- WEALTHY: When to buy … and when to sell (Charles Delvalle)
- HEALTHY: A supplement that helps even smokers live longer (Dr. Al Sears)
- WISE: James Patterson on expectations
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- Avoiding the "what if" trap (Robert Ringer)
- How Sonja got $360,000 richer in under 2 years (Michael Masterson)
- Add "abject" to your vocabulary
How Much Money Can YOU Make By Copying This "Mistake"?
How did Vicki Smith accidentally ‘hotwire’ the Internet and turn it into the goose that laid the golden egg?
Well, imagine a huge fortress with steep, heavily defended walls and a great big, drawbridge to get through. Inside that fortress is the huge pile of wealth there is to be made on the Internet. Now imagine trying to scale those walls with no equipment and never having done anything like it before. That is what many people try to do…
But what did Vicki do? By mistake, she got ‘lost’ and wandered around the back of that fortress and found a ‘hidden’ door which lead straight in. A solid gold door which opened up a gateway to riches…
It’s an opportunity which really does work, that anyone can follow and put into practice quickly in just an hour of your spare time from home.
Read about Vicki’s good fortune…
- Patrick Coffey
Time Your Trades With an "Oscillator"
By Charles Delvalle
When trading stocks, it’s important to carefully analyze a company’s balance sheet before investing. And by using an oscillator to time your trades, you could easily see 5 to 10 percent greater returns.
An oscillator is a short-term (as in 5 to 20 days) technical indicator that fluctuates between two extreme numbers (such as 20 and 80) (So many people have bought it that buying pressure is eased.) When the stock hits the low end of the numbers (20), it is said to be oversold. (So many shareholders have sold it that new sellers have become scarce and buying takes over.) When either of the extreme numbers is reached, it usually indicates a change in direction for the price of the stock.
Oscillators perform best when the market is flat or trading in a channel. There are many good ones available, and they all use different formulas for determining an overbought or oversold stock. My two favorites are the RSI (Relative Strength Index) and Stochastic indicators, because they can clue you in to when to buy or sell a stock. [Ed. Note: In statistics, a "stochastic" pattern is random, but governed by the laws of probability. The Stochastic overbought-oversold indicator is based on the observation that prices close near the high of the day in an uptrend and near the low of the day in a downtrend.]
To find an oscillator, simply go to a stock-charting site (such as the StockCharts website). Enter your ticker symbol, and you will have plenty to choose from.
[Ed. Note: Charles Delvalle is a contributing editor to the Investor’s Daily Edge newsletter, and a regular contributor to INCOME, ETR’s new investment service. INCOME provides a slew of high-dividend-paying companies, with the goal of providing you with a total return (dividends plus capital gains) of at least 14 percent per year.]
"Always expect the unexpected."
James Patterson
Go for It!
By Robert Ringer
It’s a serious mistake to allow yourself to get caught up in the "what if" and "how to" trap – attempting to project all problems and solutions in advance of taking action. The reality is that no one can ever hope to know all the problems in advance, let alone all the solutions.
Further, most of the things people worry about never even come to pass. Or, if they do, they end up being not nearly as bad as envisioned. Even better, some of the most ominous circumstances often turn out to be nothing more than disguises for great opportunities.
All this has reinforced my belief that, all other things being equal, taking bold action is almost always a good idea. I thought about this a couple of months ago when my son asked me if I would take him to a University of Maryland football game on a perfect-weather Saturday.
It was quite a request, considering that (1) I had never been to Maryland’s Byrd Stadium and was not certain how to get there; (2) I estimated that the University of Maryland campus was at least an hour away in modest traffic; (3) it would take us about an hour to get ready to leave the house; (4) it was 10:00 a.m. – two hours before kickoff; and (5) we had no tickets.
Nevertheless, I replied, without hesitation, "Sure, let’s do it." Some might call this impulsive; others might refer to it as abject stupidity. However, I would argue that a fair and enlightened individual would recognize it as nothing more than temporary insanity.
But something just felt right about it. It was a beautiful day, I felt like I could run a marathon backward, and I saw it as one of those great father-son bonding opportunities.
We pulled out of the driveway at 11:00 a.m., an hour before game time. Traffic was unusually light, even as we began to near the University of Maryland campus. Even more surprising, the stadium came into view about 40 minutes after we left the house. I still haven’t figured out how that was mathematically possible.
Now for the not-so-small matter of parking. Cars were jammed into every square inch of space on the side of every road anywhere within sight of the stadium, so I frantically looked for a parking garage. But before I could locate one, would you believe that a single parking space suddenly appeared – amidst thousands of parked cars – about five minutes’ walking time from the stadium?
After I parked the car, my son and I jumped out and began following the crowd toward Byrd Stadium. At this point, I was thinking about what a shame it would be if it were a sellout and we’d have to turn around and go home.
Amazingly, however, as we approached the front gate, two men were standing before us, one holding up a pair of tickets. He said they were his season tickets, but that he was going to be sitting elsewhere with his friend that day, so he just wanted to "get rid of them."
He told me they were on the 50-yard line and that he had paid $40 apiece for them. I braced myself for his asking price. $75? $100? $150? Another surprise. In an almost apologetic tone, he asked if $20 a ticket sounded reasonable to me.
I refrained from hugging him, and quickly peeled off two $20 bills from the cash stash in my pocket.
Thus far, I had been wrong about every dire thought that had crossed my mind before agreeing to take my son to the game. But I felt certain I would be right about one thing: I wasn’t holding 50-yard-line seats in my hand. After all, what kind of scalper would tell the truth?
Surprise again. Our seats were smack-dab on the 50!
At halftime, since we hadn’t eaten anything before leaving the house, we needed a substitute for breakfast. Perusing the menu board at a concession stand, it became evident that our substitute breakfast was going to be two hotdogs, an ice cream sandwich, and a Pepsi.
To avoid apoplexy, I reminded myself that what we were about to eat was at least healthier than cyanide-laced Kool-Aid – though not by much. Besides, the dogs were only $2.50 apiece, which wouldn’t even buy you a bun at an Orioles game.
The bottom line is that it was a great day, a day when everything that seemed like a problem ended up being a plus. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that things turned out so well, because I’ve witnessed the playing out of this type of scenario so often over the years.
The moral is that when you really want to do something but are apprehensive because you see so many "problems" on the horizon, try something novel: Do it anyway! You won’t bat 1,000 percent, but if you continually fail to take action, you’re guaranteed to bat zero.
And even if things don’t work out as you envisioned, you’ll find that in a vast majority of cases the fallout is not nearly as bad as you imagined. More than offsetting any pain you might endure from your missteps are the many wonderful, unexpected things that will often come into your life as a result of taking action.
[Ed. Note: Join the millions of entrepreneurs, business owners, salespeople, and individuals in all walks of life who have taken gigantic steps toward achieving their personal and professional goals. Get your copy of three of Robert Ringer's best-selling personal development book on CD.
And sign up today for a complimentary subscription to Robert's e-letter, Voice of Sanity in an Insane World.]
Confessions of A Condo Converter
“My 55-Unit condo project is now 90% sold. I recently realized that if I had…Dave’s condo conversion [help] before, I would have saved $300,000-$500,000. Even so, I’ve made over $1.2 million in profit”
-Cecelia Lascu, Pacific Palisades CA
Windfall profits are not only possible, they are common with condo conversions.
Are you ready for your own $1.2 million windfall? Find out how to identify the best properties for your own conversion, and how to avoid the 9 most common mistakes converters make.
The Remarkable Antioxidant Power of Vitamin E
By Al Sears, MD
People who smoke (You? Someone you know?) inhale oxidized (burnt) compounds. So it would seem logical that they could compensate for that by boosting their antioxidants.
Vitamin E is a crucial antioxidant for heart and lung health, and now there’s a new study that shows how beneficial it can be for smokers. Researchers in Finland followed over 29,000 male smokers aged 50 to 69 for a period of 19 years. The men who had the highest levels of vitamin E were:
- 19% less likely to die of cardiovascular disease
- 32% less likely to die of prostate cancer
- 32% less likely to die of lung cancer
- 21% less likely to die of all cancers
Plus, during the 19 years of the study, the men had an 18 percent lower death rate from all causes.
These numbers are impressive.
According to the study, we only need about 15 mg of vitamin E a day to get the disease-fighting benefits – but many Americans don’t even get that much in their diets. To play it safe, I recommend taking a supplement. There are at least 15 mg in most multivitamins.
[Ed. Note: Dr. Sears, a practicing physician and the author of The Doctor's Heart Cure and 12 Secrets to Virility , is a leading authority on longevity, physical fitness, and heart health.]
Notes From Michael Masterson’s Blog: Automatic Wealth in Minnesota
Just the other day, I found a kind thank-you note on my desk amid a pile of other mail. It was from Sonja Mishek, a woman who’d interviewed me about my book Automatic Wealth- via e-mail – for her local newspaper.
"I just want to thank you for taking the time to answer my interview questions for the Stillwater Gazette in Minnesota," she wrote. "My readers are going to LOVE your advice."
She also said, "After reading your book Automatic Wealth, it inspired me to ‘get off the couch’ and invest in real estate. AND … I added $360,000 to our net worth in under two years!"
Sonja did a great job with both the interview and the article. I thought you’d be especially interested in the part where she talks about how she got started investing in real estate, so I’m reprinting that here …
"I asked Michael Masterson, a self-made multimillionaire and author of one of my favorite books – Automatic Wealth: The 6 Steps to Financial Independence- if I could interview him.
"And I was thrilled that he was willing to give me, a small town columnist and aspiring writer, my very first interview.
"But first, I want to tell you how his book changed my life.
"About two years ago, I asked my husband if we could invest in some real estate around town – if I could find a bargain. He thought it was a great idea. But since this was our first crack at investing, he told me to ‘go slowly.’ I smiled sweetly and told him I’d let him know if I found anything worth checking out.
"It took me about a month until I discovered what my dad always told me to look for in real estate: ‘a haircut and a shave.’ It was a 24-unit apartment building that needed some tender loving care, a sprucing up with paint and a major weed killer on the grass.
"But what got me the most excited was that these units could be ‘legally’ converted into condominiums and sold off separately – for some major profits. I ran the numbers once, twice (actually about 10 times!), did my research, talked to a commercial banker, and then brought my business plan to my husband.
"He about fell out of his chair and said, ‘This is going slowly?! The asking price is over a million bucks!!!’
"’Don’t worry honey,’ I soothed him, ‘Connie at the bank recommended a possible business partner who has a lot of experience.’
"We partnered with another investor (a married couple just like us), bought and converted the 24 units into condominiums, and have sold a third of them while leasing out the remaining.
"All with no money out of our pockets. Thanks Michael.
"Michael also has another book out called Automatic Wealth for Grads … and Anyone Else Just Starting Out that I consider required reading for all four of my kids before they move out."
- Michael Masterson
Start Making Money Today
Interested in getting a nice little side-business going on the Internet? Or maybe even from your living-room table?
But you don’t have too much money, you don’t have too much time, and you’re not exactly Bill Gates when it comes to technology. Sound familiar?
A lot of people are in the same boat. The good news is that ETR has heard you. And now we’ve done something about it…
We’ve asked our colleague Marc Charles to be on the lookout for profit opportunities that can be run from a kitchen table, your desktop or out on the road.
Criteria? They’ve got to be inexpensive, easy to start, and still have great income potential, but without a lot of red tape.
They say when you’re first getting your feet wet with a side-business, the most important dollar to make is the first one. Well, Marc is an expert at taking beginning entrepreneurs and showing you how to make that first buck. He knows, because he’s done it dozens of times for himself, his family and his friends.
If you’ve been dreaming about starting your own business … now you can get started for about the price of 2 lattes.
And get this – you could be making money literally just hours from now. Imagine the feeling of finally getting a side business launched -TODAY!
- Patrick Coffey
Word to the Wise: Abject
"Abject" (AB-jekt) means utterly hopeless, miserable, humiliating, or wretched.
Example (as used by Robert Ringer today): "I replied, without hesitation, ‘Sure, let’s do it.’ Some might call this impulsive; others might refer to it as abject stupidity. However, I would argue that a fair and enlightened individual would recognize it as nothing more than temporary insanity."
[Ed. Note: Increase your income potential and become more attractive to others… Become a more persuasive writer and speaker… And build your self-confidence and intellect… just by spending 10 VERY enjoyable minutes a day with ETR’s new Words To The Wise CD Library.]
Michael Masterson
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2007
Similar Articles:
- It’s Good to Know: Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go in the Water – Great white sharks, it turns out, are calculating hunters. University of Miami researchers have disc…
- Go for It! – It’s a serious mistake to allow yourself to get caught up in the “what-if” and “how-to” trap before …
- It is mighty exhilarating to be in the company of thinking, positive, innovative minds – “I have learned from reading ETR that it is mighty exhilarating to be in the company of thinking, po…
- When It Pays to Pay More – For six years, we struggled with the restaurant, training the staff, upgrading the kitchen, and expa…
- When Will It Be Safe to Go Back in the Water? – One question keeps coming up when I talk to my friends and family these days: “How will I know when …
- Dear ETR: I want to change my career path and go after something I actually enjoy or look forward to. – “I just turned 29 yesterday… and I feel so lost and confused. I quit my job 7 months ago, where I wo…
- How I KILLED Michael’s Nightly Cravings – for GOOD! – Michael Masterson was 19 pounds over his ideal weight at the beginning of the year. One reason was b…