* Highly Recommended *
I made $10,000 on my first wholesale real estate deal, but it could have been a big fat zero – coupled with disappointment and frustration – if it weren’t for Steve Cook’s words of advice running through my head.
When a co-worker mentioned they were thinking of calling it quits on the whole land-lording bit and selling their duplex, I was ready to act. I used the techniques from Steve’s Wholesaling for Quick Cash to determine what the property was worth to me, and how much profit I could make. I followed his advice and stayed in control of the deal, even during a very discouraging point when the seller was asking $25,000 more than I was willing to pay. As a result of sticking to Steve’s rules, I was able to negotiate a deal that left room for me to turn around and immediately sell the property to another investor for an easy $10,000 profit within one week!
The whole experience left me confident that I really knew what I was doing. I can’t wait to do it again!
Thank you,
Jeff “Junior” Riber
Putting together wholesale real estate deals like the one described above doesn’t require any cash or good credit – in fact, you often never even take ownership of the property. That makes it a great way for beginning investors to quickly start earning $10,000 - $30,000 paychecks per deal. Click here to learn more now.
Hi, Ho Silver?
The enormous rally in gold may pale next to silver if the SEC allows a silver ETF (Exchange-Traded Fund) to begin trading. If it's approved - and it appears that it will be - it could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a fortune.
There isn't that much easy-to-get-to silver. During the last 15 years, the aboveground silver supply has dwindled more than 55%. Yet demand continues to increase.
And, according to the Texas Hedge Report, the advent of a silver ETF might reduce the amount of available silver by more than 600 million ounces, because much of the available supply of aboveground silver would be diverted to back the silver ETF shares.
How could this happen?
For every $100 an investor puts into this ETF, the ETF would have to buy $100 worth of silver - and physically take delivery of it. The supply of aboveground silver could dwindle from a mountain into a molehill virtually overnight.
- Andrew Gordon
[Ed. Note: Andrew will keep you abreast of what's happening with this silver ETF (and what it means to you as an investor) in Money Insight, the free weekly e-letter that he and his staff, along with Dr. Erik Epp, have created. In this age of cheap "information," Money Insight strives to decipher the best safe-money strategies from the deluge of mainstream financial news, as well as uncover undervalued opportunities for quick profits. Check it out at:
www.earlytorise.com/moneyinsight/etr_money_insight.html.]
"Fix your eyes on perfection and you make almost everything speed toward it."
- William Ellery Channing
Bob's Bad Week in Las Vegas
By Michael Masterson
Bob came by Sunday to smoke a cigar. I asked him how his week in Las Vegas went.
"I gave two speeches on Thursday," he said. "The second one, I killed. But the first one - I don't know. I was off."
I was surprised to hear Bob confess to an "off" performance. Of all my personal friends and colleagues, he is the best public speaker. In fact, that's what he gets paid to do. A senior vice president with a large brokerage firm, his job is to travel around the country to local offices and rouse the troops. Judging from his home and lifestyle, he is very highly paid. And I'm sure he is well worth it. When you have a billion-dollar sales business, keeping your salesmen motivated and directed is a critical (i.e., financially valuable) objective.
Bob and I have talked about speechmaking many times. Because I give the occasional talk (and want to be good at it), I've appreciated all his suggestions. He's been a helpful mentor to me on a casual basis, just as Virginia Avery has been helpful in a more formal way.
And until we spoke last Sunday, I had never heard Bob admit to anything but "great" and "killer" presentations.
He told me that he had given a second "mediocre" speech the following day in LA. "There was a band playing in the room next door and the thumping was distracting - to me and to the audience. I managed to get through the presentation without any major glitches. But it didn't feel the way I like my speeches to feel."
I could relate. Totally. My history as a public speaker has been very spotty. There have been times when I did indeed feel like I "killed." And there were other times when, as I left the podium, eyes were averted.
Public Speaking Secret: It is not difficult to know if you've given a good speech. If you have, two things will happen: (1) You will get a lot of questions, and (2) you will get a lot of compliments. If you leave the stage thinking you "may" have done a good job, you probably didn't. If you have to ask colleagues how you did, you didn't do well - even if they tell you that you were "great."
Hearing that someone much more skillful than I could have not just one but two "off" performances in the same week made me feel good. Not because I want Bob to be anything but great, but because it reminded me that someone can be great and still put in the occasional "B" performance. Or, to put it another way, that momentary lapses don't signal permanent mediocrity.
Whatever our level of skill, we can all make improvements. If you want to become a good public speaker, a good marketer, a good salesperson, or a good parent, you can do it so long as you are willing to put in the time it takes to get good.
Getting good at any worthwhile skill, as I've explained so many times, takes about 1,000 hours. If you have a mentor or coach to help you, you can cut that time down by about a third - maybe even by half.
Mastering a skill takes much longer - about 5,000 hours if you do it yourself or between 2,500 and 3,500 hours with a coach or mentor.
I want to be good at public speaking. And if I added up all the time I have put into this complex skill, I would guess that I've logged about 300 hours. Three hundred hours is much less than the 1,000 hours I should be willing to invest to get good at speaking. And even with a "mentorship discount" (the help I've been getting from Virginia and Bob), I still have another 200 hours or so to put in before I can expect to perform well consistently.
As a master of speechmaking, Bob would like all his speeches to be "killer." When they are not, he is disappointed. But even his "off" speeches are - by any standards - "good."
Bob's admission of imperfection makes me admire him more, not less. It helps me understand that what he has accomplished so far - mastering speechmaking - has been achieved through hard work and persistence.
If Bob can become a masterful public speaker by dint of work and tenacity, so can I. And so can you. I'm going to keep on working at it. How about you?
Today's Action Plan
What is the skill that you are trying to develop now? Speaking Spanish? Dancing the Tango? Selling health reports on the Internet?
As Michael Masterson has done, take inspiration from Bob's admission of imperfection. Tell yourself that it's okay to have the occasional lapse, and give yourself permission to keep practicing and learning. Before you know it, you will be operating on a much higher and more rewarding level.
*
Advertisement *
Every Now And Then A Mysterious Package Would Arrive…
My husband Dave, (bless him) was desperate to get us back on our feet, so he started trying out all the ‘business opportunities’ you get through the mail.
I grabbed one at random. I watched the DVD. I took notes and followed the instructions just like it said and waited for the results. It seemed simple enough and it took me less than an hour!
Then one day, I got an email saying there was some money I was owed. It was $3,012 and change! The money was real… and ALL MINE!
Now I look forward to sharing my good fortune with you…
http://www.isecureonline.com/Reports/700STGB/E700G346/
A Natural Testosterone-Booster
You probably know that testosterone is responsible for building muscle, enhancing sex drive, elevating mood, and increasing energy. What you may not know is that this hormone can also provide protection against a long list of physical and mental conditions, including:
-
Heart Disease
-
Stroke
-
Alzheimer's
-
Osteoporosis
-
Type-2 Diabetes
-
Depression
-
Obesity
Problem is, after the age of 40, testosterone levels drop ... and your susceptibility to these conditions increases.
Can you recapture the strength and vitality of youth by boosting testosterone levels? Dr. Al Sears, my friend and mentor (and one of the country's leading authorities on men's health and anti-aging medicine) says "yes." In his new e-book, 12 Secrets to Virility, he not only talks about the benefits of testosterone, but also explains how to get more when you need it.
One proven way to increase testosterone levels: Supplement with an herb called Tribulus terrestris. This herb has been used for centuries to treat sexual problems and build muscle by boosting natural testosterone production. Dr. Sears suggests that it can raise blood levels of testosterone in healthy men by up to 30% within just five days. He recommends starting with 600 mg daily.
Go to http://www.alsearsmd.com/12secrets to learn much more about Dr. Sears' advice on this important subject.
- Jon Herring
Reader Feedback: "I can't wait to read your next book"
Dear Mr. Masterson,
Even though you no doubt hear this countless times each day, I want to tell you how much I enjoy reading Early to Rise. As a recent college graduate just starting to carve out my career path, I find myself eager to devour every last morsel of wisdom you impart! You're a great mentor.
I can't wait to read your next book - Automatic Wealth for Graduates - targeted at my age demographic.
Thank you again for all the great advice you share.
- Emily Katz, St. Louis, MO
It's Good to Know: Add-On Costs for Air Travelers
You may have noticed that certain "staples" have been slowly disappearing from the skies. While most airlines have eliminated the meals, they have now cut back on even those miniature bags of pretzels. Here's how the top carriers measure up:
-
Northwest Airlines: Pre-order sandwiches and wraps at $5 apiece on select flights. On domestic flights over 600 miles, you can order a $3 snack box (including granola bars, crackers, or dried fruit). And on all flights with the still-complimentary drinks, you can order a 3-ounce snack mix for $1.
-
US Airways: You can get $7 sandwiches on many flights; $5 snack boxes on flights over 2 hours. On America West (US Airways' new partner), it's $5 for a sandwich or snack box; $2 for a muffin, can of Pringles, or chocolate chip cookie.
-
Delta and United still offer free snacks on even the shortest domestic flights. And on United, you can purchase a $5 snack box on flights over 3.5 hours.
-
Air Tran has complimentary snacks and beverages on all flights. You can also listen to over 100 channels of XM satellite radio while you snack - but be prepared to pay $3 for headphones if you don't bring your own.
-
Southwest Airlines offers drinks and the ubiquitous peanuts/pretzels on short flights. You get a packaged snack on flights over 2 hours.
-
On Alaska Airlines, you get nothing more than a beverage on flights under 2 hours. On flights 2.5 to 3 hours, you also get either a warm breakfast pastry or a warm cookie. And on flights longer than 3 hours, you get a hot sandwich for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
-
On Continental flights longer than 2 hours, you get a cold breakfast snack or cold sandwich. On flights longer than 3.5 hours, it's a hot sandwich for lunch or dinner. And they even offer up to 26 complimentary magazines.
-
No wonder JetBlue outranks every other American carrier in customer-satisfaction polls! They offer free snacks (including Terra Blues chips) and drinks on all flights. And who needs a hot meal when you have free access to 36 channels of satellite TV and 100 channels of XM radio?
Check out the February issue of Budget Travel (www.BudgetTravelOnline.com) to learn more about other types of fees the airlines are piling on.
- Suzanne Richardson
*
Advertisement *
Write Your Own Travel Guide Book...
This March 22-25, 2006 in exclusive, tropical, pristine Bermuda you can... Learn from professional photographers the techniques they use to shoot pictures that sell for $150, $400, $600 -- and even higher.
PLUS -- Learn all the ins-and-outs of researching and writing travel guidebooks -- including hands-on experience interviewing executives and writing critiques of some of the most famous resorts in Bermuda.
For details visit: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/bermuda/etr or call the AWAI office at (866) 879-2924 or (561) 278-5557. Seats are limited.
Word to the Wise: Condign
"Condign" (kun-DINE) is another way of saying "deserved" or "adequate." It is derived from the Latin "condignus" ("very worthy").
Example (as used by David Frum in How We Got Here): "In a story as old as the Greeks, overweening pride brought condign disaster."
