foreclosure search

Good morning, Washington. To what extent do the boundaries of newsworthiness extend? That's the question that the Internet is discussing this morning, after Gawker decided to pull a graphic photo taken shortly after Christopher Jusko, a 21-year-old New Yorker, was stabbed to death. Locally, similar questions are being asked about the widely-circulated image of a crosswalk near DC9 on U Street. According to sources, the image, depicting a crosswalk splattered with what many assumed to be the blood of Ali Ahmed Mohammed after he was allegedly beaten to death, actually shows either blood from an earlier incident at the club that evening, or a substance that isn't blood at all. Ryan Kearney, who took one of the first images of the crosswalk and tweeted it, examines both stories and concludes that even the Internet's renegade journalists can go too far. I'd argue that both cases are good reminders that the soundest policy is usually the application of common sense.

Levy Murder Trial Resumes Today, Secrets Revealed: Testimony in the Chandra Levy murder trial restarts this morning after a six-day break in proceedings. To catch us up, Sarah Larimer reports on the multitude of Levy's personal details which have been revealed and pored over during the trial, including her workout routine, her Internet search history and her plastic surgery. Now, if you don't mind, I'm off to wipe my computer and burn all those receipts I've kept.

Groundbreaking On Convention Center Hotel: Mayor Adrian Fenty and company will attend the groundbreaking of the years-in-the-making, $520 million Washington Marriott Marquis Hotel at the intersection of 9th Street and Massachusetts Avenue at 11 a.m. this morning. Aside from introducing some new traffic patterns in the neighborhood, the groundbreaking has plenty of people feeling nostalgic -- I recommend DCMud's thorough retrospective on the process that's gotten the oft-debated site to this point. Looking towards the future, the Post has this tidy overview of what the hotel could bring to the District. Construction of the 1,175-room hotel is expected to take 42 months.

Wildlife Protection Act Passes: The bill proposed by Mary Cheh which will require professionals to humanely capture the critters roaming around D.C.'s crawl spaces passed the Council yesterday. We've discussed the bill before, and, as promised, the final version did not extend such protections to mice and rats, which anyone is still free to trap and kill however they see fit. Cheh also pointed out that the law only applied to pest control companies and not residents: "I don't like the image of you wielding a bat and smashing a possum in the head, but this law wouldn't stop that," Cheh said.

Heartbreaking: Paul Duggan writes this emotionally relentless report about the murder of Joseph Sharps, the Springarn High School student who was shot and killed on Monday night in Trinidad. Don't expect to get through it without getting incredibly angry or coming close to losing it several times.

Briefly Noted: Taxi driver carjacked at knifepoint on 300 block of Allison Street NW last night...DDOT is inspecting the District's bridges this week...Reminder to politicians: please take down your signs...Virginia outlines $1.45 billion transportation spending plan...Council passes emergency legislation requiring foreclosure mediation...Metrobus accident on Good Hope Road SE causes minor injuries...Maryland MVA says that more than 1,300 of the state's residents could be driving with suspended or revoked licenses.

This Day in DCist: Last year, the District's same-sex marriage legislation passed its first hurdle and we heard about the Tweed Ride for the first time; in 2006, we were raving about the soul food at Henry's.

Every day we see more drama in the foreclosure debacle, with increasing number of lenders being pressured to put them on hold.

But what's the strategy for those of us who are still paying our mortgages and not in danger of losing our homes? This should be a perfect opportunity to take Arianna Huffington's wildly successful "Move Your Money" campaign one step further by "shopping for a lower-cost mortgage" and refinancing with a more responsible lender. This won't just punish those who loaned recklessly and reward those who didn't, i.e., community bankers, it will likely save you big bucks if interest rates have dropped at least two percentage points below the rate you are paying on your mortgage.

In the first seven days alone of the "Move Your Money" campaign which began in December 2009, about 340,000 people searched zip codes to find community banks that are highly rated. More importantly, they also moved big bucks out of big bad banks: according to Dennis Santiago of Institutional Risk Analytics, who created a search engine on the site, more than $1 billion was moved in the first three months of 2010. Finding a bank couldn't be easier. When you go to Move Your Money you simply need to enter your zip code to find a list of sound local banks and credit unions to choose from.

There's a big difference between the Too Big To Fail banks that got bailed out and the Small Banks Who Failed. For one thing, the community banks tried to stop these reckless lending practices while the big banks threw bucks at Congress to try to stop reform, James MacPhee, chairman of the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA).

"Along with several ICBA member bankers and staff, I have testified numerous times in the past three years in front of Barney Frank, Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, and Chris Dodd, Chairman of the Senate Banking committee," MacPhee said. "Conversely, the American Bankers Association and the largest Wall Street firms ran a full court press trying to stop (reform) from ever being passed."

Have community banks failed? Yes, MacPhee maintains, but it wasn't because they were reckless but because their prudent loans were "bundled" with bad loans.

"As these debt instruments became worthless, hose buying our debt stopped purchasing, and foreclosures ran in the tens of thousands. When that occurred, the market value of the solid loans became worth less, as foreclosed homes were being sold well under their market value. As the job market dried up, even good loans had to be written down by the community banks. The resulting loss of capital dropped below regulatory standards, and the banks were closed and then typically merged into other banks by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. "

The good news -- or let's hope so -- is that the exposure of reckless practices will humiliate the bad banks into changing their practices. If it doesn't? All the more reason to "boycott" them and only do business with those who put their customers first.

Ready to consider refinancing? Consider taking these steps.

Before you do any "mortgage shopping," get a copy of your credit history at AnnualCreditReport.com. If you have a low score, you might want to consider postponing refinancing until you've built a better bill-payment history; it could literally cut your mortgage cost in half.

Consider only fixed-rate mortgages. Some "experts" may claim that adjustable rate mortgages are okay if you're only going to stay in your home for three years or less, but your home is not a disposable item like a cell phone. If you're only planning to live in one place for three years or less, you should rent, not buy. MacPhee agrees with me that one of the biggest ripoffs in the banking industry -- that the media STILL isn't covering -- is the adjustable rate mortgage. "If (a bank is) going to write an ARM mortgage because someone cannot afford a home under standard bank rates, who are you kidding? The custom is happy for three years, or the period of the ARM balloon, the bank makes big fees, and then sells off both the credit risk and the interest rate risk and walks away."

As I pointed out in my book, America, Welcome to the Poorhouse, another big bargain is the little-talked about 15-year mortgage. Savings are significant both because the loan features a shorter payback period and because these mortgages generally feature lower rates. For example, assuming a 6% interest rate, your total interest costs on a $100,000 30-year mortgage are nearly $116,000. If that same mortgage were converted to a 15-year term, it would require somewhat higher monthly payments -- $844 instead of $600 -- but you'd save nearly $64,000 in interest payments.

Never take out an interest-only mortgage. While you pay no principal during the interest-only period, your payments will rise when that period comes to an end. Furthermore, the mortgage has to be paid off during a shorter term -- 25, 23, or 20 years -- so your monthly payments will be higher.

Avoid one of the riskiest mortgages, a balloon loan. Talk about bait and switch: typically, after the end of a three- or seven-year period, you owe the bank all the remaining principal, in one lump sum. If the value of your home drops you won't be able to find another mortgage to repay that loan and you risk foreclosure. And let's hope that this option won't even be broached by your responsible community banker.

eric seiger

Meanwhile, also in the <b>news</b>…

This entry was posted in News and tagged alex carlile, david anderson, harrogate council, mike gardner. Bookmark the permalink or use the short url http://ldv.org.uk/22006 for twitter and emails. Follow any comments here with the RSS ...

<b>News</b> Poll FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and Funny Pictures

epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. ... News Poll FAIL. epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. Submitted by: Unknown. Incorrect source or offensive? G-rated, math is too hard, news, News Poll, opinions, poll, television ...

Olbermann Suspension Helped Fox <b>News</b> | FrumForum

MSNBC isn't an impartial arbiter of news, at least not the sanctified area in which Olbermann, Ed Schultz, and Rachel Maddow inhabit. It never was. And you may not see flowing robes and white collars but they preach to the choir all the ...

eric seiger
Good morning, Washington. To what extent do the boundaries of newsworthiness extend? That's the question that the Internet is discussing this morning, after Gawker decided to pull a graphic photo taken shortly after Christopher Jusko, a 21-year-old New Yorker, was stabbed to death. Locally, similar questions are being asked about the widely-circulated image of a crosswalk near DC9 on U Street. According to sources, the image, depicting a crosswalk splattered with what many assumed to be the blood of Ali Ahmed Mohammed after he was allegedly beaten to death, actually shows either blood from an earlier incident at the club that evening, or a substance that isn't blood at all. Ryan Kearney, who took one of the first images of the crosswalk and tweeted it, examines both stories and concludes that even the Internet's renegade journalists can go too far. I'd argue that both cases are good reminders that the soundest policy is usually the application of common sense.

Levy Murder Trial Resumes Today, Secrets Revealed: Testimony in the Chandra Levy murder trial restarts this morning after a six-day break in proceedings. To catch us up, Sarah Larimer reports on the multitude of Levy's personal details which have been revealed and pored over during the trial, including her workout routine, her Internet search history and her plastic surgery. Now, if you don't mind, I'm off to wipe my computer and burn all those receipts I've kept.

Groundbreaking On Convention Center Hotel: Mayor Adrian Fenty and company will attend the groundbreaking of the years-in-the-making, $520 million Washington Marriott Marquis Hotel at the intersection of 9th Street and Massachusetts Avenue at 11 a.m. this morning. Aside from introducing some new traffic patterns in the neighborhood, the groundbreaking has plenty of people feeling nostalgic -- I recommend DCMud's thorough retrospective on the process that's gotten the oft-debated site to this point. Looking towards the future, the Post has this tidy overview of what the hotel could bring to the District. Construction of the 1,175-room hotel is expected to take 42 months.

Wildlife Protection Act Passes: The bill proposed by Mary Cheh which will require professionals to humanely capture the critters roaming around D.C.'s crawl spaces passed the Council yesterday. We've discussed the bill before, and, as promised, the final version did not extend such protections to mice and rats, which anyone is still free to trap and kill however they see fit. Cheh also pointed out that the law only applied to pest control companies and not residents: "I don't like the image of you wielding a bat and smashing a possum in the head, but this law wouldn't stop that," Cheh said.

Heartbreaking: Paul Duggan writes this emotionally relentless report about the murder of Joseph Sharps, the Springarn High School student who was shot and killed on Monday night in Trinidad. Don't expect to get through it without getting incredibly angry or coming close to losing it several times.

Briefly Noted: Taxi driver carjacked at knifepoint on 300 block of Allison Street NW last night...DDOT is inspecting the District's bridges this week...Reminder to politicians: please take down your signs...Virginia outlines $1.45 billion transportation spending plan...Council passes emergency legislation requiring foreclosure mediation...Metrobus accident on Good Hope Road SE causes minor injuries...Maryland MVA says that more than 1,300 of the state's residents could be driving with suspended or revoked licenses.

This Day in DCist: Last year, the District's same-sex marriage legislation passed its first hurdle and we heard about the Tweed Ride for the first time; in 2006, we were raving about the soul food at Henry's.

Every day we see more drama in the foreclosure debacle, with increasing number of lenders being pressured to put them on hold.

But what's the strategy for those of us who are still paying our mortgages and not in danger of losing our homes? This should be a perfect opportunity to take Arianna Huffington's wildly successful "Move Your Money" campaign one step further by "shopping for a lower-cost mortgage" and refinancing with a more responsible lender. This won't just punish those who loaned recklessly and reward those who didn't, i.e., community bankers, it will likely save you big bucks if interest rates have dropped at least two percentage points below the rate you are paying on your mortgage.

In the first seven days alone of the "Move Your Money" campaign which began in December 2009, about 340,000 people searched zip codes to find community banks that are highly rated. More importantly, they also moved big bucks out of big bad banks: according to Dennis Santiago of Institutional Risk Analytics, who created a search engine on the site, more than $1 billion was moved in the first three months of 2010. Finding a bank couldn't be easier. When you go to Move Your Money you simply need to enter your zip code to find a list of sound local banks and credit unions to choose from.

There's a big difference between the Too Big To Fail banks that got bailed out and the Small Banks Who Failed. For one thing, the community banks tried to stop these reckless lending practices while the big banks threw bucks at Congress to try to stop reform, James MacPhee, chairman of the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA).

"Along with several ICBA member bankers and staff, I have testified numerous times in the past three years in front of Barney Frank, Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, and Chris Dodd, Chairman of the Senate Banking committee," MacPhee said. "Conversely, the American Bankers Association and the largest Wall Street firms ran a full court press trying to stop (reform) from ever being passed."

Have community banks failed? Yes, MacPhee maintains, but it wasn't because they were reckless but because their prudent loans were "bundled" with bad loans.

"As these debt instruments became worthless, hose buying our debt stopped purchasing, and foreclosures ran in the tens of thousands. When that occurred, the market value of the solid loans became worth less, as foreclosed homes were being sold well under their market value. As the job market dried up, even good loans had to be written down by the community banks. The resulting loss of capital dropped below regulatory standards, and the banks were closed and then typically merged into other banks by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. "

The good news -- or let's hope so -- is that the exposure of reckless practices will humiliate the bad banks into changing their practices. If it doesn't? All the more reason to "boycott" them and only do business with those who put their customers first.

Ready to consider refinancing? Consider taking these steps.

Before you do any "mortgage shopping," get a copy of your credit history at AnnualCreditReport.com. If you have a low score, you might want to consider postponing refinancing until you've built a better bill-payment history; it could literally cut your mortgage cost in half.

Consider only fixed-rate mortgages. Some "experts" may claim that adjustable rate mortgages are okay if you're only going to stay in your home for three years or less, but your home is not a disposable item like a cell phone. If you're only planning to live in one place for three years or less, you should rent, not buy. MacPhee agrees with me that one of the biggest ripoffs in the banking industry -- that the media STILL isn't covering -- is the adjustable rate mortgage. "If (a bank is) going to write an ARM mortgage because someone cannot afford a home under standard bank rates, who are you kidding? The custom is happy for three years, or the period of the ARM balloon, the bank makes big fees, and then sells off both the credit risk and the interest rate risk and walks away."

As I pointed out in my book, America, Welcome to the Poorhouse, another big bargain is the little-talked about 15-year mortgage. Savings are significant both because the loan features a shorter payback period and because these mortgages generally feature lower rates. For example, assuming a 6% interest rate, your total interest costs on a $100,000 30-year mortgage are nearly $116,000. If that same mortgage were converted to a 15-year term, it would require somewhat higher monthly payments -- $844 instead of $600 -- but you'd save nearly $64,000 in interest payments.

Never take out an interest-only mortgage. While you pay no principal during the interest-only period, your payments will rise when that period comes to an end. Furthermore, the mortgage has to be paid off during a shorter term -- 25, 23, or 20 years -- so your monthly payments will be higher.

Avoid one of the riskiest mortgages, a balloon loan. Talk about bait and switch: typically, after the end of a three- or seven-year period, you owe the bank all the remaining principal, in one lump sum. If the value of your home drops you won't be able to find another mortgage to repay that loan and you risk foreclosure. And let's hope that this option won't even be broached by your responsible community banker.

eric seiger

Meanwhile, also in the <b>news</b>…

This entry was posted in News and tagged alex carlile, david anderson, harrogate council, mike gardner. Bookmark the permalink or use the short url http://ldv.org.uk/22006 for twitter and emails. Follow any comments here with the RSS ...

<b>News</b> Poll FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and Funny Pictures

epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. ... News Poll FAIL. epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. Submitted by: Unknown. Incorrect source or offensive? G-rated, math is too hard, news, News Poll, opinions, poll, television ...

Olbermann Suspension Helped Fox <b>News</b> | FrumForum

MSNBC isn't an impartial arbiter of news, at least not the sanctified area in which Olbermann, Ed Schultz, and Rachel Maddow inhabit. It never was. And you may not see flowing robes and white collars but they preach to the choir all the ...

eric seiger

eric seiger

eric seiger

Meanwhile, also in the <b>news</b>…

This entry was posted in News and tagged alex carlile, david anderson, harrogate council, mike gardner. Bookmark the permalink or use the short url http://ldv.org.uk/22006 for twitter and emails. Follow any comments here with the RSS ...

<b>News</b> Poll FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and Funny Pictures

epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. ... News Poll FAIL. epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. Submitted by: Unknown. Incorrect source or offensive? G-rated, math is too hard, news, News Poll, opinions, poll, television ...

Olbermann Suspension Helped Fox <b>News</b> | FrumForum

MSNBC isn't an impartial arbiter of news, at least not the sanctified area in which Olbermann, Ed Schultz, and Rachel Maddow inhabit. It never was. And you may not see flowing robes and white collars but they preach to the choir all the ...

eric seiger
Good morning, Washington. To what extent do the boundaries of newsworthiness extend? That's the question that the Internet is discussing this morning, after Gawker decided to pull a graphic photo taken shortly after Christopher Jusko, a 21-year-old New Yorker, was stabbed to death. Locally, similar questions are being asked about the widely-circulated image of a crosswalk near DC9 on U Street. According to sources, the image, depicting a crosswalk splattered with what many assumed to be the blood of Ali Ahmed Mohammed after he was allegedly beaten to death, actually shows either blood from an earlier incident at the club that evening, or a substance that isn't blood at all. Ryan Kearney, who took one of the first images of the crosswalk and tweeted it, examines both stories and concludes that even the Internet's renegade journalists can go too far. I'd argue that both cases are good reminders that the soundest policy is usually the application of common sense.

Levy Murder Trial Resumes Today, Secrets Revealed: Testimony in the Chandra Levy murder trial restarts this morning after a six-day break in proceedings. To catch us up, Sarah Larimer reports on the multitude of Levy's personal details which have been revealed and pored over during the trial, including her workout routine, her Internet search history and her plastic surgery. Now, if you don't mind, I'm off to wipe my computer and burn all those receipts I've kept.

Groundbreaking On Convention Center Hotel: Mayor Adrian Fenty and company will attend the groundbreaking of the years-in-the-making, $520 million Washington Marriott Marquis Hotel at the intersection of 9th Street and Massachusetts Avenue at 11 a.m. this morning. Aside from introducing some new traffic patterns in the neighborhood, the groundbreaking has plenty of people feeling nostalgic -- I recommend DCMud's thorough retrospective on the process that's gotten the oft-debated site to this point. Looking towards the future, the Post has this tidy overview of what the hotel could bring to the District. Construction of the 1,175-room hotel is expected to take 42 months.

Wildlife Protection Act Passes: The bill proposed by Mary Cheh which will require professionals to humanely capture the critters roaming around D.C.'s crawl spaces passed the Council yesterday. We've discussed the bill before, and, as promised, the final version did not extend such protections to mice and rats, which anyone is still free to trap and kill however they see fit. Cheh also pointed out that the law only applied to pest control companies and not residents: "I don't like the image of you wielding a bat and smashing a possum in the head, but this law wouldn't stop that," Cheh said.

Heartbreaking: Paul Duggan writes this emotionally relentless report about the murder of Joseph Sharps, the Springarn High School student who was shot and killed on Monday night in Trinidad. Don't expect to get through it without getting incredibly angry or coming close to losing it several times.

Briefly Noted: Taxi driver carjacked at knifepoint on 300 block of Allison Street NW last night...DDOT is inspecting the District's bridges this week...Reminder to politicians: please take down your signs...Virginia outlines $1.45 billion transportation spending plan...Council passes emergency legislation requiring foreclosure mediation...Metrobus accident on Good Hope Road SE causes minor injuries...Maryland MVA says that more than 1,300 of the state's residents could be driving with suspended or revoked licenses.

This Day in DCist: Last year, the District's same-sex marriage legislation passed its first hurdle and we heard about the Tweed Ride for the first time; in 2006, we were raving about the soul food at Henry's.

Every day we see more drama in the foreclosure debacle, with increasing number of lenders being pressured to put them on hold.

But what's the strategy for those of us who are still paying our mortgages and not in danger of losing our homes? This should be a perfect opportunity to take Arianna Huffington's wildly successful "Move Your Money" campaign one step further by "shopping for a lower-cost mortgage" and refinancing with a more responsible lender. This won't just punish those who loaned recklessly and reward those who didn't, i.e., community bankers, it will likely save you big bucks if interest rates have dropped at least two percentage points below the rate you are paying on your mortgage.

In the first seven days alone of the "Move Your Money" campaign which began in December 2009, about 340,000 people searched zip codes to find community banks that are highly rated. More importantly, they also moved big bucks out of big bad banks: according to Dennis Santiago of Institutional Risk Analytics, who created a search engine on the site, more than $1 billion was moved in the first three months of 2010. Finding a bank couldn't be easier. When you go to Move Your Money you simply need to enter your zip code to find a list of sound local banks and credit unions to choose from.

There's a big difference between the Too Big To Fail banks that got bailed out and the Small Banks Who Failed. For one thing, the community banks tried to stop these reckless lending practices while the big banks threw bucks at Congress to try to stop reform, James MacPhee, chairman of the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA).

"Along with several ICBA member bankers and staff, I have testified numerous times in the past three years in front of Barney Frank, Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, and Chris Dodd, Chairman of the Senate Banking committee," MacPhee said. "Conversely, the American Bankers Association and the largest Wall Street firms ran a full court press trying to stop (reform) from ever being passed."

Have community banks failed? Yes, MacPhee maintains, but it wasn't because they were reckless but because their prudent loans were "bundled" with bad loans.

"As these debt instruments became worthless, hose buying our debt stopped purchasing, and foreclosures ran in the tens of thousands. When that occurred, the market value of the solid loans became worth less, as foreclosed homes were being sold well under their market value. As the job market dried up, even good loans had to be written down by the community banks. The resulting loss of capital dropped below regulatory standards, and the banks were closed and then typically merged into other banks by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. "

The good news -- or let's hope so -- is that the exposure of reckless practices will humiliate the bad banks into changing their practices. If it doesn't? All the more reason to "boycott" them and only do business with those who put their customers first.

Ready to consider refinancing? Consider taking these steps.

Before you do any "mortgage shopping," get a copy of your credit history at AnnualCreditReport.com. If you have a low score, you might want to consider postponing refinancing until you've built a better bill-payment history; it could literally cut your mortgage cost in half.

Consider only fixed-rate mortgages. Some "experts" may claim that adjustable rate mortgages are okay if you're only going to stay in your home for three years or less, but your home is not a disposable item like a cell phone. If you're only planning to live in one place for three years or less, you should rent, not buy. MacPhee agrees with me that one of the biggest ripoffs in the banking industry -- that the media STILL isn't covering -- is the adjustable rate mortgage. "If (a bank is) going to write an ARM mortgage because someone cannot afford a home under standard bank rates, who are you kidding? The custom is happy for three years, or the period of the ARM balloon, the bank makes big fees, and then sells off both the credit risk and the interest rate risk and walks away."

As I pointed out in my book, America, Welcome to the Poorhouse, another big bargain is the little-talked about 15-year mortgage. Savings are significant both because the loan features a shorter payback period and because these mortgages generally feature lower rates. For example, assuming a 6% interest rate, your total interest costs on a $100,000 30-year mortgage are nearly $116,000. If that same mortgage were converted to a 15-year term, it would require somewhat higher monthly payments -- $844 instead of $600 -- but you'd save nearly $64,000 in interest payments.

Never take out an interest-only mortgage. While you pay no principal during the interest-only period, your payments will rise when that period comes to an end. Furthermore, the mortgage has to be paid off during a shorter term -- 25, 23, or 20 years -- so your monthly payments will be higher.

Avoid one of the riskiest mortgages, a balloon loan. Talk about bait and switch: typically, after the end of a three- or seven-year period, you owe the bank all the remaining principal, in one lump sum. If the value of your home drops you won't be able to find another mortgage to repay that loan and you risk foreclosure. And let's hope that this option won't even be broached by your responsible community banker.

eric seiger

eric seiger

Meanwhile, also in the <b>news</b>…

This entry was posted in News and tagged alex carlile, david anderson, harrogate council, mike gardner. Bookmark the permalink or use the short url http://ldv.org.uk/22006 for twitter and emails. Follow any comments here with the RSS ...

<b>News</b> Poll FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and Funny Pictures

epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. ... News Poll FAIL. epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. Submitted by: Unknown. Incorrect source or offensive? G-rated, math is too hard, news, News Poll, opinions, poll, television ...

Olbermann Suspension Helped Fox <b>News</b> | FrumForum

MSNBC isn't an impartial arbiter of news, at least not the sanctified area in which Olbermann, Ed Schultz, and Rachel Maddow inhabit. It never was. And you may not see flowing robes and white collars but they preach to the choir all the ...

eric seiger

eric seiger

Meanwhile, also in the <b>news</b>…

This entry was posted in News and tagged alex carlile, david anderson, harrogate council, mike gardner. Bookmark the permalink or use the short url http://ldv.org.uk/22006 for twitter and emails. Follow any comments here with the RSS ...

<b>News</b> Poll FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and Funny Pictures

epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. ... News Poll FAIL. epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. Submitted by: Unknown. Incorrect source or offensive? G-rated, math is too hard, news, News Poll, opinions, poll, television ...

Olbermann Suspension Helped Fox <b>News</b> | FrumForum

MSNBC isn't an impartial arbiter of news, at least not the sanctified area in which Olbermann, Ed Schultz, and Rachel Maddow inhabit. It never was. And you may not see flowing robes and white collars but they preach to the choir all the ...

eric seiger

Meanwhile, also in the <b>news</b>…

This entry was posted in News and tagged alex carlile, david anderson, harrogate council, mike gardner. Bookmark the permalink or use the short url http://ldv.org.uk/22006 for twitter and emails. Follow any comments here with the RSS ...

<b>News</b> Poll FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and Funny Pictures

epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. ... News Poll FAIL. epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. Submitted by: Unknown. Incorrect source or offensive? G-rated, math is too hard, news, News Poll, opinions, poll, television ...

Olbermann Suspension Helped Fox <b>News</b> | FrumForum

MSNBC isn't an impartial arbiter of news, at least not the sanctified area in which Olbermann, Ed Schultz, and Rachel Maddow inhabit. It never was. And you may not see flowing robes and white collars but they preach to the choir all the ...

eric seiger

Meanwhile, also in the <b>news</b>…

This entry was posted in News and tagged alex carlile, david anderson, harrogate council, mike gardner. Bookmark the permalink or use the short url http://ldv.org.uk/22006 for twitter and emails. Follow any comments here with the RSS ...

<b>News</b> Poll FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and Funny Pictures

epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. ... News Poll FAIL. epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. Submitted by: Unknown. Incorrect source or offensive? G-rated, math is too hard, news, News Poll, opinions, poll, television ...

Olbermann Suspension Helped Fox <b>News</b> | FrumForum

MSNBC isn't an impartial arbiter of news, at least not the sanctified area in which Olbermann, Ed Schultz, and Rachel Maddow inhabit. It never was. And you may not see flowing robes and white collars but they preach to the choir all the ...

eric seiger eric seiger
eric seiger

eric seiger
eric seiger

Meanwhile, also in the <b>news</b>…

This entry was posted in News and tagged alex carlile, david anderson, harrogate council, mike gardner. Bookmark the permalink or use the short url http://ldv.org.uk/22006 for twitter and emails. Follow any comments here with the RSS ...

<b>News</b> Poll FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and Funny Pictures

epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. ... News Poll FAIL. epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. Submitted by: Unknown. Incorrect source or offensive? G-rated, math is too hard, news, News Poll, opinions, poll, television ...

Olbermann Suspension Helped Fox <b>News</b> | FrumForum

MSNBC isn't an impartial arbiter of news, at least not the sanctified area in which Olbermann, Ed Schultz, and Rachel Maddow inhabit. It never was. And you may not see flowing robes and white collars but they preach to the choir all the ...

According to First American Core logic, the following cities were listed as the 10 most risky cities for foreclosure, as of Jan. 28, 2008:

1. Bakersfield, Ca
2. Stockton, Ca
3. Fresno, Ca
4. Warren, MI
5. Grand Rapids, MI
6. Riverside, CA
7. Sacramento, CA
8. Detroit, MI (down from #1 in 2007)
9. McAllen, TX
10. Youngstown, OH

A report released by First American Core Logic found that the risk of foreclosure has jumped 22% since last year and up 9% from just three months ago. Risk scores were based on job growth or loss, as well as incidences of fraud. Home price trends are especially important. Foreclosure risks are expected to continue to rise over the next 18 months, at the least.

Foreclosure Help

The major US mortgage servicers have agreed to be a part of Project Lifeline, a government-backed measure to help keep struggling borrowers in their homes. The project allows servicers to stop the clock on the foreclosure process for 30 days for people who are 90 days or more late on their mortgage payments.

Project Lifeline is not just for subprime mortgages, but for people with any residential mortgages for their primary place of residence. Homeowners who receive letters from participating lenders need to respond immediately there is only a 10-day window to response. The servicers may recommend financial counseling if they feel it's necessary. Both sides, the lender and the mortgagor, have a few weeks to reach some kind of agreement for resolving the homeowner's default.

Project Lifeline has been adopted by dozens of mortgage servicers belonging to the Hope Now Alliance. A list of these lenders can be found on the website: www.hopenow.com. There is also the hotline set up to give anyone calling mortgage help. That phone number is 888-995-HOPE.

Project Lifeline is an addition to an industry wide initiative, that was announced last December, which freezes interest rates and as a result of that monthly payments, on sub prime mortgages for qualifying homeowners for 5 years.

The downside of Project Lifeline is that it does not apply to people who are within 30 days of foreclosure sale. Most people don't face the reality of their situation until the 11th hour and by the time they go for help it maybe too late.

The Hope Now Alliance is a program aided and funded by the lenders of the alliance. It is a private sector led effort to help minimize the horrors of the housing dilemma. There will be homeowners who choose not to respond to phone calls or to letters sent who will take no action and simply walk away. The borrower whose mortgage exceeds the value of the home or put very little money down are most likely not to respond.

Overall, the Hope Now Alliance and Project Lifeline is striving to help as many able but struggling homeowners as possible regardless of loan program or credit ranking.

These programs are only 4 months old but have so far had a membership increase from 60% subprime servicer market to 94%. The amount of hotline calls is up from 625 to 4000 a day. In the first three months Hope Now Alliance servicers have sent 775,000 letters with a 16% response rate. They will be sending a second round of additional 200,000 letters each month.

Remember these programs are designed for primary residences. It is not a cure or retribution for those who profited or who have committed fraud in the mortgage industry. It is an effort, through loan modification or refinancing, to keep homeowners in their homes.

The latest round of letters were just mailed February 20, 2008. This was the 4th round and last day to respond in 10 days from the 20th. The best advice for foreclosure help would be to first believe it's happening and take action. The next advice is to call your lender. Believe me no one benefits when a house is in foreclosure including the lender so they are willing to work with you.



eric seiger

Meanwhile, also in the <b>news</b>…

This entry was posted in News and tagged alex carlile, david anderson, harrogate council, mike gardner. Bookmark the permalink or use the short url http://ldv.org.uk/22006 for twitter and emails. Follow any comments here with the RSS ...

<b>News</b> Poll FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and Funny Pictures

epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. ... News Poll FAIL. epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. Submitted by: Unknown. Incorrect source or offensive? G-rated, math is too hard, news, News Poll, opinions, poll, television ...

Olbermann Suspension Helped Fox <b>News</b> | FrumForum

MSNBC isn't an impartial arbiter of news, at least not the sanctified area in which Olbermann, Ed Schultz, and Rachel Maddow inhabit. It never was. And you may not see flowing robes and white collars but they preach to the choir all the ...

eric seiger

Meanwhile, also in the <b>news</b>…

This entry was posted in News and tagged alex carlile, david anderson, harrogate council, mike gardner. Bookmark the permalink or use the short url http://ldv.org.uk/22006 for twitter and emails. Follow any comments here with the RSS ...

<b>News</b> Poll FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and Funny Pictures

epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. ... News Poll FAIL. epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. Submitted by: Unknown. Incorrect source or offensive? G-rated, math is too hard, news, News Poll, opinions, poll, television ...

Olbermann Suspension Helped Fox <b>News</b> | FrumForum

MSNBC isn't an impartial arbiter of news, at least not the sanctified area in which Olbermann, Ed Schultz, and Rachel Maddow inhabit. It never was. And you may not see flowing robes and white collars but they preach to the choir all the ...

eric seiger

Stock Making Money

By NewsOne Financial Blogger Ryan Mack:

If I gave you $100,000 today how would you spend it?

Before you continue to read, I want you to take a moment and think hard about this question.  How would you put that money to work?  After you have thought about it, which of the following two scenarios describes the best use of the funds?

Scenario A: Spend $50,000 on a “caddy”, $25,000 for your pinky, and the balance on a “pound of blow”.  In twenty years you will have an old pinky ring and a lot less brain cells.

Scenario B: Spend $20,000 on a Honda Accord, $5,000 on a nice vacation, and invest $75,000 in your own portfolio.  In twenty years you could have as much as $350,000 (with a very modest 8% return).

For those who chose Scenario A, you have agreed with famous rap star Lil’ Wayne as this scenario was taken from his lyrics in his song “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy”.  I listen to rap music, but we must understand that many of the lyrics in this music were written because of their ability to make money…NOT because of their contribution to our intellectual capital as a people.

I personally agree with Scenario B and so do the majority of millionaires in this country.  Half of the millionaires in America have never spent over $30,000 for a car in their ENTIRE life (The Millionaire Next Door, Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko).

One reason is they are so busy making money that they do not have much time to worry about self image.  If you were TRULY wealthy, and like 5% of America who controls 95% of the wealth in America, would you care about what others thought about you?  Another more important reason is they understand that as long as they are spending money on items that lose value instead of things that gain value they are less able to maintain and increase their economic status.  This is why you will hear stories about Jim Walton, heir to the fortune created by his father Sam Walton (founder of Wal-Mart).  He still drives a 15-year-old Dodge Dakota pickup despite being number 23 on the 2007 billionaire’s list.  You may have also heard about Ingvar Kamprad, founder of multi-billion dollar enterprise and also a billionaire.  He still drives a Volvo which is also 15 years old.  Before he attained his fortune, his father gave him a very modest reward for doing well in school and what did he spend his money on…a “modest” furniture company named Ikea which reported revenues of $17.7 billion dollars in 2005.

The question that you should be asking if you do not know and have not asked already is, “What are they spending their money on if it is not consumption?”  The opposite of consumption (putting your money into assets that lose value) is production (putting your money into assets that go up in value). Four of the most common vehicles that you can invest your money into are the following:

1.      Stocks

2.      Bonds

3.      Real Estate

4.      Entrepreneurship

1.     Stocks

I read blog posts by Don Dodge and Glenn Kelman today about people jumping from Google to Facebook and it got me thinking about entrepreneurs.

Most people have an aversion to risk, my college economics professor told me. Which means they have to be rewarded to take on that risk. The higher the risk, the higher the possible payout has to be for people to jump.

We make risk/reward decisions every day, all day. Do I go skiing, and enjoy the rush of flying downhill even though there’s a small chance I’ll blow out a knee? Should I go to college or just get a job and start earning money now? Should I eat the high fiber and generally healthy thing on the menu, or go for the cheeseburger? Should I hit the restroom before the movie starts? Etc.

Every time we do something, or don’t do something, there’s a risk/reward algorithm being calculated in our brain.

Entrepreneurs, though, are all screwed up. They don’t need to be rewarded for risk, because they actually get utility out of risk itself. In other words, they like adventure.

The payouts for starting a business are just terrible when you account for risk. A tiny minority of entrepreneurs ever get rich. And the majority of entrepreneurs would probably make far more money, and have more stable personal relationships, if they just worked for someone else.

In my youth I was a corporate lawyer, making a very nice salary for representing technology startups in Silicon Valley. There was a good chance I’d make partner after 7-8 years and could be earning maybe a million dollars a year by the time I was 40. All I had to do was work hard, and bring in clients. I was good at both.

But I left the law after just three years to join a startup. And the reason I did it was adventure. I wanted to be in the game, not just watching it. My parents thought I was crazy. They still have no real idea of what I do for a living, and they were, frankly, pissed off that I spent their money getting a law degree, only to throw it away before I was 30.

But I did it anyway. And then I left that company after a year to start my own company. And I’ve never looked back since then. That first company I started made a lot of money for the venture capitalists – nearly $30 million – but next to nothing for the founders. The companies I started after that varied between failures and mediocre successes. But at no point did I ever consider getting a “real job.” That felt like a black and white world, and I wanted technicolor. Also, I hate working for other people because I’m really bad at it.

When I talk to non-entrepreneurs about the startup world I often use a pirate analogy. Not because I know that much about pirates, but the general stereotypes work well as an analogy.

Why did some people way back in the 17th century, or whenever, become pirates? The likely payoff was abysmal, I imagine. There’s a very small chance you’d make a fortune from some prize, and a very large chance you’d drown, or be hung, or shot, or whatever. And living on a small ship with a hundred other guys must have sucked, even for the captain.

But in my fantasy pirate world these guys just had really screwed up risk aversion algorithms. Unlike most of the other people they actually lusted after that risk. The potential for riches was just an argument for the venture. But the real payoff was the pirate life itself.

Also, it was nearly impossible to be an entrepreneur back then.

Now it turns out that most people in Silicon Valley are actually normal risk averse types. They carefully calculate the potential rewards of a startup before they join, taking into account stock options as well as salary. And also the resume value of a company.

Some of the richest people I know aren’t really entrepreneurs. They worked at HP and then moved to Netscape when it got hot. They made a fortune and then jumped to Google and made another fortune. And now they’re jumping to Facebook.

They may be very good engineers, or sales people, or marketing, or execs. But they ain’t entrepreneurs. They’re just resume gardening and they’re really no different from everyone else.

I don’t care if you’re a billionaire. If you haven’t started a company, really gambled your resume and your money and maybe even your marriage to just go crazy and try something on your own, you’re no pirate and you aren’t in the club.

That thrill of your first hire, when you’ve convinced some other crazy soul to join you in your almost certainly doomed project. The high from raising venture capital and starting to see your name mentioned in the press. The excitement of launch and…gulp…customers! and the feeling of truly learning something useful, you’re just not sure what it is, when the company almost inevitably crashes and burns.

Now that person is interesting. That person has stories to tell. That person is a man who has been in the arena.

There are lots of things that I will probably never experience in this life. Military combat. Being dictator of a small central American country. Dunking a basketball. Being a famous rock star. Or walking on Mars.

But one thing I have been, and will always be, is an entrepreneur. And damnit that feels pretty good. Because if I was a lawyer right now, even a rich lawyer, I’d always have wondered if I had what it takes to do something a little more adventurous with my life than work for someone else.

eric seiger

Fox <b>News</b> Ratings on Election Night Beat Networks - NYTimes.com

The Fox News Channel's midterm election coverage attracted more viewers than any of the broadcast networks' coverage, according to the Nielsen Company.

Lindy guarantees it, or did he? - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The <b>...</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

Facebook Wins Another <b>News</b> Feed Patent

When Facebook originally filed for the patent in the fall of 2006, it was just a month before the company launched its news feed. It argued at the time that as more and more users joined the social network, the amount of information it ...

eric seiger

By NewsOne Financial Blogger Ryan Mack:

If I gave you $100,000 today how would you spend it?

Before you continue to read, I want you to take a moment and think hard about this question.  How would you put that money to work?  After you have thought about it, which of the following two scenarios describes the best use of the funds?

Scenario A: Spend $50,000 on a “caddy”, $25,000 for your pinky, and the balance on a “pound of blow”.  In twenty years you will have an old pinky ring and a lot less brain cells.

Scenario B: Spend $20,000 on a Honda Accord, $5,000 on a nice vacation, and invest $75,000 in your own portfolio.  In twenty years you could have as much as $350,000 (with a very modest 8% return).

For those who chose Scenario A, you have agreed with famous rap star Lil’ Wayne as this scenario was taken from his lyrics in his song “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy”.  I listen to rap music, but we must understand that many of the lyrics in this music were written because of their ability to make money…NOT because of their contribution to our intellectual capital as a people.

I personally agree with Scenario B and so do the majority of millionaires in this country.  Half of the millionaires in America have never spent over $30,000 for a car in their ENTIRE life (The Millionaire Next Door, Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko).

One reason is they are so busy making money that they do not have much time to worry about self image.  If you were TRULY wealthy, and like 5% of America who controls 95% of the wealth in America, would you care about what others thought about you?  Another more important reason is they understand that as long as they are spending money on items that lose value instead of things that gain value they are less able to maintain and increase their economic status.  This is why you will hear stories about Jim Walton, heir to the fortune created by his father Sam Walton (founder of Wal-Mart).  He still drives a 15-year-old Dodge Dakota pickup despite being number 23 on the 2007 billionaire’s list.  You may have also heard about Ingvar Kamprad, founder of multi-billion dollar enterprise and also a billionaire.  He still drives a Volvo which is also 15 years old.  Before he attained his fortune, his father gave him a very modest reward for doing well in school and what did he spend his money on…a “modest” furniture company named Ikea which reported revenues of $17.7 billion dollars in 2005.

The question that you should be asking if you do not know and have not asked already is, “What are they spending their money on if it is not consumption?”  The opposite of consumption (putting your money into assets that lose value) is production (putting your money into assets that go up in value). Four of the most common vehicles that you can invest your money into are the following:

1.      Stocks

2.      Bonds

3.      Real Estate

4.      Entrepreneurship

1.     Stocks

I read blog posts by Don Dodge and Glenn Kelman today about people jumping from Google to Facebook and it got me thinking about entrepreneurs.

Most people have an aversion to risk, my college economics professor told me. Which means they have to be rewarded to take on that risk. The higher the risk, the higher the possible payout has to be for people to jump.

We make risk/reward decisions every day, all day. Do I go skiing, and enjoy the rush of flying downhill even though there’s a small chance I’ll blow out a knee? Should I go to college or just get a job and start earning money now? Should I eat the high fiber and generally healthy thing on the menu, or go for the cheeseburger? Should I hit the restroom before the movie starts? Etc.

Every time we do something, or don’t do something, there’s a risk/reward algorithm being calculated in our brain.

Entrepreneurs, though, are all screwed up. They don’t need to be rewarded for risk, because they actually get utility out of risk itself. In other words, they like adventure.

The payouts for starting a business are just terrible when you account for risk. A tiny minority of entrepreneurs ever get rich. And the majority of entrepreneurs would probably make far more money, and have more stable personal relationships, if they just worked for someone else.

In my youth I was a corporate lawyer, making a very nice salary for representing technology startups in Silicon Valley. There was a good chance I’d make partner after 7-8 years and could be earning maybe a million dollars a year by the time I was 40. All I had to do was work hard, and bring in clients. I was good at both.

But I left the law after just three years to join a startup. And the reason I did it was adventure. I wanted to be in the game, not just watching it. My parents thought I was crazy. They still have no real idea of what I do for a living, and they were, frankly, pissed off that I spent their money getting a law degree, only to throw it away before I was 30.

But I did it anyway. And then I left that company after a year to start my own company. And I’ve never looked back since then. That first company I started made a lot of money for the venture capitalists – nearly $30 million – but next to nothing for the founders. The companies I started after that varied between failures and mediocre successes. But at no point did I ever consider getting a “real job.” That felt like a black and white world, and I wanted technicolor. Also, I hate working for other people because I’m really bad at it.

When I talk to non-entrepreneurs about the startup world I often use a pirate analogy. Not because I know that much about pirates, but the general stereotypes work well as an analogy.

Why did some people way back in the 17th century, or whenever, become pirates? The likely payoff was abysmal, I imagine. There’s a very small chance you’d make a fortune from some prize, and a very large chance you’d drown, or be hung, or shot, or whatever. And living on a small ship with a hundred other guys must have sucked, even for the captain.

But in my fantasy pirate world these guys just had really screwed up risk aversion algorithms. Unlike most of the other people they actually lusted after that risk. The potential for riches was just an argument for the venture. But the real payoff was the pirate life itself.

Also, it was nearly impossible to be an entrepreneur back then.

Now it turns out that most people in Silicon Valley are actually normal risk averse types. They carefully calculate the potential rewards of a startup before they join, taking into account stock options as well as salary. And also the resume value of a company.

Some of the richest people I know aren’t really entrepreneurs. They worked at HP and then moved to Netscape when it got hot. They made a fortune and then jumped to Google and made another fortune. And now they’re jumping to Facebook.

They may be very good engineers, or sales people, or marketing, or execs. But they ain’t entrepreneurs. They’re just resume gardening and they’re really no different from everyone else.

I don’t care if you’re a billionaire. If you haven’t started a company, really gambled your resume and your money and maybe even your marriage to just go crazy and try something on your own, you’re no pirate and you aren’t in the club.

That thrill of your first hire, when you’ve convinced some other crazy soul to join you in your almost certainly doomed project. The high from raising venture capital and starting to see your name mentioned in the press. The excitement of launch and…gulp…customers! and the feeling of truly learning something useful, you’re just not sure what it is, when the company almost inevitably crashes and burns.

Now that person is interesting. That person has stories to tell. That person is a man who has been in the arena.

There are lots of things that I will probably never experience in this life. Military combat. Being dictator of a small central American country. Dunking a basketball. Being a famous rock star. Or walking on Mars.

But one thing I have been, and will always be, is an entrepreneur. And damnit that feels pretty good. Because if I was a lawyer right now, even a rich lawyer, I’d always have wondered if I had what it takes to do something a little more adventurous with my life than work for someone else.

eric seiger

Fox <b>News</b> Ratings on Election Night Beat Networks - NYTimes.com

The Fox News Channel's midterm election coverage attracted more viewers than any of the broadcast networks' coverage, according to the Nielsen Company.

Lindy guarantees it, or did he? - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The <b>...</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

Facebook Wins Another <b>News</b> Feed Patent

When Facebook originally filed for the patent in the fall of 2006, it was just a month before the company launched its news feed. It argued at the time that as more and more users joined the social network, the amount of information it ...

eric seiger

eric seiger

eric seiger

Fox <b>News</b> Ratings on Election Night Beat Networks - NYTimes.com

The Fox News Channel's midterm election coverage attracted more viewers than any of the broadcast networks' coverage, according to the Nielsen Company.

Lindy guarantees it, or did he? - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The <b>...</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

Facebook Wins Another <b>News</b> Feed Patent

When Facebook originally filed for the patent in the fall of 2006, it was just a month before the company launched its news feed. It argued at the time that as more and more users joined the social network, the amount of information it ...

eric seiger

By NewsOne Financial Blogger Ryan Mack:

If I gave you $100,000 today how would you spend it?

Before you continue to read, I want you to take a moment and think hard about this question.  How would you put that money to work?  After you have thought about it, which of the following two scenarios describes the best use of the funds?

Scenario A: Spend $50,000 on a “caddy”, $25,000 for your pinky, and the balance on a “pound of blow”.  In twenty years you will have an old pinky ring and a lot less brain cells.

Scenario B: Spend $20,000 on a Honda Accord, $5,000 on a nice vacation, and invest $75,000 in your own portfolio.  In twenty years you could have as much as $350,000 (with a very modest 8% return).

For those who chose Scenario A, you have agreed with famous rap star Lil’ Wayne as this scenario was taken from his lyrics in his song “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy”.  I listen to rap music, but we must understand that many of the lyrics in this music were written because of their ability to make money…NOT because of their contribution to our intellectual capital as a people.

I personally agree with Scenario B and so do the majority of millionaires in this country.  Half of the millionaires in America have never spent over $30,000 for a car in their ENTIRE life (The Millionaire Next Door, Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko).

One reason is they are so busy making money that they do not have much time to worry about self image.  If you were TRULY wealthy, and like 5% of America who controls 95% of the wealth in America, would you care about what others thought about you?  Another more important reason is they understand that as long as they are spending money on items that lose value instead of things that gain value they are less able to maintain and increase their economic status.  This is why you will hear stories about Jim Walton, heir to the fortune created by his father Sam Walton (founder of Wal-Mart).  He still drives a 15-year-old Dodge Dakota pickup despite being number 23 on the 2007 billionaire’s list.  You may have also heard about Ingvar Kamprad, founder of multi-billion dollar enterprise and also a billionaire.  He still drives a Volvo which is also 15 years old.  Before he attained his fortune, his father gave him a very modest reward for doing well in school and what did he spend his money on…a “modest” furniture company named Ikea which reported revenues of $17.7 billion dollars in 2005.

The question that you should be asking if you do not know and have not asked already is, “What are they spending their money on if it is not consumption?”  The opposite of consumption (putting your money into assets that lose value) is production (putting your money into assets that go up in value). Four of the most common vehicles that you can invest your money into are the following:

1.      Stocks

2.      Bonds

3.      Real Estate

4.      Entrepreneurship

1.     Stocks

I read blog posts by Don Dodge and Glenn Kelman today about people jumping from Google to Facebook and it got me thinking about entrepreneurs.

Most people have an aversion to risk, my college economics professor told me. Which means they have to be rewarded to take on that risk. The higher the risk, the higher the possible payout has to be for people to jump.

We make risk/reward decisions every day, all day. Do I go skiing, and enjoy the rush of flying downhill even though there’s a small chance I’ll blow out a knee? Should I go to college or just get a job and start earning money now? Should I eat the high fiber and generally healthy thing on the menu, or go for the cheeseburger? Should I hit the restroom before the movie starts? Etc.

Every time we do something, or don’t do something, there’s a risk/reward algorithm being calculated in our brain.

Entrepreneurs, though, are all screwed up. They don’t need to be rewarded for risk, because they actually get utility out of risk itself. In other words, they like adventure.

The payouts for starting a business are just terrible when you account for risk. A tiny minority of entrepreneurs ever get rich. And the majority of entrepreneurs would probably make far more money, and have more stable personal relationships, if they just worked for someone else.

In my youth I was a corporate lawyer, making a very nice salary for representing technology startups in Silicon Valley. There was a good chance I’d make partner after 7-8 years and could be earning maybe a million dollars a year by the time I was 40. All I had to do was work hard, and bring in clients. I was good at both.

But I left the law after just three years to join a startup. And the reason I did it was adventure. I wanted to be in the game, not just watching it. My parents thought I was crazy. They still have no real idea of what I do for a living, and they were, frankly, pissed off that I spent their money getting a law degree, only to throw it away before I was 30.

But I did it anyway. And then I left that company after a year to start my own company. And I’ve never looked back since then. That first company I started made a lot of money for the venture capitalists – nearly $30 million – but next to nothing for the founders. The companies I started after that varied between failures and mediocre successes. But at no point did I ever consider getting a “real job.” That felt like a black and white world, and I wanted technicolor. Also, I hate working for other people because I’m really bad at it.

When I talk to non-entrepreneurs about the startup world I often use a pirate analogy. Not because I know that much about pirates, but the general stereotypes work well as an analogy.

Why did some people way back in the 17th century, or whenever, become pirates? The likely payoff was abysmal, I imagine. There’s a very small chance you’d make a fortune from some prize, and a very large chance you’d drown, or be hung, or shot, or whatever. And living on a small ship with a hundred other guys must have sucked, even for the captain.

But in my fantasy pirate world these guys just had really screwed up risk aversion algorithms. Unlike most of the other people they actually lusted after that risk. The potential for riches was just an argument for the venture. But the real payoff was the pirate life itself.

Also, it was nearly impossible to be an entrepreneur back then.

Now it turns out that most people in Silicon Valley are actually normal risk averse types. They carefully calculate the potential rewards of a startup before they join, taking into account stock options as well as salary. And also the resume value of a company.

Some of the richest people I know aren’t really entrepreneurs. They worked at HP and then moved to Netscape when it got hot. They made a fortune and then jumped to Google and made another fortune. And now they’re jumping to Facebook.

They may be very good engineers, or sales people, or marketing, or execs. But they ain’t entrepreneurs. They’re just resume gardening and they’re really no different from everyone else.

I don’t care if you’re a billionaire. If you haven’t started a company, really gambled your resume and your money and maybe even your marriage to just go crazy and try something on your own, you’re no pirate and you aren’t in the club.

That thrill of your first hire, when you’ve convinced some other crazy soul to join you in your almost certainly doomed project. The high from raising venture capital and starting to see your name mentioned in the press. The excitement of launch and…gulp…customers! and the feeling of truly learning something useful, you’re just not sure what it is, when the company almost inevitably crashes and burns.

Now that person is interesting. That person has stories to tell. That person is a man who has been in the arena.

There are lots of things that I will probably never experience in this life. Military combat. Being dictator of a small central American country. Dunking a basketball. Being a famous rock star. Or walking on Mars.

But one thing I have been, and will always be, is an entrepreneur. And damnit that feels pretty good. Because if I was a lawyer right now, even a rich lawyer, I’d always have wondered if I had what it takes to do something a little more adventurous with my life than work for someone else.

eric seiger

eric seiger

Fox <b>News</b> Ratings on Election Night Beat Networks - NYTimes.com

The Fox News Channel's midterm election coverage attracted more viewers than any of the broadcast networks' coverage, according to the Nielsen Company.

Lindy guarantees it, or did he? - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The <b>...</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

Facebook Wins Another <b>News</b> Feed Patent

When Facebook originally filed for the patent in the fall of 2006, it was just a month before the company launched its news feed. It argued at the time that as more and more users joined the social network, the amount of information it ...

eric seiger

eric seiger

Fox <b>News</b> Ratings on Election Night Beat Networks - NYTimes.com

The Fox News Channel's midterm election coverage attracted more viewers than any of the broadcast networks' coverage, according to the Nielsen Company.

Lindy guarantees it, or did he? - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The <b>...</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

Facebook Wins Another <b>News</b> Feed Patent

When Facebook originally filed for the patent in the fall of 2006, it was just a month before the company launched its news feed. It argued at the time that as more and more users joined the social network, the amount of information it ...

eric seiger

Fox <b>News</b> Ratings on Election Night Beat Networks - NYTimes.com

The Fox News Channel's midterm election coverage attracted more viewers than any of the broadcast networks' coverage, according to the Nielsen Company.

Lindy guarantees it, or did he? - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The <b>...</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

Facebook Wins Another <b>News</b> Feed Patent

When Facebook originally filed for the patent in the fall of 2006, it was just a month before the company launched its news feed. It argued at the time that as more and more users joined the social network, the amount of information it ...

eric seiger

Fox <b>News</b> Ratings on Election Night Beat Networks - NYTimes.com

The Fox News Channel's midterm election coverage attracted more viewers than any of the broadcast networks' coverage, according to the Nielsen Company.

Lindy guarantees it, or did he? - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The <b>...</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

Facebook Wins Another <b>News</b> Feed Patent

When Facebook originally filed for the patent in the fall of 2006, it was just a month before the company launched its news feed. It argued at the time that as more and more users joined the social network, the amount of information it ...

eric seiger eric seiger
eric seiger

eric seiger
eric seiger

Fox <b>News</b> Ratings on Election Night Beat Networks - NYTimes.com

The Fox News Channel's midterm election coverage attracted more viewers than any of the broadcast networks' coverage, according to the Nielsen Company.

Lindy guarantees it, or did he? - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The <b>...</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

Facebook Wins Another <b>News</b> Feed Patent

When Facebook originally filed for the patent in the fall of 2006, it was just a month before the company launched its news feed. It argued at the time that as more and more users joined the social network, the amount of information it ...

big seminar 14

BENTONVILLE - Wal-Mart Stores, Incorporated [NYSE Ticker: WMT] reported sales figures for the four-week periods ending February 27, 2009 and February 29, 2008. The strong results are both the mark of a company that has fought to remake its dowdy image - while embracing its roots as a low-cost retailer.

Wal-Mart is one of the few remaining stalwarts to actually expand business amidst today's financial carnage and the glowing statistics are not to be mistaken for a grandiose harbinger of U.S. economic vitality.

Net sales at the world's largest retailer increased from $29.2 billion to $30 billion during the month of February over the last year. The 2.8% increase would have been even more stellar if not for a stronger dollar and currency exchange rates that adversely affected international sales by 20.7%. Overall, Walmart February U.S. net sales surged by 8.1%.

Adjusting for plunging gasoline prices that have slashed fuel revenue, Wal-Mart, Inc. same-store sales have ramped up by 5.1%. The comparable store statistic designates locations that have been open for more than one year and is a critical indicator of retail success.

Again, we would strongly advise against analyzing Walmart reports as a benchmark of the overall economy. Counter intuitively; the findings are attributable to worldwide economic carnage. Per Bentonville management:

"Customers continue to focus on necessities and avoid purchasing discretionary items in home, apparel, and shoes. Customers come to Walmart because they trust our price leadership."

This does not bode well for retail at-large.

Obviously, the consumer has pulled back, and is content to purchase the most basic of items. Higher end retailers are being crushed, while penny-pinching shoppers that have downgraded to Wal-Mart adversely affect mid-level stores.

Nordstrom released a miserable February report detailing a 15.4% decline in same store sales; and heated, cheap-chic rival Target is feeling the heat with a 4.1% downdraft in comps. Although the world economy is currently under siege from a wretched real estate bust, credit debacle, and stock market rout - we must speculate that a New Era has indeed, dawned.

Frivolous, grandstanding waste is not cool.

Even P. Diddy is foregoing The Bling and abandoning his private jet.

Walmart February Same-Store Sales Sources:
Target Corporation, Target February Same Store Sales, http://investors.target.com
Nordstrom, Inc., Nordstrom February Same Store Sales, www.nordstrom.com
Walmart, Walmart Reports February Sales (PDF), www.walmartstores.com
www.walmartstores.comwww.target.comwww.nordstrom.comwww.walmart.com


eric seiger

Fox <b>News</b> Ratings on Election Night Beat Networks - NYTimes.com

The Fox News Channel's midterm election coverage attracted more viewers than any of the broadcast networks' coverage, according to the Nielsen Company.

Lindy guarantees it, or did he? - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The <b>...</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

Facebook Wins Another <b>News</b> Feed Patent

When Facebook originally filed for the patent in the fall of 2006, it was just a month before the company launched its news feed. It argued at the time that as more and more users joined the social network, the amount of information it ...

eric seiger

Fox <b>News</b> Ratings on Election Night Beat Networks - NYTimes.com

The Fox News Channel's midterm election coverage attracted more viewers than any of the broadcast networks' coverage, according to the Nielsen Company.

Lindy guarantees it, or did he? - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The <b>...</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

Facebook Wins Another <b>News</b> Feed Patent

When Facebook originally filed for the patent in the fall of 2006, it was just a month before the company launched its news feed. It argued at the time that as more and more users joined the social network, the amount of information it ...

eric seiger

Making Money Fast

In Lincoln's cemetery consecration address at Gettysburg, he apologizes for his own words: "The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here." Lincoln rightfully dwelled on deeds of others, mostly uninterested in how others dwelled on him. Obama's words, considered only recently by those infatuated media elites Lincolnesque, are now seen to be just shallow, jarring, self-absorbed, and divisive. Obama's words will soon be forgotten, but his deeds of dishonor and demise will endure and be long remembered.

We know that developers who get their apps into the top lists at the iTunes Store make oodles of cash, but as the smartphone biz expands it looks like some are making serious money.

Games developer Backflip Studios has confirmed itself to be making over half a million dollars per month from in-game ads alone. That’s on top of any revenues for games sales.

At root is the 47.5 million Backflip titles installed on iOS devices (and another 5.5 million on Androids). These form a network for advertising which is bringing in big bucks for the developer.

The developer sees up to 800 million ad impressions per month across their free titles (such as Ninjump, pictured). Revenues have expanded fast — in March the company had raised a million dollars in the previous six months.

bench craft company

Panasonic GF2 announced and previewed: Digital Photography Review

Panasonic GF2 announced and previewed: Panasonic has announced the Lumix DMC-GF2 Micro Four Thirds camera. A simplified version of the company's GF1, it inherits the same flat-body design but with revised control layout and touch-screen ...

Facebook Approved For Yet Another <b>News</b> Feed Patent | The Blog Herald

Facebook has been approved for a news feed patent which allows them to generate a personalized story feed for users, the patent in many ways is similar to the news feed patent they received earlier in 2010. The patent, named Generating ...

Does HarperCollins&#39; Absence from <b>News</b> Corp&#39;s Earnings Signal Sales <b>...</b>

Why did News Corp bury the earnings results of its book publishing unit HarperCollins? Does the media giant view the publisher as merely an afterthought -- or could Rupert Murdoch be contemplating a sale?

bench craft company
In Lincoln's cemetery consecration address at Gettysburg, he apologizes for his own words: "The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here." Lincoln rightfully dwelled on deeds of others, mostly uninterested in how others dwelled on him. Obama's words, considered only recently by those infatuated media elites Lincolnesque, are now seen to be just shallow, jarring, self-absorbed, and divisive. Obama's words will soon be forgotten, but his deeds of dishonor and demise will endure and be long remembered.

We know that developers who get their apps into the top lists at the iTunes Store make oodles of cash, but as the smartphone biz expands it looks like some are making serious money.

Games developer Backflip Studios has confirmed itself to be making over half a million dollars per month from in-game ads alone. That’s on top of any revenues for games sales.

At root is the 47.5 million Backflip titles installed on iOS devices (and another 5.5 million on Androids). These form a network for advertising which is bringing in big bucks for the developer.

The developer sees up to 800 million ad impressions per month across their free titles (such as Ninjump, pictured). Revenues have expanded fast — in March the company had raised a million dollars in the previous six months.

bench craft company

Panasonic GF2 announced and previewed: Digital Photography Review

Panasonic GF2 announced and previewed: Panasonic has announced the Lumix DMC-GF2 Micro Four Thirds camera. A simplified version of the company's GF1, it inherits the same flat-body design but with revised control layout and touch-screen ...

Facebook Approved For Yet Another <b>News</b> Feed Patent | The Blog Herald

Facebook has been approved for a news feed patent which allows them to generate a personalized story feed for users, the patent in many ways is similar to the news feed patent they received earlier in 2010. The patent, named Generating ...

Does HarperCollins&#39; Absence from <b>News</b> Corp&#39;s Earnings Signal Sales <b>...</b>

Why did News Corp bury the earnings results of its book publishing unit HarperCollins? Does the media giant view the publisher as merely an afterthought -- or could Rupert Murdoch be contemplating a sale?

bench craft company

bench craft company

bench craft company

Panasonic GF2 announced and previewed: Digital Photography Review

Panasonic GF2 announced and previewed: Panasonic has announced the Lumix DMC-GF2 Micro Four Thirds camera. A simplified version of the company's GF1, it inherits the same flat-body design but with revised control layout and touch-screen ...

Facebook Approved For Yet Another <b>News</b> Feed Patent | The Blog Herald

Facebook has been approved for a news feed patent which allows them to generate a personalized story feed for users, the patent in many ways is similar to the news feed patent they received earlier in 2010. The patent, named Generating ...

Does HarperCollins&#39; Absence from <b>News</b> Corp&#39;s Earnings Signal Sales <b>...</b>

Why did News Corp bury the earnings results of its book publishing unit HarperCollins? Does the media giant view the publisher as merely an afterthought -- or could Rupert Murdoch be contemplating a sale?

bench craft company
In Lincoln's cemetery consecration address at Gettysburg, he apologizes for his own words: "The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here." Lincoln rightfully dwelled on deeds of others, mostly uninterested in how others dwelled on him. Obama's words, considered only recently by those infatuated media elites Lincolnesque, are now seen to be just shallow, jarring, self-absorbed, and divisive. Obama's words will soon be forgotten, but his deeds of dishonor and demise will endure and be long remembered.

We know that developers who get their apps into the top lists at the iTunes Store make oodles of cash, but as the smartphone biz expands it looks like some are making serious money.

Games developer Backflip Studios has confirmed itself to be making over half a million dollars per month from in-game ads alone. That’s on top of any revenues for games sales.

At root is the 47.5 million Backflip titles installed on iOS devices (and another 5.5 million on Androids). These form a network for advertising which is bringing in big bucks for the developer.

The developer sees up to 800 million ad impressions per month across their free titles (such as Ninjump, pictured). Revenues have expanded fast — in March the company had raised a million dollars in the previous six months.

bench craft company

bench craft company

Panasonic GF2 announced and previewed: Digital Photography Review

Panasonic GF2 announced and previewed: Panasonic has announced the Lumix DMC-GF2 Micro Four Thirds camera. A simplified version of the company's GF1, it inherits the same flat-body design but with revised control layout and touch-screen ...

Facebook Approved For Yet Another <b>News</b> Feed Patent | The Blog Herald

Facebook has been approved for a news feed patent which allows them to generate a personalized story feed for users, the patent in many ways is similar to the news feed patent they received earlier in 2010. The patent, named Generating ...

Does HarperCollins&#39; Absence from <b>News</b> Corp&#39;s Earnings Signal Sales <b>...</b>

Why did News Corp bury the earnings results of its book publishing unit HarperCollins? Does the media giant view the publisher as merely an afterthought -- or could Rupert Murdoch be contemplating a sale?

bench craft company

bench craft company

Panasonic GF2 announced and previewed: Digital Photography Review

Panasonic GF2 announced and previewed: Panasonic has announced the Lumix DMC-GF2 Micro Four Thirds camera. A simplified version of the company's GF1, it inherits the same flat-body design but with revised control layout and touch-screen ...

Facebook Approved For Yet Another <b>News</b> Feed Patent | The Blog Herald

Facebook has been approved for a news feed patent which allows them to generate a personalized story feed for users, the patent in many ways is similar to the news feed patent they received earlier in 2010. The patent, named Generating ...

Does HarperCollins&#39; Absence from <b>News</b> Corp&#39;s Earnings Signal Sales <b>...</b>

Why did News Corp bury the earnings results of its book publishing unit HarperCollins? Does the media giant view the publisher as merely an afterthought -- or could Rupert Murdoch be contemplating a sale?

bench craft company

Panasonic GF2 announced and previewed: Digital Photography Review

Panasonic GF2 announced and previewed: Panasonic has announced the Lumix DMC-GF2 Micro Four Thirds camera. A simplified version of the company's GF1, it inherits the same flat-body design but with revised control layout and touch-screen ...

Facebook Approved For Yet Another <b>News</b> Feed Patent | The Blog Herald

Facebook has been approved for a news feed patent which allows them to generate a personalized story feed for users, the patent in many ways is similar to the news feed patent they received earlier in 2010. The patent, named Generating ...

Does HarperCollins&#39; Absence from <b>News</b> Corp&#39;s Earnings Signal Sales <b>...</b>

Why did News Corp bury the earnings results of its book publishing unit HarperCollins? Does the media giant view the publisher as merely an afterthought -- or could Rupert Murdoch be contemplating a sale?

bench craft company

Panasonic GF2 announced and previewed: Digital Photography Review

Panasonic GF2 announced and previewed: Panasonic has announced the Lumix DMC-GF2 Micro Four Thirds camera. A simplified version of the company's GF1, it inherits the same flat-body design but with revised control layout and touch-screen ...

Facebook Approved For Yet Another <b>News</b> Feed Patent | The Blog Herald

Facebook has been approved for a news feed patent which allows them to generate a personalized story feed for users, the patent in many ways is similar to the news feed patent they received earlier in 2010. The patent, named Generating ...

Does HarperCollins&#39; Absence from <b>News</b> Corp&#39;s Earnings Signal Sales <b>...</b>

Why did News Corp bury the earnings results of its book publishing unit HarperCollins? Does the media giant view the publisher as merely an afterthought -- or could Rupert Murdoch be contemplating a sale?

bench craft company bench craft company
bench craft company

bench craft company
bench craft company

Panasonic GF2 announced and previewed: Digital Photography Review

Panasonic GF2 announced and previewed: Panasonic has announced the Lumix DMC-GF2 Micro Four Thirds camera. A simplified version of the company's GF1, it inherits the same flat-body design but with revised control layout and touch-screen ...

Facebook Approved For Yet Another <b>News</b> Feed Patent | The Blog Herald

Facebook has been approved for a news feed patent which allows them to generate a personalized story feed for users, the patent in many ways is similar to the news feed patent they received earlier in 2010. The patent, named Generating ...

Does HarperCollins&#39; Absence from <b>News</b> Corp&#39;s Earnings Signal Sales <b>...</b>

Why did News Corp bury the earnings results of its book publishing unit HarperCollins? Does the media giant view the publisher as merely an afterthought -- or could Rupert Murdoch be contemplating a sale?

bench craft company reviews

If there is a will, there is a way! It is an old saying that has stood the test of time even up to the very complex times that we are living in today. Nevertheless, it is ironic that still some people do not like to believe that making fast money is possible, despite so much of undisputable evidence to support it.

There are certain laws that govern and explain the extent to which our thoughts affect the actual outcome of events. One such law is the Law of Attraction which states that what you desire is what you get. Unfortunately, what you desire is influenced by your thoughts to such an extent that you cannot desire a positive outcome if your thoughts continually dwell on a negative outcome. In such circumstances, it is only the negative outcome that you would get.

Likewise, making money fast would be only possible if you believe in it from the depths of your core. All like to make fast money, but most are reluctant to believe it is possible. They advocate that you can make money only through struggle and hard work and any vision to the contrary is only a pipe dream. If you discipline your thoughts to believe that you would make money fast, surely you shall accomplish it. The following three steps would help you in disciplining yourself to making fast money.

- The First Step -

Have an unwavering target as to how much you want to make. A wish to make money is void without an exact amount. For your desire to materialize, let it not remain only a wish; like a foundation laid on loose ground that is bound to sink. Give depth to your desire to make fast money with the next goal as to when you want it.

- The Second Step -

This step is where you relate your desire to action by enunciating to your thoughts (subconscious) as to by what means you would make that sum of money on the set date. You must clearly set the course of action through which you will achieve your goal, and the universe will send the inspired action to you as a nudge.

- The Third Step -

This is the most powerful step where you transform your desired goals to the status of a strong unfailing light, a vision to always go with you giving you every encouragement until the goals are achieved. Surround this vision with particles of positive energy so that no seeds of doubt will ever penetrate it. Thoughts of difficulties or failure should never pierce it and it should always manifest itself in your conscious and sub conscious minds as a reality and never as a part of your imagination. As long as this vision stays in your thoughts as a reality, you should achieve your goal of making that amount of money on the set date.