* Highly
Recommended *
The
Billionaire Way
I
would recommend "The
Billionaire Way" program to anyone who
is contemplating a new enterprise or business start-up, or
is already in business for themselves. It enabled me to look
at my life, attributes, and habits in a refreshing new way.
I was delighted to discover that I too have a number of the
traits and qualities that many who are successful in business
possess, which I hadn't realized. I am very excited to apply
the principles that were presented in the program to my new
business ventures.
A
tremendous benefit was to be able to talk with the author of
the program, Bob Cox, about my own business strategies and
ideas. Bob spent an hour on the phone with me after I finished
the program, and his personal insights and suggestions were
very helpful and inspiring.
I
know that I will often refer back to the information provided
in "The
Billionaire Way"
-
Catherine McNeil, Monte Vista, Colorado
Lowering
the Risk of Playing a Hunch
By
Rick Pendergraft
In Message
#1854, I explained how you could use
put options as portfolio "insurance" in uncertain
times. Today, I'm going to show you another way to reduce
risk: by using LEAPs (Long-term Equity AnticiPation
options).
LEAPs
are nothing more than put or call options that expire as far
out as three years. (A put gives the owner of the option contract
the right to sell the underlying stock at a specific price
in the future. A call gives the owner the right to buy the
stock.) These options help you reduce your overall risk by
reducing the amount of money you invest in testing out a hunch
on the downward movement of a particular stock (using a put)
or its upward movement (using a call).
Let's
say you think the price of Microsoft - currently $28 per share
- is going to rise over the next few years (once the uncertainty
surrounding the launch of Windows Vista passes). Many investors
would probably play this hunch by buying Microsoft stock outright
- risking $28,000 for 1,000 shares. But are you willing to
bet $28,000 on a hunch based on what you think might happen
with an important product? What if you could play the same
hunch for about a quarter of the money?
That's
what LEAPs let you do.
You
can currently buy the Microsoft January 2009 $22.50 call for
$6.40 ($640 per contract, since an option contract represents
100 shares). If you had intended to play your hunch by buying
1,000 shares of Microsoft stock at $28, you would, instead,
buy 10 call contracts - for a total cost of $6,400. This gives
you the option to buy 1,000 shares of Microsoft at $22.50 per
share anytime between now and January 2009. Plus, it frees
up $21,600 ($28,000 minus $6,400) that you can use for other
investments.
If
you're right and the price of the stock jumps more than $6.40
above $22.50, you can cash in. If you're wrong ... well, you're
out $6,400.
Note:
Don't take this as a recommendation to buy the shares or calls
on Microsoft. It is simply an example of how you can use LEAPs
to lower the cost of playing your investment hunches.
[Ed.
Note: Options expert Rick Pendergraft is a contributing writer
for ETR's Investor's
Daily Edge, newsletter. His market insights
have been seen in USA Today, Forbes.com, The
New York Times, and numerous other publications.
If
you share Rick's passion for trading, watch for ETR's soon-to-be
launched options service. We'll tell you more about it soon.]
"As
for me, except for an occasional heart attack, I feel as
young as I ever did."
-Robert
Benchley
The
Real Cause of the Heart Disease Pandemic
By
Shane Ellison, M.Sc.
One
minute you are enjoying a stroll in the park, and the next
you feel as if an elephant is stepping on you. Clutching your
chest and gasping for air, you suffer the eventual outcome
of heart disease: a heart attack. This year alone, this silent
killer will catch up with over a million Americans. Each and
every one of them will die prematurely under that unfortunate
scenario.
Worldwide,
heart disease will kill more people than any other affliction.
The good news is that it can be stopped.
The
underlying cause of a heart attack is narrowing of the arteries.
The process is known medically as "atherosclerosis." Cardiologists
like to describe atherosclerosis as a plumbing problem: Fat
and cholesterol-laden gunk gradually builds up within the arteries,
they say. If this build-up (plaque) grows thick enough, it
eventually plugs an affected "pipe." This keeps
nutrients and oxygen-rich blood from reaching their intended
tissues. (This is technically known as ischemia.) Blood-starved
tissues die. When a part of the cardiac muscle or the brain
is affected, a heart attack or stroke occurs.
In
2004, Time magazine told the world that there's just
one problem with the hypothesis that fat and cholesterol is
the culprit: "Sometimes it's dead wrong." Fact is,
more than half the people who suffer from heart attacks have "low
cholesterol." "High" cholesterol (300-350 mg/dL)
is a natural and healthy part of aging. And the higher their
total blood cholesterol is, the longer people live.
But
drug companies have convinced people otherwise - while profiting
immensely.
If
fat and cholesterol were the culprit in heart disease, these
ubiquitous substances would clog the entire 100,000 miles of
adult veins, arteries, and capillaries. Instead, 90 percent
of the time, heart disease is caused by the narrowing of the
spaghetti-sized coronary arteries - those that rest over the
heart. The rest of the cardiovascular system that nourishes
the body remains perfectly healthy, despite being loaded with
cholesterol and fat.
This
common-sense observation renders the cholesterol and fat theory
of heart disease obsolete.
Coronary
arteries bear little resemblance to pipes. Instead, they are
made up of muscle sandwiched between two "structural" layers.
When the artery muscle becomes inflamed, atherosclerosis can
set in. This is initiated by damage to the innermost structural
layer that faces the bloodstream. And science has made great
strides in identifying what causes damage to this layer.
Aside
from smoking, the biggest culprit in today's heart attack pandemic
is high blood sugar. It leads to a condition known as insulin
resistance or early Type II diabetes. Insulin resistance causes
blood sugar to float in the blood longer than it should. Muscle
no longer vacuums it from the bloodstream. Over time, blood
sugar reacts with amino acids that are floating nearby. The
product of this reaction is an "advance glycated end" (AGE)
product.
AGE
products cut and stab deeply into the structural layers of
coronary arteries. Medically, this is termed glycation. The "slicing
and dicing" of their coronary arteries explains why diabetics
have four times the risk of heart attack relative to non-diabetics.
Overcome with high blood sugar, they are susceptible to the
butchering process of AGE products.
Coronary
arteries are most susceptible to AGE products, because they
are so close to the mechanical stress of the heartbeat. Arteries
not subject to mechanical stress are not as sensitive to the
butchering.
Damage
caused by AGE products leads to "crosslinking." Once
crosslinking occurs, supple, healthy coronary arteries become
rigid. This is how the word atherosclerosis was derived. It
combines two Greek words, athere (porridge) and sclerosis (hardening).
The rigidity is the result of inflammation (caused by plaque)
that leads to narrowing.
Fortunately, narrowing of the coronary arteries is not a death
sentence. Healthy arteries have the ability to accommodate the
inflammation by "relaxing" or dilating. This ensures
that blood flow continues without interruption - and that heart
disease goes unnoticed.
This
protective ability of healthy arteries is dependent on the
short-lived molecule known as nitric oxide. Without it, excessive
narrowing of arteries can manifest into hypertension, poor
circulation, and a decreased tolerance for exercise.
Nutritional
approaches that maximize nitric oxide (such as supplementing
with l-arginine and grape seed extract) have proven to be a
bonanza for heart disease patients who want to curb their annoying
symptoms naturally.
Most
heart attacks and strokes creep up on victims when inflammation
goes haywire. This is typical among Americans, because inflammation-causing
sugar has become such a dominant ingredient in their food.
The overly aggressive inflammation (which occurs within - not
on - arterial walls) causes plaque to rupture. The rupturing
triggers the emergence of a blood clot (thrombus). The combination
of narrow arteries and a blood clot seals the victim's fate,
along with his coronary arteries. He has a heart attack.
Understanding this model of heart disease gives us a wildly effective
way to prevent the pandemic killer: Control blood sugar. Here
are some good ways to do it:
1.
Interval training can lower blood sugar by up
to 40 percent. (To put this into perspective, the commonly
prescribed drug Metformin lowers blood sugar by a paltry
19 percent, while putting users at risk of obesity ...
if they can tolerate the vomiting and diarrhea.)
2.
Nutritional supplementation with magnesium (400
mg/day) was found to improve high blood sugar among elderly
individuals. Research shows that a magnesium deficiency
inhibits insulin from escorting glucose out of the bloodstream
into muscles. The end result is insulin resistance and
an increased risk of heart attack. Magnesium aspartate
has been shown to be the best-absorbed form of magnesium.
3.
Tannic acid from the banaba leaf (a medicinal
plant that grows in India, Southeast Asia, and the Philippines)
mimics the actions of insulin by eliciting glucose transport
from the bloodstream into muscle.
The
safe and effective blood-sugar-lowering effect of tannic acid
has caught the attention of Big Pharma. Many drug companies
are working rigorously to create a synthetic knock-off.
4.
Increasing fiber intake with a tablespoon of psyllium husk (the
crushed seeds of the Plantage ovata plant) prevents
dangerous spikes in blood sugar after a meal.
Controlling
blood sugar has become the hottest area of medical research.
It suggests a single way to not only ameliorate heart disease,
but a host of other diseases caused by high blood sugar as
well. These include, but are not limited to, diabetes, cancer,
and even Alzheimer's. Instead of dosing patients up with a
handful of drugs to treat a handful of diseases, controlling
blood sugar naturally is a remedy for all three.
[Ed.
Note: Shane Ellison holds a Master's degree in organic chemistry,
and has firsthand industry experience with drug research, design,
and synthesis. With his ability to sift through scientific
literature and weed out fact from fiction, he has empowered
thousands to assert their health freedom by saying "no" to
prescription drugs.
Shane
has written two books, Health
Myths Exposed and The
Hidden Truth about Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs.
ETR readers are eligible for a 10% discount on both books.
For more information, click
here - and be sure to enter coupon code "ETR."]
* Advertisement *
A
Taste of The Real Estate Sweet Spot
Do
you play tennis? Even if you don't, you've probably
heard of the "sweet spot". It's the small area
on a tennis racquet that gives you maximum force with the least
effort.
Did
you know there's a "sweet spot" in real estate, too? If
you're too far ahead of trends, you'll make no money (the doctor
who invented air conditioning died penniless). We all
know if you're too late, you only get the high-priced leftovers.
Right
now, there's a Sweet Spot in condo conversions. The number
of apartments being converted is up SHARPLY. But compared
to the number of conversions that will happen in the next few
years, well, we're just at Chapter One of this story. We're
at the point where the concept is solid and proven, but most
of the money is yet to be made.
I
want to give you a briefing on profiting with condo conversions
during an exclusive
teleseminar.
Mark
your calendar - I look forward to sharing with you the details
of how you and I are going to "clean up" from this
next important trend.
-
Dave Lindahl
Don't
Start a Business You Know Nothing About
By
Michael Masterson
One
of the ideas I talk about all the time is that it is almost
impossible to understand how a business really works from the
outside. The important secrets - about sales and marketing,
especially - have to be learned "on the job."
The
safest way to start your own business is to spend a few years
learning the ropes before you make the big move. That's what
Justin Ford did before he created his first information-publishing
product, Seeds
of Wealth. Before launching the program,
he had worked in both newsletter publishing and marketing -
so he knew all aspects of the industry.
It's
important, when selecting a company to work for, to consider
not just how big or successful it is but what kind of learning
opportunities it offers new employees. Since your goal is all
about acquiring "inside" knowledge, seek out a job
in sales, marketing, or product-management. Then do everything
possible to position yourself as a company superstar.
Come
in early, work late, show up for training programs, and volunteer
for extra assignments. When your boss asks you for a favor,
do it with a smile on your face. And do favors for colleagues,
too.
As
your internal network grows, ask questions. Ask questions about
anything and everything. And be thankful for the answers. As
a friendly, prolific question asker, you won't be held in suspicion
when you get around to asking all those critical career questions
- such as, "So how did you make the most sales last month,
Mary Sue?"
Before
you will be ready to break out on your own, expect to spend
two or three years as an employee/student. (Think of yourself
as a highly paid intern.) And while you are waiting, put aside
your pennies. Assume that the launch of your business will
take about twice the capital that your budget allows for.
One
more word of advice: Keep your day job as a highly paid intern
until your great business idea proves itself.
[Ed.
Note: This article was adapted from a chapter in Michael Masterson's
JUST-released book, Seven
Years to Seven Figures: The Fast Track Plan to Becoming a Millionaire,
Copyright (c) 2006 by Michael Masterson. Reprinted with permission
of John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Did
you get your copy yet? You'll not only get $537 in bonuses
- you'll also help shoot Michael's newest book to the top of
the charts!]
Simplify
Your Life: The Shortest Commute in the World
By
Suzanne Richardson
According
to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Americans spend an average
of 25.1 minutes driving to work. Some of the worst places for
commuters?
- New
Jersey - 29.5 minutes
- Puerto
Rico - 30.4 minutes
- New
York State - 31.2 minutes
If
you have a 30-minute commute each way, you're spending about
250 hours in your car every year. Think of what you could accomplish
in 250 hours! (Not to mention all the time you could be spending
with your family and friends.)
So,
short of moving to North Dakota (where the commute time is
still over 16 minutes each way), how can you regain some valuable
time? Take the advice Michael Masterson gave in his article
today, and start making plans to develop your own business.
If you set your sights on a home-based, Internet-driven business,
your daily commute will consist of the few minutes it takes
to amble from the breakfast table to your "office," second
cup of coffee in hand.
(Source: American
Fact Finder)
* Highly
Recommended *
Do
You Need To Start Out Small?
If
you don't have an Internet business yet, or if your company
is smaller than $1 million then you need something different...
something that lets you start off small.
One
man I know turned $10 into over $500,000. How's that for starting
small!
Let
me show you how rnet income stream running
for almost nothing.
-
Patrick Coffey
Word
to the Wise: Esurient
Esurient" (ih-SUR-ee-unt)
- from the Latin for "to eat" - means hungry or greedy.
Example
(as used by Michael Coren in the Alberta Report): "These
new censors, the [literary] deconstructionists, take the most
luscious and delicious apple and show it to a hungry person.
They then seal the fruit with plastic wrap and demand that
the esurient victim enjoy its flavour."
