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As the credit crisis deepens, many borrowers are realizing that working with a commercial mortgage broker makes a lot of sense and is more important than ever. Virtually all banks and lenders have severely tighten their credit standard to the point that most borrowers are having a very difficult time finding any banks that will even consider their loan request.

Bottom line, 95% of all commercial mortgage loan requests are being turned down cold. So one of the keys here for the borrower is to figure out which banks are still really funding deals and how to structure the loan request so that it has the highest likely hood of closing. And good commercial mortgage brokers knows both.

Tapping the experience and resources of a commercial mortgage broker is an excellent way to do this. A knowledgeable commercial mortgage broker is in essence shopping banks and lenders everyday and everyday for years. The good ones know what is going on behinds the scenes with banks as they have long term relationships with associates that inform them of any internal issues. The folks in the bank know how important the broker is to their personal success and will not miss lead the commercial mortgage broker, in fear of destroying future business. So a commercial mortgage broker worth his “salt” should be able to take you to a bank or lender that’s in a valid position to fund your loan.

An important point here is that commercial mortgage brokers are in essence on the same side of the table as the borrower. They get paid when the loan closes. Most do not make hourly consulting fees, etc. They invest their time, effort and resources into your deal and are betting they can get it done. If they are experienced, they will only take your deal to a bank that can really close it.

Keep in mind one of the annoying problems out there for borrowers shopping banks on their own is that many bank loan officers have many quotas besides closing loans… most of these quotas go against the borrowers goal of closing their loan. For example, bank loan officers have weekly meeting and loan application quotas. So they may try to schedule a meeting with you and get you to fill out a loan application and send in all tax returns/financials even though they know they can’t get the loan funded.

They are trying to save their job. Again, they get to justify their job with their manager at your expense and your time.

Good, experienced, commercial mortgage brokers can save you a lot of time and energy by taking you right to the most viable banks from the beginning. And, believe it or not, they can also save you a lot of money as well.

Jeff Rauth is President of Commercial Finance Advisors, Inc out of Birmingham, Michigan a national commercial mortgage brokerage firm. 248 885-8797. He also has a STORE for commercial loan brokers. Contracts, spreadsheets, books, etc. Products starting at $5. Check it out commercial real estate loans or commercial mortgage brokers

One of the big reasons the forex market is so popular is because it never stops, and is available around the clock on the foreign currency exchanges. But despite the popularity of forex, very few are successful with forex trading because of the huge commitment in time and effort to analyze the mountains of data that need to be considered when negotiating a forex trade. Nobody can possibly do an accurate job of monitoring them all at once, especially with the constantly changing information.

Some brokers offer what is known as a forex signal to their subscribers. Yes, it costs money to become a subscriber. These forex signals are simply recommendations from that forex broker to buy or sell, and these signals are generated pretty much automatically based on their own complex algorithms as well as their knowledge of the forex market. An example of such a signal might be something like “The EUR/USD bid is currently at 1.6528 and declining, buy now but sell when it gets to 1.6218″.

Sometimes these signals are free, sometimes they come with a subscription, but even so, keep in mind that a particular signal is being sent to hundreds, even thousands of people at the same time. Are you starting to see the problem?

The problem with this is that you are simply taking their word for it. You have no basis for this, and if you as a forex trader are getting this signal, so is each and every one of their other subscribers. If that same message is sent to several thousand forex traders who might be subscribers for this broker, doesn’t it just make logical sense that your profits are going to be minimized? Think about it – if were as easy as just following the signal sent by your forex broker, why wouldn’t everybody and their brother be doing this?

This is not to downplay the role of a forex broker, not at all, since they have their place and can provide a valuable service to their member traders. But you need to realize that the much bigger money to be made in forex trading is learning to analyze the forex market yourself and learn to generate your own signals for trading based on the experience you gain from your analysis of all the data available.

But wait a minute, didn’t you just say there was a virtual mountain of data that should be analyzed to make an intelligent trade decision? Yes that is true, which is where you need to seriously consider moving into the 21st century and making use of the electronic and technology tools available to you that will do all those hours of analysis for you, and just present you with a bottom line recommendation, which is backed up by research.

If you are serious about your forex trading and want to use it seriously as a source of very respectable income as opposed to a part time hobby, your best bet is to get some forex analysis software for your computer. The hours of tedious data analysis can be accomplished in a matter of seconds, and then you can generate your own forex signal, which you can then keep to yourself, as well as keeping the much larger profits for yourself.

The serious forex traders do this and it is highly recommended for anyone who wants to make a serious income with the foreign exchange currencies market. Make a commitment to yourself that you will become a student of your passion and start earning the kind of income you have been looking for. Start slowly but your speed will be greatly increased by understanding the recommendations provided by your forex auto pilot system.

For more insights and additional information about how to create your own Forex Signal as well as finding out about some incredible software that can put your forex trading on auto-pilot, please visit our web site at http://www.forexcurrencysystems.com

The stock market is crashing. Government bailouts are rampant. The political climate is uncertain. Credit has all but disappeared for ready buyers if you can even find one. Yet, your dreams of retirement remain. What can you do? There is an answer that you may have overlooked. By understanding the power of an ESOP you could be well on your way to your retirement in the next 90 days.

An ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) is a tax-advantaged vehicle that enables you to sell your business to your employees. This program was established by Congress in 1974 and today there are about 12,000 ESOP owned companies. Many business owners have either never heard of an ESOP or have a misunderstanding of how it works. Here are some common misconceptions along with solutions to your dilemma.

My employees can’t afford to buy my company and they are not “ownership material.” In reality, an ESOP doesn’t cost your employees anything. The ESOP is created which buys your stock. Your employees are beneficiaries of the ESOP. The ESOP distributes stock to your employees’ ESOP accounts each year based on their percentage of the overall payroll. The employees continue to perform their regular duties and answer to management as they currently do. They do not have general voting power or control of how the company is managed. An employee’s ESOP account is like a free retirement account that they earn by loyal service to the company. When they retire or leave after becoming vested they take the value of their account with them. Many companies with “blue-collar” employees are ESOP-owned.

I want to retire in the next few years. Who is going to run the company? The beauty of an ESOP is that you can “have your cake and eat it too”. An ESOP allows you to create a definite exit strategy while letting you remain in the control of the company for as long as you like. As Trustee of the ESOT you continue to run the company as you do right now and you continue to draw a salary. You are still the boss even though you don’t own the company. Your goal will be to work yourself out of a job so you can begin your retirement. That is accomplished by either grooming one of your senior employees to take your place or by hiring a qualified replacement as a manager. That can happen within months if you’re anxious to leave or you can stage the transition over several years. The bottom line is that it is always your choice.

Who is the buyer? That’s the great thing about selling to an ESOP. You don’t need a buyer. The ESOP is the entity that is created to buy your stock. You can create your exit strategy today by enlisting the help of Dynasty Capital Advisors. They specialize in setting up an ESOP and they take care of all the details.

Where does the money come from? Now we’re getting down to the real purpose of this article. Typically, specialized ESOP lenders would fund the entire transaction and you would get a big check at closing. One downside was that a portion of that check was pledged back to the lender to help secure the loan. One of the main benefits of an ESOP is that you can take that cash and reinvest it in stocks and bonds and defer the capital gains tax on your sale indefinitely. But, who wants to put their money in the stock market these days? And, since credit has tightened so much in the last year, it’s very difficult to find lenders who will fund 100% of the transaction. Financing is still available for a portion of the transaction depending on the collateral position of the company, but in most cases it’s more attractive for you to be the banker yourself and avoid all the red tape that goes along with dealing with banks these days. This structure allows you to collect the interest income rather than paying it to the banks.

Why should I finance the sale of my own company? Typically, if you were dealing with a third party buyer, it would not make much sense at all. It would be like loaning several million dollars to someone you don’t know and also giving up control of your company. But, with an ESOP, you still control the company, and by remaining in control you can assure that you get paid in a timely manner. You can structure the loan terms however you want, and if the company should have a bad month you have the ability as the lender to delay or defer a payment rather than risk a default on a bank loan. The biggest question to ask yourself is “What would I be doing with the money if I got cash?” If you are truly selling to retire you are likely going to put it somewhere safe to generate retirement income. You could put it in the bank and maybe get 5% interest, but banks aren’t doing so well these days as we have seen in the news, and the FDIC only insures accounts up to $100,000. By leaving your money invested in the company that you have spent a lifetime building, you know that as long as you are in control it is secured by something of value. And, by properly structuring your finance package to include trustee compensation, stock options, and other perks, your rate of return can exceed 30% rather than 5% at the bank.

How long does it take to set all this up? As the banker, you would avoid a great deal of time and expense by not dealing with an outside bank. Dynasty Capital Advisors will analyze your company, prepare a Feasibility Study for the ESOP, prepare all plan documents, coordinate outside professionals such as an independent valuation expert and the Trust attorney, and close the sale to the ESOP in less than 90 days.

Will I get my price? A sale to an ESOP is always at fair market value as established by an independent valuation. This means that you will receive the highest price possible that can be supported by factual data. You don’t have to deal with buyers who will try to beat you down on your price. Dynasty Capital will provide you with a valuation that will come within 5% of the final price for your review at no cost.

How can I find out if this is right for me? Dynasty Capital Advisors will prepare a Pre-Feasibility Study at no cost for you to determine whether an ESOP is right for your company. You will receive a free stock valuation to help you decide if the money is right. You will also receive an Investment Analysis that will show the benefits of financing the transaction. There is no obligation for you to explore the benefits of an ESOP transaction.

Selling your business doesn’t have to be an uncertainty that is dictated by a weak economy or the woes of Wall Street. By using an ESOP as your exit strategy, you can control everything from the buyer to the banker by eliminating both of them. And, you protect your employees at the same time while leaving your company in the hands of the people that have helped build it. This is a process that leaves you in complete control of every decision. Now you can design your retirement on your own terms without having to haggle over the price or play the games so typical in a business sale. Call Dynasty Capital Advisors today and find out how quickly you could be experiencing retirement freedom. For more information about how an ESOP could be the solution to your exit strategy, call Myron Goodrum, Vice President of Dynasty Capital Advisors at 603-785-4331 or email at mgoodrum@dynastycapital.com.

The legendary Indian spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) once said: “The earth has enough for the needs of all but not the greed of a few.” His words have since proved to be quite prophetic!

The world today is in chaos and by that I’m not merely referring to the tumult taking place in the Middle East; what I’m talking about is the imminent extinction of hundreds of millions of people as a result of global warming. In both scenarios the United States plays a central role!

I have already pretty much detailed out how and why global warming is happening and which nations are most responsible for its acceleration, as well as who’s doing what and who is not to rectify the situation in my article entitled: Global Warming–How It Could Spark World War III.

That said, I’ve included a list of figures below to illustrate to what extent each nation/region is responsible for greenhouse gas pollution in the atmosphere (greenhouse gases are widely held to be the engine behind the accelerated global warming seen today):

USA: 30.3%

Europe: 27.7%

Russia: 13.7%

South East Asia: 12.2%

South/Central America: 3.8%

Japan: 3.7%

Middle East: 2.6%

Africa: 2.5%

Australia: 1.1%

The Truth Behind The Lie

To many in marketing circles the concept of manipulation of social evidence is nothing new. Basically what it entails is manipulating tools of evidence to further one’s goals.

Thus for example, until fairly recently in internet marketing circles, the practice of manufacturing bogus testimonials was fairly widespread. The objective being to convince visitors to one’s website to purchase products on the strength of those manufactured testimonials.

In the arena of global warming much the same has been happening. In the same manner that a defense counsel in a court case will produce its own expert witness to discredit that of the prosecution (or vice versa) so has the Bush II administration paraded a string of bogus experts to decry global warming as just a myth!

In 2007 a good number of environmental scientists and climatologists publicly stated that they’d been pressurized by various Bush II factions to manipulate data to downplay the seriousness of global warming!

Which simply begs the question: why is the Bush II administration going to such lengths to hide the truth about global warming?

Snatch ‘n’ Grab Operation Gone Awry

It is now widely accepted that the invasion of Iraq had little to do with terrorism, less to do with democracy but everything to do with oil! The question still remains however, why did the US go to such lengths (which included manufacturing evidence) to illegally invade a sovereign state under what at best can be described as a thinly disguised pretext for war?

Was it merely a question of the then single remaining superpower claiming its right to wield that might as it saw fit irrespective of international law, just as Nazi Germany once did?

Or was it a case of a few vain men hoping to claim their slice of immortality through a legacy festooned with the glory of having secured new oil reserves for a nation with a quenchless thirst for the stuff?

Or perhaps the U.S. oil reserves were so desperately low that Bush II and his New World Order buddies were prepared to force a snatch and grab operation that could easily have escalated into third world war, so as to shore up those dwindled oil reserves?

Or maybe, just maybe, the U.S. desperately needed to stockpile a vast amount of oil for something far, far more sinister.

To keep at bay a monster it helped so much to create!

Threads Weaving A Disturbing Tapestry Of Events

These days more often than not fact is stranger than fiction. When we look at the Bush II Administration’s policy on global warming it is beyond perplexing why they have gone to such lengths to deny its existence.

For sure, his Have-More buddies in oil and other environmental-damaging industries have plenty to gain by muddying the waters, but what if there’s really more to this repudiation of global warming than that!

What if this is a carefully concocted plot that has been kept under wraps for years?

Here’s what we know thus far about global warming. The data has been around for well over a decade and has been readily available to government officials. Since the turn of the 21st century scientists across the globe have been warning of the extent of global warming; warnings that apparently fell on deaf ears! (Well at least as far as the Bush II administration was concerned.)

But supposing this was not actually the case.

What if the Bush II administration did listen, but only to those scientists who’d concluded that the world had reached the point of no return? And that global warming could not be reversed anytime in the foreseeable future and thus by proxy neither could its ensuing effects!

Fuelling Up For A Global Catastrophe

In other words there was no point implementing measures to curb greenhouse gas emissions (thereby slowing down global warming) and that in fact the best policy was to forge powerfully ahead and ensure that America was readied for the ensuing catastrophe no matter the cost!

If it meant manufacturing a war, so be it! If it meant causing the deaths of hundreds of millions of people to achieve that aim, so be it! After all this wouldn’t be the first time in history that the few had been sacrificed for the many! Oh! Except in this case it is the many sacrificing for the few, or more specifically, The Have-Mores!

When looked at from this perspective, that the U.S. is fuelling up for a long term global catastrophe, it all begins to make some sense! Especially considering that Saudi Arabia still has the greatest oil reserves in the world and has never said no to U.S. oil demands!

Bottom line, it is quite conceivable that the U.S. under Bush II has been insuring against (or at least trying to) a global catastrophe predominantly of its own making! But alas even the best laid plans go badly awry. Iraq didn’t turn out to be the pushover they’d expected and the oil is not gushing the way they had envisioned.

Think that such a scenario is way over the top? Think again! Remember Iraq? Remember Hurricane Katrina?

The way the Bush II government handled Katrina was so shameful that Google for some reason best known to it was compelled to replace post-Hurricane Katrina satellite imagery with pre-hurricane images on its map portal (Damage control? Trying to hide America’s shame from the rest of the world? At whose behest one wonders?).

As you can well imagine, when it came to light, the whole sordid affair was an extreme embarrassment to Google (And certainly not good for business! The search engine business thrives on the premise that results are accurate and impartial and not manipulated!).

But the point I wish to emphasize here is that if the Bush II government could shun its very own citizens (albeit mainly citizens of color) in such a cavalier fashion why would they give a damn if their actions resulted in the deaths of hundreds of millions of Africans or peoples from other parts of the globe who are going to be worst hit by global warming?

In World War II the Nazi’s genocide weapon-of-choice was hydrogen cyanide gas, what irony that in the upcoming global warming related genocide, gas too is the weapon of choice; carbon dioxide gas!

Stop Global Warming

Ba Kiwanuka is the webmaster of http://www.internetbusinessmart.com

Like many American’s last month I went and visited my tax mistakes to prepare and file a federal tax return. Many thoughts raced through my mind on how to spend my newly found fortune, new clothes, a well-deserved night out or possibly pay down the credit card. Although all of them sounded appealing, like many of us I used my tax return to pay my property tax bill. This is a common way for many; use our tax return to pay our property tax.

This vicious cycle has been played out every spring since I became a homeowner. It was not until last year that I thought about all of the planning and preparation that went in to my federal taxes only to glance at my property tax bill and write a check without question or a second thought.

After utilizing many available tax deductions and credits many may find that the amount of federal taxes paid is less than the amount of their annual property tax.

When we examine our local property tax the same concepts apply as federal tax, however we rarely take notice. For example most municipalities allow for tax deductions and credits to offset the amount of property tax due. Many states give you a lower tax rate just for owning the home as your primary residence, being a veteran, or if you are over 65 years of age to name a few.

While these credits and deductions are important to take note of the more important issue is what your local government has valued your home at. This can often make the most impact to taxpayers. Known as your assessed value, this is what is used to multiply your local tax rates in order to arrive at the amount of property tax you will owe for the year. This can be one of the most overlooked aspects to homeowners, especially as of late in this current housing meltdown.

It is first important to find what your local assessor has for a property description of your home as mistakes often occur. Verify the square footage, the number of bedrooms and other data on your property record card is correct. Most assessors never look at your home, rather employ mass appraisal systems and rely on public record information to assess your homes value.

Why are we entrusting our local taxing authority to tell us our homes value? According to the Tax Foundation over 60% of homes in America are over assessed. More than half of us are paying too much property tax. All areas do allow taxpayers to dispute their annual assessment while less than 5% take corrective action. Maybe the IRS should take note of our local taxing authorities and make certain assumptions about everyone’s annual income, I would imagine a few more than 5% would disagree with the figure they propose.

The bottom line is we need to take notice of our own property taxes just as closely as we do our federal income tax filings. In this current housing tax where a 10% reduction in home value could equal $500 in tax savings it is up to each taxpayer to assess their own assessment.

The taxes http://www.LowTaxRate.com is a free resource for taxpayers to better understand their property tax, tax assessments and offers help to dispute inflated tax assessments. It is important that we all make certain we are paying our fair share of tax.

Ryan Richmond

LowTaxRate.com

When trying tax sell your house your goal must be to maximize its visibility to potential buyers. If you do this you will have a much better chance selling taxes and at a price that is close to full value as possible.

We are all aware of the current market conditions and are aware that there are many more homes for sales than available buyers. Below you will find 10 ways that just might give you an advantage over other home sellers.

1.Look for a real estate agent that has had some success in selling in this tight market.You don’t want a part time agent but one who will constantly be working to sell your property.About 10% of all agents sell the bulk of the property. Look for one of these.

2.Maximum visibility will be will be attained using MLS. Once the property is listed hundreds of agents will be on the look out for a buyer for you. this is one of the more important steps.

3.Plastic signs (corrugated) is a very inexpensive way to tell the world your property is for sale. All signs companies offer this product and can deliver within a few days. Hint: Beware of double sided signs as when sunlight shines through the sign it sometimes makes them difficult to read. As you drive around you must have noticed those signs on many street corners.

4.Newspaper ads in the classified section of the newspaper is an another method but not as economical as plastic signs. Include enough information to entice a buyer and be sure to include the price. This will eliminate calls from people who can’t afford your home and you will know if they call the price isn’t out of their means. This not to say they won’t try to get a lower price.If you hired an agent they will provide this means of advertising.

5.Real Estate Handouts are another way of advertising on a budget. These are the free magazines that often are located at the entrance to many stores and hotels. It isn’t free to advertise in these magazines but the cost is similar to newspapers.

6.Open house are a really effective way for good agents to sell a property. Many times there will be a number of people looking at a property and this sometimes causes a sense of urgency among buyers. A good agent will encourage this.

7.Today most agents will list your property on the web for all to see. A very helpful sales tool is a virtual tour of the home. Prospective buyers can view your property from the comfort of their own home.

8.Real estate clubs are another good way to advertise your property. Members are serious about buying and selling property. Be aware that these folks will not pay full market price as they are in the business of making money. They are accustomed to paying 65-75% of full market price.

9.Hand out flyers any place people gather. churches, schools, taxes department stores are all good places to circulate flyers. This is one of the least expensive forms of advertising. Include a photo of the house along with good solid information. This is just opposite of a newspaper ad in that you want to list a lot of information.

There are many tools to use to sell your home. The bottom line is that the more people who know your house is for sale the better chance you have to sell it.

Happy selling!

Ray Caran has owned and operated a multitude of businesses over the years. He has been buying and selling real estate for over 20 years. For more tips go to: Property Money Making Secrets.

If you would like to read about a revolutionary weight loss program: go here Fat Secret!

Like many American’s last month I went and visited my accountant to prepare and file a federal tax return. Many thoughts raced through my mind on how to spend my newly found fortune, new clothes, a well-deserved night out or possibly pay down the credit card. Although all of them sounded appealing, like many of us I used my tax return to pay my tax mistakes tax bill. This is a common way for many; use our tax return to pay our property tax.

This vicious cycle has been played out every spring since I became a homeowner. It was not until last year tax I thought about all of the tax and preparation that went in to my federal taxes only to glance at my property tax bill and write a check without question or a second thought.

After utilizing many available tax deductions and credits many may find that the amount of federal taxes paid is less than the amount of their annual property tax.

When we examine our local property tax the same concepts apply as federal tax, however we rarely take notice. For example most municipalities allow for tax deductions and credits to offset the amount of property tax due. Many states give you a lower tax rate just for owning the home as your primary residence, being a veteran, or if you are over 65 years of age to name a few.

While these credits and deductions are important to take note of the more important issue is what your local government has valued your home at. This can often make the most impact to taxpayers. Known as your assessed value, this is what is used to multiply your local tax rates in order to arrive at the amount of property tax you will owe for the year. This can be one of the most overlooked aspects to homeowners, especially as of late in this current housing meltdown.

It is first important to find what your local assessor has for a property description of your home as mistakes often occur. Verify the square footage, the number of bedrooms and other data on your property record card is correct. Most assessors never look at your home, rather employ mass appraisal systems and rely on public record information to assess your homes value.

Why are we entrusting our local taxing authority to tell us our homes value? According to the Tax Foundation over 60% of homes in America are over assessed. More than half of us are paying too much property tax. All areas do allow taxpayers to dispute their annual assessment while less than 5% take corrective action. Maybe the IRS should take note of our local taxing authorities and make certain assumptions about everyone’s annual income, I would imagine a few more than 5% would disagree with the figure they propose.

The bottom line is we need to take notice of our own property taxes just as closely as we do our federal income tax filings. In this current housing market where a 10% reduction in home value could equal $500 in tax savings it is up to each taxpayer to assess their own assessment.

The website http://www.LowTaxRate.com is a free resource for taxpayers to better understand their property tax, tax assessments and offers help to dispute inflated tax assessments. It is important that we all make certain we are paying our fair share of tax.

Ryan Richmond

LowTaxRate.com

To answer this question, let’s look at where people typically have money when they retire.

Briefly : Where Shouldn’t I Put My Money

There are lots of bad ways to invest your money. We won’t go into that in detail here, but I will provide you with a short list that has hurt a lot of people. The worst culprits are companies that sale life insurance and annuities; don’t buy these. Life insurance is not medical insurance. The next worst investments are savings accounts with banks, bank brokerages, middle class brokerages (like Primerica), and small cap stocks.

Rule #1

Most people, when they retire, have most of their net worth tied up in their own home. So, the first, and most important way to invest your money is to buy your own home. If you already have a home, buy a rental property. It is realistic that most people can own several houses free and clear through a lifetime of disciplined effort.

Rule #2

When people retire, their next most important source of money is either a 401k, 403b, IRAs, and even annuities (which aren’t that great). The bottom line is to put at least 10% of your gross salary into a 401k, 403b, or IRA. Look at the taxes because it is not always in your best interest to max out the 401k. Sometimes it is better to have a combination of IRA and 401k.

Rule #3

Get some good health insurance. Better yet, stay healthy. Health care costs are ridiculously high. Most people spend an enormous chunk of their savings, in retirement, on health care. An operation can set you back a hundred thousand dollars, or more. Many people who are pretty well off become destitute from medical problems. In some cases, Medicare will force you to sell your home and give them the money or you can’t receive treatment.

My grandma was a first grade teacher her entire life. In retirement, she broke her hip. The medical costs were around 100k. The insurance didn’t cover many of the costs. She was denied treatment because the insurance (Medicaid) said her recovery time was taking too long. The moral of the story is to have some supplementary insurance.

Rule #4

Open an account with a discount brokerage firm (like www.vanguard.com). They have brokers that will help you with financial products. Some of these discount brokerages are available 24 hours a day. They do not give recommendations, but can explain the products quite well. The fees there will be much less than full service brokers. It is here you will get access to retirement calculators, investment research, IRAs, mutual funds, and lot of other things. If you are new to investing, you can learn a lot just by reading the articles on one of these sites.

Rule #5 : 90% Rule

If you own your own home and put 10% of your gross income into your retirement account we have found that 90% of people will have enough money to make ends meet. The biggest unknown factor, in this case, are medical bills. Medical problems leave more people destitute than any other.

For further information, on money strategies please visit Money Strategies

When you hear about new medical breakthroughs in the news, you will only hear about peer reviewed research. Peer reviewed means that it passed some sort of basic standards for quality. It Msn the gold standard of research.

But is it real gold, or fool’s gold?

Medical research seems especially mystical and awe inspiring to the average person. The basic concepts of medicine, which aren’t really difficult to understand, are deliberately cloaked in Latin terminology and other confusing jargon, making medical knowledge and theory seem out of reach to the common person.

After all, every profession needs to make you think you need their services. Lawyers make the legal system so complex and confusing that the average person is completely helpless without legal assistance. Accountants help the IRS tweak the tax code to make it virtually impossible for the average person to know it all, understand it all, or follow all the changes constantly being made. Doctors have made it so you cannot request medical tests or take drugs without their prescription. You name a profession, and you can see ways it perpetuates itself by disempowering the public.

What about the medical research profession?

One of the most important things to know about medical research is that, above all else, it is a profession. Researchers make their money usually from both salaries and grants. The job of the researcher is to find a sponsor for their special type of research. The more research projects and publications they get, the more sponsors they have, and the higher their income. And if a researcher comes up with a patentable device or drug, there are intellectual property rights to throw into the compensation package.

This means that researchers do not work for free. They are mercenary. There may be very interesting and, by social standards, very important research that needs to be done that they could do. But unless, and until, they are paid to do it, the work does not get done.

This means that the funding sources of research, be it the government or private sources, determine what research is actually done. Most of the money for medical research comes from the private sector, usually drug companies, which is why drugs dominate modern medicine. Government funding is little different, since it comes from agencies that are highly lobbied by drug companies, and are run by doctors trained and paid by drug companies. Medicine is a public-private partnership, giving the pharmaceutical industry government-like power over the culture and its healthcare research.

Research into non-drug alternatives are rarely done for this reason. It is also why medicine claims it knows very little about the causes of most diseases of our time. They care much more about the treatment than the cause, since treatment is profitable for the research sponsors, while knowing the cause can lead to prevention, which translates in medical terminology into “unbillable”.

Of course, this is a pretty big scam to pull off. Consider its scope. The public is taxed and begged for donations to pay for medical research that goes into discovering drug treatments that the public will later have to pay incredibly high prices to obtain, and only after paying the doctor for an office visit to get a prescription. And if the drug gives nasty side effects it only leads to more calls for more money to find newer drugs with different side effects.

Is the public getting a good deal here? How do you know the research is scientifically valid? Where is the quality control?

Since most people have been conditioned into believing that they cannot judge medical research unless they have a Ph.D., M.D., N.D., or other license, the research is evaluated for you by other scientists in the field. This is called peer review.

Scientists doing research, as with all professions, belong to a club of like-minded researchers in the same business, promoting their services and products. They belong to the same kinds of industries, such as universities or large multinational drug corporations. They have the same education, which means they all think alike. The purpose of their organization is to provide standards of practice that are supposed to assure quality. Any research must first be somehow reviewed by the peers of this club to make sure the quality guidelines are met, before the research can be published.

Yet, despite this assurance of quality, the fact is that most of what is considered true today will be discarded as false in the future. “Ninety percent of what you learn in medical school will be out of date and considered obsolete in ten years,” we were told by the dean of students when I began medical school. This means that most of what doctors learn is wrong. It also means that the new information which will come in 10 years to replace and update current misconceptions and errors will also be considered obsolete in another ten years’ time. This is a powerful indictment of medical research, which seems to produce little more than temporary information.

It also means that the peer Msn process does not assure truth. It only means that current standards of practice are followed. Currently, this allows conflicts of interest, since most drug research is paid for by the companies that produce and profit from those same drugs. Even research testing drug side effect hazards is paid for by the companies standing to lose, big time, if their drugs are proven unsafe. Since drug companies have their bottom line, and not unselfish service to mankind, as their reason for existing, it is extremely unwise to trust them with research into their own products. Researchers take no oaths of honesty or integrity. They work for whoever pays them, and they are not above fudging the results to get the desired outcome.

This is not good science, of course. But it is science as practiced in a culture that has professionalized research into a profit-making enterprise. It is not, as people fantasize, the sacred trust needed for helping the sick and injured with unselfish devotion. Medical research is about making money coming up with newly patented drugs to replace the ones that have just gone off-patent and are being sold too cheaply by generic drug competitors.

Peer review does not stop the conflict of interest. Medical journals accept conflict of interest, knowing that it is the way medical research is done. Knowing what research is coming down the pike allows these insiders to get a whiff of new drug developments before the public knows, so they can change their investment portfolio mix for anticipated stock price adjustments.

Peer review also keeps out alternative theories and ways of doing research. All innovation threatens the status quo, and those who control the peer review process, like Supreme Court Justices, can decide on which cases to hear and which to ignore. They are gatekeepers of the status quo, which keeps the current powers that be in power. Since the medical peer review boards are the culture’s final authority on quality, there is no way to challenge their decisions. The quality of the research may in fact be poor, which is evident when you see how many research articles criticize other, peer reviewed research as being flawed in some way. Any researcher will tell you that lots of bad research is done that gets published. However, it’s a publish or perish world. Since researchers and their peers are all caught in this same publish or perish demand, and review one another’s work, they subtly collude to get as much research as they can funded and published. You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours. They argue among themselves in the journals as to the quality of their work, and for sure there is some competition among scientists as they solicit grants from the same sources to do pretty much the same thing. But there is overall an understanding that, as peers, united they stand and divided they fall.

Of course, this means that peer review is nothing more than a political arrangement for research workers, like a guild or union. It’s Msn is to keep control over their field, suppress the competition, and assure continued cash flow. It has nothing to do with science, the systematic search for truth, which must not be tainted by financial motives or tempted by personal gain.

So the next time you hear a news story about some new wonder drug, look for the union label. If it is peer reviewed, there’s a ninety percent change it’s wrong.

Sydney Ross Singer is a medical anthropologist and director of the Institute for the Study of Culturogenic Disease, located in Hawaii. His unique form of applied medical anthropology searches for the cultural/lifestyle causes of disease. His working assumption is that our bodies were made to be healthy, but our culture and the attitudes and behaviors it instills in us can get in the way of health. By eliminating these causes, the body is allowed to heal. Since most diseases of our time are caused by our culture/lifestyle, this approach has resulted in many original discoveries into the cause, and cure, of many common diseases. It also makes prevention possible by eliminating adverse lifestyle practices. Sydney works with his co-researcher and wife, Soma Grismaijer, and is the author of several groundbreaking health books.

Sydney’s background includes a B.S. in biology from the University of Utah; an M.A. degree from Duke University in biochemistry and anthropology; 2 years of medical school training at UTMB at Galveston, along with Ph.D. training in medical humanities.

Sydney Ross Singer and Soma Grismaijer can be reached at the Institute for the Study of Culturogenic Disease, P.O. Box 1880, Pahoa, Hawaii 96778 (808) 935-5563. sydsinger@gmail.com

This is meant to be informative only.  This is not to be taken as legal advice.

Very surprisingly, only a small percentage of the U.S.A. population takes advantage of the wealth of informative material provided by the world’s largest publisher – the U.S. Government Printing Office.

Here is a source of priceless, accurate and official information which is reported and written by experts. Almost every conceivable subject has been reported upon in detail in some government publication – topics such as energy, employment, health, business, investments, science and technology, education, careers, transportation, veterans and personal benefits, consumer advice, foreign trade, law, space, food and diet, astronomy, gardening, medical, maintenance, housing, money management, equipment, hobbies, travel – the list goes on and on.

These publications are available to you upon request. In fact, you indirectly helped pay for them. A part of your tax contribution is allocated to operate the government printing office.

Many of these publications feature business sand personal matters that may directly help you make or save money. This report, however, will outline the most simple and ideal method to reap a huge financial gain from these publications – selling this information by mail.

You undoubtedly have noted ads offering reports on government surplus, oil lotteries, land acquisitions, energy, etc. These ads appear in many national magazines monthly. year after year. Such reports contain information extracted from government publications. Often they are copied word for word. The “insiders” know how and where to get this valuable information free, or at low cost, then use this material to earn huge profits for themselves.

Few people realize that government publications are not copyrighted. Anyone has the authority to use this material for his own personal benefit. That includes copying it word-for-word if desired, reproducing it, and selling the information in the form of books, manuals or reports.

From this vast source of published material are many thousands of ideas you can adopt to prepare an informative publication which can be profitably sold by mail.

The first step, obviously, is to find out which publications are available, what subjects they cover and where they can be obtained. The second step is to select topics which would inform, appeal to and attract a large number of people who would be willing to buy your information by mail. The third step, is to compile this information into a book, manual or report, get it printed, then go about the business of marketing it profitably.

Step 1

Besides a huge volume of official documents, the government printing office issues about 25,000 other booklets and reports with topics that concern and interest the general pubic. The government also publishes guides which lists and describes new issues when they become available.

Write to the Consumer Information Center, Pueblo, CO 81009. Request to be placed on their mailing list to receive the “Consumer Information Catalog” which is issued periodically during each year. Also request to receive “Selected U.S. Government Publications” from: Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

Many public libraries stock these catalogs and some government publications. You can check for titles of current and back issues and order anything that interests you or copy any information you need. You may also find copies at other U.S. and State agency offices and perhaps at your local chamber of commerce office.

Publications may also be obtained from government offices such as the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Agriculture, etc. These agencies offer many publications pertinent to matters in their field. For example, the Department of Commerce can provide data and information assistance in various business matters, foreign trade, etc.

The ruling powers in Washington are cutting funds to many agencies. It is likely that in future not as many free publications will be available as were printed in the past. The low cost of any government publication, however, is still a tremendous bargain. Never hesitate to pay a small amount for valuable information that could be the source of financial benefits for you.

Step 2

Which topics to consider for your publication? What type of printed information will the public buy? Basically, to sell successfully by mail, your product must fill a People need or desire. It must offer a specific appeal factor that will make the public want to obtain the product. Some of the strongest appeals are found in products which promise to help people:

Make Money Be Safe & Secure Have Fun & Enjoyment Save Money Eliminate Problems Find Out Where to Get Save Time & Effort Be Popular Something Beneficial Enjoy Comfort Do Things Better Something Useful Enjoy Health Gain Success

Thus, your publication should deal with the “How To” and “Where To” type of subjects. This is the main information the buying public seeks and will buy. The stronger information appeal your publication offers, the larger number of people will be attracted to you offer. This factor will translate into a greater sales volume and ultimately higher profits.

Emphasized again, the subject matter of your publication must interest and appeal to a large number of prospects. Among large group categories are: households, blue collar and white collar workers, opportunity seekers, investors, dieters, recipe fanciers, gardeners, teenagers, senior citizens, mail order aspirants, health and exercise enthusiasts, fix-it-uppers, hobbyists, sportsmen and many other specific classes of people seeking helpful information to fulfill their desires and needs.

Step 3

When you decide upon a suitable subject or subject or subjects, you next step is to compile the information into your own publication. You can copy word-for-word from the government literature, extract portions of the copy, express the ideas in your own words, or add some of your own ideas and thoughts to enhance the subject and provide the reader with additional information.

The size of your publication will depend upon how many words are necessary to fully cover the subject. Provide every essential and important detail so the reader will completely understand and benefit from the information. Don’t skimp, but don’t include anything that is superfluous or inappropriate to the subject. Give the customer at least what he expects – more if possible. A happy, satisfied customer is a confident prospect for your future offers.

For example, a publication entitled “Second Opportunities”, explaining a large number of money-making activities, might require a booklet form of many pages. A publication entitled “How to Grow Prize-Winning Roses” might be a report of just a few pages.

As stated previously, you can reproduce any government printing, even page for page, if that size would fit the style of your publication. to test your offer, you can get initial copies mimeographed, but the best-looking reproduction can be provided by an offset printer. He can reproduce printed copy. Type your own copy on a machine with carbon ribbon. It will provide clear, dark copy which the printer can reproduce with sharp results.

Adopt a title for your publication that will create attention. The title in a descriptive circular, or stated in a classified or space ad, can affect sales. The title should explain the subject matter in as few words as possible. Bring out as many of the appeals listed in Step 2. Yet, keep the title short without sacrificing any word or phrase that might keep a reader form becoming a customer. Look through magazines for titles of books and reports sold by mail. You will get ideas for preparing titles to attract the mail order buyer.

What price to charge for your publication? Only testing can determine the right price. The right price is the selling price that brings in the most profit Not total sales necessarily, but profit… the bottom line in any business activity. Set a price initially based on the suggestions in the following paragraph. Later tests may determine that you can make more profit by charging more and selling less. Or, tests may prove that by lowering the price and selling more units, you earn more total profits. Often the introduction of a new mail order product requires testing… and testing again… until the most effective sales copy and the right selling price is established to provide the most profit from each promotion.

To make big money selling information by mail, consider pricing your publication at least 10 times its cost. And, that’s just the norm for a multi-paged publication. A report of just a few pages must be sold for 15 to 20 times its cost to realize adequate profits from promotions. To start, get just a few copies printed. but, don’t base your selling price on this cost. Request the printer to quote you on 1,000 and higher quantities. This will be the volume you will be purchasing if your publication is successful and that cost should be the basis for initially pricing your publication.

To promote sales of your publication, use one or all of the usual mail order methods… classified ads, space ads and direct mail.

Classified ads are seldom productive if the advertiser solicits orders for items priced over $3.00 directly from the ad. Classified ads are mainly used to obtain inquiries for higher-priced items. So what can you do with a publication that must sell for $5.00 or $6.00? You should promote this publication through space ads or include the publication in a descriptive circular or catalog featuring this publication among other offers of your own or that of other publishers.

Space ads are what the terms implies; they feature more space than a classified ad. This greater space allows for bold headlines, more details about the offer and inducements for the reader to send in an order. If space permits, an order form is included in the ad.

Direct mail consists of People your offer to a list of names. These names could be your customer list or names obtained from a list broker. Use only name lists that will be responsive to your offer. For example, an offer for a gardening publication should not be sent to a list of auto mechanics. Such a mailing would stand little chance for success. Also, it would hardly pay to send out a mailing for a $5.00 or $6.00 offer. Use direct mail to promote $10.00 or higher items, or send circulars or catalogs featuring several publications to receive orders for multiple items and higher dollar average per sale.

Selling information by mail profitably, requires application of the basic methods used by other successful mail order operators. This report, of course, cannot provide a complete course in mail order techniques. Obtain some books which explain how to operate a mail order business efficiently.

To summarize, check over the list of government publications that might provide suitable material for your own book or report. Then send for it. Determine if the contents can be the basis for a publication with strong appeal to a large group of prospects. Compile this information into an interesting book or report. Promote your offer slowly and carefully at the start. If promotional tests are favorable you can increase your advertising and promotion efforts, sell larger volumes of your publication and earn larger profits.

Follow these procedures faithfully and you could be on you way to earning a fortune – making your start with free government publications.

Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer

Note to editors:
To show my appreciation to the editors that use my articles, I offer a free solo ad. Simply send an email to People by using the form on the contact me page on my website to tell me the url the article was used on or send me a copy of the ezine it was used in.

DeAnna Spencer is a virtual assistant that helps entrepreneurs run a successful business by providing affordable administrative help. She also publishes a blog for small business owners. Visit this small business resource today.