Opportunities

Ancestory chart - Lineage

2008-09-30T14:44:00.001-07:00

Excited about this new tool to put in a chart!!

http://www.myheritage.com/FP/family-tree.php?s=42908491

Our family Lineage

http://www.myheritage.com/site-42908491/managolis

Excuses are lies disguised in the form of truth!!

2008-09-16T13:39:00.000-07:00

Excuses Are Lies You Tell Yourself

Think about that statement for a minute…excuses are lies you tell yourself. What does that mean? Simple. Every time you make an excuse as to why you don’t accomplish something you try to justify it with a lie to make yourself feel better.

Some common excuses:

“I didn’t have enough time.” - Everyone has the same 24 hours in each day, but yet some people are highly productive while others are not…so how can this be a justifiable reason for not doing something? It’s not. Work smarter, learn time management. A more appropriate, truthful reason for this excuse would be: “I was too lazy to put forth the effort to accomplish that task.”

“I’m not smart enough.” - So what? Work at learning whatever you aren’t “smart enough” at. No one is born knowing everything. It’s all about your desire to learn. If you think you’re stupid and can’t learn something, well then you’ve been brainwashed into thinking that. Put that thought out of your head immediately because it isn’t doing you any good. A more appropriate, truthful reason for this excuse would be: “I lack the desire and effort needed to learn whatever I think I can’t.”

“That’s way too hard.” - No, it’s really not. You’re telling yourself it’s too hard to make you feel better about not doing it. The key to doing anything important, even if it’s hard, is just doing it. Break it down into smaller, easier tasks that when accomplished wind up equaling the big, hard task. Think about learning a foreign language. You obviously can’t learn the whole language right away. And if you looked at it like that - sure it would seem too hard. But you start by learning simple words, verbs, etc. Then you start piecing together sentences, etc. Actually getting started with something is half the battle. A more appropriate, truthful reason for this excuse would be: “This task is just not important enough to me to put forth the effort of actually doing it, even though I would probably realize it’s not that hard once I got started.”

“I don’t have enough money.” - While this may be true, it’s not a worthwhile excuse. You don’t have enough money simply because you haven’t created enough opportunity for yourself. Or you haven’t looked hard enough for the money. If the task at hand is of enough importance, you can always find money. For instance, college. There is always some kind of financial aid or scholarship available to those who want to attend college. If you have a great business idea and will take the time to articulate it out in a business plan, you can almost always find someone willing to invest in it. The bottom line is, you don’t have enough money because you keep thinking that. And as long as you keep that frame of mind you’ll be right, you will never have enough money. It’s a mental block on your own success. A more appropriate, truthful reason for this excuse would be: “I’ve created my own financial problems by not taking the time to really understand what’s been holding me back: myself. If I just got over the fact that I create all my problems for myself and took steps towards improving my financial literacy, I probably WOULD have enough money.”

There are, without a doubt, way more excuses than these four. These are probably some of the most common ones though, ones you hear time and time again. The purpose of this was not to hurt your feelings, but to open your eyes, to let you know that you are your own worst enemy. Overcome the limits you place on yourself and anything is possible. I also wrote this to remind myself of these truisms…I am only human and sometimes need a swift kick in the butt myself!

Start making some goals for yourself and then DO THEM!

RIBBON Gift Cards - Gift of Choice

2008-07-30T11:04:00.000-07:00

How Ribbon Gift Collections Work

Who? Everyone wants to give the perfect gift.

What? The gift giver chooses the Ribbon Gift Collection to give. The recipient chooses the gift he or she wants online and redeems it. The selected gift is delivered directly to the recipient.

When? Birthdays, weddings, new baby, hostess/thank you, holidays, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day/Father's Day. And many, many more personal occasions are perfect for Ribbon Gift Collections!

Why? Popular brand names like adidas®, Sony®, Ghirardelli®, Cuisinart®, and more. Huge selection of home décor, gourmet foods, electronics, educational toys, jewelry, and more. Fast and easy ordering and redemption. Ribbon Gift Collections are a joy to give, a pleasure to receive.

You can check out more info on our video at

http://amanagoli.ordermygift.com/Documents/IWOV/VIS/010-en/swf/playFLV_480x360.html?pathToFLV=/Documents/IWOV/VIS/010-en/flv/Ribbon/RibbonConsumer480.flv

we would be glad to give you samples and information. Feel free to contact Sameer at 619 988 1894 or Akhila at 650 283 4369

Have a great day!!

9 to 5 till 65 ???

2008-05-23T12:58:00.000-07:00

Pursuing your dream isn't as easy as quitting your job and following your heart. Passion doesn't pay your bills or provide for your family, which is why many entrepreneurs hang on to the security of their 9-to-5 jobs during the difficult startup phase.

But what happens when you finally hit the wall and realize, "I can't do this anymore"? Maybe it happens in your cubicle as you're counting down the hours until you can work on your product. Or maybe it happens on yet another business trip, a thousand miles from home, as you sit in a lonely hotel room, thinking about your family. Whatever the reason, it's this deciding factor that finally drives you to make that leap of faith.

Whether you've crashed through this wall or simply caught a glimpse of it in the distance, take heart. You, too, can pursue your entrepreneurial dream and finally cut the strings to your 9-to-5 life. Need more info ??? call me :)

Ref: Leaving the Rat Race
Making the transition from a 9-to-5 job requires a leap of faith.
By Sarah Pierce

PURE FACTS - Lets Face it!!

2008-05-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

I liked this article from Craig Locks in INSIDER Reports!! http://www.insiderreports.com/

10 Reasons Why Most People Don't Achieve Financial Success by Craig Lock

"Money can't buy you happiness, but it helps you to be miserable in comfort."

Reason One: Lack of Knowledge

More specifically, a lack of a desire to gain knowledge. Make the effort to read about financial matters and you will learn. Many people don't know where to go for unbiased advise so they do nothing.

Reason Two: Failure to Make Plans

Did you know that only 5% of the population sets goals and only 2% have any form of written goals? Their actions have a sense of purpose; they are results oriented; they are motivated; they are positive�they are life's winners. Where do you want to be in five years? Without a plan it is easy to drift aimlessly, and live from day to day. If you have set goals you will know what you want to achieve. People fail to succeed because they never plan to succeed. It is not that they plan to fail, they fail to plan. So set your financial goals (targets).

Reason Three: Inefficient Use of Time and Poor Work Habits

Time really is like money. You can spend it or invest it in building a better you by self-development. When you waste you are wasting yourself. Plan your day; what do you really want to achieve today?

Reason Four: Lack of Foresight

Achievers have an ability to look beyond the immediate and into the future. Although some may see your visions as dreams do not forget that you have to have a dream to make a dream come true. Unless you are fortunate enough to be left a legacy, the only money you will ever have working for you is that what you save from current income and invest. People with vision can multiply their income by investing in growth investments. Work for your money then make your money work for you.

Reason Five: The Need to Conform

Dare to be different which is why the majority of people are not successful. Don't be afraid take calculated risks. Remember the people who make big money are the ones who do the opposite of what everyone else does. Sell when everyone else buys and vice versa.

Reason Six: Poor Debt Management Through Excessive Borrowing

Lack of patience can lead to borrowing for things that lose value, so that with interest payments you pay much more for the article than it cost initially. (Especially new cars, furniture etc.)

Reason Seven: Lack of Desire as a Result of a Poor Attitude to Acquiring Wealth

Bad mental attitude has caused more personal problems than any thing else. What we expect to happen usually does. Successful people are optimists while unsuccessful people have a pessimistic attitude . Block out negative thoughts and stereotypes and mix with successful, positive people.

Reason Eight: Inadequate Protection Against Unforeseen Events

It may be the loss of a home due to natural disaster or the death or disablement of the bread winner. Adequate protection (insurance) against these events is vital to financial success. Not being properly covered has financially wiped out many potentially successful people.

Reason Nine: Lack of Discipline

Most people find it difficult to save because they save - buy - save - buy, while yet others simply buy. It is easier to say "yes" than "no." Those who lack discipline to say "no" will find financial success an impossible achievement. The "must have it now" mentality being peddled by media compels one to buy now what he can't afford by charging it in the hope that he can pay for it later. Most people are easily led by advertising and the today's easy credit.

Reason Ten: Procrastination

Many people put off a savings program until it is too late. Young people have a wonderful opportunity and advantage because they have time on their side. The reasons people give for not starting a savings program are varied and many are genuine. They also vary according to age. In their twenties they are just getting started in life with a first job and want to enjoy themselves by spending on cars, stereos etc. In their thirties they have a young family and a mortgage to support and no money. In their forties they say things are tough with kids to put through university and unexpected medical expenses, and in their fifties it is already too late with no time left to accumulate capital through the magic of compound interest.

A convenient time never comes and its already later than you think.

Bucket Vs Pipeline

2008-02-27T11:14:00.001-08:00

Read the wonderful story

2008-02-27T11:09:00.000-08:00

http://www.scribd.com/full/16668?access_key=kcaooylifrh0x

Learning Never Stops!!

2007-12-21T14:29:00.000-08:00

What is success ?

Although success is your birthright, it is not given to you automatically. You have to "BE" it. All of us want success. But what is succes?

The meaning of success to you would probably be different than what it would mean to me. If fifty people were asked this question, you would get fifty different answers. It may mean financial success, a loving relationship with their family and partner, having a beautiful home, having good health, taking a wonderful holiday whenever they wanted. Every one has a different idea of what success means to them.

For me success is feeling good about myself, communicating on a heart level with my family and friends where they feel safe to be themselves without fear of judgement or rejection from me, to be financially independent, and to have good health of course excitement, security, peace of mind, a feeling that we are honoured, trusted, loved and cherished for who i am.

The opposite of succes could be staying in a job that you hate, having no purpose in life, having relationships that don’t work, or just getting by dad to day, Minds which has Applied Breaks for growth.

Here are the statistics:

Over 85% of people spend their lives doing things they don’t want to do.

"People are anxious to improve their circumstance,

but they are unwilling to improve themselves.

They therefore remain bound….."

James Allen, (from "As a Man Thinketh") . amazing life changing book ..classic in thought process and how we think.....Get this book free online at http://asamanthinketh.net/aamt.pdf

So how can you create success in your life? This is what all of the books written over the last 100 years have said without exception about creating success:

The key to your success is in programming your subconscious mind.
You must take charge of your thinking.
You must have a clear picture of what you want - then you can have it.
Consider that you have it now, not in the future.
Express gratitude (thanks) for it now, and for all that you already have.
Forgive yourself and others.
Take the appropriate actions
Detach from the outcome.

When you understand how your mind and the laws of the universe work, release the hindering beliefs and emotions, reprogram your subconcious mind with new beliefs, and take the correct actions you will be able to creat what you want with ease...Want to know more....Mail me at smanagoli at gmail.com

Learning Never Stops!!

Oppportunity to make some Coffee Cash!!

2007-12-18T16:40:00.000-08:00

Everybody is searching for Network ?

Everybody is searching for making more money ?

Joining hands with those companies that are ready to share the profit which can handshake the two categories mentioned above?? yes ! the new Trillion $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ industry is Booooming whether you like it or not!

Its Called Refferal Marketing / Network Marketinf / Word of mouth Marketing / Buzz Marketing and thousand other terms......

If you want to make some cash on the fly by putting Ads online as i have done just show the spectrum of ads that you can put in a small way on my blog!!

Contact me if you are interested to know more and intersted to make some coffee cash!

PS: click on one of those links if you are here anyways!!

Chao!

Mirage of Stocks!!

2007-12-06T16:50:00.000-08:00

Once considered the hot stock of the Dalal Street, technology stocks now seem to be losing their charm. In the last 12 months, while the BSE Sensex zoomed 39.8%, all top IT stocks be it Infosys, TCS, Wipro or Patni declined by double-digit percentages. Call it the rising rupee, impending taxes or analyst outlook, the IT sector has to work wonders to bring back its magic touch.

At a recent JP Morgan conference last month, investors said they are shifting from IT stocks to real estate and infrastructure which offer better prospects. Here’s tracing the decline of the IT bluechip stocks.

http://infotech.indiatimes.com/quickiearticleshow/msid-2598212.cms Source indiatimes!

Dreams - Make you Recognize the opportunities! Its all in the Mind!!

2007-12-05T11:40:00.000-08:00

LIVING THE LIFE YOU LOVE: All Your Dreams Come True

Everyone, at some point in his or her life, has dreamt of being somebody special, somebody big. Who hasn't fantasized about being the one who hits the game-winning homer? Who hasn't dreamt of being the homecoming queen? And how many times have we dreamt of being rich, or successful, or happy with our relationships?

Often, we dream big dreams and have great aspirations. Unfortunately, our dreams remain just that, dreams. And our aspirations easily collect dust in our attic. This is a sad turn of events in our life. Instead of experiencing exciting adventures in self-actualization, we get caught up in the humdrum of living from day-to-day, just barely existing.

But you know what? Life could be so much better, if only we learned to aim higher. The most common problem to setting goals is the word impossible. Most people get hung up thinking, "I can't do this. It's too hard. It's too impossible. No one can do this." However, if everyone thought that, there would be no inventions, no innovations, and no breakthroughs in human accomplishment.Remember that scientists were baffled when they took a look at the humble bumblebee. Theoretically, they said, it was impossible for the bumblebee to fly. Unfortunately for the bumble bee no one has told it so. So, fly it does.

On the other hand, some people suffer from dreaming totally outrageous dreams and not acting on them. The result? Broken dreams, and tattered aspirations. If you limit yourself with self-doubt, and self-limiting assumptions, you will never be able to break past what you deem impossible. If you reach too far out into the sky without working towards your goal, you will find yourself clinging on to the impossible dream.

Try this exercise. Take a piece of paper and write down some goals in your life. Under one header, list down things you know you can do.

Under another header, write the things you might be able to do.

And under one more, list the things that that are impossible for you to do.Now look at all the headers. Strive every day to accomplish the goals that are under, "things you know you can do." Check them off when you are able to accomplish them. As you slowly are able to check all of your goals under that heading, try accomplishing the goals under the other header-the one that reads, "You might be able to do."As the items you wrote under things I could do are accomplished, you can move the goals that are under things that are impossible for you to do to the list of things you might be able to do.As you iterate through this process, you will find out that the goals you thought were impossible become easier to accomplish. And the impossible begins to seem possible after all.You see, the technique here is not to limit your imagination. It is to aim high, and start working towards that goal little by little. However, it also is unwise to set a goal that is truly unrealistic. Those who just dream towards a goal without working hard end up disappointed and disillusioned.On the other hand, if you told someone a hundred years ago that it was possible for man to be on the moon, they would laugh at you. If you had told them that you could send mail from here to the other side of the world in a few seconds, they would say you were out of your mind. But, through sheer desire and perseverance, these impossible dreams are now realities.So dream on, friend! Don't get caught up with your perceived limitations. Think big and work hard to attain those dreams. As you step up the ladder of progress, you will find that the impossible has just become a little bit more possible.

Business week Magazine - Ppl making difference..creating opportunities.

2007-11-21T12:17:00.000-08:00

As i read this article, ppl who are making a difference in the world...thank god they just did not settle for a comfortable JOB. Did something different to achieve something....i'll be on the list one day!!

http://bwnt.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/philanthropy_individual/

The 50 Most Generous Philanthropists
How We Create The List: To measure what donors have given or pledged over the past five years, a team of reporters spends months conducting interviews and scouring databases, news reports, and foundation filings. For consistency, we count pledges in full at the time they're announced, discounting only those that are formally revoked. If a gift is in stock, we value it at the time it's announced. To avoid double-counting, the survey counts gifts to foundations at the time they're given and not when the money flows out of foundations.

1
Warren Buffett
Berkshire Hathaway CEO
2
Bill and Melinda Gates
Microsoft co-founder
3
George Kaiser
4
George Soros
5
Gordon and Betty Moore
6
Walton Family
8
Eli and Edythe Broad
9
Donald Bren
10
Jon Huntsman
11
Bernard Osher
12
Alfred Mann
13
Michael and Susan Dell
Dell founder
14
Michael Bloomberg
Bloomberg founder, NYC mayor
15
David Rockefeller
Standard Oil heir, banking
16
Jeff Skoll
Founding president of eBay
17
T. Denny Sanford
Banking and credit cards
18
Veronica Atkins
Widow of Dr. Robert Atkins
19
John Templeton
Investor

For more check out here http://bwnt.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/philanthropy_individual/
*Based on public records and interviews with donors**Based on the Forbes 400 list and donor information Data: BusinessWeek, GuideStar, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University
Advertising Special Sections MarketPlace Knowledge Centers Terms of Use Privacy Notice Ethics Code Contact Us
Copyright 2000-2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.

Narendra Modi Biography, Narendra Bhai, Chief Minister Gujarat, India.: Narendra Modi, future PM

2007-11-16T14:50:00.000-08:00

Narendra Modi Biography, Narendra Bhai, Chief Minister Gujarat, India.: Narendra Modi, future PM

Baby Boomers Retirement - Nightmare !!

2007-11-15T11:00:00.000-08:00

Courtesy: © 2007 National Center for Policy Analysis. All rights reserved.

Oldest Baby Boomers Turn 60!

Baby Boomer Retirement: The Nightmare in Our Future
May 19, 2005 Speeches, Presentations, Interviews
In 2011, the first group of baby boomers will reach the age of 65. Some will begin claiming early retirement in just three years. By the time they are through, 77 million of them will have ceased working and paying taxes and will have begun receiving taxpayer-funded health care and pension benefits. This will create a financial train wreck for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and all other programs for the elderly.
Other countries in the developed world face even bigger problems. In Japan, Europe and North America, the number of retirees will double over the next 25 years while the number of taxpayers will grow by only 10 percent. The economic consequences of these changes are dire: higher taxes, slower growth and lower living standards relative to what otherwise would have occurred.1
In the United States, we have made promises to senior citizens that far exceed what we can pay for at current tax rates. As a result, future retirees will have to rely more on private savings than previous generations. For this reason, we need programs that encourage private sector saving. The ideal would be to encourage private saving and reduce future government entitlement obligations at the same time. This could be accomplished with personal retirement accounts.
The Cash Flow Problem.
In a pay-as-you-go system, what matters most is cash flow. And the cash flow drain that elderly entitlement programs portend is not a problem of the distant future, as some argue. The problem has already begun.
Social Security and Medicare have been receiving more in payroll taxes than they have been paying out in benefits for several decades. Last year, the two programs combined spent more than they took in, requiring a general revenue subsidy of about $45 billion. The magnitude of the deficits in these two programs will soar in the years to come.
For those who believe that Social Security and Medicare are in sound financial shape for decades to come, Figure I presents a sobering picture. In fact, the latest numbers from the Trustees of Social Security and Medicare are staggering. In 2010, the federal government will need $127 billion in additional funds to pay promised benefits. Five years later, the size of the annual deficit will double. Five years beyond that, it will double again. In just 15 years, the federal government will have to raise taxes, reduce other spending or borrow $761 billion to keep its promises to America’s senior citizens. As the years pass, the size of the deficits will continue to grow. Without changes in worker payroll tax rates or senior citizen benefits, the shortfall in Social Security and Medicare revenues compared to promised benefits will top more than $2 trillion in 2030, $4 trillion in 2040 and $7 trillion in 2050!2
These deficit numbers include projected inflation. Yet even in 2004 dollars, the numbers are still staggering. Valued in today’s dollars, the annual Social Security deficit will top $50 billion in 2020, $250 billion in 2030 and $400 billion in 2050. Adding Medicare’s deficits, the federal government will need more than $500 billion in 2020, $1 trillion in 2030 and $2 trillion in 2050 to fund elderly entitlement programs alone.3
Note that these estimates, which come from the latest Social Security Trustees report, do not include the growing burden of senior health care costs under Medicaid.
Deficits as a Percentage of Other Federal Revenues.
The combined budget shortfalls for Social Security and Medicare are so large that it is difficult to comprehend what the numbers mean. Figure II presents the projected deficits as a percentage of federal income tax revenues. It shows that combined Social Security and Medicare deficits will equal almost 10 percent of federal income taxes in just five years. Roughly this means that, if the federal government is to keep its promises to seniors, it will have to stop doing one in every ten things it does today. Alternatively, we will have to raise income taxes by 10 percent or borrow an equivalent sum.
Ten years later, in 2020, combined Social Security and Medicare deficits will equal almost 29 percent of federal income taxes. At that point the federal government will have to stop doing almost a third of what it does today. By 2030, about the midpoint of the baby boomer retirement years, federal guarantees to Social Security and Medicare will require one in every two income tax dollars. By 2050, they will require three in every four.4
What about the Trust Funds?
The Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds serve an accounting function, not an economic one. They work like this: When payroll tax revenues exceed expenses, special bonds are created to keep track of the surplus. These bonds are not purchased in the marketplace, however. For Social Security, they are created on paper and placed in filing cabinets in Parkersburg, West Virginia, (for Medicare, they are computer entries only) while the actual surplus payroll tax dollars are spent on other things. When tax revenues fall short of expenses, the process is reversed: the bonds are taken out of the filing cabinets and retired.
The Social Security Trust Fund currently holds about $1.6 trillion of these bonds. But the bonds cannot pay benefits. They cannot be sold on Wall Street or to foreign investors. Although they are treated as assets of the Trust Fund, they are also liabilities of the Treasury. Summing over both agencies of government, assets plus liabilities net out to zero. If the federal government had purchased assets with the Social Security surpluses, the trust funds would today represent real economic value. Instead, Social Security revenues were spent in other ways and the government essentially wrote IOUs to itself.
If a fire were to destroy the filing cabinets in Parkersburg, it would in no way diminish the capacity of the federal government to pay benefits. Alternatively, if a stroke of the President’s pen were to double or triple the number of bonds in those filing cabinets, that would in no way increase our ability to pay benefits. If we could create value by writing IOUs to ourselves, Social Security would have no financial problems. Unfortunately, there is no free lunch.
Present Value of Unfunded Liability.
Last year, for the first time since the inception of these programs, the Social Security Trustees did something private entities do routinely — they calculated the present value of the difference between the promises we have made and the expected revenues dedicated to keeping those promises. These calculations were made for the traditional 75-year horizon and (what economists consider the more accurate procedure) looking indefinitely into the future. These implied, unfunded liabilities are enormous:5
Social Security’s long-run cash flow deficit is $11.1 trillion — almost equal to the current size of the entire U.S. economy.
The total shortfall of Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) and Part B (doctors’ services) is $47.7 trillion; and the new prescription drug benefit will require $17.7 trillion.
The unfunded liability of Medicare and Social Security combined totals more than $76.5 trillion — more than seven times the size of our economy.
This means that without ever raising taxes or cutting benefits, we need $76.5 trillion invested right now at the government’s borrowing rate. And because we have not made that investment, our unfunded liability under Social Security is growing at the rate of $667 billion per year. The unfunded liability under Medicare is growing at a rate of $4 trillion per year.
Moving to a Funded System.
The underlying problem in the United States and throughout the developed world is reliance on pay-as-you-go finance. Every dollar that is collected in payroll taxes is spent. It is spent the very day, the very hour, the very minute it is received. No money is being stashed away in bank vaults. No investments are being made in real assets.
In a pay-as-you-go system, promises made today can be kept only if future taxpayers (many of whom are not yet born) pay a much higher tax rate than workers pay today. And even if they do shoulder a much greater burden, they would have no assurance that their benefits would be paid as the necessary tax burden grows through time. In any event, this chain letter approach to paying for retirement benefits must eventually come to an end. The question is: can we find an orderly way to transform the system that minimizes the pain.
The alternative to a pay-as-you-go system is a funded system, where worker contributions are saved and invested. Instead of depending on future generations of taxpayers to pay ever-escalating tax rates, in a funded system each generation pays its own way.
Thirty countries have already gone through the process of transforming their pay-as-you-go systems into partially or fully funded systems. These countries have acted responsibly to deal with a problem that the United States so far has refused to face.6
Personal Retirement Accounts.
It is possible to fund a retirement system without creating individually owned and controlled accounts. After World War II, almost two dozen former British colonies set up forced savings plans (called provident schemes) as an alternative to the pay-as-you-go approach so popular elsewhere around the world. The most successful of these was established by Singapore.7
Despite the evolution and success of Singapore’s system, in most cases provident funds have had a spotty and disappointing record. The reason: when funds were managed and controlled by governments, all too often politicians succumbed to the temptation to spend the funds rather than invest them.
Personal retirement accounts create a check on government power. By creating ownership rights and reinforcing the principle of ownership by allowing individual worker investment choices, the odds greatly increase that funds invested today will be able to pay retirement benefits tomorrow.
Notes
1 Laurence Kotlikoff, Hans Fehr and Sabine Jokisch, “Aging, the Word Economy and the Coming Generational Storm,” National Center for Policy Analysis, Policy Report No. 273, February 4, 2005.
2 The 2004 Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance Trust Funds and the 2004 Annual Report of the Boards of Trustees of the Federal Hospital Insurance and Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Funds

Passive Income

2007-11-14T16:57:00.000-08:00

Do you want to continue working 50, 70, 100 hours a week the rest of your life?
Good! Neither do I.

Do you want to be able to take time off whenever you want to, without worrying about what's going to happen to your business?
So do I!

There's a saying in the corporate world:

"Don't make yourself irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted."

As an entrepreneur, this is still true in its own way. Let's think of "being promoted" as earning more and working less. You can raise your prices, but until you can remove yourself from being directly involved in doing the work that generates the income, there's always going to be a limit to how much you can earn, and it can only increase very slowly.

Passive income, on the other hand, is income that does not require your direct involvement. Some kinds of passive income you may be familiar with include owning rental property, royalties on an invention or creative work, and network marketing. If you want to earn more, work less, and have a decent retirement, you're going to have to start creating income streams that do not require your direct involvement. Whether you're just starting your business, or you've been running it a while, the sooner you start thinking about how you are going to shift your business model to create more passive income, the sooner you can achieve personal and financial freedom.

Let's look at two basic types of passive income, and a third type of income that, while technically not passive, is a key strategy for earning more and working less.

Residual Income
Residual income is revenue that occurs over time from work done one time. Some examples include:
An insurance agent who gets commission every year when a customer renews his policy
A network marketing or direct sales rep's income from her direct customers when they reorder product every month
An aerobics instructor who produces a video and sells it at the gyms where she teaches
A marketing consultant who creates a workbook and sells it in e-book format on the Internet
A photographer who makes his photos available through a stock photography clearinghouse and gets paid a royalty whenever someone buys one of his images
A restaurant or retail owner who has grown to the point of hiring a trustworthy manager. As you can see, there are many different ways to generate residual income across a wide variety of businesses. It may be recurring income from the same customers, or the sales of a product to new customers. It may require no personal involvement whatsoever, such as an e-book sold on a web site, or it may require some personal interaction, such as the insurance agent calling the customer to remind them about their renewal and ask them if they want to change any of their coverage. Often, it's something that you can delegate to an assistant.
Note that this is different from merely recurring income.

Recurring income may still require your involvement to earn the income, e.g., a coach or consultant on a monthly retainer, or a caterer who delivers lunch every Monday to the local school board. While this "active recurring income" offers welcome stability, it also tends to tie you down, and you still have limits on your earning capacity based on your own personal production capacity.

Leveraged Income
Leveraged income leverages the work of other people to create income for you. Some examples of leveraged income include:
An e-book author selling her e-book through affiliates who promote the product
A network marketer who builds a downline and receives commissions on the sales made by people in his downline
A general contractor who makes a profit margin on the work done by sub-contractors

Franchising your business model to other entrepreneurs (the ultimate leveraged income) Again, there are many different models in many different businesses. The key is that you are making money off of other people's labor, rather than primarily your own. Note that leveraged income may or may not also be residual income. When you combine them, that's even better.

Active Leveraged Income
This is a term I use to describe income that requires your direct participation, but that you can make more money by having more people involved. This generally involves a one-time event, such as:
A seminar or class

A conference or convention

Concerts and dance recitals

Raves and other parties

Although these require your direct participation, your earning potential is much higher than if someone were just paying you a direct hourly rate.

Applying It

Now is the time to think about how to apply this in your business. Can you create a product that people will buy over and over again? Can you engage others to sell your product? How could you make money off the work of others?
The sooner you answer these questions, the sooner you'll have financial and personal freedom.

When I learned about the concept of passive income, I immediately became excited about it. I read every book I could get my hands on about wealth, personal finance, real estate, and entrepreneurship. Most of these books were heavy on concepts, but light on specifics. With this in mind, I went to seminars and started mingling with people who were already doing it to find out how they started. Here are five suggestions from what I’ve learned.

Network Marketing aka Affiliate Marketing aka Buzz Marketing

Pros: low initial investment, huge potential
Cons: must overcome negative stigmas, many scams out there
Network marketingis an industry that allows individual entrepreneurs to team up with a company to market their products or services. The idea behind network marketing is for the company to eliminate the costs of marketing, advertising, sales, and distribution, allowing the consumer to take on these responsibilities if they choose.
Many highly respected companies such as AT&T, Direct TV, Gap, Amazon.com, Google, Apple Computer, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Travelocity, and tons more have started to borrow from the concepts of network marketing. These companies have realized that the impact of their multi-million dollar advertising budget pales in comparison to the power of word-of-mouth advertising. When I noticed this trend towards the network marketing method, I dropped my “no way” attitude and decided to investigate the traditional network marketing model.
Most people have very negative feelings about network marketing because there have been a lot of bad apples in the industry, especially early on. What these people don’t realize is how far the industry has evolved. A few of these companies have learned from past mistakes and rid themselves of many of the negative aspects of old-paradigm network marketing. If you can find the right network marketing company today, it is possible to build passive income without a lot of money and still keep your friends.
Have you ever recommended a great restaurant or movie to someone? Have you ever told someone where you found a really great buy? Did the restaurant, theatre, or store ever pay you for your referral? That is precisely what the new generation of network marketing companies is doing.
The good apples offer a wide variety of great products or services at a great price, meaning that you don’t have to refer people to make it worthwhile. Selling something that is expensive and unnecessary is hard, but recommending a product or service that is better and less expensive is easy.
The way to minimize your costs with network marketing is to find a company that has products that are already on your shopping list. Then, replace the products you are already buying and you have just started a business for nothing. You might even find a way to save money.
The new generation of companies handles all the inventory, paperwork, and sales for you; all you have to do is refer people and the company does the rest. It is truly amazing how simple the process really is. What’s that you say? You don’t want to bug all of your friends and family? Not a problem, smart networkers use the internet, or other forms of creative advertising to bring prospects to them.
The big money is made when a referral decides to make a business out of it. Most companies pay referral fees not only on your referrals, but on secondary referrals and beyond. Your efforts will be multiplied by the efforts of those you refer. Your business will soon be leveraged into a money making machine when some of their referrals decide to do it as a business, and so on.

Create Interesting Internet Content

Pros: extremely low cost, extremely low maintenance.Cons: some computer skills required, must have interesting content
The internet is entering an exciting new phase where otherwise average people are being rewarded for creating and sharing interesting content. There have been a group of internet pioneers such as Google, Revver.com, istockphoto.com, Amazon.com, and others, who have decided to share their revenue with content creators. This means that if you can come up with an interesting blog, movie clip, photo collection, flash design, podcast, or other form of easily distributable electronic content, you might be able to make passive income from it.

Employee Vs Entrepreneur

2007-11-13T11:49:00.000-08:00

Employee vs. Entrepreneur
By Robert T. Kiyosaki
In 1983, the Harvard Business School published “A Perspective on Entrepreneurship,” a paper that defined the differences between entrepreneurs and employees. This paper, written by Professor Howard H. Stevenson, is one of the most articulate articles on this particular subject that I have read. While many differences were examined, I found two in particular to be especially insightful.

The first difference between entrepreneurs and employees is:

1. Employees are resource-oriented. Entrepreneurs are opportunity-oriented.
A person with an employee mindset might say, “I would start my own business but I don’t have the money.” Or “I’d love to invest in that piece of real estate, but I don’t have the down payment.”

In both of these examples the person focuses on their resources–in this case their lack of money, rather than the opportunity.

In a similar situation, a person with an entrepreneur’s mindset might say, “Let’s start the business and we can finance the business from the cash flow.” Or “Tie up the property and we’ll find the money later.Need more check out here http://www.richdadwisdom.com/?cat=3

Understanding the Financial Education Vs Academic Education

2007-11-05T10:40:00.002-08:00

Success is minority and if u have read the Kiyosakis Book " Rich Dad Poor Dad" will make you Understand the difference between Financial Education Vs Academic Education...

But an eye opener for me was another classic book "Cashflow quadrant" EBSI........

I'm not where i want to be financially...but surely on my way ...for creating a great passive income..buzz me if u r interested...

Napolean Hills Message

2007-10-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

Monthly Message from Dr. Napoleon Hill

Sincerity
by Napoleon Hill

To achieve success, you have a definite major goal in life. Your chances of attaining that goal will be infinitely greater if you have a sincere wish to provide others with a better product or service. The operative word in the sentence is "sincere."

Sincerity is a trait that pays off in self-satisfaction, self-respect, and the spiritual security of a clear conscience. We have to live with ourselves 24 hours a day. The partnership may not be pleasant if we don’t conduct ourselves so we have the fullest respect for that invisible "other self" who can guide us to glory, fame and riches-or to relegate us to misery and failure.

A friend of Abraham Lincoln once told him that his enemies were saying terrible things about him.

"I don’t care what they say," exclaimed Lincoln, "so long as they’re not telling the truth." Sincerity of purpose made Lincoln immune against fear of criticism.

Sincerity is a matter of motive. Therefore, it’s something that others have a right to question before granting you their time, energy or money. Before embarking on a course of action, test your sincerity yourself. Ask yourself this question: "Granted that I seek personal gain in what I am about to do, am I giving fair value in service or goods for the profit or wages I hope to make-or am I hoping to get something for nothing?" Sincerity is one of the hardest things to prove to others. But you must be prepared-and eager-to do so.

Martha Berry founded a school for mountain boys and girls of North Georgia whose parents couldn’t pay for their school. Needing money to carry on her work, she went to Henry Ford and asked for a modest donation. Ford refused.

"Well then," said Miss Berry, "will you give us a bushel of peanuts?"

The novel request amused Ford so much he gave her the money for the peanuts. Miss Berry had her youngsters plant and replant them until their sales piled up a fund of $500. Then she took the money back to Ford and showed him how she had multiplied his small donation. Ford was so impressed that he made her a gift of enough tractors and other farm equipment to put her school farm on a self-supporting basis. Through the years he gave more than $1,000,000 for the beautiful stone buildings which now stand on the campus of the school Miss Berry founded.

"I couldn’t help being impressed," he said, "with her sincerity and the marvelous way she applied it in behalf of needy boys and girls."

You can achieve your own goal in life by such dramatic proof of your sincere desire to help

Traits of success

2007-03-28T10:32:00.000-07:00

Six Traits Of Successful People

Have you ever wondered why successful people seem to turn everything they touch into gold while you seem to be stuck with a pocketful of lead? Do you tell yourself that they must have been born with more money, better looks, and a better education than you? Even as you comfort yourself with this line of thought, do you find yourself pushing away the knowledge that people like Ogg Mandino and Zig Ziglar were dirt poor and that Dave Thomas never graduated from high school?

I have spent most of my adult life studying the lives of people who are successful in life and in business because I wanted to be one too. My discoveries parallel those of Napoleon Hill, Robert Allen, and Thomas J. Stanley, 3 men who have also spent many years studying the habits of successful people. Here are six traits that successful people share, traits you can learn and develop for yourself.

1. Successful people are dedicated learners, most of them reading for hours each day. They seem to know intuitively that continuing to learn about the world and other people is part of what lets them be creative and make sound decisions.

2. Successful people have a burning desire to accomplish the thing they are working on. It's more than a passing fancy, more intense than a dream, and is more focused than a goal. It is a melding of logic, emotion, and the spirit. Do you remember when you fell in love for the first time? That intensity is a component of burning desire.

3. Successful people develop highly specialized knowledge. They are experts in their chosen field and have learned every aspect of their field or niche. Though they do read and learn about other subjects, successful people become deeply involved in their chosen field and are rewarded for their expertise.

4. Successful people are disciplined. They use discipline to keep themselves focused, and they count on discipline to get them through hard times when they may be discouraged emotionally. Discipline gives them the self-control to do the things that aren't very much fun but must be done if their project is to succeed. I read somewhere that successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. I like that saying because it doesn't say that successful people necessarily like doing what unsuccessful people aren't willing to do. It just means that they get the thing done and keep moving.

5. Successful people tend to have a decisive nature. They are able to make most decisions fairly quickly and don't second guess themselves once a choice is made. They take full responsibility for their choices, whether the decision was the right one or not.

6. Successful people surround themselves with other successful people and people who have a can-do attitude. This is what people are referring to when they talk about a mastermind group. They network with other people and turn to successful people for encouragement when times are hard. They seem to actively avoid working with people who are habitually negative. They do their brainstorming with a carefully chosen mastermind group, and they don't let negative people steal their dreams.

Look over this list of traits of successful people. How many of them do you see in your life? What can you do to encourage development of these traits in your life? If you don't have one, what could you do to develop a mastermind group of your own?