Posts from — January 2007

Income taxes are fast approaching. I’ve stumbled across some great information from the National Tax Advice Day website.

Records to hold on to:

It’s a good idea to keep your records in order by date, broken down by category. Organizing your receipts, pay stubs and various financial forms as the year goes along will make it easier to get the numbers you need when it’s time to file your tax return. Several software programs on the market are designed to help you maintain records; however you should still hold on to original receipts and tax forms. It’s a good idea to use a folder, envelope or binder to keep all of your records for the tax year together and then store these yearly files away in boxes or on shelves for later reference.
You should keep your records a minimum of three years but our tax professionals recommend a minimum of seven years. Even though you may not need to hold on to these records for tax purposes, you may wish to maintain them for proof to creditors or for use in insurance claims. The IRS does recommend that you keep copies of your W-2 forms until you’re eligible for retirement in case there’s a discrepancy.

Here’s the first of my weekly updates on my search to make money on the internet. A while back I introduced you to AGLOCO. AGLOCO is more or less an advertising company that is fully owned by its members. The whole concept is that when you sign up for the program, they will place a viewbar at the bottom of your browser that features privacy protection, spyware protection, phishing protection, member IM and voice communications, RSS feeds, broadcast communication, community tips and other functions. In turn you are paid for the time that you are on the internet.
The program is still in testing and the viewbar hasn’t been released yet, however AGLOCO (aff) is encouraging its members to continue to build their downline.

Out of the many programs I’ve tried in the past, this is one of the more interesting ones. The concept is very simple. You get paid to surf the internet. While your personal earnings are minscule, with a large network, you can earn a nice income. There are several members that have already built an incredible network. For instance, John Chow has recruited over 3,000 members and he is looking to make 5 figures per month in this program.

I haven’t done so hot. I have a whole 2 people in my network. At this point I’m not looking at making any more than $20 per month on this deal.

Bottom Line

AGLOCO looks promising, but I won’t know until the viewbar is released in a few weeks. The big factor in this equasion, however, is my network. If AGLOCO sounds interesting to you sign up here (aff.) It only takes about 60 seconds and dosen’t cost you a thing.

What are your hot buttons? Do you know where they are or how to find them? Finding your hot buttons is usually the job of a salesman or a marketing firm. The idea is that if you can find someones “hot button” they will be more inclined to find your product attractive. For instance, if I were selling an antibacterial dog shampoo I might market to a demographic of pet owners that find microorganisms disgusting. The dog-owning germaphobes’ hot button is the thousands of microorganisms that are living on Fluffy.

In order to control our finances we have to find our own hot buttons. We have to know what makes us angry and incites a passion to change. In order to make a committed change we have find those buttons, press ‘em down and not let go until the change has been fully made. You see, to do something crazy (from a materialism driven society’s point of view) like become debt free, you have to act crazy.

1) Find what makes you go crazy. What drives you nuts? What makes you angry? Chances are, whatever makes you angry is closely related to a vein of passion deeply rooted in your soul, your core values. If stupid people make you angry then you probably are an over-achiever, passionate about achieving excellence. Now, find what makes you angry about being in debt. Is it the insecurity? Is it the wasteful spending? Do you feel trapped and out of control? What makes you angry?

2) Find what makes your heart bleed. What makes you sad? What rips your heart out? In the same fashion as anger, empathy is closely related to the passion buried in the depth of your soul. When you see someone living on the street does it upset you? Do you flinch at the sight of an impoverished family? If you feel empathy for those in need then you may have the core value of generosity. What makes you sad?

3) Write it down and commit to it. Write down your hot buttons from step 1 and 2. Write down why you want to take control of your finances. Maybe it’s “I want more financial security” or “I don’t want to feel like a slave to debt.” Whatever it is, write it down. Finding your motivation, or your “hot buttons” is all well and good, but if you don’t write it down, you probably won’t commit to it (at least not for long,) and if you don’t commit to it then it really doesn’t do you much good.

4) Put it where you can see it, push it and don’t let go. After putting your hot buttons to paper, display them boldly where you will see them every day. Put it on your bathroom mirror, your fridge, or on the dashboard of your car. Every time you see your reasons to be financially free it will empower you. It will push you towards your goal. Push those buttons and don’t let go.