It has become a very sad and unstable economy when the cost per gallon of gas is looking better than the cost of milk itself! Any state that doesn’t have farms and produce their own products, will most likely suffer from inflated cost on grocery items not grown in their geographic region.

• The national average costs for milk is $3.87
• The national average cost for Gas is $3.65

How could this happen?

Eg.

In the state of Ohio, there are many farmers who produce meats, vegetables, and dairy products. These very same farmers are the main suppliers to surrounding cities and states. Ohians would barely feel a difference in cost for goods grown in their home state. Someone in Florida will most likely endure inflated costs for the same products because the cost of transporting goods has skyrocketed because of gasoline expenditures. While running your business would you pay higher gasoline costs and not try to increase your returns?

This may seem pretty bad but the good thing about milk is that we don’t “need” to have milk regularly! There are many people who are lactose in tolerate and can’t drink milk and will find substitutes. Unfortunately, there isn’t a reliable gas substitute! Even if you decided you didn’t want to pay the inflated cost of fuel, you practically have no choice.

Gas & Milk Prices on YouTube

Did you know that one of the keys factors in your overall credit score is length of employment history and also employment status? This is very real ladies and gentlemen! Changing jobs more than you do your clothes will not earn you the points you need to have a better credit score!

Being on the job less than 6 months……2 pts

6 months to 1.5 years……8 pts

1.5 years to 2.5 years……19 pts

2.5 years to 5.5 years……25 pts

5.5 years to 12.5 years….39 pts

As you can see, the longer you stay employed by one [tag]company[/tag], you shouldn’t have any problems racking up a few extra points! While we encourage everyone to be [tag]entrepreneurs[/tag] on this blog, it’s essential to mention these things because many of us still have day jobs while trying to build a dream on the side.

Wanna know what can deliver a devastating blow to your credit report? Click here to find out!

Just in-case some of you don’t know, the economic stimulus checks are on a mission to boost the economy. This is the government’s idea of trying to prevent a financial depression in the 21st century. Sounds like Sam is writing “rubber checks” to me! At any rate, I won’t complain throughout this article about free money!

So how much will the checks be?:

Up to $600 for most. Each dependent child should gain you an extra $300! To find out what you can really expect to benefit please visit the IRS online.

Good News for those of you who file electronically! This is when you’ll get paid:

Last two SSN Digits: Payments will be transmitted by:

00 - 20 May 2nd

21 - 75 May 9th

76 - 99 May 16th

Everyone else who did theirs by mail….Many of you will be waiting until late June and July in order to see any free money! Please visit the IRS website to see when you get paid.

What is this going to do for our economy? Does it really matter if the the money increases simultaneously along with inflation? What about consumers shopping domestic versus foreign businesses? Are the stimulus checks really benefiting America to make it return to number one?

Here’s the one from Phil Collins that I love to listen to over and over again to strengthen my motivation! Enjoy!

The problems are the same for those who have good credit and bad credit. People with bad credit usually don’t care enough to monitor their credit report because of their lack of interest in improving what’s already horribly damaged. Those with good credit on the other hand are too nonchalant about viewing their reports because they feel that there couldn’t possibly be a mistake. It’s time for everyone to start caring now.

[tag]Credit reporting bureaus[/tag] can make multiple mistakes on your report simply from: typing errors, mixing Sr.’s and Jr.’s, similar names get confused, outdated delinquencies, authorized user mishaps, etc.. If there are charges you can’t remember doing, dispute it! *Be sure to remember how closing the gap between your debt and available credit can make your score much higher!*

Everyone gets a [tag]free credit report annually[/tag] in the United States from the credit bureaus known as [tag]Equifax[/tag], [tag]Experian[/tag], and [tag]Transunion[/tag]. Please take advantage of this! Here’s your free chance to view your credit report and begin disputing ludicrous charges right away! Once viewing your credit report, you should be able to find an area next to the charge that says “report an inaccuracy” or something similar. If there isn’t a button next to the area that let’s you view the description of your charge, try looking around on the site.

I would say that it’s best to dispute your charges online since everything can be seen in an electronic paper trail. Writing letters are good but certifying it won’t show concrete evidence of the letter’s content inside. When your disputes are done online, everything including what you wrote in the letter will be visible if further action needs to be taken.

After you’ve submitted your disputes, wait 30 days. You can only file a dispute on a charge once every 30 consecutive days. Once this time has elapsed you will have your results from your disputes and may be surprised at how easily some of them will disappear! Remember, if the creditor doesn’t respond within the 30 day time frame you report an inaccuracy, they must [tag]delete it from your credit report[/tag] ASAP!

Always start off with the positive side of things before [tag]criticizing[/tag] someone. Studies show that most people will only dwell on your [tag]negative introduction[/tag] to a conversation when initiated with criticism. In their mind, they’re waiting on the opportunity to defend themselves against your statements instead of actively listening to your points. Situations like this will not foster a growing understanding between the [tag]employer[/tag] and the [tag]employee[/tag] or [tag]business partners[/tag].

Try to begin the conversation with a [tag]positive statement[/tag] that you uniquely like about the person who is listening to your criticism. Things that aren’t genuine are highly noticeable and will come off as “phony”. Dentists don’t start off immediately trying to repair your teeth without numbing you first! If they did, you’d probably never go again and would do everything in your power to avoid them. So remember, be nice and use the pain-killer on the receiver of your criticism first before pulling our your “dental drill”. You will soon build healthier [tag]relationships in business[/tag] using this golden rule for [tag]constructive criticism[/tag].

Problem:

You’ve all heard about how one can put a few dollars in the [tag]stock market[/tag] today and how it’s gonna be worth tons of cash in the future right? Employers as well as the [tag]financial institutions[/tag] that we do [tag]business[/tag] with do NOT have to insure our losses in 401K investments. Well, the truth of the matter is that the stock market is very volatile and can change it’s direction at any given time. This is almost like gambling for your retirement.

With state of the United States in [tag]economy[/tag] in it’s worst condition by the closing of [tag]major businesses[/tag], [tag]rising unemployment[/tag], and a [tag]depreciating currency[/tag], I shouldn’t have to convince you that things aren’t looking well. With all the stress that we go through on a regular basis, life is much easier handing your [tag]money[/tag] over to a [tag]financial adviser[/tag] who’s going to “make sure you [tag]retire wealthy[/tag]“. Can they guarantee this? Why don’t you ask them yourself. You’ll be surprised at the answer you get. At any rate let’s get on with the solution.

Solution:

The first thing you want to do is better your [tag]credit score[/tag] if you haven’t already. This can take a couple years to rehabilitate but the sooner you star, the better off you’ll be. The reason you’ll need to have good credit is because [tag]investing in real estate[/tag] will require it.

What you want to do is find an [tag]investment property[/tag] in an area that appreciates regularly. Do NOT go after fix and flips! Meaning, don’t go out to buy properties and fix them up only to resale them later. Instead, buy and hold. Getting a property and selling for a quick fix will get you slapped across the face with “[tag]capital gains tax[/tag]“. I would suggest that you buy a property and rent it out to tenants and after every two years, pull about 15K in equity to put down 10% on another rental property. Then after two more years, acquire your next property from the profits of the previous acquisition.

If you do the calculations, in 10 years you could wind up with 5 properties. Keep in mind that you have tenants in all 5 of your investments. Every time they pay you, they’re paying down your [tag]mortgage[/tag] on your [tag]loans[/tag]. If you could pull $40,000 of [tag]equity[/tag] every 5 years on each property that would be $200,000. Did I mention that this would be [tag]tax free[/tag]? This kills 401K! So why is this tax free? The good thing about owning property in the United States is that you will NOT suffer tax losses on real estate you have not sold! If you don’t sell the property, you won’t pay taxes! *Please consult with your [tag]tax adviser[/tag] for more detailed information.*

In a nutshell, I don’t know of anyone who receives $200,000 every 5 years that is tax free from a 401K plan. So fix your credit. Get into real estate. Be patient. Trash the 401K.

With flights to about 15 United States cities and having more than 200,000 tickets sold before it’s launch date for the Columbus, Ohio based company, [tag]Skybus[/tag] still goes bust! Why?

Officials from Skybus report that due to a poor economy, it can’t make enough sales to handle the overhead costs to remain relevant in the airline industry. The worst part is that everyone who pre-ordered tickets after April 4th, 2008 will have to call their [tag]financial institutions[/tag] to receive a refund because Skybus has filed a [tag]Chapter 11 bankruptcy[/tag]!

If you go to the Skybus website, you’ll notice that they mention the rising costs of fuel has made their profits suffer. Community wise, the [tag]dismantling of Skybus[/tag] has caused a loss of over 300 jobs. That’s over 300 lives affected. Many families will experience financial difficulties while trying to find a job in one the the worst economic conditions the country has seen. April 5th, 2008 is the last day of operations.

Let’s put our heads together for a moment. Would I be wrong to assume that any business could be potentially hazardous if thriving on a product of [tag]crude oil[/tag]? Have you spoken with your [tag]financial adviser[/tag] about the companies you’re investing in via the [tag]stock market[/tag]?

Thinking about relocating your [tag]business[/tag]? Is the town you’re living in not warming up enough to warrant the grand opening of your business?

With all the preparation that must take to [tag]launch a business[/tag] correctly and efficiently you’ll want to make sure you do it in the right place. I read a very interesting article today on [tag]CNN Money[/tag] today that actually lists the [tag]top 100 cities to start a business[/tag] in. I was actually shocked at the number one spot which was taken by Bellevue, Washington. Considering all the depression that runs through Seattle, (which natives say is due to the non-stop rain) really baffled me.

The trend that I seemed to notice among many of the cities is that they are those currently still developing with populations that don’t exceed 600,000 residents. With all the [tag]money[/tag] in New York City, it makes me prove my point that there isn’t much room for [tag]healthy competition[/tag] in places like that unless you’re already rich. Cities with smaller populations will most likely be more generous with [tag]grants [/tag]and reinvesting capital back into [tag]community renovations[/tag] than their fully developed counterparts.

What city do you have your eye on? If it’s good for your business, is it good enough for your family too?