Who knew? But it makes sense. I've written before about the importance of maintaining a positive attitude. What you focus on expands. If you keep staring at how bad things are, reading about how much the "stimulus package" that we'll all be paying for for the next decade has grown, and watching stomach-turning news during dinner every night, you could get depressed.

By beholding, we become changed.

Same thing. What you fill your mind with overtakes you. It changes you, so what you look at is your reality, even if it's no one else's.

Think about what you have, not what you don't have. Think about the bills that are getting paid, the mortgage payments that are going in on time, the food in the pantry and fridge.

Ninety percent of homes are not in foreclosure. Ninety-four percent of people who want to work are working.

In fact, readers of Let Your Mortgage Make You Rich! are accelerating their mortgage payoffs. I receive emails every week from someone who's $50,000 ahead of where they were projected to be, or $20,000 ahead, or $118,000 ahead.

My own home isn't quite half paid for. But considering our current loan is less than six years old, almost half paid for feels very, very good.

By focusing on that, our home soon will be paid for completely.

This is the exact method I used to wipe out nearly $70,000 future mortgage interest in only two years, and how I shared the formula with friends who also jumped on board.  You can read their stories in the book.

In this information-packed 86-page e-book, you will discover:

• How to save $245,785 on a $250,000 home loan. Page 54.
• How to get biweekly payment savings when your bank won’t give you a biweekly plan for free. Page 33.
• How to turn $5 into $50. Page 33.
• Two ways to pay that save you as much as if your interest rate were 2% lower. Page 75.
• How to use “money laundering” to your advantage – legally! Page 51.
• Why you should close your savings account right now. Page 54.
• Why you should never pay your mortgage on the first of the month. Page 55.
• Why you should always use other people’s money to pay your bills. Page 57.
• How paying off a lower-interest debt with a higher-interest debt saves you money. Page 61.
• Why you should get rid of your mortgage tax deduction as soon as possible. Page 13.
• The “hidden” meaning in the word mortgage. Page iv.
• When you shouldn’t trust your CPA. Page 2.
• Why you should never consider your home an investment. Page 3.
• How to get ready for killer investment opportunities. Page 5.
• Why most people overpay for their homes – by double! Page 8.
• Three ways you can save a fortune even if you’re math-challenged.  Page 11.
• How your mortgage tax deduction costs you money. Page 17.
• One way to get a 340% return on your investment. Page 18.
• How your bank makes more money when you pay off your home as fast as possible. Page 19.
• How your bank charges you double for your home loan. Page 24.
• One sure-fire way to get out of paying mortgage insurance. Page 29.
• And so much more….

You can find this mortgage-savings masterpiece on Amazon.com in softcover. Or get that, or the instand download, from this website. Just click on pay off my home years sooner.

Larry Morina kissing his first grandchild, Chase.
Larry says, "You can see he doesn't like my moustache."

Larry is a portfolio licensed property manager in the So. Florida area. Here's part of his story, in his own words.

I have been “dealing” with my personal finances now that my wife has passed away. (She was the finance department in our family lives).

I was staring at my mortgage bill one day seeing $800+ going to interest and only $145+ going to principle. I asked myself, “What the hell is wrong with this picture. It had to change, didn’t know how I was going to do it, but it had to change.

I was on an airplane back from Boston after a funeral service from my wife over a month ago. I met this retired “ex-banker” on the plane. He was a U1stFinancial agent living in the next town over from me. I got his card. I had him come over a week ago to pitch his MMA account proposal to me.

I was excited, but confused. “If something is too good to be true, it usually is” stuck in my mind. The $3500.00 investment was choking me. My CPA was also cautioning me on the 3500.00 investment. My CPA said Google U1stFinancial and see what you come up with. I saw a few people on the web with similar products, for allot less $$$ but….. The information I read from you along with the video that played about the MMA account PLUS your call back to me immediately after my e-mail to you sold me on your offer.

This is from a note I received from Larry a couple weeks later:

Oh, by the way Lin. The UFirst Financial agent who first contacted me called last week. I told him I was not going to do his program. I said I searched the internet and found the same program for a mere $100.00….he was pissed beyond belief. I can’t begin to tell you how upset he was….yes; it was his $1000.00 commission going down the tubes, right? Not to mention the 2500.00 to corporate.

I’m glad I Googled UFirst Financial and found your web site. It saved me mega dollars.

Now back to his story…

I’m still excited; I’m still not totally sure how to put it into place for me just yet, but I’m getting there. My accountant said this type of plan will not work for everyone, but with my financial condition, it will, sooooooooo.

I already secured a HELOC at a local bank for 50K…only asked for 20K, at no cost to me at all. I now have to learn how to make this Equity Sharing work for me.

My goal is to pay off my mortgage in the house I live in, build a house out on my property in Deming NM, and build something small on property I own in a boating area of the west coast of Florida, semi-retire in 10 years at 67 with a property management business of my own, and as many homes generating revenue for me……(that is after the FL RE market opens up a bit, great time to scoop up some deals though). I know I can do property management well into my 70’s…

I believe this program will jump start my future goals.

Thank you, Larry, for sharing your story, and for the darling picture of you and Chase. We wish you and your whole family the very best in achieving more of your goals and dreams. And if you are having any trouble understanding Equity Cycling, you can attend a free webinar by registering right here: http://info.equitycycling.com/registration.html

"Would you like  a greater return on your investment?" asks Let your Mortgage Make You Rich! customer Danny Wittenburg of North Carolina. Danny is a smart individual with a strong interest in real estate investing.

When he asked me whether I'd like to enjoy a guaranteed 50% return on my investment, I said, "Sure! What have you got?"

Of course, both Danny and I are paying off our homes at an accelerated pace by using what I like to call equity cycling. That's essentially a technique for using the paid-for portion of your house to pay down the unpaid for portion. We've both already made some very smart decisions with our money.

Danny's advice didn't directly tell me where to put my money. It was more about what NOT to do…what 55% of all investors do that costs them half their wealth.

What he said is, "Invest in your relationship." Invest in your marriage. Take care of that person who could take you for half of everything you own. From the picture of Danny and his wife above, that advice seems to be working out great for them!

I recently interviewed Richard Geller about his program The Credit Card Relief Formula. He had 10 points for staying right side up on your money. Step 2 was "become a couple or stay a couple." Statistically, adults in intimate relationships do better financially. Outside of catastrophic medical expenses, divorce is the leading cause of financial distress.

Not only will you not have to divide all your earthly possessions if you invest your time and attention in your relationship, you'll also be happier, healthier and live longer.

Relationships are like bank accounts. Doing something considerate for your partner is making a deposit. Asking for something inconvenient, or speaking sharply makes a withdrawal from the account. Every now and then we need something really big from our partner. Like asking him or her to help us clean out the garage or basement. Sure, it's both people's responsibility, but perhaps not this weekend! If you want it done now, that could be a considerable inconvenience to your partner's emotions, if not to his or her plans.

But you can still ask, and get loads of loving support and help. How? Because you've made multiple deposits on a daily basis: kind words, a look of eagerness and excitement when you see each other after work, gentle touches, emptying the dishwasher, taking the kids out so the other one has the house quiet for a couple hours…

All these components, minor or major, put cash into your marriage. One insulting remark can bankrupt you for a week or more!

I recently read a statement from Nancy Reagan. As I remember it, "A good marriage consists for four or five things a day left unsaid."

Pour your heart into your partner and she or he won't leave with your pocketbook.

Thanks, Danny!

Fortunately, there wasn't enough there to keep us glued to the news for long. It had to give way to something far more interesting, and more influential to the world economy.

Will the US put forward a bailout plan?

What will it look like? Will Wall Street have to pay for their greed and indulgence? Will our retirement accounts have any money left in them when this all settles down? How can the government enforce integrity?

The 100-plus page plan that was voted down Monday is as confusing to most Americans as is Palin's viewpoint on whether we need this bailout and is it about healthcare or jobs?

Today, oil is down, so we can all afford to fill up the car. But that also means our investments are tanking!

Stay tuned…listen to as much of the congressional debates as you can. Always be improving your own financial literacy!

Meanwhile, do not worry. You now have the opportunity to work for Senator McCain in Yuma, which is in Southwestern Arizona, quite near California and Mexico. The work is not hard, though it requires bending, and may include long hours. But the sky is so beautiful (always) in Yuma, and the cost of living is very low. In fact, you can buy a home there for about $120,000, roughly half of the United States median priced home, and yet income is about the same as in the rest of the country.

Except yours! Listen to what John McCain wants to pay you to do…and let me tell you, the money is excellent! It's far more than I make now, and I'm looking for the sign-up sheet.

So there you have it, folks. And this man knows his money! In August, 2008, at a candidates' forum, the good senator was asked to define the dollar amount that separates middle class from rich. His number? $5,000,000. 

Unfortunately, I am no longer upper-middle-class (a large percentage of middle class folks like to consider ourselves "upper" middle class, even though our numbers don't back that up). I'm probably not even middle class. In fact, I'm so far below that number, I probably have no class at all.

Which is why I'm willing to pick lettuce. And when that's done, I'll stay on for cabbage and broccoli. I figure working 10 hour days, pulling in $500 a day, six days a week, I could pay off all my debts during a long growing season. Another couple years and my home would be paid off completely.

But can you imagine what we'd pay for a head of lettuce?

I recently asked customers of Let Your Mortgage Make You Rich! to share any new, creative ways to pay down a mortgage (to add to a book called 12 Ways….). Peggy Norton of Michigan wrote…

Hmmmm, creative ways to pay down the mortgage…why do I immediately have visions of fat bank officers with their necks in my hands and a pen in theirs ready to sign paid in full on my loan?

That's a fun picture, Peggy. When I quickly read it the first time, I thought you were sticking a Bic pen through their necks! (Hey, they've done tracheotomies that way on television!) OK, so you're just forcing them to mark your mortgage note PAID IN FULL. It looks like you're going to have your wish much sooner than you thought when you first bought your home.

Here's what Peggy wrote back:

Here is a picture of me…smiling for joy…We are going to get that thar mortgage paid off sooner than later!!!

Lest there be any confusion over her message, she even labeled the above photo she sent, "Peggy Norton big grin I am paying down my mortgage faster YEA!.jpg."

Yeah, Peggy! As my mother used to say, "You tell 'em, Sweet smell 'em!"