How is it going readers? With the way the world economy is right now, you probably could be better right? Chances are, if you are reading this, you are living in North America (and yes, that includes you, Canada). And as difficult as it may be for you to believe, you really are rich. “How’s that now?” you may be asking. With rent, car and credit card payments that you can barely pay for, how can I possibly say you’re rich? Well, let’s take a look at the bigger picture.

Being a Real Estate Mogul, I have had the opportunity to travel to many countries outside of the United States. And believe you me, even the projects look like paradise compared to many third world country areas. The terrible reality is that over three billion people live on less than $2 per day while 1.3 billion get by on less than $1 per day. Seventy percent of those living on less than $1 per day are women. Do you know that the pimple-ridden punk kid spitting in your burger at McDonald’s makes more than 75% of the world’s population? In many parts of the world, there are people who don’t have food, never mind a Quarter Pounder with cheese.

You may be struggling financially. You may be living from paycheck to paycheck. The collection companies may be hounding you. You may be on the verge of giving up. It all seems so hopeless. But there is something you can do about it. And you can do it starting right now.

You can appreciate and be grateful for what you already have. To most of the world, you are living the dream life. You have clean water, fresh air, and you don’t live in a war zone. You may think your life sucks but there are billions of people who would gladly switch places with you in a heartbeat.

Take a look at all the things you already have and probably take for granted: freedom, safety, friends, and family. I’m pretty sure you have enough food for dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow morning. You’ve probably got enough change in your pocket to get a latte at Starbucks. You’re living in a place with heat and may be even air conditioning. I bet you have a cell phone, a color TV, a computer and most importantly, access to the Internet.

Stop dwelling on the negative things happening in your life. Take some time off and just stop. Take a deep breath. Doesn’t that feel good? Have you noticed that when you think about bills, all you get in the mail are more bills? That is the law of attraction at work. Take a page out of the book, “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne, you attract what you are and you are what you think. Change your thinking and you’ll change your life. If you’re always thinking, “My life sucks!” you will attract things that make your life suck even more. If you appreciate the things you already have and start thinking “My life is great!” you will attract things that make your life greater. It works.

I recommend you take a few minutes each day, stop and appreciate one aspect of your life. Realize that not everyone in the world can enjoy that aspect. You are special and fortunate enough to realize it. Put a smile on your face and you will feel instantly better. It really is a sad fact that most people don’t appreciate what they have until it’s gone. Don’t let that happen to you.

I hope you guys don’t find this too New Age but inspirational. In the fast pace world we live in now, it is often too easy for us to forget to just stop and smell the roses. And in many cases, that’s just all we need sometimes to get us through our stressful days.

While, I do not mean to ask you to feel better because their are people less fortunate than you in the world, I do want you to feel better about your situation. Don’t delight in other people’s misery, be delighted for everything you have.

See you guys in seven!

If you like this post then please consider subscribing to my full feed RSS. You can also subscribe by Email and have new posts sent directly to your inbox.

Hello everyone! Ever wonder what life is like as a Real Estate Mogul? Well, now you can! I finally caved and signed up for the latest social networking craze, Twitter. I managed to dodge Facebook altogether, and it was a good thing I did!

Yesterday, it was discovered that Facebook quietly changed their “Terms of Use” to allow them to own and control all user content and information indefinitely. Check out the original article here. Do you know how valuable all that information is to researchers? It would fetch a hefty sum for companies who want to target specific age groups, sex, and other demographics to sell their stuff to. Facebook has since bowed to the pressure from their users, but who knows how long that will last?

In any case, back to Twitter. It is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing? Many believe it to be the next step above the current ultimate stalker website, Facebook. However, it does have its uses. One thing I am going to use it for is as a digital scheduler. If I needed to find out what I was doing on a particular day and time, I could just log in and scroll back!

So, if you are interested in what I do all day, scroll down to the bottom right of the site, and click the Twitter button. So, if you ever need to find or contact me, you can! I always have time to talk to people. I also threw in a few other buttons down there as well. With AIM, you can send me an Instant Message regarding a property for sale, or just to say Hi. If I am not logged in, it will be routed to my cellphone as a text message.

I also included a link to my LinkedIn account, as I am a big believer in the power of social networking. It also gives you a better understanding of what I do and who I am.

Okay guys, till next time, think rich, act rich, and be rich!

If you like this post then please consider subscribing to my full feed RSS. You can also subscribe by Email and have new posts sent directly to your inbox.

Hello readers! I just finished a book called The Automatic Millionaire: A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich by David Bach. While I do not agree with every idea in his book, I do want to share with you his main point, the juice of his book, or essence if you will. The biggest secret to building financial security and wealth is automating your savings. And once you know how, you too can get rich automatically.

Step One: Put a minimum of 10% of your income into a 401k or similar retirement fund every month straight from your account. Better yet, put in the maximum amount your employer will match. Increase your contribution to 20% of your income when you can. Invest this money in portfolios that are appropriate to your age and risk tolerance. The key is to set up an automatic transfer. After a while, you won’t notice that the 10% is gone and you will make due without it!

Step Two: If you have any credit card debt or other consumer debt, put 20% of your income toward paying the balances down to zero. Do not use the cards until that is done. Give yourself a cash allowance each month for necessary expenses. When the cash is gone, stop spending. If you do not have any credit card debt, bravo! You are well ahead of the curve. In that case, invest more!

Step Three: Pay off your full credit card balance every month. Do not skip a month for any reason. This will be difficult for most Americans, just because we are a nation built on debt (LOL!). In that case, refer to Step Two first. The goal is to carry no consumer debt beyond your house and cars (if you must). Work towards the day when you are debt free. Pay off consumer debt first and then pay extra on your mortgage. Even $100 a month extra can save you tens of thousands of dollars in interest on a typical mortgage.

Step Four: Put money aside automatically with automatic fund transfers by your bank for major expenses such as taxes, insurance, vacations, wish list items, college, etc. A good budget will let you know how much you’ll need. Remember, my advice on setting aside one day out of the month to go over finances? Do it!

Step Five: Live on the difference. You will know you are doing okay if you can pay off your credit card balance every month and you have cash left in your pocket and checking account. On the flip side, you will know there’s a problem when you can’t pay off a credit card balance right away or your bank balance starts dropping instead of going up. Those are your signals to adjust your budget, your spending and your savings. Monitor your money. Get rich.

While not everything here comes from David Bach’s book, all of it was inspired by it. I’ve have found that the most commonly used method among rich people is the automatic deduction and automatic savings. As I mention earlier, “After a while, we just didn’t miss it,” is the common saying.

Take care guys, and see you in seven!

If you like this post then please consider subscribing to my full feed RSS. You can also subscribe by Email and have new posts sent directly to your inbox.

Most of us flush the toilet, or wash the dishes and laundry, and never think about where the water goes after it leaves our sight. Am I right? Well, why should we care anyways? Here is why we should all care:

All the pipes in your wastewater from toilets, sinks, dishwashers and washing machines come together into a single pipe, called a lateral, that runs from your house to a larger pipe, called a sewer main, under the street.

Most homes have a cleanout, a pipe that connects your sewer line to the surface of the ground, that helps prevent overflows inside homes.

The lateral is divided into two segments. The upper private segment extends from the house to the cleanout at the curb, also called a District cleanout, and the lower public segment extends from there to the sewer main.

As a homeowner, you are responsible for maintaining the upper lateral. Depending where you are in the country, your local sanitation department maintains the lower laterals. If there is no district cleanout, the homeowner is responsible for the lateral from the home to the sewer main.

In many areas, homes still have their original sewer lateral connection. The pipes are old, often made of clay with cement mortar joints. Over time, some have cracked or have separated joints, and sometimes the pipes have shifted out of place. These defects allow tree roots to grow into the pipes, which cause blockages.

Other causes of blockages include cooking oil and grease, the wrong things being put down the drain, and more. When pipes re blocked, overflows occur.

If you have a cleanout on your property, and a blockage occurs in your lateral, the overflow will occur outside your home. This may cause damage to your yard, your neighbor’s property, and, if the overflow reaches the storm drain, may harm the Bay.

If you don’t have a cleanout and a blockage occurs, wastewater will back up into your house causing potential health and property problems.

If you have an overflow or stoppage, call your district’s sanitation department first. They will evaluate the problem. If it is District related, they will fix it. If the problem is in the upper lateral, you will probably be advised to call a plumber.

Two Important Notes:

If you do not address the problem, there are risks involved/ You may be subject to fines for allowing wastewater to harm the environment through the storm drain, or you may be open to litigation from your neighbors for property damage.

Fortunately, there’s a good solution. Your local District may have what is called an Upper Lateral Program that can reimburse part of the cost of upper lateral replacement or cleanout installation. You must apply for reimbursement before you do the work-you can not bring in your receipts to the District afterwards for reimbursement.

Remember, keeping your upper lateral in good shape is better for the environment, and may save you thousands of dollars.

If you like this post then please consider subscribing to my full feed RSS. You can also subscribe by Email and have new posts sent directly to your inbox.

Hi guys, today I am going to tell you about a nice way to make some extra cash by writing about your opinions about basically anything. You will notice from time to time that I write about goods and services in addition to my regular posts. These are sponsored articles that companies pay me to share with you.

One of these companies is called PayingPost.com. Basically, after you sign up and get your blog approved, you login and look under Open Opportunities. You then find one you are qualified for and reserve it. Once you do, you have six hours to write and post the blog with the specified conditions, and report it to them. Payouts vary depending on your Alexa ranking and blog traffic.

Blogging has come a long way in the last few years. For the first time, it was easier for people to find and identify bloggers with similar tastes and subscribe to their opinions. On the flip side, people have been able to create a new profession by blogging for a living. Depending on your audience, you can make a nice livable income by just writing your opinions.

That is where sites such as PayingPost.com comes into the picture for people who want to advertise on blogs. It is a bridge between advertisers and bloggers. It is simple to use and they have a nifty new layout as well. Clear and concise, no unnecessary filler web content. Just the way I like it!

So if you want to make money blogging, be sure to sign up for PayingPost.com. The great thing about blogging is you can make as much or as little money as you would like.

Okay guys, see you in seven!

If you like this post then please consider subscribing to my full feed RSS. You can also subscribe by Email and have new posts sent directly to your inbox.