Not all advisors are sales hustlers. I also heard from someone who made a radical decision in response to his experience in the financial services industry. Let’s hope that other conscientious advisors don’t follow his example!

Last week I shared some real-life confessions of a typical financial advisor. This self-proclaimed “aggressive, 34-year old [sales] hustler” sells equity-indexed annuities almost exclusively. He can’t resist the easy money and, even though he knows the investment is better for him than his clients, he is unwilling to change his ways.

(Florida seniors watch out! This advisor might be the one trying to sell you that equity-indexed annuity! Seniors all across the country need to understand that advisors recommending these high-commission products are very likely cut from the same cloth.)

I recently received an email from someone I’ll call John. He was impressed by the information on my website and had to tell me his story. “Thank you for shedding light on the true conflicts involved in the sale of equity-indexed annuities. Hopefully, this will drive change in legislation.” Interestingly, I took part in a conference call with the Securities and Exchange Commission on that topic a week later!

John started his financial services career in a very unusual way–he actually got a college degree in finance! You might be shocked to know that few advisors have a formal education in finance, investments, or other money-related issues. Many don’t even have a college degree. Their firms focus on teaching them how to sell.

John started out with a ‘financial planning company’, desiring and expecting to help people manage their money and achieve their financial goals. He quickly learned that the firm’s focus was quite different. John says, “I found myself around people who were just trying to figure out how to make money on a presentation.”

And what well-thought-out investment strategy were his co-workers presenting? “Most were pushing variable annuities on every deal…and not just for a small portion of the client’s overall portfolio,” John says. “Needless to say, I did not feel comfortable and left the company.”

John then decided to work for a CPA firm that was starting to offer financial planning services to it’s client’s. He was confident his experience would be different. But once again, that wasn’t the case. “The owner was introduced to equity-indexed annuities in San Diego from Allianz. Well, he saw the dollar signs [the potential he had to make money] and hit the senior market.”

The opportunity to make a lot of money was too good to pass up and the owner decided to push these products to seniors. Seniors who came to the CPA firm because they trusted the CPA subjected to advice that was colored by what was best for the firm. John recalls, “I looked, examined, and looked again at these contracts and said something is wrong. Who gets paid a 12% commission and the investor receives a benefit?” Good question.

“I was really interested in doing financial planning as a profession but just could not stomach these experiences.” Unfortunately, John left the financial services industry all together. There are many people graduating from college that have strong educational backgrounds in financial planning. All too often their experiences are similar to John’s and they leave the industry. That’s bad for all investors.

There are advisors that you can trust. These advisors have chosen to be paid by fees instead of commissions. As a result, it takes years for them to earn through annual fees what commission-based advisors make in one transaction. You only pay them for the period of time you use their services. They only continue to make money by keeping you happy—what a concept!

Typically, fee-based advisors don’t hold seminars or contact you by phone to pitch the latest hot product. Most of the time, you have to seek them out instead of the other way around. By the way, how often are you contacted by reputable, experienced accountants or doctors trying to sell their services? Why should it be different in the financial services industry?

Do your research anytime an advisor recommends an investment, especially if that advisor sought you out. Make an informed decision, not a quick one.

Nationally-syndicated financial columnist and Certified Financial Planner® Jeffrey Voudrie provides personal, in-depth money management services and advice to select private clients throughout the USA. He’ll answer your financial question – FREE at http://www.guardingyourwealth.com

The buzz within the bodybuilding community about Aplodan seems to be so compelling that if only a percentage of the claims that are being made about its success rate are true, Aplodan still might be referred to as the holy grail of bodybuilding. Essentially the claim is being made that Aplodan can help grow more and stronger muscles by 83%.

Remarkably, Aplodan addresses a problem that has existed since the beginning of time, but which has only been identified very recently. This is the problem of dormant muscle fibers. Research done at such scientific institutions as the University of Milan in Italy has proven that the majority of muscle fibers within the body’s skeletal system are dormant. In other words, they are not activated even during the most intensive workouts at the gym, using the most high-tech training tools.

This problem is not simply limited to rookies who have only begun to learn about bodybuilding. On the contrary, the dormant muscle fiber issue is a challenge even to prize-winning IBBF professionals. There are dormant muscle fibers in each and every major muscle group in the body, and millions of bodybuilders across the globe are sweating through their daily workout routines but not reaching the untapped potential within these dormant muscle fibers.

This phenomenon of dormant muscle fibers has been described as being similar to having a powerful, six-speed automobile, but not being able to shift any higher than fourth gear. There are two more gears worth of untapped potential remaining unused and waiting to be reached. New research has revealed that dormant muscle fibers actually have a larger diameter than the ones that are used on a regular basis. They can house a greater number of contractile filaments and thus have more potential for growth and delivery of power. But first, they must be activated.

Aplodan is the only muscle building supplement specifically formulated to activate dormant muscle fibers. The primary components that Aplodan contains are 2-(carbamimidoyl-methyl-amino) ethoxyphosphonic acid and 1, 2-dithiolane-3-pentanoic acid. This unique combination of compounds is the only known muscle building supplement capable of activating the body’s dormant muscle fibers in a way that can help bodybuilders achieve the goals they have been working for. To make Aplodan even more effective, it was engineered with technology that allows its formula to be released rapidly.

During the first week of supplementing with Aplodan, a person should take six caplets per day: two in the morning, two just before working out, and two before retiring for bed in the evening. After this initial seven day period, three Aplodan caplets per day will be sufficient to maintain its effectiveness. On days when a person is not training, then the middle of the day is the best time to take the second Aplodan caplet.

Robert Scheer is a freelance journalist and consultant for the Aplodan Review web site. For more information visit aplodanreview.org

Jenny (not real name), 53 years old, was diagnosed with left breast cancer in January 2006. A mastectomy was done followed by chemotherapy. After her first chemotherapy on 22 February 2006, Jenny felt weak with a heavy head. She vomited for three days. Jenny was supposed to have 8 cycles of chemotherapy but after her fourth chemotherapy, she decided to stop chemotherapy totally. This was because of the severe side effects.

On 29 November 2006, we interviewed Jenny. Below is the transcript of our conversation.

Question: Okay, when you did your second, third and fourth chemo, did the doctor know you were on herbs?

Jenny: No. I hinted about taking herbs during my consultation. They said: “No, no, no. Don’t take herbs.” But I took it quietly without their knowledge. After the fourth chemo and it was time for the fifth chemo, I called and informed them that I intended to stop the treatment. I told them that I am a Christian and I believe in God’s healing. I heard from God to stop the chemo. And I said I wanted to go for herbs. Initially the oncologist said, “Okay, it’s your choice. Do whatever you want. If you have any problems you can come back here.” I accepted that.

Jenny’s Platelet Count Went Up

Jenny: Every few weeks I had my blood test done before this. Every blood test, the blood platelets kept going up. My friends told me through their experiences the blood platelets usually go “down” not “up”. If it is “up” it is not good. Also the red blood cells must go up, white blood cells must go up but the blood platelets must come down. When I saw my blood platelets went up, I asked the oncologist. He told me, “No, it is okay. All must go up. Then your body is responding to the chemo.” So, I was very happy and continued with my second, third and fourth chemo. The platelets went up higher and higher until it exceeded the range. So, for the third and fourth chemo, the platelets already exceeded the range. I asked the oncologist: “The platelet had already exceeded the range! Is it dangerous?” The doctor replied, “No, it’s good! It must go up”.

One month after I stopped the chemotherapy, I went back to him again for a check up. They did a blood test and found that the platelets count was dropping. The red blood cells and the white blood cells were up, but the platelets came down. Seeing this I panicked because the oncologist said the platelet count must go up. Initially, when I entered the room, the oncologist said: “You are doing very well. You are okay.” But as we went through the readings of the blood and came to the part on platelets count, from 600+ it dropped to 300, I asked him, “How? Why it dropped so much? Last time you said 600+ is good. Now, it has dropped to 300+. What is wrong with this? Is it okay?” Then he said, “Well, you go for herbs. That is why it is like this. You go for organic food, you believe in God’s healing – that is why it is like that! What organic food you are talking about. What is organic food?” I was very confused. I felt like crying. I had no one to consult.

I went to have another test done at the Wellness Laboratory. Yes, the platelets dropped to half the amount! I enquired from the technician about this drop in platelet count. He told me it was good for me. Eh? I was dumbfounded. There were two opposing views and I didn’t know whom to believe. Then I waited until you (Dr. Teo) came and spoke to you. Then, you clarified that it was good that the platelet count went down.

Question: Your impression was that you were doing badly after the blood test showed a drop in the platelet reading?

Jenny: Yes.

Comment:

With regards to the platelet count, when the oncologist said: It is good. It must go up! The body is responding to the chemo, he was both deadly wrong and also right. He was deadly wrong because a rise in platelet count or thrombocythemia, may cause clotting in blood vessels and abnormal bleeding. Abnormal clotting of the blood is a more common complication than abnormal bleeding. A blood clot can occur in either an artery or less frequently, in a vein. This complication can be very serious if the clot blocks blood flow to an organ, such as the brain (causing a stroke) or heart (causing a heart attack). The oncologist was absolutely right when he said abnormal elevation of platelets was the body’s response to chemotherapy except that it is NOT for good, it could be deadly!

What is real sad about this case is that the oncologist did not tell his patient the truth! He misled her – either deliberately or through sheer ignorance!

For more information about complementary cancer therapy visit: http://www.cacare.com, http://www.NaturalHealingForYou.com, http://www.BookOnCancer.com

Ladies, do you suspect your husband of cheating on you? One study reported that 59% of men admitted cheating on their wives, so it’s not just a paranoid fantasy. It can and does happen, but how do you know if it’s happening to you? Here are 9 signs that your husband may be cheating on you.

1) He carries condoms, and you are on the pill. Men are alway whining about having to use condoms, so you can bet that no man would use one if he doesn’t have to. So, why does he have to? Who is he trying to keep from becoming pregnant, or catch an STD from?

2) You find unexplained scratches or bruises on his neck or back. It’s very hard to scratch or bruise your own back, and it’s not likely to happen accidentally.

3) He suddenly wants to try new sex techniques. Who is he practicing for, or who has he been practicing with?

4) His clothes smell of an unfamiliar perfume. True, a department store sales clerk could have sprayed it on him, but how likely is that?

5) You see lipstick on your husband’s shirt. No wonder men want to get right to it. Foreplay leaves evidence.

6) He insists the child seat, toys, etc., are kept out of his car. You can’t be cool with a child seat in your car. Besides that, it’s a clue that there might be a child in his life, and, where there’s a child, there’s probably a woman. Definitely, not the image you want to project to the “other woman.”

7) He works a lot of overtime, but it never shows up on the pay stub. If your husband is a salaried worker, you may have to give him a pass on this. If he’s paid by the hour, though, he may be putting in overtime, but it’s not at his job.

You find unexplained receipts, more frequent ATM withdrawals, and unexplained credit card charges. Note any strange dates and times. Is there a restaurant charge when he should have been at work? Cheating can be expensive.

9) He uses the computer late at night (when you’re already in bed) or for an unusual amount of time. He uses free email services, such as hotmail, msn, yahoo, gmail, hushmail, etc. He quickly closes his web browser when you suddenly walk into the room. Looks like he might be hiding something, doesn’t it?

Women often beat themselves up when they discover their husband is cheating. We ask ourselves, what did I do wrong, or, worse, what’s wrong with me? That’s usually a mistake. Unlike women, men often cheat just for sex or for the ego boost a new conquest gives them. That doesn’t make it better, but it does mean that he often doesn’t have the emotional connection to his lover that he does to his wife and family. If you want to save your marriage, there’s a good chance that you can. It’s up to you to decide if you want to try.

Jennifer Lawless writes about developing health relationships at her blog Relationship Health. To find out the single biggest mistake you can make when you think your husband is having an affair, visit her website href="http://astonishing-discoveries.blogspot.com/2007/03/proven-ways-to-catch-cheating-spouse.html">Astonishing
Discoveries.

As our nation recently celebrated its freedom, we are reminded of the ‘unalienable rights’ our Founding Fathers appreciated: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Sounds like the ideal retirement, doesn’t it? But unless investors are careful, they’ll never achieve their own financial freedom.

Being financially free requires:

1) Living beneath your means. You can’t spend more or equal to what you bring in and get ahead.

2) Making a budget and sticking to it. Be realistic and leave room for expenses to increase over time. Before you buy, count all the costs such as long-term maintenance and higher insurance premiums.

3) Basing your fulfillment on something other than your possessions. He who dies with the most toys doesn’t win, and no, you can’t take it with you.

Most would define financial freedom as having enough money to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. But how much is enough? Let’s take a look at two couples and get a better picture of what true financial freedom is and how you can achieve it.

With our first couple, the husband just retired from a successful career with $1,000,000 in his 401(k). They haven’t put any other money into savings.

Now that they’re retired with all this money at their disposal, their spending habits take over. They buy a new home, new car and generously help out their children. They don’t live on a budget and it is hard for them to see the impact their current decisions will have on their future.

This couple has to invest fairly aggressively and earn at least 6% to 7% just to keep up with their current standard of living. A sustainable retirement lifestyle should be based on a withdrawal rate of no more than 5%. Consistently earning enough to support a 7% withdrawal rate is difficult at best.

Our second couple, also newly retired, has always lived under a budget. Their household income was the same as that of the first couple, but because they’ve lived ‘beneath their means’ through the years, they have a larger nest egg of just over $1,600,000 to fund their retirement.

They’ve made some major, but wiser, purchases. Rather than building a new home on an expensive lot, they’ve chosen to do a more modest remodel on their existing home. They don’t mind driving older vehicles, and they help out their kids in more modest ways.

Because of the lifestyle they’ve chosen, both now and in the past, they only have to earn 3% on their money to maintain their standard of living. There is no need to take risks with their nest egg, because they don’t have to.

So which couple has achieved financial freedom? The friends and neighbors of these couples will say that it is Couple #1, because of their expensive lifestyle. The answer becomes more obvious, though, if we fast-forward a decade.

Couple #1 has to start tapping their principal to make ends meet. Their lavish lifestyle combined with rising costs for life’s necessities means they’re now facing the grim possibility of running out of money and becoming dependent on their children.

Couple #2 has faced rising costs, too, but the impact has been minimal. In fact, they’ve hardly changed their lifestyle at all. Since they are able to earn more than they actually spend, their nest egg has continued to grow. Not only do they have the peace of mind that they won’t outlive their savings, but they know they’ll be able to leave a nice inheritance for their children and grandchildren.

It’s obvious Couple #2 is financially free. Financial freedom isn’t about spending more, but worrying less. How much money you make doesn’t determine whether or not you will achieve financial freedom. It’s more about the relationship between your lifestyle and your income.

Couple #1 may try to solve their problem by taking higher risks to earn more on their investments. But they only have three choices in order to reach financial freedom. They have to save more, spend less and/or work longer. These are painful choices.

There isn’t a magic formula to becoming financially free. It is based on consistently making the proper choices. The security of having financial freedom is priceless and with a little effort, you can do it.

Nationally-syndicated financial columnist and Certified Financial Planner® Jeffrey Voudrie provides personal, in-depth money management services and advice to select private clients throughout the USA. He’ll answer your financial question – FREE at http://www.guardingyourwealth.com

Have a financial question? I’ll personally answer it. Go to www.guardingyourwealth.com and click on ‘Ask Jeff’.

In addition to being a nationally syndicated columnist and Certified Financial Planning Practitioner, Mr. Voudrie provides personal, private money management services to clients nationwide.

Build it and they will come. OK, great sounds terrific in a Hollywood Blockbuster but in the real world life is actually a little different.

In other words, results have to be a bit more immediate, for example:

Client “How is our online link building promotion coming on?”

SEO: “It is going really well, we have started to put into place some really solid foundations which will act as part of a Link-baiting and SMO Strategy which will yield massive results. Link building if carried out carefully is the cornerstone on which the Internet thrives”

Client: “How long is this all going to take and what sort of time line have you put into place?”

SEO: “Well link building is always a tenuous business that sometimes takes time to for the true value of the results to show themselves. None of the major search engines like to be rushed in anything they do with regards to the monitoring of inbound links. MSN may start to recognise links within 4-6 weeks, Yahoo in 2-3 Months and if we are lucky then we could get some Kudos and goodwill from Google within 6-9 months.

Client: “So what you are saying is….?”

SEO: What we are saying is that you cannot rush an exercise like this if you want to see the quality results. You should have to allow for 6 months minimum for us to monitor and see exactly where we are with regards to our links and then another 6 months to react to that first assessment.”

Client: “Stop treating me as if I am an idiot and get buying some links and have a report on my desk before next Months meeting if you wish to keep this account!”

Well folks, how do you deal with that one? Sounds familiar doesn’t it?

You have two choices in your online campaigns. Live or die, it is that simple.

Get results and you live to fight another day, lose out and you are toast, as they say.

So what do you have to do to succeed? Well as the fictional discussion highlighted above, to succeed and get profile in the online world you need inbound links both in quality and in quantity. The next burning issue to be resolved is how long for all of this to happen?

“In the long run, we are all dead” states the noted and eminent Economist John Maynard Keynes (founder of the whole Keynesian School of Economics and eminent member of the Bloomsbury group) and never more has this been more applicable to the world of Online activities.

Stand still and if you are very lucky then the best you can hope for is for life to pass you by with minimal fuss. If you are extremely unlucky then whilst in the process of passing you by, your competition may well just flatten you in the process for good measure.

Buying your links now and getting a jump on the competition may, just may, get you out of that nightmare scenario and leave you to continue your brave fight with the world until next

Stephen Morgan writes about a number of Internet based issues such as Marketing
and Promotion and Link building. A
keen proponent of all aspects of SEO and
SMO, he advises clients to look at the whole mix of online services available.

There is a debate in the financial services industry over commission versus fee-based compensation. As an investor, it’s important that you understand the differences. Otherwise, it can end up costing you tens of thousands of dollars and great frustration.

If you’ve read any of my weekly articles, you know that I am opposed to investors working with a commission-based advisor. I often receive angry emails from brokers and agents berating me for ‘misleading’ investors. They say that over time an investor will end up paying less in a commission-based product versus paying an ongoing management fee of 1% per year.

On the surface, this appears to be true. If you invest $100,000 into a mutual fund with a 5.75% front-end commission, you will have $5,750 deducted from your account on the first day. If instead, you paid 1% of the value of the account each year for seven years then you would end up paying $7,000 in fees—not counting the fees from the account increasing in value. As the value of the account goes up, so does the amount paid in management fees. On the other hand, the up-front commission was only based on the initial investment.

Why on earth, then, do I say that it is more expensive to pay a commission?

First, this simple example above does not take into account the true costs associated with investing over that seven-year period. It’s true that if you owned the same investment for seven years and didn’t make any changes along the way, that you would benefit from paying a commission versus fees.

The problem is that there will only be a handful of every 100 people who will hang on to the investment that long. Studies have shown that the average length of mutual fund ownership is less than 2 years! It’s not unusual for an investor to go back to the broker that received the initial commission (or to a different one) to complain about the performance of the investment. Many times the broker then recommends the investor make a change that involves another commission.

Or maybe you initially purchased a variable or an equity-indexed annuity. If you need to take out your money because your situation changes or you’re unhappy with the annuity’s performance, you will end up paying a steep surrender penalty. The amount of that penalty should be considered part of its cost.

Secondly, the service you receive suffers when you pay a commission versus an ongoing fee. Commission-based advisors justify earning their commission by saying that the client is paying for 7-10 years worth of service up-front. But the advisor gets the commission regardless of how the investment performs, how little they service the account or how unhappy you are.

The commission-based advisor improves their standard of living regardless of whether they improve yours.

If you pay a dentist for seven years worth of service up-front, what incentive will the dentist have to bring you in every six months? None. In fact, by doing so, the dentist is wasting time that could be spent selling someone else a 7-year package!

Paying a management fee gives the investor CONTROL over the relationship. You can change investments or move your account, at any time, without additional costs.

As a fee-based advisor, the only way I can improve my standard of living is to first improve yours.

In fact, when you consider all the time I initially spend with a client, it takes retaining that account several years in order for me to profit from it. As a result, I continue to be motivated to meet your needs and to keep you satisfied.

Wouldn’t you rather have your advisor’s compensation tied to their performance?

The worst investment you can make is having an advisor who doesn’t do a good job. You won’t know if you have the right advisor until after you’ve worked with him/her for about a year. If you’ve purchased commission-based products it will be costly to change. It’s not so with a fee-based advisor.

Don’t be fooled by the argument that it is cheaper to pay a commission than to work with a fee-based advisor. It’s just not true. It’s your money and you deserve better.

Nationally-syndicated financial columnist and Certified Financial Planner® Jeffrey Voudrie provides personal, in-depth money management services and advice to select private clients throughout the USA. He’ll answer your financial question – FREE at http://www.guardingyourwealth.com

Have a financial question? I’ll personally answer it. Go to www.guardingyourwealth.com and click on ‘Ask Jeff’.

In addition to being a nationally syndicated columnist and Certified Financial Planning Practitioner, Mr. Voudrie provides personal, private money management services to clients nationwide.

There has been a building wave of interest in The Secret, the video produced by Rhonda Byrne and first released in March of 2006. I think those of us who have seen it would agree that it’s a compelling presentation.

The “Law” is that your focused desire for a result will allow forces in the universe to drive that result to you. According to Wikipedia, William Walker Atkinson first used the phrase “law of attraction” in this sense about a hundred years ago. The actual inspiration for Rhonda Byrne’s video was reading in 2004 the book The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Waddles, first published in 1910.

As a coach, I hesitate to criticize anything that results in success. But, you don’t need an advanced physics degree to understand the “Law of Attraction”. In fact, you have probably been using the principles your entire life without being conscious of it. The Reticular Activating System, RAS, is the ability of your subconscious to recognize connections once your consciousness has focused on an idea. Think of those times when you have lost something. You know it is merely misplaced, but after diligently searching you finally give up. Hours later, for some unexplained reason, you suddenly remember where you put the object. Your subconscious had been working the entire time to sift through information until a connection could be established. RAS, combined with the power of positive thinking, is the practical explanation for the results people experience.

This is how I describe it to clients: Imagine your dream, your ultimate goal. It’s a thought in your mind, sometime in the future. It’s almost as though it is at end of a long corridor. Each day you are moving closer to it. People with extreme focus will eventually reach their goal. This is the power of positive thinking. But, if you also open your mind to everything associated with that goal, you will soon discover that as you move down that corridor you will notice many doorways. Some are just storage closets filled with the accumulated baggage of life. But others are doorways to unexpected possibilities. Because your mind is open to those possibilities, you realize the connections to your goals and you can seize upon the opportunities they present. It is through these unanticipated possibilities that you begin to live your dreams. These possibilities create new possibilities. They make possible what appeared at first to be impossible.

Desiring a result is not enough. Think of it as “The Law of AttrACTION”!

Dave Ferguson is a coach and the owner of Lake County Business Coaching, Inc., a coaching firm dedicated to helping people in business become extraordinary, to realize their dreams by achieving their goals. More information is available at http://www.LakeCountyBusinessCoaching.com.

You may already know, but if you don’t, there are more people become millionaires from real estate than anything else. But how do they do it? It’s typically not from fixing and flipping and it usually doesn’t happen very quickly. It’s not too sexy either. It’s your basic principle of buy and hold.

Buy and hold. It’s just as it sounds, you buy a piece of real estate and you hold it for an extended period of time. But how can you make more with buying and holding than you can as a “flipper?” Let’s first look at a term that’s thrown around quite a bit when referring to real estate: investor. An investment is typically something passive. You buy it, whatever it is. It could be stocks, bonds, coins, whatever. You then hold onto it and allow it to appreciate. Fixing and flipping is more like a job. Yes you’re self employed, but it’s still a job. You have to be actively involved day to day. Just like a day-trader isn’t so much an investor as he/she is, well, a day-trader.

So, back to buy and hold. Why is this so powerful? Let’s look at the most common investment people make, single family homes. As an investor, you buy a house, you typically take out a mortgage on the house and you rent it to someone else. This mortgage, or leverage is what really amplifies your return on investment. Let’s say you bought a $100,000 home. The market is appreciating at 5% and you’re earning $600/month in rent. You have some expenses, so when subtracted let’s say you’re earning an additional 5%. You’re earning a 10% return on your investment.

You do have some work to do such as leasing the property and maintenance. But if you owned stocks, you periodically buy more or sell some or analyze its performance. There is some work, but it’s still an investment.

Let’s take that same $100,000 home. You now only put 10% down and finance the rest. The market still only goes up 5%. But now you’re earning $5,000 on your $10,000 investment. That’s a 50% return. That doesn’t count that someone else is paying down the mortgage, plus the tax advantages of depreciation. That’s a great investment.

So now what? First, you now have a great investment without owning a job. Second, sit back and let that property appreciate for a few years. Let’s say five years. That property is now worth $128,000. Refinance the property and pull out $13,000. Take that money and buy another like kind property (now worth about $130,000). You now get a leveraged return on two properties. Wait another five years and do it again and you’d have four and again in five and you’d have eight. So in 15 years you’d own eight properties.

Don’t do anything else but manage those properties. Over the next ten years let the tenants pay down (and possibly pay off if you don’t keep any positive cash flow) the mortgages. When it comes time to retire or do something else, you now have well over $1,000,000 in net equity. Even more if the market is providing a higher rate of return.

No, there’s nothing too much sexy about it. It’s a slow and steady approach. But if you talk with most people who accumulated their wealth in real estate, that’s how they did it. It could be homes, or offices or apartments, but the principle is the same; buy and hold.

To learn more or to get started, you can find me at http://roseusa.com

Tony Rose, MBA, is the owner/founder of http://www.iswami.com, the user-driven web site that links to the most recommended locally owned and operated businesses throughout the US. Tony has been a successful business owner in the fields of Real Estate, Development and Web Development for over twenty years.

In these days of ever increasing charges for this service and for that service, increasing cable TV bills and so on it is refreshing to be reminded that there are actually available free alternatives to all of this, if you know where to look.

If you know where to look is the key phrase here and then also if you also know to get access to them.

Sounds great doesn’t it but to those who are of the firm belief that there is no such thing as a free lunch then you are partly correct in that as in all things there is indeed a cost but in this case the key thing is that the costs in this case are very rarely born by the consumer. That’s you and I folks and isn’t that great news?

OK, before we get too excited about this whole concept of free viewing to be honest there is always a small charge somewhere along the way and this varies from service to service. In the United Kingdom, the cost of the major Terrestrial or Free to View stations such as the BBC is paid for directly out of the TV License fee that every consumer has to have. In the US, for users to have PBS there are sometimes “voluntary donations” that are requested.

Free-to-air (FTA) is often used for international TV Broadcasting and a good analogy would be to consider Free-to-air as Televisions equivalent to shortwave radio.

FTA is usually delivered to the consumer via Satellite television but in some cases and in various parts of the world it can be delivered via encrypted digital terrestrial television channels where it is broadcast on either UHF or VHF bands.

Though in a lot of cases it would appear that cable or conventional satellite television has the market sown up, free-to-air satellite TV is a viable alternative for use in locations where terrestrial over-the-air reception is poor. This usually the case in large rural areas where the digital coverage may be patchy due to the technical fact that most digital broadcasts tend to be low power and therefore coverage outside of the main urban areas tends to be slightly “low on juice” so to speak.

Now all of this is starting to sound extremely technical with mention of this band and that, encryption etc and if you are like me, the kiss of death when it comes to either installing systems like this or trying to understand them then don’t worry help is at hand.

I could at this point insert a shameless plug for an independent service that reviews free-to-air receivers but the best thing to do in this case I would suggest is to follow the links at the bottom of this article.

You don’t necessarily have to get an expert in to set up your own setup at home. You can set up your own FTA set up, it is not beyond the scope of the most technically minded individuals but it helps if you know what you are looking for and have the right equipment at hand. On this point for further information then follow the links below for independent advice and help.

Stephen Morgan writes about a number of Internet based issues such as
FTA articles and
FTA news. A keen proponent of all
aspects of free and independent services available, he advises clients to look
at the whole mix of online services available.