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It's good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it's good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven't lost the things that money can't buy.
Weekend Quote from a Book - Why boredom is good for you
For many of us, our lives are so filled with stimuli, no to mention responsibilities, that it's almost impossible for us to sit still and do nothing, much less relax - even for a few minutes. A friend of mine said to me, "People are no longer human beings. We should be called human doings." .... ..if you allow yourself to be bored, even for an hour - or less - and don't fight it, the feelings of boredom will be replaced with feelings of peace. An after a little practice, you'll learn to relax. .... When you allow yourself to be bored, it takes an enormous amount of pressure off you to be performing and doing something every day. Now, when either of my two children says to me, "Daddy, I'm bored." I respond by saying, "Great, be bored for a while. It's good for you." Once I say this, they always give up the idea of me solving their problem.
Free picture printed from Canon from Pixma Pro printer
For a limited time, TryMyPhoto.com is offering a free picture printed from Canon from Pixma Pro printer, without having to pay even the shipping fee. You need to register to create an account and then need to confirm the activation via the email sent to your account. Once you have activated your account, you can upload the picture to be printed as well as the paper type and paper size in which to print the picture.
I approach my list of investment candidates with a healthy dose of skepticism. My best friend in the whole world when it comes to building my inventory of value investing opportunities is the no-thank-you pile. If there is something you do not understand or are not comfortable with, in the no-thank-you pile it should go. If a company has too many problems - too much debt, union and pension problems, stiff foreign competition - on the pile it goes. I have the luxury of filling my store with merchandise I am comfortable with and want to own for the long term wealth building it offers.
Weekend Quote from a Book - Preserving the Estate Tax
Is it morally appropriate to divert $1 trillion in revenue ... to provide tax breaks for multimillionaires and billionaires? We don't think so.
Are we engaging in the politics of class warfare, resentment and envy? In advocating for a reformed federal estate tax, we have no aim to punish, denigrate or discriminate against those who have accumulated great wealth in America. Rather, we celebrate both individual achievement and an economic system that has provided such a fertile ground for wealth-creation.
Kudos to those who have worked hard and creatively and have made sacrifices enabling them to accrue wealth. Their efforts should be rewarded. But we should not lose sight of a simple fact in this accounting:
If these same individuals had attempted to launch their enterprises in almost any other country, they would not be as wealthy today. Americans who possess great wealth have a special obligation to pay back a debt to society.
We live in a society with an economy that has enabled a wide variety of people to attain wealth and comfort. And those who accumulate great wealth -- $10 million, $50 million, $500 million, and more -- are people who have benefited disproportionately from the system of public investment that we together, as taxpayers and givers to charity, have put in place in our society....
Preserving the estate tax will ensure that our society values the inherent worth of the individual -- rather than the inherited worth.... Without the estate tax, you in effect will have an aristocracy of wealth, which means you pass down the ability to command the resources of the nation based on heredity rather than merit."
Earn 500 bonus reward points and additional points for taking surveys, reading emails, and shopping
If you spend a lot of time online, you can earn rewards points for taking surveys, completing offers, shopping, reading email, and much more by joining RewardPort. For a limited time, if you join using the link below, you can also earn 500 Free Rewards Points.
I joined and quickly earned $5 simply for activating my survey account and taking a survey. Once you have earned $25 in rewards, you can redeem them for a gift cards such as Amazon.com gift card or transfer money to Paypal account, or donate it to various charities.
For joining the program and other details, see:
Join RewardPort today and earn 500 Free Rewards Points just for signing up! Click Here
The Universe is the quarterback throwing touchdown passes all the time-but it's got to find an open receiver. You can be the receiver-you just have to do the footwork to get yourself into position to catch the pass. Then you can run for the touchdown.
Everyone has talents. Everyone can think positive. Everyone can pick up a telephone. Anyone can write down a goal. Anyone can design a budget. Anyone can help someone else. Most people don't.
In honor of its recently re-launched B&N Kids store, Barnes & Noble is giving away a $100 Online Gift Certificate every day! Sweepstakes ends 12/16/2009.
For complete details, see (sweepstakes banner appears towards the bottom right):
Your years in retirement should be among the best years of your life, so you owe it to yourself to do everything possible now, without criplling your current standard of living, to enable you to enjoy them to the fullest. That means saving enough money in your working years to enable you to maintain your after-tax income in retirement. I say 'after-tax' because, obviously, it's not so much what you make that's important-it's what you keep.
Free UHU Gluestick and clipboard for writing a blog post
If are a US- or Canada-based blogger, UHU Gluestick has a offer for a free UHU Gluestick and clipboard in exchange for writing a blog post about their gluestick.
Procrastination is the disease of our time. It is an energy-sucking, debilitating syndrome that robs us of our dreams, our self-respect, and our passion. And self-discipline is the only ticket out of this self-sabotaging pattern. Discipline can't be argued with. It can't be persuaded or manipulated. Discipline doesn't ask you if you feel like doing it. It doesn't even give you an option. The voice of discipline says, "This is the plan of action. I said I would do it, so I will". Discipline doesn't care what you think (sorry, it's not personal). It isn't the slightest bit interested in your excuses; it cares only about your success. We must cut into the illusion that not doing it today is an option. We must break free from any pattern of self-talk that wants to veer us away from following our structure and reaching our goals.
Free $100 on $25 initial deposit - PerkStreet Financial
For a limited time, PerkStreet Financial is offering $100 bonus for opening a free checking account with no minimum balance and no monthly maintenance fee. To get $100, you need to open the account with at least $25 deposit and must open by 12/31/2009. The account must remain open for at least 3 months. PerkStreet Financial is part of the Bancorp Bank and is FDIC-insured. Offer is open to first time customers only.
To avoid $4.95 monthly maintenance fee, you must have at least one of the following activities each month: direct deposit, bill pay, or check card usage.
I opened the account a couple of days ago but at that time, the promotion was for $50 only, so this is a much better offer. However, the good thing was that I was able to fund the account with my Schwab Bank Credit Card which offers 2% cash back. So on $500 deposit, that's an extra $10 for few minutes of opening the account - not bad!
Thoughts are things. Every thought has a consequence. No thought lives in your brain rent-free. Each thought is a pebble dropped into the pond of your life-the ripples are real. The more intense the thought, the more powerful the outcome. An angry thought gets picked up like a radio wave. People can sense it. Animals can smell it. The whole energy system surrounding you is infected. Weed out such thoughts.
Think positive thoughts, intensively. Grow enthusiastic images, boldly. Speak only wonderful words to yourself, constantly. Feel fantastic, NOW! This colors your view of the world. Like a magnet, you attract the resources necessary to manifest the world you desire.
One of the ways to earn some money on the side is through survey sites. Fortunately, there are lot of free and good survey sites which offer you a chance to earn cash, points, rewards, etc for taking surveys. I am compiling a list of some of the free survey sites and have provided it below:
RewardPort: You can earn rewards points for taking surveys, completing offers, shopping, reading email, and much more. For a limited time, you can also earn $5 simply for activating your survey account and taking a survey.
Amazon.com Survey Panel: By signing up for the Amazon.com survey panel, you get a chance to participate in Amazon.com user research studies. If selected, you can earn a $50 to $100 Amazon.com gift certificate for your time and effort.
Pinecone Research: Unlike many other survey panels, they do not regulary have open registration but accept new applicants occasionally. They typically pay $3 per survey and at times, also offer surveys for sweepstake entries. Their surveys are also reasonable in time and generally take under 20 minutes.
HCD Survey Panel: The HCD Survey Panel/MediaCurves.com studies conducts many surveys testing TV commercials. These studies are usually small, lasting for 10 minutes or less, and if qualified, you can points for participation. Once you have accumulated 1,000 points, you can cash it out for $10.
Weekend Quote - No Social Security COLA increase for 2010
Our government has no problem finding hundreds of billions of dollars for welfare but god forbid they find any money for people that worked their asses off their whole life paying the money that carries these lazy people. You want to stop teenage pregnancy? Stop rewarding people for it. Let their own families carry the load.
- Commentor "Mike" commenting to a post regarding no Social Security COLA increase for 2010 on DailyFinance.com
Even businesses with durable moats don't last forever. Thus, when using John Burr Williams's intrinsic value formula, we ought to limit the number of years we expect the business to thrive. We are best off never calculating a discounted cash flow stream for longer than 10 years or expecting a sale in year 10 to be at anything greater than 15 times cash flow at that time (plus any excess capital in the business).
Free 8x10 Photo Canvas (need to pay S/H) or a $55 Coupon
CanvasPeople.com is giving away me a free canvas! New customers can receive a free 8x10 photo canvas or get a $55 coupon that can be applied towards a larger size canvas. I tried it and found the process to be quick and easy - just needed to upload the photo, select size, and provide the frame and effect options (frame/effect are optional but if you select any frame, there's additional free), and then provide personal and credit card info for the $14.95 shipping and handling fee.
If you qualify, you may be able to get free Microsoft Office 2010 Starter beta version. As this is a beta version, you may need to provide feedback on the software.
I just applied for the program and it took under 5 mins to fill out the form.
Barnes & Noble: FREE $10 Online Gift Certificate with $100 Gift Card Purchase (Expires 11/28/09)
This is not really a freebie nor a coupon code but till Nov 28, 2009, Barnes & Noble is offering a $10 online gift card with $100 gift card purchase, using the link provided below.
Free Sample Summary of Geoff Colvin's Book - Talent is Overrated
For a limited time, you can get a free sample of Soundview Executive Book Summaries' summary of Geoff Colvin's book - Talent is Overrated. To get the summary, clicking the image on the left.
According to author Geoff Colvin, what really makes all the difference is a highly specific kind of effort, what he calls “deliberate practice.” It’s difficult. It hurts. But more of it equals better performance. Tons of it equals great performance
$15 Coupon Code for Subscription (expires 11/30/2009):
God has already prearranged times of increases, times of blessing. You will have opportunities to meet the right people, opportunities to advance in your career, opportunities to fulfil your dreams. You may not be experiencing any good breaks right now. May be you're stuck in a rut. But let me encourage you with this: In your future there are God-ordained moments. He has them planned out for you.
Too many people miss these moments. They tried and failed before, so they quit believing. Or they're distracted. There is so much clutter in their lives that they can't hear the still, small voice inside telling them: It's your moment of favor!
We have to be sensitive to God's timing. We may for years with nothing big happening, and then all of a sudden, a God-ordained moment comes along: You meet someone who changes your life, you get a loan to buy the house of your dreams, you are promoted to a new job.
Free 7 day Guest Pass to Bally's Total Fitness Club
For a limited time, you can get a free 7 day guest pass to Bally's Total Fitness Club using the link provided below. There is no enrollment fee for this offer.
Free 8 chapters of Robert Prechter’s Conquer the Crash: You Can Survive and Prosper in a Deflationary Depression
For a limited time, you can access 8 free chapters from Robert Prechter’s Conquer the Crash: You Can Survive and Prosper in a Deflationary Depression book. To access the online chapters, you need to register (free registration) as a member of Elliott Wave International.
Chapters include:
- What to do with your pension plan - How to identify a safe haven - What should you do if you run a business? - Calling in loans and paying off debt - Should you rely on the government to protect you? - Money, Credit and the Federal Reserve Banking System - Can the Fed Stop Deflation? - A Short List of Imperative "Do's" and "Don'ts"
How to fix the problem of upside down monitor display?
Yesterday, when I turned on my Desktop computer, the monitor display was upside down. Similarly, the mouse was working in reverse - to point to any button on the right, I had to move the mouse to the left.
Initially, I thought it was because of some issue with the monitor. I played with the buttons on the monitor and tried to adjust various settings but to no effect - the display was still inverted, with all characters displayed upside down. I also right-clicked on the Desktop and checked the properties of the monitor but nothing worked. I finally hooked up the spare monitor but the problem persisted. However, now I knew that the problem was not with the monitor but with my PC itself.
Finally, after doing some research on the Web, I discovered the solution - I had to hit the Control-Alt-Up arrow keys and that resolved the issue. I guess, I accidentally must have hit some wrong key when hitting Control-Alt-Del but after I pressed the the Control-Alt-Up arrow keys simultaneously, the issue was resolved. Seems these keys will also resolve the issue if there is a sideways display on the monitor. While I have Windows XP, the above method may also resolve issues in Windows Vista.
If the above fix doesn't work, check out the tips on the following article:
As long as we are persistent in our pursuit of our deepest destiny, we will continue to grow. We cannot choose the day or time when we will fully bloom. It happens in its own time.
Weekend Quote from a Book - Stock Investing: Large versus Small Firms
Size is a constraint to growth and carries with it diseconomies of scale. Most big companies are cumbersome; they are just waiting to be extinct. We analysts are always told of the advantages of size: market share, market power, and dominance. In reality, it is quite the opposite. Smaller firms have better cost controls, are more flexible, and tend to be more niched. They lead the new developments and market changes. And smaller companies with more dynamic growth attract the best personnel. Investors should not be lead astray by companies that claim their mammoth size is a favorable attribute. Corporate bulk is usually a negative.
Free hardcopy, ebook, audiobook: Napolean Hill's Think and Grow Rich
For a limited time, you can get Napolean Hill's, highly motivational book, Think and Grow rich, free in hardcopy, ebook or audiobook (mp3 format) format. For hard copy, $4.59 shipping and handling fee applies, but you can download the ebook/pdf and audiobook free. See links below for details (note: the cover page and content of the hardcopy book/ebook/audiobook obtained via the links below may not be same as that of the book whose image is shown in this blog post. In addition, you need to provide personal info, including name and email address):
For details regarding free hard copy of Think and Grow Rich (requires $4.59 shipping and handling) see:
Weekend Quote from a Book - Multiple Streams of Income
M in the Money Tree Formula Stands for Multiple Streams of Income
The first goal in starting your own home-based business is to add another stream of income to your life as a safety net in case other of your streams of income dry up. The home-based business you select should be a source of more than just one stream of income. It should eventually become a source of multiple streams of income all by itself.
For example, suppose you’re considering buying an existing restaurant. What is its potential for growth? Can you add more shops? Is your idea franchisable? Can one of your food entrees` be sold nationwide as a frozen item? Can you license your special cooking secrets to other restaurants? Is there a cookbook in there somewhere? What about bottling and selling your special sauces? Get the drift? Don’t even consider a business that doesn’t have expansion potential for additional streams of income. That’s why the first M in the formula is intended to remind you of multiple streams of income.
Free digital edition of Bernie Schaeffer’s Fall 2009 SENTIMENT finance magazine
For a limited time, you can get a free digital edition of Bernie Schaeffer’s Fall 2009 SENTIMENT magazine. This issue contains the
Cover story entitled “Trading the Main Event.” This article discusses key events like earnings and the explosive profit opportunities they provide to option traders. The key to success is keeping an eye on investor sentiment and mitigating your risks.
You’ll also find an intriguing piece entitled “The Long Vertical Cure.” This article reveals a trading strategy that provides big profit potential during those times that directional opportunities abound, but conditions aren’t quite right for straight call and put purchases.
And the Fall issue of SENTIMENT also contains educational pieces for relative newcomers along with advanced strategy stories to help experienced traders build their portfolios.
It also includes:
The Sentiment Report – a quarterly market roundup
Idea Lab – an examination of technical analysis tools
Ask Bernie – answers to commonly asked trading questions
.COM – the “best of” recent commentaries and blog posts on SchaeffersResearch.com
"I do think it's important for all of us to remember, even though it's been almost a year, what was happening in this country when we walked through that front door," he said. "Because, you know, people seem to have a sort of selective memory. People seem to forget. They seem to think that suddenly I was sworn in and there was this big financial crisis. So let's just do a little walk down memory lane."
"If you have not acquired more than a bare existence in the years since we were youths, it is because you have either failed to learn the laws that govern the building of wealth, or else you do not observe them. ‘Fickle fate’ is a vicious goddess who brings no permanent good to anyone…makes wanton spenders, who soon dissipate al they receive."
Easy money doesn’t stick around is what Arkad preaches. So true. Think of people close to you who have won lotteries and the like. The far majority are without today!
Arkad was asked the obvious question about how he has acquired his fortune. He made an assessment from his early years that the things that brought happiness and contentment were magnified by the existence of wealth.
“Wealth is power. With wealth many things are possible.”
Jim Rogers: Well, the dollar is a terribly flawed currency so maybe soon it's due for a rally because there are so many pessimists, including me. Whenever everyone is on the same side of the ship, it tips over and you should go to the other side. I hope I'm smart enough ... , if it rallies, to sell more of my dollars and maybe all the rest of my dollars ... The problems for the U.S. dollar are not resolved. I don't like saying this because I am an American citizen and pay America taxes just like you. I don't like saying it, I don't like saying it at all. But we have to deal with fact.
Unwise credit usage has limited many people's ability to effectively play the financial game of life. Ill-advised credit management decisons often result in people being denied access to economic opportunities, not because of the color of their skin or the content of their character, but only because of a score on their credit report. The credit score has emerged as the most important determinant in the credit-granting process. Frederick Douglass, an African American statesman, was right when he said, that we "may not get everything that we pay for; but we must pay for everything that we get." We must all pay for everything that we purchase. however, individuals with low credit score must pay more for their financed purchases.
Free 100 Continental Airlines Onepass frequent flier miles
Continental is offering 100 bonus miles for learning about Continental’s PetSafe® and PetPass® programs. Promotion Code is 57070 and you must register for this offer by November 30, 2009.
This site, including blog posts, may contain reviews, links, banners, text and other forms of advertisements for products, services, courses, and so forth of companies of which we may be an affiliate member or for which we may get paid for referrals. This site may also contain blog posts for which we are paid, as well as blog posts regarding products or services of companies from which we may have received complimentary products or services.
Just for today, you can download a free copy of David Bach's new book 
For many of us, our lives are so filled with stimuli, no to mention responsibilities, that it's almost impossible for us to sit still and do nothing, much less relax - even for a few minutes. A friend of mine said to me, "People are no longer human beings. We should be called human doings."
I approach my list of investment candidates with a healthy dose of skepticism. My best friend in the whole world when it comes to building my inventory of value investing opportunities is the no-thank-you pile. If there is something you do not understand or are not comfortable with, in the no-thank-you pile it should go. If a company has too many problems - too much debt, union and pension problems, stiff foreign competition - on the pile it goes. I have the luxury of filling my store with merchandise I am comfortable with and want to own for the long term wealth building it offers.
For a limited time, RewardsGold is offering a free subscription - 6 issues of Harvard Business Review.
Is it morally appropriate to divert $1 trillion in revenue ... to provide tax breaks for multimillionaires and billionaires? We don't think so.
The Universe is the quarterback throwing touchdown passes all the time-but it's got to find an open receiver. You can be the receiver-you just have to do the footwork to get yourself into position to catch the pass. Then you can run for the touchdown.
Your years in retirement should be among the best years of your life, so you owe it to yourself to do everything possible now, without criplling your current standard of living, to enable you to enjoy them to the fullest. That means saving enough money in your working years to enable you to maintain your after-tax income in retirement. I say 'after-tax' because, obviously, it's not so much what you make that's important-it's what you keep.
Procrastination is the disease of our time. It is an energy-sucking, debilitating syndrome that robs us of our dreams, our self-respect, and our passion. And self-discipline is the only ticket out of this self-sabotaging pattern. Discipline can't be argued with. It can't be persuaded or manipulated. Discipline doesn't ask you if you feel like doing it. It doesn't even give you an option. The voice of discipline says, "This is the plan of action. I said I would do it, so I will". Discipline doesn't care what you think (sorry, it's not personal). It isn't the slightest bit interested in your excuses; it cares only about your success. We must cut into the illusion that not doing it today is an option. We must break free from any pattern of self-talk that wants to veer us away from following our structure and reaching our goals.
Thoughts are things. Every thought has a consequence. No thought lives in your brain rent-free. Each thought is a pebble dropped into the pond of your life-the ripples are real. The more intense the thought, the more powerful the outcome. An angry thought gets picked up like a radio wave. People can sense it. Animals can smell it. The whole energy system surrounding you is infected. Weed out such thoughts.
For a limited time, RewardsGold is offering a free annual subscription to BusinessWeek. 
God has already prearranged times of increases, times of blessing. You will have opportunities to meet the right people, opportunities to advance in your career, opportunities to fulfil your dreams. You may not be experiencing any good breaks right now. May be you're stuck in a rut. But let me encourage you with this: In your future there are God-ordained moments. He has them planned out for you.
For a limited time, you can access 8 free chapters from Robert Prechter’s Conquer the Crash: You Can Survive and Prosper in a Deflationary Depression book. To access the online chapters, you need to register (free registration) as a member of Elliott Wave International.
Size is a constraint to growth and carries with it diseconomies of scale. Most big companies are cumbersome; they are just waiting to be extinct. We analysts are always told of the advantages of size: market share, market power, and dominance. In reality, it is quite the opposite. Smaller firms have better cost controls, are more flexible, and tend to be more niched. They lead the new developments and market changes. And smaller companies with more dynamic growth attract the best personnel. Investors should not be lead astray by companies that claim their mammoth size is a favorable attribute. Corporate bulk is usually a negative.
For a limited time, you can get Napolean Hill's, highly motivational book, Think and Grow rich, free in hardcopy, ebook or audiobook (mp3 format) format. For hard copy, $4.59 shipping and handling fee applies, but you can download the ebook/pdf and audiobook free. See links below for details (note: the cover page and content of the hardcopy book/ebook/audiobook obtained via the links below may not be same as that of the book whose image is shown in this blog post. In addition, you need to provide personal info, including name and email address):
M in the Money Tree Formula Stands for Multiple Streams of Income
"If you have not acquired more than a bare existence in the years since we were youths, it is because you have either failed to learn the laws that govern the building of wealth, or else you do not observe them. ‘Fickle fate’ is a vicious goddess who brings no permanent good to anyone…makes wanton spenders, who soon dissipate al they receive."
Unwise credit usage has limited many people's ability to effectively play the financial game of life. Ill-advised credit management decisons often result in people being denied access to economic opportunities, not because of the color of their skin or the content of their character, but only because of a score on their credit report. The credit score has emerged as the most important determinant in the credit-granting process. Frederick Douglass, an African American statesman, was right when he said, that we "may not get everything that we pay for; but we must pay for everything that we get." We must all pay for everything that we purchase. however, individuals with low credit score must pay more for their financed purchases.
