James L. Paris's Blog, page 203
July 27, 2015
Another Wealthy Athlete Goes Bankrupt
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
You sports fans out there will certainly remember Antoine Walker, the former NBA star who rose to prominence with the Boston Celtics before ultimately winning a championship with the Miami Heat. As befitting a pro basketball superstar, Walker made over one hundred million dollars over the course of his career; however, in an eventuality most unfitting for a successful professional in any field, Walker went bankrupt.
Walker now counsels young pro athletes about the pitfalls of coming into a lot of money at a young age, as part of his role with Morgan Stanley Global Sports & Entertainment. What makes Walker���s task particularly important is that the backgrounds of so many of his charges are not conducive to making good financial decisions; it can be exceedingly challenging for someone who may have had little in the way of sound financial guidance���or any reason to need it, frankly���as a younger person, to wisely handle a windfall to the tune of millions of dollars.
Although Walker acknowledges that a variety of circumstances contributed to his financial downfall, he traces the core of his collapse to two things: the creation of an ���expensive lifestyle,��� as well as his unwillingness to say ���no��� to anyone who asked for some of what he had.
There are, once again, good lessons to be had from looking at the unfortunate financial experiences of a wealthy person, particularly when those experiences come from lifestyle and behavioral choices. For starters, Walker reminds us that the safest way to stay out of this kind of trouble is to live well within one���s means. That term may mean something different to a person whose baseline is in the millions, but the core idea is applicable to all. Additionally, there���s the matter of simply saying ���no.��� In Walker���s case, he admits he should have said it to a lot of different people who had eyes on his fortune, but one does not need a fortune to make good use of the word with others���and even one behalf of oneself; in fact, the inability to say ���no��� to ourselves may well be the single biggest cause of personal financial calamity, when it comes down to it. Walker���s example provides useful lessons to us all.
$25 Tactical Flashlight - FREE
One of my most popular articles this year was Top 5 Survival Freebies. Well, we can now make it six. I found a freebie deal today for a Hybeam Tactical flashlight. I don't know about you, but I don't seem to ever be able to find a working flashlight around my house. Here is your chance to grab a very nice one that is valued at $25 for FREE (just pick up the cost of shipping) Click Here.
Helping you make the most of God���s money!
James L. Paris
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio
Satanic Temple Unveils Its Baphomet Statue in Detroit
Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
So, after much fanfare, of a sort, the Satanic Temple unveiled its ugly bronze Baphomet statue in Detroit. Hundreds of people attended an anti-Baphomet statue protest at an area Catholic church, while others were picking up their special tickets to attend the unveiling at a specific location revealed only to them.
While I thought it worth mentioning as a news item for Christians, I don���t really have much to say about it. For one thing, I just don���t take it seriously; I mean, how could you? The attached article contains a brief video of the ���unveiling,��� and if you watch it, you���ll see what I mean.
The Satanic Temple is now indicating that it desires the final resting place of its statue to be on the grounds of the Arkansas statehouse; there is a monument of the Ten Commandments that���s planned for that site, and so the Satanic Temple sees its Baphomet figure as a perfect companion to a monument of the Ten Commandments, apparently.
This is what I���m talking about; the idea for the creation of such a statue is clearly not an organic one, in the truest sense - the Satanic Temple did not decide to create this statue independently of events of the day, and solely out of love and respect for the figure portrayed by it. The motivations of the Satanic Temple���s effort are simply to be antagonistic and shocking, which are really pretty juvenile bases for doing anything, if that���s all you have���which seems to be the case here.
July 26, 2015
Disaster Preparedness On A Budget
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
For many, it���s not a lack of time or enthusiasm that serves as the biggest impediment to survival preparedness, but a lack of cash. So, when an ebook called Prepping for Pennies caught my eye, I wasted no time in seeing what it had to offer in the way of advice about gearing up, both literally and figuratively, to be able take on distressed environments���on the cheap.
Right off the bat, I can tell you that one of the features of Prepping for Pennies that I particularly like is the tenor of the author, Dave Steen, throughout. He takes, and encourages you to take, a decidedly down-to-earth approach to survival preparedness. He even questions some of the more extreme prepping measures that some pursue, and ponders if their time and money wouldn���t be better spent elsewhere. He also discourages overreaction to events in the news, which is a novel concept for many prep experts. The bottom line is that Steen doesn���t approach prepping from the get-go by seeing only the endstate of an entirely-collapsed society, but, rather, as something to do primarily to be able to persevere through the aftermath of significant power outages, catastrophic weather events, terror attacks, and other catalysts of distressed conditions, which are not only challenging enough, but are the kinds of distressed environments you are far likelier to encounter over the course of your lifetime.
The meat of the book begins with an in-depth look at ���re-purposing��� that which you already own, and it is, again, an approach that is too-infrequently taken by preppers; that is, when they begin prepping, they immediately think in terms of going out and buying a laundry list of items that are explicitly oriented toward survival, without considering what goods they may already have on hand that can be re-purposed on behalf of any of a variety of survival needs. For example, author Steen discusses in detail how a ���dead��� spare car his family had lurking on the property served as a wonderful source of useful parts that he applied to his prepping and security, parts like the battery, the alternator, even the mirrors. He discusses a variety of ways that trash and other classic garage ���junk��� can be re-purposed for the benefit of meeting survival needs. Separately, he discusses scavenging as almost an art form, and how a great deal of one���s survival component needs can be met through the practice.
He also discusses garage sales as a wonderful source of survival ���gear,��� and I think it���s a great idea; we had several garage sales at my house last year, and, as I think back on them now, a lot of what was unclaimed were all kinds of miscellaneous metal pieces and parts to various things. They were available for basically nothing, and if a survival-minded person had stopped by, he likely would have thought he���d hit the jackpot; however, how many preppers go to garage sales to look for things that will aid them in their prepping? Practically none, which is what makes this kind of advice from Mr. Steen so insightful.
Of course, the book is not simply about getting your prepping done from what you already own, junkyards, and garage sales, but also about buying your needed items from regular stores���and how to do it as smartly as possible. There are good sections on how to stockpile water as cheaply as you can, how to buy quality, useful survival equipment for relatively little, even good ideas on how to build a cheap���but useful���survival retreat.
I���m leaving out a lot���and I mean a LOT���but the point is that Prepping for Pennies is a great guidebook for the person who desperately wants to do more in the way of prepping, but needs some help looking at how to accomplish his goals from a perspective of thriftiness. Also, in addition to the manual Prepping for Pennies, author Dave Steen is, presently, throwing in three bonus reports: Making Your Own Survival Equipment, Schappeller Generator, and the Bug-Out Planning Guide. On top of all of this, the entire purchase comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee, which I love, because if I feel strongly that something just wasn���t worth the money, I think it reasonable that I should be able to gain satisfaction ��� how nice that I can do that here (but I can tell you that I won���t be asking for my money back on this). Order Your Copy Here
July 25, 2015
DropShipping - Still A Great Business Model
Of course, the rage these days is selling online, but if you sell physical products there are quite a few challenges. If you want to start small, it can be difficult. Finding an assortment of items to sell at wholesale prices is a challenge (especially with today's super low Internet prices). Even more of a problem for many is simply coming up with the cash to set up their starting inventory. Just a modest inventory of even a low priced item can take $1,000 or more to get started. Lastly, the biggest headache of all is dealing with shipping. Well, the good news is that there is an answer to all of this...
Why Drop Shipping Is Still An Amazing Business Model
DropShipping has been around for decades, but continues to be a great business model for many. In a nutshell, as a marketer you sell the products and a third party wholesaler/fulfillment house ships directly to your customer. DropShipping takes out of the equation the requirement to keep any physical inventory on hand (not to mention the cash requirement to do so).
An example of how this might work is that you find an item you can buy from a DropShipper for $10 (but you know you can sell online for $20). After the item has sold (and you have collected the $20 from the buyer), you pay $10 to the DropShipper. The DropShipper then sends the product directly to your buyer. Your gross profit is $10, and you were only responsible for the marketing end of things.
Save $187 On Online DropShipping Course
I found a fantastic online course on how to get started with DropShipping. It normally goes for $197, but you can grab it today for just $10 - Click Here. I was also highly impressed with the rating this program has. After 60 reviews, it has nearly a perfect rating.
Helping you make the most of God���s money!
James L. Paris
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio
July 24, 2015
Write Amazon Reviews - Get Up To 80% Off Purchases
Reviews have now become the lifeblood of online selling. The problem is that just a tiny fraction of customers will take the time to write a review. I have to admit that I don't write reviews very often myself (I simply have too many other things in my day to get to). A website by the name of Snagshout has come up with an ingenious idea - offer people incredible discounts in exchange for writing reviews.
Here is how it works. Simply go to their site and take a look at the wide variety of products listed (and the huge discounts) and select an item you want to buy. You will then be given a special promotional code to use at Amazon.com to make your purchase. The only catch is that you won't be able to grab another deal like this until after you receive the item and you write a review. The review does not necessarily have to be positive, and you must disclose that you received a discount in exchange for writing it.
This morning I tested it out and bought a flashlight that goes for $59.95 on Amazon for only $4.95. What was even more interesting was that my Amazon Prime kicked in and I also got the free shipping!
As far as I know there is not a limit to the number of times you can do this, you must write your review for each item before you can grab another deal - Check out the FAQ
Helping you make the most of God���s money!
James L. Paris
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio
Another Great Survival Freebie
One of my most popular articles this year was Top 5 Survival Freebies. Well, we can now make it six. I found a freebie deal today for a Hybeam Tactical flashlight. I don't know about you, but I don't seem to ever be able to find a working flashlight around my house. Here is your chance to grab a very nice one that is valued at $25 for FREE (just pick up the cost of shipping) Click Here.
Helping you make the most of God���s money!
James L. Paris
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio
National Debt - Impossible To Ever Pay Off?
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
As bad as our economic situation is, something that has allowed us to persist ���through the rain��� is the belief that, with the right policies in place, we can still right the ship and put our nation on an achievable path to fiscal soundness, from top to bottom.
What if, however, the dark truth is that such is not the case; if, in reality, there is no longer a workable fix, short of total collapse, to our current predicament? What if it is no longer mathematically possible for Americans to pay off all of the nation���s debt, and that only a complete re-boot of the nation���s economy���to include working through the terrible pain that would go with that (if doing so is even possible)���is the ultimate solution?
Recently-retired U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf declared a few years ago that, by the year 2025���which you���ll notice, if you check your calendar, is not far away at all���the total amount spent on the interest generated by the national debt, plus the spending on so-called entitlement programs, will exceed to the total amount of revenue realized by the government; extra frighteningly, this does not even include any money spent on infrastructure, the military, or anything else necessary to the good working order of a nation-state. It���s clearly not possible for the national financial infrastructure to do anything but implode in the most direct way should such a condition come to pass.
These alarms have been sounded for some time now, but people, in general, seem unwilling to pay attention until crises are absolutely upon them, which appears to be the case here. As difficult as it is to consider the prospect of a complete collapse of the economy, there���s something even worse to ponder: that neither the politicians nor the citizens they (supposedly) serve will have learned anything even after decades and decades of unsound fiscal policies. Should that be the case, it will be every man for himself, because then there will be no society, to speak of ��� just a fight for survival.
Passengers Restrain Drunk Man On Flight
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
On a recent Siberian Airlines flight from Hong Kong to Russia, passengers mobilized quickly when they���d had enough of a passenger who had apparently been drinking and began harassing women on board the flight. Just as an initial confrontation between the inebriated man and a fellow passenger was about to significantly escalate, others witnessing what was unfolding immediately pounced on the problem flier, and began pummeling him with punches and kicks down to the floor of the plane. From there, photos show the man with his hands and legs tied up with tape and seatbelts and lying on the floor for the duration of the flight, courtesy of the others.
There���s an especially good lesson here, for all of us: A lot of people spend all kinds of time in sanitized environments, working hard at developing good self-defense techniques���but it is not, however, enough to have ���skills;��� you also have to be willing to step outside of your natural fear and hesitation in public places, and do what needs to be done in order to help you, and those around you, remain safe when there is an imminent threat. Hurtling through the air at 30,000 feet in a thin metal tube is no place for the kind of behavior displayed by the unruly passenger, and kudos to those around him for taking charge in a very deliberate way to eliminate a problem that could have proven disastrous for everyone on board.
July 23, 2015
Social Security Disability Recipients Facing Gun Ban
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
Because ���up-front��� efforts at gun control would fail miserably, any politician inclined to see more of it typically has to engage in end-run types of efforts to make it happen; attempts to pass ammunition bans and taxes on ammo are good examples of this, where the use of, and access to, firearms by the American citizen can be regulated and otherwise manipulated through less direct means. One of the latest, most outrageous examples of this would see millions of Social Security recipients deprived of their 2nd Amendment rights because of an insidious manipulation of federal law that says a ���mental defective��� may not own a gun.
In 2013, under this administration, a process was implemented whereby veterans who are deemed unable to manage their own affairs could have their rights to own a firearm revoked. Once the process is complete whereby the veteran is determined to need the assistance of a financial manager in managing his benefits, his name gets entered into an FBI database as a mental defective; being adjudicated as a mental defective is a disqualifier for own a firearm, per federal law.
Now, the same push is being made to the detriment of gun-owning Social Security recipients. President Obama is on the verge of signing an executive order that would prevent anyone whose Social Security disability payments are managed by a third party from legally owning a firearm. What���s particularly frightening about this is that the standard for depriving these people of their 2nd Amendment rights is so low; there is no determination made as to whether any are actual dangers to themselves or to others ��� all that matters is that management of their financial affairs has been handed to a third party. That���s it.
