James L. Paris's Blog, page 214

$35 Device Eliminates Cable TV Bill

We���ve talked for some time about how dropping cable TV in favor of alternative methods by which to indulge your programming interests can be a terrific move for your wallet. While so-called ���expanded basic��� cable TV averages a little over $60 per month in households throughout America, it is nothing for premium cable TV services to drive that monthly cost to a level of well over $100 ��� that���s a lot of money for the ���privilege��� of enjoying television.

In order to help you in your quest to become a better���and slightly wealthier���consumer of TV, we���re going to do something this weekend we���ve not done before: we���re going to give away, as a bonus to those who purchase a membership to our Christian Money Plus premium service, a Google Chromecast. Chromecast is a very small device that plugs into a spare HDMI port in your television, and, using your smartphone or computer as the remote control (basically), you can access streaming content on your television set from the most popular providers, including Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Instant Video (nominal subscription fees apply to each service), as well as YouTube. Think of Chromecast as the transmitter that takes the streaming content you would otherwise watch on your computer or other device, and splashes it on to your living room TV set.

A few things: In order to use Chromecast, you must have a HDMI port on your TV. You will find that most TV sets manufactured in recent years come equipped with at least one, but if you���re interested in this and you���re not sure, you���ll need to check your own set first. Even if you can already get streaming Internet content to your television (through another device), there is something very different about streaming to your TV using Chromecast. Take for example, YouTube. There is simply no easier way to bring YouTube to your big screen than with Chromecast. Whether it is having a fun family night of watching videos of laughing babies, or setting up a playlist of your favorite music for your next party, bringing YouTube to your large screen is a blast. Also compared to other 'Internet TV' devices, most people find Chromecast easier to use by controlling it through a smartphone or computer (no clunky non-keyboard remotes to deal with). It also gives you access to the entire Internet, rather than just those offerings made available through a somewhat closed off ecosystem (Apple TV, Roku, etc...).

 

Chromecast also allows you to quickly and easily tap into a growing amount of free Internet TV programming from network websites. One series Jim Paris watches is NBC's The Blacklist. He uses his Chromecast to play it from the NBC website directly to his big screen TV. There are a growing number of regular network TV shows that you will find for free online. Even the Superbowl was made available free online this year!

I dropped Cable TV two years ago and I don't miss it. There is more and more content becoming available for us 'cord cutters'. Although I am not a subscriber, it was notable to see that HBO just began offering Internet subscriptions to its channel. Also, even though I joined Amazon Prime for the free shipping benefit, I am amazed at the thousands of free movies I have access to with my membership (and its easy to connect to Amazon with my Chromecast). If I had to recommend one device to people that want to drop cable, it would have to be a Chromecast. I love it so much that I bought a second one for my bedroom TV. All you need is a home WiFi network and it takes about two minutes to set up. There are a lot of misconceptions about Internet TV. I watch live news, live sports, I watch Fox News, and more! Oh, one more thing - your kids will absolutely love it!  Jim Paris

As we���ve said many times before, anything you can do to immediately save a chunk of money on a regular basis helps you in precisely the same way as if you were able to earn the extra cash���but without having to spend more time at work. Even if your savings amounted to ���just��� $60 per month, that translates to over $700 per year, and for the bunches who spend much more than $60 per month to enjoy cable TV, a device like the Chromecast can represent a savings of $1000 or more each year in cable costs. What���s more, you need not part with access to your favorite shows by reaping this significant savings; talk about a win-win!

If you���ve considered a Christian Money Plus membership for some time now, and you���ve also been meaning to finally do something about unchaining yourself from the cable company, this is your weekend - grab that annual subscription to Christian Money Plus between now and midnight on Sunday, March 15, and receive, as a bonus, a Google Chromecast, so that you can participate in the growing revolution against cable TV! Christian Money Plus comes with a laundry list of features, including The James L. Paris Report monthly newsletter (including all past issues), podcasts, personal finance webinar workshops, unlimited email-based Q&A with Jim and his staff, and lots more!

FREE GOOGLE CHROMECAST THROUGH MIDNIGHT MAY 18

FREE TWO DAY SHIPPING!

 

Credit Card Self Defense - 7 Ways To Protect Your Credit Cards

With the many protections in place today for cardholders, most people today don't worry all that much about a credit card falling into the wrong hands.  The reality is, however, that being the victim of a credit card theft can represent much more than just an inconvenience. 

7 Ways To Protect Yourself 

1. Understand The Law - Never Share Your PIN

Federal law limits your loss on a stolen credit card to a maximum of $50. Things get much more murky on debit cards, however. If you don't report the loss of a debit card within two business days you can lose up to $500. The two day clock starts running when you knew that the card was compromised, but the best rule of thumb is to make an immediate report. If you were careless with your PIN or shared it with someone, you could actually lose all of the money in your account and have no recourse. It is interesting to note that banks are getting much more aggressive about making cardholders responsible for debit card losses. 

2. Keep A 'Report Lost Or Stolen Card Phone List' Separate From Your Wallet

If a card is stolen or lost, you may have difficulty finding the 24 hour 'lost or stolen' reporting phone number. This will vary based on your card, but many institutions do not have 24 hour customer service, and have a separate phone number for 24 hour reporting of lost or stolen cards. Imagine losing your wallet or purse and needing to remember all of the cards you had and locate the phone numbers. Talk about a nightmare! Keeping a list of these phone numbers in a desk drawer or file cabinet would be a lifesaver.

3. Don't Carry Around All Of Your Cards

Do you really need to keep every credit card you own in your wallet? It makes a lot of sense to carry just a couple of cards and leave the rest at home.

4. Set Daily Limits On Your Cards

Many cards/banks will allow you to set daily limits for spending and withdrawals. It is definitely worth asking about. Why not just set a daily spending limit of a few hundred dollars and raise that only when you need to make a major purchase? This makes a lot of sense, and will save you the headache of dealing with thousands of dollars of fraudulent charges. Many credit card companies already set in place daily limits based on your historical spending. If you attempt to charge more than this amount, they may want to speak with you to verify your identity.

5. Use Cards With Real Time E Mail Notifications

I have a Paypal Mastercard and I receive an e mail within about one minute after a transaction. This is a fantastic benefit and has saved me many times. About two months ago I was working on an article and an e mail came in showing a $150 purchase at a Wal-Mart in southern Illinois (it was not me as I was sitting at my computer in Palm Coast, Florida). I immediately called PayPal. While I was on hold two more transactions came through. They were able to shut off the card within five minutes and immediately reimburse me for the charges. Many credit cards offer e mail notifications, but you have to go through a few steps to get this set up. It is well worth the trouble. Even if your card does not offer e mail notifications, you will at least be able to log in frequently to review transactions.

What was especially strange was that my PayPal Mastercard was still in my wallet. Somehow the thieves made a copy of the card. Without these e mail notifications the theft would have been much worse.

6. When In Doubt Don't Use A Card At All

As most people know, one of the things we do here at ChristianMoney.com is teach Internet Marketing. Part of my job is to keep up to date on the latest ideas and concept in that niche. There are occasions where I stumble across a website that might be selling something like a book or video titled 'How To Get A Zillion Visits To Your Website." There are so many cases where I won't make that purchase unless I can do so with my Paypal account (Paypal does offer a Mastercard but that is not what I am referencing here).

Paypal's most popular role is that of a third party payment gateway. They transfer the funds from my account to the merchant, but they don't share my account information (so the merchant has no way to charge me any additional amount). They also have a vast array of 'buyer protection' policies (which makes getting a refund very easy if the item you bought was misrepresented or you never received it). The policies are so favorable in protecting buyers, that many merchants won't offer Paypal as an option.

Another tactic to use when making an online purchase from an unfamiliar vendor is to use your credit card that has the lowest available credit line. 

7. Be Careful About Giving Your Card Number Over The Phone

Traditional telemarketing has largely gone by the wayside, but there are still numerous scenarios where you might legitimately be asked to provide your credit card number over the phone.  My general policy on this is that I won't give out my card number over the phone unless it is a company that I have regular ongoing business with. 

Other Issues To Be Aware Of

Credit card skimming is another scam I have not even mentioned in this article. Your card can easily be cloned with a skimming device in any number of retail establishments. Check out my prior article on wireless skimming and RFID.

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

LA Marzulli On The Nephilim, UFOs, And End Times Events

http://www.christianmoney.com Bible prophecy expert, author, and movie maker, LA Marzulli joins Jim Paris Live. Marzulli discusses UFOs, ISIS, the Antichrist, and more. Also discussed on this episode were the Watcher Movie series, Nephilim, giants, and significance of Baltimore and Ferguson riots.

Wayne Allyn Root Targeted By IRS And U.S. Senator

http://www.christianmoney.com Former Vice Presidential candidate (Libertarian) says he was targeted by the IRS and a U.S. senator. Root says the details of the plot were revealed through a lawsuit filed by Judicial Watch. Root shares details of IRS harassment and audits that began in 2011 and mysteriously ended the week that Lois Lerner was called to testify. Also, is the case against the Baltimore police officers beginning to crumble? Why are local bank branches disappearing? and the growing popularity of so called 'tiny houses.'

Free Credit Card Survival Knife

I ran across this great freebie. It is a credit card survival knife. It fits into your wallet like a credit card, but quickly converts into a survival knife. They ask you to pay for the shipping, but the $25 knife is free. Here is the link with more details and a video on how the knife works www.FreeKnife.us

 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

Amazon Flipping Update

I have been buying offline and reselling on Amazon for several months now. I have made so many mistakes, but seem to have mastered this whole platform now. I want to share with you some of the real game-changers for me, and also some recent examples of actual items I have bought and resold.

 

Amazon Discount Shipping

In the very beginning I did not use the Amazon discount shipping option available to Amazon FBA resellers. It was right there in my dashboard, but when they said 'discounted shipping' I thought it was something minor (like 5 or 10 percent off). I could not have been more wrong. In fact, I have written about the fact that I have shipped 30 pounds boxes to Amazon for $8 to $9. The guy at the local UPS Store told me he would have had to charge me more than $50. He added, "I just don't know how Amazon can do this for you at these prices..." 

Buying Items Without Using My Smartphone App

As is the case with a lot of things, you can really get burned when you get away from the fundamentals. One simple step that you can't skip is scanning items before you buy. It is easy to get lazy and just start filling up a cart when you are at a thrift shop. I have even made the mistake of convincing myself that if I don't sell an item on Amazon I can always sell it over at eBay. It is true, in theory, that you have eBay as a backup platform. The dynamics and profit margins at eBay are quite different (and much more challenging). The app that I use is FBA scan and it is availble for both iPhone and Android. You must stay disciplined and only buy items you an resell for at least 3 times what you are paying. FBA Scan also offers a free trial, if you want to kick the tires.  

Recent Successes

The more stuff I buy and resell, the better and better I get at it. I do very well with books. Being an author, and an avid reader, I am drawn to the book rack in any thrift shop I walk into. The trick with books is to look for the odd or unusual book in the stack. The great thing about buying books to resell is that books are cheap. Most of the time they are 3 for $1. This means I am paying only 33 cents for a given book.

This is a transaction from my account (see above) this week. This was a textbook that I bought at a local Goodwill and it sold for $24.99. With all fees taken out, my net was more than $16. I have done this over and over and over again. Note: you can click on any of the screenshots I am using in this article to enlarge them.

Last week I was in Daytona Beach and had an hour to kill. I walked into the Goodwill there and found a stack of unopened LEGO sets for $3 each. I scanned one and saw that this was a slam dunk and bought all six kits. I think I have already sold them all within less than a week at Amazon (see below). I am pocketing about $8 profit on each one. Almost $50 in profit on just these LEGO sets.

There is kind of a strange backstory on these LEGO sets. The clerk told me that Target donates these to Goodwill after they change their inventory seasonally. She said they get this kind of merchandise all of the time from Target. OK, it makes no sense to me. Why would target give this merchandise to Goodwill? Why does Goodwill sell this stuff for so little? Maybe I ask too many questions...

Another item I do very well with are what I might call 'random electronics and computer parts.' Take a look at the screenshot below. I ran across this a couple of weeks ago at a local Goodwill in St. Augustine. It is some kind of a computer part, but it looked like someone had this for a few years. It was still in the box, but I assumed it was likely too old to be worth anything. Well, I was wrong. I scanned it with the smartphone, bought it for just $6 and sold it for $34.59 on Amazon.

As you can see, my net profit on this controller card kit (whatever that is) was about $23.

Special Bonus Offer 

All new subscribers will receive the new videos I recently filmed on product sourcing from China. On top of these two new videos on product sourcing from China, I want to include a book that has been an invaluable resource for me - The Official Alibaba.com Success Guide. This is a 288 page hardcover book.

As a new member of my Amazon Flipping course, I also want to send you two additional bonuses:

Bonus #2 Barcode Scanner

Having a desktop barcode scanner saves me hours of work when adding retail items to my Amazon inventory. While you won't need this for your products imported from China, it will be invaluable to you when flipping items bought from retail stores, or even thrift shops. If you can find a barcode on the product, just scan it and you can quickly add it to your Amazon inventory.

 

Bonus #3 Pro Shipping Scale 

At first I resisted dealing with my own shipping, but it was a foolish mistake. I learned that by using the discount shipping within my Amazon reseller account, I could save an enormous amount on shipping. With your own scale, you can prepare a shipment in about 2 to 3 minutes. Just weigh your box and measure it. Next, simply print out your shipping label. You can have UPS pick up the box right at your home or office, or simply drop it off at your local UPS Store. I just shipped an 18 pound box to Amazon for only $7.50! Even the guy up at the UPS Store could not believe how little the shipping costs were. This is huge, and by shipping at such low rates you are able to put all that much more money in your pocket.

Should You Join My Training Program?

I received an e mail this week from a man considering buying my Amazon Flipping course, but he was skeptical because the price was TOO LOW. Now, you might think this is funny, but I get this reaction all the time on many of our training programs. I have often thought I should just raise my prices and make people happy. 

The one time cost for our new deluxe Amazon Flipping Package is just $249. This includes our 6 videos, plus the new videos on how to buy from China, membership in our private Facebook group, and unlimited Q and A support for 60 days. Use Coupon code FLIPDISCOUNT and save $75 (through Monday night at Midnight). Grab our complete deluxe system for only $174!  Plus FREE SHIPPING ON YOUR BONUS GIFTS!

*** Ordering Note: After inserting coupon code FLIPDISCOUNT click 'Apply' and be sure the price is reduced by $75 before finalizing your order. This coupon code will automatically expire Monday night at midnight Eastern.

Earnings Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to accurately represent this training program. There is no guarantee that you will earn any money using the techniques and ideas contained in our training. 

Other Articles On Amazon Flipping:

Amazon Flipping: A Weird New Way People Are Making Money Online

Finding Items To Resell - Amazon Flipping Update

Amazon Flipping: Deciding What Items To Sell on eBay Instead

Planning To Pocket $500 On My First Amazon FBA Shipment

Saving Time By Using A Desktop Scanner Device

These Toys Bought For $76.85 Will Be Sold For More Than $300

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

New Site For Comparison Shopping Auto Insurance

On this episode of the podcast Jim Paris and Bob Yetman discuss the news that only 1 in 3 people say that will be able to fully retire at age 65, the risk of loaning out your car, are those ‘cash for your home’ deals worth considering, and a new website that makes it super easy to shop out your car insurance.  Use player below, or download.

 
(Free excerpt of podcast - members  click here  for full audio)
 
 
 
 
 
 

Don't Get Ripped Off On Mother's Day

Well, if you are like me you have probably had enough of the Mother's Day radio ads. I don't think I can take another ad telling me what "mom" wants this year. I don't know what it is about holidays like this, Valentine's Day, etc. that are so rife with ripoffs. I am not going to try and tell you what your mother really wants this year, but there are plenty of great gifts you can get over at Amazon at very reasonable prices. In fact, Amazon has a special Mother's Day section of their website to make shopping even easier. They are even offering some great free shipping deals as well.

 

One thing that is especially frustrating are the various 'upsells' that are connected with these radio offers. It doesn't seem to matter if it is the chocolate-dipped strawberries, flowers, pajamas, or even a stuffed animal, the prices always end up being a lot more than what was represented. Whether it is unreasonable shipping costs, or a surcharge for guaranteed delivery by the actual holiday, they always seem to find ways to extract extra money from your wallet.

I am publishing this article on Wednesday, which gives you plenty of time to find a great online gift and have it delivered before mom's big day.

Helping you make the most of God's Money (and not get ripped on Mother's day)!

James L. Paris 
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com 
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice 
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio 

 

Fatherless Homes - The Reason Behind Baltimore Riots?

David Dusek, author of Rough Cut Men, joins Jim Paris Live to discuss his book and the unique challenges that men face today. Dusek says that most men are isolated and have nowhere to turn when facing life's challenges. He comments on the phenomenon of fatherless homes and the effect this is having especially in minority neighborhoods. He says every 18 hours a U.S. military veteran commits suicide. Dusek shares how his organization is reaching out to thousands of members of the military nationwide, and how can the church do a better job today ministering to men.

City Offers Up The Heads Of Six Police Officers To Baltimore Rioters

After experts said that it would be weeks, maybe even months before determining what happened in the Freddie Gray case, all six officers were charged in the Freddie Gray case. Jim shares his outrage about the rush to charge six Baltimore Police officers before any meaningful investigation could have taken place. Western Union enters into agreement with digital currency that some believe is the next Bitcoin, and what vintage electronic device is bringing big bucks on eBay?