Quest for a raise

I am seeking a raise at work. There is a program that I am eligible for that allows me to get paid $1 an hour more. Doesn't sound like much but that comes out to a couple thousand dollars a year. I met with my supervisor yesterday and voiced my intentions, she seemed pleased and pointed me in the right direction.

The Value of Quality

When making purchase, we question ourselves 'is this worth it?' Do I want the cheapest product or a more expensive one. Here's a hint, don't buy cheap crap if you want it to last. Why? Because it will breakdown or not work as well as if you spent a couple more dollars on a higher quality product. How do you know what is good and what is crap? Do some research, especially when making large purchases that will get a lot of use (a car, appliances, etc). Consumer reports is a good place to get product information. It does pay off to pay more for higher quality. It is ok to cut corners on things that are disposable (such as toilet paper) and things that you don't need to last. Every product has a range of items from low end to high end. Make sure you don't chimp on the important things, or you'll end up spending more in the long run.

Who are you, what do you do, and what would you do?

If you read this please answer the following questions.

1. Why do you read this feed?
2. What is your profession?
3. What is your age?
4. What would you do with a million dollars?

I'll go first. I write this blog in order to find the best ways to make a million dollars and share the resources with anyone who is curious. Making a million dollars is a goal I have and I believe many other people share. I want to share my trials and errors to help others reach their goals. I am a health care professional. I'm a registered nurse. I'm 27. I believe that anyone can make a million dollars if they are determined to. In three days I started to make money, and now there is a pretty steady stream coming in. The key now is to accelerate the process and the amount that comes in without putting more and more time into writing. I know the next step would be to set up a dot-com website and start to sell products, and do a lot more referrals and affiliate programs. Currently I've put no money into this project and I do not intend to yet. If I had a million dollars, I would donate some to charity, invest some, travel, write, play music, and buy a farm (with some animals) raise boxer dogs and grow corn (that's my retirement plan). Basically keep everything the same except the farm.

The Bible

The Bible is a great book with a lot of wisdom and truth.

Ideas for inventions

A beeper for dentures, like the remote beeper people use to find their car keys. In hospitals and nursing homes, people are always losing their dentures and they can be expensive to replace

Making a million is like running a marathon

My friend persuaded me to join him in running a marathon in the end of April. I starting from square one. Yesterday was the first day I started training and I ran 3miles, I will run 3miles tonight as well. Then I realize that running a marathon is much like making a million dollars. Both are considerably lofty goals that can be attained through discipline and hard work. Neither are impossible but it takes perseverance and strong willpower to reach the end. It is easier not to run, and it is easier not to save money. The hardships of today will grow to be the rewards of tomorrow. I started my quest for one million (from nothing) last year. So far I'm made close to $250. Now I know that is not much, but it is a start. As I continue to learn and hone my skills I hope to accelerate the money making process which I've put into motion. Build a blog, write on a regular basis, get sponsors, make money from advertisements. I will continue to work until I reach my goal of making one million dollars from nothing (except my brain). Steve Pavlina should thank me I made him $100 richer by making it through Google's Adsense barrier. Currently my site brings in roughly $20-50 a month, which is small potatoes, but I'll keep working and striving to bring that number up a little bit each month until I reach my goal. Many people have recommended that I buy a domain name with a .com website to reach a larger audience and increase money from advertising but that is for another day.

You can make a lot of money with your voice

I saw a program with the gentleman that does the voice of Sesame's Street's ELMO. It was pretty amazing, I never realized how much money you can make just by providing your voice. He makes hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Just think of the other famous characters that provide voices for cartoons like the Simpsons and the powerful voice in movie trailers. The movie trailer voice makes millions, it sounds like the same guy is doing all of them. Singers are another group that makes a lot of money using their talented voice.

When will interest rates go down?

According to analysts on MSNBC they predict that the Fed will not lower interest rates until the end of 2007 or maybe the beginning of 2008 depending on how poorly the housing market does. The housing numbers are the worst since 1984, and many feel we have not bottomed out yet. The Realtors spin that this is not a bubble bursting but rather a bubble letting some air out. We will need to keep an eye on foreclosures to see how the housing market (which has a significant effect on the stock market and economy) will fair. This is bad news for people selling their homes, but excellent news for those who are looking to buy. If you can time it correctly you can get a great home for a low price and set yourself up with a low interest rate and affordable mortgage

The State of the Union and the Economy

What did you think of the President's depiction of America's economy. Basically he said things have never been better. The Dems strongly disagreed stating that the middle class is losing their place at the table, worker harder to make their CEO's richer. Bush also mentioned a tax break for those who buy their own health insurance. He also focused on putting more money into alternative energy (good call). I agree more with the Dems than Bush because at least where I am the cost of living is high.

When should you refinance your mortgage?

The trick about refinancing is to get the lowest interest rate possible. I was lucky enough to lock in a relatively low interest rate of 6% on my mortgage. It doesn't pay to refinance your mortgage unless the interest rate is at least on percentage point lower (due to fees for processing the mortgage paperwork). The interest rate is set by the Fed, they meet monthly to decide what to do with the interest rate. Usually they try to keep everything in check with the economy. If you have an ARM you may want to consider refinancing and getting a fixed mortgage. An arm gives you a low interest rate to start but balloons after a few years to a much higher rate.

Interesting article about "why we buy"

I came across this article at WebMD about how our brains weigh pleasure vs pain in making decisions to buy things check it out here Why We Buy: Weighing Pleasure Vs. Pain

Specific Areas in Brain Seem to Weigh Pleasure of Buying Against Pain of Spending

OPEC has no power over oil prices

OPEC has no power over oil prices. This is because the real power that they used to have over oil supply is gone. There is such an abundance of oil in reserves that OPEC does not matter and neither do their emergency meetings. They do their best to scare consumers to raise prices and their profits. The truth is that North America has more than enough oil. Why are gas price so high then you ask. Because of the futures market. Basically oil companies can set whatever price they want and people will pay it. Don't blame the gas station owner he makes most of his money in the convience store he owns selling coffee and other goods.

Do you have a price?

Is there an amount of money that you would be willing to do anything for? Would you sell your soul so to speak for a fortune or live with dignity below poverty. I do not have a price. I am worth more than any amount of money and I hope you feel the same way. Each day I witness to people swabbling and bickering about petty cash. The real riches of this world are love and knowledge, health, family and friends. That's all you really need. Think about it, you could be the richest guy in the world and be very lonely, sick, and ignorant. Your life would be hollow and worthless, pathetic and empty. Take care of your basic needs, do more good than harm in this life and you will fair well.

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Blockbuster vs. Netflix

In my opinion Blockbuster wins. It has stores, it has everything Netflix offers and more.

Make Free Phone calls.

I just came across something called AllFreeCalls.net at Okdork.com (thanks Noah for the tip). You can make free calls anywhere, anytime by dialing 712-858-8094 and then 011 and the country code, the code for the US is 1. I thought I got a great deal with Sunrocket - under $9 a month (email me: Marshallmiddle@walla.com to find out how) but this is ridiculous. You can use it from your mobile phone, or a landline.

I always read about people making millions on the internet

Sometimes it really pisses me off. I hate when people are tricked (by advertisers, shisters, and scam artists) into buying crap that they won't use.

Review of the N2 Growth Blog

Sponsored Post for: The N2 Growth Blog

The N2 Growth Blog is written by Mike Myatt, a consultant for companies that seek growth. He is the Chief Strategy Officer of N2 Growth, which works with clients to grow their businesses. His clients range from start-ups to large corporations. He is well-known speaker in the business world and he is a talented writer.

I read a few of his posts on his blog, there are many categories including branding, economics, innovations to name a few. This is a site that I will most likely return to as I plan on developing a company. The current post is about intellect. He poses the question "is your intellect an asset or liability" I'd have to say my intellect is an asset more than it is a liability.

I have another sponsor

I have another sponsor now that will pay me to write. Blogvertise is the name of the company and they send you assignments and payment upon completion. It is sort of like PayPerPost except companies contact you and you can accept or reject offers.

Is time priceless?

Yes. Even though many people are paid by the hour that is not a definition of how much their time is work. It is more a definition of the value that society places upon those skills. Should professional athletes get paid millions of dollars to play games, in my opinion NO. Should service professions and educators receive more compensation, YES. I feel that the skills of a surgeon or a scientist or a teacher are more valuable than being able to run a 4.2 40. America loves it's entertainment and that's why actors get paid such outrageous salaries. Time is priceless, no matter how much your hourly wage is.

Adsense Tracking tool for Firefox

I came across a sweet extension for Firefox today while perusing the web. I find that I have a disorder know as G.A.D. No I'm not talking about generalize anxiety disorder, I'm talking about obsessively checking my Google Adsense Details. With this tool you can see your stats on your internet explorer without having to login in the site. I find it to be pretty helpful and is updated as often as you like. Check it out. It's offically called the Adsense Notifier and you can download it here Get Adsense Notifier

When will you earn one million dollars?

I make about $50,000 a year that about $33,000 after taxes. It will take me about 60 years to make one million dollars. Now if I can just learn how not to spend any money..

How high is your risk tolerance?

Being far away from my retirement I have the ability to be more aggressive and take more risk, than people who are closer to retirement. So far this strategy has worked well going with mostly Emerging Markets and International stocks over the past few years. Do you check your investments daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly. I keep an eye on investments and keep up to date on the markets, monitoring weekly and monthly. I think obssessively checking too much or not checking at all can be very bad. What are your thoughts?

Save money by changing your own oil

Changing your own oil will save you some money. You can dispose of the used oil at Pep Boys for no charge and you will not get charged for things that the Quick Lube does (topping off tanks, checking tire pressure etc.)

My Money Pit

I hope this house that I bought doesn't turn into a money pit. I've already been to Home Depot at least 10 times since we've moved in before Christmas. We are fixing up the house one room at a time.

This year will be better

At the end of 2006 I cut down some monthly expenses:
Phone $33 now $9
Cell Phone $79 now $69
Cable TV/Internet $130 now $66
Total savings of $98 per month

Extra income per month
Adsense roughly $20
Linkworth $15
Payperpost $10
Ebay avg. $10
Total of $55 per month

That's about a $150 dollar swing. My goal is to increase savings by another $25-$50 and increase extra income by another $25-$50 by Spring.

Review of RateGenius

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RateGenius is one of many online loan companies. If you want to consolidate or refinance you could take a look at their rates. Personally I would not use this company, I would rather go with a well-known bank. RateGenius offers an affliate program and information about how to apply for a loan. Their are a lot of companies out their that offer loans and you can compare rates at Bankrate.com which is smart to do, before jumping in to a loan be sure to know exactly what you are getting yourself into. There are a variety of loans available you can even pay with your car Car Refinance with RateGenius. If you don't need a loan don't get one and avoid loans at all costs. But if you do need a loan shop around and consider your choices before signing up for something you can't handle.

Teachers, Students, Get Your Personal Finance HERE!

Yesterday CNN had a short clip about high schools requiring a personal finance class. Definately a good idea. Schools in Missouri and New York already have some classes in place and more states are incorporating personal finance into their curriculum as well. This is definately a step in the right direction, everyone should know the basics to make sound financial decisions. Most schools have some sort of civics course or economics offered as electives already. Many banks and companies are chipping in to provide funding and materials for schools. Here's the part that stinks two major players in the credit card game - VISA and CITI are providing the greatest amount of learning materials. As long as the materials are non-biased and don't play favorites it's fine. I can just see this causing more harm than good if a bunch of 18 yr old (who fail the personal finance class) learn how to fill out credit card applications in order to get a new IPod. Visa's program looks pretty well done check it out, it's called Practical Money Skills for Life (especially if you're a teacher - there's free instructional information). Citi's seems shadier (more tilted towards using it's company and products) but does have good general info about your credit score. The Citigroup Financial Eductation Program has an abudance of information and free instructional materials as well. It is more like a generic warning like "handle with care" when it comes to credit cards (the same as Miller's slogan -"Drink Responsibly"). Same idea use our product, but use it carefully. Citi does offer a link for younger people who are interested in investing called The Young Investors Network
I prefer VISA's program because it doesn't have the Visa logo plastered all over the site like Citigroup.

Happy New Year!

Paying off debt is one the top ten most popular New Year's Resolutions. Fortunately I do not carry any credit card debt, or a car loan. The only thing currently looming over my head is a heafty mortgage. Did you know that it is better to save your money and refinance your 30 year mortgage and pay it off as a 15 or 20 year mortgage instead of dumping a bunch of extra money into your current 30 year mortgage. According to my lawyer you save a lot. So instead of paying off extra principal, start a high yeild savings account and save up until you can afford to refinance. Right now I'm currently doing some research on solar power options for home use. Home Depot has teamed up with BP Solar and offer a rooftop solar powered electric system. The cost can be $8,000 -$15,000 up front to get it installed, but you might not have to pay electic bills again. The government offers rebates.