Teaching about Google Adsense

A friend of mine is pregant and will be giving birth any day now. The baby has turned and dropped, so we are all excited about the new addition to our family. The baby will be a part of our family because we are officially the god-parents for the very first time!

My friend is terrified of having the baby. The biggest problem is whether to find a job after having a baby or just become a stay at home mother. The cost of daycare makes the second choice very tempting. However, she is afraid that she will not be able to contribute to the bills. It's a double edged sword.

I haven't told a lot of people I know about my Google Adsense sites, mostly because I don't want them to click on the ads. It can be interpreted as a sign to Google that there is fraud. Besides, I never want to count on my friends clicking on the ads. It's not a sustainable way to "do business", and it skews data.

With the new baby coming and her dilemma, I decided to tell her about what I do online.

- I showed her my Full Change Jar website, and used it to explain to her the details of content based advertising, what keywords are, what search engine optimization is, and how to set up a free account at Google Adsense and Blogger.

- I showed her my Buy A Groupie website, and told her about ways of starting a small on-line business. Then, this led to talking about doing businesses with dropshippers to sell products rather than services. I explained to her that if she is able to find a good dropshipper, she doesn't need to keep an inventory and just needs to sell the products through websites.

- I showed her my other 15 blogs and websites, and explained that as long as she takes 10 minutes a day to write original articles for each site, after awhile, she can pull in an okay income. Although this income may not be able to pay the rent, but it might someday.

As I was talking non-stop and her looking at me with intensity, I realized that I was just going way too quickly. One thought led to another, and I was trying to explain what I have learnt in the last 3 months to someone who is just exposed to it for the first time. I get excited about what I do, and I really believe that anyone can do it as long as they do the work.

So, I guess I was very motivating, and she seemed very interested. Then, out of nowhere, she asked me "So, how do I cut and paste something in a Word document".....

Silence....

Then I said " Okay, let's start with the basics...this is a website, and this is the URL, and this is a Microsoft Word document that you can use to create things like letters. In order to cut and paste, you highlight the text, pressed Ctrl C....all at the same time....then, click...."

Anyhow, maybe I should have asked about her computer literacy level before I dived into the mysterious world of Google Adsense.

Splurging on Junk!

What is this blue object in front of my computer monitor? A bird, an airplane? No, it's total junk!

I splurged a little on junk today. I saw it at the cashier counter after eating at ABC family restaurant with a few friends. It was love at first sight... the blue feather, the dangling satin, and the cute little rhinestones on the smooth satin strips....ah.....

What is its purpose? Writing, of course.....(yes, it is a pen), but there is a secondary purpose. Its fluffy blue feathers feel great against my face. I feel instantly happy!

I like things that make me happy, the cuter the better! Perhaps you think I am insane, but you have to look at this from a different angle...
















It is so PRETTY! It cost me $5.00 to buy this happiness, because I am easily amused by stationery. Maybe you think it's tacky, a waste of money, or just plain ugly. Well, think what you want, but I am in love with my new pen.

There is nothing wrong with buying things that give you happiness, as long as it is not breaking the piggy bank. With the new found happines I acquired through this pen, I felt extremely productive today. I worked on a few websites, cleaned the house, and made myself baked yam. It was delicious, just like the pen....deliciously cute. You can even call it an investment!

By the way, yes, I am 26 years old, not 6, and yes I still like fluffy things with shiny parts.

Dive Trip to Belize on a Budget

READ MY UPDATE ON GLOVER'S REEF ATOLL RESORT

I believe in the motto of "work hard, play hard". So, in June, I will be going to Belize for two weeks for a jungle expedition/diving trip. Finally, I will have a chance to just relax, get plenty of undisturbed sleep, and be completely away from traffic jams and packed buses.

I am also determined to not feel guilty about doing absolutely nothing productive, which is harder than you think. I like efficiency and productivity, so being on vacation is a guilty pleasure. I am also determined to not feel guilty about splurging a little, which is EVEN HARDER.

I have been to Belize before, but I did not do everything I wanted to do. We might see Bonaire too, and that will be a brand new experience, and being the diving capital in the Caribbeans, it will not be disappointing. In addition, because of its dry, arid climate, I am guaranteed to see sunny, clear days during the Caribbean's rainy season.

I do about 2 major vacations a year, and when it comes to travelling, my dual-personality comes out. I am cheap on transportation cost and splurge on entertaining activities. I will provide a detailed summary below of the planned activites and the costs.

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Getting to Belize (Latin America)

Situated in Vancouver, British Columbia, we are cursed geographically when it comes to budget vacation choices in tropical places. Hawaii and Cancun are by far the most inexpensive places, especially in the summer months. Anything past Cancun costs a fortune. This time around, I am going to splurge on airfare by travelling directly from Vancouver to Belize city. This will cost $910.00 CDN per passager. Last year, I did it for under $400.00 CDN, but it also took us three days to get there.

The most inexpensive way to get to Latin America is actually by bus. Last year, we drove to Los Angeles, flew to Cancun, took the "luxury" bus from Cancun to Belize City. The bus took more than 8 hours, and we had to transfer at Chetumal. This costs $400.00 CDN per person, so I saved a grand total of $1020.00 on airfare alone.

Accommodation and Activities
My fiance and I both enjoy camping, and have a great water-resistant, light weight tent that weighs all of 2.3 pounds. We paid $320 for it some years ago, so that was our accommodation. Belize still has some beautiful and safe campgrounds for budget travellers. We have selected two places this year: Ian Anderson's Cave Branch Jungle Lodge, and Glover Reef Atoll Resort.

Ian Anderson is a fellow Vancouverite who is the pioneer of adventure tourism in Belize. He introduced such activies as cave tubing to Belize. On his 58,000 acre estate in Belize, there are cabanas, jungle suites, campgrounds, Mayan ruins, waterfalls, rivers etc. Basically, as you can imagine, a lot of things can be found on 58,000 acres. The lodge is famous for offering jungle adventures such as cave tubing, river kayaking, jungle treks, and trips to Mayan ruins. We plan to stay there for 3 nights, camping of course, and want to participate in cave tubing, jungle expeditions, and the snorkeling trip.

Camping (3 nights): $5/night/person
River Cave Tubing: $95.00/person
Jungle Tours and Treks: $75.00/person
Snorkeling Day Trip: $75.00/person

Total: $520.00 U.S

The Glover's Reef Atoll Resort is probably the last of its kind left. Years ago, you could camp on deserted islands, but as real estate booms, more and more of the islands are private now (sold to wealthy foreigners). Glover's Reef Atoll is a World Heritage site and a Marine Reserve. It has some of the best snorkeling and diving locations. When they say "resort", it is far from it. It is truly a castaway island with sparse accommodation, supplies, and equipment. What you will get is complete seclusion from civilization (no running water, no electricity). You will find hermit crabs to keep you company, iguanas, millions of stars at night, and the sound of the tropical wind to fall asleep to. At any time, there is no more than a handful of people on the atoll, making it a truly rustic environment.

We choose this "resort" because of these factors:

- Inexpensive camping option ($99.00 per person per week!)
- Kayak rental (A sit-on-top double. $150.00 for the entire week!)
- Diving opportunities (there is no where better than the atolls due to the abundance of marine life).
- Total privacy
- Self-guided activities (essentially, we can snorkel all day without any limitations)

We plan to stay on the island for a week to take advantage of the weekly rate and the free 90 mile boat ride which normally costs $400.00.

Camping: $99.00 per person per week.
Kayak Rental: $150.00 per week.
Meals: $150.00 per week (budgeted)
Diving: 12 boat dives for $477 per person

Total: $1452.00

Extra Costs

We plan to bring roughly $2000 CDN above the cost of airfare, accommodation, and activites. Why? For emergencies, extra activites if we are bored, and some small souvenirs, better meals if we are picky.

Total Costs

Transportation: $910.00 (air)+$910.00 (air)+$100.00(buses,taxis) = $1920.00 CDN

Accommodation/Activities: $520.00 (Cave Branch Jungle Lodge) + $1452.00 (Glover's Reef) = $1972.00 U.S = $2302.00 CDN

Extra Money = $2000.00 CDN

Grand Total = $6222.00 CDN

Okay, in reality, we will probably not need any extra money ($2000), so the real cost of the trip is $4222.00. And, if you are not a diver, it will shave off another $1114.00 CND for both people. Then, the total will come to $3108.00 CND. THEN, if you are American, your total will be $2662.00 U.S.

$2662.00 U.S will get you two weeks in paradise, at two totally different locations, 3 great jungle activities, a week of snorkeling to all your heart's content, meals, accommodation, etc. On top of that, let's say you are located in some place like Texas or Florida; this means your airfare is practically nothing, and you can realistically do this trip for under $2000.00 U.S or even less.

For me, I am looking at approximately $4,000 for two people. Last year, I spent just under $2,000 because I really cut corners in terms of transportation, meals, and activities. I only did 2 boat dives, ate at local diners, camped everywhere, and only did the least inexpensive activites. This time around, I want to splurge!


P.S
And BOOHOOO to Blogger for not allowing me post any pictures!

READ MY UPDATE ON GLOVER'S REEF ATOLL RESORT.

Mis-Spelling Fortunes

I am getting some odd hits from Google search engine...all because of a non-planned spelling mistake! What they translate into is clicks on Google ads...hehe...

In my Rich Dad posting, I spelled Robert Kiyosaki's last name wrong (Kiyasaki). Quite surprisingly, a lot of people spell it wrong too, so they have been finding my site this way. I have to admit that I am quite happy with this little spelling mistake.

While I did not do this on purpose, a lot of sites do capitalize purposely from mis-spelled words. For example, I have been directed to Gogle.ca quite a few times because of my happy figures. Now, I know who they are, and I have no doubt that this was a planned move to lure unsuspecting victims like myself!

Funeral Costs

Why You Should Give Me $1.00 A Month to Promote YOUR BLOG







At work today, I had a conversation with a co-worker regarding her mother's funeral.

Her - "My mother bought a funeral plan for $300 50 years ago, and that was so smart of her! We would have spent thousands of dollars had she not bought the plan."

Me - "Yeah, that's great. It sure saves the children the heachaches of budgeting for the funeral."

Her - "They are selling the same plan now for $1,100, and I think I will buy it."

Me - "Sure, that's great planning."

So, after our converation, I started to think about whether this plan makes sense.

At an average return of 10% (stock/mutual funds), her mother's $300.00 would have been $3,5217.25 today.

An average funeral today costs approximately (according to Motley Fool):

Most Commonly Average Cost
Selected Services

Professional Charges $1,182.31
Embalming $400.51
Other preparations* $150.35
Visitation/viewing $314.42
Funeral at funeral home $356.68
Funeral Home transfering $158.66
Hearse (local) $179.08
Service car/van $87.42
Acknowledgement cards $14.47
Casket $2,176.46
Vault $757.80

Total $5,778.16

There are some additional expenses such as:

Cemetery plot can be $500 to several thousand, opening and closing the grave can be $350 to $1,500, and headstones, statues, or markers can be $500 to several thousand. On the other hand, a cremation can cost $1,500 or less.

So, at the cheap end, a funeral can cost $7,100.00, and at the expensive end, it can cost tens of thousands, depending on your selection of plots, markers, etc. From what I understand, my co-worker's mom's funeral was an average funeral, so let's say that it costs $10,000 today. Still, I think that the better choice would have been to put the $300.00 in an investment account designate it funeral expense.

As I told my co-worker about my calculators, she said that the most important thing is the $300.00 bought everyone peace after her death, and that is priceless. I am not one to argue with that line of thinking, so I let it drop.

At the same time, I started to think about this clever strategy on the part of the funeral businesses. What a smart idea! You sell something for dirt cheap, and you don't provide the service for decades later. You take that money to invest in your business or just simply invest in stocks or real estate, then when the customer wants the service, you have so much more money than what the service costs today!

Exposing My Dirty Little Secret

This is so shameful!

I am a smoker......there it is!

It's the worst Latte Factor out there, and yep... I am a smoker.

I quit in January, and just started again. Although I am only smoking 2 or 3 cigarettes a day, it's still smoking.

In my mind, I know that this is where I lose the most amount of money....Yikes!

My problem is that I enjoy it, and I can't seem to bring myself to care about the damages it does to my body. I love diving, and even that does not deter me from smoking :( The only reason I feel guilty about it is because it is costing me money. Then, I begin to think if I only smoke 2 or 3 a day, it is not costly me that much.

So, I have no plans to quit, at least not now. I am just not sure what to do......

P.S. Just to show that I am delusional about this whole affair, I found some sites where they sell cheap cigarettes. Wow, Marlboros for $12.00 per carton!! That's 10 packs per carton. What a great price! Yeah, I need help.

How Do I Do It?!?

Almost on a daily basis, one or two people always ask me:

"Are you still working two full-time jobs?"

"Yes...."

"I can't believe it, how do you do it?!?!"

When I first started a year ago, most people gave me two or three months. To be honest, I gave myself a month top. It was more like a surreal challenge than reality. Now, I am pretty sure that this is my reality. I can no longer remember a time when I worked only one job, and I don't know what free time is anymore. Often, I find myself living vicariously through other people's stories about weekend gateaways, having the time to comparison shop, sit-down dinners, family disputes, etc, etc....

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So how do I do it?

Sheer Will Power
I have a financial goal of accruing $1,000,000 in 10 years, and I am going to reach it. On average, I sleep 2-4 hours a day. Getting up in the morning is the hardest thing. At the beginning, it was a struggle and my body was telling me that this is a stupid idea. I pretty much dragged myself out of bed everyday and get to work. Now, it is just automatic.

The Best Indication of Future Behavior is Past Behavior
Dr. Phil is right! I have a past history of over-doing everything. It takes four years to finish university, I did it in two, overloading my schedule every semester. Most people sang in choirs, but I had to go and join the most prestigious. Some people play the piano, but I had to go and learn more than 10 different instruments. When I was young and my parents wanted me to become a doctor, I said "when I become a doctor, I will have a second part-time job!". So, it is only natural that if most people want to retire at 55, I want to do it at 36.

My Attitude
My attitude is that if you have a dream or goal, why talk about it, think about it, and sleep on it? Just do it. Everything else is a waste of time. One of my biggest pet peeves is wasting time. Ten years ago, I was sixteen. I remember saying to myself that by the time I am 26, I would be set for life! AlthoughI was very young, and this was very unrealistic, I also did not do anything to make this reality. The bottom line is I wasted 10 years, and I will not waste another 10.

Stop Lying To Yourself
You will not attain any goals by lying to yourself. Unless you have done the numbers for your retirement, you are not ready and you will be in a lot of trouble. If you are trusting someone else to do the numbers for you, you will also be in a lot of trouble. Similarily, if you have any goals of any kind, you have to approach them truthfully and realistically with yourself bearing the entire responsibility

Visualizing Achieving My Goal
I constantly visualize the day I reach my goal. I create a fairly realistic fantasy of that day and the days after. The most important thing is to not lose track of what I want my future reality to be.

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There is a few positive side-effects of working two full-time jobs.

I am forced to value every free minute.

I am actually a lot more productive outside of work.

I do more things during down time, such as working on my online sites, watching movies, reading books, making crafts, etc.

Most importantly, I am not wasting time.

How Rich Are You?

How rich are you compared to the rest of the world?

Global Rich Tool has a neat tool that calculates how rich you are compared to the rest of the world. Enter your annual income in Canadian, Euro, US, Pound or Yen, the calculator then gives you the result.





There will be an arrow that shows you where you fit on this scale.

After entering my income, it says...

"You are in the top 0.78% richest people in the world.

There are
5,953,193,715 people poorer than you.
How do you feel about that? A bit
richer we hope. Please consider donating just a small amount to help some of the
poorest people in the world. Many of their lives could be improved dramatically
or even saved if you donate just one hour's salary (approx $63.88)"

This tool truly makes me appreciate what I have and reminds me that there are so many other people in the world whose first worry is not retirement or money, rather it's having food, shelter, and security.

Retirement Countdown

I have just added a count down clock on this blog.

My goal is to retire in 10 years (Year 2016) when I am 36. It's amazing to see that it is only 3585 days away.

Having a visual tool like the count down clock helps me to see that although 10 years seems like a very long time away, in reality, it is only a few thousand days to financial freedom and retiring young and wealthy.

Rich Dad's Guide to Wealth with Robert Kiyasaki

At this very moment, I am at work watching a program on KCTS. It's a public television channel with intriging and educational seminars. Often these seminars would normally cost you an arm and a leg, but when the station is doing pledges, it airs some of the best shows.

Right now, it is showing The Rich Dad's Guide to Wealth with Robert Kiyasaki. He is the author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and so far the seminar is pretty interesting. He is funny, charismatic, and explains financial knowledge in a simple way.

Here are some of his key points.

E,S,B,I

E = Employee
S = Self-employed
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B = Business/Entrepreneur
I = Investor

Point 1: Be a "B" or "I". The key is to have other people and money work for you, instead of working hard for someone else or working hard for your own business. Also, being an "E" or "S", you will pay the government first through taxes, and it's only through being a "B" or "I" can you actually legitimately pay zero in taxes.

Poor, Middle Class, Rich (Diverse Views on Money)

Point 2: The poor spend money, the middle class bury money, and the rich create/make money.

The Definition of Assets

Point 3: An asset is something that puts money in your pocket whether you work or not. So, having a house is not necessarily equal to having an asset. If the house is making you money, then it's an asset. The problem is a lot of people tend to think that having a house and a car (mortgage/loan) is the same as having assets. That's not the case. A mortgage/loan is a liability, and it is an asset for the bank. Along the same line, an equity loan is not an asset, and a lot of people treat their house as an ATM machine. A funny thing he said was the word "mortgage" is derived from the French word "Mort", which means "death"...hehe

Financial Education

Point 4: There are three types of education: Academic, Professional, and Financial. Schools give us academic and professional education, and they do not teach us Financial education. In order to be wealthy, you need financial education. In fact, when you leave school, your financial statement is equivalent to your report card.

Risk

Point 5: A lot of people consider investments to be risky. Risk is equal to a lack of control. The analogy he used was driving a car. You would not get into the car without your driver's licence, insurance, checking the oil, steering, gas pedal, etc. Likewise, you cannot invest smartly without control.

Don't Wait

Point 6: Your life is like a football game, there is the 1st quarter, half time, no time, over time etc....don't wait no time or over time. Start young!

Your Inner Genius

Point 7: Don't do what other people tell you to do, find your inner genius.


Overall, the seminar contained some very simple, common-sense information. He did not go into specifics about anything, but I guess that's where reading his books comes in. Sometimes, simple information can be very powerful, as we are often blind to what's clearly in front of us. It's good to have someone point those things out once in awhile.

Robert Kiyasaki is a huge fan of creating wealth through being a business man and investor. The old style of working hard, saving money, invest long term and diversify is not his style.

Unfortunately for me, I was brought up on the old philosophy, and it is the only way that I have seen people become wealthy. I understand his points, I can visualize them, but changing my entire view will be hard. I can only do what works for me and what I have seen work for other people.

Teaching Children about Money

My mother is a little weird. Most people find her hard to deal with, unsympathetic, and possibly neurotic. My father agrees.

If there is one thing she is good at, it is making money and saving money to make even more money. It is probably the only thing she understands.

In her own neurotic way, she taught me about savings. The experience is etched in my mind, because it was rather embarrasssing.

I was 10, and she took me to her bank and asked me find as many tossed away account balance receipts as possible from ATM garbage cans. Then, she asked me to tell her how much money other people have in their accounts. So, there I was, going through other people's trash, and being watched by others and possibly videotaped by security cameras.

The account balances were very low. A few people were in the negative, most had about $30-$300 in savings, and one person out of about 100 receipts had over $3,000 in savings.

Then, my mother talked to me about how most people lived from pay cheque to pay cheque, and I should not get into that habit.

Thinking back, I don't think the experiment reflected the truth 100%, as a low savings balance does not mean that someone is broke. He may have money in investments or other banks. Nevertheless, it was a good lesson for a 10 year old child.

$1.00 Rich Jerk E-Book Update

On February 17th, I posted a "Wanted Ad" for 55 people who have $1.00 each to go to the purchase of the Rich Jerk's E-book.

Some people brought up the issue of copyright infringement. After consulting with a few people at work, and doing a little research on the internet, I received the best advice: go to the source!

I emailed the Rich Jerk. In my first email, I asked whether it's legal to share the cost of the e-book, and distribute it. The answer was "NO".

Then, I emailed again asking whether it's okay to buy the e-book, write commentaries on it, and take $1.00 each from people who want to fund this research. Then, I received this email:

"Hi,Sure that should be okay, but why not just become an affiliate of ours and make money by referring your donors to our site?See our affiliate page at http://www.therichjerk.com/site/affiliates for more information.

All the best,CameronRich Jerk Staff"

So, I've been given the O.K to go ahead with my experiment.

Now, I am looking for 55 people who have $1.00 each. For $1.00, you will receive my DETAILED review of the e-book. This is virtually RISK-FREE for everyone.

It will work the same way as before. If you are interested, please leave a comment, and once I have 55 people who are interested, I will put a "DONATE" button from paypal and inform you how to proceed.