After researching a real estate trick that has been used in the past, I found that it has turned into a lucrative business. It seems to be well known that there are some real eatate agencies and agents that help customers pad their credit history to improve their credit score. This piggybacking credit trick has turned into big business.
After being successful in such a venture, someone took it to another level. A site called Seasoned Trades was highlighted in a Wall Street Journal article. The company has found a way to use credit cards with excellent credit history for 9-27 years. For a fee, they will add your name to this credit account and so increase your credit score almost immediately by at least 200 points!
Whether you agree with this or would rather get your credit history the traditional way, it's big business. Enough business that there are copycat sites sprouting up. Paying for a better credit score? We have George Jetson webcams and treadmills and Star Trek cell phones. I know you must have known it was just a matter of time....
Related Articles
Personal Business: Piggybacking on a Credit History
By Jaclyne Badal, The Wall Street Journal, 996 words
Oct 1, 2006
Credit fix dismissed as house of cards
Critics pan trend toward attaching name to plastic with good credit history
Monday, March 06, 2006
Geoff Dutton
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
An Information and Comparison Site for Australian Finance Products
MoneyBuddy is a new site where you can find information and comparison shop for Australian financial products. What sets this site apart from the rest? This site was created by guys that are all under 23 yrs old! Great job guys!
The MoneyBuddy site is user friendly. You can easily compare prices for home loans, credit cards and car loans. They have a library of articles that help you navigater through many different personal finance issues. Al in all, this is a pretty good site. I'm just amazed that it was created by individuals that are under 23! When I was 23, I was on my second child. I worked a full time job, had a car payment, 31 credit cards and a savings account. Although I had gone to college for Buiness Managment and worked in a bank, my knowlege of personal finance was very, very limited.
To the guys at Money Buddy: Good Work and Best Luck to You!
The MoneyBuddy site is user friendly. You can easily compare prices for home loans, credit cards and car loans. They have a library of articles that help you navigater through many different personal finance issues. Al in all, this is a pretty good site. I'm just amazed that it was created by individuals that are under 23! When I was 23, I was on my second child. I worked a full time job, had a car payment, 31 credit cards and a savings account. Although I had gone to college for Buiness Managment and worked in a bank, my knowlege of personal finance was very, very limited.
To the guys at Money Buddy: Good Work and Best Luck to You!
A PayDay Loan: For Emergencies
With all the crazy things I've been through this year, I know about emergencies. This year started with my youngest son breaking his leg, he then jumped into a fountain in August, I had a car accident in October and my dog was hospitalized yesterday. Those are only a few of the unexpected events. I'm sure you've had them too.
Unfortunately, I don't have an emergency fund and because I'm currently financially stretched beyond belief...I can't create one. Although people may have negative feelings about payday loans, I found this one that is a bit different.
National Payday will give you a cash advance once approved. Why do I think you should bookmark ths site? In case of an emergency. See, this payday loan company is different. You can even have bad credit.
What are the requirements for a payday loan through http://www.nationalpayday.com/?
1. Your first cash advance loan is free as long as you pay the entire balance you owe on your due date. If you don't pay, you will have a 25% fee. (That's why you should pay it on time!)
2. A checking account open for at least one month with no bounced checks.
3. A steady job where you must make at least $1000.00 a month.
4. No more than one cash advance or payday loan from any othe lender.
5. The money is direct deposited into your checking account and if the apllication is processed before 2pm EST, it should be available the next day.
Sorry, they don't operate on weekends or national holidays.
You should bookmark http://www.nationalpayday.com/, in case you experience an emergency like I've had. You can apply for the money, have it direct deposited, use it and pay it back all for FREE. Remember, you can only get that freebie once. So don't do anything rash!
Unfortunately, I don't have an emergency fund and because I'm currently financially stretched beyond belief...I can't create one. Although people may have negative feelings about payday loans, I found this one that is a bit different.
National Payday will give you a cash advance once approved. Why do I think you should bookmark ths site? In case of an emergency. See, this payday loan company is different. You can even have bad credit.
What are the requirements for a payday loan through http://www.nationalpayday.com/?
1. Your first cash advance loan is free as long as you pay the entire balance you owe on your due date. If you don't pay, you will have a 25% fee. (That's why you should pay it on time!)
2. A checking account open for at least one month with no bounced checks.
3. A steady job where you must make at least $1000.00 a month.
4. No more than one cash advance or payday loan from any othe lender.
5. The money is direct deposited into your checking account and if the apllication is processed before 2pm EST, it should be available the next day.
Sorry, they don't operate on weekends or national holidays.
You should bookmark http://www.nationalpayday.com/, in case you experience an emergency like I've had. You can apply for the money, have it direct deposited, use it and pay it back all for FREE. Remember, you can only get that freebie once. So don't do anything rash!
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Write Your Own Content!
I'm getting really tired of surfing the net. The more I surf, the more sites I see with people that have blatantly copied my efforts. Today I found this blog by a girl that is a member of one of the sites I post on. She copied my posts, sometimes just reversing the order of my sentences! The information that has taken me months to write and research was just copied and pasted in her blog this month. Let's not even talk about Associated Content. I even found some of my frugal posts over there!
What do you think I should do? Should I just go on or blow the whistle? If I do, what will it really accomplish? I can confront the culprits, but I'm sure it won't make a difference. Let's be for real! I take the time to carry a pen around with me when I take my 7 kids out to write thought out interesting posts and someone else gets paid for it? Even if it's a small fee at Associated or google adsense, is that really fair? The funny part is that you are using all the sites that I suggested and you didn't think I was going to find out.
For those of you that think you were smart enough to subscribe to these posts so you can copy and paste...there is a little site on the net called CopyScape. Do the right thing and alert Associated Content and take my posts off your blogs. You wouldn't want me to alert blogger.com or Google Adsense-since your blogs are plastered with ads containing my content.
I had a bad day. I think I'm going to go ruffle some feathers at the site she used to find my content...
What do you think I should do? Should I just go on or blow the whistle? If I do, what will it really accomplish? I can confront the culprits, but I'm sure it won't make a difference. Let's be for real! I take the time to carry a pen around with me when I take my 7 kids out to write thought out interesting posts and someone else gets paid for it? Even if it's a small fee at Associated or google adsense, is that really fair? The funny part is that you are using all the sites that I suggested and you didn't think I was going to find out.
For those of you that think you were smart enough to subscribe to these posts so you can copy and paste...there is a little site on the net called CopyScape. Do the right thing and alert Associated Content and take my posts off your blogs. You wouldn't want me to alert blogger.com or Google Adsense-since your blogs are plastered with ads containing my content.
I had a bad day. I think I'm going to go ruffle some feathers at the site she used to find my content...
Monday, November 20, 2006
Carnival of Personal Finance #75
The Carnival of Personal Finance #75 is up at Everybody Loves Your Money. There is a really long entry that I loved. I'm suggesting you guys take a look. It's similar to my post about "Playing Mind Games to Get out of Debt". In the end, your spending habits are all about how you perceive your money... Here's the entry See Money Differently to Attract More at the blog geniustypes.com .
Have fun reading the great entries!
Have fun reading the great entries!
Sunday, November 19, 2006
10 Ways to Save Money by Recycling
There are many ways you can reuse and recycle products to stay within a budget. I love to cut corners where I can, but I have to admit there are things I won't do. As I've mentioned it before, I won't buy generic Oreo's or skimp on my coffee. Those are my few luxuries. Everybody has them, right?
Here are Ten Recycling Tips:
1. Some supermarkets give you a 2 cent or 3 cent credit for every shopping bag you reuse. Save your old paper towel tubes and stuff your shopping bags in their. It makes them easy to store in your car and grab when you just need to get a few staples!
2. Don't throw out those fabric softener sheets. Earlier this year, I read how NCN bought enough fabric softener sheets for the year! (Great job!) After you use them in the dryer, use them to dust your blinds, ceiling fans or anywhere dust collects. They're great!
3. Your old light bulbs can be recycled. How? They can be turned into Christmas Tree Ornaments.
4. You know the plastic bottles (that don't have a refund) can be cut and used as funnels! Keep one in your car in case of en emergency.
5. Save the soda caps to use with the light bulbs for the Christmas Ornaments. They can be hot glued to the other end and suspended with floral wire. Paint the soda caps gold and the light bulbs can be decoupaged or spray painted.
6. Coffee grinds are great for geraniums! I saw this years ago on a gardening show and it works. The acidity is great for their soil.
7. Plastic coffee containers are great to hold small accessories or toys! Think legos!
8. I bought the Tidy Cat litter on sale (the one that comes in the huge plastic container). I didn't throw out the container so that I could reuse it. I buy whatever is on sale and pour it in the container. The bags are usually cheaper, but the containers are better for storage purposes.
9. You can save your annuals by placing them in a closet and covering them with a brown paper bag! You're recycling your annauls and reusing brown paper bags.
10. Brown paper bags can be used to cover your child's text book and as gift wrapping paper. Think creative stamping!
I hope you enjoyed these tips. Feel free to leave your favorite way of recycling products to save money.
Related Topics
If you're interested in learning how to get paid to write articles, blog, post on forums or other work from home opportunities visit:
MAKE MONEY ONLINE ON Squidoo
Sell Your Old Ink Cartridges and/or Cell Phones!
Here are Ten Recycling Tips:
1. Some supermarkets give you a 2 cent or 3 cent credit for every shopping bag you reuse. Save your old paper towel tubes and stuff your shopping bags in their. It makes them easy to store in your car and grab when you just need to get a few staples!
2. Don't throw out those fabric softener sheets. Earlier this year, I read how NCN bought enough fabric softener sheets for the year! (Great job!) After you use them in the dryer, use them to dust your blinds, ceiling fans or anywhere dust collects. They're great!
3. Your old light bulbs can be recycled. How? They can be turned into Christmas Tree Ornaments.
4. You know the plastic bottles (that don't have a refund) can be cut and used as funnels! Keep one in your car in case of en emergency.
5. Save the soda caps to use with the light bulbs for the Christmas Ornaments. They can be hot glued to the other end and suspended with floral wire. Paint the soda caps gold and the light bulbs can be decoupaged or spray painted.
6. Coffee grinds are great for geraniums! I saw this years ago on a gardening show and it works. The acidity is great for their soil.
7. Plastic coffee containers are great to hold small accessories or toys! Think legos!
8. I bought the Tidy Cat litter on sale (the one that comes in the huge plastic container). I didn't throw out the container so that I could reuse it. I buy whatever is on sale and pour it in the container. The bags are usually cheaper, but the containers are better for storage purposes.
9. You can save your annuals by placing them in a closet and covering them with a brown paper bag! You're recycling your annauls and reusing brown paper bags.
10. Brown paper bags can be used to cover your child's text book and as gift wrapping paper. Think creative stamping!
I hope you enjoyed these tips. Feel free to leave your favorite way of recycling products to save money.
Related Topics
If you're interested in learning how to get paid to write articles, blog, post on forums or other work from home opportunities visit:
MAKE MONEY ONLINE ON Squidoo
Sell Your Old Ink Cartridges and/or Cell Phones!
Sell Your Old Ink Cartridges and/or Cell Phones!
Sell Your Ink Cartridges
Empties4Cash.com
Here is another way to earn some money to pay off your debt! You can also refer your school, church or other non profit organization to this great fundraiser!
There are several companies that pay you for inkjet cartridges with print heads. The reason I like this one is because provide you with the pre-paid shipping labels or boxes. Unlike other ink recycling companies, they pay cash. They process your check within 5 days of receiving your shipment. The most they pay is $4.00 and the least is $1.00. The other companies pay much less. you can search your cartridge by make and model or image.
Think of the money your favorite charity can raise by collecting ink cartridges from it's members (as well as their families and friends).
Why do they do this? They recycle the cartridges and sell them at their sister website www.inksmile.com at up to 80% savings. You not only get the benefit or some cash, but you are recycling and helping our environment. It's a win-win situation!
Visit Empties4Cash.com and see how easy it is! You can help your church's building fund or help your child's school buy new textbooks!
Sell Your Old Cell Phones
CellForCash.com
Type in your make and model or find the image of your phone. It will tell you how much they are offering. If you take the offer, they will send you a box and shipping label. They make sure the phone works and they send you a check for the amount offered on the site. This can also be a great fundraiser for the charity of your choice!
I hope these two opportunities were helpful for you and/or your favorite charity. I'm currently testing a few more sites to earn income from home. I will post a tutorial on the site as soon as I'm positive that they are legitimate. Subscribe to this blog or bookmark the site to always get the latest information on new work from home opportunities. Enjoy your week! To make sure that you haven't missed any information on new income opps, visit the link below.
Related Topics
You can get paid to blog, write articles, post on forums and more! Visit MAKE MONEY ONLINE on Squidoo and learn how!
Empties4Cash.com
Here is another way to earn some money to pay off your debt! You can also refer your school, church or other non profit organization to this great fundraiser!
There are several companies that pay you for inkjet cartridges with print heads. The reason I like this one is because provide you with the pre-paid shipping labels or boxes. Unlike other ink recycling companies, they pay cash. They process your check within 5 days of receiving your shipment. The most they pay is $4.00 and the least is $1.00. The other companies pay much less. you can search your cartridge by make and model or image.
Think of the money your favorite charity can raise by collecting ink cartridges from it's members (as well as their families and friends).
Why do they do this? They recycle the cartridges and sell them at their sister website www.inksmile.com at up to 80% savings. You not only get the benefit or some cash, but you are recycling and helping our environment. It's a win-win situation!
Visit Empties4Cash.com and see how easy it is! You can help your church's building fund or help your child's school buy new textbooks!
Sell Your Old Cell Phones
CellForCash.com
Type in your make and model or find the image of your phone. It will tell you how much they are offering. If you take the offer, they will send you a box and shipping label. They make sure the phone works and they send you a check for the amount offered on the site. This can also be a great fundraiser for the charity of your choice!
I hope these two opportunities were helpful for you and/or your favorite charity. I'm currently testing a few more sites to earn income from home. I will post a tutorial on the site as soon as I'm positive that they are legitimate. Subscribe to this blog or bookmark the site to always get the latest information on new work from home opportunities. Enjoy your week! To make sure that you haven't missed any information on new income opps, visit the link below.
Related Topics
You can get paid to blog, write articles, post on forums and more! Visit MAKE MONEY ONLINE on Squidoo and learn how!
New Carnivals
There are a few new blog carnivals in the blogosphere. I've submitted a post to each, but I thought I'd pass the information along. Be sure to visit the carnival and submit an entry if it is applicable to the topic!
Internet Money Makers Carnival 1st Edition can be found at My quest to make money on the internet. Go read some interesting entries.
Another new carnival is The Carnival of Shopping. The latest edition is Carnival of Shopping #4 his is being held at Aram's (the carnival creator) blog titled Pocket Change from become.com. Go read what Aram found out that KFC and The Great Wall of China have in common!
Hope you enjoy the carnivals! Let them know I sent ya!
Internet Money Makers Carnival 1st Edition can be found at My quest to make money on the internet. Go read some interesting entries.
Another new carnival is The Carnival of Shopping. The latest edition is Carnival of Shopping #4 his is being held at Aram's (the carnival creator) blog titled Pocket Change from become.com. Go read what Aram found out that KFC and The Great Wall of China have in common!
Hope you enjoy the carnivals! Let them know I sent ya!
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Freebies for 11/13-11/20
Free Bausch and Lomb Wear&Care Program Kit
Free Sample of Nourifusion
Receive a free introductory 2-step ColorTHRIVE Kit. This kit includes a ColorTHRIVE shampoo and conditioner formulated for your hair colour and a Daily Lock In Spray.
FREE sample of Sally Hansen Diamond Strength No Chip Nail Color
Receive your free sample of Post-it Sortable Cards
Sign up for a FREE 1-year (12-issue) magazine subscription (digital edition)
FREE Wired Magazine
Free Sample of Nourifusion
Receive a free introductory 2-step ColorTHRIVE Kit. This kit includes a ColorTHRIVE shampoo and conditioner formulated for your hair colour and a Daily Lock In Spray.
FREE sample of Sally Hansen Diamond Strength No Chip Nail Color
Receive your free sample of Post-it Sortable Cards
Sign up for a FREE 1-year (12-issue) magazine subscription (digital edition)
FREE Wired Magazine
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Review Me Launch!
Remember that I told you that I was waiting for the time to be able to tell you about a new online income oportunity? Guess what? It's time to tell! Here's the review about Review Me!
Review Me is a new "get paid to blog" site. Today is the launch of their site. They are payig out a total of $25,000. to bloggers today!
It's pretty funny how I came across this post. TechCrunch commented on a post of blogger from one of the companies I blog for. I followed TechCrunch's link to his own blog and he had a post about two new companies that were going to launch these business modesl he hates. You know, the ones where bloggers receive compensation for reviewing a site or product. He even went as far as to say that one of the companies was one of his sponsors and he was going to complain to them. He can pretty much say whatever he wants, in the long run the company is going to go with the profitable route.
You know that I am always looking for legitimate ways to earn money by blogging. All of you know all the mishaps I've expereinced this year. I need all the money I can get. Why not get paid for reviews? I don't see the problem as long as I am honest. If I think it's great I will say so, if I don't agree with something...I say so. In the end, I'm basically getting paid for writing. Hello?!?! How easy is that? There is also the issue of convenience. You know that with 7 kids, most of your check goes to daycare. I don't think I need to recap all the horrible things I've been through this year, for you to understand why I prefer blogging instead of a 9-5. Let's see there is The Little One's broken leg, the doctor's appointments, the flu that goes around from kid to kid for a good two weeks! Tell me why a mom wouldn't want to blog for a living? It's something that could be done during the kid's naps, when they're in school or while they're at practice!
What's the Difference Between Review Me and the other Companies
1. They pay you according to the popularity of your blog. If you have a high page rank, you earn more money for your review. I think that's fair, don't you?
2. You earn half of what the advertiser pays. For example, an advertiser has to pay $60.00 for a review on one of my blogs. I get $30.00, they get $30.00. I think that's fair too.
3. They pay on the first of every month by paypal or check. I like paypal because it's more convenient for me.
4. You can submit 6 blogs to Review Me. You can post as many reviews as you are offered on the blogs that are accepted.
5. They have excellent software that can tell your Alexa ranking, technorati ranking and Google ranking almost instatnly. No waiting period to find out whether or not you are approved! I love that. You can start earning money right away with their first review...that is if you sign up immediately!
6. They require you to disclose it is a paid advertisement. Some other companies don't require you to do so.
7. They require your social secuirty number. Only one other company requires you to do that. Why? It's easy to earn way over $600.00. That requires them to have to give you a 1099. They ask for it upfront which is smart. Doing it the other way around could be bad business for them.
8. You have to write a minimum of 200 words in your review.
9. They pay from $20.00 to $200.00 for each completed review that you post on your site.
If you're wondering whether or not I'm getting paid for this post, don't wonder anymore. Yes, I am. Take it from me. I blog for all the companies. If you are looking to make the most money for a post, submit your blog today. This ad just paid for the box of contacts I had to buy my daughter today! Thanks Review ME!
Related Posts
Visit MAKE MONEY ONLINE for every legit online income opp!
Review Me is a new "get paid to blog" site. Today is the launch of their site. They are payig out a total of $25,000. to bloggers today!
It's pretty funny how I came across this post. TechCrunch commented on a post of blogger from one of the companies I blog for. I followed TechCrunch's link to his own blog and he had a post about two new companies that were going to launch these business modesl he hates. You know, the ones where bloggers receive compensation for reviewing a site or product. He even went as far as to say that one of the companies was one of his sponsors and he was going to complain to them. He can pretty much say whatever he wants, in the long run the company is going to go with the profitable route.
You know that I am always looking for legitimate ways to earn money by blogging. All of you know all the mishaps I've expereinced this year. I need all the money I can get. Why not get paid for reviews? I don't see the problem as long as I am honest. If I think it's great I will say so, if I don't agree with something...I say so. In the end, I'm basically getting paid for writing. Hello?!?! How easy is that? There is also the issue of convenience. You know that with 7 kids, most of your check goes to daycare. I don't think I need to recap all the horrible things I've been through this year, for you to understand why I prefer blogging instead of a 9-5. Let's see there is The Little One's broken leg, the doctor's appointments, the flu that goes around from kid to kid for a good two weeks! Tell me why a mom wouldn't want to blog for a living? It's something that could be done during the kid's naps, when they're in school or while they're at practice!
What's the Difference Between Review Me and the other Companies
1. They pay you according to the popularity of your blog. If you have a high page rank, you earn more money for your review. I think that's fair, don't you?
2. You earn half of what the advertiser pays. For example, an advertiser has to pay $60.00 for a review on one of my blogs. I get $30.00, they get $30.00. I think that's fair too.
3. They pay on the first of every month by paypal or check. I like paypal because it's more convenient for me.
4. You can submit 6 blogs to Review Me. You can post as many reviews as you are offered on the blogs that are accepted.
5. They have excellent software that can tell your Alexa ranking, technorati ranking and Google ranking almost instatnly. No waiting period to find out whether or not you are approved! I love that. You can start earning money right away with their first review...that is if you sign up immediately!
6. They require you to disclose it is a paid advertisement. Some other companies don't require you to do so.
7. They require your social secuirty number. Only one other company requires you to do that. Why? It's easy to earn way over $600.00. That requires them to have to give you a 1099. They ask for it upfront which is smart. Doing it the other way around could be bad business for them.
8. You have to write a minimum of 200 words in your review.
9. They pay from $20.00 to $200.00 for each completed review that you post on your site.
If you're wondering whether or not I'm getting paid for this post, don't wonder anymore. Yes, I am. Take it from me. I blog for all the companies. If you are looking to make the most money for a post, submit your blog today. This ad just paid for the box of contacts I had to buy my daughter today! Thanks Review ME!
Related Posts
Visit MAKE MONEY ONLINE for every legit online income opp!
| fly.co.uk | cheap flights from the uk to the whole world |
| Flights to Sydney | Cheap Flights to Cologne |
| Flights to Qatar | Cheap Flight |
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Robert Kiyosaki Advised Buying Silver Too!
Not too long ago, I wrote a post on one of my blogs about investing in silver and other precious metals. Since American money is a currency and no longer backed by precious metals, it makes sense to invest in something concrete that will appreciate in value. At least I thought so. This weekend, while reading Yahoo News, I came across an article Robert Kiyosaki wrote in March 2006. He stated exactly the same thing I had written. I was shocked and glad that I my opinions were aligned with his.
Here is an excerpt of the article, I will provide a link at the end of the post for those that would like to read the article in it's entirety.
I took it a step further. What if you don't know how to purchase silver coins or gold bars for investment purposes? It's not like the average American even thinks of doing this. There are people that can't even balance their checkbooks! Here is a suggestion. Monex has been in business over 30 years and is an industry investment leader. They can help you with your purchase and personal delivery. You can also have them help you with it's storage at an independent bank or depository. It may be something new and different, but the way things are going it's better to be safe than sorry.
Related Topics
Investing: Assets That Are Lifeboats in a Shaky Future
by Robert Kiyosaki
Tuesday, March 7, 2006
Here is an excerpt of the article, I will provide a link at the end of the post for those that would like to read the article in it's entirety.
Today, I invest in assets with tangible value, especially assets that go up in price as the dollar's purchasing power sinks. Today, I have large positions in gold, silver, and oil.
For the small investor, I believe buying silver coins is a safe bet. As the dollar drops, silver will hold its value or go up. I don't recommend buying coins for numismatic value (rarity). A friend has his son buy one silver dollar a week instead of saving money in the bank. As I write this, that's worth about $12 a week. He keeps the coins in a safe-deposit box. It's not big investing -- but it's a great habit.
I took it a step further. What if you don't know how to purchase silver coins or gold bars for investment purposes? It's not like the average American even thinks of doing this. There are people that can't even balance their checkbooks! Here is a suggestion. Monex has been in business over 30 years and is an industry investment leader. They can help you with your purchase and personal delivery. You can also have them help you with it's storage at an independent bank or depository. It may be something new and different, but the way things are going it's better to be safe than sorry.
Related Topics
Investing: Assets That Are Lifeboats in a Shaky Future
by Robert Kiyosaki
Tuesday, March 7, 2006
Why Call Centers Record Your Phone Calls
Calling a business for customer service often finds you listening to that annoying little recording that states, "your call may be recorded for quality purposes." The wording may vary, but it is just a warning to you that your conversation is being recorded. I always wondered if that really served a "purpose", but then my friend's daughter started working for a large well known HMO. My friend told me her daughter would receive bonuses for her outstanding customer service, that was monitored by these taped phone calls. I thought that was the extent of it. Nope, it's not.
Personal finance bloggers always encourage their readers to call companies for poor customer service. We even advise readers to threaten to terminate services to get a better deal or even just haggle nicely for a better price while holding your possible exit over their head. This act of a customer terminating a company's business is called "churn". What I found out is that these phone calls are collected by companies to be analyzed. What do they do with the information? They process it and help companies identify training call agents may need for the business' efficiency. They provide important data regarding upsells, cross sell opportunities and identify reponses to promotions.
There is another aspect that I find intriguing. There is a company by the name of CallMiner that has taken it a step further. They are to "call center analytics" what Google is to "search engines". They have found a way to analyze language and help companies sort out the exact content they need instead of using time consuming traditional means. I don't know about you, but I find that kind of scary. You know, like Big Brother's watching. I kind of feel like many feel about all the information Google has about all of us. What if the government got control of all that information? Perhaps, I watch too many movies. The Terminator and The Matrix and it's evolution of computer technology is still fictional, but we've been able to use computers to even detect the intonations of human speech in many different languages with the analytics CallMiner uses.
If you think I'm just making this up, check it out for yourself. CallMiner's purpose is to help companies identify customers that are likely to Churn and help them retain their business. I'm sure that if I was a huge buiness owner, I would find use for a service like this. Since I'm on the other side of the phone call, I find it a little creepy...
Personal finance bloggers always encourage their readers to call companies for poor customer service. We even advise readers to threaten to terminate services to get a better deal or even just haggle nicely for a better price while holding your possible exit over their head. This act of a customer terminating a company's business is called "churn". What I found out is that these phone calls are collected by companies to be analyzed. What do they do with the information? They process it and help companies identify training call agents may need for the business' efficiency. They provide important data regarding upsells, cross sell opportunities and identify reponses to promotions.
There is another aspect that I find intriguing. There is a company by the name of CallMiner that has taken it a step further. They are to "call center analytics" what Google is to "search engines". They have found a way to analyze language and help companies sort out the exact content they need instead of using time consuming traditional means. I don't know about you, but I find that kind of scary. You know, like Big Brother's watching. I kind of feel like many feel about all the information Google has about all of us. What if the government got control of all that information? Perhaps, I watch too many movies. The Terminator and The Matrix and it's evolution of computer technology is still fictional, but we've been able to use computers to even detect the intonations of human speech in many different languages with the analytics CallMiner uses.
If you think I'm just making this up, check it out for yourself. CallMiner's purpose is to help companies identify customers that are likely to Churn and help them retain their business. I'm sure that if I was a huge buiness owner, I would find use for a service like this. Since I'm on the other side of the phone call, I find it a little creepy...
The Saga Continues
Last Wednesday, my friend was here doing some major repairs. We were outside discussing the many repairs that have to be done when she noticed that the front tires on my minivan were so damaged, the metal was visible! The adjuster still hasn't come by to look at the minivan. Since the accident, I realized one of my headlights isn't working. That means, I really shouldn't be out on the road. The headlights, hood and front are dented and broken. Does it make sense to make repairs until the adjuster sees it? Not realy, but this is the only car I have that I can actually drive...well sort of. I drive it, but I really shouldn't. Unfortunately, I can't afford a car rental until the insurance company decides to take action.
On Thursday, I went to the repair shop and it cost me $218.00 to replace 3 tires. I just replaced all four earlier this year and one two months ago. Guess what? I'm back in the hole. I'm backed up on the car payment and the electric bill. Then there was another unexpected expense that has me so livid, I can't even write about it yet without raging! I have to be able to talk about it without clenching my teeth before I can share that one.
To make matters worse, my ex-husband is backed up a month on the child support. I missed the payout request for two companies and I was counting on those big payments. That was due to some last minute running around with the kids, their school functions and church. I refuse to give up. I don't care how hard it gets, I will achieve getting out of debt-no matter what I have to do.
On the bright side, I have found two more "get paid to blog" sites that are going to launch as soon as tomorrow. I also came across a text link advertiser that pays within 24 hours. He has graciously offered me almost the price of the 3 tires...for sponsored links in 9 of my blogs. I'm currently negotiating that with the owner. Once I get paid, I will give all the details (except for the exact amount of payment). You know you must use proper etiquette as to whether or not a business transaction should be divulged!
Anyway, I'm still here sruggling but not defeated. I'm desperately trying to work and read all that I can about ebay. I need to empty out 6 bedrooms of kid's toys, video games, toddler toys, books and more! Any help anyone can give, by directing me to an ebay selling resource, would be greatly appreciated. I'm pretty sure that if I sold off all the extra stuff in my house, I could pay off my minivan!
I'll be posting some more throughout the day. I haven't written any posts for one of my favorite carnivals, so I will be doing so this week.
On Thursday, I went to the repair shop and it cost me $218.00 to replace 3 tires. I just replaced all four earlier this year and one two months ago. Guess what? I'm back in the hole. I'm backed up on the car payment and the electric bill. Then there was another unexpected expense that has me so livid, I can't even write about it yet without raging! I have to be able to talk about it without clenching my teeth before I can share that one.
To make matters worse, my ex-husband is backed up a month on the child support. I missed the payout request for two companies and I was counting on those big payments. That was due to some last minute running around with the kids, their school functions and church. I refuse to give up. I don't care how hard it gets, I will achieve getting out of debt-no matter what I have to do.
On the bright side, I have found two more "get paid to blog" sites that are going to launch as soon as tomorrow. I also came across a text link advertiser that pays within 24 hours. He has graciously offered me almost the price of the 3 tires...for sponsored links in 9 of my blogs. I'm currently negotiating that with the owner. Once I get paid, I will give all the details (except for the exact amount of payment). You know you must use proper etiquette as to whether or not a business transaction should be divulged!
Anyway, I'm still here sruggling but not defeated. I'm desperately trying to work and read all that I can about ebay. I need to empty out 6 bedrooms of kid's toys, video games, toddler toys, books and more! Any help anyone can give, by directing me to an ebay selling resource, would be greatly appreciated. I'm pretty sure that if I sold off all the extra stuff in my house, I could pay off my minivan!
I'll be posting some more throughout the day. I haven't written any posts for one of my favorite carnivals, so I will be doing so this week.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Blog and Earn
My email receives dozens of questions about how to earn money from blogging. There are many companies that pay to blog, but if you need money quickly Blogitive is the way to go.
Why do I refer bloggers to Blogitive?
1. You can Make Money by blogging and get paid weekly by paypal.
2. Blogging for them helps your traffic. How? They require you to register with feedburner.com.
3. It gives you fresh content to blog about.
4. You get paid by them and you can also earn from your google adsense!
5. If you have more than one blog, you can earn even more money. I've earned $190.00 in less than three days!
There are many reasons why I recommend this company. These are just a few. For more information visit them and read their FAQ's!
Why do I refer bloggers to Blogitive?
1. You can Make Money by blogging and get paid weekly by paypal.
2. Blogging for them helps your traffic. How? They require you to register with feedburner.com.
3. It gives you fresh content to blog about.
4. You get paid by them and you can also earn from your google adsense!
5. If you have more than one blog, you can earn even more money. I've earned $190.00 in less than three days!
There are many reasons why I recommend this company. These are just a few. For more information visit them and read their FAQ's!
Friday, November 03, 2006
The High and Lows of Getting a Mortgage
Not too long ago, I was discussing the nightmare we experienced during the purchase of this home. Words can't explain the emotional highs and lows that we lived through. After our initial mistake, we decided to use the bank that I had been employed by. This gave us an advantage. I knew the people involved with the leg work and that made it a lot easier. The intial proceeding wasn't so smooth. Let me tell you why.
The previous owner of this home was wealthy. He was a funny kind of wealthy. He wasn't frugal. He bought things without looking at the price. This was a big red flag we overlooked. He suggested we use his broker. We complied and started the process, giving the broker what he asked for. Things were fine at first. Then he would call up and ask us for paperwork at the last minute. It was really weird the way he tried to rush certain things along. I started reading the paperwork. The paperwork stated the transaction would have a mortgage with the interest of........11%. What???? That was ludicrous. So, I called the mortgage broker and he told me the previous owner (who's primary income is from buying and selling real estate) had been paying this for years and never complained. I replied, "Well, perhaps he never read the paperwork!" It could also be that he didn't care. Whatever the reason, that is an insane amount to pay for 30 years, especially when you are putting down $40,000 as a down payment and have excellent credit.
That was my story. Your story doesn't have to be so crazy. There are sites that not only have forums where people share war stories, but they provide tips, resources and helpful industry content. Visiting a site like this can help you through the journey of obtaining a mortgage loan.
Whatever you decide to do, always read the fine print and do a lot of research. Buying a home is usually the biggest purchase most people make in their life!
The previous owner of this home was wealthy. He was a funny kind of wealthy. He wasn't frugal. He bought things without looking at the price. This was a big red flag we overlooked. He suggested we use his broker. We complied and started the process, giving the broker what he asked for. Things were fine at first. Then he would call up and ask us for paperwork at the last minute. It was really weird the way he tried to rush certain things along. I started reading the paperwork. The paperwork stated the transaction would have a mortgage with the interest of........11%. What???? That was ludicrous. So, I called the mortgage broker and he told me the previous owner (who's primary income is from buying and selling real estate) had been paying this for years and never complained. I replied, "Well, perhaps he never read the paperwork!" It could also be that he didn't care. Whatever the reason, that is an insane amount to pay for 30 years, especially when you are putting down $40,000 as a down payment and have excellent credit.
That was my story. Your story doesn't have to be so crazy. There are sites that not only have forums where people share war stories, but they provide tips, resources and helpful industry content. Visiting a site like this can help you through the journey of obtaining a mortgage loan.
Whatever you decide to do, always read the fine print and do a lot of research. Buying a home is usually the biggest purchase most people make in their life!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)