Have you ever looked at someone and just plain thought to yourself: That’s who I don’t want to be in 20 or so years from now? Recently I was re-reading a great book “The 4 Hour Work Week” by Tim Ferriss. One of the thoughts that stuck with me was his conversation in Chapter 4 about how he and a friend keep trying to avoid becoming that “old, fat, bald man in the red convertible”. To them, that was the epitome of a pathetic, wasted life. It was their stereotype (and we all know someone like this) of a broken middle-age man making his last desperate effort to experience life when he had already wasted too much of it working long hours in the office missing out on the prime of his youth. It was someone who waited too long to see … [Read more...] about How Do You Keep Yourself From Becoming Who You Don’t Want to Be?
How to Increase Your Google Adsense Revenue Using My Simple Equation
Google Adsense revenue has got to be one of the simplest and most convenient forms of passive income I have ever gotten myself into. For quite a few months now I’ve been receiving close to $500 per month just from being an Adsense affiliate. $500 per month; can you believe that? That’s practically a car payment. And the best part is that it requires little to no effort on my part to earn it. Though there are many factors that affect how much money you’ll earn from Google Adsense, one of the biggest things I’ve come to realize is that you need to start with a good strategy if you expect to get any revenue. Questions like “should I write a post about this or that” can make or break whether you’ll get a few bucks per click or just … [Read more...] about How to Increase Your Google Adsense Revenue Using My Simple Equation
What Size Mortgage Can I Afford and How Can I Figure That Out?
How big is “too big” when you’re thinking price tag on a new house? That’s the question that’s on everyone’s mind when they first go new-home shopping: What size mortgage can I afford? It’s a prudent thing to ask and sensible when it comes to your finances. Part of the whole Great Recession in 2009 was an issue with home buyers taking on far too high of a mortgage value than they could afford. (That and getting themselves into mortgage products that were probably not the most ideal for their situation). So to avoid another house buying implosion, a smart consumer will first take a look at their financial situation in the mirror and see what makes the most sense for their situation. Here’s a few tips to help you decide how much … [Read more...] about What Size Mortgage Can I Afford and How Can I Figure That Out?
Some Unconventional Thoughts on Investing for Your Retirement
When I first started in financial planning, this would be back in the 1980’s, investing for your retirement was simple. When you were young, the theory went, you dutifully started putting away a little bit of your salary each month. The amount was as high a percentage of your income as you could manage. It was supposed to be a sacrifice. Give up something now to have something later. You invested in the stock market, of course. Equity returns were the way to go and you had plenty of time to ride out cyclical fluctuations. Your risk return profile indicated a higher acceptance of risk. You also bought a home. This was more a place to live than a retirement investment. Still, it increased your net worth. As you got older you … [Read more...] about Some Unconventional Thoughts on Investing for Your Retirement
Learning About Yourself and What You’re Really Capable Of – Through Travel
One of the most over-looked and under-appreciated arts around is that of travel. Every year 1.5 billion fly somewhere. Some people do it well. Others completely freak out. The interesting thing about when you travel alone is that it really gives you the opportunity for learning about yourself and what you’re really made of. You’ll find out just how brave or scared you are to try new things. You’ll also find out how resourceful you are when it comes to un-foreseen challenges and bumps in the road. How Traveling Leads to Learning About Yourself: I’m reflecting on this subject after having recently had the privilege of traveling overseas to the UK for a business trip. This was actually my third time traveling to England … [Read more...] about Learning About Yourself and What You’re Really Capable Of – Through Travel
Niche Website Update 18 – Reaching Out to Other Bloggers and Changing Focus
Welcome everyone to another monthly update of what’s going on with my niche website developments. In case you’re new here, I started building niche sites about a year and a half ago in an attempt to make more money from blogging and greatly accelerate my path to financial freedom. If you’re a blogger or even just a regular person looking to add on to their regular monthly income, then you’re going to want to check this series out. All I can say about May was that it was a pretty eventful month in terms of up’s and down’s for my niche sites. Here’s a look at how things have gone over the past few weeks: What in the World Happened to the Rank of NS4? Oh no! About a week after I published my last Niche Website Update … [Read more...] about Niche Website Update 18 – Reaching Out to Other Bloggers and Changing Focus
What To Do When You Retire Early – Here Are My Plans
Answer me honestly: If you never went to work again, what would you do with the rest of your life? It’s a simple question. But one where the answer is probably more complex than you realize. You see recently I’ve been giving the matter of what to do when you retire early some serious thought. I don’t there’s anyone out there who hasn’t fantasized about the day when they finally have enough money to call it “quits” at work and do whatever it is they want from that point forward. Designing your financial freedom. It’s what this blog is all about. But recently I’ve been asking myself what happens AFTER you get there? What is it that is truly so wonderful and waiting for me on the other side of the early retirement gates? Can … [Read more...] about What To Do When You Retire Early – Here Are My Plans
How Content Improvement Is Better For Ranking Than Basic SEO – A Case Study
One of my hopes and dreams as a blogger is that every single post I write will be some dynamite piece of content that makes it to the top of the search engines over time and lends itself to thousands of dollars of income for me. MMD – Keep dreaming! If you’d like a swift reality check, take what you believe to be your 5 best posts and see where they rank in Google search engine results for the keyword you were targeting. (You can do this in Long Tail Pro or simply browse through your Google Webmaster Tools account). You might get a pretty rude awakening! That’s exactly what I did recently when I was trying to improve the readership of my blog. One post I was particularly proud of was this one here. It was a post I published … [Read more...] about How Content Improvement Is Better For Ranking Than Basic SEO – A Case Study
