5 Myths About Education Reform

Education in America is a topic of public discussion. Everyone has an opinion and is willing to express it, and everyone has ideas about what’s wrong with our educational system and how to fix it. What most well-meaning people with good ideas don’t seem to know is that reform in education has been going on and has been the subject of debate and discussion for many, many years. The problem is that if we don’t make changes based on what we know works, the changes we make will not help. Reform in education sometimes seems like a hamster in a wheel, always running to stand still. Myths about reform abound, and need to be debunked so we can move forward. Here are 5 of the most prominent myths about education reform.

1. If teachers don’t produce results, they should be fired – after all, no other profession is unaccountable.

There are a couple of good reasons to debunk this myth. First, teachers are more and more the target of laws that do make them responsible for producing acceptable results, and they have lost their jobs for not meeting standards. Unfortunately, these results and standards are not black and white, but based on complex and unpredictable changes in faulty human beings, and are affected by many important variables outside of a teacher’s control. Second, consider doctors – we do not hold them accountable for not getting society as a whole to eat better, exercise and stop drinking and smoking. There are indeed other professions that are not held accountable, because it would be impossible, impractical, and immoral to do so. The same should hold for teachers.

2. We keep throwing money at the educational system, but nothing changes – scores on achievement tests haven’t gone up.

The first argument against this myth is that achievement as measured by National Assessment of Educational Progress trends have shown statistically significant gains in recent years, so that there actually have been modest but real improvements. The second counter to this myth is that there are other ways to measure improvement. One example is the drop out rate from high school, which has declined significantly for all income levels since the early 70′s. Saying that an investment only has one measure to show a return just doesn’t work in education like it does in finance.

3. Those who don’t believe that achievement scores should be used to evaluate teachers only care about protecting teachers and their unions.

Statistical errors go in both directions, so teachers abilities are overestimated just as much as they are underestimated. According to studies, over a quarter of all ratings of teachers are incorrect, so we are actually protecting bad teachers as well as good teachers. Most teachers and reformers have many concerns about students, and keeping incompetent teachers without trying to improve them is one.

4. If we agree that the education system is in need of repair, then we have to blame teachers for breaking it in the first place.

First, it is not logical to blame teachers for failure of the system if they have not been given every opportunity and resource they might need to succeed. Then, if they fail, it is clearly their fault. Second, teachers do not work in a vacuum – students are affected by everything that happens outside of the classroom, and that in turn affects their achievement. But teachers have no control over what happens outside of their short time with students, so they can’t be the reason for the failure.

5. Charter schools are the answer to the problems the education system faces.

The population of students that attend charter schools is different than the general public school population, and so are their parents. If you compare the two on the basis of scores without adjusting for those differences, it’s apples and oranges. Besides, only a handful of charter schools are producing the results that get attributed to all of them.

Education reform is not a destination, it’s a process. Part of the process is understanding what needs to be done and what doesn’t. By understanding some of the myths surrounding it, progress may eventually be made.

MLM Home Based Business – 4 Simple Tips That Will Double Your Productivity

Working from home can be quite challenging because you always have to motivate yourself to get the work done. There is no boss or supervisor checking up on you so its easy to fall into the trap of engaging in activities that are not productive and at the end of the day, you realise that you have accomplished so little.

Here are 4 simple tips that you can start doing straight away that will double or even triple your productivity. I promise you that if you can form a habit of sticking to these simple tips, your business will take on a new dimension.

Tip 1 – Wake Up At The Exact Same Time Everyday

Set your alarm clock to wake you up every day at the exact same time. This is so important because your body needs to get into a routine. Otherwise, you will wake up one day at 6am, the next day at 8am, and the following day at 1pm.

Is this making any sense?

It’s necessary that you discipline your body so you can wake up at whatever time you have chosen and go through your daily tasks quickly and efficiently. Of course you don’t have to work your MLM home Based Business 7 days a week, you should have some days off but whatever days you have chosen to work, stick to your wake up time.

If you had to get to work every day at 8am, you would probably have to be up by 7am to have enough time to prepare and get in to work on time.

So why not apply the same principles to your home business and develop a good work ethic.

It has actually been proven by science and psychology that people who wake up at the same time everyday are more productive because your body gets used to the routine.

Tip 2 – Exercise

This is very important but sometimes overlooked because of our busy schedule. Exercise could be something as simple as going for a walk. You see, you need to look after yourself first before you can take on the world.

Get your physical and spiritual health balanced and it’s so much easier to have the confidence and motivation to work your MLM Home Based Business.

Tip 3 – Personal Development

Daily Personal Development is a must for success in any MLM Home Based Business. Top Income Producers spend thousands of dollars every month on personal development and training. I’m not saying you need to splash out on DVDs and audios; there are lots of free training all over the internet.

You need to make a habit of listening or watching something of value every single day.

When you do that, you have more value to give to your team or list and it would also help you create the mindset you need to succeed in your business. Imagine how much content you can create if you make a habit of listening to training or personal development every!

Tip 4 – Plan Your Day

This is very crucial and would help you accomplish more. Jot down a list of things you need to do with time allocations so you have a clear picture of what you want to achieve. Start doing this and you will see that are achieving more.

It is important to ensure that as part of your plan, you focus on income producing activities like prospecting, presenting your MLM Home Based Business, recruiting and training your new recruits.

Legitimate Home Based Businesses For the Average Person!

Legitimate home based businesses seem to be a dying breed. Everywhere you look someone is claiming that what they have to offer can and will change your life over night. Is all you have to do is get started and sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride because what they offer runs on complete auto pilot.Well the truth of the matter is any legitimate home based business is not going to lure you in on emotion and shear hype of the moment. A legit business is always going to lead with value first, sale later.Why?Because they are confident in their product and are certain that once you see what it is that they can offer you will be more than willing to become a client and or customer.So the key for anyone looking around online and searching for a home based business should always keep one thing in mind. Is the opportunity I’m looking at offering me value upfront or is it simply hype wrapped up into a glorified sales pitch?My personal experience of looking around trying to find a business I could run from home and work for myself at first seemed like a simple task. But as I got more and more into my research I actually became more and more confused as to what was legit and what was not. Everyone claims they are the next best thing and that what they offer is all you will ever need and more.So I started to buy different packages and services simply because I did not know of any other alternative to finding out what worked and what did not. After I had purchased a few things online I came to a point that I was not going to spend any more money on any other products. And that what I had at this point was either going to work or running a home based business was simply not for me.So I got started marketing and promoting some different affiliate products and really dove into their marketing training and suggestions. I really did my best to become a product of the system that they told me worked so well for so many other people before me. That is all I needed to do was fallow these certain steps and all would work out in the end.The problem with the whole system however is there was never really any teaching or training of what it is that I was doing. It was simply telling me to do certain things and I would see results.Well when the results did not come I had no understanding as to what I was doing wrong or how to fix it. I had just been fallowing orders. And blindly hoping and praying that if I just stick with it a little longer I would see the fruits of my labors.The whole time however I was ignoring my gut instincts, which was telling me that “continuing to do the same thing over and over and expecting different results” is the true definition of insanity. And I was literally going insane wondering why it was not working.Why are people not buying from me? Why is it working for everyone else and not for me? After a few months of seeing “No” results and only one measly affiliate sale I decided it was time to go back to the drawing board. I was going to scrap all that I had done and look for something different and something that did not just tell me what to do, but would actually teach me what to do.As I went back into my research I kept stumbling upon a marketing platform that seemed to be legit and seemed to be working very well for a lot of people. However at this point in time I was a little more gun shy and kept on looking.I looked for a few more months until my cousin sent me a link referring me to the product I had dismissed a few months earlier. He stated that he was having success with the techniques and principals taught within the system and I should give it a shot.So that is what I did. I took his recommendation and I’ve not looked back. I’ve been very pleased and happy with my success and my progress up to this point. It really has been the best platform for anyone looking to establish legitimate home based businesses.

Making Money With A Home Based Business

Making money with a home a home based business is growing ever more popular these days. The idea of being your own boss, seeing your family or friends whenever you wish, and getting paid very well for it, is one idea that makes a hell of a lot of sense. Here are another couple of reasons why more and more people are dropping their commute and re-locating their office to their spare room at home.ONE. Other business opportunities like becoming a franchisee are way too expensive, especially in the current financial climate. They also offer a very long time span for a decent return on investment.TWO. The dawn of the internet has brought about a whole new industry and age of opportunity for people looking for it. Home based online businesses are affordable and very profitable.So, making money online is one of the best ways to ditch the office at work and create your own business from the comfort of your own home. But where do you start?If you search the internet for these kinds of opportunities I’m pretty sure you will get overwhelmed quickly by how much is out there. There are thousands upon thousands of websites offering you anything from ways to make your fortune overnight, to those who just want to help you learn some basics for free. One quick word of warning from someone with experience – if the offer of overnight fortunes sounds way too good to be true, then please do not waste your money on them!The first thing you should spend online is your time. I recommend you find someone who can offer you a product or service that can teach you to become an online business person. A great way to get your foot in the door is to study internet marketing.Take your time to find someone who will go out of their way to help you learn, before they take your hard earned money. The best thing you could find is probably an internet marketing coach or mentor. A good coach or mentor should be able to help you decide if starting a home based online business in internet marketing is the right way for you to go. They should be easy to contact and connect with. Try to avoid those who you feel are hiding behind their website. Go with your gut instinct about people. If you like them and like what they have to offer then try to get involved in what they are trying to teach you.Eventually you will decide if becoming a home based internet marketer is right for you or not. If not, then do not give up in finding the right opportunity for you. If you feel internet marketing is the right home based business for you, then it’s time to spend some money on your online business education.Again, take your time to choose which learning platform you feel is best for you. Once you have found one that covers all the aspects of internet marketing you want to cover, then go ahead and take the plunge! If you have acquired the right information, the right coach and are ready to put in the hard work at the start, then you might have just found yourself the perfect home based business. Good luck on your journey.

Tips For Choosing a Home Based Business

Your email in box is likely full of internet home based business opportunities. While many people are having success with internet-based home businesses, many are also unsuccessful. If you are interested in starting any type of home based business, you need to carefully decide what type of home business you want to get into. So how do you choose the right home based business for your needs? By being methodical, realistic, objective and patient you can choose the right home based business for you.First, you want to take a personal inventory. Do an inventory of your skills, experience, interests and personality characteristics. These are the basic ingredients you have to work with and are important to your success with a home based business. Make a list of all the personal qualities and factors you can include. These qualities and factors should be what you are good at and things that can benefit your home based business no matter what choice you make.Second, consider your interests. There is a big difference between knowing about something and truly enjoying it. Remove anything from the list you created in step one if you don’t really like doing or anything doesn’t interest you. By enjoying what you are, doing you can have a better chance at success.Third, match with marketable activities. If you still have come up with a good home business idea after the first two steps then you should review the list and determine which have good marketable potential.Fourth, make a list of ideas that match step two. Once you are done you will have a list of possible business matches that bring together your skills and interests with a home based business that can utilize what you have to offer.Fifth, do your research. Once you have developed the ideal list in step, four then you can research which have good marketable potential. You should consider a business that can be done entirely from your home office. If you are going to have clients come to your home then make sure you home is properly prepared to receive clients.Lastly, develop a business plan. Once you have gone through the process of identify a home business that is right for you then you need to come up with a proper business plan. This plan should include your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Make sure you have clear goals for your business and the steps necessary to achieve results.

How To Start A Home-Based Business – Step By Step Guide

If you decide to start your own home-based business, that’s great. But, before you do that, you must know several important things to do this the right way. There are many resources available on the internet that you can use to help you learn from other successful online business owner. If you don’t know any technical stuff to build your business, don’t worry about that. There are many companies that will help you do all the work for you when you join them.I will give you several step by step guides to build your home-based business.1. How To Choose Your Business.When people want to start a business, no matter it is online or not, they must choose what kind of business they want to run. If you only in a tight budget, you can join with a company to sell their products to build extra income at first. This is the easiest way to start your business immediately. But, in the other side, you can also start your own business by selling your own product. The important thing that you must remember is choose a product or service that you enjoy selling it. If you try to do business that you dislike, you will find it hard or even impossible to become successful with that business.There are several home-based business types that you can choose. One of them is MLM businesses. In this type of business, you must build down lines like crazy. This can be considered as a perfect opportunity to earn extra cash for you. The Advantages of MLM business is because it is so easy to communicate with other people. You can start with your own friend. The other ways that you can do are contact any people you know by email and creating your own website. Some MLM companies will help you to contact the people you know and offer the opportunity to them. You don’t need to become an experienced salesperson to do this.When you try to join an MLM business, check the company background and make sure it is a reputable company. This will help you to avoid scams because you don’t want to waste your time and not getting any money.2. Manage Your TimeWhen running your home-based business, you must carefully manage your time. There are many people try to get success without doing anything or spend their time to build their business. This will not make you success at all. If you have a full-time job when you try to build your home-based business, you can spend only a few hours a week to work with your home-home=based business.After you decide about it, you can schedule it. Stick with schedule and be consistent. You must think that you have your very own business and you want it to be success.3. Prepare The Tools This is one of important aspect that you must consider. Prepare a computer with fast internet connection to help you do all the work smoothly. Write your working schedule in your desk to help you stick with it. Choose a place that can help you concentrate with your work and make you think clearly. A place with a lot of noise will make so much distraction for you.4. Money Investment and BudgetingMake sure you choose the right business for you before you invest some money. If you selling other company products, you can save more money, because you don’t need to create your own product. Be careful with your promotion effort. Calculate how much money you want to invest to promote the product with the potential profit you can get from it.Once you’ve chosen the right business to invest in, set up a budget carefully for your business. Get a new account with online payment processor. PayPal is the most popular online payment processor right now. If you apply with an online MLM company, find out how they will pay you and check their threshold.5. Use Your AbilityIf you start working with an MLM company or start a business selling your own products and services, remember to use all your abilities and skills. Maybe you’re a great speaker or a tech geek. Perhaps you know how to create and design a websites, make a banner, or do online promotions. Use your skills to maximize your home-based business profits.

Home Based Business: 3 Reasons More Single Parents Work Part Time From Home

If you’re a single parent, you face a variety of difficult challenges in everyday life. Not the least of which is making sure that you are able to provide a good home for you and your child. Unfortunately, in times of economic uncertainty such as that which we currently experience, steady jobs are in short supply, which can make things difficult. Home based business offers single parents an alternative option; they are able to work part time from home and build a financially secure future for themselves far superior to that which they could achieve otherwise. Here are some of the major advantages of owning home based businesses, which finding a way to work part time from home can help you achieve:• Flexible Scheduling – When you work part time from home, or own a home based business, you have the most flexible scheduling available on Earth, which can really help when it comes time to accommodate the kids. When you add in commute times as well as all the other time you will save as well, you end up having dozens of extra hours a week to spend with your family.• Save More Spend Less – Having a home business really enables you to spend less money and save more at the same time. When you work part time from home, you don’t need to pay for as much child care, transportation, sitting, or any of the other major expenses associated with working outside the home.• More Freedom – Perhaps the most important benefit of owning a home based business is the increased freedom that it brings you. Instead of wasting away a third of your life on mundane tasks at some dead end job, you can work part time from home instead on something you really love, and earn a better income in the process.So if you are a single parent and have been considering some alternative work arrangements, you should definitely consider looking into the benefits that doing work part time from home can bring to your life. If you are able to build a successful home based business, you will be in a great situation financially, and likely enjoy your own day to day life more as well. Between the financial incentives, the extra time, and the benefits of being truly free, it is hard to understand why everyone isn’t looking into their own home based business.

Ten Characteristics of Successful Real Estate Investors

In my years in the foreclosure and real estate business, I bet I’ve met over 1,500 investors. These people have been at all levels of knowledge and experience. Some have become amazingly successful, while others have lost steam or experienced drastic failure. I watched people who are successful and I’ve noticed that there are certain characteristics that come with real estate investing success.

Before I outline the specific characteristics that I’ve found in successful investors, let me define what I mean by “successful investor”. A successful investor is NOT the person who owns the most properties or does the most deals, or who has the most zeros in his net worth. A successful investor is simply a person who knows what he wants – financially, personally, and in terms of what he wants to contribute to the world – and uses real estate investing as a way to get those things. For a successful real estate investor, real estate is a means to an end, not an end unto itself. A successful real estate investor works to become as financially secure as is necessary for his peace of mind and who is happy and comfortable with his investment activities.

Successful investors I’ve known include high school dropouts and PhDs, men and women of all races and backgrounds, people born into poverty and people born with trust funds, guys who started investing at 18 and those who started in their 70′s, part-timers and full timers. There is no single trait that will predict success, but there are traits that I’ve found that all successful investor have in common. Here are a few:

1. Successful investors have a plan – and work it.

It’s pretty easy to work pen & paper and figure out how to become financially independent in 2 or five or ten years. It’s another thing to wake up each morning and do the things you need to do to get that done. Somehow, your real life always seems to get in the way of your long-term goals. Successful investors battle this dilemma to get caught up “in the thick of things” by creating not just a list of goals, but a daily plan for getting there. Every day Lisa and I start with a checklist of things we need to get done that day, but also things we want to get done. Some examples will include marketing, getting letters out, or meeting sellers. What it doesn’t include is swinging a hammer.

Plans are fluid, they are always changing. Just because I plan to do something does not mean I must accomplish that task. I must sometimes alter a plan to meet a new timeline or move its priority up or down on my list because of a new crisis.

The point is that it all starts with a written daily plan that leads me to the end result. My Daily Plan typically starts at 4:30 am and terminates at 8:00 p.m. 6 days per week. Of course there are days I start later and quit earlier, but that is a “normal” day for me.

2. Successful investors network.

Real estate investing must be the only profession in the country that has no accepted curriculum of formal training. Electricians have to be licensed, Realtors have to pass a test, Attorneys have to pass the BAR exam and so many other examples exist. Since your success as a real estate entrepreneur relies SOLEY on your ability to get reliable and practical information & advice when you need it, & since the local community college doesn’t teach you how to evict a non-paying tenant, the only answer is for you to find a mentor who can teach you the ropes from their learning from the school of hard knocks. The “been there done that” school can surely help you keep from skinning your own knees. As Ron Legrand would say, “Been to that seminar”. We are currently evicting a tenant buyer who gave us a $34,000 non-refundable option deposit. Our network brought us the attorney who is doing the eviction. Sure we have an attorney or two that can do the standard eviction. But with such a large non-refundable option deposit and a few other twists in the case, they were a little gun shy. The attorney handling the case now, is so assertive, that one of the plaintiff’s is having a difficult time finding an attorney to take his case. And that all came from networking!

Choose a mentor who is knowledgeable, motivating, accessible, and is known for high ethical and business standards. Don’t abuse the mentor you choose by constantly asking for information that you could get from a simple trip to the internet. And don’t forget to thank your mentor by taking him to lunch, giving him gift certificates to his favorite restaurant, and, of course, letting him in on good leads when you find them.

One of my personal mentors is in Upstate NY. We are in regular communication, we try to talk weekly. Sometimes there is a question I may have, but sometimes it is just a quick hello. On occasion I get a lead that is in his back yard. Don’t get me wrong I am not marketing in any way in his neighborhood much less his state! Even if I was located there, I wouldn’t market in his farm area. That just seems wrong in some way. So when a lead pops up in NY, I pass it on to him.

3. Successful Investors Cull Their Herds.

When I was a teenager, I spent time at a family friend’s farm in Wisconsin. Part of his business was the raising of hogs. The hogs were always giving birth, sometimes several times a week. The farmer killed the weak, undersized, and deformed piglets before they had a chance to grow up. I was horrified!

Most real estate investors look at selling their “dud” properties with the same horror with which I view the culling the herd of pigs. They will keep a property year after year despite that it loses money, doesn’t fit the business’s goals, is a management hassle or is in an area that has become a warzone. Successful investors review their portfolios at least once a year, and get rid of their loser properties before they can damage the profits from their winners.

Late last year I bought a condo and a 3 unit building from another investor, who is also Realtor and a Banker. He wrote us a nice healthy check to take over his properties “subject to”. I hated those properties. The tenants in the 3 unit were worthless. They had (I imagine still do) an attitude of entitlement. They were owed by society a place to live, yet didn’t feel that paying me was a priority. It took about 2 months of that attitude to wear on me. Sometimes tenants think they can steal your property and hold it hostage and get away with it for free! We got rid of those properties pretty fast. Dump the dogs. I have children to give me grey hair; I don’t want my properties to do it to me. You will buy properties you wish you never would have (everyone I know has), just recognize them, dump them (maybe for a loss), move on, and stop crying over spilled milk. As Ron Legrand says… Go milk another cow.

4. Successful Investors Protect Their Assets.

What’s the use of building a huge real estate portfolio if a single lawsuit could wipe it all out? Why bother to achieve financial independence if the bulk of your estate will end up in the hands of the government when you pass on? And why is it that the average real estate investor does absolutely nothing to reduce their #1 yearly expenses – taxes?

If you chose to make investing a career, you will be sued one day. It is not something I look forward to, but it is a reality. Even if you enter into an arrangement with perfect intentions and honorable heart, someone will view you in their sights as a payday. You don’t even have to do anything wrong to be sued! Arranging your affairs to protect your assets from creditors, plaintiffs, and the taxman is tedious, expensive, complicated, and time consuming. Yet every successful real estate investor takes the time and spends the money to do it, thus assuring that their hard-earned money stay theirs and not the victim of a law suit.

5. Successful investors have a code of ethics.

We tend to think of our investments in terms of properties and cash. In fact, the real estate business is about PEOPLE and RELATIONSHIPS. Without sellers, renters, contractors, agents, brokers and so many others, I would not have a real estate business. And since your business affects so many other people, I think it’s important to decide how you are going to treat the people you come into contact with each day.

I read an article recently about Donald Trump. When he was introduced to the article’s author, the first thing he did was compliment the author on something about his clothing. It made the author feels good about himself. Later on when the author saw Mr. Trump rip a contractor who was trying to unjustifiably raise his price, he saw both sides of Mr. Trump, the sweet and the bitter.

Since there is no formal code of ethics for real estate investors, it’s up to each of us to decide how we’ll behave toward customers, tenants, sellers, workers etc. Instead of using as a measure, “what can I get away with?”, or “what allows me to sleep at night?”, perhaps the proper question is, “what’s FAIR?”. Take the time to think about your activities and how they affect people that you come into contact with.

6. Successful Investors Involve Their Families.

I have not yet met a truly successful investor who did not have the support of his (or her) significant other. Because your real estate activities generally involve spending (or promising to pay) tens of thousands of dollars at a time, and since your business will take time away from your family, I think it’s critical to sit down with everyone who’s old enough to understand and explain what you’re doing, and why, and that you’d really like to have their help or at least their understanding.

If you have a spouse who’s reluctant to support you, try sending him or her to a beginner’s seminar. Some of their natural fears may be conquered by an understanding of what you’re attempting to do.

7. Successful Investors Treat Everyone Better than They Expect to Be Treated.

What goes around comes around. If you think that your reputation as a buyer or landlord doesn’t precede you, think again. When you go the extra mile to solve people’s problems, both profit and success will follow.

This week we received a caller from a seller. She was referred to us by a realtor whom I never heard of nor dealt with. How the realtor came up with my name, I have no idea. She told the seller, (her sister-in-law) that she heard we can do deals that others can’t. I didn’t buy the house, it is still listed on the MLS, but she and I will be in contact over time. When that listing expires, I will work the deal out so everyone wins. And when that happens, I will send the Realtor a nice gift certificate so she can take her husband out for a nice meal. I think she will remember us, don’t you?

Some of my best tenant buyers come from my current buyers. And I have had more than 1 seller refer a friend to us. That is the best marketing I can get from anyone. No amount of money can replace that type of marketing.

8. Successful Investors Stay Educated.

Since I began investing in real estate full time, Illinois has passed disclosures for people in foreclosure. There are other laws that exist: the federal government makes lead-based paint disclosures mandatory and expensive to ignore. Congress has rules for capital gains taxes. HIV-positive people have become a “protected class” in terms of fair housing. One city has ordinances that dictate what months that you cannot evict people who steal your property. Mortgage money for high-risk borrowers has become harder to get. The Fair Credit Reporting Act has been revised to include landlords. Things change. Your business may be affected. Stay on top of it and meld yourself.

9. Successful Investors Find The Money Before They Need it.

Imagine this scenario. You found a deal of a lifetime. A property worth 650,000.00 in great shape comes across your desk. It needs just a quick clean job and the grass to be cut. The seller is moving to another state to be with the spouse’s mom, who is going through some health issues. They are going….PERIOD, or the spouse made it clear that their future together would be quickly shortened by their lawyer. They only owe 300,000.00 and just need 50,000 to get moved and settled in. But they want the loan out of their name and they need the cash. Well, a subject to deal is not going to work now will it?

The 10 Myths Of Investing In Oil Wells

Oil seems to be on every bodies mind a lot lately both in the good sense and the bad sense, but regardless of what one thinks of the oil industry it is the #1 most efficient energy source in the world. And if we didn’t have it we would still be on horse and buggies or riding a bicycle to and from work.

The oil industry has always had a mystical aura about it in the fact that it just appears out of the ground and the thoughts of Jed shooting at the ground in the Beverly Hillbillies and it comes bubbling out of the ground. In reality this is not the case, but it does make for a good story.

I am not going to go into the many different reasons of why oil is a good thing, but I do want to address the bad publicity it has gotten in the area of risk that is involved when investing into the oil industry.

First I want to disclose that I come from a family that was born and raised in Southern Illinois who made their living working in the oil industry by drilling and servicing oil wells. I know people are never aware that there are such things as oil wells in Illinois, but there are approximately 650 oil fields and around 30,000 oil wells in the state. It is a dirty business and not very many people want to do this kind of work, but we are all thankful for the people who have chosen to work in this industry.

When most people think of investing in oil wells they think of dry holes and unscrupulous individuals like Snidely Whiplash hiding in the weeds waiting to prey on another suspecting investor with cash hanging out of their pocket. Again, another myth. The reality of investing in oil wells is that with this kind of investment you can at least visit the well site and see where your money was invested and talk to the operator who you invested with and find out the situation if it is either good or bad. Not so when an individual invests in the stock market or mutual funds. And that is why I wrote the article about the “10 Myths of Investing in Oil”

When people invest money they are either buying stocks or mutual funds or REITS or some other type of investments I can’t even pronounce and how do they do it? Either online with a computer screen in front of them or at an Edward Jones or Financial Institution’s office. And even then you don’t know what you are investing in. You get to meet a nice person to whom you write the check to, but that is about it. And is it risky? Can you say “Bernie Madoff?”

My point to the story is not to make light of investing in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or CD’s or other financial instruments. It is only to let people know that investing in oil is no more risky and sometimes less risky than the many different financial products that is touted by the many financial institutions.

Relax, enjoy the journey and hopefully I have shared some information that will benefit you in some way.

Myth #1 – You can lose all of your money.
Truth – It depends on how you want to look at your money. In reality the money that you invest into the oil business is different than the money you would invest into the stock market or the purchase of real estate. When someone invests into the stock market or the purchase of real estate they are investing with “post” tax dollars. Meaning they are using the money they have left over after paying the taxes that are owed on the money they earned to make the investment. But when someone invests into the drilling of an oil well they are given preferential treatment from the federal government in the form of Tangible and Intangible investment allowances. What this means is that if you invested $25,000.00 into the drilling of an oil well you would be allowed to write off or deduct the Intangible amount of your investment off of your annual gross income 60% to 75% of your investment could be written off against your personal income) of the year you made the investment. In essence you could never lose all of your money, because it never was all your money in the first place. The government was going to get their part of your income regardless whether you invested into an oil well or not. Generally they were going to get between 35% to 40% of your income anyway. So when you invest into an oil well you are really using some of your money and part of the government’s money.
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Myth #2 – It is more profitable to buy stock in Exxon or a major oil company from my stock broker than to invest in an oil well.
Truth – When you purchase stock from a stock broker or online in essence you are buying tiny piece of a huge corporation with millions of many different pieces. There is some comfort in knowing that it is a large corporation with holdings all over the world, but it also comes with a huge overhead to support. When one purchases stock in such a large corporation with their large overhead it takes a lot of movement in the market for one to make a substantial profit, plus you are buying the stock with “post” tax dollars so you only getting to invest 60% to 70% of the income you had earned. You have already given up a large part of your buying power before you even start. When you invest into an oil well it is called “Direct Participation” and that is what is happening. You are investing directly either into one oil well or a group of oil wells. Your investment is more focused on the production of oil and not on the running of a huge corporation. Your investment will have the chance to grow faster and larger when it is focused instead of thrown into a huge group where it is used to run the machine.
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Myth # 3 – Most oil wells are a dry hole. They only find oil in about 1 out 10 wells drilled.
Truth – There are different kinds of drilling when it comes to finding oil. The type that most people have heard of is “Wildcatting”. It is what was talked about on the TV shows of Dallas and other movies about oil wells where the guy goes out into the middle of nowhere and when he is down and out on his last dollar hits a gusher of a well and it blows up in the air and everyone lives happily ever after like the Beverly Hillbillies. In situations like that where one is drilling in the middle of no known oil production the odds of getting a dry hole are probably more like 25 to 1 that you will get a dry hole.

The other type of drilling that is done and has a much higher success rate is “Developmental Drilling”. When you are doing developmental drilling you are either drilling next to or very near to existing oil wells or oil fields. This type of drilling is highly successful and can sometimes have a 100% success rate. When investing into an oil well be sure to clarify if the investment is a wildcat or a developmental drilling project. Chances are if you are investing into a developmental drilling project you odds of hitting oil and making money are going to be very good.
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Myth # 4 – If someone offers you an opportunity to invest into an oil well it is a scam.
Truth – The best way to find out if you are getting a good investment opportunity is to do the research. Generally that is why people buy stocks and investments from a stock brokerage house or online service they have heard of, because they are not really interested in doing the research. An investment representative will ask them their tolerance for risk and take their money and invest it for them. Minimal risk. Minimal return.

When in investing into an oil well do the research. A for real oil drilling and exploration company will invite you to the drilling site and explain the risks to you first hand. They will allow you to hear what the geologist has to say in regard to whether the well is going to be commercial or not in his opinion. Legitimate oil operators don’t shy away from the investor who wants to learn more about the process of drilling and producing oil wells. They welcome the questions and comments and it allows you to get directly to the people who are making the oil well investment decisions and thereby increasing your knowledge of the oil industry and reducing your risk.
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Myth #5 – I know that the only reason I am asked to invest into an oil well is because they know it isn’t going to be a good well.
Truth – If anyone really knew how much oil an oil well would make before it was drilled do you really think they would be asking you to invest? Nobody knows. And I mean nobody knows how much an oil well is going to produce. When a project is based on developmental drilling it is easier to get an idea and a possible range, but even then nobody ever really knows how much an oil well will make. All oil wells are different. They can be right next to each other and be totally different. And that is why oil operators share the wealth and the risk when drilling. Because of the unknown. Even the largest companies in the world like Exxon, Shell or BP share the risk when they are drilling new projects, because they too know that there is an unknown factor when drilling oil wells and it is better to have a piece of a lot of oil wells than have all of your eggs in basket per se with just one oil well.
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Myth #6 – Investing into an oil well is easy, but it is after they start the well is when it gets expensive.
Truth – Very rarely are the carrying costs to maintain and operate an existing oil well excessive. The exception is rare. The cost to prepare, drill and complete and oil well are expensive, but if an oil well is completed properly the cost to maintain and operate are almost minimal. There are some wells that may go a year or beyond before ever needing any additional maintenance. Only when you have factors such as corrosive fluids or other chemical reactions down hole do you encounter excessive maintenance costs. It is rare that you will have excessive mechanical costs after an oil well has been completed. Your oil operator is also your partner when you are involved in direct participation oil drilling and they do not to be burdened with high carrying costs either. You can be assured they have already factored carrying costs into the equation, because they want the oil well to be a viable investment too.
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Myth #7 – Drilling oil wells sound dangerous and could have a lot of liability and I don’t want to become part of the liability factor.
Truth – Investing into oil wells is like when you buy stock. You are only liable for the amount of your investment. In the stock market if the company you invested in goes broke or has a product liability issue you are not affected by these issues other than your investment may go down or become worthless. The same is true when investing in an oil well where you have an operating agreement between yourself and the operator stating that you are not liable for any actions of the oil well and the operator is assuming the responsibility and liability. It is like getting the best of both worlds. You are on the ground so to speak in the front row watching your investment, but without any of the liability.
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Myth # 8 – Oil wells don’t have a very long life span.
Truth – Oil wells have a very long life span. Oil wells have a tendency to begin with a higher rate of production, because in the beginning you are letting off the pressure that has been captured underneath the earth’s surface for millions of years and over time it is like putting a very tiny tube into the side of huge tire full of air whereby it eventually slows down to a slow stream and continues to blow out air. Oil wells are similar. After the initial pressure has been released there is still oil in place and some wells will continue to produce 20, 30, 40 & 50 years under their own pressure. Some oil wells will need to get a push later in life with an operator injecting water or some form of gas to give the oil a push and help it come out. But generally an oil well has a long life. The production won’t be at a very high daily rate, but it will keep going and going and going like the Ever Ready Battery Bunny.
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Myth # 9 – If the price of oil goes down and the well is a low producer I won’t ever get my money back.
Truth – Everything in life is cyclical. Things go up and thing and things go down. And the price of oil is not different. However, in today’s world the market place is different. We now have 1 Billion people in India with a 300 Million middle class that is evolving and we have 1.1 Billion people in China that has 300 Million middle class that is evolving there too and are consuming more and more energy to help their countries grow and prosper. Plus like the stock market oil wells are known to be long performers and continue to produce and give an economical return to their investors. In the stock market if the sales of a company should tumble and go into the negative column as it did with General Motors and all of the investors money was wiped out with the company filing bankruptcy due to low sales. In the situation of an oil well if the market price should drop below the amount needed to be profitable you can turn the well off and wait until the market price returns. And it always cycles back around again to profitability in the oil business. You find after doing the math on the amount of money you have invested that over time before factoring in your tax benefits that oil investments generally have a very high rate of return.
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Myth # 10 – If I invest in an oil well I will be stuck with it forever and won’t be able to sell my interest.
Truth – An interest in an oil well is sellable, because it is based on cash flow. Just like a stock is priced based on earnings times a multiple an oil interest is the same way. The longer you own an oil interest and the more established the production becomes the easy it is to sell, because it has a proven cash flow record just like a stock in a company would have.
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Bonus Myth # 11 – They have found all of the oil there is to be found so why waste the time to drill?
Truth – It is believed that all of the big oil or easy oil has been found in the Continental United States excluding the offshore oil which is yet to be discovered. But big oil and new oil is expensive. Because it is in hard to get to places and it is much deeper than the oil found in the past it is much more expensive and therefore it would cost a private investor considerably more to invest in this type of oil exploration.

But there are thousands of proven oil fields in the United States with oil reserves in place that have been sitting idle for many years. Fields that were abandoned when the price of oil had dropped and before new technology was invented to get the oil out with reduced costs and at today’s prices make the developmental drilling procedures of an existing oil field very profitable and cost effective in today’s market place.

How To Succeed At Online Product Creation The Easy Way

Product creation could be a frightening subject for a lot of Internet marketers to face. Some folks who get in the game with the intention of making a full time income are completely ignorant as to how an online business operates. One of the most profitable ways to create online cash is by creating a product that others are happy to pay for.

Product creation is legitimate method of generating money through internet marketing but many entrepreneurs get it wrong. They start by imitating their Internet marketing gurus by creating information products on Internet marketing in hopes of getting rich the way their heroes did. The problem is that they usually don’t know what they are doing and enter a highly competitive niche with very little marketing experience or connections.

Here are a few tips for effective product creation that may help you get on the right track:
Start by finding a profitable niche with low to moderate competition. If you conduct some rudimentary market research and keyword research, you’ll find many opportunities in areas that will surprise you. Amazon and eBay are two great places to brainstorm for product ideas.

Developing Your Product does not have to be a difficult project. You can find experts in the right field for your niche and pay them to write the material while an artist designs the packaging and website or blog. You can outsource the entire product creation part of the project after you conduct the research and testing to ensure profitability.

Sales and marketing strategies should be created while developing the product and learning about the market. Some experienced marketers use pay per click to drive traffic to their offer page; some folks outsource the entire marketing campaign to affiliates through ClickBank or other affiliate programs.

Product creation does not need to be hard, particularly when the merchandise is electronic. E-books, videos, audio and multi-media products sell very well. They are distributed immediately to customers electronically. Once you have a good feel for a niche market, try to service your customers with associated products and upgrades. If you want to earn money online through product creation, you must understand supply and demand. The majority of new online marketers fail miserably because they go after highly competitive markets or forget to research their chosen niche properly. You have to create your products according to the needs, wants and desires of the prospective customers.