Why Should You Stay Informed? The Wall Street Journal In Print And Online

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In these current economic times it can be well worth investing US$1.99 per week in the online version of The Wall Street Journal or US$2.29 for the print version (US$2.99 for the print and online version).

If history is anything to go by then the markets will bottom and then turn upwards - but where is the bottom? This is why you need to stay informed.

If you wait until the media reports an up turn, it will be too late.

I've always followed the Tony Robbins financial methodology, which for me is, to create cash flow by operating an electrical contracting business and selling products online.

Then investing 15% of my total income (before paying any expenses) into secure assets and into growth assets at a 50/50 ratio.

For me, the secure assets (low risk, low return) are fixed return deposits and investing in our house. The growth assets (higher risk, potentially higher returns) are the share market, property and new businesses.

This methodology has worked exceptionally well for me, especially when the "financial crisis" hit. I know of many people that only invested in shares and property using loans to gain leverage... and now they are hurting.

In the good times these people got complacent and thought that the good returns would never end. They applied leverage with loans, never considering the downside. This "crisis" has forced them to re-educate themselves and the value of investing in secure assets (low risk, low return) has become very apparent.

But I have learned that it is very important to stay informed. By knowing what is happening in the markets allows you to make adjustments along the way. The way I stay informed is with The Wall Street Journal.

The Wall Street Journal has become the most respected source for news and business information. It is an indispensable reference for business professionals, providing business and financial news coverage, personal and company profiles, feature reporting, special reports, and regular columns.

The Wall Street Journal offers a print and WSJ.com online edition. The Wall Street Journal online edition allows you to log in and access the Wall Street Journal anytime or anywhere.

Get The Wall Street Journal for 75% off >>

Why Blogging Is The Easiest Way To Make Money Online!

In the few minutes it takes you to read this article, hundreds of new blogs will be created and thousands, upon thousands of posts will have been made, world wide.

The information age we live in, has allowed everyone, from the local teenager to large corporations to jump on to the blogging wagon.

The lure of being able to have a blog installed in under 15 minutes, the incredibly low start-up costs, and the ability to post to that blog from any computer with internet access, has provided many people and corporations with an immediate web presence.

Stories are common place about full time bloggers earning over $100,000 a year while blogging for less than 2 hours a day. And they usually do this while traveling the world!

The most popular blog type for the newbie is one that documents their everyday lives, ramblings and opinions. They use it as a way to express themselves.

Each new blog post generates content which the search engines absolutely love. The conversational and informal nature of blogs usually provides great reading. Readers have the option to easily comment on the posts, providing feedback and their opinions.

Blogs become interactive and service the needs of writers and readers. Video and audio can now easily be inserted on blogs, providing a different experience for all its readers.

All blogs can be monetized with advertising, selling affiliate products or selling your own products. A blog with a great readership will attract high paying advertisers often paying for 6 months advertising in advance.

However, similar to any small business, the abandonment rate of blogs is incredibly high. Bloggers often enjoy the initial novelty of blogging, but if they started blogging to make some extra income, the novelty will wear off quickly if the results don't look promising.

Here are 3 secrets which virtually guarantee success for any blogger:


The First Secret:

A blog must be tightly themed around a niche, with posts that provide benefits for its readers.

If your blog posts do not provide significant value for your readers, they will not return to read any other posts. Remember blogs make money from its readers, so your content must keep them coming back.

Don't make the common mistake of blogging about anything and everything. If someone is reading your gardening blog, they have an interest in gardening. If you start blogging about the new car you just bought, you may lose that reader. They want to read about gardening, not cars.

Your readers are reading your posts with a "what's in it for me" mindset and if its not satisfied they will go somewhere else to find it.

Your blog is similar to an online magazine in many ways, just more informal and updated regularly.


The Second Secret:

Your blog must load fast, look the part and be easy to navigate. When your new readers arrive they should know within 5 seconds which niche you are targeting.

First impressions are everything!

It is very easy to use the default template in any blogging platform, but it will do nothing for your reader's experience. Look around at the successful blogs and you will find customized themes designed to suit their niche.

Customized themes will cost you less than $100, but this is money very well spent, as it will improve your readers experience ten-fold. And make sure you check your blog in various browsers not just Internet Explorer. A blog that looks fantastic in Internet Explorer could look terrible in other browsers.


The Third Secret:

Continuously generate targeted traffic to your blog. A great looking blog with quality content is not worth anything to anyone without consistent and targeted traffic to it.

You need to continuously promote your blog to attract visitors.

With its incredible speed, power and coverage, the internet can distribute a blog post around the world in seconds. A good looking blog fulfilling the needs, wants and desires of its readers can quickly become an authority site, in its niche, providing the owner with a very healthy income.

Have you had any success with blogging, or know of any one that has?

P.S. Don't forget to click here and Claim Your Free "How To Make Money While You Sleep" Reports!

Why Should Cash Flow Be Your TOP PRIORITY!

Working from home and escaping my JOB (Just Over Broke) has been the most liberating thing I have ever done, and I am truly very thankful to be able to do this. It has provided me with an amazing quality of life.

But it always amazes me to watch, or hear, from others that tend to over complicate this simple idea of owning a home based business. They spend their lives arranging their structure; the quiet area, the specially organized desk, the right computer, getting and reading every email and ebook they come across... but they forget about the top priority of any home based business...

CASH FLOW

You can have the best set up office at home, with oodles of quiet time, access to every bit of quality information that you require, the best courses on building your home based business on your book shelf, but, without cash flow you are dead in the water...

Your top priority before any other priority has to be... CASH FLOW!!

I have a simple form on my desk at all times, titled "My Income Streams." It lists the description all of my income streams, with the average income they produce every month, with a total at the bottom.

This document is my reminder that every day I need to be adding income streams to this list. No matter how small or how big, because usually the big ones are irregular and the smaller ones all add up quickly.

My income streams may be as simple as listing a resale rights ebook on eBay for $6.99, that automatically relists whether sold or not... or an ebook I've created and am selling with a sales page.

Every week day my goal is to add another income stream to that list.

Now don't get me wrong, as not all the income streams are profitable. Sometimes that ebook on eBay just doesn't sell, so I'll change the title, tweak the listing and if it still doesn't sell, it gets deleted.

I find that out of every 10 income streams I add, more than half will be profitable, and 1 will be a roaring success. I LOVE roaring successes :)

Sometimes I work very late at night because I'm in the zone. During the school holidays the kids are a bit noisy or the family might want to go out for a Chinese lunch so I work around those... but that is exactly what a home based business is about... FREEDOM!

And freedom gives you a wonderful lifestyle.

So make it your top priority... BEFORE you do anything in your day, think "How can I add another income stream to my list today" and do it before the other tasks consume your day.

Remember CASH FLOW IS KING!!

© copyright www.Ian-McConnell.com

Ian McConnell is an average guy who realized very quickly that wealth will not come from having a JOB... for more than 6 years he has generated more than $100,000 pa from home, while working part time.

To find out everything he knows:
Click Here => http://www.Ian-McConnell.com/Success.html