The Pros and Cons Of A 15 Year Mortgage

There are definitely pros and cons about whether or not to take out a fifteen year mortgage versus a 30 year mortgage. First of all with a fifteen year mortgage you will obviously get it paid off 15 years faster. This is excellent because you have fifteen additional years without having a mortgage payment.

You now have 15 years without having a mortgage payment and this will definitely give you peace of mind. Not to mention the interest you save is astronomical and you can use those savings to invest or take a vacation, an addition to the home or practically for whatever it is you want to do.

One of the cons for a 15 year mortgage is now you have a larger payment which in essence takes money from your disposable income. If there is a financial emergency and you are not able to make your mortgage payment this can be quite devastating, which is why you should always have money set aside for such emergencies. A larger payment can definitely be a strain on the budget of some who have not adequately prepared the budget to take on a larger payment. If you fall behind two payments on your mortgage then it will really be hard to come up with those payments and get back on track and in good financial standing.

Another good thing about a 15 year mortgage is even though your term is 15 years, if you can afford to do so, you can still make additional payments on that loan and pay it off even earlier that the schedule you are set up for. Even an extra $50 per month will do wonders I helping you get your mortgage paid off faster. However if you ever send in extra payments always include a note that states the following: "I would like this payment of $50 to be applied to my principle balance". That will ensure the extra payment is applied to the principle and does not go to interest or the escrow account. If your interest rate is fixed you have the peace of mind knowing that you will always have the same payment and that the loan is fully amortized over the entire period.

Also if it turns out your mortgage payment is too much too handle because of a 15 year mortgage you can always refinance and stretch the payments out to something that is more comfortable and maybe consolidate some other nagging credit card debt in the process. So there are a variety of options to look at and consider when you are thinking about taking out a fifteen year mortgage.

To Your Great Success

Mel Richardson
www.visionstarenterprises.com
Melvin21@msn.com

Network Your Way To Successful Opportunities

Do you want to take your business to the next level? Are you looking for new opportunities and business associates? Is it your desire to keep in touch and know what's going on?

If you answered yes to any of those questions then networking is for you. There are so many advantages of networking that it is unbelievable. Networking places you in front of people who know people who know people.

Just to start did you know that 80% of jobs are found by networking. When you get out into the community it puts you in touch with a vast array of people who may have the information you need about a new job. At the very least they may know a company that is hiring or the person doing the hiring. They may even know how to help you go about the process of getting that particular job.

Through the networking process you want to talk to the following: mailman, security guard, banker, store clerk, barber shop, hair dresser, policeman, garbage man, postal clerk, tax person, accountant, attorney, auto mechanic, church members,

If you are looking for a job all of these different avenues can help you hit your goal.

If you are a small business owner you may want to network with the chamber of commerce, join toastmasters, (they have website you may be able to advertise on), BNI, your banker, networking events, start a mastermind team.

There have been so many individuals that have gone on start businesses, establish multi -millionaire deals, partnerships, joint ventures, books, all through the networking process. They went out and met people and made themselves accessible to other people.

It basically starts a chain reaction when you start talking to your family, friends, neighbors, associates, and other comrades and business acquaintances about a specific venture you have going on. It happens like magic the way the word spreads.

To Your Great Suceess

Mel Richardson
www.visionstarenterprises.com
Melvin21@msn.com

Submit Reviews To www.Epinions.com And Get Paid

If you are good at writing reviews then here is a site for you called Epinions. This site allows you to write reviews for a number of products and services, topics . In order for you to submit reviews you have to register with the site and your reviews should be at least 100 words and then they must pass the automated word check set up by http://www.epinions.com. Your reviews can be good or bad about a particular product or service but mostly they should be accurate and they should be the truth. Why? People will take a look at the information you have submitted and some will what you have compiled to make a decision as to whether or not to buy a product or service, or even to frequent an establishment. Sometimes there will be a very in-depth analysis of a product or service.

Epinions is connected with or affiliated with Shopping.com, Inc. and the provide information to customers in a comparative format about shopping. It is those that submit the reviews that decide what gets published or not. So if you have some rave reviews about a product you may want to submit it or maybe the product did not live up to your expectations or was done right disappointing then you may want to submit that review as well.

The reviews you submit can be in the express format or the regular review format. Express reviews are short and concise usually 20 words or more but less than 200 and they are your summary based on what you have learned about a product from other reviews. If you are looking to share in the revenue generated from the income sharing formula put together by Epinions, it is not available to Express reviews, only regular reviews. And all express reviews are listed after the regular reviews are listed , therefore ultimately express reviews do not carry as much weight because they may not provide enough information for a consumer to make an informed opinion about whether or not to buy a product or service.

If you are looking to get paid for your reviews then as previously mentioned you want to submit the longer version of the reviews and not the Express reviews. The exact formula for receiving payment is very ambiguous , however what is known , is that you will be paid on how successful your reviews are in helping someone make an informed decision about whether or not to buy a product or service and that's regardless of whether or not they make the purchase. So consumers read your reviews and they are rated as to their quality.

To Your Great Success

Mel Richardson
WWW.visionstarenterprises.com
Melvin21@msn.com

Earn Money Online With Ebay

If you are looking for some good money-making strategies on eBay then it would be a good idea to start small and slowly move to larger ticket items. By that I mean you should start selling smaller priced items that may cost somewhere in the neighborhood of .50 to $1.00 and the reason for this is because it helps you to get started by receiving feedback from your buyers.

Feedback is important that's why you are selling items that don't cost much because you are not concerned about making a profit at this point. You should only be interested in building up your feedback. Having feedback from your buyers helps you with future customers. When they see you have feedback from previous customers and it is basically good they will be more inclined to purchase from you once you have established yourself as a person of integrity. I once listed a comic book on eBay to sell but I had no feedback because that was my first listing and even though it was in mint condition I suspect that is the reason why it never sold even though there were email inquiries.

The feedback provided from customers tells if you delivered merchandise on time or if the merchandise was of the same quality you stated in your advertising. Always come through for your customers even if that calls for over delivering. Do what it takes to satisfy your customer and you will build a great reputation as a seller with integrity and honesty.

Now you want to start gathering the things in your home that you don't want and try to sell them. If you run out of things there are plenty of places you can go to get more. I once went to a discount store in Cleveland, Ohio , called Marc's and purchased some barbecue grills for $20 and listed them on eBay for $79. Don't stop there another hot spot is www.apexgiftfoods.com. They have plenty of items you can sell on eBay.

Once you have some great items to sell make sure your advertising lives up to the merchandise you are selling. Remember in life everything is sells. You have to have advertising that will convince your customer to purchase you items. It must have the power to influence your customer to purchase your product over that of a competitor. I once listed a comic book on eBay to sell but I had no feedback because that was my first listing and even though it was in mint condition I suspect that is the reason why it never sold even though there were email inquiries.

To Your Great Success

Mel Richardson
www.visionstarenterprises.com
Melvin21@msn.com

Establish Your Investment Portfolio: Roth IRA VS. The Traditional IRA

When you begin to talk about retirement you should consider how IRA's can assist you with your retirement planning. With Ira's you have two types the Traditional and the Roth Ira. Both can help you meet your retirement goals and there are certain things that are specific to each type.

First lets examine the Traditional Ira. These types are geared towards those individual that are in their peak earning years, it's when your income is the highest. This is in regards to the time when your income is going to be the highest during the life cycle. Now with the traditional Ira your investment earnings will accumulate tax-free until you are ready to withdraw the funds. This practice is also known as tax-deferred. What's so advantageous about the Traditional Ira is you earn interest while gaining tax advantages during the years when your income is the highest. You are also able to withdrawn the money after age 59 without penalty and this of course is during the time when your income is lower therefore you are in a lower tax bracket, so even though you have to pay taxes it won't be as much become, as stated you are in a lower tax bracket.

Contributions may be tax deductible. I would like to repeat that contributions may be tax deductible. To be on the safe side it is a good idea to check with a tax advisor to see how this is going to work with you own particular situation.

It could also put money back into your pocket by lowering your taxable income, and it will depend on your income, how you file your taxes, and whether or not you participate in a employer sponsored plan. Again as mentioned before please check with your tax advisor. Also the amount of contributions per individual increase per year, which in effect allows you to increase the dollar amount you set aside for retirement each year.

What are the requirements for participation?
You must be under the age of 70 for that entire year and you must have earned income to be eligible to make contributions. For the tax year 2007 if you are age 50 or below the maximum amount of your contributions are 100% of your earned income however your contributions cannot exceed $4,000. And for individuals between 50 and 70 you can contribute 100% of your earned income however contributions cannot exceed $5,000.

Any time during the contribution period if you are eligible you may contribute the maximum annual amount. There is a cut off for the contributions. You can make contributions by April 15 of the current year, for the previous tax year.

How soon can you begin to withdraw your money? You may begin to withdraw your money without penalty at the age of 59 . However you must start to make withdrawals by the age of 70 and they should begin by April 1st following the year in which you reach the age of 70 . Now let's say you were to pass away then your beneficiary can withdraw at that point in time, (upon your death), assuming you are the primary owner. As always there are certain exceptions in regards to the withdrawals. If you are a first time home buyer you can withdraw without any type of penalty or individuals on disability may also withdraw without any type of penalty. However these two types of withdrawals are subject to income tax.

Roth Ira

A Roth Ira is for a person who is looking to be in a higher tax bracket when they retire as opposed to where they are now. Also you don't have to pay any taxes on earnings if you have had the account for 5 years and you start taking distributions or withdrawals by the age of 59 . This applies if your distributions are for things such as you being a first time homeowner or if you have a disability.

With a Roth there is no age limit on your ability to make contributions, however you must have earned income. If you are a single person then your adjusted gross income must be below $110,000 to contribute and if you are married and you file jointly, your adjusted gross income has to be below $160,000 to contribute to the Roth Ira.

For the tax year 2007 you can contribute 100% of your earned income but your contributions cannot exceed $4,000 and this applies to those individuals that are under the age of 50.

For the tax year 2007 you can contribute 100% of your earned income but your contributions cannot exceed $5,000 and this applies to those individuals that are over 50.

If you want to start your withdrawals they have to be started after age 59 to avoid the penalty. Unlike the traditional Ira the Roth has no type of qualifications that force you to start your withdrawals or distributions. If you pass away your beneficiary may begin distributions and that's assuming you are the primary owner of the account. You can also take distributions or withdrawals with out any type of penalty if you are a first time home buyer or if you are a person with a disability, and the funds have been invested for at least five years. Limits may apply. Also you may want to note that these distributions will not be taxed.

To Your Great Success

Mel Richardson
www.visionstarenterprises.com
Melvin21@msn.com

How To Start Your Internet Marketing Online Business

A lot of people want to start an online business or at the very least they would like to use the internet to promote their current business. Well the first thing you want to do is chose a domain name, which is the same as a url or web address. You should chose a domain name which is directly related to your business. For example if your business is about model train sets, you could use www.modeltrains.com as your domain name.

You should go to www.godaddy.com to see if that url is available if it is not you will have to chose another one. Godaddy will let you know if it is taken by someone else already. Now you need to have your web designer set up a mini website called a squeeze page. This squeeze page should have some compelling information on it, enticing enough to make customers input their name and email address. To do this you use words that capture attention such as amazing, incredible, awesome techniques to help you make money online”. Along with this you may want to offer a free product such as a CD, or a newsletter. People always want something for free and this will make them more likely to key in their name and email address.

As soon as they opt in with their name and email address they will receive an email thanking them for opting in. Afterwards your prospective customer will start to receive a series of emails from your auto responder. The next email will go out one hour later, the next 2 days later, the next 2 days later, the next 7 days later, and the next 14 days later. So you need to get set up with a web hosting company to make sure your site is up and running 24/7. They will probably charge you a minimal fee. Next you need to get set up with a company to send your emails by way of an auto responder.

The email addresses that you are capturing when they opt in are the starting point for building your list of prospective customers. As your list continues to receive emails, which of course should have good quality content, you are building rapport and establishing a relationship. Your customers are getting to know you and trust you because you are communicating with them on a daily basis. The reason for building this list is because you eventually want to sell them a product and at some point in time maybe about your 8th or 9th email you will need a hyperlink that directs your clients to a sales page to sell them a product.

Now the question is how do you get prospective customers to go to your url which directs them to your squeeze page. First of all your url should have some keywords which are picked up by the search engines such as Google, Msn, and Yahoo. These keywords will ensure that your information can be found by those searching the internet for whatever it is you are selling.

Next you should write articles and submit them to some of the free ezines. Your articles should also have keywords in them. Here is how you articles should be formatted, first of all you will have a title which as you probably guessed should have one or two keywords included and then there is a summary of your article. The summary is three or four lines that summarizes what the article is about. It should be compelling as should the title which will ensure others will want to read the entire article.

The very next portion of the letter is the body and it too should have keywords. The last part is a place for your bio. In the bio you want to include your name and company name and what you do along with your credentials. Also include your URL and this is very key because when someone clicks on your URL it will direct them to your website or your squeeze page giving them the option to opt in with their name and email and thus being added to your list.

Here is another good benefit of writing articles if someone likes your articles they can download them, of course they should leave all of your contact information intact, (bio), unto their own website and when someone comes to their website they can download them unto their website if they chose to do so. It has a domino effect. Your one article could get circulated around and eventually become 10 or 15 or even 100 articles and all with your URL attached in the bio allowing prospective clients the opportunity to be opt in on your squeeze page.


To Your Great Success

Mel Richardson
www.visionstarenterprises.com
Melvin21@msn.com

Rocket Launch Your Wealth With Your Own Bestseller

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