When Desires Collide With Reality
Archives: Daily Issues
Issue #2607
- WEALTHY: 4 important dates for investors in dividend-paying stocks (Alex Green)
- HEALTHY: An easy first step to shedding extra pounds (Craig Ballantyne)
- WISE: Rene Francois Regnier on death
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- Examining one of life’s great challenges (Robert Ringer)
- The best – and worst – ways to get your website viewed (Edwin Huertas)
- It’s Good to Know… how to avoid faux pas while traveling
- Add “vociferous” to your vocabulary
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Cash in Your Account Is a Sure Thing
By Alex Green
Dividend-paying stocks may not be the most exciting investments on the block – but steady businesses that make regular payouts are what really make investors money over time.
As my Investment U colleague Mark Skousen writes in his book EconoPower, “Earnings may be suspicious due to creative accounting. Revenues can be booked in one year or several years. Capital assets can be sold and the value listed as ordinary income. But cash paid into your account is a sure thing, a litmus test of the company’s true earnings. It’s tangible evidence of the firm’s profitability.”
Here are some key terms to understand when investing in dividend-paying stocks:
• Declaration Date – The date on which the board of directors of a company announces the amount of the next stock dividend and its ex-dividend date, record date, and payment date.
• Ex-Dividend Date – The date on which the stock trades without a dividend. So if you buy the stock on or after the ex-dividend date, you will not receive the next dividend. If you sell the stock before the ex-dividend date, the buyer – not you – will receive the dividend. If you sell after the ex-dividend date, you – not the buyer – will receive the dividend.
• Record Date – The date on which the company determines the list of shareholders who qualify for the stock dividend. To be a shareholder of record, you must own the stock at least one day before the ex-dividend date.
• Payment Date – The date on which the stock dividend is paid to shareholders of record in the form of a dividend check or a credit to their account.
Adding dividend-paying stocks to your portfolio could be just the ticket for the steady growth of your bottom line.
[Ed. Note: Alex Green is Investment Director of The Oxford Club and Chairman of Investment U - a free source of impartial, no-nonsense advice on how to build long-lasting wealth. Get more of Alex's powerful wealth-building ideas right here.
Investing in dividend-paying stocks is a safe way to profit as an investor. But you can make plenty of cash simply by seeking out "non-traditional" investment opportunities. ETR's Liberty Street League offers its members dozens of contrarian strategies for making money "off Wall Street." Sign up today, and you could recover your recession losses by 9/30/2009.]
“Gaily I lived as ease and nature taught, / And spent my little life without a thought, / And am amazed that Death, that tyrant grim, / Should think of me, who never thought of him.”
Rene Francois Regnier
When Desires Collide With Reality
We witness misery every day on our television screens – but when John Travolta’s son died this past January, it affected me in a special way. I connected to that great photograph of the two of them, nose to nose. You could see how much he loved the boy.
It was just another reminder of one of life’s harshest realities: No one, no matter how rich or famous, escapes the tragedies inherent in human existence. The only thing different about tragedy in the life of a high-profile person is that it feels close to home to the rest of us. That’s because, in a vicarious way, we feel like we know that individual on a personal level.
An even bigger reality that the Travolta tragedy brought home to me is how we go along so merrily in life – especially when we are prosperous and healthy – not really thinking about the inevitable bad stuff just over the horizon. And to a great extent, it’s a good thing that we have the capacity to ignore the inevitable sadness that looms ahead, lest we be perpetually depressed.
In his book Consolations of Philosophy, Alain de Bottonsays:
“Though the terrain of frustration may be vast – from a stubbed toe to an untimely death – at the heart of every frustration lies a basic structure: the collision of a wish with an unyielding reality.
“The collisions begin in earliest infancy, with the discovery that the sources of our satisfaction lie beyond our control and that the world does not reliably conform to our desires.”
An understatement, to be sure. Even if you are the embodiment of a positive mental attitude, a harsh reality will, from time to time and without warning, collide with your desires and best-laid plans. Where a positive attitude comes in is not so much in believing that nothing bad will ever happen, but in helping us handle the bad things when they occur.
Later in the book, Botton quotes Seneca as saying:
“We never anticipate evils before they actually arrive. … So many funerals pass our doors, yet we never dwell on death. So many deaths are untimely, yet we make plans for our own infants: how they will don the toga, serve in the army, and succeed to their father’s property.”
When I was in the seventh grade, I came to school one day and noticed that the chair behind me, where Walter Graves sat, was empty. When class began, our teacher said to us, “I’m sorry to tell you that Walter Graves passed away yesterday.”
I knew Walter only well enough to say hello. He seemed like a nice enough kid – quiet and a bit shy. Then, one day – just like that – he was gone. It was my first introduction to mortality. The boy who sat right behind me died! No further explanation was given to the class.
Finally, Botton says:
“There is a dangerous innocence in the expectation of a future formed on the basis of probability. Any accident to which a human has been subject, however rare, however distant in time, is a possibility we must ready ourselves for.”
Those of us who are members of that most solemn of all clubs – the one that reverses the natural chronological order of things – can relate all too well to this. Losing a child is something that cannot be fully understood by an outsider. Members of the Reversal of Nature Club are painfully familiar with the “dangerous innocence in having an expectation of a future formed on the basis of probability.”
Now, my youngest son has reached the age of 20 – the age of immortality. Do you remember when you were 20? I do. I never for a moment allowed reality to interfere with the way I lived my life. Walter Graves was but a distant memory when I was 20. I threw caution to the winds and enjoyed my immortality. The people in the funeral processions that passed my door were just actors on my personal stage of life.
Last week, my 20-year-old son’s immortality had a brush with reality. He nearly totaled his car. Luckily, no one was seriously injured. The fallout, however – an upcoming court date to face a reckless driving charge, a $500 deductible to pay on a $10,000 repair job, a probable monthly increase of $100 or more on his car insurance – has been enormous.
And those things pale in comparison to the stress all this has caused him and his fearful thoughts about how, but for the grace of God, someone could have been killed. Not to mention two months of being without a car. (Longer if his license is suspended.)
Funny how life works. One of the most beneficial experiences a young person can have is to be in a serious automobile accident in which all parties escape uninjured. I thought about that when my son kept telling me how much he had learned as a result of his accident. We shall see.
As for the Travoltas and the rest of us who have become unwitting members of the Reversal of Nature Club, we are humbled by the reality that no one escapes the tragedies of life, that there is such a thing as the inevitable, and that, no matter how positive we may be, we are powerless to alter certain events.
Having said this, we are free to choose how we prepare for, and react to, such events. And when all is said and done, no one can teach us how to excel at that. It is one of life’s great challenges in a world filled with more tragedy and uncertainty than ever before in human history – a challenge worthy of considerable time and effort on our part.
On reflection, perhaps the best way to deal with the inevitability of tragedy and sadness is to think of life as a game – and, as Robert DeRopp put it in his book The Master Game, to seek a game worth playing. Having found the game, play it with intensity. Play as if your life and sanity depend upon it… because they do.
[Ed. Note: Are you living your life to the fullest? If not, now's the perfect time to aim for something you've always wanted to accomplish. Learn how ETR can help make your dreams come true right here.
For a treasure chest of proven ideas, strategies, and techniques for increasing your income many times over, check out Robert Ringer's bestselling dealmaking audio series.
And be sure to sign up for his Voice of Sanity e-letter.]
The Easy Way to Internet Profits for Lazy Entrepreneurs
If you can push a button, you can make money online. Yes, there’s more to it than that, but not too much. Just 3 simple steps. This new online business opportunity is for truly lazy entrepreneurs who still want to make a very nice online income.
I’m still shaking my head at how shockingly simple and easy this is. And this business has been purposely kept “low-key” to keep others from discovering and using it. Not anymore, because one of the Internet’s elite has just spilled the beans…
Click here to get all the inside details…
Dear ETR: “I am looking for one good company that will get my site viewed.”
“Hello, my ETR friends. I am just about to launch a new business marketing long distance calling cards. Our service will provide unlimited international long distance calling, can be purchased online, and works with cellphones (without using your cell minutes).
“There are many sites that advertise guaranteed website traffic, and others that advertise website submission services. I don’t have the time to use several different services. I am looking for one good, reputable company that will get my site viewed and my e-mails read. Any recommendations you have would be greatly appreciated.”
Chris Rosser
Hamilton, Ontario
Dear Chris,
There are many ways to get your website viewed, but you have to be careful.
Buying what is known as “Guaranteed Traffic” is not a good idea, and generally results in no sales for most businesses. Guaranteed Traffic is usually made up of people who are “paid to surf” or generated with misleading links, pop-unders (which most users hate), and traffic exchanges. This is the worst-quality traffic. It just doesn’t convert website visitors into buyers.
Website submission services – which manually submit your site to the major search engines – don’t really work either. It’s far better to get another website that’s already been indexed (included in the search engine results) to link to yours. Search engines tend to give higher priority to links that they find themselves, as opposed to those submitted to them directly. In other words, if a search engine finds your link on another site that is already in its database, it will include you in its results faster.
The best way to get exposure quickly is through pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. Alexis Siemon explained the details in her article “7 Ways to Improve Your PPC Campaign.”
Another method you should look into is search engine optimization (SEO). SEO can take a long time to kick in (6-8 months in most cases), but it can bring you lots of quality FREE traffic. Most Internet marketers agree that SEO is a crucial component of any Web marketing plan. For more on SEO, read Alexis’s article “What’s More Important Than Your Search Engine Ranking?”
- Edwin Huertas
[Ed. Note: Have a question for an ETR expert? Send it to AskETR@ETRFeedback.com and our expert panel just may respond to you in a future issue.]
Baby-Stepping to Fat Loss
It’s no surprise that a lot of the contestants on TV’s “The Biggest Loser” regain the weight once they’re off the show. To maintain their new weight, they’d have to sustain the show’s extreme lifestyle. Nearly impossible.
So what’s a better way to lose weight? Take baby steps.
Dr. James Hill, from the Center of Human Nutrition in Denver, Colorado, is famous for the research studies which found that folks who eat breakfast are better able to keep off lost weight. He now claims that “small reductions in conscious energy intake and increases in physical activity can reduce excessive weight gain.”
Listen, you didn’t gain all that weight overnight. You’re not going to lose it overnight. So just focus on making small changes – and the simplest changes to make are in your diet.
This weekend, take 30 minutes to plan your shopping list and meals for the following week. Then go to the grocery store, come home, and prepare as many of those meals as possible.
Cook a bunch of chicken breasts at once. Wash and cut up fresh vegetables to have on hand for snacks and to prepare filling side dishes. Every day next week, take a baby step and eat one additional serving of fruits or vegetables.
Make those small diet changes and ease your way into a workout program. By doing this consistently, just imagine how healthy and lean you can be just 90 days from now.
[Ed. Note: If you have a hard time reaching the goals you set for yourself, you're not alone. But ETR is here to help. Success mentor Bob Cox can help you make your dreams come true in 2009 and beyond. He'll give you weekly motivation, easy-to-follow success strategies, and - if you need it - a kick in the pants. Learn the details here.
Get a head start on your weight-loss goals with fitness expert Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training program. Learn how you can get fit with three 45-minute workouts a week right here.]
It’s Good to Know: Avoiding Cultural Faux Pas When Traveling
When traveling to other countries for business or pleasure, it is easy to offend your hosts if you don’t know the local “rules.” Here are some tips:
• In Middle Eastern countries, never touch food or shake hands with your left hand. (The left hand is traditionally used for “post bathroom clean up.”)
• In Asian countries – including Thailand, China, and the Koreas – personal space is respected. Do not hug, backslap, or otherwise touch anyone other than a friend or family member.
• Another no-no in Asian countries, especially China and Japan, is blowing your nose in public. They find it disgusting. If you have a cold, hit the restroom.
• Never wear a swimsuit or other clothing in a sauna in Scandinavian countries or Turkey. Au natural is preferred – but if you’re modest, wrap yourself in a towel.
• In Russia, don’t sip that vodka… take the whole shot at once. And in France, never fill your own wine glass without offering to pour for the others at the table.
(Source: Travel and Leisure)
== Highly Recommended ==
Remove Your Success Stumbling Blocks
Having trouble reaching your goals?
You might be sabotaging your efforts and not even know it.
Do you know how to reach your goals?
Have you sat down and really thought about what it’s going to take in order to achieve them?
What steps must you take to bring that dream alive?
Are your day-to-day life activities eating into the time you need to spend nurturing those goals?
Is anyone encouraging you towards the finish line of your success?
If you can’t positively answer the above questions, then stumbling blocks litter your path to success.
Before you start out on your path to success you must have a firm destination in mind and the route mapped out in advance.
Click here to learn how you can get started and stay on track…
Word to the Wise: Vociferous
“Vociferous” (voh-SIF-uh-rus) – from the Latin for “to shout” – is another way to say conspicuously and (usually) offensively loud.
Example (as used by Jeffry D. Wert in A Brotherhood of Valor): “The local heroes received meals, heard speeches, were presented with flags, and were accompanied to railroad stations by vociferous crowds.”
[Ed. Note: Become a more persuasive writer and speaker ... build your self-confidence and intellect ... increase your attractiveness to others ... just by spending 10 VERY enjoyable minutes a day with ETR's new Words to the Wise CD Library.]
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2009
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