My credit union (www.ssfcu.org) publishes a newsletter which sadly often goes in the trash once I have checked over the statement to see that no mistakes pop out. Fortunately I read last October’s issue and found a lead to a very interesting piece of legislation I had not known of — EGTRRA (Economic Growth And Tax Relief Reconciliation Act). I probably had ignored the act since it has two of my least favorite words in the title … taxes and reconciliation (only a bad word to divorce practitioners )

But unlike a lot of ‘we’re here to help” government meddling bills I think this one has a lot going for it. Most of us work for several employers before retirement age rolls around and in the past our retirement nest egg was often fragmented since typically any benefits earned at one employer couldn’t be transferred into another employer’s plan. The EGGTRA changes most of that. (of course in our litigious society remember that the standard caveats apply, consult your investment or legal professional before acting on any of this information, and, unless your name is Alfred Matthew Yankovic, don’t stick your head in a microwave to give yourself a tan.)

EGTRA gives four general options for your retirement funds when you leave an employer:

1. Leave Them In Your Former Employer’s Plan: There are some minimum amounts that come into play here but in general it keeps you at least at status quo rather than losing everything.
2. Transfer to Your New Employer’s Plan: This is very attractive in some cases because many of us changes job on the way up the ladder to move into a job with better benefits. There may be limitations imposed by the new plan itself or certain tax consequences, but it’s viable in many cases.
3. Take the Funds in Cash: There is usually a substantial tax bite here, but in contrast to losing all you have put into the plan (which was often the case before EGTRRA) it can still be a darn good benefit. Paying taxes on something is typically a lot better overall than paying no taxes on nothing.
4. Roll the Money Over Into an IRA (Individual Retirement Account): This is a very appealing plan for many folks because there may be little retirement benefits with the new job (more and more jobs don’t include substantive benefits) and with an IRA you can manage your money to suit yourself, invest in what you feel is prudent and generally spend time trying to emulate Warren Buffet (if that’s your dream).

Tomorrow we’ll look at some benefits of rollover IRA’s and why they may be your best option by far.

Here’s a recent email I received with a couple really good questions. I’ll call the writer who asked, Dan … mainly because that’s not his name … thanks, Dan for giving me something important to write about today:

I was wondering if KWA is worth it? I tried Site Built It 2 yrs ago and quit because I didn’t think my website on running could make money. Do you think a site on my passion of running or bowling will make money? How would I make money from a site like this?
Thanks for your input.
Dan

Hello Dan,

Thanks for writing. I’ve been slow on responding to emails for a couple days because of a bit of a family emergency.

Here’s a few thoughts on your questions:

I tried KWA The Keyword Academy for a month and did not decide to continue at that time. They seem to have a lot of value, but I found their tools and lessons rather scattered about and haphazard, they did not seem well organized.  Again, I want to emphasize they have a great value … and their current 12 Month Challenge: Help 1,000 People Reach $1,000 per Month Online sounds like something well worth getting into.

In short, I think KWA is well worth the cost, but based on your email I don’t know if it would be right for you at this time. Those who ‘think” they won’t make money are guaranteed not to make money with the KWA, or nay other program for that matter.

I’m going to answer your “how can I make money” question in a fairly direct and straight from the shoulder manner, hope you take it in the spirit offered and not as something personal.

I do not use SBI myself, although that might change in the future … More on that another time.  However, I have recommended it often and I think for a person at your stage … You have the ‘want’ but are very unsure of the ‘how’, I highly recommend SBI. You say you were using SBI but quit because you didn’t think your website could make money. Well, there you go. There is one complete and utter truth in this business. “If you think you can or you think you can’t. you are right.” (Henry Ford, US industrialist, you might have heard of him before )

No system will work if you think it can not, because you work, your belief and your energy are, indeed, the only thing that can make or break your venture.

The questions you ask regarding “can a site about bowling or a site about running make money’? Absolutely they can. Pick one and go with it.

Bowling is a huge, international multinational, multibillion dollar industry. (the first time I ever bowled with modern pin spotters/score keeping equipment was in a far off city in China, my Chinese friend wanted to take me, we had to book for a lane reservation a day in advance, and it was very expensive in typical Chinese terms … More expensive than golf in the USA, for example).

Running? Another huge, world-wide interest item, from elementary school kids to the highest level of Olympians and running professionals. There are hobby and semi-pro and pro runners on every continent, even Antarctica.

So how would you make money from either of these markets (hint, pick one or the other to start with, don’t mix the two together)? Simple. The same way you could make money from a lemonade stand outside your house on a hot summer day … Find something people want (especially a problem .. Why do I always get these cramps, etc., etc., etc. And Solve the problem for them.

Why, for example, do people make money year after year selling acne medication? Simple, because it’s painful and embarrassing, and people spend to relive pain. SBI calls this their CTPM process … remember that? Content, Traffic, Pre-sell, Monetize … NO web business I know of make money without using this basic technique.

Go this minute to Google and type in “running” or “bowling” and look at what the top sites are. Many of them sell products, shoes, books, videos, etc. For every site you see in Google’s top ten there are a thousand more, lower in the listings, making proportionally less money. Either of these interests of yours are highly commercialized/potentially profitable.

Site Build It offers maybe half a dozen tool to assess profitability and then help you monetize a site … How many of them did you use? And even id you never used SBI again, have you ever read any of the freebies they give away … Like Ken Evoy’s “Make Your Site Sell”?

In summary, making money … Online or offline is selling … And if you can sell something that talks to people’s “pain” … Even the pain of throwing gutter balls (humiliation), then you are in a great position to make money BUT ONLY IF YOU THINK YOU CAN … Otherwise, forget it.

One of the big problems I see with folks in your position is they fail to realize it is work … You have to devote hours and hours to grinding out what has to get done. My retired pay site is a good example … It makes very little, and sadly, WAY less than its full potential … Not because online income doesn’t work or because I am not in a profitable niche … I am, but because right now I am working elsewhere. But no system allows you to put up a site and then wait for profits … Anyone who claims that is a charlatan, avoid them at all costs.

My recommendation, for the level you are at now?  Go back to SBI and follow the program … Don’t skip the brainstorming and keyword selection steps, THAT is what will make you money … Then, put in the hours.

I mean I assume you have a day job now, correct? How many hours a day do you put into that? If you want to succeed online, you’ve got to think about a similar number of hours for your online business, at least until you get it built …there is no substitute, certainly SBI or anyone else who is honest will say any differently.

Try it for a free or low cost trial program … but do not even sign up until you have resolved, personally, that you are going to sign up and WORK the program, not sign up and second-guess yourself.  Becuase if you do not work it, and work it hard, SBI (or any other tool or program) is of no use.

Report back any time with any news, good or bad, I’ll always be happy to hear from you. Best of luck to your success, Dan
Dave
David W. Starr (dba www.retiredpay.com )

Thos of you who have been following along will recall I have written a couple blog posts in the past few days about how you can empower your retirement and design your own personal bailout plan, no need to resort to government handouts and sitting around and hoping and wishing.

The fellow who wrote the book on this … best book I have found yet, anyway, is named Shaun Fawcett.  Shaun was once the epitome of the bureaucrat, cling to the job even if you hate it government worker.  hang on the the job at al costs because at least it will take care of you in your old age.

Well, guess what.  Secure as it was alleged to be, Shaun’s job went up in smoke.  There he was, an older man, out on his assets with what some would say “no skills” … just paper pushing.

But Shaun decided that instead of wringing his hands and wishing and hoping, he would put the writing and “paper pushing’ skills of his career into creating and online income.

Now the first thing I hear many of you out there saying is, “Oh wow, Online?  I couldn’t do that, I’m in my 50’s 9or 60’s)(or 70’s).  I need something secure.”

Well Shaun made his income very secure and this email will explain how he did it and how you can make yours secure too.

THE PRINCIPLE OF LEVERAGING

The one basic principle that sums up what The Self-Bailout Strategy is all about is — the principle of “leveraging”.

This business term is derived from the principle of the “lever” – by which you can move massive amounts of weight just by placing a lever in the correct position on a fulcrum. That allows you to move a much heavier object than you could normally lift; through the act of “leveraging” that object. This is a simple principle that we have all seen in action.

Now, let’s look at this principle in terms of an online business:

GETTING PAID ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH

Just before I came online I spent a couple of years doing consulting work and freelance business writing. I remember what it was like to work on a major writing assignment for a magazine, for example. I would spend many hours, sometimes days, doing all of the research and interviews before penning the final article.

It was always a real “high” for me to see that article in print the month that edition of the magazine would come out. However, that was essentially it. After spending many hours or days researching and writing that article, the day it came out it was essentially redundant. All of that blood, sweat and tears for a one-shot deal!

Worst of all, I was paid for all of that original work ONLY ONCE!

On the other hand, with a leveraged product or service, that is not the case at all! A properly created one will generate  a “leveraged income” for you many, many times over.

I should mention here that the term “leveraged income” is also commonly referred to using a number of other terms including:

• Passive income
• Recurring income
• Residual income stream, and others.

Regardless of the term used, we’re essentially talking about same basic concept – you set up something once and the income from it continues to roll in over time.

IT’S ALL ABOUT LEVERAGING

The idea of a “leveraged income”is one that I really grabbed onto the very first time I heard it explained. A leveraged income is the process of creating a product or service once only and then selling it over and over again, hundreds, or even thousands of times.

A good example of a leveraged income in action is one of the books that I first wrote seven years ago titled, “Instant Recommendation Letter Kit – How To Write Winning Letters of Recommendation”.

That book continues to be the number one resource on that particular subject on planet Earth. Thousands of copies sell year after year.
Although I’ve revised it a couple of times it’s essentially the same basic book that I first created back in 2002.

That’s just one example. You don’t ever have to write an eBook to make The Self-Bailout Strategy work for you if you don’t want to.
There are a number of ways to generate income streams, all of which I cover in detail in my eBook.

Another excellent example of a leveraged income situation is what I call my “mothership site”, WritingHelpCentral.com. That website now contains about 275 pages of “writing help” related content.

The fact is that the very first 25 or so pages of  material that I posted to start that site way back in March 2001 continue to generate significant income for me on a daily basis right now, almost 10 years later. Really!

That’s right, I continue to make recurring income today from the few hours of work that I did creating those pages almost 10 years ago!
Now, isn’t that a powerful realization!

Contrast that with working for pay by the hour. Once you have expended that one hour of time you get paid for it once and there is very little (if any) tangible benefit you will ever get from that hour of labor in the future. It is gone forever, with very little to show for it in a lasting sense.

The thing that I really like about this leveraged income idea is that once you have a product or service that is selling you can move on and do other things, such as create other products (or take a vacation, or go golfing, or whatever). Meanwhile that product that you created in the first place, some six or seven, or more, years ago can still be generating a steady income for you.

I’m still slightly amazed when I login to my computer in the morning and see that I sold a number of my products while I was sleeping!
(products that I first created years ago). Or, when I return from an afternoon of golf and see that the sales I made online while I was on the links covered the cost of green fees and the power cart rental. Exciting stuff!

That’s the “leveraged income” principle in action.
It is the key to the multiple income stream Self-Bailout Strategy

I hope some of you who are sitting out there nearing the end of 99 weeks of unemployment insurance, or already retired and sitting and looking at a dismal bank account and wondering how on earth that meager Social Security check is ever going to stretch have been reading this.

What’s your next step?  Simple.  heck out Shaun’s proven, 100% satisfaction guaranteed multiple streams of income course.  I can assure you, you won’t go wrong … you’ll even learn a lot right from Shaun’s sales page.:

Below are the main points that summarize what “The Self-Bailout Strategy” is all about:

KEY POINTS

- It IS possible for the average person to make their living
online if they are willing to deliberately and patiently
follow a series of proven action steps.

- To get started online you do not have to quit your current job;
the nature of the online model makes it possible to start small
and build gradually on a part-time basis until you reach
a level at which your online efforts will sustain you.

- There is a virtual “minefield” of get-rich-quick schemes and
instant-income offers out there that you will have to navigate
around in order to avoid being distracted from your chosen
online niche.

- The most reliable way to make recurring income online over a
long period of time is by developing a number of different but
related online income streams; often referred to as the Multiple
Stream Income Model.

- There is a series of specific action steps that you can take
(as detailed herein) to implement your own version of the
Multiple Stream Income Model.

In summary; if you read this eBook carefully and then purposefully implement the action steps detailed therein, you too can successfully make your living online.

My good friend Shaun Fawcett recently sent me an email I think I should share:

GUARANTEED JOB SECURITY NO LONGER EXISTS

In fact, in these days of worldwide economic uncertainty, corporate meltdowns, disappearing pension funds, failing banks, ongoing job losses, and a general state of employment and financial insecurity; fending for oneself is becoming more of a “necessity for survival” than a lifestyle choice, as it once was.

Indeed, as we all know by now, the days of a job-for-life and guaranteed long-term pension plans are long gone. More than ever before people are having to look out for themselves and plan for their own financial future.

Accordingly, I am very grateful that I am fortunate enough to have found an alternative way to earn my living via online channels so that I can build something lasting for my future and that of my family without having to depend on others who are out for themselves and/or on the unpredictability of ever-changing economic conditions.

I LOST EVERYTHING WITHOUT WARNING

For more than 25 years I lived as a paycheck-to-paycheck employee, occupying a cubby-hole in a corporate maze; and then one day, without warning, due to circumstances beyond my control, it all ended. I found myself unemployed for the first time in my life with very little to fall back on.

Believe me, a three-month severance package sure doesn’t last very long when you suddenly have to reinvent yourself; especially when you have a lifestyle that goes along with a pretty decent salary!

One thing I immediately realized was that I didn’t want to get back into the corporate rat-race with others controlling my life; I knew I had to find another way to support myself. Unfortunately, I had no idea how I was going to do that. After all I had been an employee in a “big brother will look after you” situation for most of my adult life.

However, there was one faint hope. It was the early days of the Internet, when it was just starting to become a household term.
I had somehow become aware that there were a few people who had discovered how to make a good living online; and apparently some of them were doing exceedingly well. I decided that I would make a concerted effort to find out exactly how they were doing it.

It wasn’t easy, and it took me about three years of trial and error experimentation to do it (plus a few thousand dollars) , but I did eventually discover most of the secrets that one needs to know to make a decent living online with a legitimate business.

I have systematically applied that information to my own online endeavors over the past few years and I am happy to report that I have been making my entire living online for the past half-dozen years. So, I know that it can be done.

THE BENEFITS OF THE ONLINE INCOME MODEL

I now know from personal experience that the benefits of making your living online are significant:

• You can take charge of your life and your financial future.
• You can make all of your own personal and business decisions.
• No more bosses dictating what you must/must not do.
• You can grow your business over time, at your own speed.
• You can work when you want, wherever you want.
• You can build multiple recurring income streams that keep
  flowing in, even when you are not actually working.
• Oh, and did I mention NO MORE BOSSES?!

I would say that the single biggest benefit I have realized since I started making my living online is the ability to take charge of my own life in a way that just wasn’t possible when I worked in a regular job in the corporate world. Believe me, it is a very empowering feeling to create your own job, make your own business decisions, and earn your own living independently….

I hope some of you who are sitting out there nearing the end of 99 weeks of unemployment insurance, or already retired and sitting and looking at a dismal bank account and wondering how on earth that meager Social Security check is ever going to stretch have been reading this.

What’s your next step?  Simple.  heck out Shaun’s proven, 100% satisfaction guaranteed multiple streams of income course.  I can assure you, you won’t go wrong … you’ll even learn a lot right from Shaun’s sales page.:

Below are the main points that summarize what “The Self-Bailout Strategy” is all about:

KEY POINTS

- It IS possible for the average person to make their living
online if they are willing to deliberately and patiently
follow a series of proven action steps.

- To get started online you do not have to quit your current job;
the nature of the online model makes it possible to start small
and build gradually on a part-time basis until you reach
a level at which your online efforts will sustain you.

- There is a virtual “minefield” of get-rich-quick schemes and
instant-income offers out there that you will have to navigate
around in order to avoid being distracted from your chosen
online niche.

- The most reliable way to make recurring income online over a
long period of time is by developing a number of different but
related online income streams; often referred to as the Multiple
Stream Income Model.

- There is a series of specific action steps that you can take
(as detailed herein) to implement your own version of the
Multiple Stream Income Model.

In summary; if you read this eBook carefully and then purposefully implement the action steps detailed therein, you too can successfully make your living online.

Can you Bail Yourself Out? (because the government sure isn’t about to!)

Or did you start saving too late and too little for retirement?

Or did you plan for a retirement income and now find it is too puny for the way you want to live?

Well here’s an answer to these and many other retirement questions and worries:

Below are the main points that summarize what “The Self-Bailout Strategy” is all about:

KEY POINTS

- It IS possible for the average person to make their living
  online if they are willing to deliberately and patiently
  follow a series of proven action steps.

- To get started online you do not have to quit your current job;
  the nature of the online model makes it possible to start small
  and build gradually on a part-time basis until you reach
  a level at which your online efforts will sustain you.

- There is a virtual “minefield” of get-rich-quick schemes and
  instant-income offers out there that you will have to navigate
  around in order to avoid being distracted from your chosen
  online niche.

- The most reliable way to make recurring income online over a
  long period of time is by developing a number of different but
  related online income streams; often referred to as the Multiple
  Stream Income Model.

- There is a series of specific action steps that you can take
  (as detailed herein) to implement your own version of the
  Multiple Stream Income Model.

In summary; if you read this eBook carefully and then purposefully implement the action steps detailed therein, you too can successfully make your living online.

One question I often get from readers is, “But Dave, thousands of others are already doing this, so isn’t the market so saturated by competition that I don’t stand a chance”?

Here’s an answer to that I think you ought to consider, from an online and offline guru who has likely made (and lost) more money and started more businesses than you and I together ever have even dreamed of:

Competition

from Seth’s Blog by Seth Godin

The number one reason people give me for giving up on something great is, “someone else is already doing that.”

Or, parsed another way, “my idea is not brand new.” Or even, “Oh no, now we’ll have competition.”

Two big pieces of news for you:

1. Competition validates you. It creates a category. It permits the sale to be this or that, not yes or no. And this or that is a much easier sale to make. It also makes decisions about pricing easier, because you have someone to compare against and lean on.

2. There are six billion people in the world. Even if your market is hand-made spoke shaves for left-handed woodworkers, there are more people in your market than you can ever hope to track down.

There are lots of good reasons to abandon a project. Having a little competition is not one of them. Even if it’s Google you’re up against. (my emphasis)

No risk, no hype, 100% satisfaction guarantee, so if you want to be an empowered retiree or senior, and you want a simple, proven, well thought out action plan, the “Self Bailout Plan will show you how to Convert Your Experience and Knowledge Into Dollars…

Mainly this site is by and for the Senior Citizens and retirees of the world … I am a 64yo  myself, US born and bred man, but I live in the Philippines (why?  find out more about Philippine retirement here).  I get visitors from all over the world, and I welcome and value every one of them.

Here’s a blog post I just read that is written from the UK perspective on senior citizens and the market they represent.

A few take aways from the article?

1. There are going to be more than 21 million “silver” citizens in the UK by the years 2015.

2.  They are online, and doing more things online, than ever before

3.  Many of them, nearly half of those in London, are single

4. Online dating sites are exploding in popularity

5. Travel, healthy living and gardening are among the interests most avidly pursued.

So if you are one of our fifty-plus members and you haven’t explored the online world in too much detail yet … because you think it is just a ‘young people’s” venue … get busy and find you own niche. 

The most powerful aspect of the Internet that I know is that it eliminates the artificial bounds of geography, politics, age, race and gender.  You are never to old to learn … in fact learning, proven by clinical testing results … keeps you young longer. See http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-study-finds-that-searching-64348.aspx … there are many other similar findings over the past two years or so.

Secondly … and this is a group I particularly wanted to target …If you are one of the numerous online “young guns”, always thinking of new, untapped markets .. better think seriously about those more senior to you. 

Many younger online entrepreneurs, if they think of senior citizens at all, only think in terms of making something easy enough that their grandmother can use it.

Well, many grandmothers are:

1. single

2. Looking for love, adventure, travel, gadgets … even plastic surgery.

3. Have a lot more time than their harried, busy, financially strapped 40 something children do

4. Often have more actual spendable income than they ever did before in their lives.

Still think you should forget about marketing to the “silver” community?

The following is a (necessary) sponsor announcement (full disclosure, I receive a commission from each sale) regarding a sound, down to earth “real” business you can stand up and run, anywhere you live, online or off .. NO MATTER your age!

Friends, any of you who started today, and out in as much time as most Americans spend watching TV a few nights a week, could be making more than $700 a month in say,the 99 weeks my fisherman friend sat waiting for something to happen.  Watching the ships roll away in other words.  It won’t fall in your lap, but if you work, and follow a proven system that involves delivering value with the knowledge and skills you already possess, it can happen.

All we seem to hear these days, especially in US news is talk of unemployment, more unemployment, under employment and then, yet again, more unemployment.  I suspect many of the searches I get here regarding jobs for Americans are motivated at least as much by the bad employment outlook in the US as by the folks actually wanting to retire.

What is I told you, though, that one of the world’s largest employers, one of the best in terms of pay, benefits, retirement and promotion opportunity, is hiring.  Big time.

I’d be telling you the truth.  After years of trying to balance the budget by decimating the Federal work force, the US is now on a massive hiring spree.

At least 150,000 jobs, plus the vacancies caused by attrition in the coming year … up to as many as 1.5 million new Federal jobs are being opened up for hiring.  Although there are only a few US federal jobs in the Philippines, there are federal jobs all over the globe, as well as the USA.

Who has the best chance of getting one of these jobs?  Easy.  The person who prepares.

About 90% of the folks I deal with looking for a job are hopeless cases, because they don’t even care enough about themselves to have a decent resume and haven’t taken the time to sit down and catalog their skills and figure out how to present themselves.

And those who might be looking for a Federal job (hint, retired US serviceman have preference for most of these jobs, which a significant portion of my audience here.) have to do the resume thing also.  Telling a prospective employer you were the NCOIC of some military alphabet soup office, or the major in charge of testing prep school academy applicants on Podunk Air Force base means absolutely nothing to most employers, even in other Federal agencies.

But if you know what the Federal government is looking for (hint two, if you don’t know what your KSA’s are, better get with the program), then you have an excellent chance.

The vast majority of these jobs are going to require a US Security Clearance as well … you’ve heard me mention this before also.  having a security clearance already is a tremendous asset IF you know the right way to document it.

So, today, as a public service, I’m reprinting some information about a guide I believe would be well worth a small investment on your part. (About $12 USD)

(Note;  this is not an offer from me, I am not selling this guide and I make no commission or other consideration … merely presenting this as a possible help for those who would like to pull themselves up out of the jobless mire .. the publisher of this guide knows what they are talking about.  In all cases though, YMMV).

———————————

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Our Federal Workforce will be increased by at least 153,000
to 1.43 million people, in fiscal 2010!

In today’s challenging job market, Federal
Employee positions are one of the few markets
that are hiring. You must make sure you know
how to properly prepare your federal resume…
even if you are already a federal employee and
are applying for a transfer or new positions.
Please read this important information.
Sincerely,
FEDweek

Your Security Clearances on Your Federal Resume are Critical

How to Prepare Your Federal Resume Properly
How to List Your Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)
and Your Security Clearances on Your Federal Resume is Critical
The Complete Guide to Writing a Federal Resume–
Available for Immediate Shipment

Go to http://www.fedweek.com/pubs/index.php
From the Publishers of FEDweek, the federal government’s
largest information resource…

We are proud to announce the launch of The Complete Guide
to Writing a Federal Resume. This book was written
specifically for you and is designed to help you meet the
requirements for written materials in seeking a new federal
job or advancement within the federal government. There is
no longer a single, required method of applying for federal
employment. In fact, most federal agencies are moving
toward the resume (either paper or electronic) as the
preferred method of applying for jobs.

That’s why we’ve published The Complete Guide to
Writing a Federal Resume and all current federal employees,
retirees, military members and private sector professionals
who are looking for a federal job need this all-inclusive guide.
Note to Military Members:

Many of the federal job openings at this time require security
clearances. As a military member, a large percentage of you have
the security clearance and the qualifications needed to fill
these positions. This all-new guide will show you how to compose
your resume to accentuate your strengths and experiences.

Here’s a partial list of the table of contents:

Finding a Federal Job
Should I Apply Using a Resume or an Application Form?
The Federal Resume
Preparing to Draft Your Resume
What to Cover (and not cover) in a Resume
The Designing of Your Federal Resume
Your Accomplishments (including a worksheet)
What if You Use an OF-612?
Knowledges, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)
Cover Letters and Thank You Letters
Interactive Worksheets
The Do’s and Don’t's for Federal Resume Cover Letters
Contains Many Sample Federal Resumes and Cover Letters
And Much More!

This Book is a "Must Have" For:
1. All federal employees
2. Military personnel interested in civil service careers
3. Federal managers and supervisors
4. Human resources professionals and federal libraries
5. Military retirees beginning their second career with the
   federal government
6. All private sector workers that wish to apply for federal
   government positions.

Simply put, designing and writing your resume is not an
easy task. You must highlight your accomplishments,
qualifications, experience, etc. all while keeping it
brief and easy to follow. The Complete Guide to Writing
a Federal Resume will show you how to do this. It also
gives a complete list of "result and action" words to use
in your cover letter and resume as well as a list a
frequently misspelled or misused words or phrases.
"In today’s competitive job market, especially the federal
job market, this new interactive resume book is a must
have and is guaranteed to help you, whether you are
writing a new resume from scratch, making minor changes
depending on the position you are applying for or just
fine tuning and error checking it."
Don Mace, Publisher
FEDweek  http://www.fedweek.com/pubs/index.php

Tim Castleman’s "Be An Online Consultant" FREE Webinar
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Eastern Time (New York Time)

Are you struggling to make money online?

You shouldn’t be. Do you realize how much you know? I bet
you don’t. People just like you… entrepreneurial types
interested in internet marketing… are turning to "online
consulting" to earn big bucks offline.

Think about how little you knew when you first started. You
probably knew nothing at all. Many people have trouble just
logging in to their email accounts. Do you think those
people know how to pick keywords for their website?….or
even know what SEO stands for?….NEGATIVE!

They don’t… and that’s exactly why…

Small brick ‘n mortar businesses are paying crazy cash to
people just to set up an email opt-in form on their page…
or perform basic SEO on their site….or create a simple
website design (like a WordPress blog).

And here’s an idea…can’t you outsource some of that work
too?

But the number one problem you’ll have is the same one
you’re having now. FINDING CLIENTS.

Well, that’s where Tim Castleman comes in…

Click the Read More link below for more information.

Click Here to Read More

Guest Post from: Bryan Sayers, ForexFraud.com

When you start getting to the age when retirement is down the road, you might be asking yourself if you have enough money saved up. This is a scary topic for many, who unfortunately do not have enough cash on hand to continue living their current lifestyle. It is really up to you to make sure that part of your paycheck is put away into some sort of retirement account. Many companies will match a percentage of their employee’s contribution to their retirement accounts. This is a nice benefit to have; it will encourage the employee to save money because they are being given an additional sum on top of their base salary. Of course this additional sum cannot be accessed until you hit retirement, and can start withdrawing money from the account. However the additional contributions that your employer has matched over the course of your career can be a substantial sum.

In the past few years there are a many people who have lost some if not all of their retirement money because of fraud. The Bernie Madoff and Allen Stanford cases are the two most recognizable, but there were many other money managers that stole their client’s money. The choice of money manager might not have been your choice, but instead the company has picked where to keep your retirement account. Even if they are the ones deciding who manages the employee’s retirement fund, do your research on the money management professionals who are in charge of your funds. The same research is needed if you are self directing money into a fund that you are planning to use when you hit retirement. There are many money management companies out there that will offer you advice on how to manage your money. They are then hoping that you in fact choose them for your money management needs, so they can collect the fees.

Most brokerage firms will allow you to set up a self direct retirement fund, also called a Roth IRA. If you have the time and enjoy doing financial research, giving yourself control over your retirement saving might be a good idea. You will save yourself the management fees that money managers charge their clients. You will also know exactly what you are investing in, because you are executing the buy and sell orders. Setting up your retirement account that you manage is not without risks. The market is very volatile and you are not guaranteed to make money buying or selling stocks. However if you want to buy risk free assets like Certificates of Deposit or Money Market short term paper, then there is no need to pay someone to make these trades for you. The only reason retirees should use a professional money manager is if they want to diversify their holdings into stocks and bonds that they do not understand. Forex trading is also another investment vehicle that could be considered. The forex market is inherently a riskier market to invest in so make sure your money manager has a good track record of investing in currencies if you choose this path. Money managers do not always make money, so giving a professional you money might not bring you the return you were promised.

My advice to everyone who wants to plan for retirement is to locate a company that has been in business for more than a few years. This shows the world that they have the knowledge to guide the average investor through the market successfully. The more branch offices they have the better, with an office close by you can speak to a person about your financial goals, and work on a strategy that fits your needs. The fraudulent companies out there are mainly small hedge funds that require you to lock up your money for a determined period of time. Make sure that you can always gain access to your funds at any time. If your funds have to be tied up for a significant period of time, for example over two years, this could raise some red flags. There are hedge funds that will promise you big returns, but do your research and ask around before you commit any of your retirement saving to a money manager of this type. We can all hope that the Securities and Exchange Commission is doing their job and watching out over the average investor and retiree, so that we can go to sleep at night knowing we have enough money to last us through this period of life. However, you must research every company that you are planning on putting money into and if it sounds too good to be true it probably is

My blogging and work from home colleague Jim Krukal recently published a post with this interesting graphic.  Keep in mind it is almost a year old and you can be sure the numbers haven’t gone down any since the survey was taken.

When you think about starting a business for yourself … perhaps to empower your retirement … you may not be thinking about anything that  is really on-line based.  That’s fine well and good, bit if you ignore the on-line would as one of your primary means of marketing you will be throwing away close to half your potential audience of clients:

Uploaded with plasq‘s Skitch!

What do you think? Is it worth ignoring that many people who might be looking exactly for the service you are interested in?

Recently a friend of mine who lives in a condo development in California told me a story.  He was home with his eight-year-old daughter when they heard someone come up the front steps to their townhouse condo, and then a big “plop” noise of something being dropped and the sound of the steps walking away back down the steps.

“What was that, Daddy”, she asked.

“Open the door and see,” he advised her.

Well out on their front porch was a yellow plastic sack with a thick yellow soft cover book inside.

The girl slipped the book out of the bag and asked her dad what it was.

Yep, at 8 years old this “thoroughly modern Millie” had never seen … a Yellow Pages directory!

After her dad explained what it was and the girl thumbed through some pages, know what her comment was?

“These ads are so ugly and it’s hard to find anything, why don’t people just use the Internet?”

Two days later my friend was taking his trash to the complex’s dumpster area, where there was a special dumpster set aside for recycling pick up of the paper business directories.  It was not only overflowing with unwanted Yellow Books already, many were the current edition still fresh in their pristine plastic distribution bags.  He told me that by quickly counting the books in one small stack he could easily estimate at least half or more of the complex residents had just tossed the brand new book away, unneeded and unwanted.

My friend then bumped into the complex’s outdoor gardener/caretaker with a wheelbarrow, bringing more yellow books to the collection point.  The groundskeeper said, “Always the same every year now, can’t these companies see no one wants there ads”?

So are you as smart as a grounds maintenance man?  I was going to ask if you were as smart as a fifth grader, but at 8, Millie is only in grade three. 

Can Millie teach us anything, even from the third grade?

Yes this is an offer.  An offer that can pay you huge dividends.  If you still aren’t sure yet, let me remind you that I’m offering you EVERYTHING you need to work from home successfully, including a complete listing of work at home jobs and business opportunities, at absolutely no risk! I’m offering a full, money-back guarantee if this guide doesn’t deliver exactly what I’ve promised here, you get every penny back.  A better deal than a business directory ad, that’s for sure!