Return Of The Monster

The Monster of the title is none other than Dollar Monster. Anyone who had dealings with Dollar Monster previously believed the beast had been slain by its owners but, it seems, it had just been banished and now is baaaaaaaaaack (as it says in its ads). Presumably the owners of Dollar Monster believe they have remained out of sight long enough for people to have forgiven or forgotten the events of 2004.

Dollar Monster pretends to be a friendly little monster who will help you to make money. It says: "DollarMonster's #1 priority is helping you make money!" In fact, its clear from the website that Dollar Monster will make the money for you and you can just sit back in your easy chair and do nothing. Dollar Monster claims to be the lazy person's way of making money; that should be a big enough hint that this program does not offer a legitimate way to make money.

Dollar Monster is a money doubler. Money Doubler programs enjoyed a brief spell of popularity back in 2004. Their popularity ended as one money doubler program after another closed owing members large sums of money and the whole money doubler industry was exposed as being a scam consisting of numerous pyramid schemes. The surprising thing is that the new Dollar Monster website refers to 2004 and to the notorious Easy Chair Club (sometimes described as the biggest Internet scam in recent history). It would seem more sensible for this site to pretend to have no connection whatsoever with the Easy Chair Club or the Dollar Monster that existed in 2004. In fact, it would seem more sensible to open up using an entirely different name because the people who joined Dollar Monster (or its sister site, My Magic Doubler) the first time round aren't going to be sucked in again and will warn people not to take part in the program.

The way money doublers work is that you pay money to the program, other people sign up after you and also pay money in. When enough has been paid in by new members, you get paid double the amount you first invested. The people whose money was used to pay you, get paid when members have paid enough cash in after them and so on

When money doubler programs are first launched, the cycle time is very short (it can be a matter of hours) but as more people join the cycle time gets longer because the number of new members required to cycle existing member positions grows exponentially. Eventually, the cycle time becomes so long the program ceases to attract new members and, when the cash injections dry up, the doubler stalls. With no new recruits bringing in cash, the members on the lowest level don't get double their money back, they lose all the money they paid in. At this point, the program and its owner normally disappear.

Money Doubler programs can survive for anything from a matter of hours up to several months. The ones that disappear within hours are normally run by outright crooks who had no intention of paying any money out to anyone. As soon as they have obtained a substantial sum of cash, they just vanish with it. If you are lucky you might avoid these particular crooks and might even make some money. One thing that is guaranteed is that if you aren't lucky enough to join at the right time, you will lose your money.

I hope the return of Dollar Monster does not signal the start of a new money doubler craze. People who were not around in 2004 might take to money doublers as a replacement for the rapidly declining autosurf for cash programs. In 2004 I fell for the story that money doublers were legitimate programs and the money they paid out came from advertising revenue. I speak from experience when I say that if you want to make money on the Internet, you have to work for it. Dollar Monster and similar money doubler programs are not an alternative to working for a living.

Visit Elaine Currie at her Work At Home Income Directory Website to start your Home Business today. http://www.HuntingVenus.comAubrette Blog37987
Ainsley Blog80542

Is It Time for a Band Manager?

Great Managers & How to Find Them

A rock headliner-turned-artist manager shares her insights into the business side of music.

By Maureen Herman

August 9, 2006

In 1991 I was living in a drafty warehouse on Chicago's South Side, practicing with my band in the basement and playing local clubs -- until I got a call that would change my life.

An old friend phoned with news that the bassist had quit the band and asked if I'd like to join. That band, Babes in Toyland, had just signed to Reprise and was about to record their major label debut. I joined. In two weeks I was on tour, with a recording session scheduled immediately after we got off the road.

In true punk rock fashion, we split all of the work. But things soon became hectic, and it became an overwhelming responsibility to keep on top of our business -- touring, recording, upgrading equipment, something about ASCAP, and needing someone to tell us that A&R didn't stand for Artists & Restaurants. We wanted an ally, someone like us who understood what we were doing, who knew the business and could help us protect our interests and image.

It was time to get a manager.

In all my previous bands, I'd never thought of having a manager or even known what music business people really did. Entrenched in the DIY ethic of Chicago's indie scene, when I pictured a manager, I saw a cheap suit, a cigar, and a snake holding someone else's money.

Fast-forward a few years, and today I'm a music business executive. I dress pretty cheaply sometimes, and I do smoke cigarettes -- but I know now that most managers out there are not thief-like Svengalis. By and large they're hard-working people from all walks of life, with a passion for music and a respect for artists. How do you find one of these managers -- someone who has the drive, if not the experience, to nurture your career?

Glad you asked.

Where do I find a manager and what does it look like?

'Be clear early on about where you could use some help. Look at the people around you -- can any of them offer you that help?'

Calling up a big coastal management firm is not the best first step in finding representation -- especially if you're a "baby band" (which is an unappealing term used by the industry to describe a band that's just starting out or shopping for a deal). The best thing to do is look at the people closest to the band -- people who appreciate what you're doing and can offer constructive support. It may be the friend who's always helping you put up flyers and load out equipment at the end of the night. Or maybe it's the woman who books the club you call home and awards you the primo slots. Those situations can grow naturally and successfully into management/client relationships. Witness Maggie McPherson, formerly booking agent for the Uptown Bar in Minneapolis, now manager of then-local bar band and current Columbia artists the Jayhawks.

Many managers, like me, become involved with no intention of full-time management. Instead, they see a talent, become passionate about its potential, and feel they can contribute something to that artist's drive for success. Steve Hutton of Upper Cut Management was a friend of Kid Rock's back in Detroit and, until recently, his manager. "There was a local band that I really liked," Hutton recalls. "I started working with them. I used that as an excuse to network and teach myself the business."

Like Hutton, Janet Billig at Immortal Entertainment has an eye for indie talent and has learned about how to develop it on the job. One of her first clients in the early '90s was Courtney Love and her band Hole; she now works with Lisa Loeb, Cibo Matto, and Guided by Voices, and partners in a film production company with Love. "At different stages of an artist's career, you need a manager to do different things," Billig says. "Sometimes newer artists think, 'I need someone to help me design flyers.' Well, some managers might be really good for making flyers, but that may not be the best use of their time or abilities. Think of how they can facilitate your goals instead of thinking of them as your personal assistant."

In other words, be clear early on about where you could use some help. Look at the people around you -- can any of them offer you that help? What could you give them in return?

'A manager needs to love and appreciate the music of an artist, but they also need to be able to tell them the truth.' -- Danny Goldberg

Is experience necessary in a good manager?

Let's say you're thinking about asking someone who has a track record with other artists to manage you. The fact that this person has been in the music business gives you grounds for doing some research. Danny Goldberg, currently Chairman & CEO of Artemis Records, founded Gold Mountain Management and counted Nirvana, the Beastie Boys, Bonnie Raitt, and Rickie Lee Jones among his clients. "If someone's dishonest with other people," he warns, "they're going to be that way with you. Bands should also avoid managers who are intimidated by them. A manager needs to love and appreciate the music of an artist and like them, but they also need to be able to tell them the truth, which sometimes includes bad news or advice they don't want to hear."

Sometimes these qualities can compensate for a lack of experience. "Depending on how far along the artist is in their development, the manager should have some skills and expertise in the business," Goldberg continues. "If they don't have direct expertise, they should have a temperament that makes them open-minded and able to learn."

Steve Hutton agrees. "People should not look down on managers who haven't had success yet. Everyone has to start somewhere, and frankly, a lot of times a new manager may be better than an experienced one, because you're probably going to be their only act and their most important work. The experienced manager has other acts and more things on their plate."

Beyond honesty and respect for the artist, what qualities are important for the novice -- and veteran -- manager? "Patience and perseverance are the two most essential qualities," says Hutton. "You cannot be tenacious enough. At the same time, you have to be diplomatic, creative, and intelligent."

That's just the beginning, according to Boche Billions, a.k.a. David Viecelli, of Billions Corporation in Chicago, a booking & management firm whose roster includes Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Southern Culture on the Skids, Wire, Calexico, and the now disbanded Jesus Lizard. "Besides the obvious things, it is about finding someone who understands who the band is, what they want to get out of being a band, and what the realistic expectations for that band are in the marketplace."

'Good managers are worth a great deal to an artist. And bad managers are worth zero." -- Danny Goldberg

What exactly do managers do?

"A lot of work goes into the public hearing the music," states Danny Goldberg. "It's time-sensitive, and it requires finesse and intelligence to avoid disasters. Whether it's something going wrong in a club, the relationship with the media, the record company, the attorney, or the booking agents, I don't know if artists are always aware of how much work it is. It's the kind of profession where anything good that happens is credited to the artist and anything that goes wrong is the fault of the manager.

"It's hard sometimes to measure a manager's real contribution, impact, and value in a tangible way," Goldberg admits. "Therefore, you're hoping that there's an intuitive grasp of it. There's no chance for an It's a Wonderful Life run-through of what your career would be like without the manager. That's the most frustrating thing for both parties. The artist always wonders, 'Am I getting my money's worth?' The manager wonders, 'Do they appreciate what I'm doing or not?' I believe good managers are worth a great deal to an artist. And bad managers are worth zero. So the profession is extremely valuable -- when done correctly."

Good managers are networkers; they understand that the business is all about relationships. Though it may be your song in the movie, the path it followed to get there may be this convoluted: Your manager is backstage at the Foo Fighters show, which he got into because he used to book bands at the club part-time. He runs into his ex-girlfriend's brother, who works for a film company. They talk about a film that's under production there, and it turns out they're looking for a song with a train theme for the soundtrack. The manager remembers that your band has a train song on their demo. Phone numbers are exchanged.

The point, of course, is that it's not always easy to trace or gauge the manager's positive effect. As Billig points out, "There are little accomplishments that seem insignificant to the artist or outside world but are gigantic for the artist's career. It's hard for anyone, even an artist, to see that opportunity the manager gained for him or her."

"I think there's a quote from Andy Gould [manager of Rob Zombie and Monster Magnet] that says, 'A manager's job is to be the thing that gets between the bullet and the artist's foot,'" laughs Hutton. "I think that's true, combined with contributing to the artistic process. That doesn't necessarily mean creating the music, but representing the music in the proper spirit and in a creative way."

Managers essentially work for free until they can create financial opportunity and exposure.

"You want me to pay you what?!"

Commission: Anywhere from 5% to 20%, with the norm being 15%.

This is how the manager is able to afford to work for you and still pay the phone bill and eat out once in a while. In the early days, it can be tough: The client doesn't have income, which is why he or she wants a manager. The manager essentially works for free until he or she can create financial opportunity and exposure.

At this stage, it's important for all parties to be realistic. In the beginning of his career, manager Chris Moon [Josh Rouse] still worked a second job -- and for as long as it took, so did his client. "I've talked to several people who made big money on big deals," he says. "They still have to work on the side because of the initial investment of getting to that point. Unless the artist gets a signing bonus you can commission, all the money from a record deal goes toward making a record. You can only commission what is actually income, not expenses. That's why it's good to get a publishing deal and get some money up front for you and your client. Either way, you have to have someone administer your publishing or you're never going to take all your money in -- that's a given. So you either sell your publishing or you hold onto it and get an administration deal. In the leverage for that money, you give up ownership for 'x' amount of years."

How many years? "That depends," Moon says. "Do you want to wait to earn the money, or do you want somebody to pay up front? Other than that, income comes only from merchandise and live performance -- and that's where your management efforts should be focused after the deals are done."

As Billions points out, "For every one of those deals, there's 30 other tasks that have absolutely no income related directly to them. For me, the reward is in the relationship itself. Of course there's satisfaction in having something become a success from a fiscal standpoint, but there's a lot of little victories, and lots of little to medium frustrations. You miss out on the fun of managing if you don't see the process as worth it."

Sometimes artists forget how they got to be successful. To them, their first manager transforms into something like an old guitar they want to trade for a shiny new red one. In both sides of this scenario, the artist has forgotten how their old association helped them get to where they are, and that history -- especially the trust and communication built into a manager/client relationship -- is priceless.

This is not to say that you should never change management or fire your manager. If you feel your needs are not being met, or that your interests or money are no longer protected, or if you plain don't like each other anymore, you should part ways. But associating humble beginnings with the "small time" can put you in the hands of someone who wasn't there when you were broke, unknown, and losing faith. Even if things are on the upswing with your next manager, the minute things look shaky, you could find yourself deserted by someone whose allegiance to you began after all the toughest work was done.

'I don't have a problem picking up an artist with no deal; I have a problem picking up an artist without experience.' -- Janet Billig

How do I get a manager interested in me?

If you have no record deal or solid interest (a negligible term in the flaky netherworld of A&R), and depending on how far you are in your career, you may not be able to attract a higher-level manager unless you really blow him or her away. Even so, there's a lot you can -- and should -- do to make your band appealing to a good manager, regardless of your label status.

"I tend to not pick up really small artists that haven't accomplished a certain number of goals by themselves," says Janet Billig. "It's really important that an artist go through the process of recording an album, generating press, building a buzz, and booking and promoting shows. I don't have a problem picking up an artist with no deal; I have a problem picking up and working with an artist without experience."

Steve Hutton's approach adds some gut instinct to the mix. "I get in trouble and have problems if I have to convince myself to manage a band and don't feel it immediately. I look for a good rock band with great songs, with relatively attractive people who are of a certain age, have a similar vibe, and look like a part of the same team. You don't want a bass player that looks like he's in Korn and a guitar player that looks like he's in Backstreet Boys -- that won't work. And this clich will always be true -- it's all about the songs."

'If you can't get your brother-in-law's indie label to get back to you about the three demos CDs you sent them, you just might need someone with contacts.' -- P. W. Long

Do I really need a manager?

My former management client P. W. Long came up with the following definitive checklist that you can use to answer this question for yourself.

Your band is finally getting some label interest. You're wondering if it's time to get help navigating those perilous waters. Most certainly, if you do end up on a major label you'll need someone to protect your integrity from the A&R person who wants your techno-metal-hop outfit to fill a support slot for Ani DiFranco's tour and a radio department clamoring for you to do a Hooter's grand opening. Maybe, on the other hand, you can't even get your brother-in-law's indie label to get back to you about the three demos CDs you sent them. If so, your career just might need a kick-start--someone with contacts.

You Need A Manager If

1. You have a major label deal. If you somehow swung your record deal without a manager, the label will either recommend or demand that you get one -- now.

2. You have more success with indie-label releases, gig earnings, and merchandise proceeds than you can keep track of efficiently.

3. Your band's income and popularity are stagnating, and you need to get your music into the hands of people who can generate income for your band (record labels, music publishers, film music supervisors, etc.).

Manager Criteria

1. Make sure your manager will be readily accessible and have the necessary time to devote to your project. If your selection pool is limited to friends and acquaintances, realize that your friendship will likely become strained if not entirely jeopardized.

2. Find someone whose reputation and methods will not compromise your band's image. A good manager is aggressive and firm, but also careful not to embitter a lot of people.

3. Make sure he/she is an ardent fan of your music. Your manager's enthusiasm and confidence about your future should be infectious.

What to Know Going In

1. The band and manager should agree on what to expect from each other. Define "manager." Does it include booking gigs, mailing posters, sending press materials, etc.?

2. Sign an agreement that's fair to everyone. This should prevent misunderstandings when -- after a term of failed efforts -- the manager says, "You owe me $5,000.00." You say, "Not according to this contract we don't."

3. Pay the manager the agreed percentage for his or her efforts whenever you can. This keeps everyone interested in staying actively involved.

4. Demand performance from your management. At the same time you must show the same commitment you expect from them: Do what you say you're going to do.

In all cases, use common sense. Trust the instincts of the band-member with the best judgment of character. If you don't have a solid list of management candidates, ask friends in other successful bands for guidance. If those efforts turn up nothing, Pollstar's quarterly "Agencies" issue offers an exhaustive list of management and booking agencies. Good luck.

Maureen Herman is the Director of Biz Dev at http://Fuzz.com. Her writing has appeared in Rolling Stone Magazine, AOL, The Village Voice and Musician Magazine. Herman was the bassist for Babes in Toyland and her background includes television production (VH1, CMT), artist management and artist development. Check out her music downloads at http://fuzz.com.Anthia Blog59310
Ardith Blog43247

The 2006 Mid-Terms: Coyote Ugly what really happened!

Our government is composed of three distinct segments; Head of State (foreign policy and national defense); Head of Government (economics, regulatory and public service); and Head of Society (social issues).

To be sure, each of these domains overlaps the others at various points, but the domains are, of necessity, mostly distinct. They represent the diversity and complexity of a political culture, and in fact, were clearly on the minds of founding fathers when they penned the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.

A successful political agenda is one that succeeds in addressing the greatest mass of concern in the greatest number of domains for the longest period of time. And successful political leaders, at least on a national scale, are those that are perceived as representing the majority interests in each of the domains.

We could apply this theory to every presidency since Dwight Eisenhower, which would be fun, but its not the point of this article. The point of this article is to gain a realistic perspective on what happened in the 06 midterms.

In American politics, each of these domains has its own set of special interests, both political and economic. Obviously, the military-industrial special interests have a huge motivation to promote whichever Head of State agenda best serves them a strong, expensive military, for example. Likewise, corporate America is primarily interested in the Head of Government agenda that fuels corporate profits and economic expansion. And, the Head of Society agenda is of great concern to religious interests and human rights groups. These are not all inclusive examples, but they do point out the differing sources of support that a particular political party agenda might receive.

Its not unusual for the interests that support one domain to be at odds with the interests that support another domain. For example, a defense contractor may be quite gung-ho about prosecuting a war (Head of State domain) because it means lots of dollars will be spent for stuff that blows up buildings. But, fiscal conservatives may seriously object because such a commitment can undermine commerce or public services (Head of Government domain). Its these different interests that we want to look at, because thats where the Coyote Ugly rears its well, ugly head.

If you think about that phrase coyote ugly it has it origin in a graceless dating culture of picking up a sexual partner in a bar or some other equally intoxicated environment. The definition is that, when you wake up in the morning and see your one-night-stand in the clear light of morning slumbering peacefully on your arm, the person is so ugly, or otherwise revolting, that youd rather chew your arm off than risk waking them up as you slink out of bed. Yes, yes, disgusting, I know. But, spot on for this analogy.

You see, a misguided state of mind often prevails when one is trying to entice the opposite sex. In that state of mind, people tend to make choices that theyd rather not have to deal with later on, quite often, choices that are embarrassing or hypocritical. Later when they are forced to confront the imprudence and folly of their choices, they must resort to some form of chewing off their arm in order to extricate themselves from the indulgent and reckless alliance theyve made.

In case you havent put it all together yet, the enticing the opposite sex part is synonymous with getting elected or getting political clout for ones agenda. And just like the clash between raging hormonal indignations and rational thinking, special interest groups sometimes wake up and find themselves in bed with a totally undesirable partner. Gulp.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend! In the political arena, there is a high tolerance for indulging the unacceptable dispositions of ones political allies. Just scanning a short list of political scandals of the last 5 years -- Jim Traficant (D-OH, bribery), Duke Cunningham (R-CA, bribery and influence peddling), William Jefferson (D-LA, bribery, stashing $90,000 in his freezer), and most recently Tom Foley (R-FL, sexually preying on young kids) makes the point. I cant believe that NOBODY around these guys knew that something was going on. Heck, Duke Cunningham bought a freaking yacht!! But, in the interest of furthering a particular agenda, its easy to look the other way. Until you wake up to the realization that youve really screwed up. And then the chewing begins.

And THAT is what really happened to the Republican voting coalition in 2006. The foreign policy Republicans (the Neo-cons) got in bed with the social conservative Republicans (the theocrats), and they invited the regulatory and citizen service Republicans (the Moderates) in for a raucous threesome. For a while it was fun, everybody was getting theirs. But, none of these groups really had much in common. They werent really interested in a serious relationship, it was just a one-night-stand, a matter of convenience.

The foreign policy gang, the Neo-cons, dont really have much passion for gay-bashing or abortion. They just want to control the world, and in pursuit of the power to do that, theyll put up with all manner of what they perceive as folly if it furthers their cause. But, in a choice between funding the War on Terror or funding new faith-based initiatives, theyll kick those silly theocrats to the curb in a heart beat.

The theocrats (which includes the Christian Coalition, Family Research Council, and Eagle Forum and others) dont appear to be all that distressed by multi-billion dollar corporate scandal or environmental warming, as long as they can stop consenting adults from performing unnatural acts on each other. But, they do start feeling unappreciated and indignant when billions of dollars of tax credit go to oil companies while they are left with the crumbs of the public trough. They also get highly agitated when judges are nominated that are big on presidential autonomy (which pleases the Neo-cons) but dont seem to have much taste for overturning abortion laws.

And the self-loving public servant moderate Republicans - the ones that grant no-bid FEMA contracts and want to make sure that Exxon doesnt go hungry - get right testy when they flub the biggest natural disaster in a hundred years because all their money and autonomy have been turned over to the Neo-cons who have more politically important fish to fry, like terrorists and such . Sometimes the moderates get red-faced when accused of incompetence and like to show everybody that theyve got cajones, like when they (mostly secretly) authorized a massive transfer of US properties (i.e., our ports!) to an international company that those dang Neo-cons think may be terrorists. That tends to piss off W, but he cant really bitch slap them because he invited them in after all, so he has to pretend like its no big deal because these are his bed mates (gulp!). The moderates also wish the pesky theocrats would lay off characterizing battleground states like Ohio as an apocalyptic clash between the forces of righteousness and the hordes of hell." It just makes it so much harder to motivate the moderate Republicans (you know, those traditionalists that still embrace such out-dated ideas as the separation of church and state) to get out and vote for economic stimuli like tax cuts. Oops!

Of course, in the dark of night i.e. while they are all still getting theirs they make excuses for each other. (AKA, What are you talking about? Shes a nice girl!). But then, inevitably, daylight comes. Strap on the bibs, yall. Its Chewing Time!

The intelligence agencies dont like being blamed for botching the Iraq adventure (chew, chew), the Neo-cons dont like being blamed for botching the prosecution of the war (chew, chew, gnaw), corporate America doesnt like being blamed for high medical costs or runaway oil prices (grrrrrrr), the theocrats dont like being blamed for hijacking congress with marriage amendments, and everybody is looking for the rascal that slipped them all a date-rape drug. The Republican Coalition of voters just couldnt take it anymore and so, as reluctant as they may have been, they got out of bed. Who can blame them? And, with nowhere else to turn, they went sheepishly to the other guys. Hmm. Can you say CATCHING THEM ON THE REBOUND? But, thats a whole different article.

Meanwhile, the other guys, the Democrats, get to sit it all out. Hey, we didnt do nothing! We tried to tell em, but.

So, now its the morning after and everyone is busy chewing, looking for a plausible reason to explain how this mnage a trois came about in the first place and who really botched what was supposed to be a good thing. You can be sure that no one is going to acknowledge that they were just trying to get laid. Too bad. It would all be so simple if they did.

And, as for you other guys, youve had your own share of coyote ugly, so dont get cocky. It would be a HUGE mistake to think that the voters have rejected all three domains of the Republican agenda. Things definitely got carried away for awhile, and in the throes of passion people said and did stuff that that was half-baked, irresponsible and embarrassing (sigh, passion will do that to you). Some of them really wish they hadnt. But, there are still millions of Americans that are legitimately concerned about our national security, our financial solvency, the integrity of our civic leaders and our spiritual well-being. Just because the voters were disgusted by the spectacle of powerful people manipulating important issues for their personal fame and gain doesnt mean the voters are rejecting the issues themselves. They arent!

Hey, heres a novel idea. Why dont you guys and gals of all political agendas start looking for the best in each other rather than the worst? Why not reject the scoundrels and the knaves as soon as you find them, regardless of how willing they are to put out for you? Who knows, maybe you can solve some of these pressing issues were facing. Wow, maybe there is such a thing as common ground!! I know, its not as seductive as the big score, but it sure makes the morning after less revolting. If not, well, you can start practicing how to chew your arm off. Sooner or later, youll need it.

Its quite simple if you understand what REALLY happened in 06.

Fred Tutwiler, The Reality Coach, has worked with companies, individuals and athletic teams challenging non-productive views of reality. Download Fred's FREE e-book "Why DO We KEEP Doing The Same Thing Over And Over Even When We DON'T LIKE the Result We Get?".Ally Blog86266
Amandie Blog77646

Is It Time To Sell Your Structured Settlement Payments?

Structured settlements are financial agreements allowing compensation to be paid through an annuity in regularly scheduled payments, for either a fixed period of time or for the life of the claimant. Since it is suitable for individual plaintiffs, the structured settlement may also include an up front payment to cover any contingency.

Structured settlement payments are normally funded by annuities. These annuities are established to protect recipients of legal awards, insurance settlements, and lottery winnings. A great percentage of structured settlements are prearranged to provide for long term care and living expenses of plaintiffs who have been injured and are unable to work.

Structured settlements have not always been accessible. The Periodic Payment Settlement Act of 1982 was enacted to make large awards more agreeable to all parties and protect claimants. It also affords the insurance company and the plaintiff certain tax advantages.

Some situations are well suited for a structured settlement. For example: Cases that involve catastrophic injuries Wrongful death lawsuits that include replacing the lost income of the deceased Disabilities, either permanent or those requiring extensive recovery time Workers Compensation cases Gambling and lottery winnings

Many people choose a structured settlement over a lump sum payment, and courts often award them in civil actions where there are long term living and health care expenses. The anticipated need of cash at some future date is taken into account when setting up a structured settlement agreement.

Structured settlements can be established in a number of ways, according to the needs of the damaged party. The most basic structured settlements provide regular periodic payments for the life of the agreement; for example, a fixed payment every month for 10 years. Structured settlements do not pay interest, so anticipated gains in the underlying annuity are factored into the amount of the periodic payments and are non-taxable.

Claimants choose structured settlement agreements over lump sum awards for a number of reasons. The idea of guaranteed regular payments offers a feeling of security for many people who have been injured and are unable to earn a steady income. Instead of having to worry about how to invest a large cash award, the details are handled by the attorneys and the insurance company.

An important benefit of a structured settlement agreement is that it is tax free. The tax consequences of receiving a lump sum of cash can be staggering, turning what seemed like a fortune into an amount that may not meet future living expenses. A structured settlement relieves the claimant of the responsibility of planning a tax shelter for their award.

Because of the many benefits structured settlements offer both plaintiffs and defendants, the case can often be settled out of court, saving both parties a great deal of expense. Since the agreement is beneficial to both parties, the process is usually completed quickly, and there is no time lost to a prolonged battle in court.

There are some cases for which structured settlements are not suitable. An award for a minor injury sustained in an accident would probably not warrant the use of a structured settlement. In situations where extended hospitalization or long term treatment is not necessary, a lump sum award may be sufficient to provide for the needs of the damaged party.

Once a structured settlement agreement is enacted, the terms are fixed, and there is no allowance made for unanticipated circumstances. This is one reason many people choose to sell their structured settlement payments. Life situations change, and people may decide to buy a different home, start a business, or return to school and train for a new career. A lump sum of cash offers greater flexibility and more control over the money than a structured settlement.

Perhaps the most persuasive argument for selling structured settlement payments is that over time, inflation can severely erode the value of the periodic payments. A dollar today is worth more than the same dollar in the future. A lump sum of cash properly invested today could surpass the future value of a structured settlement.

When selling your structured settlement payments, you can choose to cash in only a portion of your future payments. This option offers immediate cash, while preserving some of the long term security of a structured settlement. If you decide to cash in a structured settlement, sell only the portion of your future payments necessary to meet your financial need.

Finally, you should carefully choose a structured settlement buyer that has been in business for at least several years. Check out potential buyers with the Better Business Bureau, and do some research to determine if past customers have been pleased with the company's services. Doing the research now will insure that you get the most cash for your structured settlement.

Gregg Pennington writes articles on a number of topics including structured settlements and selling structured settlement payments. For more information and resources related to structured settlements visit http://www.onlinemoneysources.net/structured-settlements.htmlAvis Blog69516
Ariel Blog80687

Bad Debt? Get Unsecured Personal Loan and Be Stress Free

The future is the result of the past. This stands true enough if considered in context of your financial history. An error committed in the past may hamper your present financial position. Bad debt is also one of those situations which are a result of past disturbances in your financial life. It holds back your privilege of borrowing money in the future. But when bad debt unsecured loans are there, you can still satisfy your personal needs by availing easy fund from them.

Bad debt unsecured personal loans are a perfect solution for people having bad credit history. This justifies that you can avail these loans even if you have a case of arrear, defaults, CCJ, bankruptcy etc. You will get these loans with a low rate of interest and easy repayments because of your bad debt so that you can make prompt and timely repayment.

Bad debt unsecured loans are personal loans that are available without putting any collateral. That means you are free from putting any security against the loan amount. With Bad debt unsecured personal loans you have no risk to offer.

With a bad debt unsecured personal loan, you can gain an amount ranging between 1000- 25,000, with a repayment of 1-7 years. The interest rate is charged depending upon your loan amount.

A bad debt unsecured loan can let you perform various tasks. You can avail this loan to consolidate your debts, meet wedding, medical or educational expenses, holidaying, home improvement, buying a home or car etc.

Getting a bad debt unsecured personal loan is not at all a difficult task. Online lenders can get you loan in a very fast and convenient manner. All you need to do is to go online and fill an application form provided by them. The application will ask for certain details like your employment details, personal identity proof, residential proof and yes, your credit score. You will be required to show your credit score to let the lender know about your financial circumstances. If you do not know your credit score, you can send a request to the UK credit check agencies to run a credit check on your name. This way you will come to know about your credit score. With these few points, you can easily avail bad debt unsecured personal loans.

Bad credit unsecured personal loans not only offer you money at low rates but also gives you a chance to improve your credit score. This increases your chances of getting any type of loan in the future.

Tim Kelly is an expert in finance having completed her LLM in Finance (Master of Laws in Finance) from Institute for Law and Finance at Frankfurt University. He is currently working with BadDebtUnsecuredLoans as a financial advisor. To find bad debt unsecured loan, bad debt unsecured personal loan, bad debt business loan, bad debt fast unsecured loan in UK that best site's you need visit http://www.baddebtunsecuredloan.co.ukAnetta Blog97040
Alecia Blog4497

Want An Adult Scholarship? Try This...

If you consider to go back to school after a long time away, you probably know how expensive it is going to be. If you are established with a home and a family or are in your 30's or 40's, you have plenty of other money worries. The question is: How can you find an adult scholarship?

Do not dispair; there actually is a niche for you out there. There are lots of free money for those of us who are a little older than the regular college student and want an education.

The first thing to do is a little preliminary research. You should find out what kinds of programs you are eligible. There is free money available for people of all walks of life.

Try to avoid financial aid that is just for recent high school graduates. There are quite a few out there that you will be ineligible for because of your age. You can narrow your search by avoiding those with age restrictions. If you can find financial aid specifically for returning students, it will not have any age restriction.

You should apply for anything you might be eligible for. Don't put any limits for yourself. Take advantage of all the free money available for adults and education, it's just a matter of finding a program that suits you.

The first place you might try looking is your local library. They will have tons of resources there for scholarships. Librarians are knowledgeable about these resources and will help you find what you need.

Be patient. Stick around and take notes on what you find. Here is the hard part. You have to skim through all the resources available and look for anything that might help you get that money.

If you find something suitable, contact those particular organizations. Request more information and they will probably send you all the materials you need to apply. You may also be able to contact them by a 1-800 number, in which case you can talk to a representative of the organization and get tips for applying. Remember that you are not stealing; they have all this money lying around waiting to be claimed by a successful applicant.

If you have any help filling out forms, ask someone's advice. Always fill them out thoroughly. Be sure to write clearly. If you have to write an essay, make sure that it flows well and there aren't any grammar or spelling mistakes. You can always ask someone to proofread it if you are unsure.

The important thing is to apply for as many as you can. You never know which one may be able to get you the money you need.

Nic Haffner is a publisher of Scholarship Search and related Info. You can go to http://www.the-scholarship-portal.com for more.Alejandrina Blog85483
Annamaria Blog20187

Using The Internet At Home Is Becoming One Of The Best Ways To Earn An Extra Income.

Everyone could use some extra cash these days. Have you ever thought about ways to make money at home online? We're not talking garage sale or lemonade stand here. There are definitely some tried and true ways to make money at home online. This is ideal for single mothers, students, or anyone who would like an extra layer of padding in their pockets.

Using the computer, huh? Hour long surveys about things you'll never use are probably flashing through your mind. Well, interestingly enough, you can make money doing surveys. True, there are some survey sites that will redirect you two hundred times in an attempt to get you to spend your money buying their sponsors' products, but there are also some legitimate ones as well. Big companies need one thing to stay big, and that is their customers. How do they know what their customers want? You tell them. Simple enough, but you need to know how to distinguish between the survey sites that are actually helpful, and which ones just want your money.

Well, if you go searching for survey sites, a useful tip is to look for FREE ones. You obviously don't want to pay to join, and if these people want your opinion badly enough, they're not going to charge. There are even really helpful sites that have compiled the top paying survey sites and list them, providing links for you to go and register. You see, the top paying survey sites only send out a few surveys every so often, but if you're registered with twenty or so sites, you shouldn't have problems finding a survey to do.

You can also consider hub pages. If you like to write, these would definitely be good for you. To start off, you can write about whatever you want. Anything. Sounds easy, right? Well, you write your piece, add a picture or two to dress it up and give your readers a visual, and then adds get placed on your page. For instance, say you decide to write an article about football and the fans. Who doesn't love football? Then you may have an add for a football jersey shop or a link to buy tickets to the big game. The best thing is, you decide how many adds are put on your page. If readers go and buy a product, you make a percentage, and you can write as many as you want.

You may also want to consider other options. You can choose to write articles online for extra money. People who need articles for a variety of reasons submit their needs and writers pick up the subjects and write the articles for a price. Not only are you getting paid, but you get to learn all sorts of things as well. There are even things such as medical billing that can be done online to make extra money...all from your cushy rolling chair!

There are things you need to watch out for, though. Giving out your personal information online can sometimes be like dangling a sausage into a kennel full of pitbulls. There are scam artists around every site corner waiting to snap that information up and go on a shopping spree, sending all the bills to you. Another thing to be wary of are the sites that promise you quick money doing nothing, all after you give them your credit card number of course. Mainly, use your common sense. Be suspicious of the 'ancient get rich spell recently found in the attic of a long dead high priestess.' Trust me, these things are never true. That said, if you're careful and keep a watchful eye out, you can actually make extra money at home, and hopefully have a good time doing it.

Yoshi Kundagawa is a freelance journalist. He writes about entrepreneurs and working from home. You can read his articles about ways to make money at home online, at his blog: http://didyousmellthat.com/main/making-money-takes-a-lot-of-this/Ally Blog36346
Anabelle Blog58945

Small Cash Loans Show You The Way Out Of Problems

Planning ones budget for the month is an activity taken up by all salaried people as soon as they get their paychecks. But it may not necessarily happen that all goes well and according to plan. Urgent needs may arise in the middle of the month when you have already spent most of the salary. In such situations, small cash loans prove to be a great help.

Small cash loans are taken up by the borrowers to cope up with needs like getting a broken window repaired, sudden medical expense, and car repair etc. such needs cannot be put off till the next payday. So they are fulfilled with help of small cash loans.

Small cash loans allow an amount of 100-1500 to be borrowed. The loan money has to be repaid within the term of 14-31 days. Small cash loans are short term unsecured loans and thus require no collateral to borrow money. The rates offered are slightly higher but good deals can be closed by proper research and comparison.

Since small cash loans are unsecured by nature, there are some requirements that the lender wants to be fulfilled to borrow the loan. They are:

* Regular employment for last 6 months at the same place
* Regular monthly cash inflow
* Minimum age of 18 years
* Proof of residence for last 6 months

After application, the small cash loans are usually approved in less than 24 hours and transferred to the account of the borrower. Similarly at the time of repayment which has to be done on the next payday, the due amount is deducted from the account of the borrower.

In case the borrower is not in a position to repay the loan or wants to pay it in installments, he can do so by paying an extra fee to the lender and extending the loan by another term.

Small cash loans are the right opportunity that can be availed to deal with small cash problems. Therefore a mix of right timing and right decision along with small cash loans can help you solve your problems

Angela Alderton is a specialist advisor of cash loan and is curently working with CashLoans UK. She holds a masters degree in economics from University of Warwick. For further details of Small cash loan, cash loan UK, quick cash loan, bad credit cash loan, instant cash loan, cash loan online you need to visit http://www.cashloans.uk.com/Babs Blog53243
Ana Blog43324

Currency Exchange Terms Every Forex Trader Should KnowF

Before jumping into the forex market, you need to arm yourself with some terminology that will be used in any course or software on this subject. The following set of terms were put together with the idea of providing the novice forex trader with the fundamental concepts of the forex trading business. While they sound technical, most are easy to understand and apply.

Let us begin with the instruments that are traded in the forex markets. Currencies are traded in pairs so the instrument will always be in this double denomination. The reason for this is simple; the basis of forex currency trading is to exchange one currency for another. So if the pair is the Euro and the US Dollar, and the forex trader is taking a long position or buying the Euro in hopes that it will appreciate, effectively the trader is also selling US Dollars to buy the Euros. The most widely traded pairs are the Great Britain Pound and the US Dollar (indicated as GBP/USD), the Euro and the US Dollar (the EUR/USD pair), the Aussie Dollar and the US Dollar (AUD/USD pair), the USD and the Japanese Yen (USD/JPY pair), and the Canadian Dollar and the USD (USD/CAD pair). These pairs account for well over 80% of the total volume of the trading in the forex market. The advantage to trading in these currency pairs is that they are highly liquid and allow the investor to convert their portfolio to cash very quickly to realize a profit.

In every pair, the first currency is called the base currency, over which the second one is countered to imply the price of the pair, or commonly referred to as the "cross currency". The second is therefore called the quote currency and the pair price is recorded in terms of the units of the quote currency required to buy one unit of the base currency. Thus, assuming the price of the GBP/USD pair is 1.5, this implies that 1.5 USD will buy 1 GBP.

Every pair is quoted in terms of a bid ask spread. The bid price is the rate at which your forex broker bids to buy the currency at, while the ask price is the rate the forex broker is asking to sell the currency to the forex trader. The bid price will always be less than the ask price and the forex trader will buy at the ask price and sell at the bid price. The bid ask price will be quoted as: GBP/USD 1.532/5, meaning the bid price is 1.532 and the ask price is 1.535.

A pip price interest point), as it is commonly called, is the smallest incremental change a currency pair will experience, for instance, a change in the GBP/USD price from 1.532 to 1.542 is a change of 10 pips. A trading margin is a deposit which is a minimum amount or a small percentage of your traded amount that you have to put up. The remaining amount is supplied by your broker. This amount can vary from 1% to 0.25%, also referred to as 100:1 and 400:1. Most often, forex brokers will offer 100:1 or 200:1 to most clients. This is risky but enables the trader to leverage a large amount that he or she would not otherwise have access to.

Finally, a margin call can happen when the forex trader allows the balance in the trading account to go below the margin deposit percentage agreed upon with the forex broker. The broker will automatically sell your long positions or buy your short positions and clear the entire trading account, returning the margin amount to the trader to protect the trader from losing more money than they have.

Andrew Daigle is the owner, creator and author of many successful websites including a free forex training website called ForexBoost at http://www.ForexBoost.com and CashCurve at http://www.cashcurve.com to learn about other online business opportunities.Ainsley Blog80542
Alvera Blog99353

Cash Now - Affiliate Marketing

The apparent availability of wealth draw so many to the Internet, its reminiscent of the days of the California Gold Rush. Not so different from that distant past most get disheartened in their quest of making money online. They believe just about everything they see online. With the plethora of available e-Books claiming to have the secrets of striking it rich, they end up spending much more than necessary. The result is more than often information overload with no clear path of where they are going, except maybe onto the next e-Book.

These individuals just want to know how to make money online and how to do it now. There are of course many ways to make money on the Internet, after all it is the worlds largest market place. You need to devise a plan; one can either sell their own product/services or simply sell someone elses. The vast majority of individuals would fall into the second category. Its called affiliate marketing and once done correctly this is where you can strike gold.

There are literally thousands upon thousands of products available for anyone to promote and make commissions ranging upwards of 75% some even 100% and all you have to do is signup for free. As an affiliate you can start making money almost immediately. Theres no inventory to keep, no having to deal with customers and you dont even need your own website. What can be better than that?

This is how it works: first you have to sign up to be an affiliate with the company(s) of you choice for the products you want to promote. You would be given a unique URL for their website which contains your affiliate code. This URL leads back to their sales page where any purchases made by visitors will earn you your commission, either a percentage or a flat fee. Tens of thousands of people earn a living this way and free themselves from their regular jobs.

Promote your products! Potential buyers arent just going to pull your affiliate links out of mid air. Now you have products that you can sell thats only half the battle. The second and most critical is to drive traffic to the site(s) using your affiliate URL.

There are several ways to promote your affiliate links, of which I will briefly mention a few. Paid Ads is really the best form of promoting, using search engine pay-per-click on Google, Yahoo etc. For free traffic you can write a blog and include your affiliate link. Write and submit articles on topics youre comfortable with and include your link in the bio box. You can also have someone write for you, a Ghost Writer. Join forums and put your link in your profile or signature area, so whenever you make a post your link gets out there. If youre looking for financial freedom, look no further than affiliate marketing.

Juan Mendez is a Successful Web Entrepreneur and Aspiring Writer.Alane Blog74236
Alejandrina Blog85483

Is Buying Traffic A Smart Move?

There are so many success stories you hear about businesse being successful on the internet. However, the troubling thing is that, there is maybe a few or even a hundred stories contradictory to theirs. Many have unsuccessfully launched a business enterprise that is internet based but only a handful succeeded.

Is this because they were lucky? I dont think so... You see it takes good business sense, a lot of help and a team effort. Most importantly, its the eagerness to be successful, ability to learn, adapt and be willing to invest a little hard work as well as some money.

The Basics

Just like Neo, TRAFFIC is The One. Without TRAFFIC, all your efforts would be fruitless ( No Traffic = No Sales ). Every business thrives on customers, without customers you wouldnt have anybody to sell your products or services to. In the internet world, TRAFFIC is your walk in customer. The more TRAFFIC you have to your website means the more people YOU will be able to sell your products or services to.

But like any business, not every customer that visits your website will buy, however the greater number of customers that do visit your web site to browse your merchandise or services, increases the number of customers that will eventually buy your products or services. This is a fact.

So, how do you get TRAFFIC large enough to make a small percentage of eventual buyers and make a good profit? Alot of huge companies generate TRAFFIC in the tens of thousands per day and a measly ten to fifteen percent will actually buy, but that tiny percentage is enough to sustain them with profits daily.

Many of the success stories get their TRAFFIC from buying it from others. Yes thats right! At some point, you will have to spend money to make money. The more people that know about your site; means that more people will of course visit your site, and thats a give.

Even though there are so many ways to advertise for free, this will not generate the same high quality visitors as those methods that are getting paid TRAFFIC.

Did you know that we can send you up to 3,000,000 visitors to your website -- starting immediately?

Would you like to have thousands or millions of potential customers looking at your website, ready to buy your product or service? If so, then read on ... Do you know why almost every online business fails?

Its simple really. They dont have anyone visiting their websites. The web has become so large that unless you spend money on advertising nobody is going to find you. If people cant find you, they cant order anything from you.

Make us your marketing partner and YOU'LL have access to LOW- COST traffic prices! Everyone needs High Volume campaigns to help search engine rankings and to gain brand recognition for your website. What we do is literally lead potential customers to your door!

Let us know how many visitors you need and how you want them targeted, and we will deliver them to you. Our services are GUARANTEED - we even provide you with stats to monitor your campaigns.

We'll provide you with Fully Targeted Expired Domain Traffic by Country and Category.
Our expired domain traffic gives you premium targeting options:

US, UK, or Worldwide English speaking visitors (based on default browser settings).
Targeted to over 180 Website Categories, plus Casino or Adult categories.
All Expired Domain Targeted Traffic is Full 100% Campaign Unique!
Most are delivered in 30 days, but due to popular demand, guarantee is 60 days.

We also have Targeted and Non-Targeted bulk mainstream traffic and we offer you the lowest prices you will ever find. This fast worldwide network can deliver hundreds of thousands of visits to a website in less than 30 days, and we guarantee 60 days for most campaigns. We have your website campaign up and showing within 24-72 hours from receipt of payment. (normally less than 2 hours).

This may not sound like such a good idea, but the payoffs tell a whole different story. When you buy TRAFFIC, your guaranteed a consistent flow of TRAFFIC to your website. You will never go without an empty day of sales.

The money you spend buying TRAFFIC will not be in vain. You'll get a huge boost in your TRAFFIC alexa and search engine rankings which will boost your sales figures greatly. Buying your traffic is a smart move and you'll reap the rewards it has to offer.

To Your Greater Success!

Arlan Medicine, CEOAllianora Blog31680
Alejandra Blog80209

Brand Yourself And Success Will Come!

The internet is growing daily with folk who are looking for ways to earn a comfortable living from their home base. However, the sad truth is many online business owners never make a profit online! Sadly, even in today's online market, many business owners have no idea how to effectively market their internet business. In addition, they don't understand the importance of "branding" their name to build a quality online presence and reputation.

To welcome online success, "branding you" should be the number one online business owners' priority. When beginning an online Internet career, it is detrimental to online longevity that the online promoter cultivate a squeaky clean image.

Many online business owners tarnish their name, by promoting worthless downloadable software and eBooks. It is a good idea to test-drive any eBook or software package before you decide to promote the product as an affiliate marketer. It's not an intelligent idea to promote worthless products to your opt-in list, so be careful what you endorse online.

Another way you can ruin your branded name and good reputation is opportunity jumping or program hopping. To highlight this point, I will talk about only five popular online business programs that are heavily promoted online. The programs are Perfect Wealth Formula, edc Gold, Passport to Wealth, Wealth Magnet System and Roadmap to Riches.

Lets go back a few months to when Passport to Wealth launched in February 2007. Since February I have seen the same top earners, jump from (1) edc Gold to (2) Passport to Wealth to (3) Perfect Wealth Formula to (4) Wealth Magnet System and now to (5) Roadmap to Riches. What a great way to earn instant cash daily! Now. I am not saying, that all these business opportunity promoters are all tarred with the same brush, but in amongst this group of business promoters are a few bad eggs, that like nothing more than to take your hard earned money and thereafter never return your emails or phone calls.

The good news is it doesn't take long before the online internet community, catches onto these dirty quick cash generating tricks and unlike the offline business world, this type of underhanded home business owner can't move to another state or country, and start all over again!

To profit quickly on the net, firstly brand and protect your name. Next make sure you do your research and only promote quality products. To explode your success online, in your first year, it is a good idea to find yourself a personal eCoach to educate yourself in online advertising and marketing methods.

To conclude, every new internet business promoter should understand that online marketing success doesn't happen overnight; sometimes it can take 2-3 years to build a successful online presence. I believe, perseverance is the key to success, with any Internet business and online marketing endeavour.

Royleena Nicholas, aka "The Success Diva", has been successfully promoting online for over 7 years, is an eCoach and author of eBook The Secret 2 Financial Freedom. http://www.75pureplantminerals.com/TheSecret2Freedom%20e-Book.pdf Royleena is a Double Diamond Distributor of US Naturals product Sizzling Minerals http://www.75pureplantminerals.com and an Executive Affiliate of GIC Affiliate Program http://www.my-royleena.comAudre Blog80301
Alissa Blog70637

Rental Trucks Amid High Fuel Prices Still Best Moving Value

Renting a truck and doing a self move, even in the face of what look to be new record high fuel prices is still one of the best moving values going. Truck rentals are also a better fit for a busy schedule.

Planning to make a self move with a rental truck can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars over full service moving companies. The option to rent a truck and do the packing and loading is one that more and more people are taking advantage of every day. There may be times when hiring a professional moving company makes perfect sense. But there are certainly times when it makes no sense at all. When thousands of dollars in savings can be realized by rental truck use verses hiring a professional is surely one to consider. Sure there is more work to do with a self move, but then again, not everyone has money to burn.

Fuel Prices driving toward the 3 dollar a gallon mark again have not removed Rental trucks from being a top option for saving money when moving and the reasons are many. Todays fleets of modern Rental trucks are designed to be more energy efficient as well as user friendly. Modern rental trucks that sport the latest in engine and chassis design mean better gas mileage which in turn means savings for the customer.

Also the newer rental trucks and equipment, with the aid of sophisticated onboard computer systems are able to warn customers about potential or existing problems with the engine, transmission and electrical system, making rental trucks safer and more convenient then ever before. Also these new systems help the fleet company keep costs down by helping service technicians keep down time to a minimum. More time in service relates to big savings to the companies, of which most are willing to share with the customer in the way of extra customer care and support services, which in turns boosts customer relations. Its a win win situation for all concerned.

Some fleets have new navigation systems that can help the customer get from point A to point B in less time which can also be a valuable money saver. Some fleets only have this option on Local or round trip use trucks and vans, but look to see it nation wide very soon.

Most large rental truck fleets have offices in most major cities as well as larger size towns, something most of the large professional moving companies dont have. This makes it much easier to find, deal with, rent and finally return the rental truck. One of the pit falls of hiring a professional mover is that if they dont happen to have an office or hub near the customers final destination, often times extra charges are levied to pay for the truck returning to a central hub or for extra driver wages or both. Hiring a professional mover most times means planning your move around their often less then on time schedule. Using a rental truck for a move doesnt suffer from someone elses failure to meet a schedule. There is never the wondering if the truck will show up on time, or at all.

So when its time to move consider a self move rental truck, do the math, and decide which makes more sense. See which one is the better value especially if there is a moving budget involved. The figures will be surprising, even when the 3 plus dollar a gallon fuel is involved. It sounds hard to believe, but its true. Check it out.

Scott Best is a freelance author in association with http://www.rentaltruckcentral.com At Rental Truck Central, anything a person needs to know about the ins and outs of rental trucks can be found. Give them a try; they have the right information when you need it.Arlette Blog52457
Andreana Blog20792

If You Are So Smart Why Aren't You Rich?

It isn't easy to face the truth, isn't it? And you've heard it before, the truth shall set you free! Do you have friends who talk a lot and everything you tried to tell them, they will say "I know" and you know that they don't have much money in the bank and is struggling day to day and month to month! The truth hurts and it really helps if you are willing to face the truth.

This question: "If you're so smart, why aren't you rich?" applies to people who are not willing to face the truth and admit that for things to change they must change. This question will help lots of people if they are honest with themselves.

I first got to know this question on a convention trip in Hawaii where I was introduced to my Chairman's mentor who willingly shared with us tips on achieving success. One effective way he is able to get people to think is to ask them if they have any plans for their retirement. Over 95% of people do not have plans for retirement! He would also ask them if he can speak to them like a brother and sometimes would ask this thought provoking question: "If you're so smart why aren't you rich?"

Riches come in different forms, most people's idea of riches is to own a big beautiful waterfront house, luxurious cars and enjoy the lifestyle of the rich and famous. You can feel rich and be happy if you have enough to pay all your bills with much left which means you are enjoying positive cash flow! You will also feel rich if you have enough to last you for the rest of your life without working, you don't really need to have a big house with a swimming pool and big cars and expensive watches and jewelry to be considered rich?

There are many rich people who are miserable and not happy at all and that is not being truly rich! So being rich can be very subjective but most people will agree that you must have positive cash flow, enough in assets to last you for the rest of your life without working and being happy, living a meaningful life and making a positive difference to people's lives!

I've attended a world famous personal development program called Money & YOU and one of the popular teachings is "The highest form of leverage is...EDUCATION" How much have you invested in educating yourself on personal development and business? Jay Abraham, the world renowned marketing genius, and my marketing guru, has constantly taught his students that marketing can give you great leverage and returns of thousands of percent!

It is obvious that if you want to be rich, you must do what the rich people are doing! Successful people are willing to share how they achieve their wealth and there are no secrets. There are lots of books written on creating wealth and lots of information is freely available from the Internet.

This year I invested over $10,000 to learn more about internet marketing, you must be willing to invest before you can create wealth.

There are no short cuts, you must invest time, money and effort if you are serious about creating wealth! I happily invested $3,995 to learn from Jay Abraham about marketing at his 3-day billion dollar marketing weekend. And there were over 500 people from China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Singapore attending this special marketing seminar. And many of the participants were millionaires, CEOs, and top executives. This clearly shows that successful people are constantly investing in themselves.

Here's a great marketing tip for you, it is not how much you put into your business, it is how much your return on investment that you should focus on! If every $100 worth of advertisement gives you a $200 profit can you afford to keep on advertising it again and again? Of course, you will want to do it again and again because you have created a positive cashflow of $100 each time you place an advertisement!

There are literally thousands of people worldwide making decent part-time income through AdWords on the Internet, and it is a good start to generate your seed money for creating wealth! Do you believe you can make money from a 25 cent advertisment? Yes, you can if you have the knowledge on how to do it! Again, do not expect to achieve riches in a very short time, it does take time and for a few special ones it may take months and for most people it probably take years! It all depends on your burning desire and your commitment to creating wealth so that you can enjoy a better lifestyle!

For more information on how you can start on your road to riches with AdWords, go to:

http://www.AdwordsMarketingTips.com

Feel free to use this article on your website or ezine as long as the following information about author/website is included.

Bruce Seah is a Marketing Consultant and has been in internet marketing since 1999. Visit my website: http://www.BusinessAtAClick.comAimee Blog95352
Andra Blog96444

Do This And You Will Lose A Lot Of Traffic

To make money online and earn financial freedom from your online business, all you need is lots of traffic to your website. No traffic simply means no business. It is just as simple as that - but it is not so simple to get that traffic.

Most business owner fail miserably to make money online just because they could not get enough traffic to their website. And some do stupid mistakes by not taking good care of their incoming traffic.

1) Annoying your potential customer

Do not annoy your customers by presenting products on your website that are marked "Sold" or pages that say "Under Construction" or "Coming Soon." What is the point for you to show this page to your customer anyway? You will not make any money online doing this way and your credibility as a business owner will drop drastically.

Do add new content frequently so returning customers will not be bored by seeing the same products they saw four months ago. If your site is dated or has current references, be careful to change these references frequently so you don't give the perception that your site is gathering dust.

2) Broadcast too many emails to customer

"Money Is In The List", there is no doubt about that. But if you always send them email everyday about your offer, your customer feels that you only want to sell your things without taking care on what they want. You will lose a lot of money online. Plus, you will receive a lot of "Unsubsribe" click more than you could make one.

3) Lazy to keep track of any changes to your website

When you make changes to your site and resubmit your pages to search engine and directory services, document what you have changed and when you submitted your edited pages. Keeping track of these changes and submissions will help you understand why a particular ranking may increase or decrease.

4) Did not provide any benefit for customer

Before joining or buying any product or services, people will ask "What's in it for me?" Fail to answer this question, you will not make money online.

Offer additional value on your website for affiliates and partners. You can place links to their sites and products, for example, and ask them to do the same for you. In addition, you can advertise affiliate or partner books or videos if these products relate to your industry, and are not in competition with your own product or service line.

5) Using unrelated keyword for website

If your website is about "cat food", it will not make any sense if you are using "healthy food lifestyle" in your content. Search engines consider where you place your keywords, and how many times you use them, in order to figure out your ranking and the relevancy of your site to a customer search request. You want to be ranked as high as possible on the search engine list, so place keywords in the page titles and Meta tags and early in the content of your page.

It does not need a rocket scientist to figure out how to get a lot of traffic. You need to have an attitude of helping other people to make money online. With the right mind set and burning desire, you will have that quality traffic coming to your website freely.

Izrul Fizal has made a living earning himself a residual income every month. Get your FREE Special Report on creating an Automated Internet Business Model to Make Money Online at http://make-money-online1.blogspot.com and http://www.highprofitbizz.comAinsley Blog80542
Ashli Blog65690

Panama Mortgage Investor Program

Introduction - Panama is a wonderful place for real estate investors. Panama is the number one retirement haven in the world. Panama is the number one tax haven in the world. Panama has the worlds second largest duty free-zone, Hong Kong being the worlds largest duty free zone. Panama is a city of about 9 square miles and has 135 real estate projects under construction in and around the city and another 50 or so projects not yet started. Now comes the Panama Canal expansion which will involve lots or workers and expenditures well into the billions of dollars. Panama real estate is in the early years of a boom cycle with steeply rising prices.

Why Mortgages? Because it is a secure way to realize a generous return on your investment. With real estate appreciation going the way it has been in the last two years your investment outlook is encouraging to say the least.

How does it work? We legally represent you the lender as your law firm in Panama. You use an offshore (outside of Panama) Corporation and bank account in a tax haven country to avoid any Panama taxation issues on the interest income generated from the loan payments as well as avoiding any taxation in the jurisdiction the corporation and bank are located. If the loan payments are sent to a bank offshore to Panama there would be no Panama taxation. A bearer share corporation in a tax haven out of Panama can be used to cover the transaction with anonymity or one could receive the funds into a personal bank account if they were not interested in anonymity. Only prime properties purchased at below market rates would be considered. The LTV would never exceed 75% and would be calculated against two appraisals from recognized appraisers. The borrower would be acquiring the real estate so these would be purchase money instruments, not refinancing, not construction, not land loans and not against commercial property, just residential property. The borrower would be using an anonymous Panama Bearer Share Corporation to acquire the real estate. The underwriting of the loan would be strictly against the property only. There would be no credit reports and no financial information on the borrowers to protect their privacy. The bearer share corporation that is buying the real estate would pledge the stock certificates of the corporation to the lender which essentially gives the lender the control over the real estate contractually in the event of a default. This would avoid normal foreclosure procedures. The contract between borrower and lender would stipulate that in the event three consecutive payments were not made, you the lender would have control of the property and would be able to sell it. The exact terms are negotiable. The borrower would not have a rental agreement. You can control how many consecutive payments would need to be missed but the borrower has to agree to the terms as well so they must be acceptable to both sides. We can arrange for a company to service the loan or you can do so yourself, there really isnt very much to do. In the event of a missed payment or default we can represent you as your law firm and inquire of the borrower, proceed to recover your investment, etc. We could arrange for annual inspections, etc. We can use several strategies to effectively maintain your privacy and anonymity as a lender.

Details Of course the rate of return is going to be an important consideration. You could figure on a rate of at least 1 % over the 5 year CD rate in a substantial Panama Bank. The rate is generally going to be fixed but a variable could be negotiated, depends on the borrower. The term of the loan can be 5 to 15 years. A 5 year interest only loan is popular. There are sixty payments, 59 payments are interest only on the entire principal and the 60th payment is a balloon payment for the principal. This means at the end of the five years the borrower must pay off the note, refinance, sell or roll the mortgage over if you are willing. On the other hand you could do a 15 year fully amortized mortgage. Prepayment penalties can be negotiated. If the properties are owner occupied or not will vary on a case by case basis. Borrowers will provide adequate property insurance made out in favor of the corporation owning the property. The borrowers often live in several countries and move around throughout the year. Generally the borrowers will not be Panama citizens, thus the borrowers will not be appearing in any Panama credit reports. Panamanians can get 90% financing from conventional lenders with terms extending out to 25 years depending on how old they are. Non-Panamanians have a hard time financing real estate in Panama especially if they are older and retired. Lenders will often ask them to post life insurance and require very large down payments like up to 40%. Owner financing in Panama is something rarely ever encountered. Property values will be at least $200,000 so the loan amount would be $150,000 as a minimum. It is difficult to find prime properties for less than this amount. We have no maximum value. Penthouses in the newer projects run in excess of one million dollars and are often 7,000 sq. ft. in size occupying a whole floor. Many single family homes are over 7,000 sq. ft. If we are dealing with a loan amount in excess of one million dollars one could generally expect a slightly higher interest rate.

Investors Please contact us for further details.

Ronald Edwards is a researcher, with years of experience in finances and real estate.Aidan Blog81754
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Corporations and Limited Liability Companies (LLCs): Charging Orders and the Differences in Protection!

I always say that when choosing a business entity, you must evaluate the tax advantages and disadvantages BUT ALSO the level of liability protection. LETS LOOK AT A COMMON TRUTH: Many attorneys recommend the corporation to their clients. For the most part, corporations will provide good protection from traditional liabilities. In other words, if the business is sued for its business activities, then I consider this a traditional liability situation. In most instances (a properly set up and maintained corporation) will protect the owners from personal liability.

Most attorneys (myself included), who stay up-to-date with court precedents and how creditors (and collection attorneys) actually work, will tell you that a multi-member LLC will usually provide enhanced benefits. Here are a few reasons:

1. LESS FORMALITY = LESS MISTAKES: The corporation requires annual meetings and has a number of rules which create a forced management structure. For example, every corporation is made up of a tri-parte management structure (tri-parte means 3 levels). This means that all corporations will have to force or channel operations through this structure of directors, officers, and shareholders. The trouble with small to mid-sized businesses is that the same person or perhaps a handful of people must occupy all of these positions. This can create confusion and more opportunity for error. The limited liability company (LLC) is simpler to operate because state law does force this tri-parte structure upon LLC owners and employees.

LLCs (unlike corporations) are not required to have annual meetings. Although we think LLC meetings are a good idea, you probably wont lose your protection if you forget to have a meeting. These simplicities mean less technicalities and less confusion. It also means that there will be less mistakes available for an attorney to use against you when trying to pierce the entity in order to hold its owners personally liable.

2. CHARGING ORDER PROTECTION: Alright, lets move forward to another VERY IMPORTANT issue. I am going to say that this is perhaps the KEY REASON why an LLC is favored in most situations. The LLC will protect you from business liabilities but it can also protect your business from personal liabilities. DID YOU CATCH THAT? We said the LLC will protect you personally from business liabilities, BUT IT CAN ALSO protect your business from personal liabilities.

Ok, enough word manipulationlets look at a concrete example:

EXAMPLE: Lets say that you are driving and taking your family to the park on a Sunday afternoon. Negligently, you tap someone who is crossing the street and they are slightly injured. The injured person finds a sharp and hungry personal injury attorney who milks the case for every penny. They sue you for $1,000,000 and win. Your insurance pays out the $500,000, but there is still $500,000 owed. What happens next? The answer will depend on whether you have a corporation or LLC.

Did you know that once a judgment is obtained against you, the attorney may pass the case on to a collections specialist (an aggressive attorney who handles collections)? These attorneys are very knowledgeable and may only focus on collections in other words, they know the ropes. This attorney would go to the judge and request a Write of Execution. With this writ they many visit your residence or office (with the local sheriff) and begin seizing personal assets. The problem is the corporate stock shares are personal property. As a result, generally they can seize 100% of corporate stock shares.

Now you may say...Wait a minute, my business was not involved in the accident. I was taking my family to the park on a Sunday. Understand, the creditor is not trying to enter your corporation through the front door, but through the back door! Have you ever heard the expression, He who has the gold makes the rules?. I dont always agree with this, but in this situation, lets say, He who has the stock shares makes the rules. In other words, if the creditor seizes your stock shares they can vote to dissolve or end the corporation. As a result, any assets in the corporation must be distributed to you personally.

Now you may ask, Why would anyone want to break up my corporation?. THE REASON: Once the corporation is dissolved the assets of the corporation will be distributed to you, the owner. GUESS WHAT? Now the collection attorney will have more money to satisfy the rest of the judgment (the $500,000 still owed). Remember we discussed the importance of protecting your business from personal liabilities? The corporation wont do that very well because of this reason: Stock shares are personal property. They can be seized if you have a personal judgment against you.

The same thing can happen if you are doing business in a corporation made up of 2 or more parties. In such an instance, a creditor who obtains enough shares could vote to dissolve the company or they could become a substituted owner. You see, you cant control the actions of all your co-owners all the time. For this reason, there is undue risk when corporations are used (especially if there is more than one owner!).

I am a licensed attorney and attend training conferences each year to keep up with my required hours of continuing legal education. I can tell you that while I love to learn about all the updates and nuisances of setting up companiesI know that the real benefit comes from understanding how collection attorneys work. The goal is to learn what tricks they use to tear companies apart. Believe me, most will foam at the mouth when they learn the business owner is using a corporation. They are not so pleased to learn the business owner is an LLC or other partnership-style entity.

So at this point you may be wondering how the LLC is different. This is a complex issue, but generally we can say that the laws of all states (except Pennsylvania and Nebraska) have included special rules for LLCs which allows them to be protected in this type of situation.

In other words, if we had the same facts in which you hit someone on the way to the park on a Sunday and $500,000 of the judgment was not covered by your insurance, the creditor would generally not be able to gain control of your LLC. The creditor also could not vote to end the LLC, could not force a distribution, and could not break up the LLC. The creditor would be limited to a court order called a charging order.

So what is a charging order? The charging order is a specific court order that first must be granted by the judge. It is a court order which says that if any money is passed on to the owner who was involved in the accident, this money must first go to the creditor until the debt is paid off. The only problem is that the creditor does not have the right to force the LLC to make this payment. This means that the creditor could wait a very long time for such payment to be made. If your LLC is run by parties who are friendly to your situation, they may choose to stop all distributions made to you. State law limits a creditors collection efforts to this charging order. Second, once the creditor obtains the charging order they may have to pay taxes on money that the LLC made, but which was not distributed to you (we call this phantom income).

What does all this mean? Generally it puts you in a much better position if such an event occurs, since it may force the creditor to try to settle the judgment debt or just drop the collection efforts. At the very least it can help keep your business intact. If you were using a corporation the end result would likely be the end of the company. If an LLC was used, managed correctly, and its owners properly reserved this charging order limitation then the result will be quite different.

Here are a few other things to consider: An LLC will need to have more than one member in order to ensure this type of protection. Lets also say that in community property states it may be useful to have someone other than your spouse (family member or close friend) own a small percentage interest in the LLC. The community property states are: Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.

Second, you must make sure that the LLC is run and managed in the correct manner. None of these protections will hold up in court unless you truly become a MASTER of good business practices and learn how to keep up with LLC formalities.

To learn more about how you can become a MASTER of good business practices, create, run, and maintain an iron clad LLC please see Mr. Barazandehs, Wealth Building LLC course at http://www.theinformedinvestor.com and http://www.attorneysecrets.com.

I want to wish you all the best in your business and email me if you ever need help: taxenterprises@yahoo.com

By: Darius M. Barazandeh, Attorney at Law / M.B.A. Abra Blog23382
Alli Blog34799

Despite Financial Despise Bad Credit Secured Loans at Eyes

A consumer credit history is recurrently trailed by credit rating agencies. The data reported by these agencies is mostly provided to them by creditors and includes whole account of the relationship a person has with the lender. Thorough account information, including payment history, credit limits, high and low balances, and any hostile actions taken to recover overdue debts, are all reported frequently. To live with dignity and pride, the financial market has opened bad credit secured loans. These loans are aimed at respite despite adverse credit scores.

On availing these loans, individuals need to arrange collateral as of their guarantees. Important papers, jewellery, car etc., too are the other options of pledging the borrowers have. Credit scores allege to assess the likelihood that a borrower will repay a loan of other credit obligation. That is why, the higher the score, the better the credit history of the individuals.

Coming to the interest rate charge upon the bad credit secured loans are a bit costlier. Owing to stiff competition amongst lenders in the market, the individuals have rather good opportunities of catching easy deals. All that is necessary for the applicants is that make online study of the bad credit secured loans before jumping into the financial market.

Time period for the repayment of the bad credit secured loans are designed in such a way that may feasible to the borrowers. Flexible clauses and small instalments are some added benefits to the borrowers.

Now, bad credit secured loans have aroused confidence in the individuals with adverse credit history. Usages of these loans are uncountable. These loans cover all the personal purposes of individuals. Wedding, purchasing car, home improvement, childrens education or installing a business etc. loans cover up all the individuals financial demands. And, give respite despite adverse credit history with bad credit secured loans.

Peter Taylor is a senior financial analyst at Bad Credit Loans with an acumen for finance and insurance. In recent years he has taken up to provide independant financial advice through his informative articles. His articles are widely read because of the lucid manner of wriiting and thoroughly researched datas. To find Bad credit secured loans, bad credit loans, bad credit personal loans, bad credit payday loans, bad credit loans UK visit http://www.badcreditloans.uk.com/Anica Blog91056
Anne Corinne Blog79443

Tips on How to Teach Your Kids to Save Money

A lot of teens nowadays do not understand the value of earning and spending money. They were not oriented that investing is necessary even if they are still students. As parents, you play a crucial role in this area.

You should be able to teach your kids on how to save money. They should be able to understand the concept of money and investment as early as childhood. This will prepare them to learn money management, as they grow old.

Here are some tips on how you can teach your children how to save money:

1. Your children should be educated of the meaning of money. Once your children have learned how to count, that is the perfect time for you teach them the real meaning of money. You should be consistent and explain to them in simple ways and do this frequently so that they may be able to remember what you taught them.

2. Always explain to them the value of saving money. Make them understand its importance and how it will impact their life. It is important that you entertain questions from them about money and you should be able to answer them right away.

3. When giving them their allowances. You need to give them their allowances in denominations. Then you can encourage them that they should keep a certain bill for the future. You can motivate them to do this by telling them that the money can be saved and they can buy new pair of shoes or the toys they want once they are able to save.

4. You can also teach them to work for money. You can start this at your own home. You can pay them fifty cents to one dollar every time they clean their rooms, do the dishes or feed their pets. This concept of earning little money will make them think that money is something they have worked for and should be spent wisely.

5. You can teach them to save money by giving them piggy banks where they can put coins and wait until they get full. You can also open bank accounts for them and let them deposit money from their allowance. You should always show them how much they have earned to keep them motivated.

Money and saving is not something that is learned by children in one sitting. You should be patient in teaching them and relating the value of money in all of their activities. Children will learn this easily if you are patient and consistent in guiding them and encouraging them in this endeavor.

Norleen GrayAnn Blog73831
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Crystal Lake Cave In Iowa - A Great Vacation And Travel Destination

Iowa has some beautiful places that are wonderful vacation destinations. One of the must see places is Crystal Lake Cave. There is an interesting story behind this location. Back in 1868 lead miners were looking for a lead vein and they drilled 40 feet into the ground. And although they were not successful in finding the lead they had hoped for they did find something else even more amazing. What they found was Crystal Lake Cave. Although the cave was discovered for many years it was not open to the public until 1932. Bernard Markus, one of the original miners, played a role in getting the cave open to the public and it finally became so after his death.

While the miners were digging they found quite a few different types of gems and minerals that are on display in the gift shop. There is no other show cavern like Crystal Lake Cave and this is the longest a cave has been "alive" in Iowa. The cave is underground and continues to be one of the most amazing places to visit in Iowa. The tour of the cave takes about half an hour to 45 minutes and it is an adventure like none other you have ever taken. A tour guide will lead you so that you get the most out of the adventure. Keep in mind that no matter what the temperature is outside it will be quite cool in Crystal Lake Cave and the year round temperature is usually around 52 degrees Fahrenheit.

The cave is open from 9 am to 5 pm on weekends in May and daily in June, July and August from 9 am until 6 pm. In September the cave is open from 11 am until 5 pm on weekdays and 9 am until 5 pm on weekends. The cave is open through mid October from 11 am until 5 pm on weekdays and 9 am until 5 pm on weekends. The rest of the year the cave is closed for winter. Prices for adults are $10 and $5 for kids four to 11. Kids under four are free and senior citizens receive a 10% discount. Group pricing is available. The cave is located three miles south of Dubuque, Iowa and 20 minutes from Galena, Illinois.

There is a website that has great information on USA Vacations and Unique Travel Spots Listed State By State and Season, the website is called: Seasonal Vacation Spots, and can be found at this url:

http://www.seasonalvacationspots.com

By Robert W. Benjamin

Copyright © 2007

You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter, or on your web site as long as it is reprinted in its entirety and without modification except for formatting needs or grammar corrections.

Robert W. Benjamin has been in the software business on the internet for over 6 years, and has been producing low-cost software for the past 25+ years.Amber Blog69726
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