Should we expect more in a leap year

What is a leap year?

A leap year is a year with one extra day inserted into February, the leap year is 366 days with 29 days in February as opposed to the normal 28 days. (There are a few past exceptions to this)

A leap year is a year with one extra day inserted into February; the leap year is 366 days with 29 days in February as opposed to the normal 28 days. (There are a few past exceptions to this)

A leap year is special, it only happens every 4 years and there are certain years in that time period where a leap year will not happen. With this being a leap year should you expect more, it is very rare, try to think of a leap year like a rare diamond, a rare Van Gogh painting, what is there value. Leap years are priceless in my eyes it is a very rare commodity, but the good thing about it, would be that we all have the ability to experience February 29^th. The big difference I would ask you to think about what you are going to do with it, remember it is a rare commodity and we all have the chance to benefit from it. I can't tell you home many times I have heard if I only had more time in a day, man this week has went by so fast, I need more time, this year is almost over I am not sure where it went, well Leap year has given you a full 24 hours to do with as you please. I recently wrote a post about everyday count, well for me that is an additional 24 hours to accomplish something that in the previous 48 months I have not been able to.

The most valuable commodity I have found is time, well leap year has just rewarded me with more time, I'm ecstatic about it and I know that I will take pride with each and every hour that I have in the precious year. I know that I have the ability to make an additional $2753.00 this year, this is my goal for me to get to the point where I can earn a minimum of $2753.00 daily, I'm overjoyed about that the Leap year has given me an additional day to reap the benefits. The question I ask of anyone that reads this would be what are you going to do with this very rare commodity, are you going to treat this year like all the rest, or are you going to treat this year like you would a very precious commodity. If you take the latter you are well on your way to making this year the year have been waiting for. What better time than today do you have to make a pact with yourself that today and this year will be different, it has been different from the start, and the Presidential Elections happens during this year, there will more than likely be a changing of the guard. Why not follow suit, lets make some changes to our financial makeup, our physical makeup and most of all our emotional makeup.

Success is a journey that starts with you first and foremost believing that you can and will achieve the success you have mapped out. I had a very interesting conversation with a good friend of mine (Eugene Rupert) this week and he asked me a question and for a minute I could not answer, the question was very simple but hard to answer, you have your goals, but do you have a great business plan. At first I answered yes, but to my amazement, I did not have a defined business plan, I have a lot of ideas and goals, but a well designed business plan I was unable to honestly answer yes, but in the interim since our conversation I have written a detailed business plan to go with my goals, I have been very successful in achieving my short term goals due to my determination, and drive, but my business plan had been something I worked on, but did not prioritize it the way I should have, I will be forever grateful for his insight and question, I feel that is why you should never be the smartest person in your room, if I was at this time, this question would not have came about, take time to look at the circle you deal with are they able to give you advise that will help you, inspire you, if not you need to develop a new circle immediately. I will be writing a weekly post about my life and what has or has not transpired in the previous week. My goal is to use my life as a road map to your success, hopefully through my mistakes and successes you will be able to leap frog past what I have done

Sincerely

Darrick H Scruggs

CEO

The Power to Be Free

www.Thepowertobefree.com

Are you committed to making this year the year you have been waiting for all your life, if you answered yes you need to be a part of this great organization that will literally in a short time change the way you live you life, the first and most important aspect of The Power To Be Free is that we are committed to you living your dream life.

Join us next time

February 16^th 2008

Walsh College in Troy

3838 Livernois

Troy MI 48007

9:00AM -12:30Pm

The Power of a Made up Mind

It is truly awesome, the power of the human mind; especially when it is determined to do something. If we take a journey through our life, let’s look at the evolution of what has happened during our short existence. We have seen the rise and fall of the auto industry, the deft deception of big companies to embezzle billions of dollars from the unsuspecting public, this new thing called the internet, and kids having cell phones at 7 or 8 years of age. We are truly debating whether or not we are going to elect an African American man, or a woman as President of the United States, either way it will be a first. Be honest, did you ever think this would happen during our lifetime?

All of that was said to say that times change and you need to be aware of it. I have seen the rise and fall of the Real Estate Market right in front of my eyes. I saw it coming, and created a plan of attack to put me in a position to profit and make money when others were still stuck in the game we had been playing. In one week Countrywide, Citibank, and Washington Mutual all raised their hands and said we need help. What are we going to do? We need help from someone. Anyone? That is pretty sad I must say so myself. I do not consider myself a genius by any standard, but I could see that things could not stay the way they were. You had individuals working at McDonald's one day, and the next day they had the authority to consult someone on the most valuable commodity most individuals ever own. And the powers to be really thought this was the way to go. And there would not be rampant abuse in this industry. I think not, they knew, but they were oblivious to what the ordinary individual was doing. Why, you might ask? Greed. And more greed. In this business everyone makes money. So, why stop the juggernaut when it is on a roll.

My mind was made up about 4-5 years ago. To position myself in an arena that will give me more control, have less competition and be the “Big Man” on campus. As you can see, this has not been an overnight rags to riches story. It has been a plan that has taken time to blossom, and I am so excited about what I see so far. ThePowertobeFree.com has assembled the right team to dominate the real estate market. Trust me, someone's going to make a ton of money over the next 3-5 years. Why not you? What plans have you implemented to at least improve your chances of success? Have you truly made up your mind that you are tired of the results you are getting? Well, what if you can join a group that can assist you in obtaining the freedom that you and I deserve? To be in control of your time. The true dictator of your fortune; not some large company that looks at you as just #451407, and that you are expendable.

Take control of your life! You are worth it! Join in ThePowertobeFree.com: a group that will give you what you deserve… Freedom. Our group is growing monthly. Come be a part of it.

I'm so excited to be blessed with the vision of what we are on the edge of achieving. At one time it was not common to have a cell phone. It was even rarer to have a computer in your home. But now almost anyone, child or adult have both. Someone had to visualize it before it became a reality; well the vision I had has started to come to fruition. We have big things in store for you. We are not looking for you to merely exist. We want you to live the life you always dreamed of. It can and will happen for you! There's always a “but” in there somewhere. The thing you must remember, success is a journey taken one step at a time. Consider today, your first day at college. You are a freshman. Bright eyed and bushy tailed. Open to almost anything. You are not yet jaded from the successes or failures that most have endured. What would you have done differently if you had known then, what you know today? There's probably a lot of, “I would of’s” or “I coulda’s”. Well this is your chance to make it all better. Join ThePowerToBeFree.com and start the journey you have been waiting to take. But never had the right vehicle to get you there; it is here, in its purest form.

Join Today. ThePowerToBeFree.com will soon be a household name. Join while it's in its infancy. Over the next 12-24 months, we have a lot to accomplish and we want you to be a part of it. How different would your life be if you were to be an owner of a Marriot Hotel? Or a Convention Center in Florida or the Cayman Islands? Better yet, what about being a part of building homes in Africa, and having a waiting list of individuals to buy your home before it is even built. ThePowerToBeFree.com will not limit its growth to just the US, we are going global.

There is a whole world out there…and we are here to set it free.

Untold Secrets Of Buying Investment Property

Buying investment property is a great medium to long-term financial strategy to gather wealth. Investment property is a sure way to enjoy earnings either in the form of rentals, profits from property appreciation, The strategy of buying low, and selling high or giving the property a facelift and selling it off for more than the purchase price.

While buying investment property you can choose any kind of real estate such as an apartment block, land, a flat, a commercial property etc. Generally it refers to property that the owner does not reside in, though sometimes the owner may stay in a part of it, and rent out the rest.

Before buying investment property you must know that it should be done with care and caution. It is a complicated business process that needs thorough research and analysis. You should ideally seek the help of professionals involved with the process such as attorneys, financial experts and real estate agents.

Buying investment property and making the most out of this lucrative investment decision starts off with:

- Choosing the right kind of investment

- A planned and proper buying decision with real estate

- Knowledge about the area, location, property values and rents

- The help of a real estate agent in the location of the property and

- Analysis of the property with his or her help; lastly

- The correct offer to buy the property

After the property is bought, the success of the investment depends on a proper taxation strategy, property management and mortgage management.

Another vital aspect while buying investment property is that your mortgage and other expenses associated with the property must be primarily funded from the profits from your tenants, or other sources of income that are not using your personal money.

Another key point while buying investment property is getting the right kind of loan and lender to finance you to buy the property. Generally lenders offer financing up to 95% of the purchase price, which depends on the buyer’s income, assets and credit status. Bigger ventures that involve apartment complexes or multi family property have additional lending criterion.

Before buying investment property you should ideally compare mortgage rates, interests, terms and other features quoted by various lenders in order to get the best deal. Moreover, you should also know about the various tax benefits you will enjoy as an investment property owner. For laymen, it is good to seek help from a financial expert like a CPA before buying investment property.

Nick Blackman, CIO

Week 2 of 2008 has come and Gone

We are knee deep into 2008 what have you done, are you any closer to making the life altering New Years resolutions that you made at the end of 2007. Some of you actually sat down and put time and effort into figuring out that you were not satisfied in 2007. So you decided that you wanted more in 2008 and you did what 95% of the population never achieves. You have a written roadmap to your success in 2008. I know that it is difficult at first to make the transition from a talker to a doer. Well I know that if you want something bad enough you will get off your but and make it happen. It sounds really simple and in the most part, your mind is the key to your success. Take a look back at the previous 13 days and ask yourself honestly what have you done that will bring about a different result in 2008. If we are honest we have probably done a lot of contemplating, but not much of anything else.

Take action on your dreams, it is here for you to take control, all you have to do is take action. If you decide that you really want to change badly enough you will take action. An elderly gentleman once told me that you can either change on your own or you will be forced to change which one are you. This is the information age, the age of you being OK with being average or mediocre is dead and gone, every 3-5 years you will have to upgrade your knowledge base or you will be left behind. If you look at the proliferation of the internet over the last 10 years all you can say is WOW. In 1998 if you asked 10 people what a “GOOGLE” is, 10 out 10 would have said what is a Google, now ask that same question and what will be the answer. So if you look at the big picture it does not take long for things to change in the information age, ready or not it’s changing, so why not be prepared and take action to put yourself in position to take advantage of change. The internet is here to say, so welcome it, learn it, and be well versed in the inner workings of the internet. It can and will make many, many millionaires in the near future.

This is just one area where change is happening very rapidly, we can look at the auto industry and see that it is a business that is on the decline, jobs are being lost daily to outsourcing and other technological improvements. The day and time where you could get a great job at the plant and live a middle class lifestyle will never return, so embrace it and understand that you can have the same lifestyle you just have to have different skill-sets, are you handy, well the building trades and home improvement will not be outsourced, a great handy man can make a significant living if he or she is willing to make a few modifications to the business they run, maybe a web presence or client relationship mechanism that you implement to keep your clients informed about your where about and other need to know information ,IE Specials you are running, referral programs that you have implemented. The easiest, but most overlooked growth would be to have satisfied customers refer other customers to you. Stop worrying so much about new customers and satisfy the one’s you have. What if every customer you acquire has the ability if satisfied to bring 1-3 new clients, well your business can double off every satisfied client.

I have just touched a couple of ideas that can give you the life you desire and deserve. As I stated in an earlier post or article, it all starts and ends with you. The New Year is still in its infancy you have plenty of time to make the necessary corrections to get back on track. Don’t worry about what you haven’t done so far, just worry about what you are going to do today, and tomorrow, the past is long gone and no matter what we say or do we can’t bring it back. Live in the moment sometimes, stop worrying so much about the mistakes you probably will make, so what, we all do it is a part of the learning process, fight through it and give you some valuable me time every day. Take time and ask yourself 2 simple questions.

1. Are you happy with the way your life has been in the past?

2. If you answered as most, what are you willing to do to change your current circumstances?

These 2 simple questions are what I live by, the answer you give will either take you in the direction that you want to go in or it will keep you exactly where you are currently.

Come See What Freedom looks like

The Power to be Free

January 19, 2008 (9:00AM -12:30PM)

Walsh College

Troy Mi 48007

www.Thepowertobefree.com

Want To Know What Is A REIT! Just Read On…

REIT or Real Estate Investment Trust, like mutual funds, is a collective investment arrangement wherein funds invested by individual investors are pooled together into a trust. Unlike mutual funds (that invest in stocks), REIT’s invest in real estate. The money pooled into the trust is used for acquiring property shares.

REITs promise you higher return over investment (ROI) and they are considered better security than traditional stocks. This holds even in periods of recession – actually, fall in share prices boosts property prices and vice versa. If you are one who dreams of owning a real estate without having to take any risks, it will be ideal for you to do so through such REITs. REITs can earn you up to four times the dividend you get from an investment bond.

Now, that you know what is a REIT, be familiar with how they function. REITs usually invest in realty, which are then leased out. The earnings from these investments happen to be the income of the trust, which is then divided among the investors (the percentage of profits shared differs).

REITs invest in different types of property – right from commercial buildings like cinemas, industrial property and shopping malls to individual properties like residences as well as state-owned properties like prisons and even golf courses. Sometimes REITs also finance real estate construction work.

Being an excellent as well as safe investment instrument that brings one regular returns, the REIT’s concept is fast gaining popularity worldwide. Created by the attempts of the US Congress in 1960, REITs are now common in countries like Australia, Canada, France, Holland and Japan. In UK, the REITs are referred to as Property Investment Funds or PIFs. Many countries like Germany have their own versions of the REITs.

REITs And The US

Following a 2001 regulation, US REITs are required to disburse at least 90% of their pre tax profits among the investors. (Earlier, the qualifying dividend was 95%.) This way the REITs retain some capital for maintenance of the properties owned by them; this, at the same time, is an excellent way of dodging the double taxation disincentive (that other types of funds are forced to pay). Some US REITs even pay 100% of profits as dividends.

With an accumulated value of US$ 475 billions, there are over two hundred REITs in the USA. The shares of at least one-third of these REITs are traded in major stock exchanges but the remaining two-thirds operate on a private level.

There are three different types of REITs in the USA – Equity REITs, Mortgage REITs and Hybrid REITs. While the first of these REITs invests in the management and development of real estate properties, the second category of REIT acquire and manage real estate loans. As suggested by its name, the third type of REIT owns and manages both property and loans. About 96% of the REITs in the US are Equity REITs.

Nick Blackman

Why you should create your own Personal Economy?

So there is a 50 / 50 chance that the economy is going to be good or that it is going to be bad. For most people that is a really big problem. Because as the Nation's economy goes so does their personal economy go. Up goes the economy, up goes their paycheck; down goes the economy, down goes the paycheck. So how do you avoid that situation.

The best answer that I can come up with is to just refuse to participate in a bad economy. Just unplug your self! Make the decision to seperate your PERSONAL ECONOMY from the rest of the world!

How do you do that you might ask? That's easy, make a decision and take action, and a lots of it. With the help of the Team at ThePowerToBeFree.com we can help you create a plan for your OWN PERSONAL ECONOMY.

Design your personal economy so that it meets your every need. And why not, it's your life and you should be free to live your life as you wish. Take the next step if you are not already a member and go to www.ThePowerToBeFree.com to register and get your free Report "Pitfalls to Avoid in Commercial Real Estate!"

If you are already a member, make sure that you attend our next Seminar on January 19th, at the Troy Walsh College in Troy where we will be dicussion making money with Transitional Living Homes.

US Economy May Escape Recession in 2008
The odds of a recession in the US economy have risen to even, and even if there is no recession officially, it will feel like a recession to most Americans, according to Standard & Poors. Still, S&P Chief Economist David Wyss predicts a bumpy landing but no recession.
Housing problems have taken most of the attention in the media so far, but housing alone is unlikely to cause a recession, Wyss writes in U.S. Economic Forecast: Fasten Your Seatbelts, It’s Going To Be A Bumpy Year.
But only if the downturn extends beyond housing is a recession likely.
The drag from the housing sector has been fully offset by two other sectors: foreign trade and capital spending. Over the past four quarters, the improvement in the real trade deficit has added 0.45 percentage point to real GDP growth, offsetting nearly half of the housing drag, Wyss writes. “We expect this to continue in 2008, as a weaker dollar and still-strong foreign economic growth help exports, while imports continue to slow because of weaker U.S. demand. The danger is that the foreign economies may weaken more than expected. Europe and Japan have both relied on trade surpluses to offset soft domestic demand.”
Nonresidential construction expenditures are expected to flatten out in 2008, as slowing employment growth reduces the need for office space and weaker consumer spending slows retail construction, S&P says. The 2007 surge in highway construction will also slow in 2008.
So far, except for housing-related sectors such as furniture and building materials, consumer spending has held up much better than expected. Wyss believes that consumers will cool off in 2008, however, because of higher oil prices and falling home prices. In addition, a rising unemployment rate will cut into consumer confidence.
Whether the economy will be soft enough to count as a recession will depend on how much purchasing power is sucked away by higher energy costs and on how pervasive the damage is to capital markets, Wyss concludes.
Our belief is that this will be a bumpy landing, but not a recession.

Self Directed 401k Plans - Risks And Counter Measures

Self-directed 401k's are retirement plans that allow plan participants to have Self-Directed Brokerage Accounts (or SDBA's). Unlike traditional, employer-sponsored retirement plans, self-directed 401k plans bring to participants/retirees great many investment options. All you need to do is open an account with a brokerage firm and then you will be able to enjoy a wider selection of investment options, including individual stocks and bonds.

Of course, participants are not just allowed to make unlimited investments in these self-directed brokerage accounts. Participants can invest only a fraction of their retirement assets - say a fixed percentage or a maximum dollar amount.

Self-directed 401k Plans - Associated Risks

Every employee has the right to ask for self-directed accounts when making retirement planning. More and more employers are now thinking of adding self-directed accounts even if it is not included in their retirement plans.

Having said this, it would be wise to point out that researches have indicated that careful, experienced investors, who capably plan their investments, should only go for self-directed 401k plans. Actually, self-directed 401k's and SDBA's can prove risky for both employers and employees.

Speaking of employees, it must be noted that self-directed 401k's bring on them added investment responsibilities. With large number of investment choices, the going gets tough for most investors; they feel rather confused and overwhelmed. In many cases, this results in the investor making a wrong choice and making a bad investment.

The above situation may turn risky for the employer too, especially if the employee continues to make bad investments, without even trying to comprehend the consequences. Under such circumstances, the company (i.e., the employer) is usually held responsible for not guiding the employee in investment matters. In acute cases, lawsuits are filed against companies for failing to provide employee-participants with adequate information.

What Is The Way Out?

Both employees and employers can join hands to evade such knotty situations. For this, it is nearly binding on companies/employers that they thoroughly educate their employees in matters of investment as well as about the associated risks. Investors/employees too should take upon themselves to sharpen their investing acumen.

Novice players should tread more carefully and it is best for them to stick to some company-selected funds initially. Once the person is familiar with the investment-game and is able to work out his/her own strategy, it will be apt for the person to go for self-directed 401k plans.

The power to be free is a commercial real estate investment group. We're not about talk, we're about action. To join our mailing list and to get our free report "pitfalls to avoid in commercial real estate!"

Go to http://www.ThePowerToBeFree.com and sign-up

Nick Blackman