Why not allow someone else to supply you with products and sell and earn a profit which can be substantial in monetary value depending on the volume of product that you are able to move. This is affiliate marketing.

Not having to develop a product yet being able to profit handsomely from the efforts of someone else. This is the definition of truly becoming wealthy and having the money and time that I believe all people are really looking for. When you see how much money some affiliate marketers are able to make and you look at how little money we really make on a job working hard for some jerk of a boss, there is no comparison. We all should slave for ourselves to move a product for a creator who is willing to share some of the profit with us if we do the marketing for them.

This is exactly what the Company or the Boss don’t do. They really don’t share the profits in terms of Bonuses, or give incentives for hard work and above average efforts or just plain old average effort, anymore. The economic climate says, take advantage of the little guy, the hard working man or woman that does the bulk for the work to keep the operation moving from day to day.

We are not appreciated, so I suggest that we forsake the Boss and the Company and create our own fortune, or the same income the Company was paying and reduce our stress while being able to spend much greater amounts of time with our families, children and spouses as we see fit.

For decades, millions of people have counted on Social Security as their primary source of income during retirement. But as economic conditions continue to deteriorate, the prospects for Social Security are looking increasingly iffy — and counting on it to provide the income you depend on after you retire could be the worst financial move you ever make.

Is the end near?
Last week, the Social Security Administration released its annual update on the status of the Social Security and Medicare programs. The news was mixed, as the report gave a favorable update of Medicare’s solvency. Attributing gains to changes resulting from health-care legislation passed earlier this year, Medicare is now expected to remain solvent until 2029, as opposed to the 2017 date that was predicted last year.

Unfortunately, the news for Social Security is more dire. The amount paid in Social Security benefits is expected to be greater this year than what the program receives from payroll taxes for the first time since 1983. The recession has pushed payroll figures down, resulting in lower tax revenue. By 2037, the program’s trust fund will be exhausted, and taxes will only cover around 75% of scheduled benefits.

The upshot of this news is that if you’re counting on Social Security to support you, you may well be disappointed. The smart thing to do is to plan for what you’ll do if you end up getting less from Social Security than you’d hoped.

Boost your income
Along those lines, there are several things you can do to generate income. One is to plan to use annuity products to replace monthly income that potential Social Security cuts may eliminate at some point in the future. Immediate annuities can provide a predictable stream of income for the rest of your life. Purchased from insurance companies, immediate annuities transform a fixed sum of money into monthly payments based on your life expectancy. With both private pensions and Social Security on shaky ground, annuities may prove the only dependable source of guaranteed monthly income.

In addition, you’ll want to consider going beyond ultra-safe investments. Seniors and those near retirement often depend on risk-free investments such as Treasury bonds and insured bank CDs to provide income after they retire. But rates are too low on those assets to provide enough income for most retirees.

Like it or not, you need to seek out higher returns. Consider a combination of these strategies:

* Dividend stocks. With rates on fixed-income investments in the basement, dividend-paying stocks have some of the best payouts around. For instance, the Fool highlighted Annaly Capital (NYSE: NLY) yesterday for its double-digit yield and success at turning the federal government’s support of the mortgage-backed securities market into profits for shareholders. But even if you want blue-chip-quality companies, Altria Group (NYSE: MO) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ) combine 6%-plus yields with modest growth prospects going forward, and each has a strong track record of maintaining its payout even during tough times.
* Growth stocks. Conservative investors are often told they need to get out of volatile stocks. But even for those in or near retirement, there’s still a place for a modest helping of growth stocks in your portfolio. Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX), for instance, has proven surprisingly resilient during the recession, as budget-conscious consumers look for cheap entertainment options. Meanwhile, few have heard of Ebix (Nasdaq: EBIX), the leading cloud-computing solution for the insurance industry, but it has been delivering record profits and huge growth.
* Higher-yielding bonds. Corporate bonds are potentially riskier than Treasuries, but they offer greater rewards for those willing to take the time to ferret out good deals. You can buy company-specific bonds through most brokerage companies, or the ETFs SPDR Barclays Capital High-Yield Bond (NYSE: JNK) and iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond (NYSE: LQD) will give you broad exposure to speculative high-yield and higher-quality corporate bonds, respectively.

It’s important to understand that these strategies can backfire. If another bear market hits stocks, then even the 0% to 1% yields that short-term Treasuries are paying right now would look attractive. Higher rates could send the value of corporate bonds spiraling downward.

But used prudently, these strategies can help you gain the traction you need to defend yourself against weakness in the Social Security system. The sooner you take steps to shore up your own assets, the less you need to be concerned about whether government checks will be as big as you’re hoping when you need them.

In the 1990′s everyone was crying about how evil lawyers and contractors are. Lawyer jokes were common tales told around cocktail tables and functions. At the turn of the decade, mortgage brokers were added to the list and they too are under a lot of scrutiny and the pun of many jokes.

Are mortgage brokers evil? The answer is simple no. Are there shady mortgage brokers that will try to con you out of your hard earned money? Off course! Every profession has bad apples! Are these bad apples the majority? No, let’s discuss why.

1) Mortgage brokers want your business – Most mortgage brokers work on commission and rely heavily on word of mouth advertising to generate clients. Furthermore, 50% of a good mortgage brokers business is repeat customers; mortgage brokers have an incentive to service their customers properly and keep them in the long haul.

2) The competition keeps them honest – Given the influx of many new mortgage brokers in the last couple of years, the mortgage business is a very competitive field. There are a large number of brokers competing for a small base of customers. Brokers will almost always give you their best rate in order not to loose your business. Remember, brokers don’t get paid until they fund the loan. This is also a good reason to speak to at least four different brokers from different companies, let them compete for your loan and you will almost always shine at the end.

3) The law is there to protect you – God bless America! We have many laws in this country that govern mortgage brokers and let me tell you that the lending laws are not very forgiving in this country. Mortgage brokers will take a lot of heat when they do shady deals and all it takes is one simple complaint. Make sure you get everything in writing from your broker and you will be protected, simply as that.

The Bad about Mortgage Brokers

Mortgage brokers do not fund your loan themselves; they use wholesale lender and banks to find you the right loan and save you money. The problem arises in how they are compensated. Wholesale lenders do not set interest rates, nor do the brokers. The going interest is dictated by the secondary mortgage securities market. How rates are dictated is a discussion by itself, which is unimportant in our discussion.

Lets simple assume the going “par rate” for a 30 year fixed mortgage is 6%. If the mortgage broker funds your loan at 6% the mortgage broker makes zero in commissions. The higher the interest rate they close your loan with, the more commission they receive. Moreover, if they charge you an interest rate below 6%, they have to pay money out of their own pocket to fund the loan, or charge the client what is called a “discount point” to get the rate they want. Luckily the law has a cap on how much of a commission a broker can make on a particular loan. Nonetheless, your goal should be to lower the interest rate as much as possible.

What is the lesson to be learned here, when mortgage brokers quote you a rate, they have room to lower it; unless they gave you par pricing, which is not likely. Given our example above a broker might quote you 6.5%, where the broker makes $2,000.00. If you are a good negotiator you can get the broker to lower the interest rate, where the broker only makes a $1,000.00 on the deal, you will save big bucks!

Be Careful Of the Fees

By law, a mortgage broker is permitted to charge you a fee for finding you the right loan. When negotiating, don’t neglect these fees. Find out what they are and make sure you talk to them about it. Fees are negotiable; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. The thing to ask yourself for when looking at fees is, what am I paying this fee for, is it for an appraisal, notary service, processing etc? Is the fee there because something must be done to fund the loan and is nessesary or is the broker just trying to make some money off of me? Remember, the broker makes his money on the interest rate spread between what he charged you and what the “par rate” is. Fees outside of that are considered “Junk Fees” and should be avoided if possible. If the broker, charged you a super low rate, give him a little, they need to make money somewhere.

Pounding Your Mortgage Broker For The Best Rate

To successfully get the best rate on your loan with a broker, keep in mind that the broker needs to make a living. If you grind them too much, chances are they will not take you seriously and simply not want to do the loan. Be reasonable, let the broker make money off of your loan and they will work hard to get you the lowest rate. The broker can go back to the wholesale lender and grind them for a lower rate, but if there is no money in it for the broker, there is no incentive.

What I suggest is to speak to a couple of different brokers and let them compete. This has been a very daunting task up until recently; luckily there are many good mortgage lender website online that will analyze your needs and match you up with four of the best lenders according to your situation. What would take days to do flipping through the yellow pages now takes 60 seconds online.

Foreclosure is a problem that many people have been experiencing right now. If you are one of them, you would be now thinking of a solution for you to stop the foreclosure process immediately. One of the most practical solutions to your foreclosure problem is to sell before foreclosure. There are many reasons why you should sell before foreclosure and here are some of those reasons:

1) If you sell before foreclosure the sales contract will immediately stop the foreclosure process, since what the lender wants is the money that they have loaned you during your mortgage loan agreement. If you sell before foreclosure and your house is already being auctioned, the sales contract will immediately hold the bidding and it will not be sold to anyone at the auction.

2) Another reason to sell before foreclosure is that you could sell your house or your real property for the current market value. This means that when you get to sell before foreclosure you would be able to pay the bank and still have some money for you to save or use for the down payment for your new prospective home. This is hitting two birds with one stone, being able to pay your lender or the bank solves your foreclosure problem, since this is your main reason to sell before foreclosure and having the extra money from the sales of your house or real property is a big bonus.

3) Protecting your credit is another reason why you should sell before foreclosure. If you house or your property has been foreclosed surely this will have a big effect on your credit record. Large points will cause your credit to change dramatically from good to worse. If you have a bad credit then you want to purchase a home or perhaps a car you would be required to make a large down payment and will have higher interest rates than the usual interest rate. Another effect of a foreclosure in your credit is that you will have a difficult time in getting a decent credit card with decent interest rates. Though there are special credit cards for those with bad credit record, however this credit card is more like a prepaid credit card, then the credit limit will not be the same as a normal credit card. So, if you sell before foreclosure you would be able to avoid all these hassles and more importantly you will not get a bad record on your credit since the creditor could not tell if you are currently under the foreclosure process then you would be able to get another mortgage easily if you sell before foreclosure since you will not have a bad record in your credit.

4)When you sell before foreclosure you will not be asked to vacate your previous house immediately, you will be given an ample amount of time to move out. Usually most sales contract will give the previous homeowners 30 or 60 days to move out. This way, the previous homeowners will have time to pack up, how they will transfer their things and furniture, previous homeowners will have time to sort out their next move, make proper arrangements in terms of their new home, and gather their monetary resources.

What is consumer credit counseling services?

Many of us at one time or another have made bad money decisions. The trick is not to made too many of them and that we learn from our mistakes. I find it disturbing that in a society where money and debt are major parts of our everyday lives, that many of us are ignorant of some basic principles. You would think that more time and effort would have been spent on teaching about money management while we are in grade school and high school. Most of us only get some basic instruction.

For those who have crossed the point of no return, some form of consumer credit counseling services may be in order. There are various companies, such as the ones offered at the main page of this website, that can help you develop an effective debt management plan. Consumer credit counselors will give you advise on managing your money, offer solutions to alleviate your current financial dilemma, and can help you develop a plan that will help steer you away from bad financial decision making in the future.

Finding the Right Consumer Credit Counseling Service

No matter what your particular financial need is choosing the right credit counselor is essential. The United States Senate discovered that some of the newer companies coming into the field have a ‘for profit’ business model, so that their non-profit credit counseling organizations generate huge revenues for affiliates. The same report applauded the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) for their low cost credit counseling services.

It would be prudent for the consumer to shop around the different agencies with a preselected set of questions. When speaking with one of their counselors or agents ask the following:

1. Are they affiliated with a national organization such as the NFCC which have high ethical standards?

2. Do they have third party accreditation? You do not want get involved with agencies that are self accrediting. The Council on Accreditation (COA) is a reputable third party accreditation body which the appropriate checks and balances designed to protect the consumer.

3. Is it registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit? While this is not an absolute guarantee that the firm is legitimate, it’s a good sign.

4. Are the Board Members compensated by the agency or have family ties to it’s members. They should answer no to this.

5. Exactly what services do they provide? A good sign is if they offer a wide range of services such as debt management, credit counseling for those who are not in debt as well as those who are, counseling for first time home buyers, reverse mortgage and foreclosure prevention to name a few.

6. What are the fees? Find out what are the costs involved with their services. Do not pay up front. Find out if there are any set up fees, or monthly service fees. Set-up fees should be around $50-$75 and monthly fees should be about $25.

7. Is your personal credit counselor accredited by the NFCC?

8. Will the agency work with all your creditors? There are some firms which will not work with any creditors who will not pay them directly.

9. How long will your credit counseling last? Short credit counseling sessions are inadequate to access your financial position. Your initial session should take at minimum one hour.

These are some of the more important questions that you need answered so that you can make a informed decision about which agency is the right one for you. Do not rush into a decision. It took you some time to get into your financial position. So take a little time to find the right one.

one of the issues that many people have been concerned with during this recession is what happens when a bank is seized by the FDIC. This is a matter of concern because the recession saw quite a few bank closings, and there are still hundreds of banks still on the FDIC watch list for potential failures. As of the end of last month (July 30th) according to the FDIC, there have been 108 bank closings year to date. While the worst is presumed to be over, you never know when your bank could be taken over by the FDIC.

Quick Note:  You can see the number of bank closings at the FDIC site under their list of Failed Banks.

The FDIC Closes a Bank

When the FDIC decides to close a bank, it tries to keep things quiet up until the last minute. This is to prevent a run on the bank, should consumers get wind of the impending action. When they are ready, the folks from the FDIC head into the bank and close down operations. This almost always takes place on a Friday. The FDIC tries to close down all branches of the bank at once, when possible. The bank is closed over the weekend.

The FDIC tries very hard to have another bank lined up to take over the failed bank. If this doesn’t happen, then bank is placed under FDIC conservatorship, and the FDIC runs the bank. This takes time and resources, though, so, when possible, the FDIC likes some other bank to take over.

Whether or not the FDIC has someone lined up, many banks are opened to the public the following Monday. FDIC people spend the weekend with bank employees, managers and owners, figuring out the state of the bank, organizing assets and liabilities. Other agencies can get involved to help out, such as the Office of Comptroller of the Currency (to deal with credit cards), the Office of Thrift Supervision, and even state agencies. When the bank is reopened on Monday, customers can continue business as usual.
What Happens When Your Bank is Seized by the FDIC?
Creative Commons License photo credit: Tschäff
What Happens to Your Money

When the FDIC seizes a bank, your money is usually safe. The FDIC insures deposit accounts for up to $250,000 per depositor per bank (this amount has been made permanent), so if the bank fails, you can still get your money. If someone else has taken over the bank, then your accounts usually transfer to that bank, and you can decide whether or not to leave them there. If the FDIC has conservatorship of the bank, there is a good chance that it will simply begin cutting checks to consumers and trying to sell other assets.

If your bank is closed by the FDIC, and no other bank takes over, you will get your money. You may have to stand in line for hours, or wait a couple of weeks to get your check. If the bank is closed, uncleared transactions may be returned. You can have fees refunded, but there is a great deal of hassle involved, and you will need to make sure that all of your automatic debit transactions are updated (you may need to do this even if another bank takes over). Additionally, since you don’t have access to your money while you wait for your check, you can lose out on interest that you might have earned on some deposit accounts. A new bank may require that you get a new CD (at a possibly lower rate), or adjust some of your other deposits and accounts.
Debt Does Not Go Away

As you might imagine, your debt remains intact as well. It is either administered by the new bank that has taken over, or it is sold to another lender. Any loans you have with the failed bank will appear on the balance sheet, and be taken care of. Investments made through the bank might be another story, though. Since these are not FDIC insured, you could sustain losses. You will have to double check.

Bottom line: Your cash deposits, as long as you do not exceed $250,000  insured. However, there are other costs, including those of time and convenience, associated with the FDIC seizure of a bank. You can prepare for such an eventuality by checking up on the health of your bank, and having a back up plan, just in case you have limited access to your money for a time.

Amidst the landscape of modern tools such as social networking and online video, there is still a place for what has long been the standard device in advertising: articles. As an attorney, publishing articles online can have enormous benefits in terms of communicating your services to potential clients. A well-written article can help explain your expertise in a detailed way that just a blurb on your website cannot. Additionally, publishing an article on a third-party site gives you credibility as a respected voice in your field. Anyone can post an article on their homepage. But an article hosted on an outside site means that somebody unaffiliated with you or your business respected your opinion enough to display your work. It’s similar to the difference between self-publishing a book, and getting it printed by a publishing house.
How to Get Started
Luckily, the internet provides services that make publishing much easier than in the days when print media was the only option.

There are many sites that exist solely to publish articles. While many of these sites are general purpose and do not focus on a single topic, if you want to reach your target audience, it’s best to go where your readers and peers will be most likely to gather information. HG.org is an established article directory that focuses only on articles with legal content. If you want to reach a relevant audience, it’s best to submit your articles here.

The other advantage that publishing articles provides is increased web traffic. Article directories appear on search engines, and will be included in search results. If someone performs a search for you or your firm, chances are that your articles may come up as well. Your article may also catch the eye of anybody browsing one of those same directories, or searching for information on a topic related to your field of expertise. Though rules on this vary from site to site, if your directory allows you to link to your webpage, you have just found another effective way to boost traffic towards your site.

Article Topics

When deciding what to write about, keep in mind that this method is not conducive to lengthy essays or serial articles. The majority of directories will not allow subject matter beyond 1000 words (roughly 2 pages). You also want to keep the content easily readable. Article directories are not a place for fostering dialogue between yourself and your colleagues. They are a place for the layman to gain an understanding about your field of expertise. Keep your language simple, and your arguments concise.
Publishing

Once you have an article topic in mind, publishing to third-party directory sites is easy. First, find out what their guidelines are in terms of length and content. Many article directories will have a word count limit. Some of them will not allow for adding links within the body of your article. Once your article is written and proofread, follow the submission guidelines on the site. Usually, the site in question will have an online form to fill out, although they may request an email attachment instead.

Once your article has been submitted, a copy-editor will review your work to make sure that it fits with their submission standards. If there are any changes that need to be made, they will email you with these before your article goes live on their site. No changes will be made to your text without your permission. The editor will not post your work until you reach an agreement as to the content.

Though your article will be posted on their site, you are the one who holds the copyright. The editor will send you a copy of your copyright agreement before posting the article. You are the one who holds the distribution rights to your article, and it cannot be hosted elsewhere without your permission, although people may link to it (a practice which should be encouraged in order to maximize web traffic).

Once your article has been published, it’s good practice to link to them on your site. This will ensure that regular visitors to your site are exposed to your work. It also is a great way to present yourself to your clients as an expert in your field, as well as for them to gain a clear understanding of how your services would be best for them.

It is important to note that these directory services are free to publish on, and most do not have a limit of how many articles you can submit. However, as they are a free service, they also will not be paying you for your article. In short, publishing articles on third-party sites is an easy, free way to increase visibility, solidify your reputation, boost your web traffic, and help educate your clientele.

Palm lowered its outlook for the quarter and its fiscal year, saying Thursday that “slower than expected consumer adoption” of its products is hurting sales.

Palm said revenues for the third quarter will come in at a range of $285 million to $310 million, or $300 million to $320 million, according to non-generally accepted accounting principles. Analysts had expected revenue around $425 million.

Palm also said its fiscal 2010 revenue outlook will come in well below its previous guidance of $1.6 billion to $1.8 billion. Wall Street was expecting revenue around $1.6 billion.

Palm has struggled to keep up in the smart phone race. It recently announced distribution with Verizon Wireless for the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus. But the company appears to be having trouble catching up to Apple, Research in Motion and Google in the smart phone market.

“Driving broad consumer adoption of Palm products is taking longer than we anticipated,” said Jon Rubinstein, chairman and chief executive officer. “Our carrier partners remain committed, and we are working closely with them to increase awareness and drive sales of our differentiated Palm products.”

Friending Facebook: The state of Texas is offering Facebook Inc. $1.4 million from a business development fund to locate a new 200-employee sales and operations offices in Austin.

The deal, announced Thursday by Gov. Rick Perry’s office, is contingent on the city of Austin chipping in about $200,000 in economic development incentives to Facebook.

Austin is one of several cities Facebook is considering for the office, which would be the social networking giant’s first major office expansion outside of its headquarters in Palo Alto.

The office would house sales support and customer service staff and risk management personnel, according to documents filed with Austin. Facebook plans to add staff, with an average annual salary of $54,000, incrementally through 2014.

The company hasn’t picked a location, but proposed leasing 20,000 square feet of space in the first year and expanding to up to 40,000 square feet in the second or third year. The plan also includes about $3.1 million in capital improvements.

A press release from Perry, also posted on the governor’s Facebook page, announced financing would come through the Texas Enterprise Fund, which is used to attract businesses.

The Austin City Council will meet next week to formally hear a proposal to offer Facebook an estimated $200,000 in economic development incentives. A public hearing is scheduled for March 11.

Facebook, which has seen membership grow to more than 400 million worldwide, has also broken ground on a new data center in central Oregon that will employ 35 new workers.

McAfee, Inc. forecast third-quarter sales Thursday that fell short of analysts’ estimates as declines in foreign currencies hurt revenue from overseas.

About 43 percent of McAfee’s sales last year came from outside the United States.

Sales for the period ending in September will be $505 million to $520 million, the security software maker based in Santa Clara said Thursday. That missed the $523.3 million average of analysts’ projections compiled by Bloomberg. Profit excluding some items will be 62 cents to 66 cents a share. Analysts predicted 65 cents.

McAfee’s profit growth slowed in the first and second quarters, compared with the year-earlier periods. On Wednesday, rival Symantec Corp.’s forecasts for this quarter missed estimates as customers delayed closing deals and foreign currency weakness eroded revenue. Still, some McAfee investors were relieved by Thursday’s results, said Daniel Ives at FBR Capital Markets. The stock was little changed in late trading.

“A lot of investors had fears going into McAfee’s earnings,” Ives said. “After this, they’re able to exhale.”

McAfee dropped 87 cents, or 2.8 percent, to close at $30.25. The shares have lost 25 percent this year.

In April, McAfee issued a software update that caused some corporate computers to shut down, which may have affected sales, said Brent Thill, an analyst at UBS AG in San Francisco.

Second-quarter sales increased to $489.2 million, missing the $507 million average of estimates. Net income rose to $39.4 million, or 25 cents per share, from $28.7 million (18 cents) a year earlier.

Profit excluding some items was 63 cents a share, topping the 60-cent average of projections.

A baseball owner popped off about other baseball owners, which is rare in this guarded fraternity. Boston’s John Henry virtually accused seven teams of pocketing revenue-sharing checks instead of reinvesting in their teams.

Henry, proposing a plan with less revenue sharing and more payroll taxing, told the Boston Globe that “over a billion dollars have been paid to seven chronically uncompetitive teams, five of whom have had baseball’s highest operating profits. Who, except these teams, can think this is a good idea?”

Was Henry including the A’s, who received $32 million in the latest round of revenue sharing?

Three years ago, the A’s reached the AL Championship Series. They made the playoffs four straight years in the early 2000s. So if he’s calling the A’s “chronically uncompetitive,” that’s a bit unfair.

He might have a point when regarding “operating profits.” Forbes reported the A’s ranked seventh in the majors in 2008 operating income ($26.2 million) behind a curious bunch: Marlins, Nats, Cubs, Rays, Orioles and Twins.

Revenue sharing, though costly to the Yankees and Red Sox, has helped lower-revenue teams such as the A’s exist among the revenue giants. Forbes had the A’s tied for 26th in revenue at $160 million.

We contacted A’s owner Lew Wolff, who declined to directly address Henry’s take but said the A’s use revenue sharing to invest in baseball operations, including a revamped farm system, the draft and the pursuit of foreign players (Dominican pitcher Michael Ynoa cost $4.25 million), not solely the major-league payroll.

“We prefer to reach a point where our revenues do not require us to receive revenue sharing. To do so, we need a viable venue,” said Wolff, whose latest ballpark target is San Jose.

Henry proposed a payroll minimum, but Michael Weiner, who replaced Don Fehr as the union’s executive director Wednesday, said the players would oppose it because they believe it’s a “precursor to a request for a salary cap.”