nicole42n7: February 2011

Thursday, February 17, 2011

personal finances help

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/> [style="text-decoration: underline;">Ed. note: This post is authored by Evan Jowers and Robert Kinney of Kinney Recruiting, sponsor of the Asia Chronicles. Kinney has made more placements of U.S. associates and partners in Asia than any other firm in the past four years. You can reach them by email: asia at kinneyrecruiting dot com.]

Evan here. Please check out our daily blog at www.theasiachronicles.com where we will have more posts than those that appear here. Today, for example, we have this post and also a post from Alexis Lamb regarding the Singapore market – “Singapore Swing.”

Please note that Robert Kinney and I will be working from our Hong Kong offices for a few weeks later this month and can be available for meetings with our readers then. Alexis, of course, is based permanently in Hong Kong.

Three Quick hits of the day (a new feature at theasiachronicles.com): One US firm in Hong Kong now has an expat / cola allowance of over $90,000 for single associates and over $100,000 for married associates; Almost every strong US cap markets practice in HK / China is hiring lateral associates now; It has recently become more common for US and UK firms in Singapore to offer an expat / cola allowance, albeit much smaller than in HK (for years, most firms offered no allowance in Singapore).

While interviewing for a US associate position in Asia can be quite different from interviewing for a spot down the street in New York or another major domestic market there are also some similarities to a job search in any domestic market. The key determining factors on whether you will have a chance at interviewing are top firm experience and impressive law school academics. The other obvious factor determining whether you will be asked to interview, at least for most positions in Asia, is language skills (Mandarin, Korean, Japanese). id="more-56969">

However, once you are in an interview, whether by phone, VC or in person, your stellar resume is not going to help you as much as it would in an interview for a US position. Overseas partners are looking for the right personality fit much more so than in a large domestic office. A major reason for this is because the offices are much smaller overseas, making it harder to hide a misfit (even a junior associate can be the face of the firm), but there are other reasons as well.

At a basic level, the factors that are especially important to demonstrate in an interview overseas are these:

• you have an entrepreneurial nature;

• you have a high level of maturity for your experience level;

• you have an outgoing personality (not overly “academic” in nature);

• you are able to fit in with different cultures;

• your personal presentation is generally positive; and

• you are a team player (no prima donnas need apply)

• you have a demonstrated interest / connection to your target market

These are obviously all factors that are relevant in any interview at least as “plus factors”, but these particular factors are especially important in Asia.

Keep in mind that within minutes of your first interview, most partners can pretty much figure out whether you have these attributes. Any of us at Kinney Recruiting can figure this out about candidates we speak to in minutes as well.

There is a much less structured environment for associates in busy overseas U.S. practices (at the smaller offices or newer practice groups it can be similar to working in a exciting start-up company, albeit one extremely well financed).

The market is such in Asia, especially in China, that firm clients are not nearly as institutionalized as in the major US markets. Sure, many US firms in Asia opened offices there initially to follow major clients. Nevertheless, the pitch environment is much more of a free-for-all in Asia, especially in China. A firm not being on the preferred vendors list at an i-bank, fund or other entity often does not even prevent representation from happening in Asia (while it is more difficult, a series of one time waivers for a firm by a client are not uncommon). In China especially, considering all the state run enterprise business, the vast majority of the IPOs being handled by PRC banks, and many emerging companies and funds, there is a lot of pitching going on by firms for this work. Further, while in New York deals are done mainly over the phone, in Asia there are a lot of in-person meetings throughout the process.

Needless to say, there is a lot of client contact for even junior associates, especially when in China a non-Chinese partner may be leaning heavily on his Mandarin-fluent associates for a lot more than due diligence. Mid-level associates in Asia are typically running their own deals.

In many instances in Asia your training is one-on-one mentoring from a partner or two, quite commonly with no senior associates in between.

Maturity is especially important in Asia because associates are given as much responsibility as they can handle. Simply put, a mature person can balance his or her workload between competing demands more than an immature one. There can be a lot of travel to meet with major clients and each associate, no matter how junior, is usually a vital part of their office’s overall practice and client development and retention. Each associate is also expected to be a self-starter and figure out things on the fly much more than is the case in a domestic office of the same firm.

The smaller offices of course make personality fit and personal presentation more important, for obvious reasons. As an associate at a top U.S. practice in Asia, you are more of a vital piece of the entire office’s practice and your personality is going to directly affect the firm’s practice. Senior partners overseas, especially those that moved to Asia from U.S. offices, have in many cases put a tremendous amount of effort (and some career risk) into building their book of business and reputation in a foreign country. Thus, they can take a lot of pride in their accomplishments, as they should. Understandably they want to avoid placing their reputation and practice in the hands of an associate with whom they do not have a strong personality fit or who cannot be counted on to be at his or her best every day.

As an associate in a large New York (or other major US market) office, with hundreds of attorneys, you surely know a number of very impressive young associate colleagues who are perhaps a bit over academic, but perform just fine in that large office environment. However, being too academic and not well rounded will not serve well in an entrepreneurial and less structured environment of a busy small overseas US corporate practice of a top firm. We have seen countless cases where the less impressive candidate on paper wins out over the more impressive resumed candidates, due to being better rounded and the right personality fit.

Most US partners who have been in Asia for a few years or more have experienced a hire gone bad simply because the US associate ultimately could not commit to the geographic market. Asia, especially China, is hot now and is considered “the place to be.” There are many very well intentioned and able young professionals in the US who believe they would like to relocate there, but ultimately find out later that the region is not for them. Thus, many US partners will take a jaded approach into an interview with a US associate who does not have an obvious connection to the particular target Asia market. Of course, a connection to the market is not a requirement to land there (if it were, most partners you are interviewing with would never have landed there to begin with), but the lack of a strong connection will need to be dealt with in an interview. It is ok to want to be in Hong Kong, for example, because it is an exciting market, has great deal flow, and you have visited there a few times, but the message has to be conveyed loud and clear in an interview and you need to be prepared to take on this elephant in the room early.

Keep in mind that U.S. firms have more risk with hires they make overseas, due to the high level of responsibility each associate has, and also because associates are simply less fungible in small, busy overseas offices. The past two years of economic downturn in the West caused full and partial hiring freezes at firms globally, even during most of the recent 20 months boom in China. Many U.S. practices in Asia have found themselves to be severely understaffed when just one or two associates leave, combined with increased deal flow. In a busy and competitive lateral hiring market in Asia, it can easily take a U.S. practice up to six months to replace a key associate that has not worked out.

Further, there is the added cost a firm takes on when hiring a U.S. associate lateral, especially if from the U.S. markets, such as annual housing / expat packages (which can run from $40,000 to $140,000 depending on the Asia market and firm) and international relocation costs, which includes up to two months in a luxury serviced apartment. Some firms even handle private school tuition for associates’ children.

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Fox News Caught Smearing Ron Paul | Death and Taxes

Fox News was caught flagrantly deceiving viewers in a smear on Texas Congressman Ron Paul.

Washington Extra – Royal news | Analysis & Opinion |

As is increasingly the case, the United States is finding that talking pro-democracy is one thing. Dealing with the aftermath of uprisings another.

ABC News Correspondent Beaten in Bahrain - The Hollywood Reporter

Miguel Marquez says he began yelling "Journalist!" during the military crackdown to show he wasn't a protestor.

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Fox News Caught Smearing Ron Paul | Death and Taxes

Fox News was caught flagrantly deceiving viewers in a smear on Texas Congressman Ron Paul.

Washington Extra – Royal news | Analysis & Opinion |

As is increasingly the case, the United States is finding that talking pro-democracy is one thing. Dealing with the aftermath of uprisings another.

ABC News Correspondent Beaten in Bahrain - The Hollywood Reporter

Miguel Marquez says he began yelling "Journalist!" during the military crackdown to show he wasn't a protestor.

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Fox News Caught Smearing Ron Paul | Death and Taxes

Fox News was caught flagrantly deceiving viewers in a smear on Texas Congressman Ron Paul.

Washington Extra – Royal news | Analysis & Opinion |

As is increasingly the case, the United States is finding that talking pro-democracy is one thing. Dealing with the aftermath of uprisings another.

ABC News Correspondent Beaten in Bahrain - The Hollywood Reporter

Miguel Marquez says he began yelling "Journalist!" during the military crackdown to show he wasn't a protestor.

benchcraft company scam

Fox News Caught Smearing Ron Paul | Death and Taxes

Fox News was caught flagrantly deceiving viewers in a smear on Texas Congressman Ron Paul.

Washington Extra – Royal news | Analysis & Opinion |

As is increasingly the case, the United States is finding that talking pro-democracy is one thing. Dealing with the aftermath of uprisings another.

ABC News Correspondent Beaten in Bahrain - The Hollywood Reporter

Miguel Marquez says he began yelling "Journalist!" during the military crackdown to show he wasn't a protestor.

benchcraft company scam

Fox News Caught Smearing Ron Paul | Death and Taxes

Fox News was caught flagrantly deceiving viewers in a smear on Texas Congressman Ron Paul.

Washington Extra – Royal news | Analysis & Opinion |

As is increasingly the case, the United States is finding that talking pro-democracy is one thing. Dealing with the aftermath of uprisings another.

ABC News Correspondent Beaten in Bahrain - The Hollywood Reporter

Miguel Marquez says he began yelling "Journalist!" during the military crackdown to show he wasn't a protestor.

benchcraft company scam

Fox News Caught Smearing Ron Paul | Death and Taxes

Fox News was caught flagrantly deceiving viewers in a smear on Texas Congressman Ron Paul.

Washington Extra – Royal news | Analysis & Opinion |

As is increasingly the case, the United States is finding that talking pro-democracy is one thing. Dealing with the aftermath of uprisings another.

ABC News Correspondent Beaten in Bahrain - The Hollywood Reporter

Miguel Marquez says he began yelling "Journalist!" during the military crackdown to show he wasn't a protestor.

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Fox News Caught Smearing Ron Paul | Death and Taxes

Fox News was caught flagrantly deceiving viewers in a smear on Texas Congressman Ron Paul.

Washington Extra – Royal news | Analysis & Opinion |

As is increasingly the case, the United States is finding that talking pro-democracy is one thing. Dealing with the aftermath of uprisings another.

ABC News Correspondent Beaten in Bahrain - The Hollywood Reporter

Miguel Marquez says he began yelling "Journalist!" during the military crackdown to show he wasn't a protestor.

benchcraft company scam

Fox News Caught Smearing Ron Paul | Death and Taxes

Fox News was caught flagrantly deceiving viewers in a smear on Texas Congressman Ron Paul.

Washington Extra – Royal news | Analysis & Opinion |

As is increasingly the case, the United States is finding that talking pro-democracy is one thing. Dealing with the aftermath of uprisings another.

ABC News Correspondent Beaten in Bahrain - The Hollywood Reporter

Miguel Marquez says he began yelling "Journalist!" during the military crackdown to show he wasn't a protestor.

benchcraft company scam

Fox News Caught Smearing Ron Paul | Death and Taxes

Fox News was caught flagrantly deceiving viewers in a smear on Texas Congressman Ron Paul.

Washington Extra – Royal news | Analysis & Opinion |

As is increasingly the case, the United States is finding that talking pro-democracy is one thing. Dealing with the aftermath of uprisings another.

ABC News Correspondent Beaten in Bahrain - The Hollywood Reporter

Miguel Marquez says he began yelling "Journalist!" during the military crackdown to show he wasn't a protestor.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Making Money With Options

Obama want to reform Fannie and Freddie. There are a few options on the table, but Little Red Riding Hood does not think the porridge in any of the bowls is quite right.

Please consider White House wants less government in mortgage system

The Obama administration wants to shrink the government's role in the mortgage system -- a proposal that would remake decades of federal policy aimed at getting Americans to buy homes and would probably make home loans more expensive across the board.

The Treasury Department rolled out a plan Friday to slowly dissolve Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored programs that bought up mortgages to encourage more lending and required bailouts during the 2008 financial crisis.

The first option proposed by the administration would give the government no role beyond helping poorer and middle-class borrowers through agencies like the Federal Housing Administration, which provides insurance on mortgage loans.

The second and third options would give the government a role as an insurer of mortgages, and each would prompt mortgage companies to pass along fees to borrowers.

Under one, the government would step in to guarantee private mortgages during a severe economic downturn, such as another housing slump, but would provide limited support during normal times.

The third option would be more complex. The government would insure a targeted range of mortgage investments that already are guaranteed by private insurers -- serving as a "reinsurance" broker to those financing companies. In the event the private insurers couldn't pay the owners of the mortgage investments, the government insurance would pay.

The third option would leave the government with the largest role and probably have the smallest impact on mortgage rates. While lenders would have to pay fees, which would ordinarily drive rates higher, the government guarantees would also make mortgages a safer investment. That would attract more private money and hold rates down.

The correct option is to get rid of Fannie, Freddie, the FHA and HUD. The government should not provide any backstop or any guarantees at any time. Unfortunately that option was not on the table.

Some are concerned that private lending may dry up. If it did, so what? The government has no business promoting housing or taking on risks best suited for private markets.

Here's the deal: If lenders knew there was no government guarantees, they would not make as many stupid loans. If they don't make stupid loans, there is far less risk that lending freezes up in the first place.

Moreover, if somehow the lenders do go broke as a consequence of making poor loans, bondholders and shareholders will pay the price, not taxpayers. Pray tell, what is wrong with that?

Cheering the Demise of 30-Year Mortgages

In a free market, we may very well not see many 30-year loans issued. Why would any lending institute want to lend for 30 years at an interest rate of 5% anyway?

We might even see new products like 8-year, 10-year, or 12-year loans. Such loans would help ensure equity paybacks quickly, reducing risk for everyone on both sides of the transaction. If that forces people to buy a smaller house, so be it.

A home should be an affordable place to live, not a debt-trap or method of leveraged financial speculation for 30 years.

Borrowing short and lending long for 30-years (while attempting to hedge in between) is a recipe for disaster. Fannie and Freddie have already gotten into serious trouble over it. If that practice stops, we will all be the better for it. Thus, we should all cheer the demise of 30-year loans.

If we would just get government totally out of the way, housing will recover a lot quicker, with home prices far more stable, than with government guarantees or half-assed measures. It's time we remove the government crutch completely. For more on this line of thinking, please see Mortgage Rates Hit 1-Year High; NAR Whines for Government (Taxpayer) Support of Fannie, Freddie; "*" the NAR

We have tried everything else, and everything else failed, so why not try the free market for a change.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

Peter Shumlin, the newly elected governor of Vermont, has a plan for health-care reform: Rather than repeal it, he wants to supercharge it. His state will set up an exchange, and then, as soon as possible, apply for a waiver that allows it to turn the program into a single-payer system. You can read a summary of the plan here (Word file). I spoke with Shumlin this morning, and a lightly edited transcript of our conversation follows.

Ezra Klein: The report (PDF) prepared by Dr. William Hsiao offered three options for Vermont: single payer, a strong public option and a form of private-public single payer. My understanding is that you're backing the third option. What separates it from a traditional single-payer system?

Peter Shumlin: Single payer means something different to everyone. The way I define it is that health care is a right and not a privilege. It follows the individual and not the employer. And it’s publicly financed. The only difference between single-payer one and single-payer three in Hsiao's report is that in single-payer three, the actual adjudication of payment is contracted to an existing insurance entity. So the state doesn't have to set up a new bureaucracy to run it. His modeling suggests that’d be more economical. It's a minute difference.

EK: And why go to a single-payer system at all?

PS: In Vermont, this is all about cost containment. There are 625,000 people in Vermont. We were spending $2.5 billion on health care a decade ago. Now we’re above $5 billion. And we project we’ll be spending a billion dollars more in 2014. This is where everyone has failed in health-care reform. And this will go after three of our main drivers of costs.

First, Vermont spends 8 cents on every dollar on administrative costs, just chasing the money around. That’s a huge waste of money. Second, we’ll use technology to conquer waste. You'll get a Vermont medical card, and everyone’s medical records will be on that card, so you’ll go into a doctor’s office and they’ll know what the last doctor did to you. That helps avoid duplication of services. And the last piece, the most challenging, is remaking the payment system so providers are paid for making you healthy, not for doing the most procedures.

EK: Single-payer systems often lose on the ballot and in the legislature. No state has successfully managed to pass one into law, much less implement it. And the objection that usually stands in the way of these projects is that I'm happy with my health-care insurance, and I don't trust the government to create something new and put me into it. How do you answer that?

PS: I suspect I’m the only politician in America who won an election in this last cycle with TV ads saying I was going to try to pass the first single-payer system in America. This election was a confirmation of my judgment that Vermonters are tired of enriching pharmaceutical companies and insurers and medical equipment makers at the expense of their family members. The reality in Vermont is that there are not very many Vermonters who are happy with the current system. We’re losing our rural providers. Our small hospitals are struggling. And Vermonters are lowering their coverage and paying more and more for it.

EK: How will the funding work? Right now, a lot of money comes from employers. What happens to their share?

PS: Where health care has failed is in designing a cost containment mechanism that works. That’s the really hard part of our job. So I’m asking us to spend the next 12 months designing the tools for cost containment. Once we do, we'll figure out how to structure the way we pay for it.

EK: One of the things you asked of Dr. Hsiao was to preserve provider incomes. How can you do that while cutting costs? At some point, doesn't lower spending also mean fewer doctors or hospitals or lower incomes?

PS: The reason Vermont has the opportunity to be the lab for a different kind of change is that we don’t have a lot of high-paid physicians in Vermont. We have a lot of low-paid physicians. We have rural providers who’re making less than they did when they graduated from medical school. Our cost driver is not that we have a lot of physicians running around in Mercedes-Benzes. It’s waste in the system.

EK: How will this interact with other systems? Let's say I have Kaiser Permanente. I come to Vermont and break my leg. What happens?

PS: Nothing different than what happens right now. You’d go to one of our providers' offices, and they’d bill Kaiser for that one. No different than if you break a leg in France or Switzerland. Radical as this seems to Americans, the rest of the world has figured this out and gotten it right. We keep getting it wrong, and we’re paying for it.

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Heptastic science news

The full list: The Twitter 100 - Its 200 million users share 110 million messages a day - and if ...

Lara Logan of CBS News Was Attacked and Sexually Assaulted in Egypt

Many of the scenes broadcast from Egpyt in recent days have been joyful, but events took a horrific turn for CBS News correspondent Lara.

Experiments In Realtime News: The Eqentia Streams

When it comes to realtime news, the prevailing wisdom these days is to let your friends tell you what to read through Twitter or Facebook. Instead of editors, people are using these social stream sto filter their news, and a whole bunch ...

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Heptastic science news

The full list: The Twitter 100 - Its 200 million users share 110 million messages a day - and if ...

Lara Logan of CBS News Was Attacked and Sexually Assaulted in Egypt

Many of the scenes broadcast from Egpyt in recent days have been joyful, but events took a horrific turn for CBS News correspondent Lara.

Experiments In Realtime News: The Eqentia Streams

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Heptastic science news

The full list: The Twitter 100 - Its 200 million users share 110 million messages a day - and if ...

Lara Logan of CBS News Was Attacked and Sexually Assaulted in Egypt

Many of the scenes broadcast from Egpyt in recent days have been joyful, but events took a horrific turn for CBS News correspondent Lara.

Experiments In Realtime News: The Eqentia Streams

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Heptastic science news

The full list: The Twitter 100 - Its 200 million users share 110 million messages a day - and if ...

Lara Logan of CBS News Was Attacked and Sexually Assaulted in Egypt

Many of the scenes broadcast from Egpyt in recent days have been joyful, but events took a horrific turn for CBS News correspondent Lara.

Experiments In Realtime News: The Eqentia Streams

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Heptastic science news

The full list: The Twitter 100 - Its 200 million users share 110 million messages a day - and if ...

Lara Logan of CBS News Was Attacked and Sexually Assaulted in Egypt

Many of the scenes broadcast from Egpyt in recent days have been joyful, but events took a horrific turn for CBS News correspondent Lara.

Experiments In Realtime News: The Eqentia Streams

bench craft company credit card

Heptastic science news

The full list: The Twitter 100 - Its 200 million users share 110 million messages a day - and if ...

Lara Logan of CBS News Was Attacked and Sexually Assaulted in Egypt

Many of the scenes broadcast from Egpyt in recent days have been joyful, but events took a horrific turn for CBS News correspondent Lara.

Experiments In Realtime News: The Eqentia Streams

bench craft company reviews

Heptastic science news

The full list: The Twitter 100 - Its 200 million users share 110 million messages a day - and if ...

Lara Logan of CBS News Was Attacked and Sexually Assaulted in Egypt

Many of the scenes broadcast from Egpyt in recent days have been joyful, but events took a horrific turn for CBS News correspondent Lara.

Experiments In Realtime News: The Eqentia Streams

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Heptastic science news

The full list: The Twitter 100 - Its 200 million users share 110 million messages a day - and if ...

Lara Logan of CBS News Was Attacked and Sexually Assaulted in Egypt

Many of the scenes broadcast from Egpyt in recent days have been joyful, but events took a horrific turn for CBS News correspondent Lara.

Experiments In Realtime News: The Eqentia Streams

bench craft company reviews

Heptastic science news

The full list: The Twitter 100 - Its 200 million users share 110 million messages a day - and if ...

Lara Logan of CBS News Was Attacked and Sexually Assaulted in Egypt

Many of the scenes broadcast from Egpyt in recent days have been joyful, but events took a horrific turn for CBS News correspondent Lara.

Experiments In Realtime News: The Eqentia Streams

Friday, February 11, 2011

Making Money Advertising

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Former Employee Call Fox News A "Propaganda Outfit" | News One

A former Fox News employees has sat down with Media Matters and revealed what many have been thought to be true for years, that Fox News is a partisan driven propaganda outfit.

The News About John Thune Is That There's No News About John Thune

Last week, it was reported in Politico that Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) was leaning against running for president. On Thursday, Carl Cameron of Fox News reported that Thune is leaning against running for president.

Small Business News: Wired and Mobile Entrepreneur Edition

The future, even the present, of small business is wired and mobile. Online digital technology has transformed not just marketing but networking and just about.

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Former Employee Call Fox News A "Propaganda Outfit" | News One

A former Fox News employees has sat down with Media Matters and revealed what many have been thought to be true for years, that Fox News is a partisan driven propaganda outfit.

The News About John Thune Is That There's No News About John Thune

Small Business News: Wired and Mobile Entrepreneur Edition

The future, even the present, of small business is wired and mobile. Online digital technology has transformed not just marketing but networking and just about.

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Former Employee Call Fox News A "Propaganda Outfit" | News One

A former Fox News employees has sat down with Media Matters and revealed what many have been thought to be true for years, that Fox News is a partisan driven propaganda outfit.

The News About John Thune Is That There's No News About John Thune

Small Business News: Wired and Mobile Entrepreneur Edition

The future, even the present, of small business is wired and mobile. Online digital technology has transformed not just marketing but networking and just about.

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Former Employee Call Fox News A "Propaganda Outfit" | News One

A former Fox News employees has sat down with Media Matters and revealed what many have been thought to be true for years, that Fox News is a partisan driven propaganda outfit.

The News About John Thune Is That There's No News About John Thune

Small Business News: Wired and Mobile Entrepreneur Edition

The future, even the present, of small business is wired and mobile. Online digital technology has transformed not just marketing but networking and just about.

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Former Employee Call Fox News A "Propaganda Outfit" | News One

A former Fox News employees has sat down with Media Matters and revealed what many have been thought to be true for years, that Fox News is a partisan driven propaganda outfit.

The News About John Thune Is That There's No News About John Thune

Small Business News: Wired and Mobile Entrepreneur Edition

The future, even the present, of small business is wired and mobile. Online digital technology has transformed not just marketing but networking and just about.

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Many people make tons of money on the internet. Many other people want to make money on the internet but don't know how.

The first step is you should get a PayPal account. The reason for this is most of the programs I will talk about, pay out through PayPal. The other way they will pay out, is by a check sent directly to you through the mail.

After you get your PayPal account you should consider joining a free web hosting site such as BraveNet. You can also build a website that has banner ads. Then, you can advertise your referral links to make some extra money. Your site should be about something you are interested in such as a hobby so you can easily add content. Having extra content will get your visitors to return and be more likely to click on an ad or direct link. If you have little,or no experience, in making websites or using HTML then I suggest you create a blog at a site such as blogger.com

After you get your BraveNet account, and/ or PayPal account,then your ready to get started. The first program I recommend is Mylot. The reason for this is you can make an of average $1.00 a day by posting topics, discussions and comments. Plus, this is a great way to advertise your websites. You can start topics such as "I just made a new website at..." Also,
you can put comments on others ideas about making money online. If you want to make about $1.50 a day
then you need to make 50 posts, 10 new discussions and 10 new pictures uploaded. Also make sure each post is at least four lines.

After joining Mylot and if you did decide to make a website or blog, then I suggest you join Adbrite. You just copy and paste the HTML in your document.After about two days, there will be a banner ad or text ad in the space you chose. You will earn money for your CTR, which is your add views divided by your ad clicks times ten. To make the most money, make sure after your page has loaded you can see the entire ad space. The better you can see it the more you will get paid and the more clicks you will get which will improve your CTR.

Next, I suggest you join Absence. This is a lot like Adbrite.Although, all the ads are text based and you will get paid by your PPM or Pay Per thousand (clicks.) This means that the more times people click on your ads the more you will get paid. Make sure to never click on your own ads because they will instantly ban you and take all the money you have earned.

After that, you should join SFI which you can make money by referring others and by advertising their products. The best way to do this is by advertising there gateways. A gateway is a website that they design but has your code in it so they can track of who made the referrals. You should put a link on all your sites such as "to join SFI to make money click here." Or if your advertising there product gateways, "click to find more Info on purchasing..."

To get more exposure to your site or to your SFI gateways then you should join a traffic exchange like Traffic Swarm.

Up until now all I have talked about is if you already have a website or blog, but if you don't, there are many other sites where one is not needed for success.

The best one is CashCrate. All you have to do is fill out surveys or complete offers and sign up for random stuff. There is a minimum $10 payout and no kidding I met it in less than an one and a half hours! I suggest you get a second email address to sign up for all of these offers and surveys, because they might give you spam(junk email)but it is worth it.

There are a lot of other sites you should join such as ClixSense, AdBux and LinkGrand which are PTC (pay to click) ClickSense being the best but the others are worth a look. Slash My Search and Zot Spot pay you to make searches just like you were using Google.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

personal finance budgeting

A new year often means lofty resolutions, especially when it comes to planning and maintaining a travel budget.

Though there are many personal-finance sites and software out there, this year I'm resolving to use Mint.com's free online tool. You can create plans for saving toward retirement and buying a house, but I'll be primarily using the site for its Travel Goals, which help you set -- and stick to -- realistic travel budgets.

And though the tool obviously doesn't do the hardest part (you still have to save the money), it does track how far or close you are to achieving your Travel Goal.

For example, say you want to go to Hawaii for a week this summer. Once you create a budget by filling in the estimates for airfare, hotel, meals, and other expenses, you can then specify how much you will contribute to that Travel Goal each month.

If you underestimate how much you'd need to save per month, the online tool points out: "Oh no! You aren't saving enough each month to reach your goal on time." The tool then offers you two ways to fix your Travel Goal: increase your monthly contribution in order to reach your desired travel date or postpone your planned date to fit your monthly contribution.

If you stay on track with saving the specified amount each month, Mint.com's budgeting tool highlights (and adjusts) the projected date of when you can afford to take the trip. Save more, and you could afford to take your trip a month or two earlier.

But if you slack on your monthly savings, the date will be pushed back -- a reality check and an instant motivator. Once you mentally equate an unnecessary clothing purchase or an impulse buy to the consequence of delaying your trip by a month, saving becomes a little more real.

Granted, most people will buy plane tickets and reserve hotels with a credit card several months before actually taking the trip; the tool helps track if you'll be able to easily pay it all off after your trip. After all, nothing ruins a vacation more than coming home to bills that you're not financially prepared to handle.

To fund my travels this year, I've linked my Mint.com account to an ING Savings Account labeled Travel Fund.

How do you stay on track with saving up for a vacation?

[flickr image via epSoS.de]

Gallery: How to create a realistic travel budget

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Sigma announces 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG HSM II for full frame: CP+ 2011:Sigma has introduced the 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 EX DG HSM II, an updated version of its ultra-wideangle zoom for full frame SLRs. It uses a revised optical formula which ...

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A new year often means lofty resolutions, especially when it comes to planning and maintaining a travel budget.

Though there are many personal-finance sites and software out there, this year I'm resolving to use Mint.com's free online tool. You can create plans for saving toward retirement and buying a house, but I'll be primarily using the site for its Travel Goals, which help you set -- and stick to -- realistic travel budgets.

And though the tool obviously doesn't do the hardest part (you still have to save the money), it does track how far or close you are to achieving your Travel Goal.

For example, say you want to go to Hawaii for a week this summer. Once you create a budget by filling in the estimates for airfare, hotel, meals, and other expenses, you can then specify how much you will contribute to that Travel Goal each month.

If you underestimate how much you'd need to save per month, the online tool points out: "Oh no! You aren't saving enough each month to reach your goal on time." The tool then offers you two ways to fix your Travel Goal: increase your monthly contribution in order to reach your desired travel date or postpone your planned date to fit your monthly contribution.

If you stay on track with saving the specified amount each month, Mint.com's budgeting tool highlights (and adjusts) the projected date of when you can afford to take the trip. Save more, and you could afford to take your trip a month or two earlier.

But if you slack on your monthly savings, the date will be pushed back -- a reality check and an instant motivator. Once you mentally equate an unnecessary clothing purchase or an impulse buy to the consequence of delaying your trip by a month, saving becomes a little more real.

Granted, most people will buy plane tickets and reserve hotels with a credit card several months before actually taking the trip; the tool helps track if you'll be able to easily pay it all off after your trip. After all, nothing ruins a vacation more than coming home to bills that you're not financially prepared to handle.

To fund my travels this year, I've linked my Mint.com account to an ING Savings Account labeled Travel Fund.

How do you stay on track with saving up for a vacation?

[flickr image via epSoS.de]

Gallery: How to create a realistic travel budget

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Sigma announces 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG HSM II for full frame ...

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Sigma announces 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG HSM II for full frame ...

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Gallery: How to create a realistic travel budget

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Before you can begin mastering your personal finances, you need to understand what personal finance is all about. First, it's personal - meaning it's about you and it's unique to your situation. Second, it's about finances - meaning it involves money. Personal finance is more than just paying off debt, picking your investments, and buying your first home. Those things alone will not achieve your goals. Personal finance requires you to define your goals and dreams and then to apply the ideas and behaviors required to reach those goals. It's all about managing your money with an end in mind - achieving your goals.

Identify Your Issues

You probably aren't reading this article just for the fun of it. There is a reason you are seeking personal financial advice. Maybe you never seem to have enough money to make it through the month - or week. Perhaps you just need to figure out how to prepare yourself for those unexpected emergencies. Or you could be just fine, but you'd like to polish your financial plan and accomplish goals you never thought possible. Whatever your reason, it's important to begin by identifying the obstacles that lie ahead. Here are some common financial problems:

Repeated Overspending - We have all experienced the temptation to buy more than we can afford at some time or another, but making a habit of overspending will quickly destroy any financial plan. Debts can easily become too much to handle and prevent you from ever reaching your true financial goals.

Emergencies - Your car breaks down, your paycheck comes late, or you forgot about that insurance bill that only comes twice a year. Financial emergencies can wreak havoc on the best laid plans. By not preparing for these emergencies, you are setting yourself up for future failure.

Procrastination - Who hasn't put something off until the last minute? We're all likely to do this sometime or another, especially with long-term goals that don't seem very urgent. But saving for retirement is a lot easier if you start early - even if you're only saving a little bit.

Emotional Decision-making - Financial decisions require prudent forethought and careful execution. By allowing our emotions to take over, we often make terrible financial mistakes. Those get-rich-quick schemes you see in infomercials late at night may seem like a good idea, but they're just another quick way to kiss your hard-earned money goodbye.

Personality Mismatches - Money & finances are one of the top reasons people get divorced. But how do you manage to create a financial plan when you are a saver but your spouse is a spender? By working together to create a solid basis for your personal finances, you and your spouse can utilize all your strengths to ensure financial success.

The Basics

Personal financial planning draws from aspects of finance, investments, insurance, law, employee benefits, and taxes. But you don't have to be an expert in all of these areas to reach your goals. Three basic rules will help you stay on track in your personal finances:

1. Money, income, and wealth are all different. Your financial situation doesn't depend solely on how much money you make - it really depends on how much money you keep. Personal finance focuses on the accumulation, preservation, and distribution of the money you keep - your wealth.

2. Be on your best behavior. All the nifty financial tricks in the world can't save you if you don't learn to control your spending, begin saving, and change your habits to achieve your goals.

3. It's an ongoing process. Managing your money requires more than creating a financial plan and following it for the next 10 years. It requires a lot more than just making sure you paid all your bills for the month. Personal finance demands that you are fully aware at all times of your responsibilities and actions - otherwise all your effort will be for naught.

Income Is Not as Important as You Might Think

If I told you I make $100,000 a year, you'd think that sounds pretty good, right? But what if I'm spending $150,000 every year? Doesn't sound so great now, huh? Income is important - but only to a certain extent. What's more important is what you do with that income and how much you keep at the end of the month. Your financial success depends much more on how you manage your expenses than the money you make on each paycheck.

Another important factor is your net worth. Your net worth is basically your assets (what you own) minus your liabilities (what you owe). Net worth is the real measure of financial wealth. You might live in a $300,000 home, but it doesn't mean much if you owe $270,000 to the bank for your mortgage. Take a minute and think about your net worth. Do you know what it is? Do you have any idea? Keeping track of this number helps you see where you are, where you came from, and where you are going.

What's Your Financial Type?

You may have heard of the Myers-Briggs Typology. To borrow from that system, think about how you would categorize your financial type. Are you aware or oblivious? Can you easily control your spending, or do you have problems? Are you committed to your financial goals, or do you lack follow-through because you haven't established firm goals yet? Are you an aggressive investor, or do you prefer to safely manage your risk by taking a more prudent route?

The answers to these questions can help you determine the make-up of your financial type. These questions can also help you realize the areas where you and your significant other may differ. Take the time to answer these questions honestly, and you'll soon find yourself on the path to a better understanding of your current financial behavior and what you may need to work on.

Your Habits Will Make You or Break You

The financial habits you adhere to will ultimately determine your success or failure. You can make all the plans in the world, but if you don't stick to them you'll never achieve your goals. Begin thinking about your current financial habits and ask yourself how you started those habits. Ask yourself if those are good habits - in that they will lead you to your goals. If you need to change your habits, what should you do instead and how will you make the change? Start today by thinking of a simple change you can make. Stick to that one little change for two weeks or four weeks and you'll soon find you can begin to make bigger changes. Eventually you will have all of your habits aligned with your goals, and you will be on the path to achieving your dreams.

Stay tuned for the rest of this Personal Finance series. We will cover net worth, financial math, budgeting, reducing debt, understanding credit, investing, insurance, taxes, education planning, retirement planning, estate planning, and other important topics along the way. In the meantime, you may visit Free Financial Plannerto get answers to your specific and unique financial questions.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Friday, February 11, 2011

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Gallery: How to create a realistic travel budget

Gallery: How to create a realistic travel budget

Gallery: How to create a realistic travel budget

Gallery: How to create a realistic travel budget

Gallery: How to create a realistic travel budget

Gallery: How to create a realistic travel budget

Tuesday, February 8, 2011