutes in person, if possible. Not only would you be checking the knowledge of the agent but also his or her accommodativeness and promptness.

Ask questions

Given below are some questions that you can ask a realtor to find out if the agent’s skill and success rate are suitable for your needs. You can also include your own queries. For instance, if you’re seeking assistance in buying a newly constructed home in a development or condominium, you’d need to make sure your agent has knowledge about such properties.

Important questions that you would need to ask are the following:

• What is your mode of communication?
• How many homes have you located for buyers in the previous year?
• How can you assist me afford the home I need?
• How do you arrange your work?
• Who are your previous clients I can contact as references for you?
• Will you be working as the representative of the seller by any means?

You should keep in mind that asking questions and seeking referrals from different sources can surely help you get the right real estate agent for your needs. Only choose an agent who listens to you with patience, attends to your needs and replies to your queries frankly.

Above is the guest post provided by Miss Bettie Wills from San Jose Real Estate Inc. She excels herself in writing articles related to real estate, mortgage, properties etc.

How to use free ads to make money after Christmas

Most people would probably think that selling unwanted presents is in bad taste. There is something almost sacred to a present, and some kind of unwritten rule says that the recipient of a present should always be grateful and, of course, keep the present.

However, it looks like more than 6 our of 10 people receive, every Christmas, at least five unwanted gifts. According to a research made by the charity The Brooke on a sample of the British population, almost one brit out of three this Christmas will give away as a gift an unwanted present from last Christmas. So, it turns out, presents are not so sacred.

Seeing things with a pragmatic approach, it could be said that there’s no point in keeping around unwanted, unused gifts, so if they can be recycled, they might as well be sold. Reading about what are considered to be the most unwanted gifts, moreover, makes it easier to understand why some people would want to resell them. The top three most unwanted gifts are bubble baths, bath salts and socks: pretty generic stuff, indeed.

The solution to boring presents is the old saying: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. From an economic point of view, that concept is what make markets work in general. The fact that someone would like something that you would happily get rid of is the very basis of second hand commerce. This means that it’s definitely possible to make some money out of unwanted presents. The easiest way is to use some classifieds site. Free ads can actually be a big help in getting rid of unwanted stuff and, of course, you can always hope that the baths salts that you got are a rare, sought-after item for some collector.

Those of you who are more financially bold can try using an auction site. However, the problem with those sites, compared to free ads sites, is that it can be hard to get bidders to offer high - or even just half-decent - prices, and often the seller ends up selling the item at the minimum price. So it could be a good idea to use a classified ads site where you can just come up with a price and stick to it.

With some patience is possible to get a surprising amount of money even from relatively common items: sooner or later you will find someone who will want your present more than you do. Publishing an ad is something that doesn’t require a lot of effort, and most classifieds sites keep ads published for long times. In the end, it’s waiting game. And if no buyer shows up, you can always wait until next Christmas to give you unwelcome gift to someone else.

Black Friday, Now A Plague for many Shoppers

As far as I remember, black Friday has always been considered as a day for which all shoppers eagerly wait. But there are few others who are now considering it to be a plague day. So, the question which arises is,

"Do we really need to shop on Black Friday day? Is it really worth it?"

Many would believe it isn't the worth stress because they need to rush to find out the items, waiting in long queues and many standing outside in the cold waiting for the shops and stores to open. People consider this as a buy or die week. I personally do not find any reason for this statement. I myself have never shopped after the thanksgiving. I always wonder how people can be so brave to fight over the limited parkings spots and try to avoid being trampled upon each other in the queue.


Why there is a need of doing such acts? Only to save some bucks. I would rather prefer paying to avoid crowds, parking inconvenience and waiting for hours.

Time is money, isn't it? No wonder, I am blogger here rather participating in the buying frenzy week. I have noticed that in recent years, there has been a decline in sales as well as shoppers. Why? Now days internet offers various saving schemes. You can actually enjoy shopping online sitting at home any day of the year, though others consider this as a thrill of the hunt. There are many people who do not own any computer or internet facilities but enjoy going to stores seeking bargains.

Which is more preferable? Shopping online or Black Friday Shopping?.

I just asked a random person outside the store that what would she prefer; shopping online or shopping at the various department stores and she commented,

"I simply love going to the stores. I can actually see the product live there before spending any bucks. I love to see various collection of clothes, accessories, household goods etc."

Maybe many women would agree to this but Black Friday is not at all a day to browse and touch the products before you buy and visit various department store to determine what's new!!

In fact, any one who is shopping all the year round has a pretty good idea of what each department store has in stock. There is nothing special to display on Black Friday except massive crowd and an excessive rush to obtain an item that might be on sale after two hours.

A personal Tip from experienced shoppers on Black Friday

"Please do not carry any cash with you. Instead use your debit card. If in case you do not have a debit card also, then go to store you plan to visit on Black Friday a week before and purchase gift cards from there. This will also help you to stick within your budget and is much safer than carrying cash at the stores."

Check ahead of time if you need to buy any specific item that might be on sale at the store but not online. Set a budget and try to stick on it. Once you have decided which sale you want to go for and what you want to actually purchase, decide things which are within your budget. The sale during Black Friday may be great, but obviously you don't want to be paying for that new item until next year or maybe more than that.

As for me, I always finish my Christmas shopping by the end of October.

Do you shop on Black Friday? Do let me know with your comments on this post.

Money Saving Advice for the Working Man

Saving money is not as easy as it sounds. If a person wants to save money, the single most important money saving advice one can give a working man is to save for retirement. Statistics show that more than 70% of employees today have not saved enough to cover their retirement.

Only 15% will even have enough to qualify for retirement benefits as mandated by the Law. Saving money for a rainy day is an adage said and heard hundreds of times but never seems to be a possibility for many. Even with an extra job, many folks still don’t make enough money to save.

In the end, many workers end up working past retirement age in order to survive or end up in the streets. The single most important goal for every working man therefore, should be to save for retirement. This must be started at the earliest possible time.

To save money, it is important to work at making extra money. However, working at making more money is not the key. The key to making extra money is to work at cutting down on spending. Only by reducing expenses can one make that extra money to save away.

Working at reducing expenses could mean sacrificing some weekend splurges, hand-washing the clothes and doing the dish-washing in the sink. It could also mean using half the amount of toothpaste used every time, lowering the temperature in the water heater and furnace, and taking long walks in the park instead of long weekend drives.

Compute how much is spent on a weekend night out and compute how much money could be saved in the bank if you deposited some of that instead. Let us say that instead of spending $50 on a Friday night and another $50 on a Saturday night, one went out only once a week and deposited $50 in the bank instead.

That would easily amount to $200 a month. By depositing $200 a month for the next 40 years until retirement, a person will have saved a total of over $185,000 at a 3% interest rate compounded annually. That’s an extra $1000 a month for the next 18 years or so.

And that is based solely on saving on weekend binges. If one lived a sensibly frugal life and put away $400 a month, simply doubling the earlier figure will compute to $370,000. Not bad for a nest egg. The idea is not to save money for the short term – to buy a car or house, but to save enough for retirement.

There are several reasons for this. One is that saving money for the short term means wanting to save a lot at the shortest possible time and then dipping into the savings every now and then. Another is that there are also many ways to buy a car or house, but only one way to save for retirement. For instance, the company could give an employee a car plan or a housing plan.

A retirement plan on the other hand, means saving for it. A short term goal also negates the advantage that one gets out of bank interest rates. Therefore a short term goal is not one must strive for in saving money. Work at saving money for retirement – that is the most sensible money saving advice a working man will ever get.

You can use all these strategies to save money, reduce debt and improve your life but it will not last unless you have a system automatically set up to continually work without your input. Get Dan Cavalli’s FREE money saving secrets set on auto pilot at: www.the-richest-man-in-babylon.com

Save Your Money with the Luxurious Living

Saving money can be a tough challenge. Saving is anything but instant as we are living in a society where we are used to immediate indulgence. With the current economic collapse, many people are learning the hard way on why saving is imperative.

Now they just have to figure out how to save money. The first thing that has to be done is to get out of the immediate indulgence mindset. Remind yourself how beneficial saving money can be. Write down its benefits to give you tangible proof that saving is necessary.

You will keep on saving when you see something you think you just have to have. Next is learning the basics. Why not learn from the experts? Your parents can teach you how they budget the expenses at home. Ask them how much heat, water and electricity cost each month.

Such details might be boring for you but you have to learn about them. By the time you leave home, you will have to start paying for these things yourself. You must also identify the challenges. Learn to control your spending.

This may be easier in theory than in practice, especially if you are only receiving an allowance or you live at home. Because your parents are likely handling most of the expenses, you would tend to spend your money easily since a large amount would always be available.

And admittedly, spending money can be fun. Your peers can contribute greatly to the challenge, though. This is because they might pressure you into spending more than what you can afford. Shopping has become a main form of entertainment for most teens.

They seem to have an unwritten rule that you can’t have fun if you don’t spend money. You must also learn the difference between need and want. It's easy to see something in a store that you think is important. Try to walk away from anything you believe you need or want the instant you see it.

If you find yourself thinking about buying it later – after a week or so - and you have sufficient amount of money to purchase it, then you can buy it. Chances are, you really need the item. If you stop thinking about it quickly, then you really didn't need it in the first place.

Always be in control. Plan ahead. Do not spend your whole paycheck or max out your credit card in one night. You should also set a limit to your spending. It may be wise to put money in the bank and take out only the amount you need.

It may also be more sensible to go shopping with friends who are careful with their money. Learn to manage your expenses. Keep a record of your purchases. For at least a month, keep track of the money you receive and the date you received it. Make a note of each item you buy and the amount it cost.

At the end of the month, calculate the difference between the amount received and the amount spent. Make a budget. List all income you expect to receive in a month and write down how you plan to spend your money. Also, record all unexpected expenses.

Avoid having debts. Ask yourself honestly if you can afford to buy an item. Look around and do comparison shopping. Many people seek the best price when purchasing goods but settle for whatever interest rates are offered by the merchant.

Compare annual percentage rates of banks or credit card companies to see if you can get a lower rate. If you become burdened by debt, seek help. With practice, these tips on how to save money can change your finances.

You can use all these strategies to save money, reduce debt and improve your life but it will not last unless you have a system automatically set up to continually work without your input. Get Dan Cavalli’s FREE money saving secrets set on auto pilot at: www.the-richest-man-in-babylon.com .

The Basics Of Claiming Bankruptcy

Knowing how to claim bankruptcy can make a very big difference in the amount of time it takes and the stress you have to deal with to get through the process. Not only will you be in financial strain, you will also be in emotional turmoil and knowing how to go about it will be very helpful.

Once you have decided that this is your only way out of your financial woes, get in touch with a bankruptcy lawyer. These are professionals who understand the process, know the implications and provide bankruptcy services to assist you. The lawyer will be able to confirm that bankruptcy is your only and best option and if not they will offer alternatives that you can pursue to save your credit rating. Your credit may already be bad but if there is something other than bankruptcy you should consider it since the consequences of bankruptcy are long term.

Once you and your lawyer have settled on bankruptcy as your best option, the next step is to decide what form of personal bankruptcy is best for your situation. Your lawyer will use the information you provide as well as the documentation you produce to help you make this decision. Be completely honest with your lawyer or they could misguide you which could have serious implications. Chapter 7 involves liquidating all your assets and beginning a fresh. Chapter 13 on the other hand involves negotiated payment of debt. Each has its pros and cons and your lawyer will address each so that you can arrive a well thought out decision.

Beyond guiding you through the bankruptcy proceedings, your lawyer will help you get help that will keep you out of financial trouble in future as well as get you back on your financial feet. There are professionals who can help you with budgeting, financial planning, savings and other financial services. A lot of them will charge a minimal fee or offer free services as they understand that they are working with people who are in financial trouble.

If you know the people who understand how to claim bankruptcy you will find that the process could be much easier for you as opposed to the situation of deciding to go it yourself. It is important to note that bankruptcy should be an opportunity for you to reorganize yourself and prepare for a return to financial well being. Try and take care of your finances by following solid financial advice and you will never need to apply the information on this article.

Who Wants to Buy Yahoo?

One of the more troubled technology firms in recent years has been Yahoo. Once the darling of internet and high tech investors, they have hit a rough patch as of late marked by several changes in management and a failed buyout offer from Microsoft. The latest report fresh from the Wall Street Journal is that AOL is considering taking over the company, and this was enough to surge the share price of Yahoo by 15%.

There are several reasons why this deal will never happen, and should not happen.


1. AOL is a much smaller company, and taking over Yahoo will put it in serious debt. Most of Yahoo’s web properties aren’t turning a great profit, so they are of little value to AOL.

2. AOL is increasingly focused on content, something that Yahoo just doesn’t have much of. True they have Flickr, and some good sites like Yahoo News and Yahoo Sports, but they don’t have a lot of original content that AOL looking for right now.

3. Yahoo is looking to sell its most valuable asset, which most people have never heard of. A company called Alibaba that produces online trading software for the Chinese Market.



When companies like this take a big rise off of some news based on rumor or innuendo, it’s a great time to short them. If you’d like to know more about shorting stocks or just learning more about how the market works, check out Global Finance School.

The offer online e-learning courses for newcomers to the world of investing and markets.

Forex Trading for Beginners: A Disciplined Approach is a Key for Success

Trading currencies, or forex as it is known, has experienced dramatic growth and popularity over the past decade due to its inherent flexibility and easy access via the Internet to sophisticated trading programs that do most of the work that in bygone days was left to the trader to assimilate. The currency market is the largest and most liquid market in the world with average daily turnover exceeding $3 trillion. Over half of this volume is between banks, but retail forex trading is the subset of the market where consumers can participate with the aid of a competent brokerage service.

However, trading forex is a risky proposition and falls at the very top of the risk pyramid when its risk profile is compared to other investment vehicles. Specialized training is required, coupled with practice on virtual systems, in order to prepare oneself for the fast action and swings of the market. As with any performance-driven profession, one needs to hone their respective skills in order to compete and be successful.

As with all investments, forex trading is all about managing risk, and there are tried and true methods for achieving this objective. For a beginner, he must accept his “amateur” status and bridle his impatience. The urge to leap into the market and begin trading right and left is compelling, but the majority of those that react to this urge soon find their pockets empty and their confidence rattled. However, a beginner need not have this experience if he follows a straightforward learning regimen:

• Knowledge: Gain awareness by reading as much as possible on the topic. Internet websites and free tutorials are great for this task. Your goal is to become familiar with terms and the lingo so that each new piece of information about the craft makes sense to you. Enroll in a structured class to receive mentoring from an expert. He will help you choose a broker and form a trading strategy;
• Experience: Your broker will have a forex demo account to practice with real trading data and virtual capital. Successful traders swear by their practice time, claiming that months were required to develop the confidence and consistency needed for real market conditions. There are no shortcuts to gaining experience;
• Controlling Your Emotions: You must have a disciplined approach to the market before you enter it and to guide your decision-making once you are in a position. There is a psychology to trading in a highly stressful fast-paced situation. Your plan will help you stop your losing trades and allow your winners to run.

The reference to a disciplined approach to the market cannot be overstressed. Managing risk is what forex trading is all about, and what we mean by this statement is that you never enter the market without protecting yourself from adverse swings in the market. You will have losing and winning trades, but your objective is to keep the “net” of all of your trades in positive territory. You do that by employing sound risk management techniques. Let’s look first at a definition:

Currency Risk, sometimes referred to as exchange rate risk, is the possibility that currency depreciation will negatively affect the value of one’s investments.

Part of a forex trader’s plan involves assessing the risk/reward of a potential trade before its execution. Different currency pairs have differing volatilities in the market, such that a fixed number of “pips” or basis points in the currency quote is not recommended as a measure of risk. Traders use an “ATR” indicator, which is the average trading range for one trading period for the last twenty trading periods. If the value were 30 pips, then a calculated downside of 70%, or about 20 pips below his entry point, is where the trader would set his stop loss order. Using a 2:1 ratio, in this situation a trader would expect to gain 40 pips before considering an exit.

A Stop Loss Order is an instruction given to your broker to automatically liquidate your open position for a currency when a specific price is reached. The placement of these orders should occur right after you establish a position in the market. Lazy traders that ignore this prudent practice soon learn to regret their neglect. Currency markets are known for dramatic swings in either direction as new information is released.

The principles discussed above are the “basics”. Forex traders should also never risk money that they cannot afford to lose and should place only a manageable portion of their capital at risk in any one position. Money management, coupled with proper risk mitigation, allows a trader to survive and thrive in the world of forex. Caution and a disciplined approach to the market are the hallmarks of success.

Saving Money Comes To People As An Afterthought

So you enjoy a savings account. Oh, really? A lot of people have saving accounts but find it hard to deposit into it. This is a very common problem and you may be experiencing it. When your paycheck arrives, it is usually deposited automatically to your checking account to pay the never ending stream of bills and expenses.

But before you go rushing to your bank to close your savings account, consider first putting it to good use. Here’s how to save more money using your savings account. The scheme is you talk to your employer and ask if they can deposit a part of your paycheck to your savings account as well. And that’s it.

It doesn’t really matter how much is deposited, just keep this scheme going to ensure that your money is saved before it’s spent. It’s that simple but why is it very effective?

When you receive your income, you will most probably do some budgeting and allocate the money to bills, rent or mortgage, groceries and other necessities and expenses. Left over money, if there is, is what usually end up as savings.

The problem is, for most of the times, nothing is left to be added to your savings. There is almost never any money left. If there is, left over money still has to survive your temptations of spending them. If you have excess money and it’s easily accessible, your tendency is use it to buy the first beautiful dress you see, or the latest electronic upgrade for your computer and other fancy materials that may catch your attention.

Automatic and regular deposits of your income to your savings account mean you don’t have to think about it and you don’t have to rely on what’s left. The money is already saved before you have to think about expenses and before you can spend it on other things.

You don’t get to hold the money and be tempted to spend it for comfort goods. Automatic savings is very easy to do, thanks to modern day technology and automated systems. Although some employers don’t allow this splitting, most banks can make a direct link between your savings and checking accounts.

Instruct your bank to establish an automated transfer between the two accounts on a regular basis. Say your paycheck arrives every Monday, you can set an automatic transfer for a fixed amount of money to coincide with this day. How much you save matters only if you are planning on a goal.

But if you are saving just for keeps, even $20 every payday is so much better than nothing. However, it is highly suggested that you allot at least 5% of your total income to go to your savings. What matters, as has been repeated, is that you keep this going for as long you can, for as long as possible.

Couple your savings with the bank’s interest rate and you are definitely going to have a wealthy sum you can use for the future or whenever needed.

You can use all these strategies to save money, reduce debt and improve your life but it means nothing unless you have a foolproof method automatically set up to do it for you. Get my FREE money saving secrets set on auto pilot at: www.the-richest-man-in-babylon.com

Finally Google Gets a Film Treatment from Groundswell Productions

Earlier this year, it was the founders of Facebook who had a game changing geek poised by telling their story on a movie screen. This time its Michael London's "Groundswell Productions" who recently teamed with Producer John Morris and acquired the movie rights of the book called "Googled: The End of the World as we Know it" by Ken Auletta.

As per the sources in their production house, they will be using the book as the blueprint for their feature film that will basically tell a story of Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the founders ofGoogle Inc. It is their credibility and the fast rise of their web business that made them billionaires.

The book was published by Penguin Publishers. Ken Auletta is also a media columnist with the New York Times. As per the book the income worth of $20 Billion only came from the Ads that were published in the search engine driven octopus. The CEO of Google Inc. already predicted to Ken Auletta that Google will be the only company that will become world's first $100 Billion media company.

The story of the Facebook founder has been already told in the upcoming movie "The Social Network" which is directed by David Fincher. The movie revolves around a group of friends who basically squabbed in success.

Google was founded by the duo when they were students in Stanford completing their Ph. D. They wanted to establish a better search engine. They started Google with their own principles. They believed, "You can make money without doing evil and You can be serious without a suit."

In a press media, London said that, the movie will only focus on how they tried to built Google with their idealism as they turned Google into global phenomenon. The only challenge for London and his team is to find a grip on the success story that will be made for compelling screen drama.

Maria Sharapova Rules as the Top Paid Women in Sports

The world's best tennis players will compete against each other for the final Grand Slam title of the year with US open kicking off at the end of the August. The real action lies off the court when these super sports person signs and become the brand ambassadors for lucrative endorsement deals like apparel, shoes and racket companies.

No doubt Serena Williams is the No. 1 ranked player but she can never match the earning power of Maria Sharapova off the court. All the credit goes to the blue chip companies like Nike, Ericsson, Sony, Tiffany etc who signed Sharapova as their Brand Ambassadors.

As per the sources, Maria pulled in approx $24.5 million over the past year which made her the highest paid female athlete in the world. She earned almost $1 million from the prize money and the rest was derived from appearance fees and lucrative endorsements.

Sharapova's major breakthrough came when she won her first grand slam title back in the year 2004 at Wimbledon. As a result of her success and beautiful looks she signed some major deals with Canon, Palmolive, Colgate and Motorola. Not only this, at the beginning of that year she also signed a eight year contract with Nike which is worth of $70 million.

How Overspending Can Be Tamed

Saving money is not an easy task, but if you realize that it is the easiest and safest way to prepare money for future use, you begin to consider saving as an essential part of your daily budgeting.

The ultimate goal of effective saving is to spend less than you earn. If you tend to spend above your means, it is the start of you falling into debts. Thus, the secret to saving effectively is to spend wisely and therefore, the best way to save money is to stop overspending.

To do this, you need to examine the roots of overspending. A great percentage of people are victimized by credit cards. You may not be an exception. Take a quick look in your mailbox and you’ll quickly realize why your money seems to fly so fast.

You are flooded with credit card bills, auto loans, mortgages and other bills on a daily basis. Credit companies may promise you easy money, but the problem starts when you begin to accumulate credits you can’t pay for.

If you make a purchase and realize at the end of the month that you can’t repay in full, you are now trapped on the slippery slope of debt. You may promise yourself that you’ll have enough the next month but this promise is rarely kept.

At this point, high interest rates of credit cards can really hurt you and you may end up paying for more than your original purchase. Credits are truly monsters to your saving dream, so start using cash.

This way, you can feel that you are really spending your money. Credit and debit cards are easily swiped and funds are automatically whisked from your accounts. Without the physical act of handing down money to another person’s hand, you may feel you aren’t spending money at all.

This is the main reason why most people seem to overspend on their credit cards. Use cash whenever possible so you can more easily tell when you are going overboard. Aside from credits, your comfort zones may also be snatching your money.

Everyone sure loves having a good time with friends and family, but ensure that these parties are within your financial limits. From time to time, everyone needs to unwind. As they say, we must enjoy life. However, it is also necessary that we know when to decline.

Don’t squander your money today for guilty pleasures if it is not within your budget. Think of cheaper alternatives, or have the party some other time. Shoes, dresses, video games, and even books are also comfort zones that eat up your savings.

Actually, there’s really nothing wrong with these things as long as you don’t go overboard. This is the time when you can keep some amount from your budget and use it for these. You’ll enjoy your purchase and enjoy it even more when you know you won’t spend the next years paying it off at 15% interest.

Saving may be requiring you to sacrifice a lot of your comforts. But in this world where economies are going down, it is no longer an option but a must for every person to save money.

You can use all these strategies to save money, reduce debt and improve your life but it means nothing unless you have a foolproof method automatically set up to do it for you. Get my FREE money saving secrets set on auto pilot at: www.the-richest-man-in-babylon.com

About the Author

Dan Cavalli has written hundreds of articles on business subjects. He is an entrepreneur, expert on small-business success, retail troubleshooter, and business strategist. *Australia’s newspaper “The Financial Review” called him one of Australia’s “Internet’s Untold Millionaires” and “Telecommunication Tycoons”. An Author of the International selling book: ‘Blueprint for Making Millions’ http://www.blueprintformakingmillions.com.

How Much Worth is Our US Presidents?

Have you ever wondered how much George Washington was worth of? Or how much is President Obama worth of? I know it might sound funny and weird to you but the fact is there was a time when the real worth of these people was estimated by the National Survey of America. This post might help the young readers as it will motivate them to do something great in life.

It is of no help in the financial endeavor of people who have already settled their financial life well. In the articles by the National Survey of America, they presented the entire list of the presidents starting from George Washington to Obama with their net worth figures. Not only this they also mentioned how they actually built this net worth amount.

I could not resist myself in copy pasting the list. I really apologize guys. I know its your hard work but I want my readers to go through that list too :)

Obviously it was not possible for me to paste all the 43 president's name here but I at least mentioned the names of those whom I personally liked and who became the president for some reason or the other. And please after seeing the list do not start commenting on the figures. These figures are the approximate values which were calculated. This is how it was calculated.

please note that they have calculated the figures keep in mind the dollar value in 2010.

Famous Presidents & Their Net Worths:

President (#)	Net Worth
George Washington (1st) John Adams (2nd) Thomas Jefferson (3rd) Abraham Lincoln (16th) Ulysses Simpson Grant (18th) Theodore Roosevelt (26th) John Fitzgerald Kennedy (35th) Lyndon Baines Johnson (36th) Richard Milhous Nixon (37th) William Jefferson Clinton (42nd) George W. Bush (43rd) Barack Hussein Obama (44th)	$525 million $19 million $212 million $1 Million $1 Million $125 million $1 billion $98 Million $15 million $38 million $20 million $5 million

So the winner over here is George Washington. Most of them have built their net worth with their real estate investments, books, autobiographies, interviews, etc. Trust if you are a finance savvy you will definitely like this.

Finally I decided to Buy a New Laptop for Me

I am very excited as I got a very good deal on a very new to me laptop earlier this week. My previous desktop, an HP Compaq had a core 2 Duo chip with all old specifications. It was running all fine since last month when a drop of coffee lead to its death completely after repeated opening and closing over a period of one month.




I was happy to have my previous computer as well. The time when I bought that from the HP outlet, it had all the latest specifications. It cost me around $500. When I purchased that I was firm on purchasing a laptop in a year or two. And so here I am with all new Dell Studio XPS 1645 notebook which cost me around $950. My earlier computer had 4 GB of memory space and this laptop gives me around 8 GB of memory space. Wooooohh!!!

You must be wondering why my eye was on this particular notebook. Here are the few reasons for this:

1.) Screen : Earlier I had a screen with 1440x990 resolution which I have changed to 1920x1080 resolution on a 15.6 inches screen. It was expensive but I thought that laptops are not purchased everyday, so its better to have the best from the rest. The best part of the screen is that you can easily squeeze it into more pixels any time you want.

2.) Processor : I went to the shop keeper and he told me they have Intel Quad-Core i7-720 QM available. He spoke that too fast though. Since I am not a tech savvy so I asked him to give me the best processor they had. So he gave me the processor with the bench mark speed of 3235 which my earlier PC had 1113.

3.) Memory : My new notebook comes with a 8 GB memory space. I Know thats not a huge upgrade from the earlier which was 4 GB. Since I will be using 64 bit version of windows 7 so I guess 8 GB of memory space will be the best improvement.

4.) Hard Drive : It is better to have a fast hard drive than having a large hard drive. My new hard drive spins at approx 7200RPM. I guess the 320 GB is more than enough to hold my basic business applications.

5.) Operating System : No doubt i will be moving to Windows 7 because I dint like windows Vista so much. It is much complicated than windows 7.

6.) Battery : For batter I got a very good offer. When i went to the shop they were having some discount season on batteries. S0, I opted for a 9 cell battery. It means that I am getting 35% extra battery usage from the normal 6 cell batteries.

I consulted few people before purchasing this. I had a discussion with different shop keepers about this and its price. Finally it cost me all in total around 950 USD.

Prize Money of $US420 million Reserved for 2010 FIFA World Cup

Like any other football world cups, the South Africa 2010 football world cup will also churn out with dollops of entertainment this time. A game with all highs, lows, celebrations and disappointments will turn out to be a complete family entertainment just like its predecessors. In the picturesque land of South Africa, the 32 qualified teams will battle for the world class honor for their respective countries. The heroes of the game will fight till the last to perform and display the seemingly impossible game with the emotions, blood, sweat, tears and passion of the players.



FIFA as an oldest organization have acknowledged the tremendous hard work and effort of the players and have fixed a total prize money of $US420 million. The organization has also decided that the prize money will be distributed among the team members only after considering their over all performance in the tournament.

For the status and legacy of the tournament the prize money of $US 420 Million dollar has been fixed. Not only this, the prize money has been increased 60% to what it was in the year 2006 world cup. There was meeting held at the Robben Islands where the President of the FIFA organization, Sepp Blatter with 24 men executive committee announced that the champions of the tournament will receive a cash prize of $US 30 million whereas the 1st runner up will take away the cash prize of $US 20 million.

With this, the General Secretary of FIFA, Jerome Valcke also announced a sum of $US 40 million for the best clubs of the world. This money will be shared with those clubs whose players are participating in the World Cup. For the insurance of the players from the clubs, a sum of $US 40 million has been set aside.

Jerome claimed that each and every club will receive a cash prize of $1600 per day per player whose players are playing in the world cup. All the 32 teams will get a total prize money of $US 1 million prior to the commencement of the tournament.

The teams will fight against each other for the prize money as well as for the beautiful world cup in the cities of Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, etc. The tournament begins on 11th June, 2010 and will end on 11th July.

Lets blow three cheers for the world cup, the teams, the players and lastly the host South Africa.

Be Your Own Marketing Mentor

Whenever it comes to marketing, most of the time we remember that person who taught us a new way of thinking with regard to marketing and terms related to it. It might be anyone from the author of the book, a speaker at an industry seminar, or maybe any relative business show. With all the entrepreneurial enthusiasm I found out 10 most successful business men and women quotes related to marketing and its related industry. So, I just thought of sharing the list with all of you.




1.) Jeff Widman (Marketing Mentor : Seth Godin)

Be the first to sell the experience and relationship and not just the widget of the space. Widgets are sold by second place company whose only aim is to gain market share to compete on prices.


2.) Everett Reiss (Marketing Mentor : Jim Kukral)

Always develop a content that solve queries of your target audience's problem. No matter its perfect or not but it should be very relevant and helpful for them.


3.) Armelle Cloche (Marketing Mentor : Jay Abraham)

There are only 3 ways of increasing business profits : increase the number of clients, number of sales per client and number of times client returns and buy again.


4.) Ciara Pressler (Marketing Mentor : Jack Trout)

Differentiation should be the key. There should always be a competition so that you can perform better every day. They have to identify and promote things which make their products worth buying.


5.) Lora Carr (Marketing Mentor : Sarah Petty)

No need to leave co-marketing alone. With other boutique business it makes more sense


6.) Claudia Copquin (Marketing Mentor : Jim Mc Cann)

Never be afraid of asking any question. With no marketing budget also you can come out as a large company.


7.) Jason Cannon (Marketing Mentor : Sarah Petty)

If you have a strong product, are passionate at what you do, you love people and your community, then you will definitely enjoy your job from all the prospects.


8.) Adam Kleinberg (Marketing Mentor : Brook Lundy)

Only great creative ideas matters and can survive.




9.) Sean Horrigan (Marketing Mentor : David Meerman Scott)

Always believe what you publish. Each and every business has got its own information that can now or later can contribute to the huge market place.


10.) David Langton (Marketing Mentor : My Mother)

You have to give time to your target audience. Understand their requirements first. If you can understand things from their point of view you can surely market the ideas yourself.

Is it a Wise Idea to Invest in Goldman Sachs?

Goldman Sachs has become the worst place in United States because of its recent milestones. The reasons are :

1.) All the residents of America are very angry with Goldman

2.) Investors are too worried about their stocks which went down about 13% as soon as Security Exchange Commission's news broke.

3.) The SEC still believes that the company has broken all their laws.

4.) GS is taking the fall for the entire mortgage crisis and economic downfall.

5.) They are referred as "Bad Guy" these days.




How does it matter that Goldman Sachs has done anything wrong or not? What they are doing right now is that they are are taking huge public relations right now. I don't know how many of you watched the senatorial hearings last weekend, the Government is only blaming GS for the entire Global Warming.

So why would person invest their money in Goldman Sachs's stocks?

Because our own Warren Buffet asked us to. I would like to quote what he mentioned in the last media hearing last weekend. He still thinks Goldman is the only attractive stock right now :

He said, "Be greedy when others are fearing and be fearful when others are greedy"

I guess this only suits Goldman and no one else. And you know what? Warren Buffet himself owns $5 billion worth of stocks of Goldman with a 10% sweet dividend and that is why he is backing the reputation of the company in public.

Goldman Sachs has been always famous for having smartest people working in its company. In fact it still holds this position. No matter the company is found guilty of any wrong deeds or not, the reputation of GS will not at all hamper in the long run.

I am not at all advising you to buy the stocks of Goldman Sachs but if you are a fan of its stock from before, this would be the best time to renew it. Remember, that a 13% discount doesn't come that often. All the best.

Yes, You Conquered Your College and Now Time to Conquer your Finances

Anyone will feel very happy and excited after conquering the college but more important than conquering the college is having a win over your personal finances. You should follow these easy to digest to do things to make it possible after you graduate.

Make sure You have a Convenient Checking Account

Having a checking account is no big deal. But make sure it is convenient enough. Always keep in mind that the checking account should be of a bank with ATM in the city you are residing. This is important so that you can anytime deposit your paychecks and also withdraw money whenever you wish to.




Have a Good Knowledge of your Credit

You have to make sure that your credit history is good enough to have a good credit report. This will indicate how responsible you are when it comes to paying off the bills. Your credit report and score often determines your ability to get any type of loan in future.


Get A Credit Card on Your Name

It will help you in having a good credit history so that you can easily get loan on big purchases like for a house or a car. It will also help in establishing your credibility big time.


Understand your Salary well

It is for sure that not all your earnings of the salary will go in your wallet. There might be a possibility of going some in your taxes, into your saving accounts, you can put some into your retirement account too. So keep a track on how much money you are spending each month.


Prepare a Budget

Preparing a budget is no big deal but sticking to it, is really difficult. There are many people who follow their budget well and that keeps them in discipline of money control. Take help of any budget calculator if possible.


Understand the importance of Savings Account

In case of any financial pothole, the savings account will act as a savior for you and your family. There might be a possibility that you lose your job, so in these times your savings will help you. Make sure you save money that can cover your at least eight months living cost. So as soon as you get your first salary open a savings account.


Understand the value of Retirement Savings

Maybe today you are full of energy and can work ten hours everyday, but the time will come when you will grow old and at time you will need to enjoy the fruits of your hard work. Different types of retirement accounts include 401(K), Roth IRA, Traditional IRA.


Get A Health Insurance done as soon as possible

If you are not taking proper care of your health while working then you are risking yours as well as your families life. Who knows if you fall ill, you need to pay a hefty bill on for your illness. So it is advisable that have a good health Insurance policy as soon as possible.


Get hold of Your Taxes

Seriously having a grip on your taxes well can save you loads and loads of money. Always keep in mind that April 15th is considered as the Tax day. For tax return you need to file these forms : forms 1040EZ, 1040A and 1040.



Pay off your Bills on Time

1st things first. Go to the nearby bank and open your credit card statement and bills account. Make sure that your billing statement is 100% correct. Never pay on something you didn't buy. Cross check your statement more than once.


Follow these quick steps and I am sure like the way you conquered your college, you will also win over your personal finances as soon as possible.

Money is something for which you trade your life energy

Have you ever wondered when are you going to die? Sounds strange, Isn't it? Today I visited one of the site which actually predicted my year, month and day of death. Though I never believe in these things still just for fun I wanted to see how many more days I am alive. How can a website estimate how much life you have left. That is not at all possible.

But the question is what this have to do with personal finance? It is actually very much related because that can help us in revealing what we think of our money?

What is Money according to u? As per me it is :

A medium or an exchange involved for the payments of your debts. Money is power, it is a source of luxurious living, a source of comfort and security. The best definition that I have come a crossed about money is : "Money is Something for which you trade your life energy"

Give a deep thought on this. Majority of people in this world get money by giving up some part of our lives. Just imagine you go for work, work hard, earn some money and by this time your death clock is ticking down. No doubt when you are young, you are more energetic and can convert some of this excess into money. But the saddest part is that it only a conversion not a storehouse.

Our life is traded for money and once it is done, it cannot be changed back to original. The only goal that would left with us would be of striking a balance to convert the sufficient life energy into the money that you will need for enjoying rest of your life.

Cost Counting

To apply this principle you need to find out your hourly wage. This will help you in providing the information on how much your life energy is actually worth of. This is how you will be able to measure the cost of money spent equivalent of value of life energy lost. Why not you try some eye opening conversions i.e. take general examples from your daily life. Like:

Calculate how much energy do you spend at your work? Check if you spend less energy and still you can be happy or not? how much energy you are using to buy any new things for your family and many more such examples.

I am not saying that you should never spend money, but you should find a point where you are spending more and still being happy and joyful. You have to learn to say " I have enough and I dont need more... ".

So always remember that when ever next time you spend enough money do nos forget to ask yourself how many hours all these purchases costing you, not only this, is it really worth or not? Do come back and share your views with us.

Romance on a Budget

With Valentines Day just round the corner its once again time for a pleasant surprise for your beloved. Valentine's day is a symbol of love, cupids, roses and of course hearts. Several days before the love holiday begins, the stores are lined up with an assortment of expensive gifts for your partners. As the day approaches, you may find the your thoughts have begun to turn to finding the best gift for your partner, for that special someone in your life.




Expensive gifts often proves to your loved ones that how much you love them, but they will also make a pretty hefty dent in your wallet. So what can a frugal minded person plan for the valentines day? Giving an expensive gift always will not help your love boost, but giving something special to your loved ones will definitely arouse that feeling of love in them.

Let me share some of my ideas with all of you on what you should gift him or her on this day of love and romance.

Some cheap Valentine's gifts for her

No doubt girls love flowers, chocolates, soft toys and also sweet things whispered into their ears. I have seen many of you gift your partner traditional fourteen roses in a bunch on valentines day. Rather what you can do is gift her one rose everyday starting from 1st February to 14th February. The best thing is one rose per day will be less expensive for you. The prices of the flowers are inflated on the V-day.

I agree that women love roses but roses now days have become very boring and moreover the prices of roses are extremely high on v-day. Now you will think of giving carnations to her instead of roses. Please do not do that. Carnations are cheap alternatives to roses. A bouquet of daisies is a better choice.

Time is the best gift you can give to your partner. Women love spending time with their partners. I would advice you not to waste your money on restaurant bills, rather spend the day in opting something she loves.

If you really want to surprise her then learn cooking a month before v-day and prepare the dish she loves. Trust me cooking is a very seductive way of celebrating this love day.

If she loves reading, then spend sometime with her in any book store, buy her the most recent novel. Pamper her with some sandwiches and coffee as she enjoys a good read.

If your partner is a sports freak, then spend sometime in afternoon teaching her favorite sport, maybe watching some games with her or maybe take her out for a live match.




Some cheap Valentine's gifts for him

A women should not gather information from various means of media and decide the gift for his partner. Rather she should create a gift which she thinks will be unique for his man.

If your partner loves sports, then you should give him a treat by surprising him with chilled beer and nachos and by watching with him a non-interrupted game of his choice.

If you guy is an Art lover, then surprise him by taking him to a candle light dinner and visit a local art exhibition with him. If you want you can buy him a painting which is usually at a lower cost.

If he is into music, then download all his favorite songs and gift him a CD. Both of you can enjoy a perfect dinner with a perfect music of his choice and then a perfect long drive. Keep a few dollars with yourself aside so that you can buy him a CD pack of his favorite band.

If he loves photography then take him out to the country side for the best photograph sessions.

Love an be expressed in many ways. Gifts can be many but the only special gift which you can give him or her is togetherness. That is an ultimate gift for your partner and that is the ultimate deceleration of your love on Valentine's day.

Understanding your finances:1st step to controlling your debt

If you don't really understand your finances, you're bound to find it harder to get / keep them under control. It's true of anything, but it's particularly true of personal finance matters - that's one reason there are so many companies, charities and government organizations which exist to help people get to grips with their money and control their debts.

Understanding your finances: income and expenditure

1. How much do you earn?
2. How much do you spend?

These two questions are right at the heart of your personal finances. When you know exactly where your money is coming from and exactly where it's going, you'll know:

1. How much you can afford to put towards your debts every month.
2. Where you can cut back on your spending so you can put more towards your debts and get 'back in the black' faster.
3. When your situation is serious and you need to look for debt help.

So, start by writing down everything you receive in a month:

• Wages, child benefit, income support, tax credits, Jobseeker's Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Disability Living Allowance, etc.

Add it all up to get your Total income.

Next, write down everything you need to spend in a month:

• Rent/mortgage, secured loan payments, council tax, utility bills, pension contributions, phone bills, TV licence, housekeeping, child care, the cost of essential transport, clothing and food, etc.

(Please note that this list includes payments to your priority debts but not payments to your non-priority debts (see below).)

Add it all up to get your Total expenditure.

Take your Total expenditure away from your Total income and you'll get your Disposable income. This is the money that's available for:

• Making payments to your non-priority debts.
• Spending on non-essential goods and services.
• Saving.

Understanding debt

• Priority debts

Your priority debts are the most important ones, with the most serious consequences if you don't keep up with them.

If you fall behind on your payments, you could have your possessions removed by bailiffs, or have your gas / electricity supply cut off. If the worst comes to the worst, you could be evicted - or even imprisoned! (Having said that, you should have plenty of warning if any of your creditors were thinking about taking action against you, giving you the opportunity to get some debt advice and sort out your problems before things got so far.)

• Non-priority debts

Unsecured loans. Credit cards. Store cards. Catalogue debts. Overdrafts. Some Hire Purchase agreements (for non-essential goods).

These are your non-priority debts - but that doesn't mean you don't have to repay them! It just means they're less important than your priority debts, since the consequences of non-payment aren't as serious.

So staying on top of your non-priority debts is important - but staying on top of your priority debts is vital. That's why your priority debt payments make up part of your Total expenditure. Your non-priority debt payments will have to come out of your Disposable income.

If your Disposable income isn't enough to cover your payments to your non-priority lenders, your creditors may agree to accept lower payments if you ask them - and show them that this is the best way for you to clear your debts. Just bear in mind:

1. They won't know you need help unless you tell them.
2. You need to take action as soon as possible, before your creditors decide that they need to.
3. You don't have to do it alone. Click here for help with managing debt.

Find Answers to Foreclosure Questions on Foreclosure Avoid

Nearly everyone I talk to has been affected by the real estate crisis in one way or another. From the very wealth to the extremely poor, everyone has been touched in some fashion. Even the commercial real estate market is now starting to get hit.


With so many businesses cutting back or closing their doors, more and more office spaces are sitting empty. Foreclosures seem to create more questions than they do answers.



While it's true that a few real estate investors are finding some great bargains on foreclosed homes, home owners are left out in the cold wondering how this happened and what the will do next. One site, Foreclosure Avoid, has put together foreclosure blog which helps home owners find answers to their questions about foreclosures. Do not miss to check this interesting video :