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Island
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WEALTH
How
the IRS Can Help You Save on Summer Camp for the Kids
Send
your child to camp to learn writing, music, the arts, or another
potentially rewarding skill or hobby this summer and the IRS
will help you pay!
Children's
summer day camp (but not overnight camp) can be included as
an expense on IRS Form 2441 ("Child and Dependent Care
Expenses"). And it doesn't have to be a "playground"
camp.
Some
of the fine print:
-
The
child has to be at camp while the parent is working (for
an employer or as a self-employed person).
-
The child must be under age 13.
-
If you are making deductions for child care expenses for
only one child, the maximum is $3,000. If you are making
deductions for two or more children, the maximum will rise
to $6,000 per year total.
But
be sure to check the details with an accountant and/or the IRS
(publication 503).
When
You're Cutting Out the Carbs . . . What About Rice?
An
ETR reader writes, "I am on a low-carb / low glycemic index
(GI) diet. I love to cook and often make Chinese and Indian
food. But they just don't seem right without a bowl of rice.
Any suggestions?"
According
to the "Low
GI Diet Revolution", "rice can have a high GI
value (80-109) or a low GI value, depending on the variety."
Basmati rice (GI 58), Uncle Ben's converted long-grain rice
(GI 50), and Uncle Ben's long-grain and wild rice blend (GI
54) are all digested slowly and produce a low glycemic response.
So if you'd like a side of rice with your chicken vindaloo,
try one of these.
And
remember that "low-carb" does not mean "no-carb."
For optimum health, you need a balance of protein, fat, and
carbohydrates in your diet.
--
Jon Herring
WISDOM
The
Goal Mark Twain Set for Himself as a Writer
"I
have never tried in even one single instance to cultivate the
cultivated classes. I was not equipped for it, either by native
gifts or training. And I never had any ambition in that direction,
but always hunted for bigger game -- the masses. I have seldom
deliberately tried to instruct them, but have done my best to
entertain them. To simply amuse them would have satisfied my
dearest ambition at any time."
(Source:
Mark Twain in a letter to Andrew Lang)
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TODAY'S
MESSAGE
There's
Never Been a Better Time to Start a Business
by
Marc Charles
Despite
the doom and gloom coming from business forecasters (whatever
the heck they are) and "think tanks," there's never
been a better time to start a business.
Many
years ago, I worked in the sub-sub-basement (three floors below
the street) at a top bank in Minneapolis. My job consisted of
stocking shelves with official bank forms. Out of the corner
of my eye, I could see the "money counting room" across
the hall. I was convinced this was a form of torture.
On
Day 50, I was called into the VP's office for my first quarterly
review. I thought I was doing a pretty good job, so imagine
my surprise when my pay grade was lowered. On top of that, I
was now required to work on Saturdays.
I
remember thinking, "This job is just not going to work
for me."
Two
weeks later, I started my first "real" business --
washing mobile homes with a portable power washer at $14.50
a pop. Within three weeks, I was making four times as much as
I had at my bank job. Plus, I was able to take weekends and
most of the winter off.
I've
started dozens of businesses since then.
I
prefer businesses that don't require a lot of start-up capital
(at least, not my own), and that have low overhead and substantial
profit margins. I also like those that can be run from anywhere
in the world. (I have chosen to work from my home on the coast
of Maine.)
With
the advent of the Internet, these types of opportunities are
everywhere you look.
Take
a website like Alibaba.com, for example. There are a myriad
of possibilities associated with this one website alone.
Alibaba.com
has become the No. 1 import/export website in the world. Forbes
named it "Best of the Web" five years in a row. And
Alexa says it is one of the Top 50 sites on the Internet in
terms of traffic and popularity. Alibaba.com has more than 4.8
million active members (in 240 countries). What's more, it's
growing at a rate of 18,000 new members per day.
Entrepreneurs
from around the world -- buyers and sellers of every type of
product you can imagine -- are coming to Alibaba.com in droves
to make deals and earn money. Take Chester Chou.
Chester
uses the site to sell a unique golf device. His company recorded
more than $100,000 in wholesale sales on Alibaba.com last year.
More important, thanks to Alibaba Chester has built relationships
with professional buyers in the UK, Germany, Korea, China, the
U.S., and Holland.
Chester's
niche is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the business
opportunities that can be found on Alibaba.com.
-
Pete
Patel from Tennessee sells branded clothing and handbags
to wholesale buyers around the world on Alibaba.com. Pete
receives about 35 qualified inquires a week from trade leads
on Alibaba.com, and in three months he has closed more than
45 deals.
-
Markus
Siegrist from Switzerland receives more than 30 qualified
buyer inquires a week for his products. Markus sells wine,
liquor and specialty oils. On top of that, Markus also uses
Alibaba.com as a buyer and has purchased decorative bottling
from 20 different sellers.
-
Brian Park is the CEO of Bruce & Brian Co. in South
Korea. He joined Alibaba.com in late 2003. His company average
20-30 inquires per week, and in just the first month on
Alibaba.com Brian closed $11,000 in sales. More important,
he is now being contacted by large companies interested
in far more substantial deals.
As
I said, this is just one website. There are many more. And it's
not just on the Internet. There are an unlimited number of profitable
ventures that can be started for next to nothing.
I'm
the editor of a business-opportunity alert called "Profit
Center Dispatch." Every week, I uncover legitimate businesses
that you can start with very little capital or experience --
and that require minimal overhead. Most of these businesses
also have substantial profit potential. In the last few months
alone, I have shown my readers:
-
How
to cash in on real-estate opportunities in the new "exurbs"
-
12 different ways to tap into the $85 billion travel market
-
An Internet twist on the pre-foreclosure real estate market,
and
-
How to get in on the billion-dollar self-storage business
And
that's just for openers.
There
has never been a better time to start your own business. So
if you have an idea for one that you'd like to get into, don't
wait.
If
you're thinking about an eBay business, for example, just do
it. There's never been a better time. If you fail . . . so what?
Throw in the towel and start another eBay business after lunch.
A
friend of mine has three separate eBay businesses going. Prior
to this, he sold Beanie Babies online. That business failed
when the Beanie Babies craze (see "Word to the Wise,"
below) ended. But he didn't give up on making money online.
He kept trying different things. And now he's a successful entrepreneur.
Every
time you take action on an idea, you learn something about building
a business that you didn't know before.
In
1997, I had an idea and acted on it. I interviewed top technology
and software CEOs over the phone or by e-mail, reprinted the
transcripts, and sold them back to the CEOs and/or their companies.
Eventually, I started selling these interviews to top business
and technology publishers. And three years later, I sold the
business for a profit.
So
if you want to create life-changing wealth, do what two-thirds
of the world's millionaires have done. Start a business. There's
never been a better time than right now!
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here to learn more:
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TODAY'S
ACTION PLAN
If
you're looking to start a business but just can't come up with
the right idea, consider subscribing to Marc Charles' weekly
"Profit Center Dispatch" service.
As
he mentioned in Today's Message, in the past few months he's
uncovered real-estate opportunities in the new "exurbs."
He's shown his readers how to tap into the $85 billion travel
market. He's revealed an Internet twist on the pre-foreclosure
real estate market. And he has outlined a plan to get in on
the billion-dollar self-storage business.
Marc's
weekly reports include how to get started, where to find your
products, and who to market to. He also includes insider tips
to accelerate your success. For more info, click here: http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/PCD/WPCDF200
COPYWRITING
Make
Your Prospect WANT to Read Your Sales Pitch
Arousing
your reader's curiosity with your headline is a proven way to
usher him into your copy. One way to do it is to make a very
specific promise with a headline like this:
"Turn
$55.00 into $837.56 in Just 3 Days."
Your
reader will wonder "Why exactly $837.56? Why 3 days?"
-- and will read on.
Another
way to pique his interest is to arouse his fears with a headline
like this:
"What
Never . . . EVER to Eat on an Airplane!"
How
could anyone possibly resist reading further to find out what
that is?
WORD
TO THE WISE
We
say that someone who is mentally deranged is "crazed."
So it's not hard to understand how we came to use the word "craze"
as a synonym for a fad -- something that people become obsessed
with. It comes from a Scandinavian word for "shatter."
Example
(as used by Marc Charles in Today's Message): "That business
failed when the Beanie Babies craze ended."
