Welcome to Michael's Article Collection

Don't Wait For The Perfect Situation To Pay Down Your Debt.

The number one reason people don’t get out of debt is they don’t try. This may apply to you. You want to, but never seem to do it. You put it off for whatever reason. You want to wait for your life to be just right before you make the attempt. You tell yourself, when I get the new job, when I receive the next promotion, or when I get my next raise, I’ll go to work on my debt. (c) 2004 D. . .

Make Your Financial Dreams A Reality

Tons of opportunities for you to achieve financial success is flooding into your inbox every day. May'be you've even opened and did the suggestions by the author. Their ideas didn't pan out huh? Well today is your lucky day, because this opportunity is the real deal. Turn your financial dreams into reality right now.You must be wondering how is this program different than all the other programs. . .

Job Hunting Tip: Organize Your Attack

Looking for work is an energy-devouring ordeal, often leading to running in circles and not getting anywhere. A systematic approach can help you focus on your goal, avoid wasting the energy you need to conserve for interviews and employer contacts, and lower your stress level.Some resources you might find helpful include:1. Newspaper classified. Pro: you know that an opening does exist or a com. . .

How Will Check 21 Affect You?

You may already be familiar with Check 21, a federal law that goes into effect on October 28, 2004. If you're like me, this may be something you hadn't heard about until just yesterday. The Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act, otherwise known as Check 21, is the process of turning the checks your write into images and transmitting them by computer. What does this mean to you? Expect the tim. . .

The True Cost Per Minute of Long Distance

Mathematics is unerring. As a child we are taught that 2 + 2 = 4. This will never change and will always yield the same results; except when it comes to calculating you phone bill. Most long distance carriers advertise their low rate per minute costs. However, before you can really make an informed decision as to which carrier offers the best value you need to consider all of the “other” costs . . .

Beware of Bogus Credit Repair Companies!

So-called "credit repair" companies claim they can remove negative information from credit reports. Advertising as "Credit Advisors," "Credit Rating Correction Services" or "Credit Consultants," they trumpet variations on this message: "Turned down because of bad credit? We can help!" Many of these companies charge hundreds if not thousands of dollars for the promise to "clean up" bad credit re. . .

The Benefits of Starting A Home-Based Business

The U.S economy continues to grow and corporations are enjoying large profits, but the majority of Americans still struggle with finances. This is one of the main reasons many people are looking into the benefits that a home-based business can offer. There is no stressful morning commute, extremely low overhead, fewer restrictions, and few or no employees. Many laws don't apply to small busines. . .

Credit Repair Companies and Credit Counseling

Let's be crystal clear, right up front. Paying someone to "fix" your credit is a waste of your time and money, since the negative issues that are temporarily removed from your file will only reappear again in a couple of months.Be careful with credit repair scams.Most "credit repair" companies really don't help. In fact, you can improve your credit more effectively on your own. By using credit . . .

How Web Masters Can Start a Home Based Business Using Cre...

If you’re a webmaster who has been itching to start a home based business and you are experiencing some cash flow problems and are considering leaving your dreams by the wayside, don’t. Credit cards may be your answer. Now before you start feeling guilty about using your credit cards for some much needed cash flow and before you antagonize over this issue because of “debt”, let me assure . . .

Stop Debt Collectors

Can you stop debt collectors ? . . .You better know you canYou can stop debt collectors under the law provided by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. If you use credit cards, owe money on a personal loan, or are paying on a home mortgage, you are a "debtor."If you fall behind in repaying your creditors, or an error is made on your accounts, you may be contacted by a "debt collector." You sh. . .

How Creditors Measure Your Credit Rating

Creditors will measure your credit rating based on the following three main things. Capacity Collateral CharacterThe three "C's" show creditors your: "Capacity" or income to pay the debt "Collateral" or assets to secure the obligation "Character" shows your compliance to repay the debt1. CapacityThe very first question is whether you have sufficient income to repay the debt. Creditors will defi. . .

South Beach Diet Effects on Sales

Food industry needs to adapt to the South Beach Diet principles in order to remain profitable.Watching the big amount of “low-carb”, diet-friendly versions of foods that appear on the market, one would say that the South Beach Diet has not affected only people who want to get slim and healthy. Companies involved in the food industry have also been feeling the South Beach Diet effects: some of t. . .

Get Your Credit Score To Soar In The Twinkling of An Eye.

Ever wonder how a creditor decides whether to grant you credit? For years, creditors have been using credit scoring systems to determine if you'd be a good risk for credit cards and auto loans. More recently, credit scoring has been used to help creditors evaluate your ability to repay home mortgage loans. Here's how credit scoring works in helping decide who gets credit -- and why.What is cred. . .

Can You Acquire Good Credit Overnight? You Bet.

Your credit file may not reflect all your credit accounts. Although most national department store and all-purpose bank credit card accounts will be included in your file, not all creditors supply information to credit bureaus : Some travel, entertainment, gasoline card companies, local retailers, and credit unions are among those creditors that don't.If you've been told that you were denied cr. . .

How to Dispute Credit Report Errors

Your credit report--a type of consumer report--contains information about where you work and live and how you pay your bills. It also may show whether you've been sued or arrested or have filed for bankruptcy. Companies called consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) or credit bureaus compile and sell your credit report to businesses. Because businesses use this information to evaluate your applicati. . .

Customer Service: Stop Sabotaging Your Customer Relations...

If you've called for customer service recently you're familiar with this recorded message "This call may be recorded or monitored for quality purposes." I immediately think to myself, "Oh great, here comes the game of 20 questions."Now don't get me wrong. I spent many, many years training Customer Service Reps. (CSR's). I'm all for making sure customers receive the best possible service. What I. . .

Diamond Flashes

Beyond magnificence and splendor, the world of diamonds evolves on stirred grounds. When the stake is so important, interests collide. But technology develops following its onward course. Here are some interesting off-stage events in the diamond industry and innovations in technology.De Beers sued by head of the Diamond BourseDerek Parsons, the president of the Diamond Bourse of the Southeast U. . .

Where Is Our Largest Technological Plan?

The period, more or less one year before September 11. The White House Technology Advisor worked in the mankind largest plan until now, to install a fantastic communications and IT network of 100 Mb/s in 100 million houses in the next 10 years. A plan bigger than the Kennedy's plan to place a man in the Moon in 10 years. The plan was being developed with a lot of priorities, 470 companies had a. . .

The “SEVEN Cs”: Partnership Danger Signs - Communication ...

An ongoing series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that can indicate a partnership is in trouble.COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWNThe "Seven Cs" are the danger signs that indicate your business partnership, or any partnership for that matter, is in trouble.First, and most important, in my view, is the issue of Communication Breakdown.Although my list of Seven C's refers to the danger signs . . .

Becoming Wise - Wild & Free - Writing A Successful Busine...

So you've decided to write your own business plan because you know the value that the experience will give you. With the books and software that are out there today you can probably sit down and complete the plan in a day or so, right? Plug in the numbers, add the notes, write the whole narrative (story), print it and get it out to the banks or investors. If you can complete a plan in a day or . . .

The 7 Principles of Business Integrity

If you have integrity, nothing else matters.If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.- Alan K. SimpsonIf I were to ask you which attribute is the most influential in regard to the success of a business, would you know immediately which one is the most important? Based on my many years as a business owner and entrepreneur, I have discovered that at the very top of the list is the distin. . .

Mortgage Consumer Bill of Rights

This bill of rights was laid out by Franklin Raines, president of Fannie Mae on January 15, 2000. The Mortgage Consumer Bill of Rights is a pledge fof $2 trillion over 10 years to help consumers gain access to home ownership. It also includes an “Open Book” approach to underwriting where customers can see all of the factors that go into evaluating their creditworthiness and the process of appl. . .

Selling Is Easy When You're First, Fast And Foremost

First - being before all others. Fast - moving or able to move quickly. Foremost - first in rank, order, or place. Wouldn’t you like to be first, fast, and considered foremost in your business. Obviously, the correct answer is yes. Here are nine tips, hints, and practical ideas to get you on your way. These sales tips work. 1. First - All potential customers have needs. All potential customers . . .

How Salespeople Can Create Instant Believability And Cred...

It pays to be specific. I believe that statement is true. If it is true, why do so many salespeople pepper their sales presentations with phrases of generalities? There are two primary reasons. One is habit and the other is instinct. So many people in and out of sales speak in generalities. It's really hard to pin them down for the details. If speaking in generalities comes so naturally to so m. . .

How Good a Deal Is Your Bank's Mortgage Insurance Plan?

When you go to the bank to get a mortgage, you'll inevitably be asked to take out mortgage insurance. The idea behind mortgage insurance is simply that if something happens to you or your spouse then your loan will be paid off which is good news for your family and the bank. Most financial institutions act like they are doing you a favor by offering you mortgage insurance through their own grou. . .

5 Interviewing Mistakes That Can Lead To Hiring The Wrong...

Mistake #1: Going with the flowInexperienced interviewers sometimes fall into the trap of letting the interview become "free form", spending different amounts of time on different questions, basing follow-up questions on on how the candidates answer. This can result in a candidate taking control of the interview and leading you where he or she wants to go, rather than where you can get the info. . .

Army Ranger Reveals How to Control Corporate Stress

"Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one." Hans Selye - the "father of stress" and founder of the Canadian Institute of Stress. Every worker in America has heard of individual stress management techniques -- relaxation, meditation, and visualization -- good tools for getting through stressful periods. But if they're so great, why do we still have all this s. . .

Establishing Yourself as an Expert in the Eyes of Your Cu...

The most important aspect of a successful business is developing the correct mindset toward your customers. And this is not the over used phrase The customer is always right. Actually the correct mindset we are referring to here is to always think in terms of benefits for your customers. The highly successful businessperson thinks of ways to show interest in their customers even before they com. . .

Office Politics

Office politics! It’s just another way of saying: “The employees are not getting along!”When so much of a company’s success depends on the employees’ ability to work together as a cohesive team, it is critical that people understand and appreciate the differences in each other.Symptoms of Office Politics: Conflict Stress Job Dissatisfaction Poor communication skills The Results: High emplo. . .

The Right Way To Send Your Resume

Having a great resume is the first critical step in a successful job search. Unfortunately, most people don’t know the best ways to get that resume noticed. In today’s job market, where you are competing with hundreds of other resumes, knowing the right way to distribute your resume can make all the difference.First of all you need to get organized and stay organized. When you get that call . . .

Wealth Creation and Mortgage Planning - Two Great Tastes ...

What if I were to tell you that almost everything you have been told about what to do with your home has been absolutely wrong and that one of the worst ways to build wealth is through your home? And what if I further went on to show you that anyone who perpetuates this myth probably is not your best source for accurate financial information?Most of you right now are looking at the byline a cou. . .

Outsourcing Your Ecommerce Order Fulfillment

When your eCommerce business grows to the point where you can no longer package and ship the orders yourself, it’s time to begin outsourcing your order fulfillment. Although all order fulfillment centers offer the same basic services, their individual methods and costs will help you choose one over the other. When selecting an order fulfillment service, keep the following in mind:LocationOrder . . .

Negotiating Rates with Your Credit Card Company

Ok, let’s face it, everybody hates high credit card rates, and they drain hard earned money out of your wallet. As a valued consumer, it is apparent that you learn how to negotiate to get the absolute best rate that you possibly can. The good news however is that it doesn’t have to be a difficult or time-consuming process. In fact, it can be very easy indeed if you know what you’re doing. In th. . .

THE “SEVEN Cs”: PARTNERSHIP DANGER SIGNS - Conflict Becom...

A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that can indicate a partnership is in trouble.Conflict Becoming the Norm – Part 2In a previous article, I wrote about how unresolved conflict can create havoc in your business and can often end in a failed partnership. Today, I share with you a story about a pair of clients I recently worked with.Sue and Vicki were partners in a service or. . .

THE “SEVEN Cs”: PARTNERSHIP DANGER SIGNS - Conflict Becom...

A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that can indicate a partnership is in trouble.Conflict Becoming the Norm – Part 1Dr. Dean Ornish, noted cardiologist, says the greatest cause of disease is the stress that comes from conflict. Conflict is bad for your health, your personal life and definitely bad for your business.When disagreements have reached the stage of conflict, emot. . .

THE “SEVEN Cs”: PARTNERSHIP DANGER SIGNS - Competitive, N...

A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that can indicate a partnership is in trouble.Competitive, Not Complementary ActionJames Carville and Mary Matlin are public relations spokespeople for the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively. They are each articulate, sharp and feisty. Sparks fly when they debate in favor of their parties, so much so that they seem like arch e. . .

THE “SEVEN Cs”: PARTNERSHIP DANGER SIGNS - The 6th C: Cha...

A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that can indicate a partnership is in trouble.The 6th C: Changing VisionIn order for a business to be a success the vision and mission must be reflected in all aspects of the structure, the culture and the strategy by which business is conducted. Contained in these are core values and principles set forth by the owners and leaders. If ther. . .

THE “SEVEN Cs”: PARTNERSHIP DANGER SIGNS - The 5th C: Con...

A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that can indicate a partnership is in trouble.The 5th C: Control IssuesWhen control is in the picture it is a lose/lose proposition.First, it is an illusion that anyone can control a person or a situation. The need to control is born of fear, lack of trust and insecurity. A person who feels it is necessary to control is robbed of a sense o. . .

THE “SEVEN Cs”: PARTNERSHIP DANGER SIGNS - The 4th C: CUM...

A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that can indicate a partnership is in trouble.The 4th C: CUMULATIVE MONEY PROBLEMSConflicts over money are very high on the list of reasons that 70% of business partnerships fail. I'm not referring necessarily to lack of money. The damage to business partnerships stem from the fact that each of us have different attitudes about money and t. . .

Twitch Speed: Reaching Younger Workers Who Think Differently

Every parent, educator, and manager knows that "Nintendo children"--those born after 1970 and raised on video and computer games, Walkmans, the Internet, etc.--are different. Unfortunately, the Gen-X discussion has focused mainly on the youths' supposedly short attention spans and attention-deficit disorders, ignoring or underemphasizing what is perhaps the most crucial factor--that this under-. . .

The True Cost of Self-Employment

Do you think you are ready to make that leap to full self-employment? The profit from your part-time (up till now :-) business is matching or exceeding your regular paycheck, so you think it’s time to fire your boss and make do without that paycheck. Before you take that final step to personal freedom, make sure you truly understand what you are giving up. Your employer paid benefits may cost y. . .

Covering All The Bases: How to Make Sure Your Newsletters...

It’s not enough to prepare and distribute a monthly newsletter, one that offers information of genuine value to your market. You also have to make sure your newsletter gets opened and read! Covering letters provide reasons for recipients to open, download and read your newsletter each month.Covering letters are ‘advertisements’ for each issue of your newsletter. In today’s time-starved environm. . .

How to be a Great Speaker

Did you know that great speakers are often nervous with butterflies in their stomach before giving a presentation? And there are many actors/actresses who can not speak to live audiences without cue cards. My 13 years as a professional speakers bureau owner allowed me to hear several thousand speakers give their presentations. Here are a few tips I learned from them. 1. You want to be . . .

Insurance Credi Scoring: An Ethical Issue

The issue at hand is the use of a consumer’s credit score as an underwriting tool for auto insurance rates. What is a credit score or FICO score? A FICO score is a credit score developed by Fair Isaac & Co. Credit scoring is a method of determining the likelihood that credit users will pay their bills. Fair, Isaac began its work with credit scoring in the late 1950s and, since then, scoring has. . .

Book Summary: What Is The Emperor Wearing?

This article is based on the following book:What Is The Emperor Wearing?Truth-Telling In Business RelationshipsButterworth-HeinnemanISBN 0-7506-9872-1217 pagesThis book is inspired by the popular tale “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. It provides stories of ordinary individuals in the workplace who are in the predicament of confronting the unlikely benefits of “deception” and steering away from the. . .

Managers: PR More Than Tix and Plugs?

You bet! And in three ways vital to you as a business, non-profit or association manager. To succeed, your public relations effort needs to do something really positive about the behaviors of those outside audiences that most affect your operation. It needs to deliver external stakeholder behavior change – the kind that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives. And it needs t. . .

Advanced Hosting for the Mission Critical Web Presence

As companies that conduct their business online have proliferated, hosting of those websites that provide the primary point of contact for transaction of business has become highly mission critical; having these sites go offline or perform poorly not only loses revenue but also detracts from the company's image and loses customer loyalty.Companies such as betting and online gaming have even mor. . .

10 Tips To Prevent Credit Card Fraud

Imagine opening your credit card statement one morning and discovering to your horror that you suddenly owe thousands of dollars - on purchases that you never made. Impossible? Credit card fraud on the rise, so you need to treat your card and its information with extreme care. Here are 10 tips to help insure you're not the victim of thieves and fraudsters: 1. Sign new and replacement cards imme. . .

Save Time and Boost Profits with Free Content

Public domain gives you a head start creating ebooks, ecourses, newsletters, teleconferences, website content and email registration incentives you need to keep in constant touch with clients and prospects.Public domain refers to information free from copyright protection. The two most important sources of public domain content are:1. Books with expired copyrights. Copyright protection for many. . .

POOF goes your RRIF !

Some time ago I attended a seminar where participants were told to burn some money; a reasonably-sized amount of money. You should have heard the gnawing and gnashing of teeth in that room! Step right up, folks, and light it on fire. Come on now. It’s only money.Some people, likely less adept at saving than others, actually rushed forward in an attempt to show how money had no hold over them. T. . .