$100k Journey: My path to $100,000

My Journey to $100k Starts NOW!

2010-03-12T01:18:00.000-08:00

It's March 11th and today is the day that I will focus my energy towards my goal of $100,000. I have tried internet marketing many times and has had my cup of successes and failures. I've recently been reading and talking to other successful internet marketers and one system that I was shown is Network Marketing MLM Leads. This is a proven strategy and system to help internet marketers get on the right track and help find good leads. I have been searching for a system like this for a long time and I have finally found it.

I will be personally be testing this system and I have started on the training. For the past 5 hours I've been setting up the necessary steps and my new campaign will begin shortly. If you have failed at network marketing or MLM in the past, you may want to check out this exciting new system! www.NetworkMarketingMLMLeads.com

PTN, Poker Training Network - Network Marketing & Poker Collide! Don't miss this opportunity.

2010-03-08T22:04:00.000-08:00

I recently joined a network marketing company that brings poker together with network marketing called PTN, Poker Training Network. I've been researching the company and it has lots of potential to be a big money earner. It's still in pre-launch and started in August of 2009. This is basically the beginning of the company and room for growth is great. If you would like to learn more about this amazing opportunity, please visit my site here.

PTN, Poker Training Network

Whether you love poker or network marketing, this will be the biggest thing! Don't miss out, Learn more today. Join my team!

$11 Private Online Poker Tournament! Feb 25, 2010. Invite your friends!!

2010-02-09T09:50:00.000-08:00

Tournament Name: WebCamGirls101
Tournament #: 138619286
Password: dotcom
February 25, 2010. 8pm PST
$11 Buy-in, Starting chips 3000, Final Table Gets $$ PAID $$

Win money at full tilt poker private tournament held by webcamgirls101.com only $11 on February 25, 2010

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T00:58:00.000-08:00

2010 is here! $100k is still the goal and this is the year I will be closer to achieving it. My goal is to eliminate all debt besides school loans. I was on the right path when I updated my blog weekly so this year is all about focus.

It's Been 3 Months...

2009-10-21T20:42:00.000-07:00

The last time I wrote an entry was July 4th. I have been busy since then and I will be updating this blog again on a weekly basis. I have tons of stuff I'd like to write and I will get to it this weekend.

I'm Back!

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T14:01:00.001-07:00

Happy 4th of July everybody, be safe but have FUN!! Enjoy the weekend

Power Colon Cleanse

2009-07-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

It's Friday, July 3rd and I'm feeling lazy. I'm going to take off a day from researching and enjoy this 4th of July weekend. On that note, I wanted to share a nice website about colon cleansing. There are many benefits and health reasons have clean out your colon. Here is more information: Power Colon Cleansing

Cool little promotion with Twilight

2009-07-02T16:10:00.001-07:00

Do you like Love Stories? Click Here to get the new Love Saga everyone is talking about.

Got approved!

2009-07-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

Got approved for one of the networks I applied for. Fairly simple process, got a phone call, answered and verified all of their questions. As part of my action plan that I made yesterday, I was supposed to watch 2 videos but I got really into and managed to watch 4 videos total. I can feel that I'm getting closer and closer to my goal and I will be on my way. It's only 1:07pm in the afternoon and I still have the rest of the day ahead of me.

Productive Wednesday

2009-07-01T11:39:00.000-07:00

Today was a very productive day. I am back on track to my goal of earning $100k. I went to the library to get some quiet time and this is what I got accomplished.

-Watched video 3. (Videos on a new plan that I'm working on)
-Wrote out action plan. (Kind of like a to-do list so I don't forget the small stuff)
-Going to write out schedule and stick to it.
-Must play poker daily.

I am also going to be doing a lot of internet marketing soon. I am applying to sites so I can be on my way to offering all sorts of products.

My other site is back, http://www.automatic-forex-profits.com and I have a other things going on. Stay tuned! This should be a great 2nd half of 2009.

VestinSports Update Jan 26, 2009 -$318.78 MTD

2009-01-26T08:21:00.001-08:00

3 Picks today. Still in the negative and there's 5 days left. Let's see if we can end this month in the profit.

Balance: $1,731.41
Profit/Loss: $-318.78
In Play: $-60.00

Click here to learn more about VestinSports

VestinSports Update Jan 22, 2009 -$125.14 MTD

2009-01-22T09:18:00.000-08:00

4 Picks. 1 Big bet of $230 today, so let's get a win!

Balance: $1,925.05
Profit/Loss: $-125.14
In Play: $-290.00

Click here to learn more about VestinSports

VestinSports Update Jan 21, 2009 -$115.14 MTD

2009-01-21T07:56:00.000-08:00

4 Picks today. Still in the negative, trying to get to the positive. Hopefully today is the day!

Balance: $1,935.05
Profit/Loss: $-115.14
In Play: $-220.00

Click here to learn more about VestinSports

VestinSports Update Jan 20, 2009 -$125.14 MTD

2009-01-20T09:17:00.001-08:00

4 Picks today. 11 More days until the end of the month. I'm looking to gain 10% each month so I need to be in the profit of at least $200. Let's see if I'll get there.

Balance: $1,925.05
Profit/Loss: $-125.14
In Play: $-200.00

Click here to learn more about VestinSports

VestinSports Update Jan 19, 2009 -$125.14 MTD

2009-01-19T21:03:00.000-08:00

4 picks today, but I missed the first two.

Balance: $1,925.05
Profit/Loss: $-125.14
In Play: $0.00

Click here to learn more about VestinSports

VestinSports Update Jan 17, 2009 -$176.05 MTD

2009-01-17T08:48:00.000-08:00

4 Picks today, didn't do so well yesterday. Let's get them today!

Balance: $1,874.14
Profit/Loss: $-176.05
In Play: $-200.00

Click here to learn more about VestinSports

VestinSports Update Jan 16, 2009 +$103.95 MTD

2009-01-16T08:29:00.000-08:00

4 Picks today, one of them is a big bet of $250.

Balance: $2,154.14
Profit/Loss: $103.95
In Play: $-385.00

Click here to learn more about VestinSports

VestinSports Update Jan 15, 2009 +$201.22 MTD

2009-01-15T08:19:00.000-08:00

5 Picks today.

Balance: $2,251.41
Profit/Loss: $201.22
In Play: $-250.00

Click here to learn more about VestinSports

VestinSports Update Jan 14, 2009 +$258.49

2009-01-14T09:16:00.000-08:00

3 Picks today, profit is slowly rising again.

Balance: $2,308.68
Profit/Loss: $258.49
In Play: $-105.00

Click here to learn more about VestinSports

VestinSports Update Jan 13, 2009

2009-01-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

3 picks today. Yesterday I pushed the big bet of $120.

Balance: $2,174.59
Profit/Loss: $124.40
In Play: $-200.00

Click here to learn more about VestinSports

VestinSports Update Jan 12, 2009

2009-01-12T10:06:00.000-08:00

3 Picks today.

Balance: $2,149.59
Profit/Loss: $99.40
In Play: $-200.00

Click here to learn more about VestinSports

VestinSports Update Jan 11, 2009

2009-01-11T10:09:00.000-08:00

3 Picks for today.

Balance: $2,179.59
Profit/Loss: $129.40
In Play: $-135.00

Click here to learn more about VestinSports

VestinSports Update Jan 10, 2009

2009-01-10T00:51:00.000-08:00

4 picks for today.

Balance: $2,184.13
Profit/Loss: $133.94
In Play: $-100.00

Click here to learn more about VestinSports

VestinSports Update Jan 9, 2009

2009-01-09T00:18:00.000-08:00

4 picks for today, made a good comeback. In the positive for profit.

Balance: $2,111.40
Profit/Loss: $61.21
In Play: $-130.00

Click here to learn more about VestinSports

VestinSports Update Jan 8, 2009

2009-01-08T08:59:00.000-08:00

4 picks for today, the past 2 days haven't been so great, so today we're going to need a couple of wins. Here's the results as of today.

Balance: $2,045.49
Profit/Loss: $-4.70
In Play: $-125.00

Click here to learn more about VestinSports

VestinSports Update Jan 7, 2009

2009-01-07T09:29:00.001-08:00

4 picks for today, had a rough day yesterday with all the big bets. Hopefully today is a better day cause you can't win them all!

Balance: $2,207.76
Profit/Loss: $157.57
In Play: $-430.00

Click here to learn more about VestinSports

VestinSports Update Jan 6, 2009

2009-01-06T08:19:00.000-08:00

4 picks today...
Balance: $2,337.30
Profit/Loss: $287.11
In Play: $-225.00

Click here to learn more about VestinSports

VestinSports Update

2009-01-05T09:39:00.000-08:00

5 picks for today...
Balance: $2,344.57
Profit/Loss: $294.38
In Play: $-160.00

Click here to learn more about VestinSports

SportsVestin Update

2009-01-04T18:33:00.000-08:00

Click here to visit VestinSports

Balance: $2,344.57
Profit/Loss: $294.38
In Play: $0.00

VestinSports

SportsVestin - Sports Gambling

2009-01-04T09:20:00.000-08:00

I am currently testing out a Sports Betting site and so far in 4 days, I am up $249 with a starting bankroll of $2050.

I encourage everybody to check out this site, they post the picks and how much you should be betting based off your starting bankroll that you input. Very simple to use and follow. Best part is, it's only $10 to try it out for the first month so you can see the results for yourself.

I will be giving weekly updates of my account and let you know if this has a great risk/reward and high ROI.

Click here to check out VestinSports

As of January 4, 2009
Balance: $2,299.92
Profit/Loss: $249.73
In Play: $-160.00

100kjourney.webprosperity.com

2009-01-04T08:28:00.000-08:00

I believe this will be an extremely profitable program. It's in
"pre-launch" and will close in less than 72 hours.

If you have already secured your position, CONGRATULATIONS! If you
haven't, I sincerely urge you to do so now:
http://100kjourney.webprosperity.com

When an opportunity like this launches, those who get in at the
beginning can potentially make a lot with very little effort. You
can also go here to get more info :
http://blog.webprosperity.com

Please do not put this off. There simply no time to waste. This
pre-launch and a chance for you to secure an early position is
available ONE-TIME only, and that's it!

I urge you to *take action* and do this immediately:

1. Secure your early position now. Click :
http://100kjourney.webprosperity.com

2. Send your own link to your friends if you want to

3. *Upgrade* on Tuesday, Jan 6th 2008

Once you do so, you'll be able to sit back and watch everything
happen *passively* for the rest of the year. I promise this will
be worth it.
<

!-- AddThis Bookmark Button BEGIN -->

New Years Resolutions/Goals for 2009

2008-12-31T12:39:00.000-08:00

Here are my 2009 New Years Resolutions/Goals

1. Workout 4 out of 7 days per week. Get down to 155lbs ripped.
2. Play poker Live or Spade Club, 5 times per week.
3. Start LLC
4. Sports gamble everyday
5. Learn professional video poker or professional baccarat.
6. Move to Vegas no later than June 2009
7. Accumulate money and start a Las Vegas Fund.
8. Save $100/week and try to bump to $200/week.
9. Pay off all remaining debt. Car loans and credit cards.

Here is a draft so far of what I am trying to accomplish in 2009. I will revisit this list on a monthly basis to see if I am on track. I know what needs to be done and the only way to reach these goals is to just do it. Happy New Years everybody!!

Happy Holidays!!

2008-12-29T00:08:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates, due to the holiday season, I will be updating this site in January 2009. I took a turn for the worst in December and went on a little shopping spree. I hope everybody has a great holiday season and I look forward to reaching my goal of being debt free in 2009! Till the...

November 8, 2008 Net Worth

2008-11-10T01:25:00.000-08:00

Here is my monthly Net Worth update.

Total Assets: $11,573
Total Debts: -$17,074
---------------------
Net Worth: -$5,501

Difference from last month: -$1,646
Percentage Difference: -23.03%

NetWorthIQ Click here to see full details.

November Net Worth Update coming soon...

2008-11-06T09:24:00.001-08:00

I will be updating my net worth later tonight. It's getting close to Christmas and it's holiday spending time. I am still deciding if there is anything I want or need to buy for Black Friday. I really want a new 22 inch monitor so I can play poker more effectively online. I should also start on my Christmas shopping and not procrastinate like the rest of the world. We'll see how it all pans out. Stay tuned.

PS. Now that the elections are over, let's see what happens to the USA!

I Can Make You Rich Pg. 60

2008-11-03T19:15:00.000-08:00

What I learned: If you dislike people with money, it will be difficult to become one of them.

"I have never been in a situation where having money made it worse."

-Clinton Jones,
American footballer

iPhone Home Chargers for $6.99

2008-10-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

iPhone 3G Home Charger $6.99 FREE S/H

Pg. 36

2008-10-18T01:07:00.000-07:00

So far I have created a rich anchor and I will be repeating the process for the next 3 weeks.

"Money doesn't make you
happy. Last year I earned
$40 million dollars; this year
I earned $50 million. I'm not
any happier."

-ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER,
actor and politician

I Can Make You Rich by Paul McKenna

2008-10-15T11:23:00.000-07:00

I just started reading this book and I will be blogging about what I am learning and also to make sure I complete the book.

"Being rich is living your life on your own terms- according to your possibilities, not your limitations."

1st Step is to Start, 2nd Step is to Continue.

2008-10-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

I have been listening to goal setting audio books and the main concept for goal setting is you have to write down exactly what you're trying to achieve. The problem most people have is they do not want to commit themselves on paper and they think that having it stored in their head is good enough. The author made a good point about buying a car or renting an apartment. It does not become a commitment until you fill out and sign the paperwork.

The biggest secret that I've found in anything I do is you simply have to just get started. I have had this $100k Journey blog for almost 2 years now. If I never started blogging about my finances, I don't think I would be where I would be today. And that's $16,000 closer to becoming debt free. I know two people who said they would start "next month" and that was 2 years ago. Since they never committed to anything on paper, they never got started.

The one thing I have learned that there is really only 2 steps. 1st step is get started and the 2nd step is to continue. As simple and easy as it may seem, there are people out there who can not do step 1. Can you?

October 2008 Net Worth

2008-10-07T23:58:00.000-07:00

Here is my monthly Net Worth update.

Total Assets: $10,552
Total Debts: -$17,699
---------------------
Net Worth: -$7,147

Difference from last month: +$616
Percentage Difference: +7.94%

NetWorthIQ Click here to see full details.

The biggest difference this month is my big payment towards my car note. I overpaid about $1000 and hopefully I will have my car fully paid within 5 months. After my car payment, I will tackle my next biggest debt at $4k. Once that is gone, I can focus on the remaining student loan debt. With the economy and market down, my Roth IRA and retirement investments have taken a slight hit. How much have you saved this month?

New Credit Score Update: 644 / 659 / 662

2008-10-01T00:32:00.000-07:00

Based off the past couple of months, I've been averaging a 10 point gain every 3 months. I'm slowly waiting for the day I hit 700.

September Net Worth

2008-09-05T21:04:00.000-07:00

Here is my monthly Net Worth update.

Total Assets: $11,759
Total Debts: -$19,522
---------------------
Net Worth: -$7,763

Difference from last month: +$2,414
Percentage Difference: +45.13%

NetWorthIQ Click here to see full details.

Track your MPG with Fuelly.com

2008-08-24T23:05:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine showed me a great website called www.fuelly.com where you can keep track of your gas mileage and MPG online. After 2 fill-ups it will collect the data you input and calculate MPG. It has useful charts and the best part is you can compare with other owners who have the same year and model you have.

It's free to use so I recommend you check out www.fuelly.com. If you have an iPhone, you can put the data in right from the gas station from their website.

Mid-August Net Worth

2008-08-20T21:38:00.000-07:00

Here is my monthly Net Worth update.

Total Assets: $10,968
Total Debts: -$16,317
---------------------
Net Worth: -$5,349

Difference from last month: -$3,407
Percentage Difference: -38.91%

NetWorthIQ Click here to see full details.

I am almost at the break even point! Just $5,000 more until I hit 0, then I will be on the positive side of the net worth fence. I am very excited as things are finally falling into place.

Credit Score Update

2008-08-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy with my new job that I didn't realize I never posted an August Networth update. I will update my Mid-August net worth later tonight. In the mean time, my credit score has gone up to 690! If you have been following my blog, you'll notice I was as low as 574 in February 2008. In 6 months, I have raised it over 115 points! Whats the secret? Pay all your bills on time and don't add on new debt. Also I truly believe that tracking and monitoring your spending habit helps a lot. If you don't know where your money is going on a daily basis, you will not be able to save any of it. Be on the lookout for my net worth update later tonight. My next goal is to break the 700 barrier by September 15.

Forgot to add my Forex

2008-07-14T21:46:00.001-07:00

New update to my Mid-July net worth. Forgot to add a debt and my forex account.

Total Assets: $13,596
Total Debts: -$22,352
---------------------
Net Worth: -$8,756

Difference from last month: -$4,55
Percentage Difference: -5.48%

NetWorthIQ Click here to see full details.

Mid-July Net Worth

2008-07-14T21:37:00.001-07:00

Here is my monthly Net Worth update for July. Sorry for the delay. Just started a new job and I'll be in training for 2 weeks. Big jump in net worth in the opposite way of where I want to be. I will have a big August due to some help from Pell. Be on the lookout for my update beginning of August. My new job will give me the opportunity to make some quick cash if I apply myself. My business is just about there, just waiting on one more thing. Then it will be finalized and the real money pours in.

Total Assets: $11,322
Total Debts: -$21,252
---------------------
Net Worth: -$9,930

Difference from last month: -$1,629
Percentage Difference: -19.62%

NetWorthIQ Click here to see full details.

July Net Worth Update Coming Soon

2008-07-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

I haven't had time to get my July net worth so I will be updating it this week. I've been working hard on my 2 online businesses and I have a couple of more things in the works. I'm still not currently working because my new job is lagging with the background check. If all goes well I will be either starting next week or on July 28th. I'm in no rush to start because I've been using all my time to dedicate to learning new things and trying to make money.

I added a new sponsor, My Credit Group, MyCreditGroup.com | Credit Repair Servicesbecause I am personally using them to help repair my credit. I've found some collections stuff I've been trying to remove for the past 2 years and it's still showing up. I'll put a review later on how their services actually go.

www.FavoriteCreditCard.com

2008-06-26T08:46:00.000-07:00

How many credit cards do you have and do you really use them for emergencies only? I've been reading articles stating 3-4 credit cards is all you really need to help boost your credit score. Here is a site that offers everything from student cards, low APR, rewards and miles cards and more. Check out

www.favoritecreditcard.com

Lower APR for Credit Cards

2008-06-25T17:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was reading some online articles about how to lower your credit card APR, so I figured, what the heck, let me call up all my credit card companies and try it out. I took out 3 of my cards that I could find and called each of the customer service numbers on the back. All I did was simply ask, "How can I lower my APR?" Each rep said the same thing, "Give me a minute while I look into that." These were the results:

Discover Card
21.9% to 15.9%

Capital One MC
16% to 14.9%

Mastercard
15.9% to 13.9%

Overall it was a success! I highly recommend you just call the 800 # on the back and simply ask how they can lower your APR. I was able to save 6% on my Discover card, 1% on my Capital One and 2% on my Mastercard. I know I have more credit cards to call, but they're already low and I'll wait a little longer until I've had them for more than a year. Good luck to everybody!

Hours and Hours of Research

2008-06-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

Usually when I form a new hobby, I devote countless hours to it. This has not changed with my new hobby in forex. Since Sunday, June 15th, I have been up from 6 in the morning up until 2am the next morning trying to learn as much as I can about forex. I recently purchased a forex robot and I have been testing it out to see if this stuff is for real. To my surprise, my account is in the profit. The robot I have is pretty simple and straightforward. I then started to see if there were other types of forex robots out there. What did I get myself into?! First I found one, then another one, then two more, then 10 more, then I found forums upon forums just on the topic of forex robots. There is a lot of debate out there whether or not these things are profitable. Some say they aren't, others say yes. I've always been fascinated with "systems/strategies" and money. I've done months of research on gambling systems like roulette and poker and I truly believe they exist.

Back to the subject of the forex robots, I then discovered the ATC 2007. Automated Trading Championships 2007! Wow, they have a championship to see who's robot can accumulate the most money from Oct 1, 2007 to Dec 21, 2007. This got me intrigued even more. Each participant coded and programmed their own robot and entered it into the competition for free. They started with $10,000 and had a certain time period to gain the most profit. 1st place winner went from $10,000 to $130,475! I was like WTF, that is amazing. 2nd place, who is from the USA came in at $55,042. What a HUGE gap! Now I was thinking, this stuff HAS to work. I got even more excited which led me to start researching and finding any information I could about forex automated trading robots, also known as Expert Advisors (EA.) The amazing thing is, the 2nd place winner "Wackena" sells his EA. Did I also mention that 1st place won $40,000, 2nd won $25,000 and 3rd took home $15,000? Not bad for not paying any fees to compete. All the information and details can be found at http://championship.mql4.com/2007/en I can't wait to see what these programmers and traders can do for the 2008 Championship.

From the past week, I've spent at least 65 hours learning more about the subject of forex and all the EA's available. I will be testing more EA's out to find the one that can make me consistent profits. On the flip side of things, there are a lot of scammers out there who are selling "crap" so beware. I will be reviewing more robots as I do my research. I'm tending to find a range from $100 up to $1500, so we'll see how all this turns out. I have so much to learn and I'm really excited about this whole subject. This blog is about my journey to $100k, and I believe my debt situation is pretty much handled. Now I need to find ways to accumulate wealth and start building up my net worth. I think I'm on the right path. Till next time...

www.Automatic-Forex-Profits.com

2008-06-17T18:19:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've updated my blog. In my latest post, I had a couple of events take place. First of all, I no longer work at school. I feel so much better now and I am happier. No matter how much money you pay me, if I am not happy and if I don't have a passion for what I'm doing, I will not do it. The job paid well, but I hated driving to work each morning and I hated every minute of being there. Now that it is no longer a part of my life, I couldn't be any happier! I wake up in the morning not hating life. I look forward to my day and not the other way around.

I'm still waiting on my background check for my new job. I didn't start on the expected date which is fine. In the past couple of days, I have been working on one of my online businesses:

www.Automatic-Forex-Profits.com

is about 50% complete and I am just working on finishing it up. I have started a new venture in the foreign exchange market, also known as Forex. I will be blogging about my experiences and will give details about my real money account at my website. $3 trillion dollars move every DAY and I want my part of the pie. If you would like to know more about Forex, please visit my site at: www.automatic-forex-profits.com

Lots of Events In The Past Week

2008-06-12T23:09:00.000-07:00

There has been lots of events in the past week that is going to be life changing yet once again. I blogged about my job nine months ago and I finally got my 6 month review. It was NOT what I was expecting. I have high hopes and high standards for myself and I did not meet my own expectations. I received a 9% raise, but that is not good enough for me. I know where I went wrong and I have no one to blame but myself. I didn't do what I had to do and I deserve what I got. On the other side of the coin, I was not happy at that job. I was selling a service I really did not believe in and I dreaded going to work each day. Once I get that "feeling" I usually don't last long at the job. I actually had a job interview on Saturday and I was offered another job for at&t. I'm supposed to start next Monday, but I'm going through the standard background check and drug testing phase. Tomorrow is my last day at my current job and I couldn't be happier. I no longer have to drive 35 miles to be miserable. Lately, I've been focusing on my business ideas and I've bought a couple of new books. I can't see myself working as an employee much longer. I have big plans for myself and my son, and now is the time to make it all happen.

On top of the job change, for the past two weeks, I have been studying the forex market. I started a demo account with $2,000 and after 14 days, I've made a 25% ROI and now the demo account has over $2,500. I was originally going to wait after 1 month of using the demo account before I started a live account, but I couldn't wait. I deposited $1,980 into my account today and I will be trading live! I'll post the current status of the account on this blog so you can see the status of my account. Realistically I am trying to reach $25,000 so I can start trading and earning serious money. I have a spreadsheet and I will be keeping track on a daily basis. The best part about the forex market is that it's open 24hrs, 5 days a week. To some people it's gambling, to others it's investing. My view is anytime I am trying to make profit, I'll take the risk because it's better than keeping my money making 2% which is basically nothing.

I also started playing the game Cashflow by Robert Kiyosaki and I suck at it. I've got a lot to learn and I'm willing to put in the time and effort so I can be on the road to financial freedom. Stay tuned for updates on my forex account!

June Net Worth Update

2008-06-02T21:26:00.000-07:00

Here is my monthly Net Worth update.

Total Assets: $10,591
Total Debts: -$18,892
---------------------
Net Worth: -$8,733

Difference from last month: +$432
Percentage Difference: +4.95%

NetWorthIQ Click here to see full details.

Overall a great month. I was able to pay off a lot of debt and I cleared out a $2,000 Best Buy card debt. Based off my talk with the financial advisor, I should worry about paying off debt first before trying to save. It's not worth it to pay the high interest while only earning 3% on my money market accounts and savings accounts. After my debt is paid off, then I can start to save so it's not counter productive.

This past weekend, I did research online to find ways to earn extra income. I've decided to get back into investing, but instead of stocks, I'll be investing in the Forex market. Currency exchange is open 24hours a day for 5 days, not including the weekends. I'm going to learn off a demo account and once I feel comfortable, I will pull the trigger and probably start with about $2,000.

I have also set a deadline for my business plans. I have a couple of ideas in my head, but until I put it all on paper, it'll always just be an idea. Things are moving along greatly and I've been sticking to my "no radio" rule and I have only been listening to audio cds. I just finished Donald Trump's "Think Like a Billionaire" and "How to Get Rich." Ton's of information and now I'm on to Joe Vital's Attractor Factor. As long as I stay focused and use my energy towards accumulating money while paying down debt, I'll be at 0 net worthy by the end of year, hopefully sooner!

Talk With The Financial Advisor

2008-05-14T23:01:00.000-07:00

Tonight I had an appointment with a financial advisor. I am pleased to say that it was two hours well spent. He was able to analyze my situation and accounts and recommend a plan of action. If you've been keeping up with my blog, I have been saving $100 a week and it has been automatically transferring from my bank account to a money market account. Right now that account has about $1966 and is only earning 2.96% Based off my previous blog post, I was having a dilemma on whether or not I should pay off my credit card or keep the money in my account. He was able to show me the big picture and I have decided that it is not worth my effort to try to save money while paying off debt. My 11% on my credit cards should be a priority instead of saving it at 3%. I have also decided to stop contributing to my 401k and only contribute to my Roth 401k since I was putting in 10% of my paycheck in each. Now I have freed up 10% of my paycheck and can put it towards debt. The faster I pay off my credit card debt, the sooner I can begin to save towards my next purchase which is my house. I will also be maxing out my Roth IRA by contributing $416 a month to equal $5,000 (max) by the end of the year. I have also setup a fund for my child. I was currently saving $200 a month and putting towards SPY. Now I will be investing it towards mutual funds. My financial advisor was able to explain everything in full detail and I'm glad I made the time to schedule the appointment which I had been procrastinating for the past month.

What's new in my financial plan:
I have consolidated all my accounts (Sharebuilder and T.Rowe Price) into one account.
I will be maxing out my Roth IRA.
I will no longer contribute 10% to my 401k and put it towards paying debt.
I will be contributing $200 a month for my child in mutual funds.
I will focus on paying off debt instead of saving money, so when my debt is at $0, I will then start to save and earn a positive return.
Once I have paid off all my credit card debt, I can begin to start my house down payment fund.
I just paid off my entire Best Buy debt which was $2042 at 23%.

I also have made a goal not to listen to the radio while I am in my car and I will only be listening to audio cds. I am currently listening to Donald Trump's "Think Like a Billionaire." Lots of great ideas and a good mindset to have.

Credit Score 636

2008-05-13T23:57:00.000-07:00

I get a free credit score each month with one of my credit cards and I'm glad to see my credit score is going up slowly. I took a screen shot so you can see the great upward trend. When I was 18, I didn't make my credit score a priority and now I'm paying for my past. My goal is to teach and educate my kid so that he will not have to spend time trying to rebuild. I hope he listens...

Helping & Giving advice

2008-05-13T23:13:00.000-07:00

I've just realized that sometimes, trying to help other people or giving advice is not worth it. I have good intentions when I give my 2 cents, but lately, I've gotten the same response from people. So going forward, I'll keep my advice to myself and only offer it to those who ask. Why are people stubborn? Why do people want to go through heart aches and the trial and error when somebody else has already gone through it and trying to save them time and money?

I write this blog for myself. So I can look back and see how my decisions have led to the life I live now. I am not a financial adviser nor a planner. I'm not rich, nor do I pretend to be. I'm a regular guy with a goal to achieve a positive net worth.

On a positive note, I have an appointment to meet with a financial advisor. He's a friend of mine and he's going to help me optimize all my current investments and help create a plan for me and my son. Hopefully all goes well and I'll be able to get a better rate of return on the money I have saved. Another step in the right direction.

Emotions vs. Interest

2008-05-12T00:11:00.000-07:00

I've heard different ways of paying off debt. Start with the highest interest rate first and work your way down versus pay off your small debt first and work you're way to your bigger debts. What's the benefit to each way and which is better?

Obviously, paying off your high interest rate debt is going to save you money in the long run. That's a no-brainer, but why would somebody else recommend paying off your small debt first? Psychologically, paying off your small debt gives you a sense of accomplishment and helps you tackle your next debt with a feel good attitude. Based off my experience, every time I pay off an entire credit card, I get a boost of confidence and I feel like I'm actually doing something. For some strange reason, when I pay off bigger debts, it just feels like forever and I feel like my payments aren't really doing any good (even though I know it's not true.)

The reason this has been on my mind is because one of my debts is a little over $2,000. Now I have multiple accounts and I have around $2,000 in the accounts combined that are part of my short term and midterm savings. I can either pay off the entire $2,000 debt and save on the interest I won't be charged or just make my regular "accelerated" payments and keep the $2,000 as my short/mid savings.

Logically this seems simple, but emotionally, it's hard for me to look at my short and midterm accounts and see a $0. I know I'll be saving money if I just pay off the credit card so I won't get charged interest, but for some reason I can't pull the trigger. I thought that if I blogged about it, I should be able to realize the easy answer. It's my emotions vs. the actual interest being charged. Why are decisions so hard to make when the answer looks obvious. If finances were easy, then everybody would be rich, but they're not.

After writing this out, it seems like the best thing for me to do is pay off half the card, and keep the other half in my accounts so I don't have to see a $0 (Which I hate and makes me depressed.)

Join this Bank (FDIC insured) with NO deposit and get $25!

2008-05-07T19:21:00.000-07:00

www.100kjourney.com

2008-05-06T22:17:00.000-07:00

www.100kjourney.com is now working!

I will be focusing on creating wealth for the remainder of the year. My debt is under control and I am slowly paying it all off. I have 3 credit cards remaining, about $8,000 left on my car, and I have not used my credit cards to add on new debt.

Creating wealth will be a slow but steady journey. I have created a deadline of May 20, 2008 to create a rough draft of my business plan. A friend of mine has gotten me motivated to start creating wealth again and the only way is through passive income. I have all these ideas in my head, but until I have them on paper in a structured manner, it will always be an "idea."

I will be working on my business plan and my goal is to have my business up and running by August of 2008.

May Net Worth Update

2008-05-04T00:16:00.000-07:00

Here is my monthly Net Worth update.

Total Assets: $12,736
Total Debts: -$21,469
---------------------
Net Worth: -$8,733

Difference from last month: +$27
Percentage Difference: +.31%

Updates coming soon...

2008-05-02T23:38:00.000-07:00

This blog will be updated soon on a daily basis. There will be more structure to my debt process and my methods. Please feel free to subscribe to my RSS Feed and stay tuned. I will be doing my May net worth update tomorrow after work.

Net worth as of April 1, 2008

2008-04-01T21:45:00.000-07:00

Here is my monthly Net Worth update.

Total Assets: $13,644
Total Debts: -$22,404
---------------------
Net Worth: -$8,760

Difference from last month: +$2,834
Percentage Difference: +24.44%

NetWorthIQ Click here to see full details.

HUGE month for me! Took out a huge chunk and now I'm under the -$10k net worth mark. I'm still debating if I should buy the laptop or wait. I will be at the break even point pretty soon. My original goal target to get out of debt was January 2009.

UPDATE in March Net Worth

2008-03-18T22:26:00.000-07:00

*UPDATE* March 18, 2008 Net Worth.

Total Assets: $12,802
Total Debts: -$24,396
---------------------
Net Worth: -$11,594

NetWorthIQ Click here to see full details.

Got my refund tax, some PELL grant from school and opened a new school loan for this semester. Overall, a huge gain in my net worth. I paid off all store credit cards except for Best Buy, but I'll have that paid off this month. Going to be opening up more investments this month and I still have some pending checks out there. For my April monthly net worth update, I will break the -$10,000 barrier and I'll be closer than ever! My original goal to get to break even net worth is January 1, 2009. I'm almost there!!!

Laptop Decision

2008-03-16T22:50:00.000-07:00

I recently sold my HP laptop and now I'm trying to decide on which laptop I should get. I have a couple of options and my original plan was to buy a "budget" laptop that was a little bit faster than the one I just sold. I was looking at the Dell Vostro 1400 and 1500 which will cost around the $700 range. I sold my old laptop for $500 so I'm looking at $200 out of pocket. HP has some good deals on their new laptops and I can spend around $1,000, $500 more and I can get a 17in wide screen or a 12in tablet laptop which will have all the bells and whistles. My dilemma is choosing between budget and top of the line.

I know I am trying to save money and just buy what I "need" however I know that when you go cheap on computer parts, it will haunt you in the end and I'll just end up unhappy and with a slower laptop. I've been researching laptops for the past couple of days now and I got all the way to the checkout area but I couldn't pull the trigger and order it all the way. I guess I'll just sleep on it and not make any impulse decisions. $700 - $500(HP I sold) = $200 VS. $1000 - $500 = $500

Is the $300 worth it to have top of the line and will last me a good year or two?

2 Credit Cards Paid Off - More to come

2008-03-14T23:03:00.000-07:00

So I received my tax refund check and I was able to pay off 2 of my credit cards. One had a balance of $400 and the other card was $467. I'm still debating if I should pay off all my other credit cards with a balance of $500 or less which I have 2 cards in that range. I'm going to have to put my paid off cards away so I can only use them in emergency cases. It's really hard not to spend money when you know you have credit cards with $0 balances on them. I'm going to have to keep them hidden and not splurge and buy new gadgets.

My April net worth update should be great!!!

Net worth as of March 1, 2008

2008-03-02T13:22:00.000-08:00

Here is my monthly Net Worth update.

Total Assets: $7,696
Total Debts: -$23,052
---------------------
Net Worth: -$15,356

NetWorthIQ Click here to see full details.

I'm slowly making progress on paying down my debt. I'm still deciding on what to do with my tax refund for this year. I have to use it wisely.

Day 5 - BJJ

2008-02-18T11:17:00.000-08:00

Today is Monday, President's Day, so I had the day off and I decided to go to the 8am class. I brought along a high school friend of mine and he had no idea what exactly Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was all about. Warm-ups have been getting a little bit easier but I'm still running of out of air while I'm running. We learned how to get out of the gaurd and drilled that over and over again. My friend has pretty good stamina, however he was gasping for air during the knee escape drills. Overall it was a great workout, I'm not sure if my friend will ever return but after the training, we had a great breakfast at Keith's Restaurant.

Day 2 - BJJ

2008-02-13T11:32:00.000-08:00

My day started at 5:30am. I was pretty excited to go to class today. These classes are no joke. Today is my cousin Jeff’s first day so I couldn’t wait to see him start training. Warm-ups were crazy. The knee escape drill gets you tired real quickly and this time we had to go back and forth twice. The sparring went ok. I was able to get a side choke on one of the guys, other than that, I tapped out about 6 times. I’m still working on my stamina and endurance. My goal is to be in tip top cardio shape within 2 months. I still am lifting weights so I can gain speed, power and stamina. I learned how to properly apply the guillotine chokehold and how to escape the guillotine while standing or in the guard. Training is getting more intense and I’m loving it.

Day 1 - Brazilian Jujitsu

2008-02-11T23:13:00.000-08:00

Another chapter added to my life, I'm training to learn Brazilian Jujitsu. I joined a local gym that teaches boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, brazilian jujitsu and more. Today was my first day and it was more than I expected. Class started at 6:30am. I am out of shape as far as cardio is concerned. I'm going to have to change my diet and do a lot more cardio in my workouts. I could barely get through the warm ups without gasping for air. Day 2 is on Wednesday, we'll see how that goes.

Net worth as of January 1, 2008

2008-01-01T09:10:00.000-08:00

Here is my monthly Net Worth update.

Total Assets: $7,258
Total Debts: -$23,440
---------------------
Net Worth: -$16,182

Difference from last month: +$629
Percentage Difference: +3.74%

NetWorthIQ Click here to see full details.

Great way to start the year! I will be knocking down all my debt so I can reach a $0 net worth in by December 2009. I am still following my original plan however I am looking forward to a 6 month review raise in May 2008. This will help dictate the rest of the year and I am planning on a trip to Las Vegas and Arizona before March. January is going to be a huge month for me but I will be updating with more pics and videos. Stay tuned!

Providian balance of $4300 is now paid off!

2008-01-01T02:43:00.000-08:00

My old charged off account is now fully paid off! New net worth update coming soon!
To a new year, enjoy!

Happy New Year 2008!!

2008-01-01T02:20:00.000-08:00

Firecracker On New Years 2008 - Click here for more blooper videos

New Years 2008 - 2 Firecrackers - The funniest videos are a click away

Net Worth as of December 2, 2007

2007-12-02T09:43:00.000-08:00

Here is my monthly Net Worth update.

Total Assets: $5,629
Total Debts: -$22,440
---------------------
Net Worth: -$16,811

Difference from last month: -$371
Percentage Difference: -2.26%

NetWorthIQ Click here to see full details.

It's hard to stay on your financial track with the Christmas holidays around the corner and with Black Friday sales after Thanksgiving. I'm pretty much done with all my Christmas shopping. I will slowly climb out of the negative net worth column and slowly accumulate wealth. I have a couple of ideas in the works and currently planning to have a productive 2008. Enjoy the holidays and look forward to more updates to this site. Bookmark and tell a friend!

New Providian Balance

2007-11-27T19:55:00.000-08:00

My Providian card was once over $4000 and now it is down to $499 exactly. I've been paying off $488 per month towards this card and it's finally going to go away. I did go Christmas shopping on Black Friday. Got a new GPS and other goodies. Net worth update coming soon.

Cheaperdeals.net - Great online bargains!

2007-11-14T20:29:00.000-08:00

Be sure to check out www.cheaperdeals.net They have great online bargains and also they offer a special feature called "Request a deal." Tell them what you're looking for and they'll find the cheapest deals on the net. Check it out today!

Net worth as of November 4, 2007

2007-11-04T12:28:00.000-08:00

Here is my monthly Net Worth update.

Total Assets: $5,798
Total Debts: -$22,238
---------------------
Net Worth: -$16,440

NetWorthIQ Click here to see full details.

Sorry for the lack of updates the past 2 months. I was let go from my temp job back in August and I started my new job in September. I didn't get my first paycheck until mid October so I had to use up my emergency funds and also I did have to resort to credit cards to get by. I am back to a regular paycheck so things should get better. I did get carried away with 1 credit card however my Providian card had a balance of over $4,300 just a year or two ago and now it's down to $800. I've been paying about $400 a month towards this card and I have 2 months to go. Slowly but surely that credit card will go away.

Day 2 with Quicken 2008

2007-09-13T16:01:00.000-07:00

Today I got a little more in depth with the program. I filled out the retirement planner and debt reduction planner. I have to say I am impressed. Lets start out with the retirement planner. I went through the simple setup and just inputed all the data that was asked for. Very easy to do and does not take too much time. On my first try, it stated that with a retirement goal of 2035, I would have depleted funds by 2038 on a $20k/yr living for retirement at my current savings/income pace. What an eye-opener. I actually missed inputting a lot of information my first time through. I did not set any return rates on my investments and I also did not do reoccurring retirement deposits. On my 2nd attempt, it stated that I would run out of money by 2068 on a $30/yr living after retirement. This caused me some concern cause I always thought I would have enough for my retirement stage of life. I'm going to have to reconsider how much I can contribute to my Roth IRA's and other investment accounts. My new job offers a 401k however there is no company matching, so I will have to do some research into that.

Now the other planner I did on Quicken was the debt reduction. I was going to compare the numbers with what I am currently using which is Money Mastery. Based on Money Mastery I will be out of debt using their current payment methods in May 2009. Using Quicken, they suspect I will be out of debt if I follow their payment methods in April 2009. I found Quicken's debt reduction very simple. I did not have to input any of my accounts, it automatically grabbed it from the program itself and everything is up to date since I have it linked with my online service. It takes the same approach as Money Mastery using the snowball effect. The only difference is I can update the numbers at anytime much easier than Money Mastery and there are nice graphs and reports that I can print out.

Overall I had a good experience with these 2 planners. Once I get a steady paycheck I will do the tax planning and also the savings planner. I was going to create a budget however it automatically takes all your past info (you get to set the dates) and since I have no information (only have Sept information inputted), it did not provide an accurate budget. I will test out the budget planner during December.

So far Quicken gets an A!

Quicken 2008 Preview... Day 1

2007-09-12T23:34:00.000-07:00

I recently got a copy of Quicken 2008 Home and Business from a good friend of mine. I've tried the trial version of MS Money 2007 and I had problems connecting to my online accounts for banks and credit cards. With Quicken 2008, I had no problems setting up all my accounts. I'm currently tracking all my bank accounts, all credit cards, investments such as IRA and stocks. I've used Quicken in the past but was not impressed and I was leaning towards MS Money more. This version may have changed my mind. Today is my first day using it so lets see if I can keep my finances in check. I do like the vista gadget of the billminder. That way I have NO excuse on ever being late on a payment again. You can get a copy at the link below using my Amazon affiliate link:

1 month has passed...

2007-09-12T23:21:00.000-07:00

Wow, 1 month has passed since my last update. Lots of new changes going on in my life. I was recently laid off from my job last month and that's the main reason of no updates. I was on a crazy job search. 2nd of all, my child was going to head start day care which was free, but based off my income from this past year, they said I was no longer qualified. Now I will have to find a daycare. Here's the good news. I start my new job on Monday Sept 17 as an Enrollment Advisor at a college. We'll see how this all works out. I will have a significant increase in pay so let's see if I can save more and get out of debt faster. 2nd, I was able to find a program CDA which helps find daycares based off my income at a low price. Rough estimate is $15/day which comes out to about $300 per month.

Since my job loss, my debt has increased. I was averaging about $1k a month of debt deductions, however this month I gained $1k in debt because I had to resort to my savings and credit cards. I've been without a job for about a month so I've been as frugal as possible. I'll be back on track starting Monday. I did update my networthIQ and I will be updating this site more often.

Searching...

2007-08-06T21:51:00.000-07:00

Right now I'm in the process of looking for a new job. My current job is just not cutting it. I've made up my mind to go back into sales. I need extra cash so I can get rid of the debt faster. I'm not sure if I'm going to pursue being an appraiser because the market is horrible right now and finding trainee hours is difficult. I've decided to find a sales job, save up money for 2 years, then head out to Las Vegas. If I can find a job where I can transfer, that would be even better. I've been applying online to just about everything. I'm willing to try new things and find my income potential.

In the meantime, I've been playing a lot of poker. You can check out my poker blog at www.wsop2k7.com I'm going slowly in an upward trend. Poker is a game of variance and I need to remind myself.

Net Worth as of Aug 3, 2007

2007-08-03T21:44:00.000-07:00

Here is my monthly Net Worth update.

Total Assets: $4,682
Total Debts: -$20,736
---------------------
Net Worth: -$16,054

Difference from last month: $566
Percentage Difference: 3.41%

NetWorthIQ Click here to see full details.

Didn't save as much this month than normal. Stocks went down and so did my retirement funds. It's a long term fluctuation game so I'm not worried. $1k went away in debts and that is my main concern. I am keeping up and I will try to hit it hard this month. Sorry for the lack of updates, been playing a lot of poker and I am in the green! I'll update more this month. Stay tuned...

Net Worth as of July 2, 2007

2007-07-02T07:42:00.000-07:00

Here is my monthly Net Worth update.

Total Assets: $5,190
Total Debts: -$21,810
---------------------
Net Worth: -$16,620

Difference from last month: $1,206
Percentage Difference: 6.77%

NetWorthIQ Click here to see full details.

Another great month of debt reduction and gaining more net worth. At the rate I'm currently at, I have about 16 more months before I reach 0 and get a fresh new start. I've been keeping the same spending and saving habits since Nov 06 and my finances have been steadily improving. If you don't know your exact net worth, then there's no room for progress and you'll never know where you stand.

$26 Billion, is that enough money?

2007-06-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

I had a interesting discussion with a couple of friends of mine on Friday night. I asked if $26 Billion dollars would be enough and what would they do with it? We all agreed that $26 billions is MORE than enough. Heh, I really don't know how some superstars go broke after making their first million.

I listen to a lot of poker podcast shows and one of the topics were on richest people in the gambling world. They were talking about someone who was worth $26 billion. Then they started talking about how much money that actually is. If you think about it, you can basically buy anything you've ever wanted and still have money left over. You could give your mom, dad, brothers and sisters each 1 million, and that wouldn't even dent your net worth. Just imagine the possibilities. What would you do? Most people dream of being rich, but how much money do you actually want? At work, I get the chance to look at appraisals on homes that range from $100k all the way to 16 million. It's unbelievable how some people actually have this kind of money, but it gives me hope that it is actually attainable. My goal of $100k is just a small stepping stone of what I really want and hopefully I'm taking the right steps to getting there.

Lack of updates

2007-06-23T11:14:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. Nothing new in my financial world except I've been playing a lot of poker lately. This is one of my true hobbies and passion. I get a natural high when I play, especially when I win and I've only been playing for about 2 years so I can only get better. Once I have a bout 5 years under my belt, then I'll be better off. As far as financials go, I've been on a steady trend of paying off debt while slowly trying to save. In the meantime, have a great weekend!

The Weekend..

2007-06-09T14:08:00.001-07:00

The weekend is here! Nothing really new in my financial world. I'm trying a new approach to paying my car note. Since I get paid weekly on Friday's, I figured I should split up my monthly car payment by 4 and pay it weekly on each payday. I pay $333 a month so it breaks down to $83.25 per week. Maybe it's a physiological thing, but it makes it seem easier to pay off that way. Does anybody out there have any type of tricks to paying off their bills or debt?

Been playing more poker than ever. I also started listening to my poker podcast shows again. No more listening to crappy radio stations while I drive. Since I'm in my car almost 1 and a half hours each day, I might as well be productive. I guess I got some motivation after watching The Secret once more and listening to the audio book while driving to work. Check it out, it may or may not work for you. All I know is it's been bringing better things into my life.

The Secret (Extended Edition)

AGLOCO viewbar now available!

2007-06-04T21:22:00.001-07:00

http://aglocotoday.blogspot.com/

Check out AGLOCO! I finally got the email that the viewbar is now available so I get paid to surf. In 1998, AllAdvantage came out where you get paid to surf online. I made $50/mo for a couple of months until it died out. Hopefully I can make some change, if you're interested check it out HERE!

Net Worth as of June 2, 2007

2007-06-02T22:24:00.000-07:00

Here is my monthly Net Worth update.

Total Assets: $4,843
Total Debts: -$22,669
---------------------
Net Worth: -$17,826

Difference from last month: $1,256
Percentage Difference: 6.58%

NetWorthIQ Click here to see full details.

Wow, what a great month! $1,256 difference from last month and I thought I was spending more than I was saving. Just hacking away at my debt slowly but surely. I remember back in December when I was -$23k in the hole, now 6 months later, $6,000 down and only $17k left to go. At this rate, 17 more months of having the same spending and saving habits, I should be debt free. I really believe that this blog has helped me save because it gives me a clear path on my goal and I'm not "guestimating" how much I spend and save each month. I'm really glad I've been updating my networthiq page each month because I see that my assets is going up little by little, while my liabilities is going down.

On another note one of my former employers MSW is currently getting sued and I sent in my paperwork for the class action lawsuit. Hopefully I can get a couple of thousand from this lawsuit and it will all go towards my debt. Last year my other former employee T-Mobile got sued and I got around $1,200.

Half way through the year and...so far, so good.

Woohoo! Finally Finished!

2007-06-02T15:30:00.001-07:00

I finally finished my appraisal online course. After 90 hours and a month of reading, I'm done! Now I just need to take the state exam and pass. My plan is to go over all the review questions and keep doing them until they're drilled in my head. I don't know exactly how long before I will actually take the test but I'll use that time to study. I believe I have 2 chances to pass the state test or I'll have to retake the entire course over again. I understood pretty much all of it and since I do work as a customer service rep at an appraisal company, I'm around it 8 hrs a day plus I get to talk to appraisers first hand and I pick at their brains. I find that going over any quality issues found on submitted reports from appraisers is one of the best ways to learn. I call them and let them know what to correct and most of them will do the corrections over phone. Then they just start to talk and I ask them questions like what they like about their job, how long they've been doing it and what type of advice they can give me if I wanted to become an appraiser. Most appraisers I talk to out there have been doing it for 20 years since the 80's and they all seem to like their job. I can't wait... I'm one step closer to becoming a trainee.

So close yet so far...

2007-05-31T22:54:00.000-07:00

I have 1 section left to complete and then I need to finish the USPAP which is 15 hours. After all that, I will be done and they will mail me a certificate which then I can schedule to take the state exam. Now all I have to worry about is getting my 2000 hours as a trainee. The goal date to be completed of all the sections will be June 8th. As long as I can do 2 hours a day, I shouldn't have a problem completing it. I plan to study hard while I wait to take the state exam, hopefully it doesn't take longer than 2 weeks. I don't want to forget everything I learned cause I'm cramming my brain with information.

Stay tuned for my monthly Net Worth update...

Site Pal

2007-05-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

Has anybody ever heard of the company Site Pal, your own virtual salesperson? This seems like an interesting concept and I'll be looking into it a little more.

Million Dollar Savings Club update

2007-05-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

I started the Million Dollar Savings Club thanks to Bryan C Fleming a couple months back. A simple idea of automatic savings done weekly to an online account that yields about 5% interest. I've been saving $50 a week and it automatically gets transferred every Friday. I use this account as my "mid-term" savings in case of any type of small emergency. This is the same account that I used to pay for my online appraisal class. As of this day, I have $536.21. It feels great to have extra money and the best part is that I don't remember even saving it. All I know is that I must have at least $50 in my bank account every Friday and I let them do the rest. It really is a GREAT way to save. At the end of the year, you'll have saved around $2,500 at $50/week. I would like to be saving $100/week and I will start doing that once I get all my debt down which is on track for 2 more years. At $100/week, that's over $5,200 in savings by Christmas time. If you would like to read more about the Million Dollar Savings Club, please visit www.BryanCFleming.com

Appraisal shool and online poker

2007-05-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

Just doing a little of both. 12 more sections left for appraisal school, then 15 hours of USPAP. Online poker, playing .25/.50 limit at Full Tilt Poker. If you play poker, check out www.wsop2k7.com and play at Full Tilt Poker.

New Credit Score

2007-05-20T23:12:00.000-07:00

It seems that I may have hit a minor bump in the road. I received a new monthly credit score from TransUnion. It went from 600 to 562. The only thing I can think of to make my credit score decline is that I opened up 3 new credit cards. I haven't been late on any of my bills and I'm slowly taking away my debt, but I know that opening new accounts can hurt your score so I'm not too worried. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and it'll eventually go up.

As far as my appraisal online course is going I'm about 65% done. I have a about 12 more sections left and then 15 hours of USPAP then I'll be done. Can't wait to take the state exam and hopefully I pass it in one shot. Work is going good, learning new things everyday.

Mothers Day

2007-05-13T17:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers out there. My sister and I ended up going to Best Buy and bought our mom a new washer and dryer. Got 12% off and 18 months no interest on the Best Buy card. We're splitting it down the middle so everything works out great. Hope everyone had a good one.

More Hours Online

2007-05-05T11:21:00.000-07:00

This weekend I'm going to try and put as many hours as I can into my appraisal online course. This past week I haven't really gotten much done and I've given myself a 2 week period to finish everything up. I know this can be done and I HAVE to do. I sit at work and see how much all these appraisers are getting paid and it's ridiculous. $600 for 2 field reviews. $30 for desk reviews. I can't wait!

Did anybody watch Spiderman 3?

The Micro Grill

2007-05-03T21:55:00.000-07:00

I'm in the process of buying one.

The Micro Grill

May Net Worth

2007-05-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

Here is my 1st of the month Net Worth update.

Total Assets: $4,313
Total Debts: -$23,395
---------------------
Net Worth: -$19,082

Difference from last month: $693
Percentage Difference: 3.50%

NetWorthIQ Click here to see full details.

Just under $700 taken off this month. Not bad, as long as I get closer to 0, I'm happy with that.

Nothing New...

2007-04-29T20:14:00.000-07:00

Nothing new going on over here on my side of the financial world. I'll be updating my net worth on May 1st. I've paid all my bills on time and I didn't run out of money so that's a good sign. I'm still working on my online appraisal courses. I'm probably about 33% done with it. Hopefully I'll be done with it by the end of May. That way I can take the state exam asap.

The NFL draft is officially over. I'm not a huge football fan but I am a Bears fan and I hope they picked up the people that they wanted. I got to watch some of the Bulls game vs the Heat. The Pistons are next on their list. Now only if the Cubs could win, I'd be a happy camper. Till next time...