daily blog

From early childhood and throughout the schooling system, we learn the “3R’s”: Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic – the science of numbers. (Nowadays, you need to add a fourth “R”- gRaphing!).
Later, we reach a certain level in our education where were may feel rightly or wrongly (often complacently) that our levels of mastering reading and writing are satisfactory.

However… What about numbers? Generally, we do not fully realize the extent to which numbers control and regulate our lives. We are all identified by innumerable numbers from birth to the very last moments of our lives. Just reflect only on some of our important dates: birth, starting school, finishing primary school, finishing secondary school, the admission to university and then also with every stage of our education imprinted with our marks, marks and marks (percentages!). Then other numbers: the first love (the date, some of us remember!), dates of: marriage, birth of children, the first work, salaries, divorce, then blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar levels, the first operation, the passing away (not yet?) and so on. These numbers are unique to you and unique to me. They all identify you and identify me.

Some numbers quantify information. These are essential to understanding facts, events, processes, laws etc… The US novelist, Nathanel West, 1903-1940, stated aptly: “Numbers constitute the only universal language”.

Studies have shown that even rhesus monkeys can understand the relation between numbers 1 to 9 i.e., they are able to judge whether the specified number is smaller or bigger than the other number.

So, what is the present state of arithmetic? Unfortunately, most of the people satisfy themselves on a very low level of its cognizance. (As an anecdote, I may tell you that I was approached by a lawyer who asked me: “I have to assign a plaintiff 15% of the amount demanded by defendant; how much is it?”). Most people fear numbers if they require any further calculations: making fractions, multiplying, using proportions or inverse proportions, converting to percentages or substituting to formulas. What are the implications of this fact? It often leads to impaired judgement of the average citizen regarding handling their home economics, investment and, as the case may be, the events in their own country and on our globe. As the citizens of a “global village”, we are all affected by events not only in our place or country but even in far-away-countries. Consider these numbers: people affected by HIV, bird flu, tsunami, price of a barrel of oil, tsunami in financial markets, increasing ozone hole, decreasing shoals of fish in oceans, decreasing number of polar bears, the increase in the average yearly temperature, increasing extinction of species of animals and plants. One can present endless number of examples.

The numbers can be puzzling, depressing, shocking, fascinating, mystifying or upsetting. Well, they can be… An educated, intelligent and honest person will perceive them this way. A Polish film director Jerzy Konwicki (renown for his “Ashes and Diamonds”) used to say: “only a cow does not care”.

True, a cow does not know, for example, about the “mad cow” disease and does not understand what it means that a certain percentage of cows are affected by foot-and-mouth disease and bluetongue virus. There are however, unfortunately, also some examples among educated as well as decision making persons, institutions and governments who do not care. They have dubious motives to ignore some numbers (and related facts) they do not like. What will be the consequences of their arrogance to human beings in the future? A Japanese proverb says that more intelligent are those who see further…

Below there are several examples of numbers compiled from the Internet, Time and Trumpet. They may not be exact; however you may find them interesting and worthy of your attention:

65 000 – estimated population of Africa’s black rhinos in 1970
3 600 – estimated population of Africa’s black rhino in 2007
2 000 000 000 000 USD – US cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, so far

3 500 000 – Jews murdered in Poland by German Nazis

32 000 000 – population of Poland before II WW; 24 000 000 after the war

1500 – new HIV infections a day in South Africa

1 000 000 – Americans killed yearly by heart attacks (cardiacnetwork.net)

7:2 – ratio of average number of TV sets to children in the USA

1500 – number of hours, the average USA teenager spends watching TV

67% – percentage of Australian and USA men are overweight

1 in 12- South Africans who had access to the Internet in 2007

15-30 000 000 – men suffering from erectile dysfunction (NIH, USA government statistics)

690 000 000 – number of Asians living on $1 or less per day (Asian Dev. Bank)

142.8 – number of women raped per 100 000 in South Africa; 150 per day

66 000 000 – number of people in the USA suffering with arthritis, the most common chronic health problem in the USA

3% – rate of the green gas increasing per year

7 600 000 – number of cancer death worldwide in 2007

5 200 000 – Americans suffer from full-blown diabetes and don’t know it…yet.

14 000 – dolphins killed annually in Japan

400 000 000 – number of people in the world suffering from depression and mental disorders (WHO).

Look again at the numbers. They alone are meaningless. However, together with the descriptive information, they carry powerful information, obviously to those who are intelligent enough to understand them. Unfortunately, it does not mean yet, that those who understand them and have authority to make decision/s to change some of the numbers/trends are willing to act…

Are you already feeling depressed? You should be… You are intelligent…
Till the next time… (2).

P.S.: While proofreading, my wife counsels me that I have omitted three other important R’s. During a whole life one should learn: Respect for self, Respect for others and Responsibility for your own actions. She is absolutely Right!

Wacek Kijewski is the author of stimulating and entertaining resource material on experimental science: “SI Units, Conversion and Measurement Skills” (the 2007 edition, IBN 0629340584, 186 pp, USD97. The book is recommended for students and lecturers science and engineering courses. Visit website: http://www.wacek.co.za and http://www.wacek.co.za/review.html Read seven reviews: UNESCO, UK, South Africa, Botswana, United States, Hungary. His other ezines:”The Travellers Temperature Tips”, “Is IQ a Metric Unit of Intelligence and…Stupidity”, “Al-Gebra and Illuminati Links Discovered”, “How to Measure Cultural Differences in Metric Units”, “The Traveller’s Temperature Predicaments (2). NB: The book is being sold by Amazon and other booksellers illegally.

Christmas is responsible for more waste and consumption than any other holiday. North American’s trash contributions to the landfill increase by 25% during this time of year – which equates to a minimum of 25 million extra tons of garbage going to the landfill. By recognizing the incredible waste that is generated the urgency to do something becomes apparent.

A truly useful or environment friendly gift that provide some convenience or financial benefits is a better ecological choice. At the same time, you can help alleviate the guilt you might feel during this period of high consumption and travel activities. Here is a brief list of frugal and environmentally sound ideas to inspire you.

For the homeowner – A thermostat control that automatically turns the heat down at night; low flow showerhead attachment; draft cozy (placed in front of doors to prevent drafts) and tubes of caulking or weather stripping. Dimmer switches, compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL’s) or hot water tank and hot water pipe insulation kits are also excellent ideas. Yellow CFL’s are perfect for exterior lighting because they attract fewer insects. Consider making an eco-package combining some of these items for the homeowner.

For the gardener – A subscription to an organic gardening magazine or a membership to a seed organization is always an interesting gift idea. Bird, bat and butterfly houses, baths and feeders – or the patterns to build them – are a wonderful optional gift. Alternatively consider composting worm bin, gift certificate to a nursery or a membership with an environmental group.

Give Services – Rather than giving an item that must be wrapped, consider purchasing tickets to a performance, restaurant gift certificates or services such as lawn care, diaper, cleaning, music lessons, exercise or dance classes, tune-up or tire rotation services. Don’t forget to look at dog walking, babysitting, and massage, spas or gyms when looking at gift certificates. All of these ideas will help you support local businesses that you believe in while giving something that the recipient can truly benefit from.

Give Food – Home preserves such as dehydrated or canned foods make excellent gifts. Those that find cooking tasks cumbersome treasure frozen meals. Snack foods and deserts are appreciated by most anyone; keep in mind that purchasing Brazil or cashew nuts supports a tropical rainforests. Baskets of healthy foods are another wonderful idea to consider – especially if it contains samples from local producers.

Books – Most of us realize the benefits of literacy and supporting local businesses. You can do both by choosing to purchase books as gifts this year. However, we can also leave a legacy with a book of our own. This could be a journal, a collection of our poetry, a family tree that you’ve researched or even a family recipe book. Perhaps you might consider including quotes from family members or people you admire and possibly a few favorite family photos.

Alternative gifts – A reusable coffee filter and whole organic coffee beans makes a nice gift for coffee lovers. Consider slippers and sweaters – the recipient is less likely to turn up their thermostat. Toys and games with positive environmental or education values and those that emphasize cooperation, exploration or creative thinking. If you choose to purchase electronics, consider those powered by solar or rechargeable batteries.

The Tree: Give or purchase a living tree for yourself this year (it removes carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ammonia, ozone and nitrogen oxides). A living Xmas tree can be donated to individuals with space on their land, the city, schools or parks when the season is over. Alternatively, plant it in your own yard for privacy, summer shade or soil and water erosion control.

The Photos – For holiday photo memories, avoid disposable cameras. Instead use a digital camera and load directly to your own computer and CD burner. Alternatively, use a normal camera using 36 exposure film rolls and have the pictures put on CD’s at the development outlet. Choosing these options reduces chemicals, paper and waste, while you save some cash.

~ Dave Brummet: co-author of the books Trash Talk, Purple Snowflake Marketing and Towards Understanding; co-host of the Conscious Discussions radio show (http://www.brummet.ca)

PT, for those of you who are not familiar with the initials, stands for many things. Some of the more popular are Perpetual Traveler or Permanent Tourist. Others are Prior Taxpayer, Privacy Thinker, or Prepared Thoroughly. But what is PT all about?

In a nutshell, a PT arranges his or her business and personal affairs as a Sovereign Individual, by unfurling various ‘flags’ or country bases and by treating governments as service providers instead of rulers. For example, there would be a citizenship flag (“second passport”), an official residence flag, a banking flag and so on. Each of these would be from different jurisdictions. That way, you are not bound to any particular country.

The ultimate PT goal is not to be resident anywhere! That is how you become a Permanent Tourist, at least on paper. You might for example spend five months of the year in one home, five months in another, and a couple of months vacationing, visiting friends or taking a cruise in between. That way each country treats you as a tourist and does not consider you a tax resident. You then keep all your assets stashed safely offshore, earn your money over the internet in other countries, and live totally tax free completely legally. If you drive cars, own real estate etc they are all held in company names, or simply rented or leased. So you don’t appear on any government ‘Big Brother’ style databases.

PT is based on the theory that most countries treat tourists better than citizens.

In fact, the beauty of this idea is its simplicity. As a ‘PT’ wherever you are, you always appear to be from somewhere else!

You can usually live and travel in better style and for less money than it costs to remain where you are. You can also chose to enjoy places that encourage the lifestyle and social norms you have always wanted to live.

PT will appeal to a wide spectrum of people who dream of being able to disappear when events and times in life make it convenient to do so. As a PT, a Perpetual Tourist, you run your own life. Using freedom tools such as the flags theories you can put a significant distance between yourself and bureaucrats that want to determine what is best for you, ‘for your own good’ of course!

A Brief History of the PT Theory

The PT theory was, according to urban legend propogated in the books, inspired by Harry Schultz, a Monaco-based newsletter publisher of North American origin who first coined the “three flags” theory back in the 1960s. Schultz’s claim to fame is that he is quoted in The Guinness Book of Records as the world’s highest paid investment consultant.

Later, a writer using the pseudonym W.G. ‘Bill’ Hill wrote a series of books including PT1, PT2 and The Passport Report which were published by Scope International Books in Hampshire, England. This same company published books by authors including Adam Starchild, Reinhard Stern and Jon Golding and Bob Beckman, also under the imprint ‘Milestone Publications.’

Scope went out of business in the mid nineties and was absorbed by an American direct marketing company who are still using much of the material today. The majority of it however has been toned down somewhat, not surprisingly as it is published from within the USA.

Other writers have taken up the PT theme in books like The International Man by Doug Casey, The Internationalist by Nicholas Pullen, and most recently in 2006 by a group mysteriously calling themselves “Grandpa and Others.” They wrote an attractive-leather bound three-volume set of limited edition books known as Bye Bye Big Brother. Or simply “BBBB.”Bye Bye Big Brother is also available in an abridged, paperback version from Vera Verba, a Chicago-based imprint. But hardcore readers should be aware that the abridged version has edited out some of the more cutting edge, controversial material included in the original.

From Three Flags to Six Flags

 The original theory espoused by Harry Schultz and Harry Browne (“How to Find Freedom in an Unfree World”) talked about three flags:

• Have your citizenship somewhere that does not tax income earned outside the country.  
• Have your businesses and speculations in stable, low or no tax countries.
• Live as a tourist in countries where what you esteem is valued, not outlawed.

Later W.G. Hill added two more flags – business havens where you make your money, and playgrounds where you spend your time, as a separate flag to your official residence – thereby creating a five flag theory – the level of complication or sophistication is up to you! Finally, in Bye Bye Big Brother, a sixth flag was added – cyberspace, where all the other five flags come together, a place where you can be everywhere and nowhere at the same time!

Shortcomings and Concerns about the PT Theory – and the Dangers of Camouflage Passports!

View on the PT theory is that it’s a great idea, provided you treat it as what it is: a slightly tongue in cheek knock at the establishment with a wicked sense of humor. A client of mine recently read it and said it was riveting, like reading a novel.

PT is a well thought out idea to break free and escape, especially if you like international living and the traveling lifestyle. It’s probably aimed more at those with well over a million safely tucked away in a Swiss bank seeking the kind of asset protection arrangements that their lawyers would not tell them about… while being less useful (but nonetheless interesting reading) for those who are just starting out on their quest for offshore wealth building opportunities.

PT is certainly not a step-by-step plan you should follow blindly. Indeed, it’s clearly not for everybody. We say, “by all means read the literature.” It’s an idea you can read about, absorb and enjoy… and then adjust to your own situation.

 always had a slightly different vision, and still do today.  What’s the difference? Well it’s not easy to live out of a suitcase, or to have to worry about counting the days you are in a certain country due to limited tourist visas or the concern that you will become a tax-resident. There are more sophisticated plans available today, and we write about them in our newsletter for members. We also tend to focus more on opportunities for creating wealth.

An Important Warning about the Legalities of the PT ‘Six Flags’ Theory

Here’s an important warning. Some of the tactics in the original PT books might have seemed like harmless fun back in the eighties, but in today’s world they could get you into hot water.

By way of example, one of the products frequently promoted was the so-called camouflage passport. Camouflage passports are booklets that look like passports from countries that used to exist but don’t any more – the intention being to fool anyone who might have learned about countries like Ceylon, Dutch Guiana, British Honduras or the U.S.S.R. in their school history classes, but who didn’t know that those countries today are called Sri Lanka, Suriname, Belize and Russia. Camouflage passports were promoted as a way to avoid terrorist attacks, by confusing terrorists in a hijacking situation into thinking that you came from a neutral country rather than a target country like the USA, UK or Israel. However in the current environment merely having a camouflage passport in your possession is more likely to get you labeled as a terrorist than anything else!

Indeed, it has been said that ‘Big Brother’ thinks PT stands for Potential Terrorist!

Peter Macfarlane is an author and lecturer on offshore finance, investment, due diligence and wealth creation matters. He is joint editor of The Q Wealth Report http://www.qwealthreport.com

From early childhood and throughout the schooling system, we learn the “3R’s”: Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic – the science of numbers. (Nowadays, you need to add a fourth “R”- gRaphing!).
Later, we reach a certain level in our education where were may feel rightly or wrongly (often complacently) that our levels of mastering reading and writing are satisfactory.

However… What about numbers? Generally, we do not fully realize the extent to which numbers control and regulate our lives. We are all identified by innumerable numbers from birth to the very last moments of our lives. Just reflect only on some of our important dates: birth, starting school, finishing primary school, finishing secondary school, the admission to university and then also with every stage of our education imprinted with our marks, marks and marks (percentages!). Then other numbers: the first love (the date, some of us remember!), dates of: marriage, birth of children, the first work, salaries, divorce, then blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar levels, the first operation, the passing away (not yet?) and so on. These numbers are unique to you and unique to me. They all identify you and identify me.

Some numbers quantify information. These are essential to understanding facts, events, processes, laws etc… The US novelist, Nathanel West, 1903-1940, stated aptly: “Numbers constitute the only universal language”.

Studies have shown that even rhesus monkeys can understand the relation between numbers 1 to 9 i.e., they are able to judge whether the specified number is smaller or bigger than the other number.

So, what is the present state of arithmetic? Unfortunately, most of the people satisfy themselves on a very low level of its cognizance. (As an anecdote, I may tell you that I was approached by a lawyer who asked me: “I have to assign a plaintiff 15% of the amount demanded by defendant; how much is it?”). Most people fear numbers if they require any further calculations: making fractions, multiplying, using proportions or inverse proportions, converting to percentages or substituting to formulas. What are the implications of this fact? It often leads to impaired judgement of the average citizen regarding handling their home economics, investment and, as the case may be, the events in their own country and on our globe. As the citizens of a “global village”, we are all affected by events not only in our place or country but even in far-away-countries. Consider these numbers: people affected by HIV, bird flu, tsunami, price of a barrel of oil, tsunami in financial markets, increasing ozone hole, decreasing shoals of fish in oceans, decreasing number of polar bears, the increase in the average yearly temperature, increasing extinction of species of animals and plants. One can present endless number of examples.

The numbers can be puzzling, depressing, shocking, fascinating, mystifying or upsetting. Well, they can be… An educated, intelligent and honest person will perceive them this way. A Polish film director Jerzy Konwicki (renown for his “Ashes and Diamonds”) used to say: “only a cow does not care”.

True, a cow does not know, for example, about the “mad cow” disease and does not understand what it means that a certain percentage of cows are affected by foot-and-mouth disease and bluetongue virus. There are however, unfortunately, also some examples among educated as well as decision making persons, institutions and governments who do not care. They have dubious motives to ignore some numbers (and related facts) they do not like. What will be the consequences of their arrogance to human beings in the future? A Japanese proverb says that more intelligent are those who see further…

Below there are several examples of numbers compiled from the Internet, Time and Trumpet. They may not be exact; however you may find them interesting and worthy of your attention:

65 000 – estimated population of Africa’s black rhinos in 1970
3 600 – estimated population of Africa’s black rhino in 2007
2 000 000 000 000 USD – US cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, so far

3 500 000 – Jews murdered in Poland by German Nazis

32 000 000 – population of Poland before II WW; 24 000 000 after the war

1500 – new HIV infections a day in South Africa

1 000 000 – Americans killed yearly by heart attacks (cardiacnetwork.net)

7:2 – ratio of average number of TV sets to children in the USA

1500 – number of hours, the average USA teenager spends watching TV

67% – percentage of Australian and USA men are overweight

1 in 12- South Africans who had access to the Internet in 2007

15-30 000 000 – men suffering from erectile dysfunction (NIH, USA government statistics)

690 000 000 – number of Asians living on $1 or less per day (Asian Dev. Bank)

142.8 – number of women raped per 100 000 in South Africa; 150 per day

66 000 000 – number of people in the USA suffering with arthritis, the most common chronic health problem in the USA

3% – rate of the green gas increasing per year

7 600 000 – number of cancer death worldwide in 2007

5 200 000 – Americans suffer from full-blown diabetes and don’t know it…yet.

14 000 – dolphins killed annually in Japan

400 000 000 – number of people in the world suffering from depression and mental disorders (WHO).

Look again at the numbers. They alone are meaningless. However, together with the descriptive information, they carry powerful information, obviously to those who are intelligent enough to understand them. Unfortunately, it does not mean yet, that those who understand them and have authority to make decision/s to change some of the numbers/trends are willing to act…

Are you already feeling depressed? You should be… You are intelligent…
Till the next time… (2).

P.S.: While proofreading, my wife counsels me that I have omitted three other important R’s. During a whole life one should learn: Respect for self, Respect for others and Responsibility for your own actions. She is absolutely Right!

Wacek Kijewski is the author of stimulating and entertaining resource material on experimental science: “SI Units, Conversion and Measurement Skills” (the 2007 edition, IBN 0629340584, 186 pp, USD97. The book is recommended for students and lecturers science and engineering courses. Visit website: http://www.wacek.co.za and http://www.wacek.co.za/review.html Read seven reviews: UNESCO, UK, South Africa, Botswana, United States, Hungary. His other ezines:”The Travellers Temperature Tips”, “Is IQ a Metric Unit of Intelligence and…Stupidity”, “Al-Gebra and Illuminati Links Discovered”, “How to Measure Cultural Differences in Metric Units”, “The Traveller’s Temperature Predicaments (2). NB: The book is being sold by Amazon and other booksellers illegally.

Here’s how I plan to turn the $1,000 per child that the Rudd Government is giving to my family on 8 December, 2008 into a gift that lasts for life.

For those readers who are either not Australian, or who are not aware of the recently-announced financial assistance the Australian Government is offering to families; here is a brief of what is on offer.

The Australian Government, which happens to be in Surplus (given the amount of debt per capita, I am not sure what this is a Surplus “of”…), announced recently that if you have children and you fall within the “Family Benefits Tax A” bracket, then to help ‘boost’ the economy, the Australian Government is offering families a cash payment of $1,000 per child, to be paid on 8th December 2008.

There is a whole swag of other payments being made right across the country to Age Pensioners, Disability Pensioners, Carers, and others, on the same day. The media had a field day, rejoicing in the announcement, saying that families will be able to spend this on Christmas presents and will boost Christmas sales and the economy. People everywhere are plotting how they will spend the unexpected booty.

Not me! I have bigger ideas than that and will actually be applying the cash handout to remedying – at least within my own family – the underlying cause that’s behind this whole sorry mess in the first place.

That is to say, I will be putting this money to work. I will use it to create more money for my children, which will, in turn, be reinvested to create recurring incomes, from a number of sources.

What’s more, I have found a way to do this in a risk-free environment – outside of the stock market, and outside of the property market – yet which allows me to invest small amounts in carefully selected businesses by purchasing their products and receiving profit-share from sales. More on this in a minute.

First off, I will open a bank account in each child’s name to accept their windfalls and start their Investment/Savings plans for the future.

Of the $1,000 each receives, I will put into action what every Investment book out there tells me to do. Invest 10% of all money received into growing more money.

So, $100 per child will be invested and put to work using the strategies set out in the free book “How To Let Your Money Make More Money Online… While You Are Busy Doing Other Things,” by Taylor Adams.

This has taught me exactly how to use subscriptions to online companies from just $5 per month as profit-generating investments. Money Buddy Alliance (MBA) offers a free service, so I am not paying any money to them. The money I pay is to my own subscription account, in return for which, I receive the product I subscribe to, along with a profit-share in the form of commission income. How cool is that?

$100 will more than cover a 12-month subscription to my children’s first Investment. So I can just pay the annual amount and not even have to think about it for the next 12 months.

All of this I have already had set up in my own name for some time, and know from my own experiences that it works a treat. So I will simply create a subscription in each of the kids’ names, and basically set them up for life.

There is a reinvestment strategy for when income reaches successive levels that will pay for a series of additional investments from profits, one after another. It’s so easy.

MBA just lets me know when my profits are sufficient to add the next investment position. I then take a look at it, and if I like it, I commence reinvesting in that one too. So far I have 8 different investment vehicles at various stages of development, from well established to very new. It’ll be fun teaching the kids how to do this as they grow.

Sometimes I still am amazed that for as little as $5 per month I can set my kids up for life in this way. And anyone can do it.

So what am I going to do with Kevin Rudd’s Christmas bonus – the $1,000 per child ‘windfall’ that the Australian Government has given to my family…??

I will teach my children how to invest just 10% of that money. I will show them how to purchase their “Money Tree seedlings” – an annual subscription to an online gardening club; which costs just $5 per month and pays out 90% of its subscriptions to its members.

This will dovetail very nicely with the gardening that we are teaching them in our own suburban backyard, where they now have a thriving worm farm and lush crops of organic fruits and vegetables.

I will teach them how to set up their online money processor which will collect their commissions, and pay their subscriptions from profits when renewal time comes around next year.

Everything at Money Buddy Alliance is kept so easy and straight forward, it’s just like following the “bouncing ball.”

This is the first step of a program that will teach my children how to invest their Christmas bonus money and put it to work while they are busy being kids; and I can monitor and watch my children’s investments grow, while I get on with being “MUM.”

For a free report called “The $5 poverty Cure,” send an email to Leanne with “$1,000 Family Tax Benefit A” in the Subject line. A detailed report will be sent to your inbox outlining how to start putting YOUR money to work, so that you will be ready to help start your kids’ investments when you receive Kevin Rudd’s Christmas bonus in December 2008.

Leanne Cane
leanne@moneybuddyalliance.com

This is the second book in the Rich Dad series. Robert introduces the four quadrants and shares with the reader how each person in each quadrant operates. He goes on to explain the changes needed for a person to get from the E or S side of the quadrant to the B and I side. He cited the benefits which come from being on the B and I side which will lead to financial freedom compared to being on the E or S side. The last seven chapters illustrate how you and I can get onto the financial fast track through constant and consistent actions recommended by Robert.

After reading this book, I am well informed of the type of changes I need to undergo and what it takes to get to the B and I side of the quadrant. It’s a total mindset and behavioral change as I myself operate out of the E quadrant. The activities carried out by a person on the B and I side will not make any sense to the person on the E or S side. Some of the many new ways of thinking emphasized in the book that I have to adopt are:

• Working for free: There will not be any positive cash flow coming in during the initial period of a startup.
• Delayed gratification: Many people want to solve their money woes instantly. But it’s only through patience and diligently increasing our financial intelligence that we will be rewarded later on by taking small steps each day.
• Investing is not risky: Without the proper knowledge and skill, many people will find investing risky as they have lost money previously in the stock market or mutual funds through some unreliable source. To them investing is like gambling.
• Finding mentors: They are there to guide you through your journey. They are people who you can turn to when you run into trouble.
• Making mistakes: Expect things to go wrong and learn from the mistakes made. Losing is part of winning.
• Time is your most valuable asset: The rich spend money to save time whereas the poor and middle class spend time to save money.

This book is a must read for people who are thinking of embarking on the process of becoming financially free. I would also like to recommend that you read Rich Dad Poor Dad first if you have not done so. Rich Dad Poor Dad provides the financial basics and fundamental concepts needed for Rich Dad’s Cash Flow Quadrant Get it now!

Raymond Heng specializes in system testing, internet marketing, investment & Stocks/options trading. He writes articles during his free time and contributes them to ezines to share his knowledge with others. He loves travelling too. To read his most sought after articles and tour adventures, visit his web site: http://web.singnet.com.sg/~raindeer

Reading has always been a difficult chore for me. I call it a chore because when I was young and in school it was one of the hardest thing I ever had to do. I would do anything I could to get away from reading.

Most of the time the subject matter of the books offered in class held no interest to me so I had little interest in reading. I mean, after all, how long can you find joy in watching Spot run? And I didn’t even know Jane or Dick. Why would I want to read about them?

I also suffered a little dyslexia and the jumbled up letters of each word were sometimes a little hard to make sense of. I would need to read some words several times before it made sense. Sometimes I had to read the entire sentence over and over.

Back then, those many years ago, the teachers didn’t have the time or patience to work with each student and they never knew the problems faced by slow readers.

Today I am still bothered by my inability to read correctly. I still find myself rereading words and sometimes even missing words completely. By missing a word or two the whole paragraph is lost or it may take on a wrongful meaning. The need to reread the paragraph is still there.

I have tried some of the reading remedies but it is too late. the damage is already done. Even though I write articles like this and I read a lot of information over the Internet I still find a difficulty in reading.

My disbelief in reading was set in my mind as a very young child. I wish I had developed an interest in reading while I was still young.

What I’m saying in these few word is simply when you see your child struggling over a book don’t just turn away and think that a teacher will take care of it. Each teacher has 20 or more students in the class and may not be able to give the attention needed.

Take an interest in your child’s ability to read. Show him or her that reading can be fun. Read with them. If you read with the child and throw in a giggle or laugh now and then the chore becomes more exciting, fun and desirable.

Like I said before, who wants to watch Spot run? Give the kids something that they like. Something like Hannah Montana or “The Lord Of The Rings” Books they find exciting and interesting. Give them books that were designed for the younger generation.

There is a whole series of Harry Potter books that would be ideal for helping your child enjoy reading. In fact, J.K. Rowlings, the author of the Harry Potter series has written a new book titled “The Tales of Beedle The Bard” Which again, was written with children in mind.

Get a copy of that one and sit down with your children to discover something new. Something no one else has seen.

I wrote this article because all my life I struggled with my own limited reading capabilities. I have missed out on so many exciting and wonderful adventures only gained through reading. At the ripe old age of 68 I still struggle. Don’t let it happen to your children. Give them all the help you can.

I’m sure there are others in your location who would like to help their children learn to enjoy reading. Why not do them a favor and pass this along.

You can find more information about J.K. Rowlings new book at my web address listed below.
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One of the most important yet grueling tasks which every business faces is preparing financial statements. With all the profits which came in, an increasing demand is sure to follow as well as increasing need to update current operations to fit into the growing demands. This is the primary reason why people often tax certified, licensed professionals when it comes to attending to financial planning. Among the most important part of such department are the bookkeeping services. This helps maintain the department well within the overall budget and helps note down discrepancies should they arise at any given time.

However, businesses need to be very strict in finding the right people to handle bookkeeping services. This particular task is crucial because it will handle all bank reconciliations, invoices, recording of expenditures, and payroll drafting. The bookkeeping services will become the financial bible of the company as it operates for another quarter or even on an annual basis. More than just finding the person who can do the job, the most important thing to keep in mind is to get the qualified person or people to handle the job.

When evaluating people for bookkeeping services, the first thing businesses should consider is the educational background and the training experience of these people. Educational background is necessary so that one can assess if the person is schooled with the basics as it pertains to accounting and bookkeeping. On the other hand, training is equally if not more important because this pertains to the actual work experience of the bookkeeping candidate. This would help gauge the actual expertise of the person in terms of doing the job itself.

Apart from hiring candidates, taxes firms catering to bookkeeping services is also an option. This can help cut down on the overall effort and expenses since the firm already has their own group of experts in the said field. tax mistakes is only needed to be done is to pay the firm per work output. But in choosing a bookkeeping firm, businesses should care to look at the firm’s portfolio to see how long it has rendered its services already and among which companies. Bookkeeping firms would usually provide potential clients with such portfolios and references to help them become convinced to avail the firm’s bookkeeping services.

Apart from expertise, it would also be wise to consider the actual personality of those who will render the bookkeeping services. After all, they would not just be there doing the job but they will also be doing constant coordination with various employees of the business. It is important that these people are flexible enough to face up to different employee personalities and clashes will not have to be evaded once they start working. Good bookkeepers are those who also have a knack for customer service because they can be expected to hold their ground despite stress and pressure. Moreover, these people will also be able to attend to the business’ clients should they have any concerns when it comes to various financial transactions which will be done.

Accurate Bookkeeping Services improves the ability of a firm to focus on business growth while simultaneously curtailing risks and costs. There are many firms offering outsourced bookkeeping services that work for small and medium businesses worldwide.

If you’re unfamiliar with terms like “financial planning” and “personal finance” and what they entail, then you probably need a financial planning book. Personal financial planning has been emphasized quite a bit lately through the various media channels, and terms such as those mentioned above have become buzzwords with how people seem to be going on about the importance of financial planning. Fact of the matter is, anyone who isn’t a financial adviser or a financial planner should have a financial planning book. To determine if you need a financial planning book, read the rest of this article. If most of the concepts presented seem alien to you, then you should get yourself a book today.

For those who are not aware of what financial planning is all about, it is a process by which a person works out the necessary steps to meet his expected needs and come up with countermeasures for the unforeseen circumstances he might encounter financially. Factors such as inflation and changing lifestyle need to be taken into consideration when coming up with a personal financial plan. When planning for your future financial needs, you need to know the technical jargon and concepts of certain financial instruments and how money works. Without adequate knowledge of any of these, it would be hard pressed for you to come up with an effective financial plan for yourself or your family.

Take debt for example. Are you aware that debt is one the major financial issues that people face today? Are you in debt yourself? Just how do you get out of debt? Most people who are in debt feel like they’re trapped in a vicious and endless cycle, especially those who borrow to pay off their debts. They feel like they have no way out; no way to be free from the shackles of debt that weigh them down financially. Getting out of debt requires careful planning, and adequate knowledge of how to make your money work for you. A book on personal money management can help you to come up with ways of how to manage your debts and eventually become debt-free.

How about retirement? Do you know how much you need at the end of the day for your retirement fund? With increasing inflation and changing lifestyle needs, are you prepared for a costlier cost of living by the time you’re old enough to retire? Do you know what investments to consider when planning for your retirement? Should you bank on day trading or mutual funds? How about insurance? How will that help you financially at the end of the day?

So in summary, a financial planning book can help you understand the concepts that you’re required to know when coming up with an effective financial plan. A comprehensive book can cover anything, from basics like personal money management and budgeting to something even more complex like money market investments and insurance. If you find yourself having more questions about financial planning by the end of this article, then rest assured you do need a financial planning book. So get one today.

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Intuitively, you would think that everyone cares about the price of stocks that they own. After all, no one like to lose money, right? Who likes to see the market go down?

Well, one category of investors cares a lot less when their stocks go down: Dividend investors.

Dividend investors focus on the dividend–and especially its growth–far more than they do on the stock’s price.

Investors in strong dividend-paying stocks are doing just fine in 2008. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been distributed to dividend stockholders this year, and they will continue to be paid every month and every quarter.

But this cash reward from dividend stocks is ignored by most of Wall Street and the financial media. There is no “Dividend Index” reported minute-by-minute the way the Dow, NASDAQ, and S&P 500 are reported.

But those are all price indexes. They reflect price changes only and therefore give an incomplete picture of “how stocks are doing.” After all, total returns (the ultimate goal of every investor) are made up of price returns plus dividends. Price indexes such as the Dow do not reflect dividends.

Dividends are stocks’ secret weapon. They operate in the background. They are not sexy enough to get much attention. They don’t involve IPOs, takeovers, “the next big thing,” or making millions in a couple of weeks.

But dividends are extremely important to total returns. They should not be ignored. According to Morningstar, S&P 500 companies have grown their dividends at a 16% annual clip for the past three years, 12% in the past 12 months. If there were a Dividend Index based on the S&P’s 500 stocks, it would be up 9 to 10% this year.

So dividend investors focus on increasing dividends as much or more than the stock’s price. Two main metrics for dividend investors thus become: (1) initial yield at time of purchase, and (2) dividend growth rate.

As to initial yield, according to Morningstar, the dividend yield on the S&P 500 right now is 2.6%, which is higher than it has been in a few years. (That yield has been inflated by the general drop in stock prices this year.) Many stocks, of course, yield much more than 2.6%. Reasonable minds can differ as to what an acceptable minimum initial yield should be for a dividend stock. I set a floor of 2.5% (or 1.9% for stocks with an uninterrupted 25-year history of dividend growth). Others may set other floors, such as 4%, to stay even with or ahead of inflation right from the moment of purchase. The point is, each investor can set his or her own minimum acceptable dividend yield as part of the stock selection process.

As to dividend growth, the key number is the rate of increase in the annual money-per-share paid to stockholders. The best dividend companies increase their dividends every year like clockwork. Many have done so for decades, without a freeze or a cut. My personal minimum growth requirement is 5% (as demonstrated by the average of the last three years). I’m sure that many dividend investors demand a higher minimum. Again, the important point is that you can set your own standard, and then look for stocks that meet or beat it.

My Easy-Rate™ point system for evaluating dividend stocks awards higher scores for both greater initial yields and faster rates of growth than my minimums. So I would never buy a dividend stock with both an initial yield and historical dividend growth rate right at my two minimums. Either one or the other would have to be higher for me to consider purchasing the stock.

The two measures–initial yield and rate of growth–are essential to a good dividend-stock selection process, along with your normal fundamental checks for company soundness.

There are plenty of solid dividend-paying candidates. Here are just a few examples (all figures from Morningstar as of 9/2/2008):

–Abbott Laboratories (ABT): initial yield 2.4%, 3-year growth rate 7.4%
–Coca-Cola (KO): 2.8% and 10.8%
–GlaxoSmithKline (GSK): 4.7% and 5.4%
–Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (KMP): 6.5% and 6.5%
–Sunoco Logistics (SXL): 7.3% and 12.7%

As stated earlier, the best dividend companies increase their payouts every year or nearly every year. Dividend increases mean that the yield on your original investment goes up over time. (That is, the “current yield” stated in the newspaper or online does not apply to you any more, just to new purchasers.) At an average annual increase of:

–6%, your dividend doubles about every 12 years
–10%, every seven years
–12%, every six years
–15%, every five years

Now it is certainly true that many dividend-paying companies have not escaped the bear market. Indeed, some of them-the financials-have been especially hard-hit. Dividend-paying stocks are not immune from market risk.

But the really committed dividend investor does not care as much about this–which is the exact point of this article. The committed dividend investor becomes accustomed to varying principal, and cares little more about it than a bondholder cares that his or her bond trades on the open market at varying prices. The investor is focused instead on the cash the investment is bringing in. In fact, if the dividend investor is not using that cash as current income, but is instead accumulating assets to fund a future goal such as retirement, he or she sees price drops as an opportunity to purchase more shares at better prices and yields than before.

That does not mean that dividend investors never sell. But they are probably less likely to sell than investors focused on capital appreciation alone, because dividend “disappointments” are pretty rare in well-selected dividend stocks. Dividend investors’ reasons for selling may include a cut in the dividend; a slowing in its growth rate; or a chance to swap for a higher-yielding stock or one with a faster-growing dividend.

Dividends and dividend-paying companies have lots of positive attributes. Here are my top six:

1. Dividends are cash in your pocket. You can re-invest that money in the company, or in another company, or nowhere. You can spend it.

2. You do not have to sell a share of stock to get it. They credit it to you each month or quarter.

3. Most dividend programs are persistent. Companies with well-established programs rarely cut or eliminate their dividends. Many have uninterrupted, decades-long histories of paying and raising dividends. It is their ability to do this that separates them from “fixed income” investments like bank accounts and bonds.

4. Studies show that over long periods, dividend-paying stocks have had the highest total returns of all. According to Ned Davis Research, from 1972 to 2006 (a period that includes the tech bubble, when dividends contributed little), non-dividend-paying stocks gained an annual average return of 4.1%. But dividend-paying stocks returned 10.1%, an enormous 6%-per-year difference. Wharton Professor Dr. Jeremy Siegel’s research showed that 97% of the stock market’s return from 1871 to 2003 can be traced to re-invested dividends.

5. Dividends are closely watched and reported, so information about them is easy to obtain. Over time, companies establish dividend patterns that are consistent. Significant changes in the pattern are reported instantly.

6. If you build a strong portfolio of dividend-paying stocks that regularly increase their dividends, you can arrive at retirement with a significant income stream paying an enormous yield on your original investment. You may be able to make a transition from a salary paycheck to a “dividend paycheck” seamlessly.

Dave Van Knapp is the author of two books on stock investing.

The first is “Sensible Stock Investing: How to Pick, Value, and Manage Stocks.” Click on this link to go directly to the book’s page on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Sensible-Stock-Investing-Manage-Stocks/dp/1605280100/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205616037&sr=1-3

The second is “The Top 40 Dividend Stocks for 2008: How (and Why) to Build a Cash Machine of Dividend Stocks.” Over time, studies show that dividend stocks have the best total returns. To see a complete description of this exciting e-book, or to learn more about Dave’s Web site devoted to the success of the individual investor, please visit: http://www.SensibleStocks.com

Thank you, and best of luck in your investing.