James Dicks's Posts - JDFN Financial Network2024-03-19T05:14:56ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDickshttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2526539016?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://jdfn.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=3rvi4a0pq45aq&xn_auth=noStop The Harassing Bill Collectorstag:jdfn.com,2013-08-24:2203529:BlogPost:574662013-08-24T23:14:07.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
<p>I have heard it from so many people that I know and meet. Bill collectors are driving them crazy. First and foremost, stop being embarrassed and afraid of being in the situation you are in now. In some cases it’s not your fault and regardless it is what it is, and we need to get you out of that place and on the road to financial independence again. </p>
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<p>First thing you need to do is every time a collector calls you, put them on notice that you will no longer accept phone calls…</p>
<p>I have heard it from so many people that I know and meet. Bill collectors are driving them crazy. First and foremost, stop being embarrassed and afraid of being in the situation you are in now. In some cases it’s not your fault and regardless it is what it is, and we need to get you out of that place and on the road to financial independence again. </p>
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<p>First thing you need to do is every time a collector calls you, put them on notice that you will no longer accept phone calls and that under the Fair Debt Collection Practice Act if they continue to do so they will be in violation of Federal Law. This will not stop all of them but it will certainly get some of them to take notice. Inform them that you will only accept communication about this possible debt in writing.</p>
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<p>Now here is the secret step. You must get an address and reference number for your account, because you need to send them a cease and desist letter. This is very easy to write use the same language I just used a few lines above. Include your address, name, date and reference number. Make sure you send the letter certified return receipt, make a copy and file it for your records.</p>
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<p>You will find that many of these collectors will be less than motivated to give you this information; they know what you are about to say. So you may have to ask them where you should send the payment to and what is the reference number to put on the check. I had someone tell me that they did exactly this and the collector got all defensive, saying, “Why are you sending payment? Why do you want my information, etc.” Seriously but after giving the information up and was told that they would be getting a C&D (cease and desist letter) they said, “I knew it.” Really come on, stop putting up with this garbage. </p>
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<p>If they continue to call you there are literally hundreds of attorney out there now that will be glad to handle your case on a contingency basis. Many law firms now do nothing but Fair Debt Collection Practice Act (FDCPA) violations; its time to take back the control and stop fearing or having anxiety when your phone rings.</p>
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<p>Finally if you are receiving calls on your cell phone from collectors using an auto dialer, notify the caller that they are calling your cell phone and you no longer wish them to call your cell phone ever. Send a certified return receipt letter similar to the above letter. This time if a collector continues to call your cell phone using the auto dialer the penalties are far more serious. </p>
<p>Under the Truth In Caller ID Act of 2009, Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) of 1991 penalties will apply. In addition, a “forfeiture penalty” of up to $10,000 per violation may be imposed. For a continuing violation, treble damages, or $30,000 per violation, may be assessed. The statute, however, caps the forfeiture penalty for continuing violations at $1,000,000 for a single act or a failure to act. Considering the volume of calls placed by third party debt collectors, the potential penalties are staggering.</p>
<p>The Truth In Caller ID Act also includes criminal fines of up to $10,000 for each violation, with the potential of treble damages for continuing violations. The statute also provides for imprisonment for violations. </p>
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<p>Penalties for certain TCPA violations begin at $500 per call and can be tripled to $1,500 per call. In a purported class action lawsuit, such penalties could easily put a collection agency out of business. Considering most insurance companies are specifically excluding TCPA class action coverage, collection agencies will be digging deeply into their own pockets to defend and/or settle such claims.</p>
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<p>Stopping collectors from calling you on the phone will make a substantial difference in the quality of life you have. It will give you a little breathing room to get things resolved, whether filing bankruptcy or negotiating with your creditors.</p>
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<p> My Best,</p>
<p></p>
<p>James</p>
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<p> </p>The New Economy – Weak and Getting Weakertag:jdfn.com,2011-08-03:2203529:BlogPost:327282011-08-03T22:43:30.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
<p>The past few years have been tough economically for individuals and for business; even people who never talk about the economy are discussing it with their friends and family. Why? Because today’s weak economy is affecting them very negatively and directly, probably for the first times in their lives. Many of us can probably remember our parents or grandparents talking about what they experienced during the Great Depression of the 1930s or perhaps you learned about it in school. But…</p>
<p>The past few years have been tough economically for individuals and for business; even people who never talk about the economy are discussing it with their friends and family. Why? Because today’s weak economy is affecting them very negatively and directly, probably for the first times in their lives. Many of us can probably remember our parents or grandparents talking about what they experienced during the Great Depression of the 1930s or perhaps you learned about it in school. But hard economic times have a nasty way of not only taking away our financial wellbeing but also our sense of self-worth. </p>
<p>I don’t want to place any needless pressure on you, goodness knows you probably have enough to deal with but the economy’s health lies directly in your path. It’s consumer spending that has pushed our economy forward in the past and I don’t see how the dynamics of this economic effect has changed today. Some economists believe that up to 70 percent of our economic strength is based on how much the American consumer spends at the local mall. I know that’s difficult to believe but facts are facts. On top of that, consumer spending has been creeping higher as a segment of the total economy sporadically over the past few decades through the assistance by easy credit. Those days are gone but the need for consumer spending remains. That’s where we are today. </p>
<p>If Americans spend – business grows. It’s that simple. The problem is consumer confidence has been so weak because millions are out of work, prices at the pump and grocery stores are eating away at disposable income, the U.S. continues to struggle with debt, and the banks aren’t lending. I know I’m preaching to the choir but what’s it going to take to start moving forward again? Sadly, there are few options today.</p>
<p>Frankly, about the only thing that has supported our economy recently has been unemployment benefits, which places us in a very miserable state. A recent report from the Congressional Budget Office revealed that every dollar that is spent from unemployment benefits puts $1.90 back into the economy. But now Congress is considering cutting that back, as well, which can only exacerbate the situation. Makes no sense to me. </p>
<p>Cities and states are going through very difficult times in part because the crumbling housing market has wiped out a good portion of the property tax dollars they had counted on for support before the housing market imploded. Today, thousands of houses stand empty and do not generate the necessary dollars these government institutions had come to rely upon over the years. So, even the municipal and state governments are being forced to shrink their employment rolls and services, which has added more pain to an already agonizing situation. </p>
<p>Other large industrialized nations don’t depend quite so much on consumer spending but rather on government subsidies to keep running. If things don’t change soon, that just may be what happens in the United States, which will no doubt lead to higher tax rates for all of us. As an entrepreneur, I am certainly not advocating that but when you examine the total economic package we are dealing with today, there may not be another answer. </p>An Anonymous Internettag:jdfn.com,2011-07-31:2203529:BlogPost:327182011-07-31T17:00:00.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
<p>Most everyone today uses the Internet on a daily basis to the benefit of their personal lives as well as their businesses; but is “Big Brother” watching? If some powerful figures in control of major Internet sites have their way in the future it is certainly a possibility. </p>
<p>The Internet has never been totally anonymous based on the IP address read by the sites you visit. But the ways in which you send emails to friends and associates or conduct business (online banking, bill pay,…</p>
<p>Most everyone today uses the Internet on a daily basis to the benefit of their personal lives as well as their businesses; but is “Big Brother” watching? If some powerful figures in control of major Internet sites have their way in the future it is certainly a possibility. </p>
<p>The Internet has never been totally anonymous based on the IP address read by the sites you visit. But the ways in which you send emails to friends and associates or conduct business (online banking, bill pay, etc.) allows for some anonymity today to protect personal security and, as some advocate, freedom of speech.</p>
<p>Randi Zuckerburg, marketing director of Facebook (and sister of Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerburg) recently took part in a panel discussion on this topic and said she believes that Internet users should not be allowed to hide their identities when using the Internet. She told the panel, "I think anonymity on the Internet has to go away. I think people hide behind anonymity and they feel like they can say whatever they want behind closed doors."</p>
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<p>Remember when you signed up for your first email account, you had to come up with a name you would use. Some people actually used their “real” names without thinking twice about it but, I think you’ll admit, most people developed some type of anonymous Internet pseudonyms (something like <a href="mailto:PapaBear44@InternetSite.com">PapaBear44@InternetSite.com</a>) to hide their personal identities to everyone but friends and families.</p>
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<p>The former head of Google, Eric Schmidt, also believes Internet anonymity is a real threat and called it a “dangerous” problem and, in his view, something the government will eventually be forced to regulate. As a matter of fact, Google was criticized recently for a policy that insists that individuals use their “real names” on their new Google+ social media website. There is evidence that a number of Google+ users, who used a traditional anonymous Internet name rather than their “real name,” not only had their Google+ account cancelled, but all associated Google accounts closed for failure to maintain the policy of using actual names. Google apparently is taking this very seriously.</p>
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<p>Those who advocate full disclosure on the Internet are insisting that more online abuses and illegal activities are definitely possible because people are currently able to conceal their identities behind these non-descriptive Internet monikers. Proponents of a full disclosure policy on the Internet believe that anonymity allows criminals and sexual predators to more easily stalk their potential victims. By hiding their identities they can easily and “innocently” gain access to chat groups that protect the identities of their members thus making it easier for criminals to target their victims over the Internet. </p>
<p>Privacy is an issue that we tend to guard with all of our might. So many personal records today (banking, medical, personnel) are transmitted over the Internet and, I believe, should be guarded and genuinely protected. Law enforcement and government agencies also must maintain a semblance of privacy to keep information away from the “bad guys” and secure local, state and national security.</p>
<p>Keep this in mind. If Internet anonymity is critical to you, there are ways to protect yourself. You might want to consider disabling the “cookies” settings on your computer. Cookies are text that is sent to the browser about the Internet sites you visit. This information is stored by the server and sent back to the site each time you enter the site. Cookies also contain important information like passwords and login information that are considered a privacy risk by most Internet users. There are a number of web browsers that will automatically delete all cookies when you close your browser. Might be a good idea to find one.</p>
<p>I am certain that Internet anonymity will be a topic of discussion for many years based on the massive growth of social and business Internet sites like Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn, which are specifically designed for the exchange of information; sometimes very personal information. Consider this, if you were walking through a “dangerous” part of town you would probably remain very aware of your surroundings. The same applies to the Internet; just be careful of the information you provide on the Internet to maintain as much personal security and privacy as possible. </p>
<p>But it’s more than that; although the idea of Internet anonymity may protect us from possible personal hazards, this idea will also diminish our personal freedoms guaranteed by our country’s most cherished documents (the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution) which have formed the values of the country we live in today. We are a country that prides itself on hundreds of years of freedom, among them freedom of speech. It’s a very hot topic to keep your eye on in the months and years ahead.</p>The Recessionary Job Searchtag:jdfn.com,2011-07-22:2203529:BlogPost:321132011-07-22T00:23:16.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
<p>Tough times are here and tougher times may be coming. If you find yourself without a job during the current economic downturn, you must become as confident as you feel comfortable with (and maybe more than that) if you are ever going to gain the attention of a possible future employer. </p>
<p>Look, just going to job fairs and sending your resume out over Internet probably isn’t going to be enough. You may have already discovered that hasn’t worked for you. So, what’s next?</p>
<p>I have…</p>
<p>Tough times are here and tougher times may be coming. If you find yourself without a job during the current economic downturn, you must become as confident as you feel comfortable with (and maybe more than that) if you are ever going to gain the attention of a possible future employer. </p>
<p>Look, just going to job fairs and sending your resume out over Internet probably isn’t going to be enough. You may have already discovered that hasn’t worked for you. So, what’s next?</p>
<p>I have spent many years developing a brand for myself and that has helped me develop my business and myself. There are a variety of ways to do this – some easy and some very difficult and expensive. You should start by creating a personal “commercial” that describes you and your skill sets. By commercial, I mean write a rundown of who you are, what you do, and how you can help any potential employer. It’s that easy but be brief and only state facts and specifics. </p>
<p>For instance, if you are a career sales professional be very specific about past employment and how you helped previous companies attain success. Tell them about how you increased sales 52 percent in your first year on the job. Mention how many individuals you supervised and how you were a mentor to the sales staff, which helped them develop their skills, thus adding to the company’s bottom line three years in a row. That’s about 30 seconds. And if you present yourself confidently, they’ll have no choice but listen to you. </p>
<p>Now that you’ve developed a personal brand, start building up your networking opportunities. Think about all the people you already know, do some homework, and find networking opportunities through business organizations or in your city’s chamber of commerce. You may even want to expand your job search to areas outside your town or your state. I know that leaving your current location may be a hardship, but it’s also important to find your next professional position. These are different times and you may have to do different things to find what you’re looking for. I always tell people that if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got. Believe me, it’s true. I’ve done it more times than I can count.</p>
<p>Don’t be shy about asking business associates and friends for personal recommendations for your online social networking sites or letters that you can use for reference purposes. The more people that know you and your current situation, the faster your current situation will change. Don’t be afraid to be bold. Ask…all they can say is no but most people will be glad to help you.</p>
<p>Back up your personal branding with an accurate resume and cover letter. The importance of your personal documents cannot be understated. Many companies today will not accept “walk-ins” and solely use your resume to make their hiring decisions; that includes private industry and government agencies.</p>
<p>I understand that you are going through an extremely difficult time right now. Emotions are running high and it’s probably difficult to maintain a positive attitude from day-to-day. But it has never been more important to do so. Do your homework everyday and remember that your job right now is finding a job. Get up every morning and get busy locating your next position. It will come but in the end, it’s all up to you. Remember, be aggressive and be positive. Today is the day to start making yourself the top candidate. Once you do that, the next job is sure to come.</p>Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure - Might Be An Answertag:jdfn.com,2011-06-12:2203529:BlogPost:272192011-06-12T18:02:23.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
So many people today are in foreclosure around the country; the banks and the courts are really getting backed up. If you are in this situation, you might want to approach your mortgage company and see if you qualify for a Deed in Lieu (DIL) of Foreclosure to avoid the foreclosure process.<br></br><br></br>Basically, a DIL allows the homeowner to voluntarily transfer the ownership of their property to the mortgage holder in exchange for a release from the mortgage loan and payments. This is becoming…
So many people today are in foreclosure around the country; the banks and the courts are really getting backed up. If you are in this situation, you might want to approach your mortgage company and see if you qualify for a Deed in Lieu (DIL) of Foreclosure to avoid the foreclosure process.<br/><br/>Basically, a DIL allows the homeowner to voluntarily transfer the ownership of their property to the mortgage holder in exchange for a release from the mortgage loan and payments. This is becoming a popular tactic by the banks because there are just so many foreclosures across the nation. Plus, if the mortgage holder can avoid foreclosure hearings, they save tons of money in the legal process. So, the DIL has become an alternative to foreclosure and seems to be a win-win situation for all parties. <br/><br/>Homeowners who might be interested in this process versus foreclosure, must qualify prior to approval. You can qualify if you:<br/><br/>Are ineligible to refinance or modify your current mortgage,<br/>Are currently behind in your mortgage payments,<br/>Owe more than the home is actually worth,<br/>Haven’t been able to sell your home, <br/>Are going through a hardship (like the loss of job, divorce, or medical emergency)<br/>Can no longer afford to live in your home and are prepared to leave, since the process must be completed within 90 days of initiation).<br/><br/>This is, by no means, the comprehensive listing of qualifying factors for a DIL, so you’ll need to talk to your mortgage holder to see if you qualify. A DIL is less harsh than a foreclosure on your credit report too. It all depends on your mortgage holder. There have been times where a mortgage holder has reported a borrower’s mortgage paid in full following the DIL process. That’s a question you would need to ask your mortgage holder prior to processing the DIL. Regardless, the DIL is less harmful, in many ways, than a foreclosure and you can expect, at least, a “grey” mark on your credit report versus the “black” mark a foreclosure is sure to cause.<br/><br/>And here’s something I bet you would have never thought of; a DIL, in some cases, qualifies you to receive a relocation allowance from the mortgage holder after the process is competed. It just happened to someone I know. There are some mortgage companies that are assisting homeowners after a DIL by providing them with $3,000 for relocation expenses. The homeowner can use this money to pay for moving expenses, make a deposit on a home or apartment rental, or just put it in the bank for that proverbial rainy day. All you have to do to find out if your mortgage company offers such a benefit is to ask them. <br/><br/>This is a program that is definitely an attractive alternative to foreclosure and troubled homeowners should immediately approach their mortgage holders to see if they qualify for this program. The one thing that hurts the homeowner is waiting too long. If you are days away from an auction where it would be easier for the bank to dispose of the liability in that manner, you’re probably out of luck. So before you get to that point, be proactive and approach your mortgage holder to find out whether or not you qualify for a deed in lieu of foreclosure. It just might be a better option for you.Planning and Passion – Keys to a Successful Businesstag:jdfn.com,2011-05-04:2203529:BlogPost:255132011-05-04T21:34:25.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
<p>In today’s volatile business and economic environment, there are tens of thousands of people who have decided (for a variety of reasons) to leave the corporate world and enter a more entrepreneurial situation. There is no one sure method of guaranteeing a profitable business, but if you lack the passion and the ability to put together a structured business plan, your odds of creating an enterprise that even has a slight chance of survival is extremely slim.</p>
<p>There are many key forces…</p>
<p>In today’s volatile business and economic environment, there are tens of thousands of people who have decided (for a variety of reasons) to leave the corporate world and enter a more entrepreneurial situation. There is no one sure method of guaranteeing a profitable business, but if you lack the passion and the ability to put together a structured business plan, your odds of creating an enterprise that even has a slight chance of survival is extremely slim.</p>
<p>There are many key forces that can help you design and build a business that is not only profitable but will also offer your specific customer base something it can use or want. Consider your personal interests before deciding on the eventual product. For me, it was trading and teaching people the intricacies of trading various financial markets, specifically the Foreign Exchange. It was something that interested me considerably and it allowed me to develop a business that people from around the world could use to increase their quality of life by becoming successful traders. </p>
<p>Planning will encompass a lot of things. Creating a business plan that maps out your company’s structure, financial assets and liabilities, the values and standards that your company will embrace, as well as your vision for the future. This is by no means a comprehensive list of what to include in a business plan. Study the methods of putting a successful plan together; perhaps find others who have already done so and personalize their methods by creating an exclusive corporate direction that would work best for you and your company. Business owners who can plan for short- and long-term events and goals are also more likely to succeed. Consider how you can make a distinction between your products and services from those being offered by your competitors. An effective entrepreneur must be proactive, inquisitive, and totally dedicated to the job at hand; traits that will offer a better shot for future success.</p>
<p>Having said that, remember it’s your personal interests and passions that will guide you when deciding what your entrepreneurial venture will look like. Maybe you’re an expert at bookkeeping or perhaps you love to cook. As long as you are passionate about your product or service, you will have a much better chance of success than you would if you were lukewarm about your business. You have probably heard it said that if you enjoy what you do, you will never work another day in your life. If you enjoy something, you’re more likely to stick to it and put in the hours necessary to make a real attempt to build a new and successful venture. Make no mistake about it, you will have your problems and you will experience ups and downs along the way but never give up. There is nothing more rewarding than doing something you enjoy, while helping others through your unique product or service. </p>
<p>Let me finish as I began – planning and passion are the keys to making sure you get your entrepreneurial efforts off to a positive start. Without those two traits you may as well not even begin. So, look deeply into your personal desires, goals, and abilities and start moving forward with your plan. Small business runs the economic engine of this country; your planning and passion has never been needed more than it is today. I wish you all the best at your future success.</p>
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<p> </p>Protecting the Militarytag:jdfn.com,2011-04-21:2203529:BlogPost:242152011-04-21T22:15:38.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
<p>There is absolutely no other group of individuals in this nation who should be honored as much as those who toil for us around the world, and in many instances, sacrifice their very lives. Our military forces and their families are forced to live through great times of difficulty in order to carry out the various requirements deemed essential by the Commander in Chief of our country. </p>
<p>In this time of war around the world, many of our military forces are on their fifth or sixth tours…</p>
<p>There is absolutely no other group of individuals in this nation who should be honored as much as those who toil for us around the world, and in many instances, sacrifice their very lives. Our military forces and their families are forced to live through great times of difficulty in order to carry out the various requirements deemed essential by the Commander in Chief of our country. </p>
<p>In this time of war around the world, many of our military forces are on their fifth or sixth tours of duty overseas on very dangerous fields of battle. The sacrifices that our military families endure are enormous. These very special individuals must suffer long periods of separation, unspeakable danger, and, in most cases, inadequate pay. Today they are experiencing another hardship upon their return from overseas duty – the lack of employment.</p>
<p>Upon their return, many military members have been finding a higher-than-average unemployment rate and a tough time transferring their military skills to the private sector of American business. And as more military veterans look for employment jobs after returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the job market still doesn’t offer much hope. There is a positive side to all this since the military itself offers separating military access to programs that can help them transition into the civilian work force. But a slow job market and an overabundance of military talent trying to find jobs are over tasking these programs.</p>
<p>Those Reservists and National Guard members due have federal law on their side. Upon return from military service, The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) is designed to help Veterans regain the positions they were forced to leave in order to serve the nation’s military force. But sadly, with the downsizing of America’s business community, many vets are returning to find the company they left is now out of business and the job they once had no longer exists. </p>
<p>Employers have differing attitudes about hiring military veterans. Some businesses see veterans as the ideal candidate because of their proven leadership skills. But others are unenthusiastic to hire returning military members; concerned that former military may be too inflexible or that they might bring unwanted baggage with them, including mental or physical problems. I urge businesspeople across the country to seriously consider rewarding our returning military troops with honor, reverence, and jobs. You will never find better employees – people who are dedicated, responsible, drug-free, educated, and reliable. Hire the military and respect them every day for their selfless service to this nation.</p>
<p>I am writing this from personal experience because I was once a member of our country’s gallant force of the U.S. Armed Forces. I know first-hand the rigors that they and their precious families must live through in order to endure a military lifestyle for our sake. Now that I am no longer on active duty, I still feel an commitment to continue to serve this nation by helping these exceptional people in any way I can. I hope you will too.</p>There’s No Doubt About It … Times Are (Still) Tough!tag:jdfn.com,2011-04-17:2203529:BlogPost:235322011-04-17T13:36:59.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
<p>In the past few years, we have witnessed a rash of massive personnel layoffs and the loss of thousands of small business structures in the U.S. and around the world. But at this point, I must admit that I still don’t see an end to our financial crisis. We’re not likely to as long as the price of a barrel of gas continues to rise and inflation threatens our way of life. </p>
<p>For the first time since September 2008, oil prices rose to reach levels of over $ 110 a barrel, due to the…</p>
<p>In the past few years, we have witnessed a rash of massive personnel layoffs and the loss of thousands of small business structures in the U.S. and around the world. But at this point, I must admit that I still don’t see an end to our financial crisis. We’re not likely to as long as the price of a barrel of gas continues to rise and inflation threatens our way of life. </p>
<p>For the first time since September 2008, oil prices rose to reach levels of over $ 110 a barrel, due to the continuing tensions in the Arab world and after a good indicator in the United States. On the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex), a barrel of <em>light sweet crude</em> for May delivery finished 110.30 dollars, which was up $ 1.47 from the previous day. Libya is the 16th largest global producer of oil in the world. This one nation that has been in unrest for weeks now, was responsible for about 2 percent of world oil production, which is about 1,600,000 barrels per day.</p>
<p>Other major oil producers are also in turmoil. Both Yemen and Bahrain are big oil producers -- but far smaller; Bahrain pumps approximately 45,000 barrels per day; and in Yemen just 260,000.</p>
<p>And according to one gas price expert, Trilby Lundberg, gas prices at the pump could hit five dollars a gallon by Memorial Day. The Lundberg Survey, <em>an independent research marketing group that focuses on the petroleum industry</em><i>,</i> reported that prices jumped 20 cents during a two week reporting period to a nationwide average of $3.76 a gallon.</p>
<p>Lundberg’s survey, showing gas prices on the increase and the harsh impact prices are having on American households from coast-to-coast, is concerning. Many are worried about how gas prices will influence the economic health of the country. If people pay more at the pump there will be less disposable income for them to share with the national retail community and that has them nervous about sustaining sales that will, in turn, push their earnings and the U.S. economy in a positive direction.</p>
<p>Then there’s the question of future inflation. A weak dollar will affect everything from our exports to how much we, as a population, will be able to spend. A recent report showed grocery prices increasing 6.5 percent in March from early January. In the report, Consumer Growth Partners said the increase in food prices was the “sharpest in a generation.” A 25 percent increase in gas prices this year has joined higher food prices, which pulled $18 billion out of the monthly household spending on discretionary items. If the consumer doesn’t spend, the economy goes nowhere. </p>
<p>On top of all this, claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly increased above the key 400,000 mark recently. Like I said at the beginning, times are still tough and because of a number of issues that are not being resolved, the current situation is likely to remain so for quite a long time. Even though the government announced a few years back that the recession officially ended, it’s evident that millions of people remain out of work and that’s a reality for them and their families. In order to fix the problem, people must directly reconnect themselves to the economy but as long as they continue to lose their homes and are unable to find suitable employment, the possibility of that happening is nearly impossible. Not because they don’t want to, but because they just don’t have the disposable income to do so. </p>Take a look at your Forex Brokertag:jdfn.com,2011-02-08:2203529:BlogPost:181242011-02-08T17:17:51.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
<p>I wanted to take some time and create a series of blogs that will help Forex traders better navigate the “shark infested waters” of the Spot Forex over the counter marketplace. I have spent a tremendous amount of time over the last few months researching the forex brokers. I want to share what I have learned and how to better combat some of the tactics that brokers take to help them insure a better bottom line. </p>
<p>Let me just say, that I still love trading the Forex market. I think…</p>
<p>I wanted to take some time and create a series of blogs that will help Forex traders better navigate the “shark infested waters” of the Spot Forex over the counter marketplace. I have spent a tremendous amount of time over the last few months researching the forex brokers. I want to share what I have learned and how to better combat some of the tactics that brokers take to help them insure a better bottom line. </p>
<p>Let me just say, that I still love trading the Forex market. I think it is a great place to build a profession. The Forex market is still the largest financial marketplace in the world. To help insure that you are one of the successful traders in this marketplace you will need to start considering some positive steps. </p>
<p>I would first start out by calling your Broker, ask them if you are on STP, Straight thru Processing. You want to make sure that your broker is not trading against you. I would send them an email to make sure that you have whatever they tell you in writing. What you will more than likely get from your broker is Bla Bla Bla-meaning “We don’t have a dealing desk” - Well all you have to do is call your broker tell them you would like to talk to the dealing desk to place a trade. Guess what? Bet you get the so called nonexistent dealing desk. </p>
<p>Just because they say they don’t have a dealing desk doesn’t mean they don’t have one. You just have to ask them to put it in writing that they have your account on STP, if they won’t find a new broker. When I Was introducing customers to the Forex Brokers I asked that my customers be put on STP, I even had the broker put in writing that my customers were on STP, Again not to beat this point to death, but you can only do what you can do, just get in writing that your broker is using STP for your account. You do not want to be associated with any sort of aggregated orders. </p>
<p>Also take special note when you are trading as to latency-How slow your order is filled, slippage, whether you get the price for your buy or sell that you executed the trade at, or error messages. Any and all of these and others could be an indication that something is wrong, that the broker could be trading against you. Even if they tell you that your account is on STP. Even if the Broker says they don’t have a dealing desk. They could have just simply removed the vocabulary word dealing desk and replaced it with a “server” automation of sorts.</p>
<p>To not sound so negative you can still trade this market and find good brokers, there are lots of traders that make money trading Forex. If you want to be one of those traders then you need to become aware and understand the Forex market place, recognize that the Forex brokers are in business to make money. Then arm yourself with all the knowledge tools and strategies you can to place solid trades. </p>
<p>Watch for my next blog on more strategies to help you place better trades and beat your broker. </p>
Happy Investing-James DicksDiminished Value and Gap Insurance “Know your Rights”tag:jdfn.com,2010-12-15:2203529:BlogPost:175012010-12-15T15:24:31.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
<p>I have been around the block a few times, and I have to say that this one simply just slipped thru the cracks. Bad thing is that I could have used it in the past to assist me in collecting money that would have been very beneficial in the end. I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday and unfortunately he was in an accident the other day, good news no one was hurt. So like most of you that drive, a fender bender has been in the cards at one point or another. Like my buddy in this case who…</p>
<p>I have been around the block a few times, and I have to say that this one simply just slipped thru the cracks. Bad thing is that I could have used it in the past to assist me in collecting money that would have been very beneficial in the end. I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday and unfortunately he was in an accident the other day, good news no one was hurt. So like most of you that drive, a fender bender has been in the cards at one point or another. Like my buddy in this case who had a new truck I had a few new vehicles in which I had a fender bender at one time or another.</p>
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<p>Here lies the issue at hand. If you have a new car, we all know that as soon as you drive it off the lot you will suffer 20-30% depreciation on the value of your new vehicle. Thus one of the reasons you will find the strategy to buy a two year old vehicle in several of my books. I like new cars and I have new cars, but I also use leases to my advantage, and I also buy used as well. So back to my buddy, he was in an accident where someone hit his new truck.</p>
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<p>Insurance will cover the damages but what about the fact that his new truck now has a negative carfax, a history of repair and accident that will affect the long term value of the truck even after it is fixed. That is unfortunate and in most cases people just take it for what it is and move on. Later down the road a few years when they try to sell the vehicle the accident comes back to haunt them and the seller of the vehicle will suffer monetary loss because of the previous accident.</p>
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<p>The accident simply lowers the long term value. So what can you do? Well you can buy Gap Insurance which will cover the difference in your new vehicle when you drive it off the lot and remain in effect until your car is worth the same or lower than your loan payoff thus the “GAP” or you can file a diminished value claim against your insurance company. I would suggest that if you buy a new vehicle that you look into gap insurance, some policies have it included and others you will need to add it on. Keep in mind that you can get Gap insurance at many places not just thru your insurance company and certainly don’t take the Gap offered by your dealership when you buy your new vehicle. There are also alternatives to Gap insurance such as new car payoff options etc, you can discuss with your auto insurance company.</p>
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<p>Since my buddy is filing a diminished value claim let’s look at what and how the claim works. Let’s say you are like my buddy and were in a recent accident with your vehicle. – The first thing you are going to do is file a claim with your insurance company for the damage to the vehicle – The initial claim will only cover your damages minus your deductable of course – But what about your Diminished Value, this is going to be what your new vehicle is worth if you sold it now with the repaired damage vs selling the same new vehicle now with no damage.</p>
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<p>You need to be familiar with the three (3) types of Diminished Value . . .</p>
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<p>1. <strong>Immediate Diminished Value</strong> is the difference in resale value of a vehicle immediately before damage has occurred and immediately after damage has occurred (prior to repair). Most jurisdictions (courts) will use this standard as the primary measure of damage when courts are employed to seek reimbursement for damage from a negligent party. As courts are rarely the chosen venue for recovery of property damage, the standard of “Immediate Diminished Value” is rarely employed in resolving Diminished Value Claims . . .</p>
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<p>2. <strong>Inherent Diminished Value</strong> assumes optimal repair quality has been achieved and is defined as the amount by which the resale value of a repaired vehicle has been reduced simply because the subject vehicle now has a significant damage history. “Inherent Diminished Value” is the most widely recognized and accepted form of Diminished Value. It is also the basis upon which any supplemental form of Diminished Value would be added. A common “Supplemental” form of Diminished Value is “Repair Related Diminished Value” . . .</p>
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<p>3. <strong>Repair Related Diminished Value</strong> includes any additional amounts by which the resale value of a subject vehicle may be further reduced because of less-than-optimal repairs. This could include anything from minor cosmetic imperfections to major structural defects. Determining diminished value takes basic common sense, the newer your vehicle the more likely the value would be diminished if it were in an accident.</p>
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<p>If you find yourself in a position that you think you may be looking at a diminished value situation, you will need to find a D/V appraiser, this type of appraiser has really taken off recently but you will need to be careful as some of them are not as professional as others, you may just want to ask your insurance company for the name of one that they recommend. Do not fall prey to contingency type diminished value companies.</p>
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<p>These companies will tout that they can get you money from the insurance company for the vehicles diminished value on a contingency basis, meaning that they take their money out of the claim when paid by your insurance company. There are numerous scams out their reported with this type of business activity so just avoid them. If for some reason you have difficulty with trying to collect on a diminished value claim from your insurance company you may need to find an attorney to assist you with the claim, in most cases your attorney fees can also be incorporated into the claim.</p>
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<p>If you don’t receive your diminished value claim or as much as you feel you should have you still can recoup some of the loss on your taxes, Please take note that in no way do I offer tax advice, nor am I a tax attorney, please seek professional tax advice when doing your taxes.</p>
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<p>IF you itemize your deductions, you can use Line # 19 of Form 1040 - Schedule “A” to deduct your unrecovered Diminished Value. If you have an unrecovered Diminished Value of say $ 1,500 and a tax rate of 20%, you can Reduce Your Tax Obligation by almost $ 300.00.</p>
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<p>Yet another financial strategy that can be used to help you and your family achieve the financial success you deserve,</p>
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<p>Happy Investing!</p>
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<p>James Dicks</p>Pay Yourself Firsttag:jdfn.com,2010-12-13:2203529:BlogPost:174892010-12-13T13:49:19.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
Fear plays a specific (but different) role in each of our lives. Of course, some of us are more affected than others. But at least to a certain degree, almost all of us experience some measure of fear for our own well-being. As fear relates to money, it is often a motivating force for people’s individual desire to accumulate. The need is not so much for what the money can do now as it is to protect us from unknown forces down the road.<br />
Some people don’t seem to have this instinct at all, and…
Fear plays a specific (but different) role in each of our lives. Of course, some of us are more affected than others. But at least to a certain degree, almost all of us experience some measure of fear for our own well-being. As fear relates to money, it is often a motivating force for people’s individual desire to accumulate. The need is not so much for what the money can do now as it is to protect us from unknown forces down the road.<br />
Some people don’t seem to have this instinct at all, and this doesn’t bode well for the long-term health of the American economy. Just in the last two years people have started to really slow their spending down and foremost their spending on credit. It may have a negative effect on things for now, but in the long run we will be far better off.<br />
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(We have the lowest savings rate of any developed nation, which is a worrisome thing.) But the rest of us experience this self-protective instinct to put something aside for a rainy day. For some people, this means setting aside a small amount of money for less fortunate times. For still another group, the fear becomes extreme—even irrational—and leads to the unnecessary hoarding (and often counting) of money.<br />
For me having to review this lesson is key; even writing it makes me think. My first time out I made lots of money, but I was over leveraged and in the end lost everything and had to start over again. The second time around I was not as over leveraged and saved money for a rainy day, problem is it seems as though it has been raining for a long time. However saving money for the rainy days has proven to be very wise. The next time around, I plan on having zero leverage, and living completely debt free. That is really the key to success, eliminate the credit and live on what you make and save, use a debit card instead of a credit card.<br />
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Let’s acknowledge first that saving money for the future is important. Having said that, the inevitable question that follows is, how much is enough? Setting aside a little money isn’t difficult, but since small amounts can seem so insignificant, it’s easy to lose the discipline to continue. But it is that very discipline that makes saving work. Well, discipline combined with the almost magical power of compound interest.<br />
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Compound interest is the key to building wealth. Simply put, it means investing some money, earning interest on your investment, and then leaving both the interest and the principal in place so that you begin to earn interest on your interest (as well as on your principal).<br />
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In other words, first your original money earns money, and then the money your money has earned earns more money. This goes on year after year. After years of compounded growth, the annual earnings reach an acceptable level. Eventually, if you’re original investment was large enough, if your rates of interest were competitive, and if you wait long enough, your nest egg will grow large enough to produce an acceptable outside income.Focus Your Dreams to Make Them Come Alivetag:jdfn.com,2010-10-18:2203529:BlogPost:170972010-10-18T01:07:08.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
Here is one of my favorite mental exercises. Pretend that, for once in your life, you had unlimited money and unlimited time. Don’t necessarily go crazy with your thoughts, but work to eliminate those initial barriers of time and money. What will you be interested in after you buy all of those lavish things you always thought you wanted? What’s beyond the bigger car, the faster boat, and the fancier house? Whatever they are, those are the really important things.<br />
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I can assure you that those of…
Here is one of my favorite mental exercises. Pretend that, for once in your life, you had unlimited money and unlimited time. Don’t necessarily go crazy with your thoughts, but work to eliminate those initial barriers of time and money. What will you be interested in after you buy all of those lavish things you always thought you wanted? What’s beyond the bigger car, the faster boat, and the fancier house? Whatever they are, those are the really important things.<br />
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I can assure you that those of you that are a little older know exactly what I am talking about. There is a life time line where you got have more more more. I have had all the cars from a Cavalier to a convertible Murciélago Lamborghini, Bentley GT, big and fast boats etc. Now I am more focused on what counts most to me. How do you really know what is important to you? Simple, focus and take a few moments to work thru this and other mental exercises to help you laser in on those really important things. I can tell you this to accomplish your goals you must be willing to give up the not so important things, be willing to sacrifice to accomplish your truly important goals.<br />
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What 10 things would you do if you had unlimited time and money? Give yourself a few moments to come up with 10 answers, but not ones that are too long. Please write them down, either here or on a separate sheet of paper, seriously you need to do this, write it down, if you just do it on paper you won’t be able to burn the image in your subconscious which is the key to positive imaging, making the dreams become reality. Well, what did you find out about yourself? One thing many people discover, as a result of this exercise, is that listing 10 items is not as easy as they assumed it would be—even with unlimited time and money. If you found that to be true—if numbers 9 and 10 came hard— then you need to dream more. Have at it! You are now free to dream.<br />
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1. YOUR MISSION TO WEALTH TO-DO LIST 1. DEVISE A PLAN FIRST, AND THE STRATEGIES WILL FOLLOW. -You must come up with your plan first. Hildebrant’s principle applies here: “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” Wandering aimlessly will get you nowhere fast.<br />
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2. TRUST YOUR MENTORS.- To get the most out of this exercise, you must put your trust in people you don’t know. So I ask you to suspend disbelief. I ask you to think of me as someone you know and trust as you progress through my blogs. (There’s no downside and plenty of upside.)<br />
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3. CHANGE YOUR MINDSET.- Accumulating wealth is as much about mindset as it is about net worth. It may sound simple or even naive, but without the proper mindset, you almost certainly will not achieve your financial goals. If you do somehow achieve them, they’re likely to come undone quickly.<br />
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4. DARE TO DREAM. Dreaming is one of the first steps on the journey to financial independence. Think of Roger Bannister’s four-minute mile. Think of John F. Kennedy’s challenge to Americans to get to the moon before the end of the decade. You must first envision the future before it can become a reality. That may sound like another simplification (and indeed, it’s only part of the story), but that’s exactly what worked for me.<br />
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Don t skip this exercise. I actually sat down and did this when I was 15, as fate may have it; I found my list that I wrote some years back and realized that writing this down really helped and made the difference between success and failure. I actually wrote all my goals down, both short and long term, then I did the dreams as this exercise suggest. Over time my short term goals were all accomplished, my long term goals were really more short term and all accomplished, and my dreams became long term goals and then short term goals and then I achieved all the dreams that I had written down when I was 15. Two points here, one, do this, two update it yearly as your life’s values and what’s important changes and you want to be writing these changes down so that you can achieve them.Principles of Wealth Creationtag:jdfn.com,2010-10-07:2203529:BlogPost:170082010-10-07T12:00:00.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
To accomplish your goal of becoming financially free, you will need to master specific principles of wealth creation. No, these aren’t some magical set of principles we found scratched in papyrus scrolls in the ruins of an ancient temple. They’re contemporary, commonsense principles. At the same time, though, they are magical, because they create the basis for a sound foundation of wealth creation.<br />
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You need to be systematic and thorough in your approach to these eight principles. If you follow…
To accomplish your goal of becoming financially free, you will need to master specific principles of wealth creation. No, these aren’t some magical set of principles we found scratched in papyrus scrolls in the ruins of an ancient temple. They’re contemporary, commonsense principles. At the same time, though, they are magical, because they create the basis for a sound foundation of wealth creation.<br />
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You need to be systematic and thorough in your approach to these eight principles. If you follow just some of them, you may still become financially free. (Yes, they are that powerful.) But your foundation for long-term success will be more solid if you internalize them all.<br />
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Let’s take another short step in your journey toward financial freedom. Yes, we’re going to do some more dreaming. If possible, you should find some quiet place where you can be by yourself and not have to worry about being self-conscious. But if you can’t, don’t worry about it. Just do the best you can. If you’re not happy about the results the first time, consider repeating the exercise again later in a more private place, and see if the results are the same.<br />
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So get comfortable and relaxed. Close your eyes for a moment, and allow yourself to dream. Let your mind roam as if you were a little kid in school, bored by some dull assignment. Give yourself permission to do what people have told you not to do your entire life: daydream.<br />
Let your mind wander, and think happy thoughts—thoughts about things you would really like to do. Places where you’ve always wanted to travel. People you’d like to meet. Whatever comes to your mind, allow yourself to let go and dream, even if it is only for a few moments. Once you complete this brief exercise—and only after you have done this—continue on.<br />
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Did you do it? Great. I hope you enjoyed this moment with yourself. It’s a good start, and it’s something you should do more often. At first, your conscious brain—the scolding part, the part that Freud called the “superego”—will resist your attempts at daydreaming. And let’s face it, you’re out of practice. You haven’t done it since you were a kid, and even then, people were telling you it was a “waste of time.”<br />
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Nothing could be further from the truth. Dreaming puts you in touch with your inner self. It allows you to contemplate what is going on in your life, and what you want to do about it. It is a restful time—a time that allows you to recharge your batteries and rejuvenate yourself, mentally, physically, and spiritually. Entire civilizations in the East endorse meditation as a positive habit to develop.<br />
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I do, too—although I prefer to talk about dreaming, rather than meditating. I believe that a focused kind of meditation, a dreaming of your future, is critically important.<br />
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My Best<br />
James DicksA millionaires dreamstag:jdfn.com,2010-10-06:2203529:BlogPost:170072010-10-06T12:00:00.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
Each of us creates our own world, today and tomorrow, by the thoughts and dreams we create. This is precisely why financial freedom is viewed so differently once you get past the dollar number. Our dreams are all different, and that variety is a good thing. Can you imagine how difficult life would be if we all wanted to be doctors?<br />
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In order for life to work, we must all be different. We must have different dreams and different aspirations. But this very variety means that these dreams can all…
Each of us creates our own world, today and tomorrow, by the thoughts and dreams we create. This is precisely why financial freedom is viewed so differently once you get past the dollar number. Our dreams are all different, and that variety is a good thing. Can you imagine how difficult life would be if we all wanted to be doctors?<br />
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In order for life to work, we must all be different. We must have different dreams and different aspirations. But this very variety means that these dreams can all be fulfilled—assuming that each of us is honest with himself or herself and finds his or her true dream.<br />
Not someone else’s dream—your dream.<br />
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Financial freedom is your dream. As long as you can dream, you can continue to succeed. Show me a person who has no dream, and I will show you someone who is poor. A millionaire dreams, and then sets out to make those dreams real. Once you stop dreaming, you stop the magic. That’s because you have created the world you wanted. You stop moving forward, because your dreams have ended. Either you are content to live with what you have or you are constantly frustrated because you don’t have enough—or you learn to dream again.<br />
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Think about this for a moment. Look around you at the people you know who, when measured in terms of financial prosperity, have a successful life. Inevitably, the ones who are the happiest are the ones who are still dreaming. Those who have stopped dreaming become overly concerned about the money they have. They begin to hoard their wealth in a way that restricts even their own pleasure.<br />
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It’s a sad predicament: to be snared by your failing or extinguished dreams. As my grandmother always said, “Be careful what you wish for, because you may get it.” In other words, be ready to handle the consequences of what you think you want, because you may indeed get it. Money without a plan is worthless. That is why the first step should be to create that plan.<br />
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You must be ready for your wealth before you get it. The plan you develop for financial success will be based on sound fundamentals, rather than on some pie-in-the-sky, get-richquick scheme. You can build the wealth you seek. It won’t come overnight, but once you master our method, you won’t care. You will be systematically working toward your long-term goal, while at the same time earning money and enjoying the journey. Isn’t that what you really want? Satisfaction today, and financial freedom tomorrow?<br />
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Don’t miss my next blog in which I will discuss the principles of wealth creation.<br />
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My Best<br />
James DicksDreaming is fun, isn’t it? Part 3tag:jdfn.com,2010-10-05:2203529:BlogPost:170052010-10-05T12:15:34.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
Welcome back.<br />
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Follow up to previous blog post.<br />
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Once you have actually seen yourself spending and enjoying your newfound financial success, you can move on. Please don’t fudge—OK, let’s move on together. Let’s change your visual focus. Where do you live in your new life of prosperity? What does your house look like? How many bedrooms does it have? Can you see it? If you can see it, spend a few minutes creating details. If you can’t see it, spend a little more time with the exercise until you…
Welcome back.<br />
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Follow up to previous blog post.<br />
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Once you have actually seen yourself spending and enjoying your newfound financial success, you can move on. Please don’t fudge—OK, let’s move on together. Let’s change your visual focus. Where do you live in your new life of prosperity? What does your house look like? How many bedrooms does it have? Can you see it? If you can see it, spend a few minutes creating details. If you can’t see it, spend a little more time with the exercise until you can.<br />
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Someone once said that what the mind can see, the body can achieve. I believe it. I go a step further. I believe that the mind must see it before the body is able to work for it. Look at another realm of human endeavor: sports. When Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile, he saw it long before he did it. Over and over in his mind, he later recalled, he visualized doing what had been deemed to be impossible. Interestingly enough, once Bannister did what no one else had ever done before, others quickly succeeded in doing it. Why? Because in minds all around the world, mental barriers had been broken. People understood that the impossible was now possible.<br />
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The same analogy applies to wealth creation. There is a process one must go through to achieve it. Bill Gates, in his best-selling book The Road Ahead, writes about his “play” with computers in high school. Even then, when computers were the size of large rooms and far less powerful than our miniature hand-held PDAs, he dreamed about what they would be able to achieve in the future.<br />
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His dream was so strong, in fact, that he feared missing out on the revolution he saw in his mind. He dropped out of Harvard University—dropped off the safe path he was on—to get a quicker start. There was simply no way that he was going to let the software revolution start without him.<br />
Bill Gates saw the future of computers in his mind long before it became a reality. He saw a role for himself in that future. He dreamed the dream, developed plans to fulfill that dream, and then took action. This could be called the “science of success.”<br />
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It’s not restricted to Roger Bannister and Bill Gates. It’s something that each of you can participate in and benefit from. But before you can do it, you have to knock down the mental barriers to your financial success. You must learn to envision your achievements. Once you do, the achievements will follow. So far, so good? Are you beginning to see the mindset you need to have if you are to achieve financial freedom? Let’s go a little further.<br />
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What about a family? Will you have a spouse? Children? What will they be like? These are extremely important thoughts to consider and plan for. You must see it before it happens, but once you do; financial freedom will be more than one step closer.<br />
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All of the questions I have posed to you so far will become an important part of creating your dreams and ultimately achieving goals based on those dreams. Now that you see the process unfolding, you can also see how the end results will be different for everyone.<br />
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More to follow don’t miss reading the most important aspect of how this exercise can make such an impact on your financial life.<br />
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My Best<br />
James DicksYour rights have been stolen!tag:jdfn.com,2010-09-30:2203529:BlogPost:169882010-09-30T16:14:38.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">I can’t take it anymore, as a United States Marine, I served this great country to protect our very rights that seem to be not slowly but quickly disappearing, at almost an alarming rate. Well enough is enough, I will continue to…</font></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">I can’t take it anymore, as a United States Marine, I served this great country to protect our very rights that seem to be not slowly but quickly disappearing, at almost an alarming rate. Well enough is enough, I will continue to create a series of blogs that I can share my opinion on many of these issues, but for now let me discuss an area of both business and personal activity that I have shared and been in for now nearly 10 years. The Retail Over the counter Spot Forex market.</font></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1">You may not know it or you may now be aware but your rights afforded you as a US citizen have now been hijacked reduced yet again and are about to be enforced. It’s a sad day when you basically have more rights in China than you do here in the US. I am talking about the</span> <span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN">Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008.</span></font></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">“These rules of the road will help protect the American public in the largest area of retail fraud that the CFTC oversees: retail foreign exchange,” CFTC Chairman Gary Gensler said. “All CFTC registrants involved in soliciting and selling retail forex contracts to consumers will now have to comply with rules to protect the investing public. This is also the first final rule that the Commission has published to implement the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. We look forward to publishing additional rules to protect the American public.”</font></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">Let me sum it up for you, As an American, a US citizen you are not allowed to open a Forex account offshore in another country to trade the FOREX. The Government has taken your rights and protected you. GIVE ME A BREAK. To late its law and you will have to choke it down. These people have lost their minds, I appeal to all Americans enough is enough vote these career politicians out of office, there are less than 600 people that as a whole, all Americans can simply send home, send them all home and let’s start fresh. Here is a novel idea, I bet that if we replaces all the US representatives and the US Senators good and bad, an entire new house and senate that they can’t do any worse ruining our country than the old timers. Let’s prove it. </font></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">Back to the problem at hand, first and foremost, as you read this just keep thinking that you are not allowed to do something because you are being protected, and you have no choice. The leverage for Forex on major currency pairs is now 50:1 and exotics 20:1, what a joke. You had choices you can trade in another country, BUT not anymore. I have included numerous places to voice your opinion; I would suggest you use the fax machines, if enough people do they will unplug them, and when they do start emailing, or calling, and when they turn all that off, start sending snail mail.</font></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">Commodity Futures Trading Commission</font></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">Three Lafayette Centre</font></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">1155 21<sup>st</sup> Street, NW</font></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">Washington, DC 20581</font></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">202-418-5000 or FAX 202-418-5521</font></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1"><a href="mailto:Questions@cftc.gov" target="_top"><b><span style="COLOR: black; mso-themecolor: text1"><font size="3" face="Calibri">Questions@cftc.gov</font></span></b></a><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">.</font></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, enacted on July 21, 2010, further modified the CEA in a number of ways. It requires that all off-exchange retail foreign currency transactions be done pursuant to the rules of a Federal regulatory agency. It also requires that unless Federal regulators prepare rules regarding off-exchange retail forex transactions within specified time periods, the transactions are prohibited. If any Federal regulatory agency had already proposed such rules prior to the enactment of the Dodd-Frank Act – as had the CFTC – the agency has 90 days following enactment to adopt final rules, or the same prohibition takes effect.</font></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">For the CFTC, the Dodd-Frank Act reconfirms the Commission’s authority to regulate off-exchange retail forex transactions and establishes a date – October 19, 2010 – by which final rules must be in place. For other Federal regulators whose regulatees are expressly permitted to serve as counterparties (such as United States financial institutions and broker dealers), it requires the preparation of similar rules or such transactions by their regulatees are prohibited.</font></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1">The Dodd-Frank Act further modifies the list of eligible counterparties by eliminating insurance companies and investment bank holding companies. Moreover, where the list of eligible counterparties previously included “financial institutions,” the Dodd-Frank Act specifically provides that among financial institutions, only United States financial institutions are permitted to act as counterparties. That’s right you read it correctly, you can now only trade in the US where</span> <span class="apple-style-span"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">U.S. Senator Chris Dodd</span></span> <span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1">and Congressman Barney Frank Say so. Let’s contact them and tell them what we really think. Don’t be fooled. I wonder if they have any major contributors that will benefit from their invite wisdom to make us trade in the US.</span></font></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">U.S. Senator Chris Dodd</font></font></span></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">Congressman Barney Frank</font></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1"><a href="http://www.house.gov/frank/contact/index.html"><b><span style="COLOR: black; mso-themecolor: text1"><font size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.house.gov/frank/contact/index.html</font></span></b></a></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">202-225-5931</font></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1">U.S. Senator Chris Dodd<br/>448 Russell Building | Washington D.C., 20510<br/>Tel: <span class="skypepnhprintcontainer">(202) 224-2823</span> | Fax: (202) 224-1083<br/><br/>30 Lewis St Suite 101 | Hartford, CT 06103<br/>Tel: (860) 258-6940/(800) 334-5341 —CT only<br/>Fax: (860) 258-6958</span></font></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Happy Investing!</span></span></font></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">Dodd, Frank, James Dicks, Forex,</font></font></span></p>First Step-Using your dreams and goals to create wealth Part 2tag:jdfn.com,2010-09-27:2203529:BlogPost:169382010-09-27T01:04:03.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
To take your first step and set your mind on the course to financial success, you must begin to dream. You must begin to envision the kind of life you desire. For some of you, this will be easy, because you have dreamed all your life. For others, it will be more difficult. Why? Some people simply don’t know how to dream—they’ve never tapped into their imagination deeply enough to let their thoughts run free.<br />
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Other people, deep down, don’t believe that they deserve wealth or success. But…
To take your first step and set your mind on the course to financial success, you must begin to dream. You must begin to envision the kind of life you desire. For some of you, this will be easy, because you have dreamed all your life. For others, it will be more difficult. Why? Some people simply don’t know how to dream—they’ve never tapped into their imagination deeply enough to let their thoughts run free.<br />
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Other people, deep down, don’t believe that they deserve wealth or success. But they’re wrong. Everyone deserves a better place in life, and the dream has to come first. And if you’ve never let your imagination run free in this way, there’s no time like the present.<br />
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Let’s try a little exercise. Find a quiet place where there are no distractions. Think about your future financial freedom for just a moment. Envision the future—not just when you reach some arbitrary financial milestone, but further into the future. Think about your life after you achieve the financial freedom that you want.<br />
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What will you do with the money? Visualize yourself actually spending money on things you have always wanted. Would you buy a new car if you had a lot more money? Can you see yourself actually driving your old car into that showroom and buying that dream car? Having trouble?<br />
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This process of visualization may be very hard for some of you, mainly because for so many years, you have blocked out the possibility of great things happening to you. You assumed that if you didn’t think too much about your financial worries, then that might make your frustrations a little easier to take. It’s an “out of sight, out of mind” approach.<br />
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But that type of attitude is precisely what you should move you away from. Dare to dream again! Get those creative juices flowing! Think back to the excitement that life held when you were a teenager, and everything seemed possible. (If you’re a teenager now, congratulations for worrying about these issues at such an early age; you’re almost guaranteed success.) If at first you don’t succeed in dreaming, try and try again.<br />
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If you achieved financial freedom, what would you buy for yourself? What would you buy for a member of your family? Can you see yourself spending your money, laughing, and having a good time? Giving a loved one something that he or she has always wanted? Good. You must start dreaming before this process can begin to work for you. Remember, mental rewards are just as good as physical ones.<br />
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All right, I’m willing to bet that at least some of you didn’t go through that exercise. Well, I am going to stop right here and give you another chance. (If you did it, do it again.) Pause for a moment. No one’s timing you. Let yourself go. (What’s the downside? There is none!) Give your mind a chance to create the kind of future you’ve always wanted. Try it now.<br />
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Next blog will pick back up after you have completed the exercise.Using your dreams and goals to create wealth Part 1tag:jdfn.com,2010-09-24:2203529:BlogPost:169352010-09-24T14:11:06.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
I always wanted to be millionaire. I clearly didn’t inherit this desire, because my parents weren’t rich. My father seemed to work as hard as anyone trying to create lasting wealth as an entrepreneur and I guess by the time he retired he had created a nice little nest egg, but that was his retirement and probably not much more than someone retiring from a big company.<br />
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For me, I always wanted freedom. I saw that the lack of money bothered my father.<br />
He felt trapped in a business he didn’t like,…
I always wanted to be millionaire. I clearly didn’t inherit this desire, because my parents weren’t rich. My father seemed to work as hard as anyone trying to create lasting wealth as an entrepreneur and I guess by the time he retired he had created a nice little nest egg, but that was his retirement and probably not much more than someone retiring from a big company.<br />
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For me, I always wanted freedom. I saw that the lack of money bothered my father.<br />
He felt trapped in a business he didn’t like, and he didn’t know how to break out. He didn’t have a money mentor. There was very little finance-related information or education available to people like him (particularly when you think about what is available today).<br />
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So what he did was do what he knew and learned from my grandfather, work hard, send their children to college, and set aside money for retirement by making small investments in real estate. That was his plan, and he followed it.<br />
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I wanted more. Why? Because, as I saw it money gives people freedom. With money, I thought, you can go where you want to go and do what you want to do, when you want to do it. What I had to discover—and in fact didn’t discover for many years—was that having the money wasn’t as important as knowing what to do with the money once I got it. In reality, as it turned out, money was only a tool. In order to use that tool properly, I needed to first control my mind. I needed to aim my thoughts in a direction that had meaning and importance.<br />
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In fact, I miscalculated in my early quests for financial freedom. With the benefit of hindsight, I can now see that not only do you have to plan for how you will achieve financial freedom, you also have to know how you will keep that freedom once you get it. With wealth comes responsibility—not only to yourself, but also to your family and others who mean the most to you.<br />
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Unfortunately, that lesson was a rather expensive one to learn. I sincerely hope that you won’t have to learn it the hard way, as I did. Thus the pay it forward blogs. For now, suffice it to say that making it and keeping it are really two separate parts of the equation. If I can help you understand that, you’re likely to make more and keep more.<br />
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The next blog will tale about the first steps you need to take and how to set your mind on the right course for financial freedom.Build a Financial Plan “as you see it”tag:jdfn.com,2010-09-21:2203529:BlogPost:168952010-09-21T14:07:33.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
<p>Several years ago, in the best-selling book The Millionaire NextDoor, the authors described the day-to-day lives of contemporary millionaires: what they think, what they buy, their daily habits, and so on. What came through loud and clear was a mindset of success.</p>
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<p>Those millionaires next door were recognizable—in other words, in lots of ways, they weren’t all that different from you and me. But they were distinctive in the way they thought about the world, and about their…</p>
<p>Several years ago, in the best-selling book The Millionaire NextDoor, the authors described the day-to-day lives of contemporary millionaires: what they think, what they buy, their daily habits, and so on. What came through loud and clear was a mindset of success.</p>
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<p>Those millionaires next door were recognizable—in other words, in lots of ways, they weren’t all that different from you and me. But they were distinctive in the way they thought about the world, and about their wealth. Not that they were all the same—far from it. But they shared certain kinds of discipline in the way they dealt with the world.</p>
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<p>My goal is to help you achieve that kind of discipline, so that you can move from where you are to where you want to be. That means slightly different things for different people—there’s no “one size fits all”—but that is the fun and beauty of financial independence.</p>
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<p>Very few things that are of value come easily. But it will be fun—like learning a new sport, taking up a new instrument, or learning a new language—and that is the exciting part. Planning for your financial goals, and then getting there, can be among life’s most rewarding experiences.</p>
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<p>The definition of financial independence is different for everyone. For some, it is a substantial net worth, consisting of reasonably liquid assets—say, a million bucks cash in the bank. (Liquid simply means that it’s available to you on short notice. Cash is liquid; real estate is not.) Others tie financial freedom to some level of annual income, like, a million dollars in cash, gross. Still others would raise the bar and say, “a million a year after taxes.” But everything’s relative, and people’s expectations vary widely.</p>
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<p>To you and me, a million dollars (in any of these flavors) is a whole lot of money. But to Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, or Donald Trump, a million dollars probably wouldn’t mean all that much.</p>
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<p>The moment you start trying to live by someone else’s standards, you’re likely to lose the war, even if you win some shorter battles. Everyone has their own set of values and principles. Trying to use their financial plan and utilize their financial mind set will lead to disaster. Build your financial mind set on your values and principals, create a plan that you will want to work. After all you are planning for your future.</p>The Forex Daily Digest – October 20, 2009tag:jdfn.com,2009-10-20:2203529:BlogPost:112612009-10-20T12:03:08.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
The USD began the week under pressure, falling after the Fed Bank of New York released a statement clarifying some recent activity that market participants interpreted as preparation for removing some liquidity from the financial system and boost interest rates. And according to currency analysts, the USD will extend losses as the global economy’s recovery prompts investors to shift away from U.S. assets. The Dow reached 10,092 and gold finished the day higher to close at $1,058.<br />
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The EUR…
The USD began the week under pressure, falling after the Fed Bank of New York released a statement clarifying some recent activity that market participants interpreted as preparation for removing some liquidity from the financial system and boost interest rates. And according to currency analysts, the USD will extend losses as the global economy’s recovery prompts investors to shift away from U.S. assets. The Dow reached 10,092 and gold finished the day higher to close at $1,058.<br />
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The EUR traded near its lowest level against the USD in almost a week on speculation policy makers sounded concern about the European currency’s recent strength. The EUR fell back from a 14-month high before talks between euro-area finance ministers in Luxembourg after U.S. equities dropped, slowing demand for higher-yielding assets. The AUD and the NZD strengthened as a Reserve Bank of Australia official said a move to a “more normal” interest-rate setting was appropriate as the economic outlook improves.<br />
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The CAD was slightly higher against the USD, but its gain was held back ahead Bank of Canada interest rate announcement expected in the next session. The Bank of Canada is expected to play it safe when it maps out its policy stance, holding the line on interest rates and tinkering at the margins of its economic forecasts as it waits for solid evidence that the recovery is actually happening. The CAD threatens to stifle recovery, but at the same time the Canadian housing and job markets appear to be reheating faster than anybody had anticipated. Analysts anticipate the bank to repeat its pledge to keep the key overnight rate at 0.25 percent until the end of June 2010, conditional on inflation staying on track to meet its 2 percent target.<br />
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The JPY fell against all of its 16 most-traded counterparts on speculation Japanese investors will send money overseas for higher returns and the government won’t support a strong currency. Finance Minister Hirohisa Fujii told reporters that governments are responsible for ensuring the stability of their currencies, which “need to reflect the strength” of economies.<br />
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China’s yuan saw a 14- month high on speculation the Chinese economy’s recovery from a slump will encourage policy makers to allow currency appreciation to resume. Government bonds advanced and the exchange rate has been kept at about 6.83 per dollar since July 2008, following a 21 percent gain in the previous three years.<br />
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Germany’s government sources said it is not aware of any plans to hold a summit meeting to talk about currencies after a German newspaper reported that high ranking European officials were pushing for a meeting to pressure China to allow the yuan to rise. The reports said that senior European officials, including Eurogroup Chairman Jean-Claude Juncker, ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet and EU Commissioner Joaquin Almunia may travel to China before the end of the year for a discussion on currencies.<br />
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On the economic calendar look for Building Permits for September, the Producer Price Index, as well as Housing Starts. Earnings scheduled for release today include The Coca-Cola Company, Yahoo, UAL Corp, DuPont, Caterpillar, Regions Financial, Pfizer, Seagate Technology, Quest Diagnostics, State Street Corp, and Comerica Inc.<br />
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Happy Trading,<br />
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James DicksCan't See the Forest for the Treestag:jdfn.com,2009-03-18:2203529:BlogPost:72622009-03-18T18:42:41.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
We have all heard that old adage and this old saying fits just about every situation we experience in our lives but none more than right now. As our economy continues to suffer, so do all of us. Some of us are business owners and some of us serve. Some of us are employed but to the individuals who are currently unemployed the message is very simple - - you just have to keep moving the ball along. Every day is a new challenge and, if it’s done right, the ball moves forward inch by inch and…
We have all heard that old adage and this old saying fits just about every situation we experience in our lives but none more than right now. As our economy continues to suffer, so do all of us. Some of us are business owners and some of us serve. Some of us are employed but to the individuals who are currently unemployed the message is very simple - - you just have to keep moving the ball along. Every day is a new challenge and, if it’s done right, the ball moves forward inch by inch and that’s all that can be expected in these troubling times.<br />
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No matter how tough or grim you perceive the situation to be always, remember that you are blessed in so many ways. If you find yourself among the ranks of the unemployed you just might have to think about that for a while; it might take a lot of reflection. But no matter what happens, each day is glorious and opens the door to new possibilities. It will always get better - it always does.<br />
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There is the catch though. You have to do something and sometimes that something is just getting off the couch to try and make something happen. Most times it is the small things that turn into the big things and sometimes the things you try turn out to be nothing. But whatever you do will always give you new light into what you have already done and that’s when inspiration springs to life.<br />
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Just yesterday I was consulting with a very successful business owner and like the rest of us he was down a little on his business. Like all good business owners in these volatile times he has stayed the course and made some very tough decisions but in the end was moving the ball along. He told me he was becoming frustrated not “seeing the trees because of the forest” thing so I told him to start something new. Of course, he said that now is not the time and if you look at logic that might make sense. But in fact, it is the time. When times are tough and you feel that you have done all you can; when you’re just out of fresh ideas then it’s time to start something new; it’s time to try something different. Don't worry if things don't work out every time - one thing is for sure - you will never know if you don't give it a try.<br />
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I am not saying to throw everything you have at an untested initiative or to risk everything. I am just saying to start a new project. Here's why and here is what you will probably find out. As you work on your new project two things will happen; you will be successful or fail pretty fast. There is also an in-between. While you are waiting for the lull in your existing business to subside, you will be focused on something completely different allowing you to be creative in other directions. Sometimes you will end up with a brand new course to explore and other times it is all you need to get re-energized with your existing business. You just need to step back and look at things a little differently and developing new projects will do that for you. They always have for me.<br />
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Don't worry if you aren’t a business owner; this exercise works just as well either way. You can personally go out and volunteer some time. I can guarantee you that volunteering will give you a great perspective on what others are going through and you just might find your situation isn’t as bad as you thought. Even if you are looking for a job full-time right now, a few hours of volunteer work at your local hospital or Veteran’s Administration will allow you to see first hand the possibilities that still exist in this great country of ours.<br />
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All you have to do is get up and do it -<br />
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All my best<br />
James dicksKnow Your Credittag:jdfn.com,2009-03-02:2203529:BlogPost:68412009-03-02T13:02:49.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
I was sitting around this weekend, and as I often do, I check my credit reports. I try to examine my credit reports at least once a month; that seems like a lot and probably is for the average consumer. But for me my credit standing is vital for my business and its success.<br />
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I am probably not the best person to talk to about credit, or at least the credit bureaus; since I believe the credit bureaus are the biggest scam of all. I mean they give you one free credit report a year so you can see…
I was sitting around this weekend, and as I often do, I check my credit reports. I try to examine my credit reports at least once a month; that seems like a lot and probably is for the average consumer. But for me my credit standing is vital for my business and its success.<br />
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I am probably not the best person to talk to about credit, or at least the credit bureaus; since I believe the credit bureaus are the biggest scam of all. I mean they give you one free credit report a year so you can see what’s on it, but that only happened after they were forced to do so.<br />
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I pay for credit report monitoring and, unfortunately, I suggest you do the same. Be assured I don’t get paid for recommending this but it’s the only way to really know what is going on with your credit reports. All three bureaus have a monthly service that will send you alerts as things change on your report. You probably don’t need all three just chose one, that way if you get an alert you can check it and then you will know most likely the other two reporting agencies will have the same information.<br />
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I have been keeping track of my credit reports for many years, and I literally have a three ring binder for each bureau that is five inches thick full of old reports. I keep very close track of what is on my file. Listen in the last few months I have had several things hit my report that were erroneous. It pays to check.<br />
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The first error involved a bank I had a loan with; they said I was 30 days late on a payment which wasn’t even close. I had to actually show them my receipt of the payment to prove I wasn’t. Then I had to diligently stay on top of the bank to make sure that they fixed my credit report. In the last year, I have had at least three or four separate instances where a payment was not recorded correctly.<br />
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Here is a good story for you. I had a car that I wanted to trade in. I went to the dealer, bought a new one and traded in the old car. Thirty days latter I received an alert that something had changed on my credit report. I logged in only to discover that I had a 30 day late pay for the first car - the car I traded in! After tracking down all individuals involved I came to find out that the car dealership didn't pay off the first loan. Can you imagine that!? Apparently this is going on far more than one would imagine. Anyway, I finally got the dealership to do what they were supposed to do and, from that point, it took about a month to get my credit report fixed and back on track.<br />
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In the past, I have had erroneous inquires, people and organizations pulling my credit that shouldn’t. Each inquiry can affect your credit score so you want to make sure that your credit report isn’t being pulled unnecessarily.<br />
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These examples are extremely important and fairly common, especially in today's economic climate. The credit bureaus are very busy right now and lots of people are having issues. With all the reporting going on things are getting messed up more now than ever. That’s why it’s ever so important to stay on top of your report and credit score. If your score goes down you could be paying a lot more for your credit in the future.<br />
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The whole credit scoring system is just simply broken. In fact, the FICO scoring system is one of the reasons the whole housing industry is crashing. The credit reporting agencies were supposed to provide a score that helped lenders lend money, but obviously it didn’t work out well for them or for us. In addition, I hear the major banks are in the process of suing the credit reporting agencies because of their scoring systems.<br />
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Just recently Experian pulled out of its agreement with myFICO.com, which had been the only place where consumers could buy their FICO scores from all three bureaus.<br />
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The FICO scoring system is suppose to be a leading credit scoring formula used by most lenders. Experian will continue selling it to lenders, acting like it's no big deal by not offering it to consumers anymore. In my opinion, it is just another way for the credit reporting agency to keep us in the dark.<br />
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Experian spokeswoman Susan Hensen wrote in a recent e-mail, "There is no one credit score that all financial institutions use to make decisions, and there is also no one credit score that consumers must use to help them understand and manage their credit. There are many reputable credit scores on the market that consumers can use to evaluate their creditworthiness before making financial decisions."<br />
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Experian Executive Vice President Peg Smith downplayed any disadvantage to consumers, saying Experian will still offer individual customers its own credit rating scoring system.<br />
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Yeah, whatever…don’t you believe that for a minute! Bottom line – you should check your credit reports often. It should be illegal for these reporting agencies to hold us hostage; basically extorting us into having to pay so that we can see what is on our credit reports but they do. They pay a lot of money each year to lobbyists to push their agenda on us. So it's time to fight back, write your Senator and your U.S. Representative and tell them it is time to overhaul the Fair Debt Credit Reporting Act.<br />
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To learn more you can visit www.JamesDicks.com<br />
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As always,<br />
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Happy Investing<br />
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All my best<br />
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James DicksBusiness Owners - Back to Basicstag:jdfn.com,2009-02-06:2203529:BlogPost:63452009-02-06T16:39:30.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
For all business owners out there, it’s time to get back to basics. Remember how you got started, and remember what got your business off the ground in the first place? Today the economy is spiraling out of control, we are in a recession, and sadly, it might get worse before it gets better. BUT - that's okay; we can look at this unfortunate economic scenario as a necessary evil. It's like trading the stock market, what goes up must also go down at some point. In fact, this may be just what we…
For all business owners out there, it’s time to get back to basics. Remember how you got started, and remember what got your business off the ground in the first place? Today the economy is spiraling out of control, we are in a recession, and sadly, it might get worse before it gets better. BUT - that's okay; we can look at this unfortunate economic scenario as a necessary evil. It's like trading the stock market, what goes up must also go down at some point. In fact, this may be just what we needed most.<br />
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I know you are probably saying that I am a raving lunatic but before you do I urge you to keep reading. Many of us who built a business from the ground up and who have rolled through the last five to six years found ourselves somewhat complacent. Things were going very well, lots of customers and we were making money. Then all of a sudden (and it really was all of a sudden) most businesses felt the down turn hard. The business owner may have seen it coming but it was almost a shock as we saw it and then started to feel it but we didn’t believe it was really happening. All of a sudden revenues dropped and new business or potential new business evaporated, leaving you with nothing but overhead. As a result, we just received the reports of a national 7.6 percent unemployment rate.<br />
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All of this "is what it is." However, there are things that you can do if you are not already doing them to rejuvenate your business and re-motivate yourself. This is the time to get back that what you used to do. Start working your business, get off the couch and find the passion that helped you build the business in the first place. Dig in and make a stand; never accept failure. Your business was good and can be good again.<br />
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You will find that your new sense of determination will fuel a growth you never thought possible in today's economy. Be warned though that you will have to do things that are difficult and make tough decisions. You will have to do things that you don’t want to do and in some cases you will procrastinate too long. But you must start taking action and develop a proactive approach to conducting business immediately if you want to succeed.<br />
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A great place to begin is to look at your overhead and all your expenses. Start with the biggest ones first. Know this; if you are saving money you are making money. Your primary goal should be to build a healthier business for tomorrow by creating a more efficient business today. You probably have already released some of your work force, and you will most likely need to lay off a few more. This, unfortunately, will be a tough thing to do but the second and third level of layoffs will be even tougher. All layoffs are difficult but most likely you are getting down to people who may have been with you for many years. Just keep in mind that if you hold on too long, there will be nothing left for you or any of your employees.<br />
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You have to get your expenses under control, you need to get your budget in line so that during slow months you are breaking even and during good months you are making money. At the end of the year, your company should post a profit, maybe more than it did when times were better as you have trimmed the budgetary “fat.” You are a more streamlined company and should run much more efficiently.<br />
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When it comes to business development in an economy such as this, first consider opportunities that are close to home. Try to review all your revenue streams to see if there is any stone unturned that will help you increase revenues by yet again using efficiency with your current customers. See if there is anything else you can do for the customer base in these tough times. Go back to the basics; pick up a phone and call your customers. You are mining for gold and your customers will offer the best place to do that. You don’t want to be testing a bunch of new marketing efforts while simply hoping for a good result. If you spend a dollar for new customer acquisition you better be able to tie that dollar spent to a dollar earned. During these rough economic times you just don’t have the luxury of throwing money at marketing.<br />
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In the end, you should be re-motivated. You can dig back in to get to know your company again, redevelop your personal passion for the business, foster the relationship with your employees that really want to be there; the ones that take ownership - the ones that will help you rebuild the dream - the ones that believe in what you are doing.<br />
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In tough times you are forced to make some very critical choices, you can either make them or not. But if you fail to make the hard decisions, you will find yourself past the point of no return. What I mean is, you will suffer cash flow drain, you will divert money from positive areas to sustain not so positive areas, and you will try to carry too many employees. If you make these important choices and you make them sooner than later, you will find yourself actually hiring new employees and creating jobs as your company begins its new growth stage.<br />
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Your business is not unlike a city or a state. Our mayors and governors need to do the same thing you’re doing by cutting their budgets and effectively planning ahead. Just because you have money coming in doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t cut expenses. It’s these expenses that will add up to savings and ultimately increase your bottom line. When the money starts coming in again you simply add more to the bottom line.<br />
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As a result of the current weak economic conditions, some good people will have to be let go, some good programs will be stopped. This is unfortunate but a necessity; you can't simply keep spending if you don't have the money. We have been doing this as a society for 25 years, now it is time to pay up, and as we move into the future let’s all plan to live a little more debt free.<br />
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As always - Happy Investing<br />
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All my best<br />
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James DicksMaking the Tough Decisions during Troubling Economic Timestag:jdfn.com,2009-02-02:2203529:BlogPost:61862009-02-02T19:48:01.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
Yet another week and the uncertainty continues to grow. The time has come to do something proactive; I mean, you can't just sit on the sidelines and hope you aren’t affected. Chances are you are already affected at some level. If you own your own business then you must simply take a step back and decide what it will take for you to weather this economic storm. Success is measured by your ability to hold on through the rough times and prosper in the good times.<br />
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I’m sure you’ve heard the saying…
Yet another week and the uncertainty continues to grow. The time has come to do something proactive; I mean, you can't just sit on the sidelines and hope you aren’t affected. Chances are you are already affected at some level. If you own your own business then you must simply take a step back and decide what it will take for you to weather this economic storm. Success is measured by your ability to hold on through the rough times and prosper in the good times.<br />
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I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “You have to make hay while the sun shines,” well, that time is over and now you have to preserve and be ready for tomorrow. You don’t have to live in tomorrow but you do have to position yourself correctly. How do you do that? That’s easy, you start identifying areas of the economy that will have to succeed; areas that people will spend money in no matter what is happening.<br />
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But before you do that you need to make the hard decisions, you have to decide what keeps you going and do it. Don’t be paralyzed by the decision. Don’t push off tomorrow what you can and should do today because if you do you won't be around tomorrow. Those that make these tough decisions now will be well-positioned in the future.<br />
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For those of you who are currently employed, your mission is simple. Do whatever is necessary to help your company and your boss keep the doors open. You do that by recognizing and understanding that the company may be suffering tough economic times too. Look around for areas of the business that may be wasting money or areas than can be streamlined. You must do whatever it takes even if that means offering to take a pay cut. If needed then so be it, but remember the boss will remember that when it comes down to layoffs. Your boss needs people around who take ownership in what they do, and aren’t there just to collect a pay check every two weeks. I can assure you that those days gone.<br />
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Here are the alternatives in these tough times. At some point your company will start to evaluate the assets and resources and if you have the shortest seniority, your name will come up sooner than later but that’s okay. If you know it then that gives you an advantage, the ability to develop a “plan B.” But remember this, if you are thinking about finding another job rather than sticking around and helping your current company, be careful. First, jobs are very difficult to find today and if you are fortunate enough to locate a company to hire you, they are probably facing the same volatile economic conditions that your old company was experiencing. Just keep in mind; you will be the newest member of the staff in the new company which means you have absolutely no seniority. So, what were the benefits?<br />
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I recommend that you stick it out right where you are; as long as you are making money in the good times and willing to help out in the bad times you should have a win-win situation. There is plenty of hope out there but we all have to be proactive. The economy will continue to sink and with it the consumer confidence, but yours doesn’t have to. If you don’t already have a plan now is the time to develop one. Once you have your plan then you can start to work on it. Cut unnecessary spending, where applicable. Our country will be moving to more of a saving mentality than the “spend now and pay later” attitude of the last 25 years.<br />
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We have to pay sometime and now the time has come. Regardless of all the changes and solutions the new political administration sets forth, the U.S. and global economies are still going to have to run their course. This year may be tough but I believe 2010 will show promise. We may see a prolonged recession, maybe upwards of a decade or more, but some of the most profitable times in our country’s financial history have been when the economy is moving sideways. Just like the markets, if there is a sideways trend there is great opportunity to get in at the lows and get out at the highs and you can do that several times during the cycle.<br />
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Find a good network where you can share ideas with likeminded individuals and then use that network to help you and your fellow investors succeed. Remember that www.jdfn.com is a great source for such a network; it’s free and there are lots of investors bouncing ideas off one another. Right now the site is focused on FOREX trading. The Forex is a solid alternative to the stock market and a great potential source of new wealth. I encourage everyone out there looking for a change to try paper trading this amazing market place. Paper trade the Forex until you feel confident enough to trade “real” money. I know lots of people that have decided enough is enough and have shifted to the thinking that they want to control their own financial security, thus becoming full time foreign currency traders. You can easily learn to do this yourself.<br />
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I am always updating good information to help you in your financial struggles, most of this is at your finger tips free of charge and you can access that at my web site www.jamesdicks.com.<br />
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As always,<br />
Happy investing<br />
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James DicksValue Added Goalstag:jdfn.com,2009-01-27:2203529:BlogPost:60912009-01-27T21:01:20.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
If you have read my articles for any length of time, you know that I am a zealot when it comes to goal setting. I constantly set my personal and professional goals. I write them down and watch them come to life and I hope you do the same. But one thing you should keep in mind is that your goals must match your personal value system. If any projected goal doesn’t mirror what you personally believe then your chances of success diminish greatly. Your core values, your personal desires and what you…
If you have read my articles for any length of time, you know that I am a zealot when it comes to goal setting. I constantly set my personal and professional goals. I write them down and watch them come to life and I hope you do the same. But one thing you should keep in mind is that your goals must match your personal value system. If any projected goal doesn’t mirror what you personally believe then your chances of success diminish greatly. Your core values, your personal desires and what you believe in are all intertwined. If you forget about one of them, the whole thing tumbles to the ground. Goal setting then becomes pointless.<br />
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Knowing what you truly believe is extremely important to create a listing of goals that actually mean something to you. Your values are standards that guide your conduct, your personal relations with those around you and give you the focus and direction needed to excel in your career. Look at it this way; it’s simply your moral fortitude - those feelings that help distinguish right and wrong and help you live your life in a meaningful way.<br />
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You must also determine who you are and understand your strengths and weaknesses. Evaluate your abilities and consider your accomplishments and failures. Knowing who you are and what you are capable of prevents you from creating goals that underestimate or overestimate your expertise and directs you toward realistic, attainable goals. Hey, shoot for the moon but if you create realistic goals you are more likely to succeed. Inaccurate direction can cause you to lose many valuable assets including time, motivation and self-esteem. Believe me; you don’t want to go there! Goal setting is a positive exercise so try to maintain your constructive attitude and examine your situation logically.<br />
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Be prepared to update your goals to mirror what is important in your life right now. Things change and so should your goals. Update your aspirations and objectives now and again to help you achieve the things you need to do right now. If your situation changes but your goals don’t, you could lose your drive to achieve the desired results. Increase your chances of success by defining what is important to you. Develop your goals based on personal values, desires, and innermost beliefs, and create your achievement expectations to match your circumstances. If you skip any of these steps, you could weaken your motivation, fail to work up to your abilities, and reduce your opportunities for success.<br />
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Developing a road map for life will help you no matter what you do, personally or professionally. When your goals are reasonable and emulate your values and desires, you will become extremely motivated. I guarantee it. When you become motivated and work hard to attain your value-oriented goals, you will more than likely succeed. When you succeed, your motivation will continue to expand, and drive you to set new realistic and attainable goals, which will allow you to continue to achieve. Know who you are, know your current circumstances and desires, set your realistic goals, and start to succeed. Do it today!Markets go up, markets go down – How is it affecting you?tag:jdfn.com,2009-01-26:2203529:BlogPost:60612009-01-26T19:17:10.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
Routinely, the stock and bond markets pretty much follow the sentiment of the day. And, at times, it actually gets to be pretty ridiculous. For instance, the stock exchanges were extremely weak the other day based upon the idea that the Asian and European economies were beginning to show some definite weakness. So, it’s not enough for us to concern ourselves with our own economy, now we have to worry about what’s happening in China? Investors seem to worry about just about everything. Some…
Routinely, the stock and bond markets pretty much follow the sentiment of the day. And, at times, it actually gets to be pretty ridiculous. For instance, the stock exchanges were extremely weak the other day based upon the idea that the Asian and European economies were beginning to show some definite weakness. So, it’s not enough for us to concern ourselves with our own economy, now we have to worry about what’s happening in China? Investors seem to worry about just about everything. Some things are actually happening (the war in Iraq, poor earnings reports, weak economic numbers, and economic stimulus packages) and some things are yet to occur (possible future terror attacks or what Mr. Bernanke “might” say to some congressional committee next week).<br />
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Look, our day-to-day routines with our families and our jobs normally guarantee a steady stream of decisions to make and problems to solve. So, why worry about the financial markets. Most of the events that change the direction of the markets are completely out of our hands anyway. What we should be concentrating on is how we can create a portfolio that is relatively immune to these outside events. Create a portfolio that can weather the storm of global uncertainty.<br />
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You’ve heard all of it before. Diversification and proper money management are the best methods of insuring that your investments (no matter what they are) will be protected from the highs and lows in the markets. In a diversified portfolio, should one investment react poorly to negative national or international events, you can normally count on another investment to make up the difference.<br />
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Examine your personal investment model on a semi-annual basis, or at the very least, annually. Really explore what you are invested in. Do your holdings include stocks, what about interest rate instruments, mutual funds, real estate, commodities, the foreign exchange markets? Choose the opportunities that give you the most comfort. If you can’t sleep at night worrying about your investments, then you shouldn’t be invested in them. Learn as much as you can about the investments you don’t understand that could possibly help your future financial growth. For instance, if you don’t understand REIT’s (Real Estate Investment Trusts), read about them, ask questions, study the topic before you make any monetary move.<br />
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Once you are involved in a particular investment, make sure you follow its progress. If you are trading stocks or Forex, always set your stops and limits to guard against losses. If you are investing in a 401(k) plan at work, study your investment options often and rebalance, when necessary. The key to a positive investment life is education.<br />
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You can count on the world situation being volatile today, tomorrow, next week, and probably for the rest of your life. The financial markets will continue to show weakness on some days and strength on others. If you meet the challenge of creating a balanced portfolio through diversification you most likely will worry less and definitely have more time to enjoy the most important things your life has to offer, family and friends. It really is that simple.<br />
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Happy Investing,<br />
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James DicksIt's the Little Things that Create BIG Savingstag:jdfn.com,2009-01-13:2203529:BlogPost:57232009-01-13T15:55:00.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
It’s the small things that will add up; some obvious things like saving on your electric bill or re-evaluating your other monthly bills. Take a few moments to go over your personal budget and examine all the money going out and all money coming in. A few simple strategies, like using fewer Christmas lights and limit the time they are on during the holidays (See my last blog), reducing unnecessary expenses around the home or office, car pooling to work and less or more creative types of…
It’s the small things that will add up; some obvious things like saving on your electric bill or re-evaluating your other monthly bills. Take a few moments to go over your personal budget and examine all the money going out and all money coming in. A few simple strategies, like using fewer Christmas lights and limit the time they are on during the holidays (See my last blog), reducing unnecessary expenses around the home or office, car pooling to work and less or more creative types of entertainment. These are all areas where you can begin to save money.<br />
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If you are saving money, then you are making money so remember it's pretty easy for anyone to start making some cash, just save a little. A few other areas that you can look to making a difference are areas such as your insurance; we all have a tremendous need for insurance in all areas such as home, health, automobile, life, and disability. Meet with a trusted insurance agent and review your policies to see where you can make some changes that will keep you adequately insured but not over insured. Insurance is an area that many of us simply buy buy buy!<br />
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Top goal for 2009 review what you have in insurance and what you need.<br />
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Those of you that are in a mortgage and not upside down, this will be the year to refinance. The rule of thumb is 2 points. If the mortgage rates have dropped by at least 2 points then it is worth refinancing, but hold out because we have a ways to go before we see the bottom of the long term home interest rates. You will be able to make a significant savings by refinancing so pay attention to the rates and be ready to refinance when the time comes.<br />
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Remember, if you’re saving money, you’re making money!<br />
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Happy Investing!<br />
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James DicksNext Year I Will Savetag:jdfn.com,2009-01-12:2203529:BlogPost:56852009-01-12T16:00:00.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
Well it's amazing and here is some background. Shortly after Thanksgiving every year my kids, like all others, get excited about the holiday season. One of the things we like to do is ride around the neighborhood and look at the Christmas lights but this year was strange because more than half of the homes that had lights last year didn’t have Christmas lights up. I was wondering why, until yesterday - now I know.<br />
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It took two weeks after Christmas for me to figure it out; I guess I am a little…
Well it's amazing and here is some background. Shortly after Thanksgiving every year my kids, like all others, get excited about the holiday season. One of the things we like to do is ride around the neighborhood and look at the Christmas lights but this year was strange because more than half of the homes that had lights last year didn’t have Christmas lights up. I was wondering why, until yesterday - now I know.<br />
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It took two weeks after Christmas for me to figure it out; I guess I am a little slow. We have already taken our lights down and then it hit me, or should I say delivered to me. I got my electric bill in the mail today, it was way higher than expected, I actually got a shock -sorry couldn’t resist it. But seriously I couldn’t figure out why it was so high, so my wife called the electric company and complained. We are conscious about wasting electricity in our home and this bill was insulting.<br />
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I wanted to know when the reader from the electric company was last at my house. It's no secret that electric companies take an average of your meter each month and they don’t always send someone out to your home to read the meter. Only until you call and insist or complain will they send the meter reader out. Some places the meters are digital and will automatically upload but there’s not that many yet.<br />
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So after going back and forth with the electric company we find out the most likely culprit of our astronomically high electric bill were the Christmas lights. After further discussion the nice lady in customer service from our local power company told us that there were a lot of people who just didn’t put any Christmas lights up in an effort to save money on the electric bills this year. WOW - the economy is affecting all sorts of things even the little things, so next year, I put up lights but if you want to see them you better drive by early because they will only be on from 7:00 pm to 7:20 pm.<br />
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If you’re saving money you’re making money!<br />
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Happy Investing!<br />
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James DicksDefeating Dyslexiatag:jdfn.com,2009-01-06:2203529:BlogPost:55672009-01-06T16:30:00.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
On my way into work today and I heard a news report where Hollywood actor, Tom Cruise, revealed that the teachings of the Church of Scientology helped him beat dyslexia. Cruise said at the age of seven he was diagnosed as having this language-based learning disability that can include problems in reading, spelling, writing and pronouncing words.<br />
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He said, "Nobody gave me a solution and I wanted to know why the system had failed. Finally, as an adult I learned to read perfectly through the…
On my way into work today and I heard a news report where Hollywood actor, Tom Cruise, revealed that the teachings of the Church of Scientology helped him beat dyslexia. Cruise said at the age of seven he was diagnosed as having this language-based learning disability that can include problems in reading, spelling, writing and pronouncing words.<br />
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He said, "Nobody gave me a solution and I wanted to know why the system had failed. Finally, as an adult I learned to read perfectly through the method of [Scientology's late founder] L. Ron Hubbard."<br />
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In the United States, researchers estimate the prevalence of dyslexia to range from three to ten percent of school-aged children, and are more common in boys though some have put the figure as high as 17 percent.<br />
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I think this is fantastic that yet another person has overcome this sometimes debilitating disorder and I should know since I was diagnosed with it in the early 80’s. I wish it had been sooner. I had all the classics symptoms; poor spelling, placing decimal points in the wrong place and making basic number switch mistakes. It was difficult for me to read, I would become bored, had headaches, my level of comprehension was extremely low and the words were blurry and hard to read. I could easily look at a magazine article and lose focus.<br />
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But I, like Tom Cruise, did learned to read perfectly, and even better. I now read at an average rate with 100% comprehension level. Best of all I didn’t have to follow the teachings of Scientology to do it. Great for Tom but its probably not for everyone. Let me share my story on dyslexia in the hope that it will help someone else, pay it forward I ask you do the same.<br />
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I remember heading out on the town one night and while riding in a friend’s car I grabbed his Ray-Ban sunglasses that had a yellow tinted lens in them like a shooting safety glass color. I put them on and as I looked at the road signs coming up I was amazed at how clear they were and how big and bold the letters on the signs appeared. I asked my friend what type of prescription he had and to my amazement he laughed and said there was no prescription. I couldn’t believe it! Seriously it made that much of a difference, and this was well before I had any idea of about my dyslexia. I certainly struggled through school and had all the classic symptoms. In fact, I had made it through to my late teen years before ever really reading a book from front to back.<br />
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I actually borrowed my buddy’s sunglasses and began wearing them all the time; I still have them today. He may still want them back - hope he isn’t reading this. My uncle saw me wearing them one day and asked me why I was wearing them indoors so I began to tell him the story and he smiled. He began to tell me about The Irlen Method.<br />
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The Irlen Method is the only research-based color method backed by over 4,000 school districts. Used by educators since 1983, this patented method and color-based technology was discovered by Helen Irlen, MA, LMFT, the nation's leading expert in perceptually-based reading and learning difficulties.<br />
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The Irlen Method is a non-invasive, patented technology that uses colored overlays and filters to improve the brain's ability to process visual information. It is the only method scientifically proven to successfully correct the processing problems associated with Irlen Syndrome.<br />
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My uncle then told me that both my cousins were tested and had started using their color lens. He offered to pay for me to go for the tests. It was a little harder back then because I had to travel to get tested but it was definitely worth it. The testing was very easy and it worked. To my amazement, I ended up with a pair of glasses with a red lens, no prescription. I remember reading several books shortly after getting my glasses, including Clear and Present Danger by Tom Clancy, a 700 plus page book, and I was so excited. It was certainly the biggest book I had ever read cover to cover and all because of the research from Helen L. Irlen - thanks Helen.<br />
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If you would like to learn more or get tested then visit her site at http://irlen.com. Today they make it much easier for testing and will actually come to your home; it’s inexpensive but it’s priceless. Okay enough with that I am not selling her services I don’t need to they sell themselves, what I am saying is that you can spend a few hundred dollars and teach yourself to read versus following the teachings of scientology.<br />
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Here is another example. The other day I was at lunch with a friend of more than 15 years. We were working on a project and he was telling me how bad his eyes were killing him and that he had a headache. We started talking and I told him about the Irlen Method, I gave him my sunglasses which had a color tent, and told him to look at his computer screen he was amazed like it was the first time. I told him to go to an office supply store get a few color report covers, the see through ones, and place them over the text to see if it made a difference. I saw him the next week and he told me he got the colored sheets and was using them to put over his computer screen and explained that he was able to read more than he has ever read before and called Irlen and that they were coming to his house to test him and his younger son. He is now a believer for sure.<br />
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By the way, if you don’t have dyslexia it really won’t make any difference to you when looking through color sheets or lenses. Here is an example; if I put a news article into your word program we would see the same thing - or would we? We wouldn’t but if I told you to change the font size from say eight point to ten point and then make it bold that’s what I would be seeing when I put on colored lenses with no prescription, truly amazing.<br />
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Recent studies indicate that dyslexia is particularly prevalent among small business owners, affecting roughly 20 to 35 percent of U. S. and British entrepreneurs. Researchers theorize that many dyslexic entrepreneurs attain success by delegating responsibilities and excelling at verbal communication.<br />
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Other world renowned celebrities who suffered from dyslexia are Richard Branson (entrepreneur ), John Chambers (CEO of Cisco), Keira Knightley (actress), Jay Leno (talk show host and comedian ), Guy Ritchie (film director), Orlando Bloom (actor), and many more.<br />
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Pay it forward -<br />
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All my best,<br />
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James DicksTime for a “real” CHANGEtag:jdfn.com,2009-01-05:2203529:BlogPost:55212009-01-05T20:00:00.000ZJames Dickshttps://jdfn.com/profile/JamesDicks
Okay, so we have heard it for a year now, time for change. I got it, really I do; I need change as much as the next person. But I actually mean change this time - real change. Think about it for a moment, the population of this country has careened out of control with our mind set concerning credit. We are a nation of debtors not savers, and now it's time to pay the piper; it's time to repent for our financial sins. We have to take control of our own financial situation and that will mean…
Okay, so we have heard it for a year now, time for change. I got it, really I do; I need change as much as the next person. But I actually mean change this time - real change. Think about it for a moment, the population of this country has careened out of control with our mind set concerning credit. We are a nation of debtors not savers, and now it's time to pay the piper; it's time to repent for our financial sins. We have to take control of our own financial situation and that will mean putting the banks on notice that we are tired of being subordinate to their interest.<br />
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Credit can be like a drug for some people and once you get hooked…you are hooked, you can quickly find yourself spiraling out of control. Not to worry because there is always time to get on the right track. You just have to have a plan to take charge.<br />
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For those of you who can think back 20 years or so, remember when you had a change jar, literally a change jar, where you kept all those pennies, nickels, dimes quarters you had in your pocket at the end of the day. You probably would head out for the day only to return with a pocket full of change and you threw it in your change jar at the end of the day. You actually SAVED money back then, can you believe it?! But here’s where the twist comes in. Fast forward to today or the last couple of years and I’ll bet you can look at that change jar and notice that it hasn’t has gotten any bigger. That goes especially to those of you who have become addicted to your credit urges. You probably use your credit card, or if you are better disciplined your debit card, for all your purchases, even the small ones. Your debit card is okay since you are spending what money that you have in the bank but if you are using your credit card you are spending on credit.<br />
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Most times you pay all your credit cards off at the end of the month. But it is real easy to fall behind and then you are trapped and have to start paying that interest. Let’s eliminate credit and use debit, or better yet, let's go back to a cash society not a cashless society. Let's allow those change jars to fill up again. It is a good subconscious forming habit for saving and a measure of the people’s will to save or spend.<br />
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So let's get back to change!<br />
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Happy Investing!<br />
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James Dicks