When shopping for auto insurance, be sure to compare apples to apples. Decide on the coverage amounts and options you’d like to have, and compare those same options and amounts with the various companies to get an accurate comparison. When deciding on coverage amounts, you may want to speak to an insurance agent who you can trust to squawk you what you need, and also what you don’t need in an insurance policy. The amount of liability insurance you need is related to your income and assets, so there is no such thing as one size fits all insurance coverage. It’s important to acquire out what your needs are so that your insurance policy protects your assets in the event of a liability claim being filed.

Also check the company’s claims process. Find out if they have a 24 hour claims department. Net out if they have a local claims office. If not, repairs will take longer in the event of an accident. Avoid insurance brokers, because they add on a hefty broker fee of anywhere from $75-$200 to your policy. Look for companies that provide a local agent or representative who will personally handle your claim. Check to see if the insurance company will allow repairs to be made at the facility of your choice, or if you will be forced to choose from their approved list of repair centers. Determine if you need to add towing or roadside assistance to your insurance policy, and also if you would need a rental car in the event of a claim. Some companies include these services in the stamp of the policy, and others charge an extra fee. Be sure that you know what the charges are before selecting a policy.

When it comes to paying your bill, some companies offer a discount for paying the whole term upfront. Some companies may offer discounts for being a good driver, having more than one car, or having another policy such as a homeowner’s policy with the same company. Be clear to find out about all the discounts available to you and which ones you may qualify for to ensure you are getting the best price possible. Discounts may also apply if you are employed by certain companies or have a profession such as a teacher, nurse, or law enforcement officer, so be certain to check with your insurance company for a complete list of discounts.

Once you have gathered quotes from several companies, take some time to compare your results. Carefully review the coverage, charges, claims procedures, company ratings, etc. After you have reviewed all of the information, you can make an educated choice and pick a company that will put you money and also be trustworthy.

A Life of Its Own

In many ways a city is a living entity. It is continually evolving in feature, landscape and character. Changes in the “econo-industrial” landscape of a particular region are not peculiar and when they happen over a long period of time people rarely take notice. If brought on too rapidly however, they can cause a kind of socioeconomic culture shock.

Imagine a tree growing from a sapling over the course of several decades. Passing by the tree on a regular basis, most people wouldn’t pay noteworthy attention to it because the changes occur so slowly. Now imagine if that tree were suddenly hit by lightning – forever altering its appearance.

It’s the same tree, but starts growing in different directions. The changes in the tree’s appearance and character stand out more in this case because they happened so speedy.

That’s how a city evolves as well and that is exactly where the Miami Valley is today – evolving. It’s unbiased happening more quickly than people would like and it affects more than just one industry or town.

The Dayton and surrounding regions have been dependent on manufacturing for over a century and have now been thrust into a rapid state of change. Oddly enough, that change did not come as quick as most people would like to believe.

More than two decades ago Dayton’s largest manufacturing employer, General Motors, was experiencing similar problems to those going on today. In 1989, author Maryann Walker published a book on the subject called, “Rude Awakening – The Rise, Fall and Struggle for Recovery of General Motors.”

With a title that sounds like it could have been printed last week, Walker’s book documents how the auto maker nearly collapsed once before because of a company culture and operating methods that made no adjustment for changing times.

She even refers to GM of the 1980′s as being a microcosm of American industry, a faulty and outdated business model that was copied by subsidiaries and suppliers. “The hard reality of General Motors,” Walker wrote, “is that its original systems have been designed for conditions that no longer exist.”

The company underwent a massive reorganization that began in 1984, but the damage had already been done. Walker wrote, “The bureaucracy and outdated organizational structure had become so strangled that it was virtually impossible to achieve a cooperative working environment.” Since division heads could not agree on the same course of action, most of what was wrong went uncorrected. The company started closing factories in the Dayton area even help then.

Of course, GM is not the only manufacturer to leave. Mead Paper and the printing plant for McCall’s magazine left the city years ago. Standard Register, which develops software for automotive dealers, is now cutting its workforce as well.

In a final blow to the Dayton area, National Cash Register (NCR) has announced after 125 years it is leaving the city altogether. In the early1970′s NCR discharged hundreds of workers when it shut down most of its Dayton factory operations.

Looking wait on, it is easy to glance that companies have closed and people have lost jobs before, but Dayton and its neighboring communities are still here. What makes the current situation so unique and difficult is that entire industries are changing all at once. From Wall Street to Main Street, the recession affects people differently.

Those who own car dealerships, for example, have a unique perspective on the situation. While they may not employ as many people as a factory, thousands of dealer franchise owners are being forced into a situation from which they may never recover.

Not Your Father’s Oldsmobile

Actually, Oldsmobile is gone now, so are Pontiac and many other American-made models. The landscape of the automotive sales market in the Miami Valley has undergone some earth-shaking alterations the past year. Dealerships that have been in business for more than 30 years are now scrambling for survival due to unprecedented decreases in sales and forced closures resulting from the bankruptcies of GM and Chrysler.

Unfortunately, several Dayton state dealerships, including Harmon Cadillac and Salem Chrysler Jeep, made the list of thousands slated for closure by both companies. General Motors has provided a “wind down” period to allow dealerships the opportunity to return stock and close down their businesses in an orderly fashion. Chrysler, however, is doing things differently, as Salem Chrysler Jeep owner Mary Kay Zappia learned during a conference call on May 14 when she was informed hers was one of the dealerships to be closed.

More than 40 years ago, Mel Zappia and his wife Mary Kay, freshly transplanted to the Dayton area from DeMoines, Iowa, set up shop to sell cars. Though Mel has passed on, Mary Kay and their two sons, John and Dan, have carried on the family tradition at the same location – 5010 Salem Avenue.

“They notified us that on the 9^th of June that the judge ruled to accept the deletion of 789 dealers throughout the country,” Zappia said, commenting also that she has had to discharge a few workers due to budget cuts. “We have had customers in here with tears in their eyes. Many of them wrote letters to the judge before he ruled on the list of affected dealers.”

With no evidence to the contrary, Zappia strongly believes that the closures were, “arbitrarily chosen by President Obama’s auto industry task force,” rather than having been based on the sales records of the individual dealerships. She is not isolated in her suspicions.

On June 12, the president of Chrysler, James Press, came under fire by members of congress in a special hearing to learn how the company selected the dealerships that were to be closed. Members of the special committee questioned Press alongside GM’s CEO, Fritz Henderson, regarding the methods used to determine which franchises would be terminated.

Congressional leaders like Peter Welch, a Democratic representative from Vermont, argued that the selections were arbitrary with little or no opportunity for appeal. James Press disagreed stating that the selection of dealerships was, “not made by the White House, it was made by our company, Chrysler.” Either blueprint, the result is the same – the closing of thousands of businesses around the country and more unemployed workers.

Zappia noted that regardless of this news, her business is still open for pre-owned vehicle sales and non-warranty repair work for all makes and models. “We are losing the Chrysler franchise,” she said, “but we’ll keep doing what we’re doing until we execute a decision where to hold things from here.”

The Zappia family is not alone, however, literally thousands of other franchises have yet to shut down and General Motors and Chrysler are not finished yet. Discussions are still going on about more factory and dealer closures, as well as the condition of retiree benefits. Plus, there is still the question of exactly what these companies will look like on the other side of the bankruptcy proceedings now that Uncle Sam is a major stock holder.

Out of the Frying Pan

During the 1980′s GM, Ford and Chrysler were lagging unhurried import car companies whose market for small, more fuel-efficient cars was growing in America. In Dayton, GM workers had to deal with the frustration of layoffs and call backs on a regular basis in an effort to save money in the short term.

The company would lay off 30 to 40 people at once and then call them back to work some time later. Workers had no idea when a layoff would occur and when it finally came, all they could do was wait. Journeyman machine repairman and builder Marty Walling got tired of waiting.

Walling started out as an apprentice at the Inland Division of General Motors in 1977. In the 1980′s he was doing well, but experiencing consistent layoffs.

“I got tired of the layoffs after the third time,” Walling said. “I had always dabbled in building and construction, so I left GM in 1982 and went to work for a builder in Beavercreek who was putting up a 126-unit condo development.”

“We were the new product in town so we were only building two or three units for the first couple of years,” Walling said. “But then it got to the point where we couldn’t acquire them fast enough and we finally ran out of land.” The company then purchased other property for development and did some commercial construction.

“Builders got lackadaisical because anything we wrote at the time we got a contract on, which was probably because of how money came so easily,” Walling recalled. “Anyone could get a mortgage for anything back then. They were making loans on the hoods of cars.” But that wave would die out soon enough for many in the business.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in May of this year 491,000 new single-family homes were completed, a 9.4 percent drop from April. Walling may have escaped the final collapse of General Motors, but is he worse off now as a home builder? He doesn’t think so.

Most builders agree that the higher end market ($350,000 and up) is mild selling, albeit not as it was before. “Today our company’s target market is the empty-nester,” Walling said, “with prices ranging anywhere from $170,000 to around $200,000, and 80 to 90 percent are cash buyers.”

Realtors insist it is a buyers’ market, but it is unruffled harder to get a mortgage than it was three years ago and that creates a spot for the empty-nester looking to trade up. “Even though these people can pick up a mortgage, someone in that stage in their life is not willing to do that if they can’t get a buyer for their current home.”

One thing obviously affects the other, but the hope is that as more securely-based mortgages are written, the system will stabilize itself. At least that’s the idea. Buying power is not just a limitation of home sales, however. It also affects local retailers.

Retail Space Available

It is common knowledge that retail sales have fallen substantially over the last couple of years. Cable TV news programs are loaded with stories about the latest retailer to go out of business or file bankruptcy, the most recent being Eddie Bauer.

It only stands to reason, after all, that when times get tough, people consume less – good? Not necessarily, according to Pamela Cochran, property manager at Town & Country Shopping Center in Kettering. “People are spending their money more wisely and Kettering is very trusty,” Cochran said.

Opened in 1951, Town & Country has the reputation of being the first shopping center, even among those in the industry. Cochran has been the property manager for the last 16 years. “Town & Country is operated by the third generation of the family that started it,” Cochran said. “It’s in an excellent location, in what is considered to be Kettering’s downtown area.”

“We have 41 tenants right now, about 75% of our capacity,” she added, “with two pending sales.” Walking through Town & Country, however, shoppers may notice a number of unoccupied shops, but not for the reasons one might assume.

About every 10 years, the owners of the facility make changes to the building to update it wherever possible. This year, they had planned to remove the front of the building and compose Town & Country an open-air shopping center. Two issues prevented the renovations and the economy came in second.

The number one reason for scrapping the project came from the community. “Our owners asked the community to tell us what they concept of the change and they asked us to keep it fair like it is.” That’s exactly what they intend to do, which actually worked in their favor, financially.

As the economy continued to dip, it made more sense to do some upgrades, rather than spend a great deal of money on changes that the buying public did not want. But, anticipating that the owners were going through with the open-air understanding, some tenants chose to move or expand elsewhere, leaving leisurely empty stores.

People stop spending when they have nowhere to spend or when they have no job to provide them with the money to do so. With large-scale employers leaving or reducing their workforce, municipal governments are seeing a loss that goes beyond retail sales figures.

Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin agrees that more must be done to retain the businesses and jobs already. “Our biggest loss is from income taxes,” McLin said.

“In Ohio, the major revenue stream for municipalities comes from the income tax of those who work there.” When General Motors and NCR left the spot, Dayton lost $2.5 million in income tax revenue.

It Is All Academic

What happens when the recession hits someone who has yet to begin a career? The Class of 2009 will certainly have a challenge as they go out into the workforce.

Dr. Jeannette Davy is a professor of business management at Wright State University’s Raj Soin College of Business. She believes that creativity will be the secret of their success. “Graduates will need to be more creative in packaging themselves when applying for the jobs that do exist and are being created,” Davy said. “While new graduates don’t have the experience in most cases, they have an advantage in that they may be cheaper to hire.”

The problem comes when people who have been without jobs for months or are now faced with long stretches of unemployment are willing to win jobs at lower pay. “Fewer of the high paying jobs in aged industries exist,” Davy remarked. “New graduates are competing with people with much more experience who have lost their jobs.

Davy continued, “In order to find jobs, more and more of our graduates will have to leave the residence. This will further contribute to the brain drain Ohio is experiencing.” That means graduates who want to stay in the area must be willing to make concessions – like slightly lower salaries or reduced benefits – which creates its own paradox. In order to entice a new graduate to stay in Dayton, employers would have to do just the opposite by offering better money and benefits that their competition.

To give graduates somewhere to work, city governments are trying to convince businesses to stay in the Dayton area, and even lure in some new ones. “The way we’re going to get out of this is one job at a time,” said Dayton Mayor McLin.

She and other Miami Valley leaders are working to provide resources and support to small, high-tech startups. In theory, several smaller companies mean less risk to the overall economy than a few large employers – especially if some of them should fail. But there is still remarkable to be done.

Is it tough out there? Yes, but it will get better. Are we there yet? Not quite. The Miami Valley still has a righteous bit of growing to do. Think of these changes not as “recovery,” but as growth or evolution.

It’s unbiased the next step in the life of the historic Gem City and all of her neighbors who depend on each other. In the end, it will be the actions of the people, not the wavering economy, that determine the overall effects of a difficult situation.

So, where do we go from here? Gain out in Fraction III of our series, “Economic Transition in the Miami Valley.”

Here’s what you need to look for in a vehicle insurance rating when shopping for auto insurance:

Things to Judge in Vehicle Insurance Ratings
As a consumer, it’s a good idea to recall a close look at more than just customer satisfaction ratings and read reviews about different insurance companies. The most well-known things to judge when comparing different auto insurance providers and reviewing vehicle insurance ratings are:

- Types and level of coverage

- Costs and pricing

- Number of claims successfully processed

- Billing and payment handling

How to Find Vehicle Insurance Ratings
There are several ways you can track down vehicle insurance ratings of different car insurance providers. Some of the easiest ways to settle vehicle insurance ratings are to:

1. Review the number of complaints against the car insurance provider. Your state’s Department of Insurance will publish the number of complaints made against almost all car insurance providers in your station. Hold a look at the “consumer complaints ratio” that tells you how many people have made a formal complaint against the company after filing their claim. This can be a good plan to screen prospective car insurance providers.

2. Look at J.D. Power and Associates ratings. J.D. Power and Associates is one company that rates different car insurance providers based on customer satisfaction, coverage options, pricing and how the company handles claims. The ratings are on a one to five point scale, and each year J.D. Power and Associates recognizes a single company with a Customer Satisfaction award. The company publishes vehicle insurance ratings for some of today’s leading providers, and these ratings can help you make a wise decision.

3. Consider Standard & Poor (S&P) and A.M. Best ratings. Both of these agencies publish ratings about the financial strength of different vehicle insurance providers. Gauging the company’s financial strength will determine if the company will be able to pay out a claim. Consider companies that only have a higher-than-average rating.

Reviewing vehicle insurance ratings of different auto insurance providers can benefit you form the most informed decision when selecting car insurance coverage. Judge all of these attributes and ratings when shopping for car insurance so that you can find a car insurance company that best meets your needs.

Sources:
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/insurance/articles/46058/article.html
http://www.jdpower.com/insurance/ratings/auto-insurance-provider-ratings

1. Am I a Safe Driver?

Before considering purchasing auto insurance you should look at your driving recount, including past speeding tickets or other violations. If you are a safe driver then gawk for insurance companies that offer discounts for safe driving.

2. What Coverage Do I Need?

This is entirely individual and the coverage will depend on your needs; however the one policy that should not be cut back no matter what vehicle you have is bodily injury coverage, this can save you thousands if you are ever involved in an accident.

3. Am I Paying Too Much

When most people shop for car insurance they are looking to change their current opinion. Shopping around will help you assign money on your premium and may even get you a better policy.

4. Do I Have Good Grades?

Many of us are either students in high school or college, or have younger drivers in the family will save hundreds on their premium for a 3.0 or higher GPA.

5. Have You Taken Defensive Driving Classes?

Defensive driving classes are inexpensive or free in certain areas (check local listings), they not only help you become a generous driver, but they will cleave your premium by a reasonable amount each year.

6. What Coverage Will I Pick Up?

Different insurance companies offer different coverage, this relates to #2 on this list however you should look at what is actually being covered. Many people will think they are fully covered but when they file a claim they are sorely disappointed to find out they were not covered.

7. How Hard is it to File a Claim With This Insurance Company?

Researching each and every company you want to give your business to and ogle at prices as well as their customer service. Customer service is critical for auto insurance, so make sure this is on the top of your list.

8. Do I Need a Comprehensive or Collision Plan?

Cars that are older and do not have a high residual value would be foolish to get 100% coverage on. You will kill up spending more than you would if you got into an accident on the insurance premiums; however this does mean you should get insurance to cover an accident for the other member involved in the accident. High value cars should get the best protection as they have the most to lose.

9. How Much Can You Afford?

This one may seem rather obvious but do not consume more than you can afford. Shop around to see if you really are getting the best coverage for the least amount of money.

10.Does the Insurance Screen the Windshield?

Windshield can be easily broken from a kicked up rock on the highway or from hail; some insurance companies do not over windshield coverage which can be a big and costly disadvantage.

Sources:

www.edmunds.com

Their tool sets and boxes usually include your basic hand tool sets like for instance, sockets needed for tune-ups, wrenches, and screw drivers. Auto mechanics are very touchy when it comes to their tools. Just the idea of borrowing one of them to put on your wiper blades outside for instance, would cause a long speech about how they lost a tool once or how much they cost to replace if you don’t return it. So if you are thinking about running inside the repair shop and asking to borrow a tool be ready for a good ear beating!

The specialty tools needed to repair cars are very expensive. For instance, they need a special tool just to rob up dropped bolts and nuts. Keep in mind that they purchase these tools so they can make their repairs go by smoother and be more efficient. Speed is critical to them and they know what kind of specialty tools that are required to get the job done. If a tool is borrowed and not returned when the technician needs it, he or she gets very upset! That’s when you hear all of the profanity being shouted and items being thrown around.

Most of the electronic monitoring equipment and scan tools are supplied by the shop owner. These are the very expensive tools that are being ragged. Some technicians purchase their own because they get tired of waiting for the others to finish using them on another vehicle. Electronic hand held tools such as scanners and gauges are kept usually in a locked atmosphere because the auto repair shops are always being broken into.

The prices they pay for what they need are ridiculous. For instance a 3/8 drive ratchet at Wal-Mart would cost around ten bucks or so. The snap on brand they buy from the snap on tool guy would cost around eighty or ninety bucks! But also support in mind that this one ratchet is very durable and has a life time warranty.

First off, you need to realize that the majority of insurance agent positions are commission based. This means that you are paid 100% commission with almost no monetary investment by the insurance company. Make sure to ask if they offer a base pay until you gain off your feet.

Also, you need to know that you will have to obtain your insurance licenses which can cost between $250 and $500 for the study materials and taking the exams. If you are working with a life insurance company then you will most likely need your Life, Health and Accident insurance licenses. If you are looking at joining a bigger company like Farmers or State Farm, you can plan on getting your property and casualty license as well (more like $400-$500 with the life and H&A).

If the company you are joining requires you start your own business as an extension of the company then you can look at investing between $1,000 and $5,000 to get your business started. It is important to exercise as much time as possible marketing (between 70 and 90 percent of the time you work). This means talking to people, via the phone, in person, direct mail, cold calling, emailing, anything you can think of to get your business name out to the public.

Some important questions to ask during your interview:

1) Does your company offer a base pay?
2) How noteworthy is it?
3) Will I need to retract my own leads?
4) Do I space my have appointments?
5) Will I be cold calling people?
6) How much money can I expect to invest in this job?
7) What hours will I be expected to work?
Is there a quota? monthly? weekly?
9) What is your bonus structure for top performers?
10) What is your retention rate for agents? (important to ask in order to find out how quickly they are hiring and firing people)

IMPORTANT: Effect Definite TO DO AS MUCH RESEARCH AS POSSIBLE ON THE COMPANIES THAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT WORKING FOR SO YOU DON’T REGRET YOUR DECISION IN JOINING THEM.

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INTRODUCTION

Do you want to work from home? Good! I am going to tell you how to do it, no money involved, no commitments of any sort. I don’t even need to get an email from you to say you are interested! You will need a bank yarn ( or someone else’s bank account, by their permission of course!), access to a computer with internet, an email address, and willpower!

If you have a little time to spare, let me take you by the hand and show you how to make some money right here, lawful now. If not, copy down this website address and come help later on when you have a little more time. You could also print this whole thing out and then read through it in between the water fights, dirty diapers, and dishes. Hey, put it under the cabinet in the bathroom, consume it for reading materials during those very few moments of peace (if you’re lucky that is!).

If you don’t have time right now, no problem. I would advise that you select and copy this whole article, then paste it into a WordPad document and do it to your computer. You can reach back to it later on that way on your own time, without worry of finding this right website in the future.

I am here today to spread the word, to help out all you ladies out there (and men, too) who want to do just like me! I am not hired by anyone to do this, its just me and my outdated home computer, typing away as the kids play hide and seek under my feet and whack each other off the bed behind me. Oh yeah, lots of fun. And if you are laughing right now, then you relate!

WHAT CAN SOMEONE LEARN FROM THIS ARTICLE?

This is a very long article, so please bear with me. But once you get through this not only will you know how to make money from home, but you will be able to inaugurate doing it IMMEDIATELY! You will not become a millionaire, not by any means. Well, I take that back, I guess that some miracle of some sort could happen where you find this amazing niche and start racking in the moo-lah. If so, hey, message me and let me celebrate with you! But seriously, if you want to make a little money to supplement your family, especially in these hard economic times, then I am giving you all the information you need to do so!

I am going to tell you about five different programs that I know for a fact, from personal experience, will earn you money. The earning potentials are “supposedly” unlimited, but really, its more to do with how much or how runt time you have.

Here are the five ways: (and I will take you by the hand to tell you how to do each one TODAY!)

1) Article Writing

2) Hand-Made Items and Services

3) Auctions

4) Ebay Sales (and related sales sites)

5) Mystery Shopping

What I will fraction with you in each of these five categories barely scratches the surface. I am only going to talk about what I know personally, from my own experiences. What I tell you is proven because I have done it, time and time again. Oh I have hit some chug holes along the way, for sure, and I’m not even going to start on those. Once you secure your feet wet you may find other opportunities too!

WARNING! DO NOT PAY A PENNY TO ANYONE TO LEARN HOW TO WORK FROM HOME!!!

By the contrivance, don’t bother with those things called paid surveys, paid emails, or get paid to look at advertisements. You’ll roam your wheels for months and yet never earn enough money for one ten dollar check! Oh, and NEVER PAY ANYBODY ANYTHING FOR ANY WORK-FROM -HOME stuff. Don’t even waste your time with any “informational seminars” because all they are going to do is sell you software or some sort of sales gimmick with no guarantees, and you are on your own anyways. More than likely THEY are the ones who are “working from home”, taking your money and then giving you the exact same information that I am giving you. The difference is that mine is FREE (haha….. aw, golly gee whiz, am I taking away money from the scam artists? Well, isn’t that a shame!).

So, without further delay, lets start the instructions!!!

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CONTENTS

PRELIMINARY SETUPS (of vital importance!)

ARTICLE WRITING

HAND-MADE ITEMS AND SERVICES

AUCTIONS

E-BAY SALES (AND RELATED SALES SITES)

MYSTERY SHOPPING

(Just scroll down through the article to the section you wish to see.)

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PRELIMINARY SETUPS…..

There are a few things that you will need for all four of these opportunities. Lets get them all taken care of first and foremost.

1) You will need to have some sort of paper to write on, or at least something that will keep reliable records. If that reliable source is as a note on your cell phone, as a stick um on the bathroom mirror, or whatever, as long as it works then go for it! It is important to have this note-taking item beside you, because you will need to write down websites, passwords, user names, URL’s, and so forth. If you lose this information, its really hard to recover it!

2) You will need an email account. If you don’t already have one, go to yahoo.com and sign up for a free one. Do NOT pay for their “premium” service. Its not necessary! WRITE DOWN YOUR NEW EMAIL ADDRESS AND PASSWORD! And in actuality, even if you already have another email account, I suggest setting up a yahoo one because it is free, it has nothing to do with your personal internet subscriptions, you can check it anywhere, people worldwide study yahoo, it is easy to use, and you can use it exclusively for business purposes if you like for easy records keeping.

3) Gather your banking information. If you are using somebody else;s account, you will need to score a blank check from them, their account number, and of course their permission. Make SURE that you communicate thoroughly with them that they may be receiving money into their anecdote on your behalf. If you are using your own account, bring to the computer a blank check and the name, address, and phone number of your banking institution.

4) SET UP A PAYPAL ACCOUNT

Paypal is an online bank, basically. It is a go between for you and your affiliate marketing company. Paypal gives you a debit card, which you can either use at a store or anywhere that cards are taken, or you can use in any ATM and pull out cash. Paypal has numerous safety features in station to keep thieves from hacking into your myth and stealing your money too! If you haven’t heard of paypal, let me tell you, I Worship it! I have been with Paypal since 2005. I have had no worries whatsoever. They also have a live person abet team that is so nice, courteous, and VERY thorough, even better than my local bank to be objective. Most affiliate marketing companies will want to pay you with paypal because it is so much easier than a paper check, its immediate to them AND immediate to you, and its got great immediate records keeping for you and for them. You can also use paypal to accept payments from your own customers like for sales and stuff. Paypal is also used by other companies, but I will get to that later.

Anyways, if you don’t have an account with them, here is a link to set one up:

https://www.paypal.com/us/mrb/pal=YQCHRWWRJKH8E

When you go to this website, it is going to say something about being able to accept credit cards. Just disregard that, because at this point it doesn’t apply to you anyways. Maybe if you get to be a big whig online business person, it will, but for now its not important. Scroll down and hit “Sign up today”

On the next screen, you will have three options. The first is a “personal” account, the second is a “premier”, and the third is a “business” anecdote. Sign up for the “Premier” account. The premier paypal account will give you a free debit card, and will allow you to receive money for your “services rendered”, which is what the affiliate marketing calls your advertising efforts. You will also need this to receive payments from article writing, customers on ebay, and other sources. Hit the “Premier Memoir” button.

On the next screen, you will be asked for personal information, as in any perform. It will also ask you for your banking account information. You can use somebody else’s epic if you want to, but make sure you have permission AND they understand that you will might be getting money deposited to their bank account as you are working. Paypal asks for your banking information because you can have money transferred from paypal to your bank. Also, if you buy something on ebay using paypal and you don’t have enough money in your paypal account, you can request that paypal take the remaining money out of the bank record. But in any case, paypal wants a bank account of some sort attached to your account.

Some people like to set up a bank account for the purpose of paypal. Some banks, especially those in large metro areas, know all about paypal and will set you up with a checking account for free knowing that it is only for paypal.

Finally, make sure that you get your account verified. This will be accomplished by paypal sending to your bank sage a deposit of between one cent and one dollar. Once this deposit shows up in your bank account, you will be asked to log back in and enter these amounts, after which you will be verified. It is very important to be verified because without it, paypal may impose a limit to how powerful money you can make or how much money you can withdraw, or both.

Once you finish entering in all the information WRITE DOWN YOUR USER NAME AND PASSWORD!!! These are of vital importance!

5) Set up a free website. This is not an “absolute” step, but when it comes to affiliate marketing, it gives you a scapegoat to get around some of the blogging site rules and regulations. I’ll explain that part later on.

I have a website that is totally free. I set it up about a year and a half ago to market my Native American beadwork. The company I use is at http://www.tripod.lycos.com. If you want to set up the website, you can use it for whatever you want. Prefer the free option though. The only disagreement between the free version and the $4.95 a month version is the ads banner at the top of the webpage. Which right now, it really doesn’t do any difference anyways. I have never had any peril with tripod and its always reliable. I advise that you go through the help or tutorials to help you navigate all the bells and whistles. Be sure you can devote an hour or so to at least familiarize yourself with their website.

NOW THAT WE HAVE THE PRELIMINARIES OUT OF THE Intention, LETS GET STARTED ON THE JUICY STUFF!

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1. ARTICLE WRITING

You may have heard of freelance writers, bloggers, blurb writers, search engine optimization articles, or any number of types of writing. In fact, more than likely you have seen job listings asking for writers of this sort. Sometimes the jobs are real, sometimes they are not.

The fact is, there really is a market out there for good article writing. And, although there are a host of different types of writing that can be performed, in my experience the most commonly requested type of work is SEO articles. These are “search engine optimization” articles. They are written similar to a high school describe, where you find information on a given topic and then reword it in your beget words without plagiarizing.

The goal of these articles is to develop the search engines recognize the article first above all of the others.

For example, lets say that you type in the phrase “auto insurance in Denver” into the search bar. Your search results will show a whole list of who knows how many websites. The first websites listed will be the ones which fill the exact phrase “auto insurance in Denver”, followed by the most popular websites which contain any of the words in any random order. So, naturally, since websites with exact phrases are shown first, it stands to reason that webmasters would want their website to contain key phrases. That is where search engine optimization comes in. You, the author, write an article about auto insurance, and then here and there in the article you will write “auto insurance in Denver” so that it sounds like it is naturally occurring in the text.

I have worked for a wonderful company for the last two years, found at:

http://textbroker.com

This company has work for you to do every day. It is at your acquire pace, on your own time, no strings attached. Once you sign up with them, which is totally free by the scheme, they will ask you to write for them a small sample article on some topic of some sort. After you submit this article, they will give you a rating. Remember, it is absolutely, positively imperative that you watch your spelling and grammar! Mistakes can mean the contrast between acceptance into the company as a writer and denial! Once you receive an email saying you are approved, WRITE DOWN YOUR USER NAME AND PASSWORD!!!

Textbroker pays monthly, and via paypal, which is why having a paypal account is so important. They have paid me on time every single month and in the steady amount I had earned. I am able to see how grand money I have earned on any given day or at any time. I can regain jobs anytime I want on topics I want to write about. I can even change my mind if I accept an article and I can’t do it or I don’t want to do it for any given reason. It is the ultimate, perfect work-from-home job, because there is nothing to sell, no investment at all, no worries about getting paid, and reliable steady income.

I suggest that you stamp up with them if you want to be able to make immediate, regular income. In any given day and in my spare time I can make $40 easy. In one day, my max earnings with textbroker has been $250. Once you regain to their website, look around and learn all about them. You will not regret signing up with them!

Nobody will tell you this next tip, so take careful notes. I want to tell you how easy it is to acquire started writing informational articles for the web, and textbroker is the place to get your feet wet!

1. Article writing is basically nothing more than a paid version of the high-school book report. Technically speaking, we are all supposed to know everything about everything when we write an article, but in reality, most of us know jack squat. True? So rather than beating yourself up about how much, or how little, you know, all you have to do is find a website that is similar to what you are writing about, and reword or rephrase the content therein. Now, this does not by any means give you the right to plagiarize, and let me beget this very clear. Plagiarism is the same thing as copying, and it is against the law. Rewording or rephrasing, on the other hand, means that you read a block of text and then paraphrase it in your own way or your beget words.

When you rewrite or rephrase a block of text, there are four general rules to work with:

1) At a minimum, every fourth word must be different from the original text. For example, if an original sentence says, “I love to eat cheesecake and strawberries for breakfast on Sundays,” you could rewrite it so say, “I worship to CONSUME cheesecake and strawberries DURING breakfast on Sundays.”

2) Spend acronyms as great as possible. In the above example, I replaced EAT in the original text with CONSUME. Using acronyms allows you to retain the overall meaning of the original text while complying with copyright regulations.

3) When the original text contains a list of items, rewrite them in reverse order. For example, if an original sentence states, “I have a dog, a cat, and a fish in my home,” you could rewrite it to say “I have a fish, a cat, and a dog in my home.”

4) It is better to add words than to steal them away. For example, if an original sentence says, “I like to eat cheese,” you could add words and make the new text say, “I am very fond of eating cheese.” You have retained the same meaning, added extra fluffy words, and avoided plagiarizing.

As you begin your work through textbroker, or any other writing brokerage firm for that matter, you will want to stick to these rules as closely as possible until you gain a handle on things. In many cases, you will find yourself writing articles on subjects that you have absolutely no clue about personally. By sticking to these rules you avoid looking like a complete idiot, publishing inaccurate information, and losing income when articles are rejected.

A fifth rule, which is really more of a suggestion than an etched-in-stone law, is the practice of paraphrasing. Paraphrasing is sometimes difficult for the beginner, especially if he or she is nervous or under pressure. Paraphrasing techniques involve rewording the original text so that all of the original meaning is retained, every fourth word is different, all lists of items are reversed or in a different order, and acronyms are used as powerful as possible. As time goes by, and as the writer gains experience, it will become second nature to automatically paraphrase any block of text regardless of the subject matter.

Let me give you an example of a job from textbroker. We are going to use the KEY PHRASE three times, as well as all of the rules of writing.

Topic: Cod Liver Oil

The customer requests a general subject, 200 word article about Cod Liver Oil for an online health food clearinghouse. The customer requests that you include the key phrase three to five times within the text.

You now will open a second internet explorer browser page and type in “Cod Liver Oil” in parenthesis. Scroll through the lists of results for a website that talks about cod liver oil. You will want one that discusses the product in general, since this is the type of article the customer requests. FYI, Wikipedia is a GREAT source of information.

Once you find a general discussion of cod liver oil, begin to rewrite the original text according to our rules and guidelines above.

Lets pretend that the original content reads as follows:

“Cod liver oil is a nutritional supplement derived from liver of cod fish. It has high levels of the omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, and very high levels of vitamin A, and vitamin D. It is widely taken to ease the symptoms of arthritis as well as other health benefits. It was once commonly given to children.”

You now reword/rewrite/paraphrase this original block of text, resulting in the following new text:

“Cod liver oil, which is a popular nutritional supplement, is derived from the liver of the cod fish. The oil contains a high level of DHA and EPA, which are omega-3 fatty acids, and exceptionally high levels of vitamin D and vitamin A. It is often taken in order to ease the discomforting symptoms of arthritis or to provide other health benefits. Cod liver oil was once given to children as a daily health regimen.”

If you would like some advice on how to get started in article writing, please feel free to email me!

Wait, I told you a lie, I have another tip to allotment with you.. And that tip is STOP WORDS! When you are writing an article, the key phrase or key words may be a bit difficult to work with, or they not sound just right in an every-day sentence. Stop words are words that the search engines will not scrutinize, so you can plug them in anywhere you like in the key phrase and still get noticed. For example, lets say your key phrase is “Furniture Upholstery Dallas”. Well gee, how are you supposed to use THAT without a itsy-bitsy help? Stop words, of course! You could use the stop word “in”, and invent the phrase say “Furniture Upholstery in Dallas”. That is distinguished better to work with, isn’t it?

A chunky list of the stop words for SEO optimization can be found in my other article here:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1210568/seo_stop_words_list_extensive.html? cat=2

Now, I am obvious there are other companies out there that are similar to textbroker. But, since this article covers only what I know from my personal experience, I cannot enlighten for those other companies.

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2. AUCTIONS

Virtually every area of the United States has an auction house within any given 50 mile radius. Some are ran by individuals, while others are widely advertised. Most people know that you can bag titanic deals at auctions. But did you know that you can quickly and easily make money at them too? And, you can get all the free stuff you want to sell at them too! No going through your own attic or storage sheds. No shelling out cash for items you assume (or hope) will turn a profit!

Here is how to find all the free stuff you could ever wish for to sell at the auction!

First, make some signs that say something like this:

” Do you have unwanted “stuff”? Did you have a yard sale and still have left overs that you’d rather throw away or give away than to look at? Give me a call! I will take all of your unwanted stuff off of your hands for free!” (add your contact information)

Post these ads anywhere that you reflect locals will see it: the convenience stores, grocery stores, etc. When someone calls, they will tell you that they have X amount of stuff to get rid of . You area up a mutually convenient time to pick it up. Now all you have to do is go and get it! You never know what you will find! In fact, sometimes people get rid of priceless artifacts without even knowing it, which is where ebay comes into the picture as well!

If you like, you can drive straight from the donator’s house to the local auction and sell it on the spot. Or, you can hold it home and go through it, searching for any treasures. I have done this a few times, and I found some heirloom china pieces that (no joke) got me $50 for one slight little saucer on ebay!

Auction houses usually work on a commission basis. They will sell off whatever you bring, even fall apart junk! Most of them will pay you cash by the end of the auction, while others may wish to pay you the following week. In any case, this is free money, and the only work you had to do was go get the stuff to sell!

Some auction houses will leave unsold items sitting outside for whomever wants them. So check in your local area to see what auctions exist, what policies are in situation, and so forth.

Another great way to find stuff to sell is through craigslist. Take a see at the “free” listings for your area. I don’t know about you, but around here there will be ads by people saying they are giving away working appliances, great furniture, all sorts of things. Many times the ads will say that the item is sitting on the curb at such-and-so address, and will be there on such-and-so day, for anyone to come and get it at their convenience. This is an awesome method to get yourself some free money! Just take a look at what is listed and follow the money road!!!

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3. HAND-MADE ITEMS AND SERVICES

Everybody knows how to do SOMETHING. Some people sew, others repair cars, and some like to write articles for the internet (although I wouldn’t have the slightest clue who those people could be… heehee).

No matter what you do, or what you create, you can rest assured that somebody out there wants to buy it. I like to play with beads and make beautiful jewelry. I can either sell it in online venues, or I can take it to local consignment shops. Sometimes people even call me and station custom orders!

If you live anywhere near a business where men work, such as a factory, refinery, bank, car dealership, etc., I want you to know, on any given day there will be some hungry men there. A lot of men fail to bring sack lunches with them to work, or maybe they don’t want to! No matter if you are a man or a woman, if you take them ready-made sandwiches somebody will take them. Start out slow at first, build up your reputation. Before you know it, you can develop more money in one day than you would at a minimum wage job, or more! Now I don’t know about the food laws across the country, but here in Oklahoma, if you are just making a few cold cuts sandwiches in your own kitchen you don’t have to have a food handler’s license. At least, that is what a obliging friend of mine tells me, who does this sort of thing for a living every day.

I know of a gentleman who lives down the highway from me, he is making all-wood furniture. He makes some shapely things too! He is selling left and right, he can’t maintain up with the orders!

What about services? What is that all about?

Services is anything you can do that provides someone with a service rather than an item, such as babysitting, cleaning, delivery services, and so forth. I can tell you, there are lots of people out there that need services every day, you only need to make your name known and the jobs will start rolling in. Purchase a proactive reach to your employment. Make some fliers, even hand written ones, for the service you want to provide. You can even do typing services from home by advertising yourself as a person who can type up resumes or term papers.

You can put out notices AND contact real-estate agencies about providing cleaning services. With the housing slump lately, you will find lots of houses that need to be cleaned out. Letting land lords know that you are available for these services in apartment complexes or your home town will reward you with regular work as well. You may also offer to remove all the left over furniture or junk, charge them a small fee, then take all the items that you remove to the auction and get paid again for the same job!

Catch creative on the services industry, and for goodness sake, do not fair sit back and say “Oh, woe is me” if you lose your job. There is work out there, you just need to go get it! And I don’t for that to sound in any draw derogatory, I mean only to express to you that the work will come if you make your name known for whatever type of work you are willing to do.

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4. EBAY

Ebay is the ULTIMATE place to sell things AND have security that your rights are preserved! Virtually everyone has something that they could sell. And, the traditional saying that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure is never so suitable as it is on ebay. You can literally find anything that you can think of on ebay for sale at beautiful much any given time.

I mentioned earlier in the Auctions section about getting unwanted stuff from leftover, unsold auction items. Would you believe this…. I found some Royal Doulton gold-rimmed china in amazing condition, impartial sitting outside in a cardboard box along with all the other discarded junk. I grabbed those up for certain! I brought them home, took pictures, and posted them to ebay. By the finish of my auctions, I had made $75 from those unwanted dishes. How’s that for a profit!

Not only can you sell things directly on ebay, but you can also buy things that you can either resell locally for a higher price OR resell apt back onto ebay or onto other sales websites. Often you can find wholesale lot auctions of all sorts of things on ebay, giving you substantial savings! I remember one time I saw a listing for 150 of these little ceramic babies, which I had noticed were being sold locally for about $2.99 each.

These were sophisticated baby announcements, you see, and the limited babies inside were either made to be used as necklaces, to be old as tree ornaments, to be worn as a clasp pin, or to be carried as a pains stone. The person selling all 150 had the price set at $10 for all of them, and just barely enough postage to mail them all out! Well, believe you me, I grabbed onto them. When they arrived, I took them right down to our local store where they were being sold, spoke to the manager, and unloaded them all for $50. They were absolutely thrilled with this price, as you can imagine, since they could get a substantial profit at their asking price. I made a $40 profit myself, so it was a true win-win device!

I also make beadwork jewelry, and have done so for 21 years or so now. I sell the things I make on ebay all the time. And, because of my many years of repeated quality, customer service, and responsible way of doing business, I have numerous repeat customers who choose to contact me directly to place orders for special occasions or for customized gifts for others.

If you make anything at all, you can also sell these items on ebay. Or, perhaps instead of making something and then hoping it sells, you could place a listing on ebay that says something like “custom design your own ——”, then let the customer tell you what they want and originate or build it based on their specifications. Customers love this opinion because they can truly find what they are looking for. You will cherish this view because you will know that your item is already sold even before you get it!

The good news about ebay is that they have certain protections in region for sellers. If somebody tries to scam you out of money or lie about the condition of your items, ebay has a seller’s negotiation option where an unbiased person will review your case and usually decide in your favor. Also, if you determine to allow people to pay you with paypal for your items, paypal also has a protection for sellers except theirs is a bit better and quicker AND seems to be more in favor of sellers than buyers.

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WANT TO Impress UP FOR EBAY?

Signing up as a buyer and/or seller on ebay is really quite simple. It is only a matter of following the prompts and entering your information. Ebay has this wonderful program called “live help” too, which can connect you with someone who knows all about ebay and can help you at anytime day or night.

So, to sign up for ebay go to this website:

http://ebay.com

At the top left hand corner it will say something like “Sign in or Register”. Click on Register, and begin the registration process. Once you have a user name and password, write down this information in your notebook!!!

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ANOTHER WAY TO MAKE MONEY WITH EBAY

You may have heard of drop-shipping companies, such as SMC. These companies take orders on your behalf and then ship items directly to your customers with your name on them. There are a number of different drop shipping companies that deal in any number of items. I personally have never worked with any of these sort of companies, but I have been a customer of them. Some are great, some are not, and some will send you bad stuff. I cannot give you advice as to whether or not to follow that avenue, because I have not done it myself. It is, however a lucrative way to earn money without any overhead or extensive paperwork.

Finally, one way that I do know works well is to serve as a sales go-between for people who want to sell their things on ebay and people who want to buy things on ebay. You can either set up a store to do this or do it from your home with local advertising for your services. Basically what you do is take people’s stuff, list it on ebay for them, and if it sells you get a commission of the sales price. Customers always pay you up front for your listing fees so you are never out of pocket. The go-between store will package and ship out the item on the behalf of the original customer. If you do this from home, you can take off part of your electric, your internet service, your phone service, and maybe even utilize of one of your vehicles as business expenses! I have not personally ran a store like this, although I have helped family and friends to sell things on ebay. And also, before I got started with ebay myself, I did go to one of these stores and had them help as the go between for me. It was a very obedient experience! I got paid fairly, all my fees and potential earnings were disclosed up front. The people who ran the store sold EVERYTHING!

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OTHER SITES TO SELL THINGS

Craigslist.org is a great place to unload things that can’t be shipped, that you don’t want to ship, or that you want to do business with locally. Craigslist is totally free to anyone. You can sell anything you like, and even give things away for free if you like, even unexpected puppies or kittens or whatever! And if you will retract, I mentioned placing ads in craigslist for affiliate marketing. Craigslist does have some safeguards in place to prevent remark affiliate marketing, which is why you will need to follow the exact directions I listed under affiliate marketing if you want to get around these barriers. Craigslist does not charge a single penny for anyone to list something for sale, although they do ask that you not place the exact same ad twice within a three day period. You do not have to create an epic with craigslist in order to sell things there. Instead, you will receive a confirmation email to whatever email address you provide them, which you must click on to activate any ads. You can choose to list your contact information in the ad or remain anonymous. Customers who wish to contact you can email through craigslist, then craigslist will forward the message to you without revealing to anyone your personal information. I have sold an RV camper on craigslist within only three days for cash, a car on craigslist in only a week also for cash, and I found a great full state XBOX with games for my son for about a tenth of the novel price! Craigslist does not accept any liability for ads that are placed or any transaction that occurs between anyone, so with them, you are on your own. But, at the same time, since you are dealing with people locally its more personal and less likely to be ripped off by some scam artist.

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Amazon.com is a dwelling to sell unwanted books of any sort or subject matter. Of course, you can sell these on ebay too, but amazon is known for literature sales. Amazon charges a small fee per item sold. Their sales procedures are self-explanatory. I have sold a few items through amazon and had a wonderful experience doing so.

Etsy.com is a location for selling jewelry. I personally have not sold on etsy, although I have a friend to sells there exclusively. Their fees are lower than ebay and they tend to cater to a more designer type marketplace. My friend has given me nothing but expedient reviews of etsy, and has tried to convince me to switch to them on a number of occasions. I think I am married to ebay, though! (haha)

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6. MYSTERY SHOPPING

Let me warn you, never, never, NEVER pay anyone a single penny to start mystery shopping! All you will get for your hard earned cash is a list of “potential” mystery shopping companies with no guarantees for a job!

I know exactly where to glean a HUGE list of honest to goodness, real mystery shopping companies! And, that website can be found at volition.com. It is absolutely free to mark up for any of the companies and to see them all. Signing up does take time, however, as you have to go through the process for each one. Most of them will want you to be signed up with paypal to receive your payments. Since you have already done that, you are good to go there!

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WHAT EXACTLY IS MYSTERY SHOPPING?

Mystery shopping is another term for private eye, but in the terms of shopping at a store or doing business at a given location. You, as a mystery shopper, are hired to go to a specific location and make observations such as how customers are treated, if the store is clean, if the products are well stocked, and so forth. You must pretend to always be a normal, every day customer. Once you glean back home, you write a recount about your experiences for the assigning company and then you will regain paid for your time and efforts!

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WHAT TYPE OF JOBS ARE AVAILABLE?

Virtually any store or business of any distinguished size at all uses mystery shopping services. Anything from banks to restaurants, amusement parks, automotive services, stores selling ANYTHING, and so forth are potential candidates. I have gotten free amusement park tickets, free oil changes, free gas, free food (even expensive dinners at posh restaurants), spa treatments such as facials and massages, and even free electronics! Some jobs will require you to make a small purchase as if you were a regular customer, which is usually reimbursed along with additional pay. Some jobs are strictly for pay, such as if you are making an audit of a restaurant.

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WHAT IS THE BEST MYSTERY SHOPPING COMPANY?

I have worked for a number of different companies. And, out of them all, I can honestly say that one company stands out above the rest, and that is Shoppers Inc. out of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. They have always been on time with payments for me, I have never had to examine their methods or ask for more detailed instructions, and I can always arrive a personal representative who knows me on a first name basis.

They have jobs in every state in the United States for a variety of different jobs!

Here is the link to their website so you can read all about them!

http://www.shopperjobs.com

Here is a direct link to sign up with them as a shopper:

https://www.sassieshop.com/sassie/SassieShopperSignup/Signup.php? EmsID=myrB8l%2FCMJY%3D

AND FINALLY…….

Now that I have empowered you to go out there and grab your piece of the internet money pie, perhaps you can return the favor in a little scheme? Would you please send an email to this address:

Kathy@ShopperComments.com

Tell her who you are, that you unprejudiced signed up as a shopper, and that shopper number 10558 referred you.

Thank you for helping out a fellow at-home worker, and good luck to all of you out there!!!

The first impression you make when you try to sell your car is important, the buyer will be more impressed with your car if it is clean and in good shape. If you want to keep your vehicle for years in splendid working order, regular cleaning and a little preventive maintenance will make it last that much longer.

Something that I learned in the military is not about weapons or combat. I also learned how to take care of high tech equipment and gadgets that the military use on a day to day basis. Not only the equipment used for nuclear weapons and high run aircraft, but the cars, trucks and everyday things like computers and office equipment. I learned that everyday maintenance and cleaning can have a big impact on proper operation and life expectancy of your car as well.

Lets start inside, clean the carpet, seats and under them.
You can take your car to a car wash and expend their vacuums to clean out the interior. Or if you have a vacuum with a hose use that. If the carpets or seats are especially dirty or have stains you can use a rinse and vac on them. You can rent one with an attachment for couches and such and salvage some of that indoor spring cleaning done in the house at the same time.

The door frames, dashboard and any place you can secure to with a wash cloth is a place that dirt and dust don’t need to be. This may all sound nitpicking but studies have shown that a car really will last longer if it’s kept clean. Rust will have a harder time establishing itself on your car if you wash regularly.

Clean all surfaces that you can arrive, even if you need to use cotton swabs. Clean off the glass, chrome and such with cleaners recommended for these.

Check in all the cubby holes and take out any thing you can like the ashtrays and such. Vacuum them out and regain all those little pieces of garbage you can find. When purchasing a car or especially selling one to a dealer or trading one in, small things like garbage and things left behind make a incompatibility on the whole picture about how much work will have to go into the car after it has been taken over by the dealer. The less work they have to do on it, the more you’ll get in cash for it.

You can hasten your car through a car wash, this gets the major dirt and grime off, especially under the car. But you should also do some of the work yourself, cleaning around the grill and fenders. In the wheel wells and around the hubcaps where things like leaves and rocks can collect. Obtain on your hands and knees and check out under the car, seek for things hanging down, loose clamps and such on the exhaust system can also be looked for and fixed.

Next check under the hood. Check for oil and spilled fluids from operation and maintenance of your vehicle. And if you do your own work on your car and spill something, don’t wait until it burns off after a spill. Clean it up when you spill it. If you notice leaks in your engine compartment fetch them taken care of when you can. If it’s just a matter of tightening down something, you will save money from lost fluids and prevent damage to parts that require those fluids for estimable operation. The engine compartment does not have to be spotless, but it should also not have clumps of leaves, huge spills of oil and puddles of fluids in those odd places.

When you have the oil changed, also have the grease fittings under the car in your suspension added to. This prevents wear and tear on the parts and should not cost you great more, if anything. When you do get your oil changed it should be at the recommended intervals of the car owners manual. You can have a check of fluids and an inspection when you do this. If they convey you anything that they found that requires fixing on your car, or if you derive anything yourself that needs to be done, do it. Don’t wait until you have a list of things to do and have them all taken care of at once. When something, even as microscopic as a loose screw on a door panel happens, fix it or get it fixed. This will save further damage in the future and prevent more problems.

If there are small nicks and chips of paint missing from the car, you should fix them before they collect worse. You can buy miniature bottles of repair paint from your dealer or a local car parts store. The color to match your vehicle will be needed and found in your car’s information manual or on a sticker somewhere on the vehicle. Try the following locations: inside the drivers door frame, inside the passenger side cubbyhole compartment, under the hood on the supports, or on the underside of the hood. Many times a code is on one of these stickers to identify what the paint code is for your car.

When you have the car repaired, do it at a reputable position, ask friends and neighbors, coworkers and even check out the internet for recommendations. If you type in “bbb” into your internet search engine or MSN it will take you to the Better Business Bureau’s home page. You can then go to their Business Reliability section and enter a business you are thinking of using for your repair shop and gawk if they have any complaints lodged against them. This will explain you how reputable they really are. If there are complaints against them go elsewhere.

When it comes time to sell your car, you can collect out how much it’s worth by several methods. One is the Kelley Blue Book Value. Go to http://www.kbb.com/. This is a standard of pricing in the automotive industry to find the value of used and new vehicles. This is a great resource for not only used cars but new ones in that you can eye what the value of your vehicle is when you drive it off the lot. This is what your insurance company will go by if a claim is made on your vehicle. Not the sticker price.

There is a wide variety of information and gracious hints on the Kelley Blue Book website for vehicles. They have a wide variety of hints and helps in buying and selling vehicles and is a obedient source of rebates, sales, and reviews on recent vehicles.

Another source to find out the value of your vehicle and some useful tips is from NADA guides. They are here: http://www.nadaguides.com . They have information on new and used vehicles tips, hints and reviews.

After cleaning and washing things, you should check over the car and make sure that everything works correctly. I mean that you should go through the car and open all the doors, check all the panels and tighten any loose screws, grease any squeaky hinges. Make sure everything works so that you know in advance what is execrable with even the smallest things. When you show off your car to sell it, nothing should happen that is a surprise to you when the prospective buyer looks at the car. You should know what is wrong and be prepared to answer questions about it.

Take the car for a test drive and see what you think about how the car handles from the perspective of a buyer. Put yourself in the place of the buyer and deem of questions you would ask if you were looking at buying. You should be able to snort the buyer everything that is wrong with your car before he asks or finds it.

With some simple and prompt attention your car will last longer. And if or when you try to sell it, you will get more for it by keeping up appearances as well as the necessary maintenance and repairs.

What is self insurance Self insurance enables you to assume the financial risk your self if you are involved in an automobile collision Instead of filing a claim with your insurance organization, you are responsible for paying for the damages.How does self insurance change your requirements You still have to meet your states minimum liability insurance requirements regardless of self insurance You will just be guaranteeing that liability quantity your self instead of making use of an insurance agency.How do I self insure States that permit for self insurance will have an application procedure in place and they will base their choice to approve or disapprove your application based on financial facts or assets you have You need to meet your states requirements for supplying the financial means to cover the liability quantity set in place.How practical is it Most people today are not in a financial position to self insure They do not have the assets or funds to set aside for unforeseen accidents or collisions If you are barely scraping by paying a monthly insurance premium, then self insurance is almost certainly not some thing you will be able to think about seriously.Is it sufficient Even if you self insure, it may perhaps not be sufficient to cover the expenses associated with a visitors collision There may perhaps be instances where the quantity you self insured for isn’t sufficient to cover the costs It won’t cover uninsured motorists or underinsured motorists This then becomes your responsibility instead of a claim on your insurance You are still at risk of having suit brought against you if you trigger injury to an additional by means of the operation of your vehicle and are unable to cover their expenses.How a lot cash can it save you Theoretically, if you are never involved in any sort of collision or accident that demands repairs to your vehicle or an additional persons automobile or personal injury coverage, then you are saving the cost of monthly insurance, whatever that quantity is for your vehicle and quantity of insurance you want to carry You are having to put up sufficient funds or assets to cover the costs, so in the lengthy run, you have to have a lot far more funds up front to self insure.An additional way you can partially self insure is to raise your deductible You are then assuming a greater financial responsibility with out having to put up a remarkable deal of assets You are voluntarily agreeing to pay a larger quantity per each and every accident claim you file with your insurance carrier.Resources
About.com, How to Cut Insurance Costs By Self-Insuring, Bobbie SageAbout.com, What Does It Mean To Self-Insure?, Miriam CaldwellWikipedia.com, InsuranceAutos.com, Which States ARe Effected By The Financial Responsibility Law .

I liken the current state of our economy and the mortgage/real estate crisis to the rise and fall of the Motor City. At its height the automotive industry cultivated over twenty million jobs. And Michigan was the Mecca. The census of 1950 peaked Detroit’s population at 1,849,000 with Detroit having the highest median income and highest rate of home ownership of any major U.S. city. But as of 2007 Detroit leads our nation in foreclosures and the population is less than half it’s previous size. The reason…The “Big Three” also known as, Chrysler, Ford and General Motors are no longer making money in the American car market, forcing car plants to discontinuance throughout Michigan. There are only 6,000 General Motor workers in Flint, Michigan compared to 100,000 at the peak.

The towns and workers in Michigan are suffering. Politically, Michigan will to lose a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives every time the census is taken; and it’s due largely to people leaving Michigan in search of better opportunities. As the flailing auto industry struggles, it’s taking the connected industries like, steel mills, auto components manufacturers, road and infrastructure contractors, auto rubber makers and sales jobs down with it. Auto suppliers are either declaring bankruptcy or moving to other states. Unfortunately, there are no more jobs being created in the automobile and manufacturing sectors; only downsizing.

Drive down a typical street in a Detroit suburb and you will most likely see an oversupply of vacant homes and “For Sale” signs. Here are the facts I discovered when asked to compare the mortgage and staunch estate industries to the network marketing industry. I call it my championship fight and network marketing is a clear winner!

Round 1: Initial Investment

Network marketing – Extreme start-up cost. My husband, Deon, and I were able to start our network Marketing for under $200 – which included 34 consumable products. You will need to place a marketing budget to get your business off the ground. There are marketing strategies to help you attract new customers and business partners using the internet, press releases, teleconferencing and article writing.

Mortgage/Real Estate - As a brokerage owner, this figure could range from $50,000- $150,000. We spent approximately $63,000 to initially open Correct Mortgage Corporation.

Round 2: Industry Economic Trend

Network Marketing – Constant growth, recession proof industry. Provides services and unique consumable products that every household uses monthly like soap, lotion, toothpaste and shampoo. In fact, economist forecast that network marketing will create 10 million new millionaires by 2016. How you ask? By partnering with a network marketing company that sells health and wellness products. Baby boomers are reaching retirement age and account for 65% of all spending in the economy. Worldwide there are 1 billion baby boomers. Therefore, with all that buying power, whatever the baby boomers want the baby boomers will get – and they want health and wellness products.

Mortgage/Real Estate - Cyclical, with ebbs and flows. We are currently in the midst of the worst credit crunch of our lifetime.

Round 3: Monthly Overhead

Network Marketing - Very little overhead; there are no employees and no rent. Since you work from the comfort of your home, the only overhead you have are your monthly marketing/advertising needs. Most of the work is done with the internet, phone and fax. I spend approximately $50 a month.

Mortgage/Real Estate – $3,300 approximately. This includes rent, phone, utilities and office supplies since our downsizing a couple years ago.

Round 4: License, Insurance and Administrative Hassles

Network Marketing- None. You’re a self-employed marketing representative for an established company which handles all the product selection, research & development, shipping & warehouse, licensing & insurance and just issues.

Mortgage/Real Estate - As a mortgage brokerage owner, I am required to have/do the following: Be licensed as a broker through the Department of Financial & Professional Regulations; licensed and registered as a loan officer; ensure all employed loan officers and processors are licensed and registered; maintain surety bond; have annual exam/audit performed by IDFPR; submit annual license renewal which includes financial compilation by CPA; complete continuing education classes; maintain net worth mandated by state; keep abreast of lending laws and disclosure requirements; maintain every application and file for 36 months after application; adhere to advertising and marketing regulations; enter and hold all applications taken in Cook County in SB167 database; maintain approval and broker agreement with lenders; and keep loan origination software current amongst other things.

Round 5: Expensive Training & Continuing Education

Network Marketing - None. In fact, we’ll train you and your downline to succeed in this business for FREE!

Mortgage/Real Estate - We’ve spent thousands of dollars over the years on training and continuation classes for loan officers and processors.

Round 6: Hours Worked Weekly

Network Marketing - Approximately, 15-20 hours.

Mortgage/Real Estate – Approximately, 40-55 hours.

Round 7: Type & Frequency of Compensation

Network Marketing - Every month networkers earn bonuses and ongoing residual income. Residual income is income that continues to be generated after the initial effort has been expended. Singers, authors and actors earn residual income. One of the substantial advantages of residual income is that once things are set in motion, you continue making money from your initial efforts while gaining time to devote to other things, such as generating more streams of residual income. Note: The business I chose to partner with even allows us to will our business over to our children when we pass.

Mortgage/Real Estate – Once you close a deal you get paid. This is considered linear income. If you close a deal you earn paid, if you don’t close a deal you don’t get paid. Work an hour, get paid an hour. This is a “one shot” compensation in the form of a fee, wage, commission or salary. If given a choice, which would you prefer: (1) Work hard and get paid only once, through linear income or (2) Work once and get paid continuously, perhaps for the rest of your life, through residual income?

Round 8: Hours Spent to Close 1 Customer

Network Marketing – Approximately, 1 hour.

Mortgage/Real Estate – Approximately, 15-30 hours.

Round 9: Monthly Residual Income Potential

Network Marketing – Unlimited residual income potential.

Mortgage/Real Estate – No residual income.

Round 10: Factors That Affect Ability to Close

Network Marketing – Must have a procedure of payment, e.g., credit card or checking account.

Mortgage/Real Estate – There are numerous factors that have an enact on our ability to close a loan. These items include a quality home inspection; acceptable appraisal; proof of credit worthiness; qualified income; sufficient money in reserves; seasoned reserves and funds to close; seasoned title holder; encumbrance-free title; type of property; appraiser approval; changing underwriting guidelines; program availability; oscillating interest rates; legislation and a host of other factors.

Round 11: Amount of Paperwork Per Customer

Network Marketing – Most companies allow online enrollment – paper free. If you have a paper preference, generally 2 pages.

Mortgage/Real Estate – Approximately, 30-80 pages.

Round 12: Miscellaneous Pros & Cons

Network Marketing: (1) As a network marketing business owner you are allowed to deduct a substantial amount of your expenses, but please seek the advice of your tax advisor. (2) There’s no commuting to work since it’s a home based business. Therefore, you will save money on gas. (3) You don’t have to worry about being a victim of a sudden round of layoffs or downsizing. You are self-employed.

Mortgage/Real Estate: (1) As a self-employed mortgage/real estate professional you can also deduct a lot of your expenses, but please seek the advice of your tax advisor. (2) Commuting to the office is necessary. (3) Over 1 million unemployed professionals. The nation’s second largest independent lender just abruptly closed their doors with no warning, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were taken over by the government and since the end of 2006 there have been over 300 lenders who have closed! There’s no security.

And the winner is…surprise, surprise…NETWORK MARKETING! Pound for pound the network marketing industry has many advantages over the mortgage and real estate industries. If you savor the mortgage and real estate business and it has afforded you as many opportunities as it has afforded my family and I, then by all means, originate, sell and keep your licenses active. But please remember Motor City and start working on your Plan B.