Giving back

I feel it is VERY important to help others, so I will be donating AT LEAST 10% of all profits generated from this site to help in Humanitarian Aid around the world.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Rule # 1 Investing

I am reading a new book called "Rule #1" by: Phil Town.

The Rule is to Not loose money!

I love this book so far. It has helped teach me how to break down a companies financials to make a better informed decision when it comes to a stock purchase. I recommend this book to anyone that wants to make over 15% returns from the stock market. It follows the Value Investing principals.

I have researched many companies recently and have come up with a top 10 stocks to invest in. I am not going to share that information until I make the purchase which I will post on here, because I only invest in companies I can understand and that fit in my moral values, which may or may not be yours.

The system teaches you to figure out 6 main numbers for a company.

They are:

Return on Investment Capital (ROIC)
Sales Growth Rate
Earnings per share growth rate
Equity growth rate
Cash flow growth rate
Value per share (actual value per share based on what the company is worth)

When you figure them you figure the 10 year, 5 year and 1 year numbers. They all need to be over 10% with an increasing value over time.

Also the Value per share needs to be 50% of the actual share price to have a built in margin of safety.

Once you have narrowed down the list of stocks by doing this you can then look at P/E ratios, Dividends, Insider Trading, Earnings per share, Book price, etc.... To figure out if the company is one you want to own.

One thing I have learned is to look at myself as owning the company, not just a shareholder. Only by companies that you would own for 100 years and that you agree with their work ethic, their morals, etc... Also only buy businesses that you have some knowledge of, or feel close to.

Here is a quick and easy link to the book at Amazon. I have found that it is very hard to find a place that can beat their prices. So here it is, hope this helps and gets you into this form of investing, I think you will enjoy it, especially when the money starts rolling in from your investments.






Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Web Hosting

I will be starting up some new websites soon and have decided on my hosting service. They have so many options and things included and great prices. I am sure I will love their services. The service is Lunarpages, check them out by following this link.




Lunarpages.com Web Hosting




Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Monday, June 8, 2009

Scottrade

Sorry I have not been here in a while. I will not let it happen again.

I have been busy getting some stuff done. I have recently set up a Scottrade account due to the lower trading fees than the company I was with prior.

I also have been doing a bunch of research on different stocks. More to come...



Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Investing clubs

I have been researching recently about investment clubs, what they are and how they operate. I have come to realize that they are a really good idea for novice investors. I am currently locating a club to join in my area.

One thing nice about them is that you can get started investing for a very low monthly investment of between $25-$100 per month depending on the club.

They offer you a chance to learn about investing from other club members and to own a nice portfolio of stocks that you could not afford to own on your own.

The NAIC (National Association of Investors Corporation) is the governing body for investing clubs in the US. They are a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing investors knowledge and to help people become better investors. Their system of picking stocks has beat the market over the 55 years of their existence.

Their website is http://www.betterinvesting.org/ They have so much stuff on the site it is unreal. It is really worth the $6.95 per month to become a member. I joined today and have started to look through all they offer on the site.

Here are some of the top companies that investment clubs across the country invest in:

General Electric
Stryker
Walgreens
Cisco
Johnson and Johnson
Microsoft
Aflac
Lowes
Pepsi
Starbucks

Those are the top 10 stocks held by investment clubs in the US.


Please check out my Internet Income Streams blog here:



Looking for someone?



Then follow this link and find them!
I have used this service for a while now and have found many of my old friends that I have lost contact with over the years. Click on the link type in the name and reconnect!



Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Monday, May 4, 2009

My Stocks

My stocks

So far I have purchased shares of Zions Bank (ZION), shares of Fannie Mae (FNM) and shares of Pfizer (PFE).

The Pfizer shares I just purchased this morning at $13.80 per share.
The Zions Bank shares I purchased at $6.91 per share.
The Fannie Mae shares I purchased at $0.81 per share.

So far the Pfizer and the Zions Bank are up. The Zions Bank shares are doing pretty good, almost 100% growth.

Zions Bank and Pfizer are also dividend stocks, so they earn me money even if the share price does not go up. Actually if the share price does not go up I get a higher percentage dividend.

Zions Bank pays a $0.16 dividend.
Pfizer pays a $0.64 dividend.

Fannie Mae has a P/E ratio of: -.03 and a Forward P/E of: -0.24
Pfizer has a P/E ratio of: 12.43 and a Forward P/E of: 6.21
Zions Bank has a P/E ratio of: -2.95 and a Forward P/E of 13.80! How is that for potential!

Also in other news Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) just acquired Wyeth (NYSE:WYE).
With Pfizer posting annual earnings of $43 Billion last year and Wyeth posting earnings of $22 Billion I think Pfizer just grabbed a company that they may have underestimated the size of. Could this be a good or bad thing? I do not know, I think it will end up being a good thing, I just think that it will take a quarter or two before it really takes effect on the stock prices and earnings.

Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) opened at $13.36. So far today, the stock has hit a low of $13.21 and a high of $13.56. PFE is now trading at $13.52, up $0.35 (2.66%). Over the last 52 weeks the stock has ranged from a low of $11.62 to a high of $20.65. PFE shares are rising today after a Standpoint Research analyst initiated the stock at Buy with a $20 price target.


Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac have been in the news a lot recently of course and here is one of the reasons why:
Freddie and Fannie play a more vital role than ever in the U.S. housing market. The Federal Housing Administration now guarantees about a third of new U.S. loans, up from 3% at the height of the housing bubble. Most of the remaining new mortgages are still backed by one of these two. Furthermore, GSE bonds are held in huge numbers by large companies and formidable countries. In other words, allowing Fannie and Freddie to fail on their obligations could cause more losses at major institutions and possibly a foreign relations nightmare. So I do not think that the Government will let them fail, there is too much at stake here.




Please check out my Internet Income Streams blog here:






Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Thrill of CD Auctions Lures Investors


Thrill of CD Auctions Lures Investors
(I did not write nor claim any of this article as my own. It was written by the below mentioned person)

By DONNA KARDOS
(The Wall Street Journal)

As the stock market continues to be roiled by volatility, investors are turning to a surefire way to make their money grow, but with a modern twist: certificates of deposit that are auctioned off online.

The yield rates from the auctions aren't always better than the average retail CD rates. Still, investors have been turning to CD auctions for the thrill of the game, the comfort of a fixed rate and the chance that the rate they get might be above average.

MoneyAisle.com and Zions Direct offer two of the most well-known CD auction services. Both only offer CDs from banks insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., and have seen monthly hits to their sites and auction activity accelerate as the recession continues to affect consumers' investment decisions.

The FDIC currently insures deposits up to $250,000 per depositor per bank, but that coverage is scheduled to drop back to $100,000 in most cases at year's end.

Zions Direct, run by Utah-based regional bank Zions Bancorp, puts the bidding in customers' hands, giving them the chance to bid on CDs offered by multiple banks for terms such as one month, two months, three months, six months and one year. There are no sign-up charges and no broker fees, but investors need to deposit at least $1,000.

MoneyAisle.com asks investors what they want to deposit and for how long, prompting 112 banks to vie for the deposit. The site—which charges banks a fee to participate—chooses the bank that offers the best rate for the investor. It then presents the offer to the investor, who can back out if unsatisfied with the rate.

MoneyAisle Chief Executive Mukesh Chatter says he developed MoneyAisle to counter the idea that consumers have to find the best deals for things they want to buy on their own. "We're removing that burden," he says. Monthly hits to the site have jumped fivefold to more than 75,000 visitors in February from 14,586 visitors in July, its first full month in operation.

David Hemingway, executive vice president of Zions Direct, touts the fact that the Zions auction process—a modified Dutch auction similar to the way the Treasury Department auctions off its Treasury bills— gives investors the chance to control the auction. He says investors can secure CDs at yields higher than those they bid for because the auction gives all winning bidders in each auction the same yield.

In March, the auctions site on Zions Direct received 18,500 visits, more than triple the 5,600 hits it got in March 2008. Auction accounts soared 71% to just under 8,000 bidders in February from a year earlier.

Most banks auctioning CDs via Zions Direct are Zions affiliates, but those that aren't are charged a flat fee to participate. "What we are really interested in is the deposits that come with the new bidders' brokerage accounts," Mr. Hemingway says, though he noted the auctions currently contribute just a small fraction of the parent company's deposit base.

The Zions and MoneyAisle sites also are attracting users seeking entertainment value, says Motley Fool senior analyst Dan Caplinger. "Auctions are kind of fun," he says. "You feel like you're participating in things and getting a bargain you wouldn't otherwise get."

That's not necessarily always the case for CD auctions, though. While some result in better-than-average CD yields, others don't. Still, Zions' Mr. Hemingway points out, "they may not be excited about the yield, but people are happy just not to lose their money."

© 2009 Dow Jones & Company. All Rights Reserved.



Looking for someone?
Then follow this link and find them!
I have used this service for a while now and have found many of my old friends that I have lost contact with over the years. Click on the link type in the name and reconnect!
http://Acme-People-Search.com/1243108874LCOL



Please check out my Internet Income Streams blog here:






Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Monday, April 27, 2009

Pfizer information

I have been thinking about and researching Pfizer for a while now. I really like this stock and want to purchase some shares. I wanted to post up some information about the company that I have come across that leads me to really like this stock.

First off they are paying a 9.64% dividend! That is like a 9.64% savings account! Here is some information about the stock.

Beta -- 0.66
Dividend & Yield -- 1.28 (9.64%)
Earnings/Share -- 1.20
Forward P/E -- 5.98
Market Cap. -- 91.12 Bil
P/E -- 11.35
Return on Equity -- 13.11
Total Shares Out. -- 6.74 Bil

Here is some information about the company that I found on MSN Money:

Pfizer Inc. (Pfizer) is a research-based, global pharmaceutical company. The Company discovers, develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines for humans and animals. It operates in two business segments: Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. Pfizer also operates several other businesses, including the manufacture of gelatin capsules, contract manufacturing and bulk pharmaceutical chemicals. In June 2008, Pfizer completed the acquisition of all remaining outstanding shares of common stock of Encysive Pharmaceuticals, Inc. through a merger of Pfizer's wholly owned subsidiary, Explorer Acquisition Corp., with and into Encysive. In June 2008, it also completed the acquisition of Serenex, Inc., a biotechnology company with a Heat Shock Protein 90 development portfolio. In January 2008, the Company completed the acquisition of Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Inc., a company whose area of capability is immunotherapy with emphasis on Toll-like receptor research and development.

Here is their contact information:

235 East 42nd StreetNew York NY 10017
http://www.pfizer.com/
Phone: 212-5732323
Fax: 212-5737851
Industry : Drug Manufacturers - Major
Employees : 81,800
Exchange : NYSE


Pfizer Declares Q2 2009 Dividend
April 23, 2009
The Board of Directors of Pfizer declared $0.16 second-quarter 2009 dividend on the Company's common stock, payable June 2, 2009, to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 8, 2009.
So if you buy before May 8th 2009 you will receive $0.16 per share on June 2nd 2009.

Please check out my Internet Income Streams blog here:






Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Real investing and finance information

I apologize to the readers of this blog that came here for investment information. I have been side tracked by these Pay Per Click, Pay to Post, and paid survey sites. I am going to get this blog back to talking about real investing, finance, and money making.

I have been talking to a person I met recently at work and his ideas for some stock purchases are Marvel and Hasbro due to the upcoming motion pictures that will hit theaters soon. I have done some checking and they might be a good option to invest in.

He also mentioned that Fannie Mae may not be that good. One thing he told me that I did not know was that the Government mandated them to come up with 5 Million in liquid assets. They did not know why because they are doing fine as a company. They only have a 2% default rate on their loans, and they own 70% of the home mortgages in the US. So the other 38% of defaulted loans come from the other 30% of all companies that loan money. That means that those companies are in big trouble.

The Government also issued themselves 10,000 shares of Preferred stock in Fannie Mae when they had come up with the 5 million in liquid assets. So what that says is that when and if anyone makes money from Fannie Mae the Government will get paid first due to the preferred shares vs the common shares that most of us own.

I still think that Fannie Mae is a viable option for investors. I am confident that they will recover and bring in nice profits to common and preferred share holders.

Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/






Thursday, April 23, 2009

Earnings report 4/23/09

Check out this site, I have earned $43.00 for clicking on 10 second ads in the last 2 days on it!


My earnings to date 4/23/09:

Total from all investments and online stuff: $112.42

Please pick the sites that I am doing the best on and click on my referral links to join and partake in the profits!



Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Sqip.com

Check out this opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a site that will put myspace, facebook, twitter, etc... to shame! This will be the next BIG thing on the Internet!



This site has it all! I know for a fact that you will not find a more comprehensive site on the web today!

Sqip.com is a "Networking Entertainment Communication Collaboration" that I just learned about and became a "Stakeholder" in. You receive 100 PEPs which at this time are worth 0.40 (UPDATE: they are worth 0.44 Euros now) Euros (44 Euros) for joining, which is your share.

Here are some of the features:
  • Networking
  • Communities
  • Groups
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Music
  • Web search
  • Video search
  • MP3 play lists
  • Auctions
  • Blogging
  • Bookmarking
  • File sharing
  • B2B
  • Biz Networking
  • Market Place
  • B2C
  • Web/pop3 email
  • Spam Shield
  • Auto Responder
  • Chat rooms
  • Forums
  • Dating
  • Radio
  • Video chat
  • Conferencing
  • Collaboration
  • Multi Media
  • Micro blogging
  • Flat rate calls
  • Flat rate mobile
  • Shopping
  • Hot deals
  • Green Lotto
  • Affiliates
  • Stakeholders
  • Partners
  • Instant account
  • Weekly payouts

Check it out now! Do not loose your chance to get in on the ground floor of this incredible opportunity to make a lot of money!


http://affiliate.sqipcom.com/?user=Skypher


Here is more information about some of the pages that will be part of this cutting edge site:


Homepage Portal:

The portal is packed with sites & features that are always free to use. There is so much to discover The affiliate and Stakeholder programs offer you a real business opportunity as Sqip grows & expands in over 30 languages!

MP3 Search:

Finding all the music you want is easy. Listen instantly & create multiple play lists. Another great free service you will discover in the Sqip portal.

Search the World Wide Web:

Search the web for whatever you want. Sites, videos, images, products, local info & more. Sqip search is fast with some great little features like 'quick look'

Social Networking & More:

Just one of several community sites you will discover in the portal. This one offers cool video sharing and much more.

The Market Place:

The market place lets you buy and sell. Whether you are selling B2B or direct to customers this site has what you need. Free listings, catalogues, image uploads & more.

Any questions? Find answers!:

Got a question? Want to share your knowledge? Sqip Answers lets you do that with text, audio and web cam video. Unlimited categories, best answers & quick find features.

Sqip Bids:

Unlimited FREE auctions. Bids tracking. Buy it now. FREE store. Ranking & rating. Sqip Bids has it all.

yournameATsqipmailDOTcom:

Your Free email account with advanced webmail, POP3. Contacts, File management,Spam Shield & Auto Responderyourname@sqipmail.com

Sqip Ads:

Pay per Click Contextual ads. Works exactly like Google...just much more cost effective. Advertise in our search engines or across the Net. Instant set up & Advanced tracking. Webmasters earn high % commissions

Dating:

Free dating offering Profiling, In depth search, Photos, Web cam, Messaging, Live chat, Favourites, Fans, Privacy protection.

Social Bookmarking:

Social Bookmarking with Multi media, favourites, tracking, sharing, rating & feedback

Sqip Messenger....simply broadcast:

Think Skype on steroids and you'll get the idea! IM,Voice//Video chat & multi user conference with collaboration/ broadcast desktop, flat rate land line/mobile and much more

Biz Space:

Create your Professional profile. Find new biz contacts. Get answers from professionals. Find jobs, projects, opportunities, partners & deals. This is the best biz Networking site out there...and it's yours to use for free within the Sqip portal.

Your Sqip Back office:

Whether you are referring new members or just following your Sqip PEP shares price your private, automated & secure back office is where you can manage your account. View real time reports, buy PEPs & Access your commissions.


So what are you waiting for sign up now before you loose out on this opportunity!


http://affiliate.sqipcom.com/?user=Skypher

Here are some more thoughts and information about this great opportunity!

SQIP - Could this be the next mega Internet success story? Now, I have no idea if this company will be a huge success or a big fat flop, I just have a really good feeling about this, and especially looking at all the features it will have. How can it fail?

If it is the next big success story, then many people will stand to profit in a big way and you’ll be glad you signed up. So do not hesitate! Sign up NOW, it does not cost you a cent to find out if this will be the next BIG thing on the internet!

http://affiliate.sqipcom.com/?user=Skypher


In a recent interview the CEO, Christian Fortune said he feels confident that this could be the next Internet business success story, similar to EBay and Google. He said that he had assembled a team of top notch professionals to pull this off.

I thought you may want to know about this too and at the least, check them out. They are giving 100 FREE shares in SQIP if you join "now until February 28, 2009" with apparently no catches. With each share equaling 0.40 Euros. So, if that's all you did was collect the 100 shares, without having to give any personal or banking info, or ss# to the company, my thoughts are, what have you got to lose?

NOTHING! That is right, NOTHING TO LOOSE!

http://affiliate.sqipcom.com/?user=Skypher

Possibly a LOT to gain for a small amount of time.

SO, WHAT IS SQIP??

Remember Yahoo in 1996?

Remember EBay in 1997?

Remember Google in 1998?

Imagine if you had grabbed some shares in the beginning!!! Well...SQIP is a new and very powerful social networking portal...at its beginning.

Again, for a limited time you get 100 shares free when you open your zero cost SQIP account by February 28, 2009.

The sqip portal is “jam packed” with sites and features that are always no charge to use. Sqip has developed some great partnerships to bring you the best in Web 2.0 and beyond. For example, Sqip Messenger has the same technology used by Skype, Yahoo, Google, AOL and many others, technology developed & licensed to them by a company who took one look at Sqip & partnered with them.

SQIP has some of the best designers, engineers, developers and creative thinkers working to bring us all something that will grow exponentially, simply because it delivers the features, tools and possibilities that we want & need.

Currently we are accessing all these types of sites individually, having to remember numerous log in names and passwords.

With Sqip its one-stop shopping baby!

Sqip is built on partnerships, collaboration and win/win deals with companies around the world getting involved in making it happen. GET THIS… SQIP’s advertising stakeholders share all the earnings and benefits.


SOME OF THE FREE PERKS OF SQIP…


~ Unlimited no charge auctions and stores.

~ Biz networking- profile and find new business contacts.

~ Social Bookmarking with: tracking, multimedia, favorites, sharing, feedback, etc.

~ Zero cost Dating: profile, in depth search, pictures, webcam, messaging, live chat, favorites, fans, privacy protection.

~ Zero cost email accounts.

~ Selling B2B or B2C: no charge listings, catalogs, uploads, & more.

~ Sqip messenger will blow away the competition: IM, voice/video, etc.

~ Sqip Answers.

~ Back office: your referrals, stakeholder shares, & commissions.

~ Earn commissions on referral purchases 5 levels deep.

~ Sqip’s Towah Master Card.

Think of SQIP as kind of like combining: Yahoo, Twitter, Google, MySpace, Linkedin, Ebay, YouTube and Facebook combined. Then throw in some "Red Bull" to the mix.

MY PERSONAL THOUGHTS ON THIS ARE…


I have nothing to lose by signing up, telling some friends, and waiting to see how things go with Sqip.

If you agree with my way of thinking, then you NEED to join free and tell some friends.
For a very short time get 100 shares at NO CHARGE when you open your Zero cost SQIP account today.

Visit Sqip and see what this is all about. It isn’t even launched yet, but you can see screen shots of what’s to come and what can make you money by joining for free and sharing the information just like I have. I'm still learning this too, but VERY excited to get in on the ground floor of what could be the next big internet success, far and above what anyone else has seen before.

To jump on this train before it picks up speed click on the link below and join for free.

http://affiliate.sqipcom.com/?user=Skypher




Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Pay to click adds

I just joined 2 new "In text" ad services.
They are Kontera (the blue double underlined words), and Infolinks (The green double underline words).

I will be reporting on this blog how well they work or do not work. They are just 2 more streams of income for the site.

The way they work is when someone clicks on the ads I get paid a set amount depending on how much the advertisers are paying.

If you want to click on the ads to help me out, or you are interested in the product, please do so, but do NOT click on them too much, or click on things you are not interested in. If this happens my account will be deleted.

Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Monday, April 13, 2009

Earnings report 4/13/09


My earnings to date 4/13/09:

Total from all investments and online stuff: $51.74

Please pick the sites that I am doing the best on and click on my referral links to join and partake in the profits!



Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Companies for financial products

Here are the companies I currently use to do my investing through. They consist of a Bank (Zions Bank), a Brokerage firm (Zions Direct) and a Mutual fund company (Vanguard).

Zions Bank

https://www.zionsbank.com/

I use Zions bank because it has been in business since 1873, it is a very stable bank with good rates and a very good business ethic.

A brief history of Zions First National Bank On July 10, 1873, Zion's Savings Bank and Trust Company was incorporated under the laws of the Utah Territory under the direction of Brigham Young, becoming Utah's first chartered savings bank and trust company. During its first day of business on October 1, 1873, the bank's cashier and tellers recorded deposits of $5,876.20. The bank prospered and grew, surviving its only major threat – the depression caused by the stock market crash of 1929.

A major event happened on December 31, 1957. Zion's Savings Bank and Trust Company (1873), Utah Savings and Trust Company (1889) and First National Bank of Salt Lake City (1890) merged to form Zions First National Bank. The newly enlarged institution had a total of $109.5 million in deposits. At this time, the long-familiar apostrophe in Zion's was dropped.

In early 1960, authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints decided to divest itself of its banking interests, and on April 22, 1960, the Church sold majority control of Zions First National Bank to Keystone Insurance and Investment Company. Keystone was owned by a group of businessmen headed by Leland B. Flint, Roy W. Simmons and Judson S. Sayre. At the time of the sale, the Bank had total deposits of just under $120 million.

On February 17, 1961, Zions First National Investment Company was incorporated in Nevada and became the majority owner of the bank stock controlled by the Keystone group. In 1965, the name of the investment company was changed to Zions Bancorporation.

Today, Zions Bancorporation operates full-service banking offices in ten Western states – Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington. Zions Bank operates 114 full-service branches throughout Utah, 24 full-service branches in Idaho, and nearly 200 ATMs in the two states. In addition to a wide range of traditional banking services, Zions offers a comprehensive array of investment and mortgage services, and has a network of loan origination offices for small businesses nationwide. The company is also a leader in providing electronic banking services, including electronic municipal bond trading. Founded in 1873, Zions has been serving the communities of the Intermountain West for more than 130 years.

From the vision of founder Brigham Young to the reality of one of the nation's most impressive banking organizations, Zions continues to be a pioneer in banking.

Zions Direct

https://zd.zionsdirect.com/

This is the company I chose to use as my online brokerage account. They charge $10.95 per trade which is competitive, and offer a really good range of products.

Why Zions Direct?

Everyday great value guaranteed! Trade stock and bonds online for $10.95 regardless of the size of trade or how many trades you place per month, quarter, or year. Compare Zions Direct to online brokers.

You are in control! Trade stock, bonds, and mutual funds at everyday low prices and get up to the minute news, research, and planning tools to help you make intelligent investment decisions. They provide the tools - you call the shots.

Convenience - Access your account anywhere - tools to plan and invest! They provide the online access and the tools for you to manage your portfolio; however, if you ever need assistance with handling a trade or customer service on your account, you can always contact an experienced Zions Direct Service Representative between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. MST at 1-800-524-8875.

Opening an account is easy! Click here to view account types and ways to apply. Consolidate your accounts - transfer your online brokerage account to Zions Direct.

BRIEF HISTORY

Zions Bancorporation originated as Keystone Insurance and Investment Co., a Utah corporation, on April 25, 1955. In April 1960, Keystone, together with several other individuals, acquired a 57.5 percent interest in Zions First National Bank from the LDS Church.

On April 23, 1965, the name of the company was changed to Zions Bancorporation. However, later that year the name was changed to Zions Utah Bancorporation. The first public offering of shares in Zions Bancorporation was made in January 1966. There continued to be some minority shareholders in Zions First National Bank until April 7, 1972 when the company exchanged the remaining minority shares for common shares. In April 1987, Zions Utah Bancorporation again changed its name to Zions Bancorporation.

TOTAL ASSETS

$52.9 billion (as of December 31, 2007)


OWNERSHIP

Zions Bancorporation is a publicly traded company. The company's common shares are traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol "ZION." The Company had 106,720,884 shares of common stock outstanding at the close of business on December 31, 2007.

Vanguard

https://personal.vanguard.com/us/home?fromPage=portal

I use Vanguard Mutual Fund company for their selection of funds available, and for their very low fees. They offer some of the lowest fees of any mutual fund company.

For a complete list of their funds visit their home page.

Our mission statement
Vanguard's mission is to help clients reach their financial goals by being the world's highest-value provider of investment products and services.

Corporate headquarters-Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Founded-May 1, 1975

First fund-Wellington Fund (inception date: July 1, 1929)

U.S. offices-Charlotte, North Carolina,Scottsdale, Arizona and Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

International offices-Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Brussels, Belgium, London, England, Melbourne, Australia, Paris, France, Seoul, South Korea, Singapore, Sydney, Australia,
Tokyo, Japan and Zurich, Switzerland

Total assets-Approximately $1 trillion in U.S. mutual funds (as of December 31, 2008)

Number of funds-150 domestic funds (including variable annuity portfolios); plus additional funds in international markets

Number of employees-12,500 in United States

Average expense ratio-0.20% (expenses as a percentage of 2008 average net assets)

Mailing address-P.O. Box 2600, Valley Forge, PA 19482

Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Financial information and links

I just wanted to post some links to my favorite financial and money management sites. I have learned a lot from these sites. They are a really good source of knowledge for when you start investing, or if you already invest they will help you find out what are some good investments.

MSN Money-http://moneycentral.msn.com/

This site has a lot of good features. I use it to look up stock prices, and to do research on companies I am interested in.

Fool.com- http://www.fool.com/

This site is really good for research on companies and for gaining insight into different investment options. They have several paid services also, but they offer enough information for free that I do not see the point in paying for their services.

Investopedia- http://www.investopedia.com/?viewed=1

They have a lot of financial advice available on their site as well. It is another good source for financial information. They have simulators that you can use to see how well you would do at different kinds of investing as well as many articles and tutorials to help you learn about investing.

Wealth Intelligence Academy- http://wiacademy.com/

They offer classes on many different topics and investment opportunities.

The Street.com- http://www.thestreet.com/

They offer their stock picks, videos, investing A-Z, a personal finance section, business news and portfolio tools.

Google Finance- http://www.google.com/finance

They offer real time stock prices as well as many different kinds of investment information.

CNN Money- http://money.cnn.com/

They offer Business news, Market information, Information on personal finance, Retirement information, Technology, Luxury and Small business.

Of course there are many others, but these are where I spend most of my time when I am doing research for my investments.

Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Saturday, April 11, 2009

New financial earnings update

Check out these books on Business and Finance! The more knowledge you have the better investor/business person you will be. Knowledge is power! I highly recomend reading every book about business and finance you can get your hands on. Follow this link to some really good books at great prices!

Business & Investing Books



My earnings to date 4/11/09:





Total from all investments and online stuff: $50.83

Please pick the sites that I am doing the best on and click on my referral links to join and partake in the profits!



Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Friday, April 10, 2009

Financial Freedom forging ahead

My earnings to date 4/10/09:


Total: $23.08



Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Making money online

It is possible to make a lot of money online. You need to establish multiple streams of income for it to be effective.

Actually you need multiple streams of residual income, that means income that comes in even when you are off doing something else.

Getting paid to do things on the Internet are ok, but the best way to make money online is to have a website, or a blog that earns you money around the clock.

I participate in paid online surveys, paid to post sites, pay to click sites, as well as run 2 blogs and am working on 3 more websites.
I also invest online. Online stock brokers have made the process of investing so much more user friendly, I love it.

As you can see from my earnings that I post I do not make much money doing this yet, but I am learning, and improving and building up my residual streams of income so that someday I will pretty much be able to sit back and enjoy the money rolling in.

Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Post Parker Site

I just joined another paid to post site, I will let you know how it goes. It pays between $0.01 and $0.07 per post depending on the quality of the post. It also has a refferal system that pays $0.005 per post of your refferals.

Here is the link to the site: http://www.postparker.com//index.php?ref=Skypher

Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

My earnings update

My earnings so far:


Total: $20.94



Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

PTP site

Yesterday I also joined: http://www.javaist.com/quans/register.php?r=Skypher

It is a pay per post a question, or answer a question. I have earned $0.63 so far there in only about a half an hour.

Like the other programs it has a refferal program that will help you earn more, but do not expect this to make you rich. It is just another tool in your money making toolbox.

Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Pay to post

Update: This site no longer pays you to post!

Yesterday I joined a new site that pays you to post on forums and blogs. It is not a get rich site, but can supplement your income.

I recommend this site as a way to add a little more money to your pockets. You can also earn money from your refferals for one year after they join.

So far I have spent about 30 min on the site and have earned $0.76.

Here is some info about it from their website:

http://www.destroydebt.com/cp/affiliate.aspx?trk=3101

Destroy Debt Affiliate ProgramAt Destroy Debt, our primary goal is to provide you with the advice to get out of debt, but we also want to reward participation by providing a little extra cash to help you get out of debt. To facilitate this, we offer a revenue share program that allows you to earn money every time you contribute to the discussions at Destroy Debt.

The rates are:
$0.02 per forum post - (Excludes "General Discussion" section)
$0.02 per blog or article comment We also want to make sure we are rewarding you for the quality of content, not just the quantity. To help with this we also offer:
$5 per 1000 impressions on any blog post you create. Since we also want to grow our community, we have extended our affiliate program to also pay you for every contribution your friend makes for the first year (your friend gets paid too).


How Much Will I Make?Probably not enough to retire off of, but it can provide extra cash, especially if you refer a handful of active members. You'll receive $0.50 just for a member signing up through your affiliate link and participating in any way (forum post, blog post, comment), plus you'll also receive credit for all their participation for the next year.

When Will I Be Paid?All payments will be sent via PayPal on the first of each month as long as the amount owed is at least $10. If the amount owed is less than $10 that balance will cary over to the next month.

Do I Get Credit For My Own Posts?
Yes!

Do I Get Credit For Every Post?For the most part yes. If the post are blatant spam, reposted content from other sites or junk posts they will be moderated or deleted. You will not receive credit for any posts that we have to delete but all others you will receive credit for.

Do I Get Credit For Every Page View?You get credit for each unique page view. If one person views two different pages, you'll get credit for 2 page views. If two people view the same page, you'll get credit for 2 page views. If one person views the same page twice, you'll get credit for one page view. All traffic must be from visitors who willingly came to your content. Any traffic where the visitor did not make a decision to view the page such as from popup windows or auto-surfing software will not be counted.

Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Monday, April 6, 2009

Financial Freedom comming along slowly

At this rate I do not know if I will ever be able to become financially free.
I know I will make it happen, but it is just a very slow start.

I have made $4.10 from ClixSense so far now. It is not a lot, but you can do it while doing other things on you computer. Check it out here, join and start getting paid. It also pays affiliates 5 level deep commissions: http://www.clixsense.com/?2746864

I also made another $2.00 from online surveys from Your 2 Cents.

My new total earnings are $17.24

Only $982.76 left to earn prior to 4/20/09!

Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/




Friday, April 3, 2009

Affiliate programs

I have recently added ClixSense to my Multiple Streams of Income.
Check it out here:
http://www.clixsense.com/?2746864

So far from what I have seen on ClixSense is that you get paid $0.01 (some are $0.04 and some are $0.02) per 30 second add you have to watch. I will post more about it the more I learn about it.

Well I got up to $0.46 by clicking on 30 sec adds while doing other things, but at that point I ran out of adds to preview and had to upgrade to Premium to get more adds to preview.
I went ahead and spent the $10.00 for one year Premium Membership. I will tell you how that goes. I hope I did not just waste $10.00.

I am also working on getting AdSense up and working again.

The thing I keep on coming around to is TRAFFIC!!! I need to find ways to get more of it!
So far I have a Twitter account that I mention this blog as well as my Body-for-LIFE blog:
http://mybody4life-michael.blogspot.com/

I am also on myLot which is kind of like mySpace, but you get paid to post. Not much, but if you are into that sort of thing it is better to get paid for it than not. Here is a link to the site:
http://www.mylot.com/?ref=Mykdiver

I have not done much posting at all on myLot and my earnings are $0.87. If I was regular on their it would be a lot higher, it is just not really my thing.

I also have links in my signatures on 3 different forums I post on regularly.

I know I need to open a Facebook account also.

So far on BidVertizer I have earned $0.27 wow impressive I know!

Anyone have any more ideas?

So far that is a grand total of $11.60 earned

Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Monetizing your blog or website

Today I joined BidVertiser (http://www.bidvertiser.com/)and added it to the site. I also signed up for Amazons Associate program (https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/gp/associates/network/main.html), and added some book adds to my Body-for-LIFE blog which can be seen here:
http://mybody4life-michael.blogspot.com/

So now I have: Amazon, BidVertiser, Chitika, SBI, Pay-Pal Donate and Clickbank.

So far none of them has earned me any money, but then again I have no traffic on my blogs yet because they are fairly new.

Next I really need to work on getting traffic to this blog and to my Body-for-LIFE blog. Traffic is key to making money from a site. Without traffic you will not have anyone on your site to click on adds, and or join associate/referral programs.

Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Friday, March 27, 2009

BidVertizer

Not much to post about recently, I have been very busy at work. Sorry for that, I will get hot over the next couple of days.

Right now I am trying to figure out how to get an AdSense account since mine was disabled and they will not re-enable it. Anyone know of any ideas?

I did open a BidVertiser account as you can see below. It is like AdSense, but not as interactive and I have heard that they have lower payouts.





Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Paid surveys and Fannie Mae

Today I reached a cash out point in my Survey Spot account (paid online surveys) of $10.00 so I had them send me a check.

New total since my Google AdSense account was locked is: $10.00

I think that the market and the economy will recover faster than the interest rates will go up really encouraging people to buy homes. I know that the Federal Government will not let Fannie Mae fail as seen buy their support of the company recently.

I have also recently started a Body-for-LIFE Challenge that I am blogging every step of the way here: http://mybody4life-michael.blogspot.com/


Affiliate Signup



Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Update on the Internet business

Yesterday I opened a twitter account.
You can find me here: http://twitter.com/Skypher
I do not know anything about twitter, but I will learn as I go. I know it can be a positive add on to my business. It is supposed to be good at building traffic for this blog, and for other things I get into.

I
finished reading "How to Make More Money From Your Blog" by Steve Pavlina which you can find for yourself here:
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/05/how-to-make-money-from-your-blog/
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/01/how-to-build-a-high-traffic-web-site-or-blog/
These were both very informative and I learned a lot. I would highly recommend reading these. There is a lot of good information that you should not pass up, especially for free.

My Google AdSense account is still disabled. I really hope they wake up and re-enable it soon. I really want to use their program, and they need to understand it was an honest mistake by my friends.





Click here to buy me a soda








Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Stock questions

Fannie Mae (FNM) or Freddie Mac (FRE)?

What do you guys think about purchasing some of their stock?

I know the Government took them over, but now that we have seen that the Government will not let them fail they should be fairly safe right?

Well I looked into Fannie Mae when the Government lifted their hold on stock purchases in the company. It was selling at $0.68 per share. They are now up to $1.14, now that may not seem like a lot, but that is a really good gain. If I would have purchased 1000 shares back then like I wanted to I would have invested $688, today that would be worth $1140, for a $452 gain. Not bad!
So should I get into them now?

What about Freddie Mac?

When the Gov released their stock hold they were at $0.48 per share, they are now at $1.19 now that same 1000 shares would have cost me $480 and would be worth $1190 today for a gain of $710!

What do you guys think? Buy or no?




Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Financial Journey update

Well I am almost done reading the "Pro Blogger" book. I have learned so much from it.
Here is a list of the things I have learned from that book:


  • You can find out which sites are linking to yours by going to Google and typing in link:domainname
  • I learned that Technorati is a site for ranking blogs
  • Niche blogs are successful due to their ability to have contextual advertising
  • Chitika is another contextual advertising source
  • Link to Amazon for products related to your site
  • Sign up for and use Google AdSense, it works (do not click your own adds, or when you tell your friends to check out your blog tell them not to click on your adds unless they are interested in the product. I have just had my AdSense account disabled due to either my friends clicking too much, or my kids doing it. I still need to find out who did it and correct the issue. I sent in a form to Google explaining that I was not doing it on purpose and that I would correct the problem)
  • Choose a domain name that is easily branded, or easy to remember/memorable
  • Use lists like this one to interest readers
  • Use social bookmarking sites like Digg.com and Delicious.com to help get the word out and send you more readers to your blog
  • Keep your posts Granular, or one topic per post
  • Interlink your posts
  • Invite comments
  • Ask questions (These involve your readers)
  • Create your own hosted blog, so you own it so if you ever have to or want to sell it you can

That is a short list of some of the things I have learned while reading the book "Pro Blogger".

Of course there was a lot more information than that, but those are some of the hot points I thought would be important to readers of this blog if they are thinking about, or are starting their own blog.

Please leave a comment if you have something to add. I am still learning here. Actually that is what this blog is about is to learn together about Internet businesses, Investing, Personal Finance, and making Multiple Streams of Income.








Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Blogging for money

I have been reading the book "Pro Blogger" Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income by, Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett. This book is SO good! I read 160+ pages just yesterday. This book is a must read for anyone wanting to make money online.
Blogging as I have come to understand can make anyone a lot of money. I am defiantly going to us blogging as one of my Multiple Streams of Income.

Update on Google AdSense: I have earned $2.25 so far today, for a total of $20.22 in 7 days. Not really that good, but I am sure you see the potential here as well as I do. So now I have 34 days left to make $979.78. Will I be able to do it? I guess that is the question. We will see won't we! lol

I am going to be switching this blog to a host of my own with a dedicated domain name. I am also going to be creating a "Portal" site, which I will use as my main page. Where links will be to my different blogs, online stores, forums, etc...

I will keep this blog up until the new site is totally ready to go. Then I will email everyone the new sites address. So please sign up for this site via email so you do not miss out on this.

Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/