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Friday, October 28, 2005

Designing Your Log Home: The Third Dimension. Lady Bugs Are Your #1 Natural Pest Control.

Every Log Home magazine has a section dedicated to floor plans, where the aspiring owners start their search for the perfect dream home. I did it too, and dutifully ordered piles of plan books, while starting my comparison shopping based on the beauty of the photos. Little did I realize - until later - that what was really drawing my attention was the third dimension: the roof lines, the porches, and the soaring great rooms.

At

the beginning, we think we need to choose a manufacturer based on their floor plans, but once we realize that we can design our own custom home with any company, things start getting interesting. After all, interior wall partitions can be moved at will, and the log home company really doesn't care where you put the bathroom. How many different ways can you configure an open floor plan?

What really requires thought is the interaction between the second floor and the roof lines. The first floor is comparatively simple; you've either got a cathedral ceiling, or a regular ceiling. However, once you go upstairs, there's a whole new set of considerations. First of all, what kind of roof do you envision? The simplest (and most economical) roof line is one long ridge from one side to the other. The angle and height of the roof slope determines how much floor space you are going to lose because of the pitch. There's a good chance you don't have as much useful space as the second floor plan indicates, unless you're two feet tall. Once the log home architect turns your plans into real drawings, he will "gray out" the dead space, but it'll save costly revisions to be able to conceptualize the third dimension ahead of time.

For instance, I wanted a 45-degree angle in my roof; this is a 12/12 pitch (in other words, the roof rises 12 inches for every 12 inch horizontal run). I have a 28 foot-wide house and I wanted the slope to go all the way to from peak to floor in my loft. The peak measures about 14 feet from the second floor deck, and I lose 6 feet of floor space to stand upright, if I were 6 feet tall. (I'm speaking in broad generalizations here - not precise measurements.) My loft extends halfway into the great room, so this leaves me about 8 good feet of width in the loft - not the 14 feet my homemade floor plan shows.

How do I increase my living space? By adding a dormer. The wider the dormer, the more space you regain. This adds cost to the whole project, but it's well worth it. Some narrow dormers do little more than add light, while a shed dormer widens the whole room. Your choice of dormer will be determined by the look you want on the outside. Or, you can add a gable and create an Alpine-look, which will give you a big triangular-shaped wall instead of a slope. A third option would be to add "knee walls", thus raising up the whole roof. However, if you want the same pitch, this means the peak will be correspondingly higher from the ground.

The roof pitch was a huge factor in the placement of my staircase. The stairs run along the wall. I wanted extra square footage at the base of the steps, but to do so meant that the top of the stairs would emerge dangerously close to the ceiling slope. I would bang my head every time I went upstairs! So the stairs had to be situated so that they reached the loft in - or near - the middle of the house. Or, I could have added a landing and angled the stairs to keep them in the center. I opted to take a notch out of the loft and shift the stairs a few feet forward, calculating how much head room was left over. Still, I wasn't sure how far the staircase would extend... that third dimension again! In the end, I had to sacrifice the potted plant I intended to put in the corner at the base of the stairs. There just wasn't enough room to do it all.

Another difficult visualization is trying to see just how big those plate-glass windows really are. If you want a ranch with big great room windows, you may have to shorten the panes of glass to fit into a peak that only rises 14' from the deck. It's hard to fit a large window set in a small wall. Most of the beautiful windows in magazines take up well more than two stories - more like 24'. Perhaps a ranch with a loft is the best of both worlds.

I made the mistake of ordering windows so large that I cannot reach the center of the glass to clean it by hand. I certainly don't want to rest my ladder in the middle of the window! What I didn't learn until later is that if you order a window that's too large (say, 6'x6'), the glass will bow ever so slightly under its own weight. This may cause the thermal seal to break, like it did after one year in my house. You're better off using smaller, divided windows to create the same wall of glass.

The last thing I want to mention is to try and look at your roof from a bird's eye view. How do your ridges line up? Do you have disconnected angles pointing in every direction? That will greatly increase the cost of construction. If you have a gable in the front and a gable in the rear, do they line up? Or could you line up a gable in the rear with a porch in the front? The more complicated the lines, the more costly the building.

The most amazing thing about building your log home is having to wait until it is nearly erected before you actually know what it's going to look like. On a regular house the frame goes up first and the shape is defined. But with a log home, it can be a long wait before you get the whole effect. And once the roof is on, the effect can be almost magical.

Mercedes Hayes is a Hiawatha Log Home dealer and also a Realtor in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

She designed her own log home which was featured in the 2004 Floor Plan Guide of Log Home Living magazine. You can learn more about log homes by visiting http://www.JerseyLogHomes.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/



First, this bug has many names. Some of it's names are:

lady bugs
ladybugs
lady beetle
asiatic lady beetle
Asian Lady Beetle
Asian Lady Bugs

Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle

The Ladybird Beetle is the correct name for a Lady bug and are not bugs but are beetles. Worldwide there are nearly 5,000 different kinds of ladybugs of which 400 are found in North America. The Convergent Lady Beetle is the most common beneficial species of Ladybird beetle in North America.

The life cycle of all Lady Bugs are mainly the same. The eggs are laid in the spring. When they hatch the larvae will feed for a couple of weeks and then pupate into adults. During the winter they will hibernate or will have died in the fall. Springtime they awake to feed and lay more eggs again.

As a form of biological pest control Lady Bugs are widely used and are the best known. Besides eating their favorite food aphids they also eat mites, scales, whitefly, mealybugs and most other soft insects. They are known to eat cabbage moths, bollworms, tomato hornworms and broccoli worms. These bugs will eat up to 1,000 aphids in it's lifetime in both their larvae and adult stages.

The most common complaint against the Lady Bug is that when they are released they will fly off and let the aphids have their feast with your roses and tomato plants. But really only a part of your release will venture off, the rest will eat all the aphids they can find and then maybe fly off.

-There are a couple of tricks you can do to keep your Ladybugs-

1. Only release the ladybugs in the evening since they are not known to fly at night when it is cooler.

2. Take a can of soda and mix it with equal amounts of water and spray on the Lady Bugs just before you release them. The sugar will make the wings sticky for just a couple days so they will hang around at least for awhile and eat the pests. Since Lady Beetles claim certain areas home they will stay in your yard and make it their home and the females will start laying eggs in and around your garden.

-What about Lady Beetles in the house-

We are glad to have these beetles hang around and control the pests just like mother nature intended.If they stay at your place over winter they will look for a nice cozy place to stay and that is where your home comes into the picture.

These bugs don't seem to have any logic to picking a house they just have found yours and they like it there. In the yard and garden they were welcome guests, in your home not so welcome. What we want to do is ask the lady bugs to leave. They don't speak our language.

-So a few suggestions to try-

1. Get out your vacuum cleaner and find the hose attachment.

2. Get a nylon stocking and place it inside the hose with the top of the stocking overlapping the end of the hose and place the hose attachment end nozzle on this to keep the stocking on.

3. Start the vacuum and get the bugs cleaned up. This will keep the bugs alive and then you can take them outside and release in another area away from your home. Refrigerate for next spring or give them to a friend with a green house.

The ladybugs may be a problem outside the house also, help them relocate by:

1. Spray water at them with the garden hose.

2. Use your leaf blower and blow them away.

3. Upset the lady bugs and eventually they will move on to another location.

Needless to say they are a very beneficial bug, but for some people bugs are not their favorite. They can be helpful and at the same time create a problem. What we need to do is learn to live with our tiny friends and make sure they stay around.

James has been a gardening enthusiast for 40 years and converted to organic gardening for 10 years. To learn more about organic gardening go to: http://www.basic-info-4-organic-fertilizers.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/



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6:18 AM |

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Guaranteed Ways to Build Up Your Ezine List. Be in Green with a Software Development Contractor.

Here are tips gleaned from roughly 5 years spent building up an ezine list. I've also incorporated comments and tips from Jenna Glatzer, who successfully built her list up to 75,000 at her excellent site, www.absolutewrite.com

1. Free Stuff. Pick genuinely useful free stuff that you know your audience wants and needs. For instance, my brand new ezine, Expert Status, attracted 600 readers in just a few weeks by offering a report, "25 Top Self Help Literary Agents". The practical freebie works. Jenna Glatzer offers two free ebooks/reports to subscribers on agents who are receptive to new writers, and on writer's markets. She notes: "Before I did that, my subscriber numbers were in the hundreds, not thousands.

2. Put a subscribe box on every page of the site. This has worked for both Jenna and me. Mine is parked in the left hand column of the site. Experts advise putting a simple sign up box (with freebie mentioned) in the top left hand corner, as that's where the eye naturally travels first. A simple sign up box that requests only email address works best.

3. Ad swaps. Exchange plugs for your ezine with another website, to run in eachother's ezines. Be sure to mention those freebies! Doing this on a regular basis with a rotating selection of web partners will keep your subscription page busy.

4. Cross-registration. I've found subscribers by having a plug for my ezine on the thank you page of a comparable (but not directly competitive) website. This offer is made to folks who just signed up for an ezine, and are therefore deemed &in the mood for more.' Offer a swap with your site, and try not to list more than about two other ezines. Also, make a point of including only really good, reliable publications that reach your target market.

5. Give away a bonus for other sites to use, based on your ezine. A popular web marketing technique is the special one or two-day promo that offers big bonus lists when you buy a certain product on those particular days. (I cover this promo technique in more detail in my ebook/binder, Get Known Now; How to Build Your Platform as a Self Help Expert.) So collect some of your best ezine essays, pack &em up in a downloadable PDF-based e-book, and offer it as a bonus these sites can use in their special promos. Don't forget juicy descriptive copy about your ezine, and a subscribe link at the end of your ebook. I've gotten hundreds of new readers this way, and much traffic to my site.

6. Announce ezine &events' on PRweb.com and other PR sites. There's an entire world of web-based press release distribution services out there, some of which are low cost or even free. So use them. But be sure to only plant press releases that are truly newsworthy, and thus likely to get press attention. Even if the media don't use your words this time, they'll hopefully file you as an expert for future use.

7. Use discussion boards or groups. These are sites frequented by gangs of people interested in the same thing. Avoid the unmoderated sites, because they're likely to be spam targets that generate little bonafide traffic. Boards found on member sites are the best. Don't spam the board with your subscribe message. Instead, offer some genuinely helpful info. Then sign off with a signature line that includes ezine and subscribe info. You can find some of these groups at groups.yahoo.com, topica.com, mail-list.com, and listfool.com for starters.

8. Sponsor other people's contests. Jenna Glatzer gives away products like her paid newsletter, Absolute Markets Premium Newsletter, to writers' groups, contests, and conferences that request it, regardless of size. I've tried this too, to good effect. Simply run an announcement in your ezine that you'd be happy to sponsor comparable events. Ask them to provide a URL for an event description so you know it's legit. Then offer up your gifts, and ask for a plug for your ezine and for them to talk up your dazzling freebie, as well. Jenna notes that groups she sponsors "often send out ads for us to their lists ... just as a thank you."

9. Run quality content. There's no substitute for heartfelt writing plus solid information about a subject that matters. Jenna writes: &The main reason our list stays so big is our &letter from the editor' ... Each week, I chronicle my writing life and my triumphs and failures ... when an article is killed, when I'm having trouble finishing a book ... And I share personal things, too, like when my grandfather died.... People write: & I feel like I know you so well.' And I think that's why they stay on the list, even when their mailbox fills up with dozens of other writer's newsletters.

10. Allow reprints. Allow any newsletter that wants to reprint your articles do so. I like to have an email requesting permission, so I can enter their info into a big database I use to track where I can send more articles in the future. I end each article with the line: You may reprint this article in your own ezine or website. Simply send an email requesting permission to EMAIL ADDRESS. Please be sure to include our full bio box at the end.

11. Create a survey or contest. This would be one of those newsworthy &ezine events' I mentioned above in point # 6. Make it a fun, relevant question that you could really develop a good, newsy story from. I did a survey asking people what they fought with their spouse/partner/boy or girlfriend about. The results made for the kind of reading offline media enjoy running short, 100-word pieces about (fillers.) I made sure to attribute the survey to my ezine, The Joy Letter, with a mention of the site's basic URL. You can get the technology to run your own survey and collect responses at surveymonkey.com (for a fee) or bravenet.com (for free.)

I think I could actually go on and on here. The possibilities seem to be endless. If you try even half of these techniques on a regular basis, you'll find your subscriber rates double and even triple. Here's to building your list ... the foundation that much of your traffic and success rely on.

Suzanne Falter-Barns' website, The Self Help Salon (www.selfhelpsalon.com) offers tips and tools that help you build your platform and get known as an expert in your field. Sign up for her free ezine, Expert Status, and receive her free report, "25 Top Self Help Literary Agents

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/



What has been already discussed many times is if it's worth to outsource contractors or to employ your own full-time developers. So if you stick to outsourcing, this article will make you think about several issues that always follow the process.

Let's think wide, the fact that you use staff from outside your company allows you to reduce your costs for monthly salaries, social benefits, and taxes, insurance, rent payments etc. Those are the payments you should process permanently despite the possible fact that the company is out of stable contracts and it doesn't generate revenue during several months. You should be really confident that you can provide the company with permanent work to be in green.

On the other side, hiring contractors for each particular project can make you think that that costs too much for you. Really, you can think, &I pay my developers a sum that's similar or less than the one I pay to contractors'. However, don't miss the fact mentioned above. You don't pay taxes, rent and other additional costs. Those are paid by a contractor company. That is why, it is always strange to hear statements like, &I do not want to pay your office, and your electricity expenses etc. I hire programmers. So they are what I'm going to pay for.'

Right. Those are the terms that small groups of developers can afford. So being stuck to this issue you always risk to get into a trap of unreliable services. I think you agree that a freelancer takes care about his reputation much less than a company. At least the company has invested a lot of money (in addition to other efforts) to build it. And reputation means reliability here.

So what's about cost effectiveness is:

  1. Outsourcing reduces your costs; that's the fact.
  2. But don't expect to get extremely cheap services, anyway.
  3. At least, the more expensive (in a certain range) they are, the more reliable the company is.
  4. It's always up to you if you are going to risk deadlines and quality for a lower price, or not.

What can really make you be in red is a wrong choice. You must always keep in mind that since you have hired a contractor, you can influence only a part of the project, i.e. you become dependent on another company. Should anything go wrong with them, it will consequently go wrong with you. That's the key point for you to think about when remaining your company in green by means of software development contractors.

About Author

Alex Polonski is a Senior Sales Manager in XITEX Software Company, Ukraine. The company works in offshore software development market since 1999 having fair expertise in J2EE and .NET technologies. Among company's own-developed and marketed solutions, one can see a J2EE content management system, Xitex WebContent M1.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/



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2:36 PM |

Monday, October 24, 2005

Sell The Wife!. Improving Your Golf Balance.

How to close a deal?

Are you involved in the marketing/sales industry?

How much deal that you already close?

Do you know that there is a few tips that we almost forgot to use?

I will share with you on this problem.

As a start, I want to ask you... do you know that the first time you show yourself to the customer, definitely you are a bad guy for them? Trust me, this happened to anyone for the salesperson even they have a good looking or good personality. So, don't wait too long to solve this.

Now, let me tell you the way to change that "bad" assumption ... allright?

First,

Create the COMMON BOND as quick as you can. Make them as your "friend" or your "family". It is because people will start talking to you if they like you. And at this time... you must make your customers to feel SAFE. If they feel SAFE with you, they will trust you.

Second,

Don't try to sell if you want them buy your service/merchandise. Bear this in your mind. People will not BUY if we ask them to BUY. So, how to solve this BIG problem? Anyway, I'm still wanna share with you the "IMPORTANT" tip to solve this problem.

But how?

It's gonna be like this... "Try to put the "VALUE" on your service or merchandise". Don't push them to buy but, make them "SOLD" to your product and make them feel that "There is no time for me anymore to think about it...so I'll buy from you..."

See, if you can put the "VALUE" to your service/merchandise... at the end of the day, PRICE will not be a big problem. This skill you have to study. This site also can help you.

Third,

Sell the WIFE........!! Sell the WIFE.......!! Sell the WIFE.......!! Then, sell the HUSBAND! (marriage).

Look carefully what I'm mentioned above. And take note at the selling pitch RATIO between the wife and the husband. It's so important to know this.

I already practised this skill until now, and it's worth it. In this learning method, 90% of the deals come from here. Make sure you talk a little bit more to the wife rather than her husband along the presentation.

Because at the end of the day, if the wife "SOLD" with your presentation, automatically she will ask her "MAN/husband" to buy it for her. You know... man will do anything for women. But, if the opposite scenario happened... the husband will say NO...!

You must CLOSE THE DEAL...!!

Bear in mind one more time, 90% of the household expenses/budget are controlled by the women/wife.

So.... Sell the WIFE...!! Sell the WIFE....!! Sell the WIFE....!! Later.. sell the HUSBAND....

The author is the owner of the lampusuluh.blogspot.com and the bloggerman.blogsome.com. His name is Mr Ombak.

Now, the author more concentrate on his new project and it's still in progress. The author will inform to the public about his new project within 2 week from today. He will tell the public about his own experience about adsense from the 1st; that is 3 months ago. So, don't forget to bookmark his blog (http://lampusuluh.blogspot.com).

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/



The need for balance

for golf just sounds so simple and easy. As a golfer, you know that maintaining proper golf balance is a key to a good golf game. And it's more than just having the correct stance.

Optimum golf balance depends on three aspects: your visual perception, the signals from the inner ear, and signals from your muscles and joints. Sometimes these aspects get out of sync, causing a balance disorder. Most of which can be easily fixed with some simple ideas.

A lack of balance usually occurs when your head position changes, which is a good reason to keep your head still during your swing! How many times have you been told or noticed yourself that you looked up during your swing? Everybody wants to see where their ball is going and when you move your head and throw off your balance, the ball doesn't usually go anywhere. At least not where you wanted it to go. So, keep your head down and still and let your playing partners watch for your ball.

Migraines can attribute to a balance disorder. So if you have frequent migraines, seek medical attention. These headaches can affect your golf game in ways you may never have thought of. Not to mention being just plain painful and debilitating.

Also, don't go spending a fortune on new golf equipment hoping for better play before you check your medicine cabinet to see if any drugs you're taking affect your balance. The condition "ear poisoning" seriously affects your balance. Ear poisoning is usually caused by side effects of some medications. Always be aware of the possible side effects of any prescription drugs you may be taking. This is just good advice all the way around, let alone it having an effect on your golf game.

Diuretics can pose a problem as well. So if you're taking any of these and you start feeling dizzy, get medical help! Sometimes the dizziness can literally become a lifelong problem, so don't delay in seeking help.

If your golf balance is a little off in your game, you may want to do some simple exercises to improve it. Just kicking a ball around your backyard can help. You can also set up a little obstacle course and weave in and out of it to improve your balance. If you have kids, they will have fun with the course, too! Actually, they may even set up one for you!

You can also buy a balance board to help you with your center of gravity. You can easily make one yourself out of some scrap wood or you could find a nice one online or at a local fitness equipment store. These boards are challenging and fun to use. Once you can balance for an extended period on one, pick up a golf club. Then practice your backswing while balancing yourself. This will dramatically improve you golf balance.

In addition, working with flexibility exercises helps increase your golf balance by releasing muscle tension. Try some simple yoga stretches to help with loosening up tight muscles. Yoga or pilates can be a real benefit for the golfer. These types of exercises tend to create long lean muscles and promote flexibility. Just what the golfer needs for the right golf balance and a fluid swing.

Another useful item is a yoga ball or exercise ball. Even just sitting on one of these balls requires balance - so try using one for part of the day. Work up gradually until you can sit on the ball for 30 minutes at a time. These ball exercises can help you develop proper posture, increase the mobility of your lower back, and develop overall control of your body core. Improving your core strength and flexibility will help you develop the correct golf balance.

Since balance is fundamental to every aspect of your golf game, spend some time each day working on developing it. Who knows? You could find your swing and your score improving significantly, and who couldn't use that!

About the Author: Jason Griffin is a regular golfer who loves playing golf and trying to help other typical golfers, hackers and weekend players get more enjoyment out of the game. He is the guide behind the Guide to Golf Equipment - Your Information Source for Equipment Used for Golf. Get a little help finding the right golf equipment at http://www.guidetogolfequipment.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/



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3:29 PM |

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Communicating CEOs. First Hand Guide to Reduce the Cholesterol.

I see a

PR firm has done a survey on the amount of time Canadian CEOs spend on communication, and found they spend almost half of their time on communication.

I think we're supposed to be impressed that CEOs spend that much time on communication. But, quite frankly, what else does a CEO do? And, if you consider both direct and indirect communication, wouldn't that be more like 90%?

So, what do CEOs do, and how much of that involves communication of one kind or another?

Well, they make decisions. But before they make them, good CEOs get information from specialists in their organization. They also may check other options by reading newspapers and magazines, attending conferences, and talking to their peers. All of which involve communication.

For example, let's say a CEO must decide whether or not to launch an important new product line. Before she makes that decision, our CEO will have had discussions with, and reports from, senior members of the sales department. She will also consider the country's economic outlook in the coming months and years, talk to others about what competitors might do, and review the financial implications with the VP of corporate finance.

It's all about gathering, distilling, and transmitting information: what we call communication.

Turning to another CEO function, what about envisioning a new future for the organization and developing a strategy based on it? Again, communication can't be taken out of the mix.

After all, you can't just pick a vision out of the air. It's the outcome of reflective thinking combined with information, knowledge, and insight. All of which come from communicating.

And, there's often a kaleidescope effect before a vision emerges. All sorts of information tumbles around in the mind, over and over, like clothes in a dryer, until eventually a new and promising pattern reveals itself.

For example, suppose the Vice President of Human Resources has just been promoted to Chief Executive Officer, and the board made it clear it expects him to put his own, unique stamp on the company.

He might retire to his office and spend a lot of time inside trying to think of a new direction. But, it's far more likely he'll reach out, rather than withdraw. He'll talk to staff on the front lines as well as managers. He'll read everything relevant he can find in books and magazines.

As that information pours into his mind -- as the communication process enriches his imagination and knowledge -- he'll start to envision possibilities. Some will be more promising than others, and he'll talk about them with others in the organization. Eventually, some sort of consensus will likely emerge about the most promising vision.

Those are just a couple of examples from the work of CEOs, but you can see why I'm skeptical about the 50% figure: There's not much about a CEO's job that does not involve communication of some kind.

In summary, CEOs may do more than communicate, but almost everything they do will be driven or influenced by communication processes inside and outside the organization.

Robert F. Abbott writes and publishes Abbott's Communication Letter. Learn how you can use communication to help achieve your goals, by reading articles or subscribing to this ad-supported newsletter. An excellent resource for leaders and managers, at: http://www.communication-newsletter.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/



Cholesterol is a fat-like stuff found in the blood and created by the liver. It is also found in animal tissue and present only in food from animal sources, such as whole milk dairy products, meat, fish, poultry, animal organ meat, and egg yolks.

If you have higher levels of cholesterol LDL, in your blood you urgently need to reduce cholesterol. You can try dietary restriction and modification and exercise for at least 3 months before you need to start on medications.

Some people may need to start treatment with medication immediately after they are asked to reduce cholesterol by their physicians. These include people with coronary artery diseases, or a history of previous heart attack or stroke or a strong family history of early coronary artery diseases. To reduce cholesterol you may amend your life style and eating habits in addition to the medicine being used. People at low risk do not need to take medication to reduce cholesterol, focus on dietary changes and proper exercise may reduce cholesterol as required. Ask your doctor how you can efficiently reduce cholesterol by modifying your everyday activities and usual diet. There are certain specific prescription medications that may help you to reduce cholesterol swiftly and safely.

They are divided in two groups:

Statins that work by interfering with the cholesterol-producing mechanisms of the liver. These include zocor, lipitor, pravachol and mevacor.

Non statins such as resins acts by preventing bile recycle in the intestine. There are a few brands available of this variety including questran and colestid.

Copyright © Mathew Bell 2005

Mathew Bell

is the author of many articles relating to health issues to help the public to be better informed of options available to them in today's online world.

Visit this Safemeds link for more information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/



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1:45 PM |

Friday, October 21, 2005

Muscle Pain And Children Do Not Mix. Is Losing Weight The Same As Losing Fat?.

I am in pain. I've been in pain all day. Last night, I was in "searing pain", which is pain multiplied by pain, divided by relief, then multiplied by pain to the tenth power. In case you are not a math whiz, that equals pain with 33 zeros after it. Two days ago, I was in pain (just regular pain, no zeros). In fact, I was in pain all week.

Welcome to my humor column.

Actually, pain is not really all that funny ... unless it happens to somebody else. Oh, come on. Don't get all sanctimonious on me. Pain is the very essence of the Bugs Bunny Show. And the Three Stooges. And every sitcom that relies on personal slights and insults. Without pain to tickle the funny bone, the entertainment industry would be no bigger today than George Bush's collection of feminist literature.

Of course, pain is funny only when it happens to somebody else. It's a lot like reality TV. If it was you stranded on a desert island with a dozen other maniacs, trying to cook worms without emptying your stomach first, would you feel "entertained"?

Fortunately for the deep-pocket sponsors of reality TV, it's not really very real. As long as somebody else is enjoying their makeshift meal of gourmet slimies, it's called entertainment.

Unfortunately for me, my muscle pain is real. It's in my back. It's in my side. It hurts when I bend, twist, or make any sudden movement not approved by the FDA, the DEA, the IRS, the RCMP, the CIA or Interpol.

I did something stupid. No, I did not try a triple summersault on my snowboard in the Rockies. Unfortunately, it was not that stupid. But I did pick up 37-pound Little Lady to place her in her high chair. And I did use just one arm, off to the side, while fiddling with the high chair straps.

I was keenly aware of the exact moment that God said, "It's about time you learn a lesson about physics and biology and all those other subjects you so smugly weaseled your way out of in high school." Ouch.

Parents of young children deserve immunity against muscle pain. A young child should be a "get out of pain free" card. You get to go directly to health, do not pass the hospital, do not pay $200.

Why special treatment for parents of young children? Because they never get the chance to fully recuperate.

Children demand 100 times more physical interaction than adults. And guess what? They want it at their level ... which means bending over. Ouch.

Children are unpredictable, which means they might suddenly grab your leg with enough energy to fell an oak. Since there is rarely an oak in your living room, your leg falls with you attached. Or you react to keep yourself from falling ... which means twisting. Ouch.

Did I mention that kids want to play a lot? Running. Dancing. Chasing. Throwing. Rolling on the floor. Can you resist? Of course you can. "Catch, daddy." Oops, I forgot. Ouch.

OK, how about playing something calm. I sat Little Lady in her high chair (without twisting this time) and placed some Play Dough in front of her. "Please, please, please stop dropping chunks on the floor where I have to bend reeeeeeeally low to pick them up." Ouch.

A parent of a young child simply does not have the opportunity to heal. He just keeps re-injuring himself over and over and over and over.

So if you notice my columns growing less funny and more painful, please don't laugh. It's my pain, and it is real.

About The Author

The author is David Leonhardt, The Happy Guy, publisher of Your Daily Dose of Happiness at http://TheHappyGuy.com/daily-happiness-free-ezine.html. Read more personal

growth articles in his Self-actualization Resource Center at http://TheHappyGuy.com/self-actualization-articles.html, or visit his home page at http://thehappyguy.com.

info@thehappyguy.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/



Is Losing Weight The Same As Losing Fat?

Contrary to common belief, your weight is not really the indicator of a weight problem - the actual percentage of body fat is the true indicator. You need to know what percent of you is actually FAT. How are you going to monitor your weight loss if you do not know what percent of your body is fat, before you begin your program?

Let me give you an example on measuring body fat, this is important in understanding weight loss, or should I say FAT LOSS. This is actually what we are trying to lose, right? FAT!

Lets say someone weighs 200 pounds and when we measure their body fat we find out there body fat is 40%

This means that 40% of the members body is made of fat (80 lbs). The other 120 lbs is muscle, bones, organs, water, etc. (everything but fat).

Now any true weight loss program should include some form of strength training customized to their personal abilities (Another reason you need someone who truly understands the whole body and how it works).

Because if you can gain some of that muscle mass that we lose with age, our bodies will burn more calories and therefore burn more FAT!

Now it's a few weeks into the program and this person steps on the scale and they now weigh 198 lbs. They are a little disappointed because they thought they were doing better. Their clothes fit better, they have more energy, and they are feeling better.

But they are still depressed because they only lost a lousy 2 pounds! Right? Are we sure???

We now check their body fat and it is now 36% not 40%. Let's do a little math.

200

lbs at 40% body fat means that 40% of them is fat, which equals 80 lbs of FAT, and 120 lbs are muscles and everything else (called the lean body mass).

198 lbs at 36% body fat means that 36% of them is fat which equals 71 lbs of FAT, and 125 lbs of lean body mass.

This person actually lost 9 pounds of FAT (the stuff we are trying to lose) and gained 5 pounds of lean body mass (mostly muscle mass, which is a good thing because this will allow their body to burn more calories!)

You need to measure and focus on PERCENT OF BODY FAT, AND NOT WEIGHT!

But don't worry, when your body fat goes down, as your body fat decreases so will the numbers on the scale!

Dr. Jeffrey Banas is a Chiropractic Sports Physician, practicing in Mesa; AZ. Dr. Banas personally lost 60 pounds in 2003 and now uses his experience to help others struggling with their weight problems. Dr. Banas can be reached at his office at 480-633-6837, or by visiting his web site at www.personal-weight-loss-help.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/



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4:17 PM |

Finding Structural Problems During Escrow - Upscale Home Example. SCAMS - Be Aware - And Report When Necessary.

When buying and selling homes, the property purchase is often subject to a satisfactory home inspection being done. Now and then, a home inspection uncovers severe structural problems. Here's an example of a situation in an upscale neighborhood.

Severe Structural Problems

Does the buyer walk away when there are serious structural problems? Yes, but not always. A lot depends on the constraints facing the buyer (are they relocating to start a new job, or just "moving up" in the same general area?) and on how much the buyer likes the property. The attitude, maturity level, communication skills, and flexibility of both buyer and seller also make a huge difference.

It's easy to see a deal blowing up in this situation. Let me tell you about a situation I saw that actually worked out.

Structural Problems - Upscale Neighborhood

The first involved two professional couples and a house one couple wanted to sell and the other wanted to buy in an established, up-scale neighborhood.

The house was a colonial style, all brick, very traditional house built about 15 years ago using top of the line materials. The kitchen and bathrooms had been modernized and upgraded within the past 3 years. Top of the line materials (marble, ceramic tile, and granite) were again used.

The house was located on an acre lot that sloped gently down to the street in the front. About 10 feet from the right side of the house, the lot sloped steeply away to a pretty stream. The lot backed to a treed area of a beautifully maintained, historic estate owned by a university and open to the public on a fee-paying basis.

The home inspector noticed that the chimney on the right end of the house was pulling away from the house. It was about 2 inches away at the top, but the bottom was still attached. In the basement, there was some cracking along the wall the chimney was on. The home inspector would not certify the house as structurally sound, but recommended that an engineering firm take a look at it.

The buyer asked the seller to have an engineering study done. The seller was upset but didn't go to pieces. Something was causing the chimney to pull away, so they called in an engineer. For legal reasons, the sellers also needed to understand what the problem was.

The engineer determined that shrink-swell soil was causing serious foundation problems. They recommended digging down a lot further than the original footers and constructing an elaborate new support system. The sellers agreed to do it and the buyers agreed to delay closing until the work was completed. Thirty thousand dollars later (out of the sellers' pocket), the transaction closed.

In Closing

When considering the above example, what is the moral? If you keep a cool head and look for solutions, structural problems need not be a deal killer.

Raynor James is with http://www.fsboamerica.org - providing homes for sale by owner, "FSBO", properties. Are you thinking, "Should I sell my home?" Visit http://www.fsboamerica.org/seller.cfm to sell your home sale for free for one month.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/



The Internet is a vast International Network of people and businesses - and a place where people can make a fairly decent living. However, it is also a place where certain unsavory characters can freely roam - to take your dollars and run. Scams - the human mind can be either pure or devious - and it is the devious mind that you have to look out for and be aware of at all time.

The easy marks to a scam are those that are new, inexperienced, or those that are desperately looking for a way to make some money, that the swindler will usually target. Emotional hype and false sincerity are their ticket to a scam. Some are obvious, but others are not. Now, I mean no insult if you have been scammed - Why - been there and done that. Don't be embarrassed or ashamed - be aware-- and vow to be ever vigilant in your choices. And remember to reassure yourself, that next time - if, heaven forbid, you should encounter another scam, you will definitely handle it differently.

Affiliate Scams

What constitutes an affiliate scam?

1. No contact information

2. Commissions to high -- (I know what you are saying - but the commission looks so good? Are you sure?) Research - people do no remain silent when they have been scammed on the Internet.

3. Your emails go unanswered.

4. Worse of all - your affiliate checks bounce.

Work-At-Home Scams

Work-At-Home scammers will gear their sights to the Mom, who wants to work at home, or the individual who lost their job, or the individual who wants to supplement their income from an on-line venture. If you're looking for a work-at-home position remember these warning signs:

1. If you have to pay to get access to the site or database to make money - could be a scam.

2. If you receive an email - before joining - that says something on the order of "No BS - this is a legitimate offer!" Stay clear - it is BS!

3. If you're not been paid - strong indicator you have been scammed.

4. They change rules and pay days (to, of course, to string you along and avoid paying you).

Well, I can say I haven't encountered an affiliate scam, however, I've been hit with a work-at-home scam. It was my first initial attempt at finding work on the Internet before going into affiliate marketing. Anyway, I remember sending an email asking a question regarding, of all things, being paid. I received no response. So, I sent another email, stating that I could not access the link to their website and I was getting a 404 Error, and I was wondering if they could fix it. Yes, devious - but wanted to know if they would reply. And yes, they did. I knew then, it was a scam.

Report Your Scams

The Internet may be a vast network of International players, but the word scam travels quickly and people listen. If you think the telephone was a good communication tool, well, the Internet is just as good - and sometimes faster if you know where to go.

If you have been scammed and wish to prevent the scammers from getting richer and any new victims from getting poorer - use the list below - and report it.

However, please do not take this responsibility lightly -- if you are wronged, or treated badly -- but not scammed, do not report it. And remember -- a scam occurs when a program or a business misrepresents or makes promises that they do not keep.

Report A Scam (http://www.homebasedbusinessreviews.com/reportascam.html)-- You will report information here if you believe a program or business opportunity is misrepresenting itself or making promises that are not being kept.

Fraud.org (http://www.fraud.org) -- This is a site where you can report different types of scams:

Telemarketing scams, Elder scams, Internet Fraud, Scams Against Businesses.

Rip-Off Report (http://www.rip-offreport.com) -- Rip-off Report is a consumer-to-consumer site, which is seen by over 2,892,077,866 people.

Better Business Bureau (http://www.bbb.org) -- Never forget the Better Business Bureau -- when you file a complaint -- they will contact the organization to try and resolve the issue for you.

Web Assured (http://www.webassured.com)-- You can file a complaint, as well as, look at their watch list. Companies are placed on their watch list when they blatantly disregard Internet standards.

Federal Trade Commission - (http://www.ftc.gov)

ScamWatch (http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/scams/scams.asp)-- Scam Watch covers scams from financial to investments, pyramid schemes and miracle cure.

ScamBusters (http://www.scambusters.org) To conclude, when beginning work on the Internet, you will encounter obvious scams, and not so obvious scams. The key is research, and as always, Buyer Beware. If your gut gets an uneasy knot in it and, if you hear yourself saying, "This is just too good to be true?" -- Take note, it probably is.

Vickie J Scanlon has a BBA degree in Administrative Management and Marketing. She left the corporate world as an Reports Programmer, to begin her journey as an Internet marketer.

Visit her site at: http://www.myaffiliateplace.biz for free tools, articles, ebooks, and how to info, income opportunities, affiliate opportunities, or check her blog for additional insights to the Affiliate Business - http://myaffiliateplace.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/



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3:56 AM |

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Web Marketers - Get Some Professional Help!. What's Your Plan? Designing Your Future.

There is lots of freelance help available on the internet, from writers, editors, proofreaders and other professionals in the writing industry to software developers, graphic designers, web designers and all manner of other technical and business specialists.

Thanks to the increasingly popular outsourcing exchanges, such as Elance.com, SmarterWork.com and ContractedWork.com, it is now very easy to find and hire the right contractor for your project at the right price. If you need help with a technical project, such as software development or web programming, there are even exchanges like RentACoder.com that specialize in these disciplines and organize their participants according to their individual skills.

Using an outsourcing exchange is quick and easy. You simply post a description of your project requirements (in sufficient detail to allow a contractor to estimate its cost) and within hours you will receive proposals from a number of freelance specialists, each one eager to win your business.

You can even use an outsourcing exchange as a research tool, to get an idea of the likely cost of a development project that you may be considering. However, you should beware of posting repeatedly without awarding a contract, as this will earn you the reputation of a time-waster and may adversely affect the response you receive to future postings. As a buyer of freelance services, posting your requirements is usually free. It is the contractor that pays for access to the service, either as a monthly subscription or as a percentage commission on the value of contracts awarded.

If you decide to award a contract in response to a posting, you can protect yourself (and the contractor) using escrow payments. You simply pre-pay the contract value into an escrow account (

an interim bank account provided by the exchange operator) knowing that it will only be released to the contractor when you confirm that the work has been completed to your satisfaction. Likewise, the contractor benefits from the reassurance that funds have been reserved to pay for his services. For complex projects, it is even possible to administer phased payments via the escrow account and, in the event of a dispute, take advantage of an arbitration service.

One of the benefits of online outsourcing exchanges is that they provide access to contractors from all over the world. Several countries (such as India and parts of Eastern Europe) have very low labor rates but a highly skilled and professional workforce, making it possible to buy high-quality services very economically. Most of these professionals also speak and write English to a very high standard, making formal communication no more difficult that with a local contractor. The instantaneous nature of internet communication means that it is no longer necessary to collaborate face-to-face.

Of course, the use of freelance contractors is not without its risks. To ensure that your project delivers the results you're expecting, you should follow a few simple guidelines:

  • Create a budget for your entire project so that you know how much each aspect should cost. This will enable you to assess the overall feasibility before you start spending money on contractors.
  • Write a detailed specification for each of your freelance requirements.
  • If appropriate, use a non-disclosure agreement before sending out the specification to bidders. If so, it will be necessary to post a project overview in the freelance exchange and to operate a closed bidding process.
  • Get a fixed price quotation before assigning work to any freelancer. If a freelancer is unable to provide a fixed-price quotation, it may be an indication that your requirement specification is not sufficiently clear or detailed - a warning sign of trouble ahead.
  • Administer your freelance assignment using a written legal contract that clearly specifies time limits, fees, dispute procedures, confidentiality, ownership and other contractual terms.
  • If possible, use the exchange's escrow payment service to protect yourself and the contractor.

If you take the freelance route, it is important to ensure that all rights to profit from the final product, or any materials produced in its creation, remain yours. If you do not, it is possible that a contractor employed to contribute to your project could claim the result as his own and use or sell it independently when it is completed.

You should keep a paper trail linking yourself to anyone with whom you discuss your project, including emails, letters, faxes, and even written records of telephone conversations. This will establish the relationship between you and your contractors, and will prove the source of any confidential details. Although this paper trail may never be needed, if problems arise you'll be glad you made that little extra effort.

About The Author

Copyright © Tim Coulter. All rights reserved.

Tim Coulter is a consultant and software developer who helps netpreneurs to harness marketing technologies.

He is also the author of "ClickBank - The Definitive Guide" The Ultimate ClickBank Tutorial & Reference Manual.

http://www.clickbankrevealed.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/



So you have set your goals for the year. Congratulations!

I have come to believe most of us set our goals for incorrect reasons. We set goals for short term objectives. Most of these objectives concern materialistic wants: money, and physical things. Let's look at a slightly different approach.

Start with deciding what your life should be. Take some time to define your life five years from now. Here are some questions you might ask yourself.

  1. What am I feeling?
  2. What types of people are around me?
  3. What are my surroundings like?
  4. What am I doing?
  5. Where am I going?
  6. Where have I been?

Notice there are no questions dealing with money, or named places, or named people. The answers to these questions will provide you with

attitudes, feelings, values, perceptions and other non tangible ideas that make life worth living no matter where you are, who you are with, or what you are doing!

If we have created a lifestyle that we like, then the physical part of our lives will fit right in and accompany the lifestyle because it has to! My suggestion is to look at the lifestyle you want to create, and set your plan to achieve the lifestyle instead if the physical side of life most of us set our goals to achieve. *To go even deeper, define your values very clearly and make sure that your vision of your life in five years fits with your values.

Is it worth it? You have heard the phrase plan your work and work your plan? I can promise you that if you do not create your life by setting goals and a plan to reach them, someone is doing it for you. If you think about it, that is really scary! What kind of vision do they have for you?

Think of it this way. Look back five years ago in your life. Are you today where you imagined you would be five years ago? Or are you where someone else imagined you would be?

Don't you think your life would dramatically improve if you made the plan? Don't you think you might have a little more interest in your life than someone else? I should hope so.

As the advertisement says so well:

Just do it!

As always,

Your online Coach and Friend,

Miami Phillips www.creativemasterminds.com
Helping everyone find their path and stay on it.
coach@creativemasterminds.com

Quotation of the Week
Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me. Carol Burnett (1936 - )

About The Author

Miami Phillips is an ANSIR Certified Personal Coach and the founder of Creative MasterMinds who believes personal growth is an essential ingredient to being happy and contributing to this world. While his main focus is affordable personal and business coaching, he also offers motivational teleclasses, ebooks, reading recommendations and much more. To find out more visit his site at http://www.creativemasterminds.com or send him an email at coach@creativemasterminds.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/



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8:59 AM |

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Resumes, Networking, Headhunters - Useless Without Marketing Sweet Spot. 10 Tips For Creating Wealth From the Stock Market.

A career transition is no longer about getting your hands on a list of contacts, networking with headhunters, or going online to look for work. It's better than that.

Want to neutralize most of your rivalry? Hot-swap the traditional means of securing a job with these new tactics and you'll warp-speed your search:

�€� Stop looking for a job

�€� Increase your visibility

�€� Decrease your competition

�€� Create buzz and you'll multiply your exposure to decision makers

�€� Create need and you'll generate quality interviews, simultaneously

�€� Create solutions and you'll gain an opportunity to design your own position

Stir up the buzz and you'll stand out in a saturated market. Develop a reputation for being a subject-matter expert. This time you'll want to be the topic of the next water cooler gathering. Make sure that you use your full name when identifying yourself on any of these venues, not a pseudonym. You can't stir up the buzz about you, if you're hidden behind some funky moniker. Don't forget to create an email address that sounds professional wherever your name publicly appears.

There are eight over-the-top ports to gain higher visibility:

�€� Chamber of Commerce (networking events and / or committee participation)

�€� Local trade associations (meetings and / or committee participation)

�€� Blogs (industry trade associations, online publications, job boards)

�€� Teleseminars (trade association-sponsored, industry-oriented)

�€� High-profile volunteerism (civic, community, business projects)

�€� Broadcasting (radio and television guest appearances)

�€� Ask-an-Expert content venues (online and print)

�€� Newsletters, white papers (online and print)

Get employers drooling for your talents by demonstrating a consistency in your marketing message. Recruiters and decision makers routinely perform a Google(tm) or Yahoo(tm) key word search to learn more about you. Put your name (and its variations) into these mega-search engines to find out what pops up.

If you've made disparaging comments about anyone or anything, either on or off record, these will harm your marketing message. For the sake of your professional branding, publicly, shut up. If what you want to say or do communicate oddity, inappropriateness, or lack of civility and good taste then you become a liability to your industry's culture and you'll be blacklisted.

Branding is a yardstick that measures not just what you do, but who you are and the perception others have of you. Make sure that whatever you say or do (professionally and personally) sends a consistent positive message about your leadership, industry competency, ethics, maturity, and interpersonal relations. This constancy is your branding; an awareness of you which captures an employer's attention and interest in you.

Mastermind solutions and you'll improve the odds of a securing a customized job role. Borderless thinking solves problems, particularly those deemed by others as too troublesome or impossible. You'll release yourself from dependency on open or publicly-known positions when you pitch personalized remedies for an employer's toughest business challenges.

Annihilate your competition by doing the thing that they wouldn't dare to do...stop looking for a job. Concentrate on subterranean research to uncover &spot opportunities' - patterns that would signal upcoming hiring activity. Yeah, it's labor-intensive, but the pay-off is huge in terms of edging past Human Resource department screeners.

Classic market research involves S.W.O.T. Analysis. Successful marketing thrusts are achieved using a thorough analysis of Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats for Growth. Can you count the times on one hand, your buddies took the time to do this kind of extreme exploration when they were on a job hunting expedition?

The more you know about a targeted company, its industry, and the associated threats to its success, the stronger your posture. Instead of seeking a job, pursue opportunity to use your talents to better an organization's own branding before its employees, customers, and business relationships. Pitch directly to first-string decision makers.

Slamming a baseball out of the park isn't rocket science; it's about reading and reacting to the pitch - knowing what you have to do, and when to do it. It's also capitalizing on the bat's sweet spot to connect the raw capability of the bat to the sheer force of the batter's swing.

A professionally-run job search does the same things; you pitch your solutions to the right target, at the right time, using the right resource and strategy. The career marketing sweet spot is that critical moment where targeting and timing intersect. Goal sighted, energy harnessed, successful outcome achieved.

Marta Driesslein, CECC (http://interviewing.com/) is a management consultant for R.L. Stevens & Associates Inc. For over 24 years R.L. Stevens & Associates has been the Nation's most successful privately-held firm specializing in executive career searches generating quality interviews through both advertised and unadvertised channels.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/



1. Do not spread your money too thin.

My friend has a little over $200,000 invested in the stock market through 27 different Mutual funds. In my opinion, 27 Mutual funds is 27 too many collecting load fees, management fees, commission fees, operating and advertising fees. Diversity is important, but just as important is over-diversification. Also, in my opinion, $200,000 should not be put into more than 12 stocks, let alone 27 different Mutual funds.

2. Do not pay commission fees to purchase a stock.

If you are going to invest

your hard earned dollars into a company, the least the company could do is provide you a way to invest in their company commission free - and they do!

3. Only purchase those companies that pay a dividend.

The same company that you invest in commission free should also offer you another incentive for you to invest - a dividend for the use of your money.

4. Only purchase those companies that have a history of raising their dividend every year.

The same company should continue rewarding you for your faith in their company by increasing the amount of their dividend every year. Rising dividends are also the proof that the company is dong something right.

5. Dollar-cost average into each stock position.

By dollar-cost averaging (buying the same stock at different prices through the years) you'll never pay too much for the company's stock, even if the initial purchase is at a 52 week high. Have all the dividends from each company rolled back into more shares of each company, until retirement. The companies you invest in should do this for you, automatically, commission free.

6. Forget making a profit; instead focus on the income provided from your stock portfolio.

That's right! Forget making a profit. The burden is now lifted - no more pressure on making a buck in the stock market (Instead of trying to bend the spoon, that is impossible, instead just think of the spoon as - omigosh! - I'm in the Matrix). When you focus on the amount of money your holdings are providing in dividends - and when those companies selected have a history of raising their dividends each year - a lower stock price allows the dividends that are being rolled back into the stock to accelerate your income. The total value of your portfolio may go lower, but your income from that lower priced portfolio would increase dramatically. Profit by income!

7. Make every stock purchase with the intent that the purchase will be a long-term investment.

Do not trade in and out of your holdings. There have been many up and downs in the stock market. The down markets only accelerate your income. GE has raised their dividend for 28 years in a row. Why sell it? 100 shares of GE ten years ago has turned into 1200 shares today due to stock splits, and that is not counting how many shares you would have now if the dividends were being rolled back into more shares of the stock through those years.

8. Understand that a lower stock price, after your initial purchase may be a blessing in disguise.

The income from your stock holdings should grow every quarter, no matter what the total amount of your stock portfolio is worth. (If your Mutual fund declines in price from one year to the next and if your income is not increasing (accelerating) from that fund, why are you in that fund?) A company pays their dividend not on how much their stock is worth in the market place. For example, a company pays a quarterly dividend of 50 cents a share. A company has little control on how much its stock price is worth in the market place on any given day. You will receive 50 cents a share per quarter whether the stock price is at 50 dollars a share, or drops to $40 a share or goes up to $70. While the stock is down at $40 a share your dividend reinvestment is loading up on more shares.

9. Develop a savings plan to add to your holdings each quarter to help your dividend reinvestments to accumulate more shares on a dollar-cost averaging basis.

The savings could be as little as $5.00 a week. Why put that savings in a savings account at 1.2 percent, when there are so many companies out there that are paying a 4 to 5% dividend yield and increasing their dividend every year? And since none of the companies you are investing in charge a commission, all of that $60.00 a quarter you saved and invested would help your dividend reinvestments to dollar-cost average into your holdings. Every cent you save and invest would work toward your ROI (Return on Investment).

10. Read my book &the Stockopoly Plan' soon to be released by American Book Publishing.

I believe it will profit you and your family for the rest of your lives.

For more excerpts from the book &The Stockopoly Plan' please visit http://www.thestockopolyplan.com

About The Author

You have permission to this article either electronically or in print as long as the author bylines are included, with a live link, and the article is not changed in any way (grammar and typos, excluded). Please provide a courtesy e-mail to charles@thestockopolyplan.com telling where the article was published.

Charles M. O'Melia is an individual investor with almost 40 years of experience and passion for the stock market. Author of the book &The Stockopoly Plan', soon to be released by American Book Publishing.

chassmo99@yahoo.com

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