Like most webmasters you have probably tried making money with various affiliate programs only to end up rather disappointed with the results. I’ve been there too, and it certainly deflates one’s ego to log into your affiliate stats and see zero sales and zero earnings recorded during the last reporting period.

I learned several years ago that there is a secret to success when attempting to earn affiliate commissions: You have to pre-sell the product or service in question as well as that particular company before you send the prospective customer to the company’s website!

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It’s been an open secret for decades that investing in foreclosure properties is a great way to make money and prepare for a secure retirement, but the conditions for buying foreclosures have never been better than they are right now. The housing market is completely in the tank at present thanks to a horrible economy that has millions out of work and unable to make their monthly mortgage payments.

While I certainly feel for all the folks who will not be able to stay in their houses, the situation has created a foreclosure investment market unlike any I have ever seen before. Property values have plummeted to the point where great houses can be purchased for pennies on the dollar, and the banks are ready and eager to cut deals in an effort to get these distressed properties off their books.

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Have you ever wondered why banks hand out free calendars to customers and non-customers alike? It’s because every time those people look at the calendar for the next year they will be staring at the bank’s logo. It’s called branding, and there are few methods of advertising that offer more bang for the buck.

Promotional items displaying your company’s logo can literally cost just a few cents each, but they’ll continue driving new customers to your business for well into the future while keeping you fresh in the minds of your existing customers until they decide they need your products or services again.

I happen to have a favorite ballpoint pen that I carry with me everywhere I go. I just love the way it writes and it feels just right when I hold it in my hand. How much did I pay for it? Absolutely nothing. Someone handed it to me one day as I was walking past a pizza parlor and I’ve used it ever since. And you know what else I’ve done ever since? [Read more…]

Living (and loving) Life

Skimmers are ingenious little devices that crooks place on ATM machines and gas pumps in order to steal your credit/debit card information.

These devices can sometimes be hard to detect, but if you know what to look for you can protect yourself.

The first thing to do before inserting your card into the machine’s card reader is closely inspect it for anything that appears to be out of the ordinary.

For example, does the card reader look like it actually belongs there as a part of the ATM or pump or does it appear to protrude, dangle or wobble when you touch it?

Are there spots or patches of dried glue on or near the card reader?

If the answer to either of these questions is yes, there is a good chance that the card reader is a fake.

If you look closely at the photo on the right you’ll notice that the card reader is clean and actually built in to the machine. In all likelihood, this would be a safe machine to use.

If the card reader looks OK, take a quick look around the immediate area. Look for a small camera that may have been hidden in the ceiling, under a stack of brochures, or anywhere else that one could conceivably be hidden.

Crooks use tiny cameras to record your finger presses as you enter your PIN, then use that data along with the info collected by the fake card reader to create duplicate cards – which are then used to empty your accounts.

If you see ANYTHING that looks suspicious during your brief inspection, DO NOT USE that ATM or gas pump. Go find another one.

If you do decide that the machine is safe to use, use your free hand to cover your working hand while punching in your PIN. And if you see another person lurking nearby, leave and go find another ATM or pump to use.

In general, bank ATMs are the safest while those located in convenience stores, supermarkets and malls are the riskiest. Likewise, well-lit pumps at busy gas stations are usually safer than the ones at other locations. And if possible, choose an available pump that’s relatively close to the store entrance.

In a down economy many people become interested in selling some of their gold jewelry and other items to raise some much-needed cash, but more often than not they end up being disappointed with the amount of cash they receive from the buyer. Here are a few tips to help you sell your gold for what it’s really worth…

First, never take the first offer you are given. Unscrupulous precious metals dealers abound and they can always tell when they have an inexperienced seller on their hands. Simply ask the buyer how much he is willing to pay you for your item(s), then thank him and leave. Find another gold buyer and repeat the process. If the second quote is pretty close to the first one (within 3 to 5 percent), then you will probably come out OK by simply accepting the highest offer.

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