Kick-start your mind for 2009!

December 23rd, 2008

Every year Americans make the necessary New Year’s resolutions. With the economic crisis growing increasingly more severe each and every day, it takes an added effort to figure out how to make more money in the months and years ahead.

To help with this process, I have been able to make available–totally free of charge–one of the most influential wealth building and self help books written in the last 100 years.

Think and Grow Rich, by Napolean Hill.

Napolean Hill, a poor and unknown journalist, decided to figure out how wealth was accumulated. During the 1930s, when Americans were faced with economic crisis and turmoil, he started his fact-finding journey. After interviewing over 500 of America’s wealthiest citizens, he was able to synthesize what he had learned.

I am passing along this book to you for free because it has helped changed the mindset–and the financial stability–of so many individuals. I am also attempting to set up ways to deliver to you on a consistent basis ways to MAKE MORE MONEY. Times are tough for nearly everyone right now. It does not hurt to find ways to increase your income.

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Online Auto Insurance – Save Money, Save Time

October 23rd, 2008

An oft-quoted statistic is that you can save up to 25% on your auto insurance by shopping for it online. That sounds great, but no one ever really tells you why. The truth is, that number doesn’t represent just the discounts you’re likely to receive, it’s a representation of the time saved by using online comparison tools, the fees waived when you purchase online and agree to maintain your account that way, and the discounts and credits on your policy, that you may not be told about in a telephone or face-to-face encounter.

Shopping online for auto insurance, then, saves you money on insurance in much the same way that using online auto loans calculator site saves you money on financing:

  • It saves you time. Clicking for comparisons is much faster than making phone calls or visiting agents in the office. As well, it allows you to do your shopping at your convenience. The net, after all, is always open.
  • It provides you with information. Most auto insurance websites have extensive collections of articles about how to select insurance, what different coverage options are really for, and how to maximize your savings.
  • It offers multiple options. Many online insurance sites represent many insurance companies, rather than just one, so you can request quotes from several at once (for comparison) or just ask for the best offer based on the information you provided.

Maximize your Savings

How can you maximize your insurance dollar when looking for car insurance online? It’s not that difficult. In fact, many of the same techniques for saving money off-line, apply to internet shopping.

  • Shop around: Comparison shopping allows you to compare what you’re paying in premiums and deductibles as well as see what your coverage options are from various companies.
  • Choose a higher deductible: The more you’re willing to pay out-of-pocket when you file a claim, the less you’ll pay in annual premiums.
  • Go electronic: You’ll save money if you agree to pay your premiums by EFT (electronic funds transfer) and even more if you also agree to receive your statements via email (if your company offers that option.)
  • Bundle your coverage: Putting your homeowners and auto insurance policies with the same insurer often earns you a discount on one or both.
  • Ask about discounts: Insurance discounts exist for everything from being a mature driver, to taking defensive driving classes (many of which are offered online), and from your job title to the kind of car you own. Always ask – when shopping online use the instant chat and email options.

Shopping for auto insurance is something we all have to do. By going online, not only will you save time, you’ll also save money.

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This Blogger in a Head Spin

September 12th, 2008

I have not posted much over the summer months. I wanted to let you know why: I have a financial headache. I have financial paralysis. I am out of helpful hints, in a sense.

All this doom and gloom financial forecasts in the news recently gave this blogger pause. I started this blog years ago to help people understand basic and fundamental personal finance concepts. Namely, I wanted to help people eliminate their credit card debt. But, as I was writing, the credit situation in this country worsened and–ultimately–became so severe that I had writer’s block.

No. It was worse than that. I had blogger’s paralysis.

I didn’t know what to write about or what topics to cover. It all seemed so large, intimidating, and unsolvable.

But during these months, my nest egg has continued to grow–albeit a little slower than in the past. Prices are going up. Wages are staying the same. The financial pinch is felt all around the world.

But I just needed a little prodding.

I have found the inspiration again. And it is in returning to basics.

So, with that…I look forward to seeing you around here more often.

Posted in "Back to Basics" Series | 1 Comment »

Welcome Readers for the Dollar Strecher!

July 23rd, 2008

My friends over at the Dollar Stretcher (www.stretcher.com) have run an article I wrote awhile back about the importance of keeping track of your spending. Head on over to The Dollar Stretcher to read the full article.

Welcome readers and thank you Gary!

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Great Debt Reduction Tool at TheDebtSlayer.com

July 5th, 2008

There is a pretty cool and easy to use debt reduction tool at TheDebtSlayer.com

Mike, the blogger over there, originally had asked me to put up a link and give it away free to readers of Mollysbrother.com He has now asked that individuals head over to TheDebtSlayer.com and download it there themselves.

It’s a fantastic tool and incredibly easy to use.

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An Open Letter to the Los Angeles Times

July 3rd, 2008

frustrated readerDear Mr. Hiller,

Today you had Russ Stanton announce 250 job cuts at the Los Angeles Times. It is a shame that you have not been able to stem the financial bleeding that has been happening at your newspaper for too long. Every day, I wake up eager to read the newspaper that continues to be delivered to my front door. And every day, the newspaper feels lighter and thinner in my hands. I have frequented the LATimes.com more recently in the past few months, but have found the webpage static, unoriginal, and uninviting. Here are some suggestions I have that may help you with your bottom line:

  • Advertising Space — Take a page from the NYTimes.com. A quick visit to their site showed FIVE (5) “above-the-fold” advertising opportunities. The LATimes.com displays one (1). Even online outlets for smaller newspapers have more advertising opportunities. SFGate.com and the MercuryNews.com have two ads each. Isn’t it in your interest to optimize advertising space? Isn’t that how you make money?
  • Relevant News – We are no longer on a 24-hour news cycle, but I don’t need to tell you that. Or maybe I do. Your website updates too infrequently. Again, look at CNN.com, ABCNews.com, MSNBC.com, and the NYTimes.com. Each venue provides minute-to-minute updates.
  • Your Layout – I know I shouldn’t be throwing stones here, but I don’t have nearly the budget you do. Your layout–in a word–sucks. It is boring and lacks the kinetic energy that websites should provide these days. Again, look to your competitors (especially broadcast media online outlets–MSNBC.com is an excellent example).
  • Return to Your Roots — You have forgotten that, at your core, you are LA’s newspaper. Stop the corporate, cost-cutting attempts coming from Tribune headquarters.
  • Call on “the New Media” — This paper exists in the same city as MySpace HQ. Even though MySpace has floundered a bit to its Facebook rival, there might be much to learn from their knowledge approach. Take some meetings. Learn the law of the land. Write your articles so Google and Yahoo can actually find them.
  • Value Your Employees — At the end of the day, value your employees. I detest supporting a newspaper that devalues its colleagues to the extent that the LA Times has recently. Favorite columnists have disappeared. Or, a long-time reader favorite like Al Martinez, reappears and is relegated to a part-time schedule in an ill-fitting section of the newspaper. But my heart goes out to the army of nameless men and women who work (or worked) tirelessly behind the scenes to get this newspaper out the door each and every day. Knowing that they are losing their jobs because of constant mismanagement angers me. Almost to the point of a permanent subscription cancellation. (Don’t be fooled: It is coming soon. Just keep up the cutbacks and the mismanagement. Especially since I don’t hear about pay cuts for the top corporate earners.)

It is time to understand that the internet presence and the real-world presence have to go hand-in-hand. You can “blame” the influence of the internet for your lack of ad dollars. You can blame your own mishandling of your website. It’s not like the internet came out of nowhere and sneaked up on you. We’ve been dealing with the internet for over a decade now. It’s time to stop lamenting its presence and to start earning money from it.

But, like a lot of advice given to the LA Times recently, I feel like this, too, will fall on deaf ears.

Signed,

A Reader on the Subscription Bubble

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Los Angeles Grocery Store Ends Double Coupons

July 2nd, 2008

I read in the LA Times last week that Ralph’s, a grocery store in the western United States, is reviewing their “double coupons” policy. My store! Reviewing their doubles coupon policy! Argh. The beauty of using coupons at Ralph’s stores is that it is actually worth it to clip the coupon. They would double the value of coupons up to $1.00. If you had a buck off of anything, you’d get $2 off if you used the coupon.

Today, they announced that they are curbing that practice. Now, they will only double coupons that have a value of $0.50. Any coupon that is more than fifty-cents but less than a dollar will be redeemable for a buck.

So, it’s not a total abort of their longstanding practice. But the company is still honoring the redemption of double coupons–to a point.

Posted in Economic Woes | No Comments »

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