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Articles on Money Matters:

Don't Get Ripped Off

My colleague Wayne Van Dyck has a corporate attorney friend who sent the following out to the employees in his company.

It's worth reading and doing.

1. The next time you order checks have only your initials (instead of first name) and last name put on them. If someone takes your checkbook, they will not know if you sign your checks with just your initials or your first name, but your bank will know how you sign your checks.

2. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put "PHOTO ID REQUIRED."

3. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the "For" line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check-processing channels will not have access to it.

4. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box, use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address. Never have your SS# printed on your checks, (DUH!). You can add it if it is necessary. However, if you have it printed, anyone can get it.

5. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. Also carry a photocopy of your passport when traveling either here or abroad. We have all heard horror stories about fraud that is committed on us in stealing a name, address, Social Security number, credit cards.

6. When you check out of a hotel that uses cards for keys (and they all seem to do that now), do not turn the "keys" in. Take them with you and destroy them. Those little cards have on them all of the information you gave the hotel, including address and credit card numbers and expiration dates. Someone with a card reader, or employee of the hotel, can access all that information with no problem whatsoever.

Unfortunately, as an attorney, I have first hand knowledge because my wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thieve(s) ordered an expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer and received a PIN number from DMV to change my driving record information online. Here is some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know:

1. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. The key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them.

2. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one). However, here is what is perhaps most important of all (I never even thought to do this.)

3. Call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number. I had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an application for credit was made over the Internet in my name. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit. By the time I was advised to do this, almost two weeks after the theft, all the damage had been done. There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves' purchases, none of which I knew about before placing the alert. Since then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my wallet away this weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to have stopped them dead in their tracks.

We pass along jokes on the Internet; we pass along just about everything. So don't stop now. PASS THIS ON!

Best,
Huey Lee
16 Mar 2007
http://www.MySecretMethod.com

Top 5 Ways To Increase Your Income Successfully

Why You Are Not Wealthy Today?

There are two reasons that you don’t have as much money today as you desire:

You didn’t think about or plan for today before it arrived. Had you been more aware, then, that you would always need money and acted on that awareness in the past, you would be wealthier today than you are right now. Why?

Because, you would have intentionally saved money (perhaps even by making small sacrifices over the years) or invested money (even small amounts) and would therefore have more money today than you currently have. Make a list of your expenses for one month; you’ll quickly discover how many unnecessary things you buy and how much you could therefore set-aside for tomorrow.

If you want to free yourself from financial troubles, then start putting a portion of your money into a special account.

The work you have now isn't bringing in enough money. There are many ways to increase, even maximize, the financial and nonmonetary rewards you earn from your job.

If you want to get more money out of your work, consider these 5 options.

1. Change jobs.
Money isn't everything. Financial gain isn't the only consideration when evaluating your current employment. Work that you enjoy doing will give you greater satisfaction, a feeling that no amount of money can provide.

You've probably heard the saying, "Do what you love and the money will follow." Successful people concentrate on their work, the business, while unsuccessful people focus solely on the money.
Think it over.

2. Take on an extra job.
Perhaps your primary job gives you great satisfaction, but doesn't yet provide a sufficient income. Taking a second job may be a better solution than changing jobs. Like everything else - it depends on the individual. You know best. You have to consider the consequences; working two jobs means there will be less time for everything else and added pressure. Ask yourself if the increase in income is worth the additional taxes you'll pay, time you will spend, etc.

3. Invest more time in your present job.
Another possibility is to put in more time into your present job. Since you are probably paid according to time or efficiency, your income will probably rise with more time invested. This alternative is similar to the one above, that of increasing your workload, except it doesn't require acclimating yourself to a new job and therefore you don't need to concentrate on (and master) two different jobs. However, the work may be monotonous (where adding an extra job might allow combining mental and physical work, a possible advantage) or less rewarding, thus, it might not be profitable to bet everything, so to speak, on one horse.

4. Be more efficient in your present job.
One good variation is to be more efficient at your present job, which often results in higher earnings. Think about how you can save time and money. Search for bottlenecks and fix them. Consider the Paret Principle - 80 percent of your income comes from 20 percent of the work done. Concentrate more on effective tasks and less on auxiliary ones that don't bring in money directly (like preparation, cleaning, etc.).

5. Learn to enjoy your present job.
You'll move towards your goals faster if you organize your present job so you enjoy it more. Make a list of things that make you happy at work or bring you satisfaction from your job. The list might include: what you have, what you have always wanted, where your advantages are, how tasks can be done in a pleasant and fun way and so on.

You'll find the job itself probably isn't so bad, it's just that you have been focusing more on the negative, rather than the positive, aspects. Be optimistic and start to take an interest in your field of expertise. Associate with people who do similar work and enjoy doing it - allow them to pass their enthusiasm on to you.

Maybe you won't get a raise at first, but you'll be much happier and not only at work. If I asked you, which you would prefer, money or happiness, what would you say? Well, there, you see...

I promise you that over time you will be noticed - if not by your superiors at work and business associates or partners, then by others. There are always plenty of jobs for a worker who is conscientious and an expert in his or her field.

Those who are the best in the business have doors opened everywhere, regardless of whether such a qualified person is needed right then or not.

Wise employers employ someone the moment they realize that a person can benefit their company. They don't wait for an empty position where they would be forced into a feverish search for an appropriate candidate.

Nikola Grubisa
17 Mar 2007

Nikola Grubisa is a European Marketing and HRM Consultant and the co-author of a European bestseller "The Millionaire Mindset: How to Tap Real Wealth from Within". If you are wondering how top marketers are marketing in Europe and at the same time want to discover the path to true wealth, please subscribe to his new free eZine "The Millionaire Weekly Memo". Click here: http://www.TheMillionaireMind.net?a2-aa