Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Can You Become Property Millionaire? YES, But Only With These Insider Secrets

Do you know the secret to Donald Trump's immense wealth? That's right, property investment, and I will be showing you how to plan your first steps to achieving the same.

It's so good in fact, that it is estimated that nearly 90% of the world richest individuals become rich by investing in property!

So let's find out exactly how anyone, including you, can plan for and build property empire, and make you a millionaire!

1. Finding The Time

Have you ever wondered why you are always working and never seem to have enough money?

The money I save allows me to purchase cash generating properties which means that I am not dependent on a 9-5 office job. I have more time to spend with the people I care about.

Previous to this, I would spend many nights thinking about what I had achieved that day.

There were days where I would work, go home, watch TV go to bed, work, get home and watch TV again.

Basically, I was in a rut.

One of the most useful things I found was finding the time to focus on the things that really mattered.

So how do you find the time. Let's have a look at some of the things that really takes up a lot of our time:

1- Watching TV.

2- Do less work and overtime

3- Plan your time more carefully.

Surveys show that after work and sleep, watching TV is the third main use of people's time.

Don't get me wrong, there are times nothing better than watching TV, but sometimes it can take up too much of our time.

Time is the most precious commodity. Personally speaking, given the choice between time and money, I will always choose time. After all there is an abundance of money, but only a finite amount of time.

What with the age of retirement continuing to rise and then pensions not being large enough for out retirements, people are increasingly thinking more and more about securing their financial future.

You owe it to yourself and your family.

ANYONE who can understand money and how to make it work for them, rather than them working for it, can become financially independent within 5 years.

2. Setting Goals

Let's imagine that two people are driving somewhere they have never been before.

The first driver sets off straight away as fast as he can.

The second driver first spends some time looking at a map and deciding on the best route to go.

Which one of these was able to do the journey in a easier and faster?

This is exactly the same way with property investment.

To be successful you have to declare where you are heading and set your targets.

Goals are important for many reasons:

a.They call you to action.

b.They help you make choices. Go for some things and reject others.

c.They introduce accountability.

d.They motivate you.

e.They increase your confidence to get you where you want to be.

When setting your own goals be honest with yourself. A great tip is to write them down on paper and refer to them. It's a proven fact that those with written goals perform better than those without.

A goal is a tangible result that is unambiguous and measurable.

Sir Alex Ferguson did not become one of football's greatest managers by telling his team to just see how it goes this year '...that `hopefully we will do well again'. He tells them 'by Christmas we will be in the top three and by the end f the season, on May 17, we will be number one!'

"I want to own 100 properties as soon as possible" -that's not a goal.

"I want 1,000,000 in my hank account by December 31, 2008" -- now, that's a goal!

Set yourself a clear, measurable goal now.

Then break it up into smaller, more manageable tasks so you know exactly what you need to do in order to achieve it.

3. Deciding On Your Strategy

Goals are WHAT you want. Strategy is HOW to get them

Here are some of the questions you need to be asking yourself when setting your strategy.

- Have I got my goals clear?

- Has someone I know double checked that my goals are realistic and properly set out and written down?

- How much do I need to make financially to hit my yearly goals? Break down your overall goal into smaller chunks..

- What kind of property investment meets my risk profile?

- What kind of property investments are going to help me reach my goals?

- Property investments can choose from include off-plans; buy-to-let renovations;

- How much time do I have on a weekly basis to make my goals happen?

- To whom am I accountable for reaching my weekly and monthly goals?

- What reading and researching do I need to do each week?

- What support do I need to buy in or nurture such as accountants, lawyers, finders, lenders and brokers?

Have I prepared a budget and a business plan?

For example, here was my goal when I first become interested in property investing.

Main goal- To become financially independent in 5 years.

Tasks needed to achieve this:

Education.

a- Take a course in property investment.

b- Read 5 books on the topic.

c- Join a property investment forum to learn from other people.

Money

a- Cut back on unnecessary expenses every month.

b- Save 40% of my salary each month, which was approximately 500 pounds at the time. This was to use to make property investments.

Investments

a- Purchase my first property within 6 months.

b- Purchase a new property every year.

As you can see, it helps to be very specific with your goals. If you can give specifics and values as this gives you something concrete to achieve.

Consider these two targets:

"Save money each month" is a little vague and might mean you only save a very small amount.

"Save 500 pounds a month" is more exact and also pushed me to be really careful with my money.

It was really hard work, but it means that I was able to put down a deposit on my first property within the 6 month time limit.

Once you have set your goals, review them every 2 weeks or so to see if you are going

Anything that does not fit all of these criteria does not even get considered further by me.

It's important that you think about your own.

4- Good Financial Ground Work

If you are managing your personal finances badly to start with, getting involved with property will not help.

Property is there to generate cash for you, so don't be borrowing unsecured loans. Property should also be sued as the collateral.

You need to sort out the cracks first so that when you do invest, the money you make doesn't fall through them.

Manage your property accounts and personal accounts separately. Use separate bank accounts.

Try to keep you personal funds and your investment funds separate. That way you won't overstretch yourself. You need to have a firm grasp on your finances to prevent problems

The simple answer that will solve all your money problems is to spend less than you earn and invest the difference!

5-Summary

Make time for your financial freedom. It's well worth it. You will be surprised to find that securing your financial future can be done in less than 10 hours a week.

Consider that this is less than a third of the time that the average adult watches TV each week.

Make goals that you are happy with and create a strategy to show how you are going to achieve it. If you can do this and stick to you plan, then you will have laid th4e foundations to creating your financial future and it will only be a matter of time before you make your first million with careful and informed property investment.

Copyright (c) 2007 Property Horizons Group Ltd

Robert Gavin is the managing director of Property Horizons Group Ltd and a self made property millionaire.Ariel Blog53968
Angelika Blog90562

Easy Ways to Save Money

To get on the road to financial freedom, youve got to have a budget to help you focus on achieving your financial goals. If youd like to own your own home someday or pay off all your credit card debt, you need to plan ahead and set aside money to make your dreams a reality. But saving money can seem impossible when youre already reaching to pay all your bills. Fear not it can be done! Check out some of these easy tips to help you start saving money.

Spare Change Matters

Dont underestimate the power of the penny! If dont think you can afford to put any extra money into a savings account, commit to saving your loose change for that purpose. At the end of each day, put all your loose coins in a jar or a cheap piggy bank. As your jar fills up, stop by a Coinstar machine and deposit the cash into your savings account.

Let Online Banking Help You

Online banking makes it easy to transfer money to your savings account. If have direct deposit for your paycheck, you should be able to set up an automatic transfer so that a portion of your money automatically goes to your savings account. If you never see the money, in your checking account, you wont be as tempted to spend it. Most experts recommend that you automatically deposit 10% of your take-home pay, but if this is too much for you to start with, try to work up to it.

Learn the Trading Game

If youre great with kids, why not volunteer to watch a colleagues children in exchange for a free ride to work? Or offer to trade some of your world-famous pies for some auto repair work from a car-loving friend. Everyone have some skills use the things youre good at to trade for the goods and services youd otherwise pay for.

Cut Your Utility Bills

With the explosive growth of modern technology, it seems that theres some new gadget for every task. Using all these tools can make your life easier, but it also increases your energy bill. One night a week, wash your dishes by hand, or hang your clothes to dry on a clothesline in your laundry room. Buy a carpet sweeper or a manual lawnmower to replace their energy-guzzling alternatives. Youll cut your energy bill and develop a new-found respect for your pioneer ancestors.

Live the High Life on a Budget

Buying a $5 coffee everyday or catching dinner and a movie every Friday night with your partner can quickly chip away at your savings. If you cant give up your Starbucks, consider switching to plain black coffee with a bit of flavored creamer. Youll save money as well as all those calories in your grande caramel macchiato! Learn to cook a nice dinner to serve by candlelight in your home and follow it up with your favorite old movie on the couch.

If some of these tradeoffs dont sound like much fun, try to keep your financial goals in mind. Picture yourself moving into your new home or driving down the road in your Ferrari convertible. If you stay focused on your goals, youll find it much easier to stick with your budget and save more money. For more easy ways to save money, visit The Sexy Secretary - a great website with lots of tips on living the good life on a budget.

This article was published by Sarah Russell on Smart Young Money a collection of money management resources for teens and young adults. For great information on using credit, managing debt and more for young people, visit http://www.smartyoungmoney.com.Alyce Blog56982
Arden Blog97199

Forget Everything You've Been Taught About Autosurfing and STOP Flushing Your Money Down The Toilet!

I would love to slap you. Maybe you deserve it, but certainly you need it. I need to pour iced water over your head, flog you with a sausage and yell as loud as I can in your ears

"FORGET EVERY BIT OF ADVICE THE OLD INDUSTRY GURUS TOLD YOU, THE OLD ADVICE ABOUT AUTOSURFS DOES NOT WORK!"

Yes, you might be a little surprised. Yes you've probably not been flogged with a sausage before, and you'll probably be a bit confused as to why I've got an entire website dedicated to an industry I don't hold much faith in.I really believe that right now (October 10th 2006) the entire industry' exists because of one company alone and I'd like to use this opportunity to explain why you might have lost money on investment after investment this year.

I'm pretty much out on a limb here. Nobody else seems to share my pessimism, but then look around where are the autosurf commentators and advisors of last year? Have you received any email updates from these people telling you how much money they've lost and how they are trying to recover it? Are they still providing advice and strategies? They aren't because when the autosurf industry is strong, its actually hard to lose money. Whether you tell people to diversify, or to invest only in one company, the advice will appear to work. It's only when the industry is not going strong that people follow the old advice which once seemed to work, and effectively flush their money down the toilet.

I'm dedicating this article to the people who are scratching their head this year. The people who've consistently lost money in nearly every surf site of 2006 and wonder what is going on. We can't blame Stormpay any longer, we can't blame e-gold or SEC regulations so I'm going to tell you exactly why the odds are so hugely stacked against you this year.

1) Due Diligence DOES NOT work.

Due Diligence was the pompous buzzword of 2005. Every forum post required it to be used to assert your status as an autosurf elite. It means "do proper research about a company" before you invest.

Due Diligence makes some very dangerous assumptions

- It assumes that if you know the name and contact details of a webmaster they will never run away.

- It assumes that the webmaster is competent.

- It assumes that it is hard to falsify DD documents.

2) People are Wrongly Petrified of the Word Ponzi' Because they Associate it with 12DailyPro's Collapse.

Before 12DailyPro was around last year, people were not really concerned about how an autosurf made money. Suddenly this Ponzi word began infecting everything to do with autosurfing. People began to associate 12DailyPro with Ponzis with losing all their money. The case is MUCH more complex than that. If it were that simple then other autosurfs would have been hauled in front of the SEC too and this has not happened.

People are convincing themselves that autosurfs are trading in forex, investing in offline opportunites are living a dangerous lie. I'll leave it again until another time to explain exactly how an autosurf makes money but for now don't let autosurfs blindside you with this kind of rubbish. A company declaring links with forex traders is much more likely to be a scam than one which keeps its operations more private.

3) People Confuse Reputation With Competence.

People seem to be connecting experience in a forum with an ability to run an autosurf.

Haven't you noticed that all these new autosurfs and HYIPs are being run by people with no experience at all in running sites. Why do you believe they will learn the ropes and excel?

4) Diversification Doesn't Work if There are no Good Companies Around

There have been times this year where there has not been even one autosurf worth investing in. Often it is worth getting out of the market for a few months until something credible appears again. If we'd have all done that since January, imagine how much we might have saved.

5) People Believe That Low % Autosurf Sites Are More Stable Than High Percentage Sites

I remember last year hearing a respected autosurf commentator explaining that sites offering 1% interest per day for a year should be considered as bankers'. He was explaining that they are much more stable that high % short-term sites. How many 1% for 1 year sites do you see now? How many of them are being advertised or are attracting attention? There's about three I can think of and not one would get noticed in a forum.

6) People Still Have Blind Faith in AutoSurf Owners

I'd argue that during 2005 nearly every autosurf owner began their website with the best intentions in mind. They genuinely thought that they'd be able to pay members and keep the site running. I argue that this year the story is different. People have come to realize that when a site closes it is the owner who comes out smiling at the members expense. I believe that some companies (perhaps CompactSurf) set off with a financial target in mind. When they got a certain dollar value in their e-gold account they decided to close. It really is impossible to read the mind of the autosurf webmasters and there is nothing at all you can do about it.

7) People are Still Following Tipsters Like Sheep

Nothing makes me more angry at how irresponsible HYIP and Autosurf commentators have become. Read most of the autosurf blog sites, or read some of the emails that you get from those people and you'll recognize that there is ALWAYS one company being marketed. As I said, there can be (and there have been) times where not one HYIP or autosurf is credible. Most of the bloggers take the least-bad company and market that. As soon as it has problems they switch their downline into another company, collecting their commissions on the way.

The most common question I'm asked is "Which autosurfs should I invest in?" My standard reply is invest in the industry leader and nothing else. I'll define this industry leader later, but I'm keen to keep this article academic and don't wish to go off-track. Most people are disappointed by my reply.

They were expecting me to whisper a company name in their ear and magically unleash the next way they can make millions. I could pander to demands and reel off the company that pays me the highest referral commission but I very much want my reputation to last longer than a typical autosurf's lifespan.

To Conclude

* I hope by now you can appreciate just why you've been losing money this year and can see that autosurfing now is very different to how it used to be.

* I do not recommend many companies, simply because it is extremely difficult to predict their motives and their future.

* A wise investor will not search for opportunities which really do not exist.

* I have not yet completed an article about what new strategy you should adopt .. but it is in my to-do list. If you understand the gravity of my arguments here then this update is essential reading.

Copyright (c) 2006 Martin PavionAeriela Blog26893
Alexandrina Blog871

Seven Simple Ways To Save Money On Gas

Looking for ways to save money on gas that wont require you to go out and spend more money just so you can save a few bucks at the pump.

If you have a perfectly good vehicle, then spending $25k on a new hybrid car just so you can save $10 when you fill up at the pump might not be such a good deal.

Also, if youre not the type that wants to install any of those gas saving devices in your car, then this list is for you.

Whether or not you have any mechanical skills, you can use these no brainier methods to start saving money on gas right now even if you dont know how to change a tire.

1 Get A Gas Card

Want a tip that will save you money every single time you fill up at the pump no matter what vehicle you drive? Its a gas card. Just about every major gas station offers their own brand of gas credit card that will allow you to save 3-5% on all your gas purchases at their gas stations. Forget about the branded gas cards and get one that will save you 5% on gas no matter where you fill up, like the Discover Open Road Card. Just remember, pay it off every month or it wont save you any money.

Saving 5% off every gallon of gas means that $3/gallon gas now costs only $2.85 and $4/gallon becomes $3.80. If you have a 25 gallon tank, youd save $3.75 every time you filled up ($3/gallon gas).

A lot of people use a credit card when filling up at the pump anyway since its easy and convenient. You may as well get a gas card so its easy, convenient, and saving you money.

2 Avoid Aggressive Driving

Hitting the gas hard when the light turns green and braking hard will make your car drink gas faster than a drunk at an open bar at a wedding. If you were to drive away from a stop at a more moderate pace, accelerate in traffic more slowly, and anticipate when youre going to need to brake ahead of time so you can do so slowly, youre going to save a lot of gas up to 37% about the same buying a hybrid car but this tip wont cost you anything. (oh yeah, its safer too)

3 Use Your Cruise Control

Personally, I wont buy a car if it doesnt have cruise control, since it means I dont have to worry so much about keeping my speed constant. However, cruise control also had the added benefit of saving you gas too. On average, youll save about 7% more gas than if you dont use cruise control.

4 Slow Down

Sure, going fast can be fun. It can also get you a nice collection of speeding tickets, but more importantly, the faster you drive the more gas you use. Im not saying that you need to drive like your grandmother, but slowing down from 75 to 65 can you 12% on you gas bill, and unless youre driving across the country, the time difference in getting where youre going will be minimal.

5 Stop Idling

Having the car running when its not moving wastes gas.

I remember being taught when I was first learning to drive that you should let your car warm up for a few minutes before driving it anywhere when its cold outside. While that may be true for older cars, modern cars dont need warm up time before being ready to drive. Dont drive like a maniac (see #2) before you car is completely warmed up and youll be fine.

If you going to be sitting and waiting some place without moving for more than about a minute, turn off the engine. It probably goes without saying that if you can avoid rush hour traffic, you should.

Also, one great place to sit and waste gas is your local fast food drive-thru. Get off your lazy butt, get out of your car and go inside to get your food.

6 Plan Ahead

Instead of driving to the gym, going home, driving to work, driving home, driving to the store, and then home again, start combining trips whenever possible. This is really easy to do if you just think ahead. Avoid just spontaneously hopping in the car and driving to the store to pick up some milk and eggs. Think about what else you can do if youre going to be out running errands anyway so that you can avoid another trip later.

5 You got legs useem

Really want to save money on gas? Then use your legs. A lot of trips arent really that far, and while it takes a little longer to walk somewhere than to drive there, its a good chance to get outside, get some fresh air and get some exercise in the process. Its really not necessary to drive absolutely everywhere unless you happen to live in the middle of nowhere. So get yourself a comfortable pair of tennis shoes and start walking instead of driving when you can.

Also, a bicycle is a nice compromise between the two, and can actually be faster to get some places than a car. I remember when I was in college and moved off campus although we lived almost 2 miles from campus, it was a lot faster for me to take my bicycle to go to class than to take my car.

Gary RuplingerAnalise Blog66731
Alyce Blog56982

Going Solo - The Secrets to Starting a Successful Law Practice

If you watch movies, you are undoubtedly already sold on establishing your own law firm. You will drive a Porsche (remember Jan Schlictmann in A Civil Action) and have a paralegal that looks like Julia Roberts (Erin Brockovich). You will be sleeping with beautiful office colleagues (Ally McBeal) and fighting society-changing cases (Philadelphia or To Kill A Mockingbird). You do not really even need to be a lawyer (My Cousin Vinny). And the funny thing is--it is all true. So how, you ask yourself, do you live this glamorous life? Here are the little known secrets to a successful practice:

Get Confidence.

A quick review of various articles and books on starting your own practice will likely zap your confidence and fill you with doubt. Moreover, your practice will undoubtedly be busy on some days but slow on others. Do not get bogged down in worrying where your next payment is coming from. Believe that it will come and, in the meantime, work on marketing your practice or taking care of the clients you do have.

Practice pointer: Have faith. Think of all of the attorneys you know who have their own practice or a small firm and who you know are terrible attorneys. If they can make it, you can make it.

Find Mentors.

There is no need to reinvent the wheel and forge a new path. Learn from other's mistakes. Seek out mentors who can serve as a resource as you set up your practice and deal with day-to-day issues that arise. Read books and articles on well-known lawyers to learn what makes them successful.

Practice pointer: Call sole practitioners you know and ask them to coffee or lunch. Ask them how they got started and what lessons they learned.

Do Your Research.

Look through books and articles on setting up your own firm for checklists on the minutiae of starting your own practice. A good resource is How To Start & Build A Law Practice by Jay Foonberg. The State Bar also prints a book called Opening A Law Office. Learn about trust accounts, attorney-client retainer agreements, conflicts of interest, malpractice insurance and the "business" of law.

Practice Pointer: Check out eBay for less expensive, used copies or search for books at your city's main library. The State Bar website has sample Attorney-Client Retainer Agreements.

Avoid Overhead.

Focus on building income rather than building expenses. Many attorneys are working from home. You can sign up for a corporate identity package with an executive suite. These packages give you an office address and telephone number, the use of conference rooms if you need to meet with clients and various other office amenities. If you are looking for an office, consider a short term licensing agreement versus a long term lease. Do not forget everything that you need to make an office usable: telephones, a copy machine, computers, printers, a postage machine, a Westlaw or Lexis/Nexis subscription and office supplies. Subleasing an office from a law firm or renting from an executive suite will help you keep costs down since they already have a telephone system, a copier and the like.

Consider being of counsel to a firm who can refer hourly contract work to you while you build your practice. Consider doing contract work for other attorneys to bring in income. Unless you are independently wealthy, remember to budget in your day-to-day living expenses for the first few months when you may not collect any payments.

Write Down Your Goals.

It is said that most people spend more time planning a dinner party than they spend planning their life. It is easy to get bogged down in the emergency of the day. Set aside time to consider the big picture: what type of practice do you want to build? If asked, have you thought through a 50 word description of your practice that you can present with confidence? Develop a marketing plan to reach your potential clients.

Practice Pointer: Spend a day away from everything and everyone where you can focus on your plan without any distractions. Turn off your phone and the radio. Take a blank pad of paper and brainstorm uninterrupted for at least one hour.

Work Efficiently.

Once you have set your goals, start each day with a list of what it is that you want to accomplish that day. Stick to the list and check off each task as you complete it. Do not start each day reacting to the latest e-mail. In fact, do not even look at your e-mail during the first few hours of the day. It is too easy to get distracted from the goals you have set. Do not let others determine what you will work on each day.

Practice Pointer: Turn off the automatic notification on your e-mail and only check your e-mails in between other tasks. You will find that all of the urgent e-mails you receive are really not that urgent.

Leverage Yourself.

Recognize that your highest value activity is billing. As soon as possible, hire others (even on a part time or by assignment basis) to type, copy, file, bill and take care of other non-billable tasks. Internet services allow you to fax a document and receive back a typed Word document by email quickly and without the need to hire a temporary secretary. Look for ways to free up your time for marketing and billing.

Practice Pointer: Hire university students part time. They are smart, eager to learn and not expensive.

Solo or Partnership?

While it is easy to enter into a partnership, it can be extremely difficult to get out of one. Before entering into a partnership, make sure that you have a frank discussion with your potential partner about your goals, your business, your work style, your vision for the future and what you hope to achieve. How will you split the costs and income? If you decide to enter into a partnership, make sure that you have a well thought out partnership agreement which sets forth a dispute resolution mechanism in the event that the relationship sours. Think through the issues which may cause tension in the future and decide on how to resolve these disputes beforehand.

Learn the 15% Rule.

The 15% rule states that 15% of your clients are not worth the trouble and aggravation. When you are first starting out, you do not want to turn clients away. But some clients should be turned away. There will be clients who complain day in and day out. These same clients will fall behind on their bills but call you every twenty minutes. They will challenge every entry on your bill. They are more likely to sue you for malpractice, especially when you try to get them to pay their bills. Have the confidence to "unhire" these clients. There is no benefit in working for free and you will free yourself to find paying clients.

In the same vein, insist on a retainer large enough to commit your client. If the client cannot pay a retainer before hiring you, what makes you think they will be able to pay after you have completed the first month's worth of work (and paid for the expenses out of your own pocket)? When a client begins to fall behind on their bill, cut them off sooner rather than later. A deadbeat client will have more incentive to fight or sue you if he or she owes $40,000 rather than $4,000.

Practice Pointer: offer to discount a late bill if the client will pay immediately. Cash in hand can often be better than a large receivable.

Sell Value.

Clients typically seek a solution to their problems. While no client wants to pay for a lawyer or a legal dispute, price is typically not their primary motivating factor in hiring a lawyer. Instead, they want peace of mind from knowing that a qualified lawyer is going to resolve their dispute or structure their transaction.

Practice Pointer: Be confident in the rate you quote your client and do not discount it as a matter of course. Build a reputation for the service you provide and not for the "blue light specials" that you offer.

Take Action!

There is no substitute for just doing it. As lawyers we tend to sometimes overanalyze everything. Our clients are often those who jump right in and make things happen.

Practice Pointer: Be willing to take risks and, again, have faith that you will succeed.

Laine T. Wagenseller is the founder of Wagenseller Law Firm, a full service real estate litigation firm in downtown Los Angeles. The firm represents real estate developers, owners, and investors. For more information visit http://www.wagensellerlaw.com or contact Mr. Wagenseller at (213) 996-8338.Aidan Blog81754
Alexandrina Blog871

Is Fair Trade Coffee Really Fair?

The US consumes about 20% of the world's coffee production. This makes it a huge market and the demand of that market is one of the things that keeps coffee prices fairly high. One might think that part of that price gets back to the people who actually grow the coffee, but traditionally it hasn't. Only a tiny bit of the price we pay for coffee makes it back to the producers, but it's not enough to support production costs, much less a family.

The tiny, almost trivial, amount that makes it back to the workers forces them into a cycle of poverty and debt. The Fair Trade movement was developed to try to change that. Among other things, to be Fair Trade certified means that the growers will get at least $1.26 per pound for their coffee, much better than the typical 40-60 cents.

Using determination and persistance the Fair Trade movement has convinced over 100 companies, including Starbucks and Peets, to give you the opportunity to buy fair trade coffee. More and more companies are also joining this rapidly growing movement.

In addition to giving the grower a fair price, the movement is also pushing for organic farming methods, the idea being that organic farming is easier on the environment, fewer pesticides and chemicals are used, and it is also cheaper for the farmer. This makes it a win-win situation with the farmer incurring lower costs, getting more money, and not contaminating the land.

So what, exactly, is Fair Trade Certified Coffee? Basically it's the coffee sold by a company, such as Starbucks, that has entered into an agreement with a licensing company to purchase Fair Trade Certified coffee. Transfair USA is the only Fair Trade certification company in the US, but there are 17 of these companies worldwide.

Certification guarantees that the Fair Trade requirements are met. These requirements include that a minimum price is paid to the growers for the coffee, the buyer assists the grower with access to credit (to pay for harvesting,) and an incentive for growers and marketers to enter into longer term contracts. Long term contracts provide stability for the farmer, since he doesn't have to worry about where he will sell his coffee crop.

Before Fair Trade the minimum price for the coffee might be as low as 20 cents a pound. The ability to make enough money to live on, and raise a family on, means a great deal to the growers. It also gives them a greater incentive to be productive, since they know the extra work is meaningful.

In addition to the certifications for the buyers there is a similar system for the growers. The Fairtrade Labeling Organization (FLO) maintains a producers registry. In order to be a part of this registry the producers (farmers) must meet several criteria. They have to be poor, they cannot make use of hired labor, and they have to be democratically organized into small farmer associations. This ensures that the benefits of the Fair Trade movement go to the people who need it the most.

The Fair Trade movement is powered by a small, but growing, and very energetic group of people. Using grassroots activism, not government regulation, they are seeing encouraging and growing results among the various coffee companies. As mentioned above, over 100 companies are participating to a greater or lesser degree. There are a number of companies that are already 100% Fair Trade and more that are transitioning over from the traditional trade methods.

To learn more about Fair Trade Coffee, which companies are involved, and to see if you want to get involved, just go to your favorite search engine and type in "fair trade coffee."

Greg MeeAeriela Blog26893
Alleen Blog89982

100% Shared Ownership Mortgages

As UK house prices have escalated out of the reach of the first time buyer many people have had to resort to moving into rented accommodation to get a roof over their heads. An Englishman's home is his castle and with the average UK mortgage now being in excess of 197,000, it is now an extremely expensive commodity and the dream of owning your home is looking bleak for the first time buyer.

The truth is that house prices have outstripped incomes and as a result affordability has become a big, big problem. All is not lost, so, what are the alternatives and how could you become that homeowner?

Let us look at some alternatives that could be considered: -

* Shared ownership
* Parent guarantee schemes
* Buying with friends
* Shared equity schemes

Shared Ownership

If you are unable to buy a property outright on the open market, then shared ownership is the ideal solution for you. Shared Ownership is a part buy, part rent scheme, which enables purchasers to buy a home in stages. Purchasers can buy an initial share between 25% and 75% of the value of the property and pay a subsidised rent on the remaining value of the property. Shared ownership properties can be provided by housing associations, housing trusts and local authorities. These organisations try be as flexible as possible with regards to the initial share purchased, but this may be as much as 50% of the market value at some of their developments.

A service charge will normally be payable to cover the cost of communal maintenance. The service charges payable can remain the same whatever percentage you own of your home and continues to be payable should you purchase your home outright where possible. You will need to have sufficient savings to cover the initial cost of home ownership: legal fees and stamp duty for example. You will need to be able to meet the costs of rent, mortgage, service charges and other associated outgoings.

As your income increases, you can buy further shares of your home until you could own 100% of the value and no longer share the ownership with the housing association or trust. The greater the percentage you own, the lower the percentage on which you pay rent. However, if you do not wish to buy more shares in the property, you do not have to. Obviously, the more you own, the less you pay in rent. And, if you can buy your home outright in the future, then no rent will be payable.

100% Shared Ownership Mortgages

Having found the shared ownership house of your dreams a good whole of market mortgage broker should then be employed to find the best and cheapest mortgage. Careful searches can reveal 100% shared ownership mortgages that will not require a deposit, even if you have an adverse credit history.

Finding the right mortgage is a very important financial decision in life as it is more often than not the largest single expenditure in people's lives! People will often search the supermarkets shelves for bargains choosing products for the sake of a 1p or 2p saving per item and there's nothing wrong with that; I do it all the time.

Our parents teach us to be frugal with money in our up bringing and we sometimes become animals of habit throughout our lives. Through the generations, inflation has seen prices increase ten fold and who would have thought years ago that the price of a loaf would touch the 1 figure.

The same can be said about UK property, as the housing market has exploded and the average mortgage has gone way above the 197,000 figure. This is before we align our currency and interest rate with the euro. Ireland has seen a massive explosion in property prices in the post years of joining the euro and it is now an extremely expensive place to buy property.

Consider this as a normal mathematical comparison. A 2% saving on a 100,000 mortgage works out at 2,000 per year and assuming that this saving can be made every year by remortgaging and moving the mortgage to another lender, it equates to an astronomical 50,000 saving over the normal mortgage term of 25 years. It just doesn't make sense to be putting an extra 40 per week into a lenders pockets when they already make billions of 's net profit per year.

Most of us have all experienced hard times at some stage in our lives and received letters from banks telling us that they are going to charge us 27 for bouncing a cheque or non payment of a direct debit or standing order. Now is the time to hit back and take some of that money back from them by taking advantage of the discounts that they have to offer to borrowers.

So, if there is massive saving around like that, why do people not remortgage more often?

Surveys conducted by lenders have identified that some people are just not aware, whilst others have said that they just could not be bothered. Some people have stated that the mortgage market is just too complicated.

Well, the range of UK mortgages has increased dramatically over the past few years. Although this increase in mortgage types has added complexity, it has also introduced fierce competition, which has in turn resulted in the availability of some very attractive mortgage products for the customer. With over 10,000 mortgage products to choose from, how do we ensure that we get the best mortgage and remortgage rates?

Employing the services of a whole of market mortgage broker (the equivalent of a supermarket) can pay dividends here, as they have sophisticated computer software to narrow down the best rates for buying with friends, shared equity schemes, parent guarantee schemes and 100% shared ownership mortgages.

Joe Kocsis has over twenty years of experience in the UK Financial Services Industry. Follow this link http://www.mortgages2.co.uk for further information.Alla Blog78343
Alyson Blog60850

How And When To Teach Your Kids About Money

As a child, money seems to somehow grow on trees as mum and dad always appear to have money to buy things.

Even though this is clearly not the case, its unfortunately the perception of children who live in a very consumer oriented world.

Rather than letting your child grow up thinking that money comes easily, you need to institute some form of education that teaches them how to understand and use money wisely.

Teach them young and they will carry forward that knowledge and live a better financial life. Heres a few tips how :

From ages 3 - 7

1. Show them the value of money by explaining what $2 can and can't buy. It may be an idea to do this whilst walking down the super market aisle or toy aisle (if you are game!).

2. Let them watch you pay for things. You may even start by letting them hand over the cash or pressing the OK button on the ATM.

3. Do not give them notes. Pay their pocket money in coins as your children need to understand how to allocate their money.

4. Show them how to visualise their goals. Get them to draw what they want to save up for. Keep the goals realistic otherwise they will very quickly lose interest.

What they learn -

Different things have different values.
Money simply doesn't grow on trees and that you have to work for your money.
You have to allocate your money for different things

From ages 7 - 12

1. Encourage them to participate in the school banking programme. This will give them a sense of regular commitment to savings.

2. Get them interested in looking at their bank statements and following how much money they are saving. This will get them used to scanning banking paperwork.

3. Get them to start thinking of a long term saving goal and work out how long it will take them to reach that goal.

4. Give them a combination of notes and coins for their pocket money. This will really strengthen their allocation abilities and efficient usage of spare change.

5. Start showing them the family bills and explain positively that the bills have to be paid to keep the family going.

What they will learn
Saving is a planned activity and something that needs a bit of thought rather that just putting away what's left over.
The value of small change
It takes a fair bit of money and good money management skills to keep a roof over their head.

For Teenagers

1. Encourage them to set up their own bank account and use internet banking.

2. Direct debit their pocket money into their account. This will get them used to dealing with intangible payments, and that electronic money is not just a set of numbers.

3. Make them responsible for their own bills such as mobiles. This is a very quick way to teach them how to spend wisely.

4. Try not to lend money to them for purchases that are of an extravagant nature. If they really want it, encourage them to get a part time job to save up enough. If you do loan money to them, do so only on the grounds that you will reduce the amount of their pocket money until the loan is paid.

5. Charge them board if they have a part time job - this will start getting them into the habit of paying their way for things they take for granted - like food and shelter!!

6. Introduce them to the concept of return on investment. Show them the value of putting some of their money into high interest savings accounts or even into managed investments.

7. Highlight the fact that if they start now they will be so much better off down the track.

What they learn

Not only will they learn more modern and more efficient banking techniques they will also learn how to curb their wants, or find ways to earn rather than going into debt for something that is not totally necessary.

It takes money to create money.

Greg R Smith is money expert from Australia who is recognized for his gift to translate the often complex money world into simple over the kitchen table language. He is a qualified financial planner with over 20 years experience and is also a best selling an author, TV presenter, columnist, public speaker and radio presenter. He is also the inventor of a revolutionary money box that will change the way children learn about money forever - visit http://www.moneyedbox.com for more.Amber Blog69726
Angele Blog37115

Can You Spot An Affiliate Marketing Scam?

There are hundreds of websites out there saying that they can make you money. Some are genuine. They really do give good advice on how you can make a bit of extra cash on the internet. But many maybe even most are scams.

Pretty much everyone hates scammers. You might have a reason yourself have you ever lost money to one? Legitimate affiliate marketers hate them because of the suspicion and mistrust they cause, therefore making it more difficult for affilate marketers to sell their products as no one believes what they say! The only way to stamp them out is to starve them of what they want: your money.

But how do you spot a scam? It can be very difficult. The best scammers, the ones that make the most money, are identical in appearance to legitimate sellers. But most aren't that good. Most can't be bothered. Scammers, after all, are lazy. They can't be bothered to make a living honestly, so they do it by cheating instead.

And while it's probably impossible to stay completely safe (there is always an element of risk when you buy something, after all, online or off), there are some things you should look for when visiting a website. It will take a little extra time, but it might well save you money.

The first thing to always, always check is contact information. Is there any? If not, run! A genuine seller will want you to be able to contact them after all, you might want to offer them more money! Or you might have a question you want to ask about their product before you buy. Genuine sellers will be happy to answer scammers just want to hide.

If there is contact information, look at the e-mail address. Is it free? There's nothing wrong with that by itself, but remember how easy Yahoo and Hotmail accounts are to set up. They're also more likely to be blocked by spam filters. A paid-for e-mail address means a higher chance this person is legitimate.

Second, check the small print. Is there a disclaimer? Genuine sellers realise that their product will not be able to help everybody no product can and that there is a chance you'll be disappointed. As such, they'll add a disclaimer saying so. They'll also have a money-back guarantee. Of course, the words 'money-back guarantee' are no guarantee of anything - typing something doesn't make it true, and the words alone don't mean you'll get your money back. But they're a step in the right direction.

Third, have a quick exploration of the site. What other websites does it link to? Reputable sites won't be happy about scammers linking to them and scammers probably won't want to let reputable sites know they exist. After all, the more people know they exist, the more chance there is of people complaining and getting them shut down. Scam websites tend to be small often just one page. Genuine websites have more content, and therefore more pages. A small website isn't proof that you're being scammed but it should make you wary.

A final thing to check, and this is one of the main things that gives scam sites away, is the testimonials. They're supposed to reassure you, convince you that the product is worth buying. You can use them you work out whether you're being scammed or not. Read them carefully. Do they sound natural, like something you might write? Or do they sound like a continuation of the sales pitch? The latter is a sign that they're probably fake. Also look at their photographs and this goes for all the photographs on a site. Do they look professional, like they could belong in a catalogue? Or do they look like ordinary snapshots? The more professional they look, the more likely they are to be fake.

It is possible to avoid the vast majority of scammers. You have to be careful, take your time when reading a website, and not rush into anything. Don't get carried away by a sales pitch! If they're genuine, they'll still be there tomorrow and still at the same price, whatever they might say!

The only way to defeat scammers is by preventing them from making a profit. So, when you next visit a site that promises to make you money, be careful - don't pay them unless you're sure!

Anita Buchan is a successful affiliate marketer who now wants to help others make the same money she does. For reviews of genuine affiliate marketing opportunities and free resources visit http://www.dont-get-scammed.bizAdrian Blog14854
Aila Blog22586

Get the Best Deal, Get Unsecured Personal Loans Online

Sometimes you need loans to run a smooth financial stream. They can serve you and make your living better even in worst cases. But a loan is best availed only when it suits your financial situation and reaches you when you need it the most. A loan when not gained at the required time is of no use. The best kind of loan is one which does not ask you for anything, at the same time serve your purpose well. If you are looking for such a loan in the financial market, your hunt ends here. Unsecured personal loans have the answer for you. These loans are now available to you online for quick access and in an unsecured form that will ask you for nothing.

Unsecured personal loans are available to you in the most convenient and easy way that is, the internet. Now your loan amount is just a click away from you. You can avail unsecured personal loans in just a few hours without spending much time and effort. With online personal loans, you get an advantage of getting the best loan deal with reasonable rates suiting your pocket.

With the help of a few simple steps you can get this loan. Before applying for online personal unsecured loans, you need to follow these steps which will help you get the best deal. When you are definite to get this loan, first thing you should start with is research. Research is very important if you wish to get an online loan. This includes tracing various lenders on the internet. You can do this simply by surfing the net. Once you have gone through different lenders, its time now to analyse the rates and fees of different lenders and compare them. This will help you understand which lender is the best one for you. After your comparison is over, choose the lender which suits you the best and he will provide you with the loan quote. All these process does not require any paper work and is done completely through the internet.

While researching, you will come across different lenders with different offers. But there are some features common to all of them. Unsecured personal loans available online, are offered without collateral. That means it doesnt matter whether you are a homeowner or not, you can apply for unsecured personal loans.

An unsecured personal loan does not offer a very high loan amount as there is no security with the lender. They are usually available in a range of 5000 to 25,000. The repayment of unsecured personal loans starts from 6 months and goes up to 10 years.

These loans are also available to bad credit and poor credit scorers. Persons with a credit history of arrears, defaults, bankruptcy, CCJ can also apply and get a loan suiting their financial conditions.

Your search for best loan suitable to you ends here. With online personal unsecured loans, you can get all those benefits which you always wished for.

Gary Grobowski is working as financial consultant for online-unsecured-loans-uk. He holds a masters degree in Finance. To find online unsecured loans uk, online Personal unsecured loans, fast online unsecured loans, apply online unsecured loans visit http://www.online-unsecured-loans-uk.co.ukAbra Blog23382
Anabel Blog20665

How And When To Teach Your Kids About Money

As a child, money seems to somehow grow on trees as mum and dad always appear to have money to buy things.

Even though this is clearly not the case, its unfortunately the perception of children who live in a very consumer oriented world.

Rather than letting your child grow up thinking that money comes easily, you need to institute some form of education that teaches them how to understand and use money wisely.

Teach them young and they will carry forward that knowledge and live a better financial life. Heres a few tips how :

From ages 3 - 7

1. Show them the value of money by explaining what $2 can and can't buy. It may be an idea to do this whilst walking down the super market aisle or toy aisle (if you are game!).

2. Let them watch you pay for things. You may even start by letting them hand over the cash or pressing the OK button on the ATM.

3. Do not give them notes. Pay their pocket money in coins as your children need to understand how to allocate their money.

4. Show them how to visualise their goals. Get them to draw what they want to save up for. Keep the goals realistic otherwise they will very quickly lose interest.

What they learn -

Different things have different values.
Money simply doesn't grow on trees and that you have to work for your money.
You have to allocate your money for different things

From ages 7 - 12

1. Encourage them to participate in the school banking programme. This will give them a sense of regular commitment to savings.

2. Get them interested in looking at their bank statements and following how much money they are saving. This will get them used to scanning banking paperwork.

3. Get them to start thinking of a long term saving goal and work out how long it will take them to reach that goal.

4. Give them a combination of notes and coins for their pocket money. This will really strengthen their allocation abilities and efficient usage of spare change.

5. Start showing them the family bills and explain positively that the bills have to be paid to keep the family going.

What they will learn
Saving is a planned activity and something that needs a bit of thought rather that just putting away what's left over.
The value of small change
It takes a fair bit of money and good money management skills to keep a roof over their head.

For Teenagers

1. Encourage them to set up their own bank account and use internet banking.

2. Direct debit their pocket money into their account. This will get them used to dealing with intangible payments, and that electronic money is not just a set of numbers.

3. Make them responsible for their own bills such as mobiles. This is a very quick way to teach them how to spend wisely.

4. Try not to lend money to them for purchases that are of an extravagant nature. If they really want it, encourage them to get a part time job to save up enough. If you do loan money to them, do so only on the grounds that you will reduce the amount of their pocket money until the loan is paid.

5. Charge them board if they have a part time job - this will start getting them into the habit of paying their way for things they take for granted - like food and shelter!!

6. Introduce them to the concept of return on investment. Show them the value of putting some of their money into high interest savings accounts or even into managed investments.

7. Highlight the fact that if they start now they will be so much better off down the track.

What they learn

Not only will they learn more modern and more efficient banking techniques they will also learn how to curb their wants, or find ways to earn rather than going into debt for something that is not totally necessary.

It takes money to create money.

Greg R Smith is money expert from Australia who is recognized for his gift to translate the often complex money world into simple over the kitchen table language. He is a qualified financial planner with over 20 years experience and is also a best selling an author, TV presenter, columnist, public speaker and radio presenter. He is also the inventor of a revolutionary money box that will change the way children learn about money forever - visit http://www.moneyedbox.com for more.Alissa Blog70637
Angelika Blog90562

It Takes One To Know French

A persons interest in learning a subject, let alone a different language than your own is what makes learning such a breeze. If you want to learn other language, like French for example, having a positive attitude towards your everyday lessons triggers your mind to become attentive. And what does attention have anything to do with French language?

It has been proven that our minds are like vacuum cleaners, ready to suck in anything it encounters on its path. What were not aware of, however, is that each of this information is collected and stored in our brain. In other words, there are ways and means how our brain can refresh what is has seen many years ago and learn again what it already knows.

This is why learning another language isnt far from impossible if our brain has this ability.

French is spoken by approximately 130 million people around the world. Compared to the English language, French omits letters in a word and slur pronunciations. It can get very confusing to learn French as a beginner but it takes a lot of dedication to learn or even achieve something. Considering the differences French and the English language have, its not impossible to understand and soon, speak in French as your second or third language.

One effective method of learning French and remembering the words equivalent to its English interpretation is to use flash cards. This method is used by our school teachers to help us remember what we need to learn as students. The same thing applies in learning French. Another effective way and reason why remembering French is not too difficult is because our memory, once able to see an object with certain significance to anything it wants to absorb, remembers the entire details.

An example would be to associate a word in French and English in one picture or sentence. This method is used and recommended in memorization and also a part of the effective memorization techniques today.

Learn and memorize easily the French language by visiting this site http://learn-french-program.com.

Shareen Aguilar is a writer for http://learn-french-program.com which has Memory Improvement Books and Memory Game Software for better French language memorization.Ainslie Blog38341
Amargo Blog40332

My Hobby Farm

When the wind is blowing up a dust storm and it never looks like a decent rain will ever come, I cant help but wonder why I bought this hobby farm. The mood does quickly turn however- on waking to a nice clear day full of promise everything feels rosy once again.

Coming from the land always helps when deciding to buy a plot of land, but a love of nature is essential. Not having a good knowledge of farming means much more homework is needed, but these obstacles can be overcome. Having lots of friends and a practical nature will enable you to overcome the problems which seem to be an everyday aspect of running a hobby farm.

I bought my farm in order to enjoy my lifelong passion for growing plants-especially fruit and vegetables. There is also the health aspect resulting from lots of exercise and of course a chance to get out and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. The seasons become clearer and the senses are certainly sharpened by the ever-changing colours, aromas and sounds.

Learning some of the fine details of plant propagation has always been a topic of interest. Some of the most interesting information has been obtained from older migrants who spent most of their lives on vineyards and orchards. Meeting and conversing with other gardeners and like minded people about their successes and failures also helps to get things into perspective.

In case you may be thinking there is money to be made from a hobby farm, think again. Most hobby farms being relatively small are inefficient and will cost much more to maintain than any likely earnings. Profits can me made with lots of dedication and a hard nosed approach towards a business, but much care and research will be needed in order to achieve this aim.

If you have decided to buy your own piece of paradise, I believe you can expect a journey with many ups and downs and lots of unexpected turns.

Wishing you all the best in your venture.

Ben Tan is a close associate of Alf, the proud owner of a hobby farm in Australia. Ben encourages Alf to share his wealth of hobby farming experiences by writing articles and books. Ben helps Alf to luanch the website http://www.farmforfun.com. Ben is also in the process of helping to get Alf's books published.Alene Blog79073
Amara Blog70120

Domain Name Registration - Choosing Your Business Name

Getting a good domain name is important to the success of your online business. So before you take this big step and register your business name, lets make sure you have all your ducks in a row. Here is what you should have done already:

- You have chosen one specific niche/topic for your business.
- You know the keywords you will be using in your business.
- You know some of the main products that you will offer.
- You have some ideas for possible names for your business.

Be sure you take your time when brainstorming a name for your business. Talk to people about your business name. Tell them you are starting an online business, and ask them for their suggestions. You will be surprised at the good feedback they will give you.

After you have some good ideas for your business name, you can search the register of existing online domain names to make sure your name isnt already taken. Then youll register your new web business name! But before you do that, here are some things to take into consideration.

Choosing Your Domain Name

Your domain name, of course, is the name of your online business. It may be slightly different from your actual business name. But the main difference should simply be that your domain name will end in .com (dot com). Do not waste your time with any other kind of extension. Not .net, not .biz, not .org USE DOT COM ONLY!

The .com extension is the mark of a serious business. Youre in business to make money. And you must make decisions based on profitability. So who do you think your customers will trust and buy products from: Someone who is serious about their business, or a newbie who doesnt know the first thing about doing business on the net?

Your domain name (or business name, same thing) must exude confidence, reliability, strength, and trustworthiness. Establishing credibility should be one of your first priorities when choosing your name. Remember, first impressions are lasting impressions.

Choose words that are straight forward and easy to understand. Words that represent the kind of business youre in. Your name should be memorable, easy to spell, and easy to remember.

Short domain names are better than long domain names.

Do not use numbers in your domain name. For example: If my domain name is www.sevenwonderlust.com, somebody might think, "Does that mean www.7wonderlust.com?" Or take the domain name www.7to1odds.com. Does that mean seven2oneodds? Or 721odds.com? The same goes for percent (%) and plus (+) and any other characters that might be easily confused.

Be careful about being too clever or using gimmicks in your name. Remember, you want your business name to establish trust and credibilityespecially on the net!

Your best choice for your domain name would include one or two of your keywords. Use broad keywords that cover a lot of territory so you can expand your business into new directions that you may not be aware of right now.

You should check the popularity of the keywords youre considering before making any final choices. Use WordTracker or the Overture Keyword Tool to find out how many searches have been done on each keyword. Hint: Use the keywords with the most searches.

Finally, make your domain name easily readable. Choose words that can be read and remembered easily. For example, which is better: www.bigwillysite.com OR www.BigWillySite.com ?

If your business name is already taken, you might want to use dashes between the words. I dont recommend this especially, but more and more people are doing it now because there are less choices as more domain names are being registered than ever before. I recommend you keep brainstorming and add a new word, different word, or additional word to your domain name instead of using dashes.

Registering Your Domain With Your Host

I prefer and I recommend you choose your host first, and then register your domain name with your host. There are good reasons for this. First, its nice to keep all your information in one place, because its easy to forget URLs, dates of expiration, and passwords, among other things.

Second, why fill out a form more than once? If you register your domain name with one company and then host your site with a different company, you will end up typing the same information into the forms that you will be required to fill out where your site will be hosted.

Your domain name is your customer's first contact with your business. You must choose your name wisely. Take your time, know your keywords, use a .com extension, build your credibility with your business name, and try to be memorable.

William Perkins writes about how to start an online business, affiliate marketing, and making money online. He has packaged much of what he knows into a brandable ebook titled, "Fast Track To Internet Riches!" which you can get for free when you opt-in at his website. http://www.BigWillySite.com.Abigail Blog62458
Anica Blog91056

New Color Innovations in Coneflowers Ready for 2007

The inveterate gardener enjoys the planning as much as the blooms--poring over seed catalogues; determining where the perfect spot for that new variety of flower is; the excitement of receiving the seeds or plants and deciding to take time off from work, or shopping or even such important chores as walking the dog and vacuuming the carpet. All these are set aside to enjoy the thrill of dirt under the fingernails.

For those of you who are aficionados of native American wildflowers, you may want to consider an old favorite which has become even more popular because of new varieties recently developed.

The Echinacea or Coneflower in its purple or white guise is well-adapted to semi-drought conditions due to its long taproot but can handle moist soil as well. It prefers a sandy loam, and will tolerate being moved, although care must be taken to avoid too much upset of the root system. The Coneflower loves full sun, and spring planting of the Coneflower seeds will result in beautiful blooms of purple or white in the fall season.

This is a plant which is not content to hover close to the ground. It proudly waves its spiny central cone at a 3 to 5 foot height. The name Echinacea comes from the Greek echinos which means hedgehog.

Exciting new colors are available in spring 2007. In addition to the traditional purple or white flowers, creamy gold, eye-popping mango and pale orange are high on the avid gardeners shopping list. Flowers with names like Sunset, Sunrise, Twilight, Harvest Moon and Sundown are just a few of the new colors. Echinacea flowers are sweetly fragrant to add enjoyment through another sense beside visual to your garden beds.

Another exciting Coneflower to consider for traffic-stopping impact in your garden is the Doubledecker. This little bloom reminds one of a flamenco dancer. The upper bloom in brilliant fuschia shading to pink sits atop the waist of the cone with the skirt formed of the traditional down curling petals in the same shades.

Now is the time to search out these lovely specimens at Always Green Nursery. Our friendly staff is always willing and able to help you choose the best plants for your location.

Jonathan Coffman is the owner of Always Green Nursery located in Columbia, MO. They are a premium grower of perennial plants to retail and wholesale customers across the country. You can buy plants, seeds, gardening supplies and more from http://www.alwaysgreenursery.com/buy-perennials.Annalena Blog84438
Averyl Blog98832

10 Tips for Debt Free Living

Debt Freedomit is something that everybody wants to achieve, but the question is, how you get there. Reaching debt freedom involves changing the way we think about our money and the way we manage our money. I am not saying you need to give up all the things that you like, but you may want to take a good hard look at what is really important in your life.

Is having things now more important than having a future. Fulfilling your dreams in the future will take some planning in the present. How you handle your money in the present will determine how much of it you will retain for your future. There are some very basic and simple changes you can make in your daily life that will help you prepare for a financially sound future. Here are some simple changes you can make that will you achieve debt freedom:

1. Stop financing your lifestyle with credit cards. If it is not an emergency (the latest shoe style is not an emergency) or it can not be paid off in full monthly, it should not be charged. Credit cards are robbing Americans of a sound financial future.

2. Keep a log of your spending. Once you know where your money is going, it will be easier to see where you can cut back. Put the extra money towards paying down your credit cards.

3. Pack your lunch 3 days (or more) a week. Eating out can be expensive and brown bagging it will save you money.

4. Instead of going out to the movies, rent a movie and enjoy a family movie night at home.

5. Have a pizza party and make your pizza at home instead of ordering out.

6. Buy in bulk and freeze dinners. This will not only save you money it will save you time.

7. Give handmade gifts and cards.

8. Shop at consignment shops, thrift stores, discount stores and yard sales.

9. Consider discontinuing or downgrading your cell phones and cable TV plans.

10. Pay more than the minimum payment on your credit cards. If you pay only the minimum on a credit card with a $3000 balance, it will cost you $2780 in interest and will take you 8 years to pay the balance off. If you pay an extra $50 a month towards your balance, you will save $1800 in interest and have your debt paid off in three years.

Bottom line is before you can live debt free you have to become debt free. Following some of these tips will help you achieve debt freedom. With a little bit of effort, you will be able find many ways of saving money. Start by looking at things you spend money on and find ways to reduce or eliminate these expenses. Every little bit helps.

Marjorie Salada is the owner of http://www.debtmanagement1.com, a website that contains information on debt consolidation, debt settlement, debt counseling and how to manage credit card debt.Aigneis Blog89466
Ana Blog43324

Advanta Platinum Business Credit Card - A Single Account To Handle All Your Business Credit Needs

The Advanta Platinum Business Card is designed for you if you are a business owner looking to consolidate business expenses onto one credit card account. You don't have to pay any annual fee and the introductory APR is set at 0% on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 months. After the expiry of the introductory APR, the APR for purchases and balance transfers is 14.24% variable which is Prime plus 5.99%. The APR is calculated on the maximum Prime Rate during a 90 day period. The APR for cash advances will vary according to your credit history and will be 5.99% or 11.74% + Prime Rate.

Through the reward program, you earn one point for every dollar spent on all purchases made with the Advanta Platinum Business Card and these points can be redeemed for various travel rewards or pre-paid bonus cards. Though there is no yearly limits to the number of points that you can earn yet the points expire in three years. If you prefer cash rebates instead of travel rewards, there is a rebate program available for you that gives cash back for purchases. Whether you choose the rebate program or cash back one, both are free. Many common Platinum Business features are found with this card, including auto rental insurance, extended warranty coverage, itemized expense reports and online account access. You can also take advantage of the discounts that are offered on various products and services from participating retailers and merchants.

With the Advanta Platinum Business Card you get a grace period of 20days and an exceptional business credit line of up to $50000, you also get $0 dollar fraud liability making life easy for you. If you are late in paying the bill you have to pay a late fee of $19 if your balance is less than $250 and if it is $250 or more then you have to pay $39 as the late fee. The over limit fee of the Advanta Platinum Business Card is $15 on balances under $501 and $29 if the balance crosses the $501 mark. The cash advance fee is set at 3%, a minimum of $5 and for convenience checks a maximum of $50. the same is set as the balance transfer fee as it is with the introductory offer.

To apply for the Advanta Platinum Business Card you only require very good credit and you can enjoy special savings on business products and services like discounts of up to 25% or more through the preferred arrangements with companies like Penny-Wise Office Products, IBM, Palo Alto Software and Ramada Inn.

The Advanta Platinum Business Card provides you with various internet account related services as well as online statements and management reports. The online account access helps you manage your account like requesting credit line increases; adding cardholders; requesting balance transfers and updating account information. You can pay your bills online and that too is free of cost, thus you not only save you time but money as well.

You also get a personalised business design, personalised business checks and a personalised billing date; hence with the Advanta Platinum Business Card you are the boss. The Advanta Platinum Business Card is accepted at over 28 million locations worldwide and with it you can access cash instantly from any ATM displaying the MasterCard, Cirrus or Maestro logos, so now you don't have to worry about carrying cash whenever you are on a trip, the whole world is your home. To top it all, the Advanta Platinum Business Card protects you automatically against theft and damage.

This article was brought to you courtesy of Anthony Samuel, the webmaster of http://www.apply-for-a-credit-card-now.com . A credit card directory where you can search, compare and apply for credit cards from leading credit card companies.Amandi Blog99903
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Understanding Your Credit Report -- The Basics

More and more people are becoming aware of their credit report, and how it affects them in their daily lives. As they apply for a home loan, credit card, or line of credit, they realize that credit scores can make a huge difference in the amount of interest they will pay. Some have even realized to their chagrin that past indiscretions and problems can come back to haunt them. Being turned down for a loan can be very painful and embarrassing.

If you are ready for an intelligent look into your credit situation, then you may want to take a long look at your own credit report. When you have acquired a transcript of your credit report, it is plainly in your interest to understand how to interpret it. There are loads of numbers and distinct accounts on one piece of paper, and you should strive to understand what you are looking at, and what it all means.

Three major credit-reporting agencies

There are three pre-eminent credit-reporting agencies that are going to play a big role in your credit life. The "Big Three" are Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. You should copy a transcript of your credit report from these three companies, at the very least, every 12 months. You can find out additional information about these companies online and they will guide you how to acquire a no cost credit report.

The large credit scoring companies have fee-based websites, where you can look at your credit score whenever you'd like, see how your credit score has changed over time, and see any inquiries that have happened. You can even sign up for alerts that will let you know if anything has changed with your credit score. This can be a big advantage if you are trying to increase your credit score to get better interest rates.

What is in these reports?

All credit reports have similar information in them. They will have your identifying information, such as residence address, social security number drivers licence number and other items. Each credit company will have payment history, late payment information and balance owed. There will be information from the public record if any exists. There will also be any inquiries from credit companies in the last months.

The three major credit agencies' reports will have distinct information in them. This is because each company has different credit companies that subscribe to them, and that is how they get their information. The credit card companies, mortgage companies, and banks all send credit information on each creditor on a monthly basis. The agencies then tabulate all the credit information they receive about you, and come up with a new credit score.

In addition to the Big Three, a company called Fair Issacs also keeps credit score information for it's customers. Fair Issacs is considered the "Father of Credit Scoring," since they were the first to devise the credit score as a way to make lenders' jobs easier.

The major parts of a credit report

A credit report is separated into four sections, identifying information, credit history, public records, and inquiries.

Identifying information

Your identifying information is the section that identifies who you are. There are maybe hundreds of people in the United States having an identical name (can you imagine how many John Smith's there are?), but all people has a discrete social security number. The report should also confirm your driver's license number, last known address, and unique phone number.

Credit history

The second section of your credit report is your credit history. Each individual's account will have the name of the creditor and the creditor's account number. You will want to make certain that these are authentic accounts that you maintain now or had at one period. If they are incorrect, you will be shown a way to contest them.

Public records

This is the section that obtains any report about your past criminal record. This will also contain any arrests or bad judgments that have been made against you. This is a section that is better off empty for obvious reasons.

The inquiries

The last part to a credit report is the inquiries. This is anyone who has seen a transcript of your credit report. Anytime that you apply for a loan, credit card or line of credit, some one can see your report and they will pull an inquiry report. This is a very complete report. It is not a good practice to show a lot of inquiries on your credit report.

Changing your credit report

If there is any part of your report that is in question, you will have a way to dispute or correct it. The dispute will be reviewed and the questionable information may be taken off your credit report. If it cannot be taken off of the report, you should have a way to add your own explanation of the situation to the report. This could help a potential lender undertstand the situation more fully.

I hope that this article has given you a basic understanding of what is in your credit report, and what you should look for when reading your credit report. To find the credit agencies, do an online search for their websites.

Copyright Michael Ziegler. You may copy this article for your blog or ezine, as long as you do not alter any text or the author's information.Arlyne Blog37633
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Cross-sell/Up-sell Strategy No Risk Strategy To Squeeze More Money Out Of Your Customers!

If you had a no-risk way that is guaranteed to fatten your wallet, would you use it? Of course you would. I have a simple solution to do that, and Im shocked that most internet marketers are not implementing this simple strategy. If you implement it, youll be ahead of most of the average internet marketers. Anyway, this is what you do:

Simply put an additional offer order form right before your customer completes their purchase.

This additional offer can be two things, a cross-sell and an up-sell. You can use a cross-sell by combining a related product to the original order. Or you can use the up-sell by giving your customers an upgraded or premium version of your product.

Here is an example of a cross-sell:

Yes! I want to gain Maximum Muscle In Minimal Time with the Maximum Muscle Protein Powder for $30 right now! Also include my 12-bar box of Maximum Muscle Protein Bars, the perfect food bar for the serious bodybuilder at the rock-bottom price of $19.97!

(In this case, protein bars are related to original product, the protein powder.)

Here is an example of an up-sell:

YES! I want to super size the soda and fries for only 50 cents more!

(In this case, the bigger portion of the meal is the upgraded version of the original product.)

The reason you want to do this is because your customer already has his credit card in hand and are receptive to buy your original product. The cross-sell and up-sell technique works because it plays into your customers impulse buying habits.

Like I said before, there is absolutely no risk in having these offers. Your customers can either order your package deal or they dont. But lets say only 50% of your customers do order your additional offers; calculate how that can fatten you wallet. There is nothing to lose, and more money to gain! You will only win in this situation!

Just be creative when cross-selling your products. You can figure it out, just use your common sense! Here are a few examples to get you started:

Golf equipment after theyve purchased hundreds of dollars of equipment, would your prospects want to know how to improve their swing? Offer them an instructional DVD or a subscription to a golf magazine.

Insurance after your prospect bought an auto insurance policy, offer them a vacation package at $100 off.

Information products after your prospect bought your $597 product, offer them a limited time offer of purchasing the bonus CD set that usually sells for $397 at a one time only price of $97.

Just integrate these offers in your website ordering page with a checkbox. The beauty of offering these upsell/cross-sell goodies is that it takes a minute to implement, but doesnt cost you any extra money to advertise and promote.

To sum up, the cross-sell/up-sell works well because people are in the buying mode, and it takes less effort push them deeper in your extra money-saving offers. If you want some extra money with very little effort, start using this strategy today!

Alan Quan is a certified Internet Coaching Empire coach and specializes in helping people build their own successful internet marketing business. Visit his website at http://e-bizcoachalan.com/success.htm and find out how he can help you to quickly accomplish your goals and boost your internet profits.Antonie Blog80021
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Start Your Own Profitable Internet Business... Become An Online Infopreneur!

Have you wondered how you can get started making money on the internet but don't know where to start? What better way to start your very own profitable internet business than to become an Infopreneur! Are you tired of making money for someone else? Maybe your fed up with the corporate world like I was.

Maybe you want to stay home so you can raise your kids instead of someone else - like my wife. Maybe your just looking to make some extra income from home. Whatever the reason is for your motivation, creating your own information based Website will provide that opportunity to become financially free.

Today, millions of people from all walks of life already use the internet daily. It is the most flexible and most convenient way for finding information. Information and communication are fundamental components of every human interaction. The internet makes it possible to reach almost anyone, anywhere in the world. Google, Yahoo, and MSN are the three biggest companies on the internet. Their success into becoming the big three giants are a result of providing useful information to the world. Lots of it too!

One of the biggest advantages of becoming an infopreneur is that you don't need a tangible product to sell. The cost savings of manufacturing a product and dealing with manufacturing issues are tremendous. By creating your very own information based Website all you need is quality information about a subject that you are absolutely passionate about.

Just think about all those favorite Websites you have bookmarked. I bet you have a whole bunch of sites, I know I do. Why do you think you bookmarked those sites? Well, because they gave you the information you were looking for, useful information. They attracted you to their site because they provided you with what you were looking for... quality information! Now don't you think other people are out there looking for quality information too?

Becoming an Online Infopreneur is all about providing useful information and connecting people. You can be a sought after communicator of information on the Web! What are you passionate about, NASCAR or Antiques? Do you have a hobby, HotWheel collecting? What are you truely interested in, cooking or travel? What is your favorite pastime, baseball or horseshoes? Do you have any work experience you can provide information about?

People that surf the Web love information that reflects the Website creators passion about a certain topic (travel, cooking, antiques, sports, church, gardens, ect.). You will attain more effective communication with your audiance creating a Website based on what your passionate about than Websites that are simply built on income in mind. What do you think is more effective... a website solely built for profit or a website built on useful information that the owner is passionate about. I believe the answer should be becoming quite clear by now.

So how do you create your own Information Cash Machine? Build a site that is solid with content-rich information on a topic you are passionate about. Thus, traffic will build. Generate more traffic over time through creative marketing methods. Convert those 'ready to buy' visitors into income using various income generating methods. The formula: S-C-T-I (site-content-traffic-income).

Becoming an Online Infopreneur offers many significant benfits...

1. You get to be your own boss. Working for yourself brings you freedom to work on what you want, when you want.

2. You can work anywhere. Since all your work takes place on the internet, you can be anywhere in the world... on a tropical beach, in a cabin up in Minnesota, down the street at your favorite coffee hangout, or right there in your own home-sweet-home.

3. You don't need much capital. You can start on a shoestring. Your providing information, not a tangible product you have to manufacture. Since your starting with little money, easily under $100, your risk is low.

4. You can start in your spare time. Start slow building a web page at a time. You don't have to create a massive website from the start. Build a page a week or a page a month as you maintain your nine-to-five J.O.B. There is no need to rush, but I'll bet you'll be excited to start.

5. You don't need employees. All the skills, talent, and management are your own responsibility.

6. You can make a lot of money! One information Website could easily bring in enough money for you to quit that J.O.B.! I'm sure you have more than one passion or interest. Just think if you created several Information Websites based on themes you are passionate about bringing in multiple amounts of income . Now do you begin to see the big picture?!

Becoming an Online Infopreneur is the most accessible entrepreneurial opportunity that the average person will have and can take immediate advantage of learning. It is the easiest and fastest way to start. It also insures a very low risk in starting your own online business since you can start with very little money. You will be able to create your financial independence, and build a fortune. Best of all, you can do it your way.

-Craig Andrews

Craig Andrews is an acknowledged expert in teaching people how to create their very own profitable information website. Online Infopreneur Creation was created by Craig Andrews. Learn how to start and build your very own information based business. Visit: http://www.onlineinfopreneurcreation.comAlisa Blog82694
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Work at Home - Know What it Takes

You know you've got a sweet cushy job when you're making lots of money and not working. Not having to report to a boss, no punching in at the time clock, what can be better right? Does this sound like your kind of job? I'm willing to bet on it. Of course it's not all bells and whistles, to get to this point you have to put in some work.

No ones going to hand you a magic potion or software and puff you're set for life, it not that easy but its easy enough. So easy in fact that all you need is a few hours a day and you will be well on your way. In some cases you don't even need money or a web site.

When people ask me what I do, it's not always easy to answer. Do you want the long version or the short version I ask? When I get asked how many hours I work, sometimes I say 2-3 hours a day and sometimes I say 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Both answers are the truth, depending on my mood. There is of course the inevitable question of how much money I make. Here is where I just smile and say, "you mean since I've been here talking to you?"

So you want to run your own home business, well as you can imagine being your own boss takes discipline. There is no one looking over your shoulder making sure you get the job done but this is both a blessing and a curse. Without discipline you're doomed to failure. Its great setting my own schedule, but I've got a job to do and there's no one else who's going to do it for me. The great thing is when you see the fruits of your labor coming in you will want to work more at it than you think. Money is the great motivator and what's better; working eight hours for your boss or working ten hours for you.

So what do I do? The really short version; I do Internet Marketing. The search engines are my greatest love, it's a win-win situation. People come to the Internet and my website with needs, my job is to help them find what they want. I've had my share of all-nighters in the beginning and still do, you will also. Not because you have to, but because you'll want to. Simply because in the not so distant future while you sleep at night or you're off on that great vacation, your computer will still be at work making you money. Now tell me that isn't a sweet deal.

Juan Mendez is a Web Entrepreneur and aspiring writer.Anne Corinne Blog79443
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The Piano - Key, Hammer And String - Part 1

The piano, while similar in some of its features too many other kinds of musical instruments, differs materially in several important points from all other kinds. It resembles the Violin, Harp, Guitar, Zither, Dulcimer, in its being stringed. It resembles the Drum, Triangle, Cymbals, Tambourine, Dulcimer, in its being dependent on percussion for the production of its tone; and it resembles the Organ, Clarinet, Concertina, in its being keyed.

But it differs from all of these instruments in the following important points. Firstly, in its being dependent on the player's method of finger push on the key for its quality of tone. Secondly, in its being dependent on rapidity of finger push for its quantity of tone and thirdly, in its being dependent on keys for the means of producing percussion. The actual mechanism of percussion, namely, the hammers, being reachable only through the pressing of the keys.

It is probably from a want of appreciation of this last fact, that the piano has come to be considered rather as a keyed instrument than as a stringed one.

The distinctive feature of the piano is, then, the system of its key mechanism.

As the seat of tone, the wire, is made to sound only by a series of communication, starting with the key, it is therefore necessary to understand the method by which this communication is conducted and kept open.

The piano key is, basically, a lever that's lifts the hammer that strikes the string. It is a lever of the first class, its fulcrum, or prop, lying between the power and the weight. In the case of the piano, this fulcrum, or centre on which the lever works, is placed about halfway between its two ends, the hammer (with some small intermediate mechanism) being the weight, and the finger the power acting on it. The very limited area should be noticed within which the action of the key is confined.

The immediate factor of tone is the hammer. The hammer, by means of intermediate mechanism, being in direct and close contact with the far end of the key, is raised when the near end is depressed by the finger or any weight; and the force with which the hammer is made to strike the string is in proportion to the speed brought to bear on the piano key by the finger at the moment of the push. Quantity of tone is thus the result of the amount of speed used in pushing the key down.

When the string has been struck by the hammer, the hammer falls back immediately, to allow the string to vibrate freely. This fallback of the hammer is, however, not a return to the position occupied by it before the stroke; it does not fall completely back until the key is allowed to rise. When the piano key rises, the hammer returns to its original position, and is ready for the next key push.

It is of great importance for the student to remember that the hammer is always at some distance from the wire. Except during the very short period of time spent in striking; that after having struck the wire it leaves it instantaneously to assume the half position described above; and that it is powerless to do any more work until after the key has been allowed to rise.

Mike Shaw is an organist and music teacher who has produced a selection of downloadable music books for anyone who wishes to learn to play the piano, organ or keyboard. To find out more visit his websites http://www.mikesmusicroom.co.uk and http://www.keyboardsheetmusic.co.ukAllie Blog69897
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