tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88411806862263647382024-02-07T00:27:04.516-08:00Business, Bling and; BrainsSay goodbye to the rat race, and hello to the good life.Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-391767095909082772010-09-23T18:46:00.000-07:002010-09-23T18:47:43.672-07:00Warren Buffet & Jay-Z Forbes Interview<iframe src='http://www.forbes.com/video/embed/embed.html?show=111&format=frame&height=496&width=336&video=fvn/forbes400-10/jay-z-buffett-forbes-success-giving&mode=render' width='336px' height='496px' frameborder='0' scrolling='no' marginwidth='0' marginheight='0'></iframe>Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-72409707302729890412010-08-18T16:05:00.000-07:002010-08-18T16:06:10.543-07:00Aboard The Most Expensive Yacht In The World ($300 Million)<object id="wsj_fp" width="512" height="363"><param name="movie" value="http://s.wsj.net/media/swf/main.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><param name="flashvars" value="videoGUID={B91C478A-E6BB-4FCA-BD8C-61A1E79AB0B0}&playerid=1000&plyMediaEnabled=1&configURL=http://wsj.vo.llnwd.net/o28/players/&autoStart=false" base="rtmpt://wsj.fcod.llnwd.net/a1318/o28/video"name="main"></param><embed src="http://s.wsj.net/media/swf/main.swf" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"flashVars="videoGUID={B91C478A-E6BB-4FCA-BD8C-61A1E79AB0B0}&playerid=1000&plyMediaEnabled=1&configURL=http://wsj.vo.llnwd.net/o28/players/&autoStart=false" base="rtmpt://wsj.fcod.llnwd.net/a1318/o28/video" name="main" width="512" height="363" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object>Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-18655137392137714582010-08-02T10:31:00.001-07:002010-08-02T10:34:23.807-07:00The Kevin O'Leary Story - The 4 Billion Dollar ManKevin Oleary has a great story to tell. If you have not seen him on the show Dragon's Den or on Shark Tank, here is his personal story of how he sold his business for close to 4 billion dollars.<br /><br /><object width="280" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LJN7BJuLUFI&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LJN7BJuLUFI&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-74455859909555575902010-07-11T16:17:00.000-07:002010-07-11T16:19:54.091-07:00World Cup Payouts<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cdn.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/soccer_money.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 174px;" src="http://cdn.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/soccer_money.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports<br /><br />JOHANNESBURG – The motivation for Spanish and Dutch players in Sunday’s World Cup final is obvious – national pride, global glory and the chance at an enduring legacy. To hold the golden trophy is something most have dreamed of since they first kicked a ball.<br /><br />All of which doesn’t mean money (quite a bit of it) hasn’t been used to provide a bit of extra reward. The winning team’s soccer federation will receive about $31 million in prize money from FIFA.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />The Spanish Football Association has promised to give each of its 23 players a bonus of 600,000 euros (or about $758,000 in U.S. dollars) if they can deliver victory, according to the Sunday Times. The Netherlands reportedly will hand out 300,000 euros (or about $380,000) for each player. Coaches and support staff get less.<br /><br />It makes Sunday’s game perhaps the richest in history. The total prize money is 61 percent higher than that handed out by FIFA for the 2006 World Cup.<br /><br />And it’s just the cap on a wealthy run for each team’s players. FIFA will pay the final’s losing organization around $2.4 million. It gave out prize money to the tune of $7.5 million for a team getting out of group play, $9 million for reaching the quarterfinals and $18 million for reaching the semifinals. Losing in the semifinals was worth $20 million.<br /><br />FIFA makes billions on the World Cup in global television rights, merchandise and tickets, among other things. The prize money goes to each nation’s football associations to help cover costs. They, in turn, negotiate with their players (who are paid professionals with their club teams the rest of the year) for their participation.<br /><br />Most nations hand out player bonuses with each victory in knockout stage play. Each Spanish player has already earned about $130,000 for just reaching the final, according to the Times.<br /><br />The most lucrative payout potentially would have gone to the United States, where U.S. Soccer had set aside nearly $20 million in player bonuses should they have won the World Cup. The Americans were knocked out in the round of 16, so only a fraction of that money was handed out.<br /><br />English players left South Africa with no bonus money. Their bonuses were set to kick in for the quarterfinals only, but they lost in the last 16.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the Netherlands and Spain play on – for their country, their personal fulfillment and a rather fine payday.</span>Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-32109217198857548602010-06-06T18:01:00.000-07:002010-06-06T18:07:42.941-07:00Do Business Ethically Or Go To Jail! (And get your toys auctioned)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://raceforareason2009.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/auction-792668.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://raceforareason2009.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/auction-792668.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein’s toys went on the auction block Thursday. And the prices fetched suggest that the supply of wealth toys still far exceeds supply.<br /><br />The auction netted $5.8 million for the victims of Mr. Rothstein’s scheme. He’s awaiting sentencing on charges that he used his law firm to run a $1.2 billion ponzi scheme.<br /><br />The tally was about what was expected. Still, the mark-downs were huge. Granted, some of the sports cars held their value better than most cars. But the auction is worth noting at a time when hyperluxury purveyors are claiming their goods are “quality investments.”<br /><br />Here is a partial list (and click here for photographs of some of the cars at auction):<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2008 Bugatti Veyron.</span> Typical retail price: $1 million plus. Sale price: $858,000.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2010 Lamborghini LP 670SV </span>(only 100 miles). Retail price: $457,500. Sale price: $382,000.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2008 Mercedes-Benz SLR.</span> Retail price: $362,339. Sale price: $301,000.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />2005 33-foot Riva Aquariva</span> Super boat. Sale price: $255,000.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2007 Rolls-Royce Phantom</span>. Retail price: $338,350. Sale price: $240,000.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />1999 55-foot SeaRay Sundancer</span>. Sold for $220,000.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />2009 Bentley Continental GTC</span>. Retail price: $220,000. Sale price: $179,000.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2009 Maserati GT.</span> Retail price: $130,000. Sale price: $90,000.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2007 87-foot Warren Yacht</span>. Sold for $2.51 million.<br /><br />So, do you think high-end sports cars and boats are good investments?</span>Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-70002225865119454002010-05-26T17:42:00.000-07:002010-05-26T17:54:57.497-07:00Self Made Millionaries - Common Stories Of Success<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://michaeldmiller.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/frugal-pic.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 428px; height: 271px;" src="http://michaeldmiller.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/frugal-pic.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />By Kristyn Kusek Lewis<br /><br />They’re just like you. But with lots of money.<br /><br />When you think “millionaire,” what image comes to mind? For many of us, it’s a flashy Wall Street banker type who flies a private jet, collects cars and lives the kind of decadent lifestyle that would make Donald Trump proud. <br /><br />But many modern millionaires live in middle-class neighborhoods, work full-time and shop in discount stores like the rest of us. What motivates them isn’t material possessions but the choices that money can bring: “For the rich, it’s not about getting more stuff. It’s about having the freedom to make almost any decision you want,” says T. Harv Eker, author of Secrets of the Millionaire Mind. Wealth means you can send your child to any school or quit a job you don’t like.<br /><br />According to the Spectrem Wealth Study, an annual survey of America’s wealthy, there are more people living the good life than ever before—the number of millionaires nearly doubled in the last decade. And the rich are getting richer. To make it onto the Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans, a mere billionaire no longer makes the cut. This year you needed a net worth of at least $1.3 billion.<br /><br />If more people are getting richer than ever, why shouldn’t you be one of them? Here, five people who have at least a million dollars in liquid assets share the secrets that helped them get there. <span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />1. Set your sights on where you’re going</span><br /><br />Twenty years ago, Jeff Harris hardly seemed on the road to wealth. He was a college dropout who struggled to support his wife, DeAnn, and three kids, working as a grocery store clerk and at a junkyard where he melted scrap metal alongside convicts. “At times we were so broke that we washed our clothes in the bathtub because we couldn’t afford the Laundromat.” Now he’s a 49-year-old investment advisor and multimillionaire in York, South Carolina.<br /><br />There was one big reason Jeff pulled ahead of the pack: He always knew he’d be rich. The reality is that 80 percent of Americans worth at least $5 million grew up in middle-class or lesser households, just like Jeff.<br /><br />Wanting to be wealthy is a crucial first step. Says Eker, “The biggest obstacle to wealth is fear. People are afraid to think big, but if you think small, you’ll only achieve small things.”<br /><br /><br />It all started for Jeff when he met a stockbroker at a Christmas party. “Talking to him, it felt like discovering fire,” he says. “I started reading books about investing during my breaks at the grocery store, and I began putting $25 a month in a mutual fund.” Next he taught a class at a local community college on investing. His students became his first clients, which led to his investment practice. “There were lots of struggles,” says Jeff, “but what got me through it was believing with all my heart that I would succeed.”<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2. Educate yourself</span><br /><br />When Steve Maxwell graduated from college, he had an engineering degree and a high-tech job—but he couldn’t balance his checkbook. “I took one finance class in college but dropped it to go on a ski trip,” says the 45-year-old father of three, who lives in Windsor, Colorado. “I actually had to go to my bank and ask them to teach me how to read my statement.”<br /><br />One of the biggest obstacles to making money is not understanding it: Thousands of us avoid investing because we just don’t get it. But to make money, you must be financially literate. “It bothered me that I didn’t understand this stuff,” says Steve, “so I read books and magazines about money management and investing, and I asked every financial whiz I knew to explain things to me.”<br /><br />He and his wife started applying the lessons: They made a point to live below their means. They never bought on impulse, always negotiated better deals (on their cars, cable bills, furniture) and stayed in their home long after they could afford a more expensive one. They also put 20 percent of their annual salary into investments.<br /><br />Within ten years, they were millionaires, and people were coming to Steve for advice. “Someone would say, ‘I need to refinance my house—what should I do?’ A lot of times, I wouldn’t know the answer, but I’d go find it and learn something in the process,” he says.<br /><br />In 2003, Steve quit his job to become part owner of a company that holds personal finance seminars for employees of corporations like Wal-Mart. He also started going to real estate investment seminars, and it’s paid off: He now owns $30 million worth of investment properties, including apartment complexes, a shopping mall and a quarry.<br /><br />“I was an engineer who never thought this life was possible, but all it truly takes is a little self-education,” says Steve. “You can do anything once you understand the basics.”<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3. Passion pays off</span><br /><br />In 1995, Jill Blashack Strahan and her husband were barely making ends meet. Like so many of us, Jill was eager to discover her purpose, so she splurged on a session with a life coach. “When I told her my goal was to make $30,000 a year, she said I was setting the bar too low. I needed to focus on my passion, not on the paycheck.”<br /><br />Jill, who lives with her son in Alexandria, Minnesota, owned a gift basket company and earned just $15,000 a year. She noticed when she let potential buyers taste the food items, the baskets sold like crazy. Jill thought, Why not sell the food directly to customers in a fun setting?<br /><br /><br />With $6,000 in savings, a bank loan and a friend’s investment, Jill started packaging gourmet foods in a backyard shed and selling them at taste-testing parties. It wasn’t easy. “I remember sitting outside one day, thinking we were three months behind on our house payment, I had two employees I couldn’t pay, and I ought to get a real job. But then I thought, No, this is your dream. Recommit and get to work.”<br /><br />She stuck with it, even after her husband died three years later. “I live by the law of abundance, meaning that even when there are challenges in life, I look for the win-win,” she says.<br /><br /><br />The positive attitude worked: Jill’s backyard company, Tastefully Simple, is now a direct-sales business, with $120 million in sales last year. And Jill was named one of the top 25 female business owners in North America by Fast Company magazine.<br /><br />According to research by Thomas J. Stanley, author of The Millionaire Mind, over 80 percent of millionaires say they never would have been successful if their vocation wasn’t something they cared about.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4. Grow your money</span><br /><br />Most of us know the never-ending cycle of living paycheck to paycheck. “The fastest way to get out of that pattern is to make extra money for the specific purpose of reinvesting in yourself,” says Loral Langemeier, author of The Millionaire Maker. In other words, earmark some money for the sole purpose of investing it in a place where it will grow dramatically—like a business or real estate.<br /><br />There are endless ways to make extra money for investing—you just have to be willing to do the work. “Everyone has a marketable skill,” says Langemeier. “When I started out, I had a tutoring business, seeing clients in the morning before work and on my lunch break.”<br /><br />A little moonlighting cash really can grow into a million. Twenty-five years ago, Rick Sikorski dreamed of owning a personal training business. “I rented a tiny studio where I charged $15 an hour,” he says. When money started trickling in, he squirreled it away instead of spending it, putting it all back into the business. Rick’s 400-square-foot studio is now Fitness Together, a franchise based in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, with more than 360 locations worldwide. And he’s worth over $40 million.<br /><br />When extra money rolls in, it’s easy to think, Now I can buy that new TV. But if you want to get rich, you need to pay yourself first, by putting money where it will work hard for you—whether that’s in your retirement fund, a side business or investments like real estate.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5. No guts, no glory</span><br /><br />Last summer, Dave Lindahl footed the bill for 18 relatives at a fancy mansion in the Adirondacks. One night, his dad looked out at the scenery and joked, “I can’t believe we used to call you the black sheep!”<br /><br />At 29, Dave was broke, living in a small apartment near Boston and wondering what to do after ten years in a local rock band. “I looked around and thought, If I don’t do something, I’ll be stuck here forever.”<br /><br />He started a landscape company, buying his equipment on credit. When business literally froze over that winter, a banker friend asked if he’d like to renovate a foreclosed home. “I’m a terrible carpenter, but I needed the money, so I went to some free seminars at Home Depot and figured it out as I went,” he says.<br /><br />After a few more renovations, it occurred to him: Why not buy the homes and sell them for profit? He took a risk and bought his first property. Using the proceeds, he bought another, and another. Twelve years later, he owns apartment buildings, worth $143 million, in eight states.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />The Biggest Secret? Stop spending.</span><br /><br />Every millionaire we spoke to has one thing in common: Not a single one spends needlessly. Real estate investor Dave Lindahl drives a Ford Explorer and says his middle-class neighbors would be shocked to learn how much he’s worth. Fitness mogul Rick Sikorski can’t fathom why anyone would buy bottled water. Steve Maxwell, the finance teacher, looked at a $1.5 million home but decided to buy one for half the price because “a house with double the cost wouldn’t give me double the enjoyment."<br /><br /></span>Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-64232829004148267222010-05-02T16:49:00.000-07:002010-05-02T16:54:25.925-07:00The Rise Of The Mega Rich - By Kiyosaki<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.exclusivecharters.net/images/motorcars.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.exclusivecharters.net/images/motorcars.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The first decade of the 21st century is over. Many people find themselves off to a bad start. The new century began with the Y2K scare -- the threat of computers shutting down around the world. Then 9/11 came, followed by two long and expensive wars. The Nasdaq bubble and crash were followed by the real estate bubble then subprime crash, which led to the unprecedented printing of trillions of dollars in an attempt to prevent a global depression. The result is a lingering financial crisis that has expanded the gap between the haves and have-nots.<br /><br />Most decades have their characters. In the 1960s, we had the hippies. By the 1970s the peace movement evolved into John Travolta and disco. In the 1980s, capitalists took center stage. Techies dominated the 1990s and suddenly geeks were cool.<br /><br />The question is, what character will emerge to represent the first decade of the 21st century? Will it be the religious terrorists flying into tall buildings or the financial terrorists stealing our wealth from inside tall buildings? Will the first decade be known for Ponzi scheme notables such as Bernie Madoff and Allen Stanford… or Social Security and mutual funds? Could it be known for odd couples such as Barack and Hillary or John and Sarah? Or will the first decade be known as the era of celebrity philandering with confessions from the likes of Tiger Woods, Elliot Spitzer, and John Edwards? (All three should get together to co-author a book entitled “Family First”.)<span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Century's Exciting Start</span><br /><br />All in all, the first decade was an exciting start to the 21st century. What will the second decade bring? What new character will emerge if hippies, disco-ducks, techies, and philanderers are yesterday’s news?<br /><br />I believe there will be two newsworthy groups to emerge between 2010 and 2020. One big group will be the Dumpies, so named because life leaves them down in the dumps. Many in this group are old hippies who flourished during the ‘60s and forgot to grow up. Not all Dumpies were hippies. Many Dumpies became Dumpies simply because, like dinosaurs, they failed to notice the weather changing. They simply followed in their parents’ footsteps, faithfully believing that all they had to do was go to school, get a job, buy a house, save money, retire on a company pension, collect Social Security, and live happily ever after at the country club. The formula worked for their parents -- the WWII generation – so why shouldn’t it work for them?<br /><br />The problem is, the rules of money changed. In 1971 President Nixon took the world off the gold standard and in 1974 the predecessor to the 401(k) plan emerged. Suddenly savers were losers as inflation took off, debtors were winners, and people turned to gambling with real estate and in the stock market as the guarantee of a retirement check for life disappeared. <br /><br />In the coming decade, I believe we will be hearing more and more stories of Dumpies -- well educated, hard-working, successful, prosperous people who will find themselves out of time, out of money, and dependent upon government or family support in their golden years.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The New, the Young, the Prosperous</span><br /><br />The second group you will hear more about is the new, young, global mega-rich. They are internationally minded plutocrats who are the beneficiaries of globalization and the technical revolution. They are being pushed along by the fall of communism, the spread of economic globalization, and the impact of the internet as technology makes information and communication free or almost free. Most are 40 or younger today.<br /><br />This rise of the new global mega-rich is happening as established institutions are falling. The fall runs the gamut from the music business and traditional media to the Detroit automakers who find themselves obsolete, outmaneuvered, and out-priced by entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, Mumbai, Shanghai, and even Siberia.<br /><br />We live in an era of unprecedented opportunity for the smartest, most persistent, and creative among us. Whole new businesses will emerge around breakthrough products as revolutionary technologies accelerate capitalism’s creative destruction of slower industries.<br /><br />In this second decade, you will see the middle class of the West being hollowed out, creating the Dumpies of the world…modern dinosaurs of the evolutionary process. Both globalization and technology will have a punishing impact on those without intellect, luck, or chutzpah to profit from the changes. Machines, technology, and cheap labor in low-wage countries have pushed down wages in the West, aggravating the financial crisis for the obsolete and ill-informed.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Unprecedented Openness<br /></span><br />We live in an age of unprecedented openness. As stated earlier, technology has made information and communication free or almost free. There is more opportunity than ever before…yet that opportunity is largely theoretical: In America social mobility will reverse as many in the middle class become Dumpies.<br /><br />Between 1997 and 2001 the gap was as follows:<br /><br /> 1. The top 1% earned 24% of earnings growth.<br /> 2. The top 10% earned 49% of earnings growth.<br /> 3. The bottom 50% earned 13% of growth.<br /><br />Until 2008 none of this seemed to matter. The wonderful inventions, such as iphones, ipods, Twitter, Google, and Facebook kept us entertained like kids at Disneyland. <br /><br />At the same time, the expanding bubble of debt created a surreal environment of monetary nirvana. You could buy what you wanted, max out your credit cards, and pay off the cards with a home equity loan, as Santa’s sleigh ride continued. Who cared if the bottom 50% were being left behind? Who cared if the top 10% earned 49% of earning’s growth? Who cared if 10% of the population got richer while 90% were left behind? We had toys, we were hip, we had designer bling from China that made us look rich, and we could buy the house of our dreams for no money down. What could be better?<br /><br />As this financial crisis lingers on, the gap between the new plutocracy and the new Dumpies is becoming a pressing political issue. During the 1960s, the hippies dropped acid and dropped out. Today, as Dumpies, the largest demographic group (a.k.a. baby boomers, approximately 75 million strong…of which I am one) may wake up and drop back in. If they do, who knows where the political process, driven by their hippie values, will go? This is why the second decade of the 21st century will be more important than the first.<br /><br />Financial education is an important objective for this next decade. We cannot allow the gap to grow bigger. We must have financial education in our schools. Money will not close the gap -- only financial education will. If we do nothing, who knows what creature will emerge as the mascot of the new decade?<br /><br />To see the future, look to the past. Throughout history, political despots have emerged during times of economic crisis. Some famous characters are Mao, Stalin, Napoleon, and Milosevic.<br /><br />In 1933, four years after the 1929 crash, two figures arose from the Depression. One was Adolf Hitler. The other was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Many people believe Barack Obama is modeling himself after FDR. Which leads to the question: Who will play Hitler?<br /><br />SOURCE: http://finance.yahoo.com/expert/article/richricher/237392</span>Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-7534470342093329982010-04-08T20:36:00.000-07:002010-04-08T20:38:58.010-07:00The new BMW X6 M - A Thing of Beauty<object width="360" height="240"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ataU87N5nI0&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ataU87N5nI0&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="360" height="240"></embed></object>Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-44138841193542503412010-03-27T18:01:00.000-07:002010-03-27T18:12:52.043-07:00Oil Field Gifts - Gproducts.ca<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibyTg96WvZ2tC00moWgaiIzKXtTK91DhjO2b4fNwGerbGxw48OgtJVPV8EHLzl-OxWYrPxQiNn2LmXDvoHE-XVEv2wImKsmACgqWlLzQKFL7PwfueobCukCmjxc57KMEomRVRXKzWIvSI/s1600/GPRODUCTS+LOGO.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 119px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibyTg96WvZ2tC00moWgaiIzKXtTK91DhjO2b4fNwGerbGxw48OgtJVPV8EHLzl-OxWYrPxQiNn2LmXDvoHE-XVEv2wImKsmACgqWlLzQKFL7PwfueobCukCmjxc57KMEomRVRXKzWIvSI/s320/GPRODUCTS+LOGO.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453483852323613474" /></a><br /><br />For the most part pretty much all of the posts which I make have to do with other people's business. On this post I will showcase a recent business I have undertaken. I currently live in Calgary Alberta Canada, which is at the heart of the oil & gas industry in Canada. While on Vacation overseas, I spotted some high quality gold plated executive oil field products. I instantly thought that there was a huge market for this back at home.<br /><br />6 months later and some hard work later, I put together a website which markets the products to the local market here in Calgary. You can find the gold plated executive oil field gifts at <a href="http://www.gproducts.ca">http://www.gproducts.ca<br /></a> <br /><br />These gifts are highly unique and cater to a niche market. I just launched the company last week and already have 3 products sold to customers in the northern oil city of Ft. Mcmurray. My plan is to market these to people within the oil and gas industry and get some sales streaming through.<br /><br />I have created a small youtube video showcasing the products. Check it out below!<br /><br /><br /><object width="230" height="135"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3hI1yZJTHTk&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3hI1yZJTHTk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="330" height="235"></embed></object>Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-45799440222380204192010-03-12T11:23:00.000-08:002010-03-12T11:28:57.841-08:00How To Make Your First Billion (BBC radio show)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thegreatlifeguide.com/sites/panglin/_files/image/iStock_000000985949XSmall%20-%20cash%20road.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 351px; height: 342px;" src="http://www.thegreatlifeguide.com/sites/panglin/_files/image/iStock_000000985949XSmall%20-%20cash%20road.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br />Interesting series by the BBC called how to make your first billion. Focuses on tech industry in silicon valley California.<br /><br />Check it out<br /><br />http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p006h6pc/How_To_Make_Your_First_Billion_How_To_Make_Your_First_Billion_Episode_1/Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-66265754981407285452010-03-07T13:56:00.000-08:002010-03-07T14:00:55.713-08:00Top billionaire business tycoons who did not need a college degree<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tdbimg.com/files/2009/10/25/img-article---drop-out-gallery-launch_162208309128.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 397px; height: 302px;" src="http://www.tdbimg.com/files/2009/10/25/img-article---drop-out-gallery-launch_162208309128.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />It is really surprising to know that some of the most powerful entrepreneurs and top business tycoons did not attend college or if they did, they never graduated.<br /><br />Below is list of some very rich and successful people who did not go to college or need a degree in order to make it big:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Dhirubhai Ambani</span><br /><br />Dhirubhai Ambani never went to college. He was only 16 when he left for Aden to work as a gas station attendant. He returned to India to start his own business at only 26 years of age. Dhirubhai Ambani set up Reliance, the largest private sector company of India. Ambani family became one of the richest families in the world, with the fortune running into billions of dollars. The business empire got split between his sons Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani in 2005.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Subhash Chandra</span><br /><br />Subhash Chandra, the Indian Media Tycoon, dropped out of school in class 12. He is the man behind Zee TV, one of the most popular Satellite TV networks in India. At just 19 years of age, he started a vegetable oil unit and after some time he began exporting food grains. He ventured into packaging business in 1981, set up Essel World Amusement Park in 1988. He started Zee in 1992. Forbes’ 2009 estimated his net worth to be $ 1.1 billion.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Gautam Adani</span><br /><br />Indian Entrepreneur and Self Made Billionaire Gautam Adani, is the man behind Adani Group, one of the leading diversified conglomerates of India. Gautam Adani a college dropout, was only in his teens when he came to Mumbai where he got the job of a diamond sorter. After some time, he started a diamond brokerage business. He entered the Plastics Business in the 80s. In the late 90s Adani diversified into infrastructure. Had net worth of $ 1.6 Billion according to Forbes’ 2009.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Bill Gates</span><br /><br />The richest man in the world and the the Chairman of Microsoft, Bill Gates, is a Harvard University dropout. He dropped out of college to concentrate on software development business. He co-founded Microsoft along with Paul Allen. According to Forbes 2009, he had a net worth of $ 40 Billion.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Paul Allen</span><span class="fullpost"><br /><br />Paul Allen started Microsoft along with Bill Gates after dropping out from Washington State University. They became friends when they were at the Lakeside School, Seattle. Both of them had keen interest in computers. After schooling Gates went to Harvard University and Allen to Washington State University. Paul Allen dropped out after 2 years to work as a programmer. He convinced Gates to drop out so that they could focus on software development. His wealth according to forbes 2009 was $ 10.5 billion.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Larry Ellison</span><br /><br />Larry Ellison is the CEO and co-founder of Oracle, the multi billion dollar enterprise software giant. He dropped out of University of Illinois and later from University of Chicago. He worked as a computer programmer for a number companies. Started Oracle in 1977 with an investment of $ 2000. Forbes’ 2009 estimated net worth to be $ 22.5 billion.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Michael Dell</span><br /><br />Micheal Dell is the founder of Dell Computers. Micheal Dell dropped out from the University of Texas at 19 years of age to venture into the computer business. He started with just $1000 dollars which he turned into a multi billion dollar corporate empire. Forbes’ 2009 estimated his net worth to be $ 12.3 billion.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Steve Jobs</span><br /><br />Steve Jobs, the co-founder and CEO of Apple, dropped out of Reed College, Portland, Oregon after completing just one semester. He started Apple 1976 along with his friend Stephen Wozniak. He introduced the Macintosh computer in the year 1984. He was also the co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios. Forbes’ 2009 estimated his net worth to be $ 3.4 billion.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Richard Branson</span><br /><br />British business tycoon Richard Branson started his first venture at only 16 years of age. Branson established the famous ‘Virgin Brand’ which includes companies such as Virgin Atlantic Airways, Virgin Mobile and Virgin Records. Forbes’ 2009 estimated his net worth to be $ 2.5 billion.<br /><br />Does this mean that one should dropout in order to become rich and successful? Well, I don’t think so. Dropping out is not a good idea. Starting a business without any qualification may turn out to be risky, the individual may end up losing everything.<br /><br />Why these people succeeded is because they knew what they were doing. They had the necessary skill and talent. Also they had complete knowledge about the business they were entering into. And after all, everybody is not Bill Gates or Dhirubhai Ambani.</span>Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-39687709545598580052010-02-20T12:36:00.000-08:002010-02-20T12:44:27.841-08:00A Million Before Finishing School<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://l.yimg.com/a/p/fi/27/60/38.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 170px; height: 170px;" src="http://l.yimg.com/a/p/fi/27/60/38.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />When Wells was bemoaning the price of his lenses, four retailers dominated the U.K. prescription glasses market; all relied on pricey retail stores to move their merchandise.<br /><br />Wells figured he could move the entire purchasing process online. All he needed was a factory to make the lenses, assemble them with frames and package them. He would then ship them to shoppers, who would simply e-mail or mail in their prescriptions and pay for their glasses online. Without the costly infrastructure, Wells could sell glasses for about one-tenth the price of the established brick-and-mortar players.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Getting Started</span><br /><br />A nifty new business model isn't nearly enough to launch a thriving company, let alone when you're 21 and have no track record. "I was knocking on the door of an industry, saying, 'The way that you're selling glasses is wrong, and I've got a better idea,'" says Wells.<br /><br />Luckily he had friends and family members who agreed to put up a few thousand pounds to help him get started. Wells didn't disappoint: In the first year, Glasses Direct's revenue topped $2 million. And unlike many zealous entrepreneurs, Wells figured out how to manage his cash flow to bootstrap the business. The company took credit card payments upfront but didn't pay suppliers for another month. Wells used part of the float to hire a public relations firm to hype his low-cost strategy.<br /><br />The next year Wells turned to professional angel investors. "With some investors, I simply walked in to a meeting with a sales graph and let that speak for itself," says Wells. As demand grew, Wells raised $34 million in venture capital from the likes of Highland Capital, Index Ventures, and Munich-based Acton Capital Partners. That should tide Wells over until he turns his first profit.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Asking for Help</span><br /><br />Wells believes his age and inexperience helped him. "Having a young founder helps to add a lot of personality to a business," he says. Still, you can't cover payroll with personality.<br /><br />Recognizing his limitations (yet another challenge for many entrepreneurs), Wells sought out mentors, including ophthalmologist Dr. David Spalton, and David Magliana, a marketing guru who helped bag the 2012 summer Olympic games for London. While Spalton lent credibility with the eye-care community, Magliana worked with Wells on getting the word out about Glasses Direct.<br /><br />"As an entrepreneur, it's a lot easier than you'd think to reach out to people," says Wells. On the flipside, "entrepreneurs love to be written to and asked for their advice," he adds. "If your question is appropriate for them and they're emotionally interested in you, you will get a letter back, and you will get to meet them for coffee."<span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://l.yimg.com/a/p/fi/27/60/47.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 170px; height: 170px;" src="http://l.yimg.com/a/p/fi/27/60/47.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Running on Empty: Michael Furdyk</span><br /><br />In 1996, as the dot-com boom started to simmer, Michael Furdyk started a Web site, called MyDesktop.com, an online computer magazine, in the basement of his parents' home in suburban Toronto. Furdyk was 16 and a bona fide computer geek. His site was filled with tips and advice Furdyk gleaned in online chat rooms, where he also came across fellow teenager Michael Hayman in Australia. The twosome figured they could turn their passion for technology into a paying business. Hayman was so convinced that he moved to Toronto to get things started.<br /><br />Just one problem: Their only source of income was Furdyk's paper route. Solution: barter. In exchange for Web site storage space, they ran their host's ads on MyDesktop.com. They negotiated cheap rent on their modest office by designing their landlord's Web site.<br /><br />Soon MyDesktop.com was bringing in $60,000 a month in advertising revenue from blue-chip clients like Microsoft and IBM. Furdyk and Hayman used some of their excess cash to scoop up smaller technology sites for $5,000 to $10,000 apiece. By 1999 the company was attracting 1 million unique visitors a month (serious numbers back then). Furdyk, Hayman and a third partner sold the company to Internet.com for "over $1 million," says Furdyk.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Absorbing the Blows</span><br /><br />As part of the MyDesktop sale, Furdyk and company received a small amount of venture capital funding for their next project, a product review site called Buybuddy.com. They raised an additional $5 million and brought on an outside management team. But the good times were short-lived. In 2001 the tech bubble burst; Buybuddy suffered and shut down within three years.<br /><br />Furdyk hasn't soured on entrepreneurship; indeed, he is promoting it via TakingITglobal.com, a nonprofit social networking site he launched for youngsters and educators interested in using technology to solve global problems. "Never be afraid of failure," says Furdyk. "Just learn from it. When you're young you have even less to lose."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://l.yimg.com/a/p/fi/27/61/43.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 170px; height: 119px;" src="http://l.yimg.com/a/p/fi/27/61/43.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">MyYearbook.com: Catherine Cook</span><br /><br />In 2005 Catherine Cook, 15, and her brother Dave, 17, were flipping through their high school yearbook and came up with the idea to develop a free interactive version online. The Cooks soon merged their social networking site with Zenhex.com, an ad-supported site where users post homemade quizzes, more than doubling traffic to their site. By 2006 MyYearbook had raised $4.1 million from the likes of U.S. Venture Partners and First Round Capital. The business attracted advertisers such as Neutrogena, Disney and ABC, grew to 3 million members worldwide and raked in annual sales in the "seven figures," says Catherine.<br /><br /><a href="http://customsites.yahoo.com/financiallyfit/finance/article-108871-4204-0-how-they-made-1-million-before-graduation">SOURCE</a></span>Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-89053585566515260962010-02-13T08:16:00.000-08:002010-02-13T08:27:17.473-08:00Will You Get Rich One Day?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.treehugger.com/r52784_142108.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 468px; height: 379px;" src="http://www.treehugger.com/r52784_142108.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />About a third of us think we will. And more than a few of us believe a ticket out of our workaday financial worries will have lottery numbers printed on it.<br /><br />In this land of opportunity, Americans may believe that it's harder to get rich than it used to be. But when asked about the likelihood of getting rich personally, about one-third say it's very or somewhat likely that they will attain wealth because of their work, investments, inheritance or good luck.<br /><br />On the other hand, 63% say it's not too likely or not at all likely they'll get rich. Just 2% volunteered that they're already rich.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What is rich, anyway?</span><br />Most people don't equate wealth with a yacht in the Mediterranean and a house on every continent. A meager 7% of respondents define "rich" by possessions such as houses, cars and boats.<br /><br />Instead, for at least 33% of Americans, rich means having enough money not to worry, according to the survey. That's a subjective definition that varies with lifestyle and attitude. An additional 26% define rich as having enough money to quit their jobs.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://blstb.msn.com/i/1D/6F8D769AB93C2666039F8722D4B.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 450px; height: 403px;" src="http://blstb.msn.com/i/1D/6F8D769AB93C2666039F8722D4B.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />"I think there is a paradox about it. People could live smaller than they do. There are a lot of McMansion inhabitants who could do that if they wanted to, but they slide on the golden handcuffs, and that is part of what keeps you from feeling rich," says Peter Rodriguez, an associate professor of business administration at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business.<br /><br />Few people put dollar amounts on the definition of wealth. Just 17% say that being rich means having a net worth of $1 million or more, and 11% say a six-figure annual income makes someone rich.<br /><br />Most people who are rich don't consider themselves rich. It's a relational feeling, Rodriguez says.<br /><br />"For example, you take someone who has been earning $40,000 a year and bump them up to $100,000 -- they feel rich," he says. "Even if they increase their lifestyle, they don't have to worry about their old bills anymore. But if you take someone who is making $150,000, they feel poor unless they make $300,000."<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">How to get rich</span><br />One-fifth of Americans believe that starting a business is the most likely way to get rich today.<br /><br />History supports that belief. Most self-made millionaires are small-business owners, says Greg McBride, Bankrate.com's senior financial analyst.<br /><br />Choosing a high-paying job or career comes in second (19%) as the most likely path to getting rich.<br /><br />Unfortunately for most people, having a high-paying job is the ticket to an expensive lifestyle and nothing more lasting, says Todd Tresidder, a financial coach at FinancialMentor and self-made millionaire.<br /><br />Surprisingly, just 9% of survey respondents say real-estate investments offer a likely path to wealth. Though U.S. real-estate investors have gotten creamed in the past year, it's been a major moneymaker for some over the years, though it's by no means a sure thing.<br /><br />"You do have to have deep pockets to play the game," says Dan Danford, the CEO of the Family Investment Center in St. Joseph, Mo.<br /><br />Real estate offers a couple of advantages.<br /><br />"The research shows that owning your own business and real estate are two of the most common paths to achieving wealth and financial security," Tresidder says. "There is a reason for that. Owning your own business and real estate have two principles: They have leverage and tax advantages."<br /><br /><br />Surprisingly, perhaps, 15% of people say that getting lucky via the lottery or an inheritance is the most likely road to riches, while another 15% point to living frugally and saving money as best.<br /><br />Though living frugally may not have you living like a Rockefeller, it's a more likely route to wealth than winning the lottery.<br /><br />"Living frugally and saving money are helpful, sure, but winning the lottery isn't even a plan. That's called hope," Tresidder says.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Motivations for becoming rich</span><br />Despite what advertising messages might convey, most people don't pursue wealth for material reasons. Only 11% of those surveyed say they want to be rich to afford material things and pursue leisure activities.<br /><br />Instead, 41% of Americans say they wish to become wealthy so they can provide a better life and future for their children. And 18% say they'd like to be rich in order to take care of parents or other family members.<br /><br />Americans sometimes sabotage themselves or are too anxious about current economic conditions to take steps toward prosperity. Danford has a fatalistic point of view when it comes to getting rich.<br /><br />"I work with a broad spectrum of people, and one of the truisms I've come up with is: People who have money will always have money, and people who don't (have money) won't ever have money."<br /><br />The majority of Americans appear to agree, according to Bankrate's poll. But optimism prevails with at least a third of Americans who aspire to be wealthy.<br /><br /><a href="http://money.ca.msn.com/banking/bankrate/article.aspx?cp-documentid=23433300&page=2">Source</a><br /><br /></span>Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-56201331853580761232010-02-08T22:14:00.001-08:002010-02-08T22:14:34.855-08:00SCENTEVENTS - 2+2 = CHA CHING<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hQabvD4f_ac&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hQabvD4f_ac&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-41933343409951394092010-01-23T09:56:00.000-08:002010-01-23T09:58:30.120-08:00Website Worth Over 10 Million In Less Than 2 yearsWe’ve seen a host of deals recently in the Twitter app space, but here’s one that we now know didn’t happen: TwitPic selling out for north of $10 million.<br /><br />Although he doesn’t say who the prospective buyer was, TwitPic (Twitpic) creator Noah Everett has revealed in an interview with Andrew Warner of Mixergy that he turned down an offer of “much higher than $10 million” at some point last year.<br /><br />Beyond that, Everett says that Twitter (Twitter)’s most popular photo sharing site brought in $1.5 million of revenue during 2009, 70 percent of which went to the bottom line. Not bad for what started as one man’s side project without outside funding.<br /><br />Check out the full interview below for some more details about one of Twitter’s biggest success stories to-date:<br /><br />FOLLOW THE LINK BELOW TO WATCH HIS INTERVIEW<br /><br />http://mashable.com/2010/01/14/twitpic-valuation/<br /><br />source:mashable.comRana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-4417769856197962532010-01-10T12:21:00.000-08:002010-01-10T12:23:37.579-08:00Billionaire predictions 2010<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.eztrunnion.com/images/crystal_ball.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 282px;" src="http://www.eztrunnion.com/images/crystal_ball.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Even as most billionaires saw their wealth increase in 2009 along with rising stock markets, some remain cautious and believe that 2010 will continue to test the global economy.<br /><br />We queried billionaires from around the world to get their thoughts on topics ranging from global warming and the weakening dollar to the price of gold and best places to invest in 2010. Ten answered our 10-question survey, but few agreed on most subjects. Whereas nearly all of the billionaires quizzed a year ago predicted an economic recovery, this year's participants were less unanimous.<br /><br />The most bullish of the group predicted double-digit stock market gains in the coming year. Time Square tycoon Leon Charney predicted a 12% return in 2010. John Catsimatidis, another American who made a fortune largely in supermarkets and gas stations, concurs, stating that the market has to go up and will probably double over the next seven years. The biggest surprise of 2010? "The market hitting 12,000," Catsimatidis said.<br /><br />Others thought the recent recovery would be short-lived and that returns would be minimal. Asked what direction his country's stock market would move and what returns he anticipated, Canadian David Cheriton quipped, "Sideways at best. So, none or slightly negative."<br /><br />The billionaire respondents also gave wildly varying advice when asked about the best asset to own in 2010. All but one who abstained recommended a different investment. Among their picks: high-end art, real estate, distressed debt, cash, gold and stocks. Stanford professor Cheriton, who made his billions from a chunk of Google stock he'd been given by former students Sergey Brin and Larry Page, named the Internet company's stock as the best asset. The most practical advice came from Pharmaceutical tycoon Randal J. Kirk: "The best financial assets for a person to own would be those over which he has peculiar knowledge of expertise."<br /><br />While most were gold bugs calling the commodity a buy or hold, two were vocal dissenters. Hollywood producer of such films as Pretty Woman and Marley and Me, Arnon Milchan called it a "place to go when you're scared; I don't see gold as a player in a healthy economy." Concurred Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, "Gold is a religion; it's not an asset class. It is always a bubble, so I am a sell."<br /><br />The question that seemed to provoke the most detailed and impassioned responses was the one asking billionaires for their thoughts on the most alarming trend facing the economy today. Answers included rising unemployment, government spending, inflation and the poor education system. "I'm particularly alarmed by the decline in our commitment to a public education that will prepare our children to navigate a society defined by science and technology," says Kirk. Catsimatidis finds alarming the dearth of lending to small and medium-sized businesses, with "great credit" a sentiment echoed by Cuban, who cited President Barack Obama's administration's ignorance of how entrepreneurs start small businesses.<br /><br />As for the biggest surprises, both Charney and Cheriton predicted problems for President Obama. "Obama's approval rating will drop below the lowest level Bush ever had as unemployment continues to rise," said Cheriton. Perhaps a bigger surprise would be Obama's return to favor, but no one is predicting that outcome.<br /><br />On a lighter note, Cuban is betting that the biggest shocker will be the news that Tiger Woods will remarry.<br /><br /><a href="http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/personal-finance/article/forbes/1389/billionaire-predictions-2010">SOURCE</a>Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-14631251256977966612009-12-25T09:40:00.000-08:002009-12-25T09:47:36.227-08:00Breaking The Bank- Inside Look at Washington & Wall StreetThis reveals the inside story of two banks at the heart of the financial crisis—Bank of America and Merrill Lynch—the rocky merger, and the government's new role in taking over the American banking system. <br /><br />The bets were huge and risky—billions of dollars on the housing market. The upside was undeniable—superbanks reaped billions of dollars, dominated the landscape, and gobbled up competitors. <br /><br />Then the bottom dropped out—the massive losses on Wall Street nearly broke the banks. In the worst crisis in decades, brand name banks are on the brink. Now as the federal government implements an unprecedented intervention in the industry, FRONTLINE goes behind closed doors to tell the inside story of how things went so wrong so fast and to document efforts to stabilize Wall Street. Veteran FRONTLINE producer Michael Kirk (Inside the Meltdown) untangles the complicated financial and political web threatening one particular superbank—Bank of America.<br /><br />Watch the full show here http://video.pbs.org/video/1168339502/<br /><br />Check out the preview below<br /><br /><object width="300" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9FEXZ49dl_Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9FEXZ49dl_Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="360" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Here is the PreviewRana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-80884583850700719462009-12-12T19:25:00.000-08:002009-12-12T19:27:24.291-08:0026 Year Old Internet Millionaire Interview<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pHy1aYkO1QY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pHy1aYkO1QY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-78564672890687191892009-11-29T18:37:00.000-08:002009-11-29T18:50:10.991-08:00High Risk Venture's - Tourism in IRAQ<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.ccun.org/images/2008/November/21%20p/Shi%27i-Sunni%20anti-pact%20protest%20in%20baghdad%2021n8ina.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="http://www.ccun.org/images/2008/November/21%20p/Shi%27i-Sunni%20anti-pact%20protest%20in%20baghdad%2021n8ina.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Two car bombs killed more than 150 people in Baghdad in late October, one of the worst attacks in years. Even so, British tour operator Geoff Hann has no plans to stop arranging trips to Iraq through his company, Hinterland Travel. “Bombings in Baghdad happen all the time,” he says, somewhat dismissively.<br /><br />Hann returned home to England after his last trip just two days before the dual blasts, having spent the previous three weeks guiding a group of American tourists (and a couple of armed guards) through the country in a minibus. So far this year Hann has taken about 60 travellers from North America, Europe and Taiwan to Iraq — at an average $4,000 a pop — the first tours he’s led since the U.S. and British invasion in 2003.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />Currently, his company is the only one providing trips to Iraq — but that could soon change. A recent report from market research firm Euromonitor International says tourism there is on the rise. Indeed, the Iraqi government has already gotten into the act, announcing earlier this year that visitors can spend a night in a room in one of former dictator Saddam Hussein’s palaces for US$175.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Iraq features some of the oldest historical sites in the world, such as the ancient cities of Babylon and Eridu, and the government is adamant about developing a tourism industry to attract some much-needed investment. Iraqi universities now teach tourism courses, and last year, the government held a contest for the best tourism poster design.<br /><br />The number of visitors to Iraq plummeted in 2003, but has since recovered, climbing to 119,700 in 2008. Euromonitor estimates an annual growth rate of 6% until 2012. Nearly 95% of the visitors will be so-called religious tourists from Iran, mostly Shiite pilgrims who visit holy sites in the cities of Najaf and Karbala. But the government still needs to provide adequate accommodations (many hotels are in direpair) to attract religious tourists from other countries, and to provide a stepping-stone to develop the kind of leisure tourism Hann provides.<br /><br />Kurdistan, a relatively safe region in northern Iraq, is already well on its way to meeting this goal. The region has been spared the violence that continues to shake the rest of the country, and boasts a friendly foreign-investment climate. Much hotel renovation and construction work is on the go. A Sheraton opened recently, and the Malia Group in Lebanon is building a 205-room luxury hotel to be completed next year. A handful of travel agencies offer trips to Kurdistan, including Bestway Tours & Safaris in Burnaby, B.C., which hopes to organize its first excursion for 2010.<br /><br />But the rest of Iraq is a far tougher sell. Investment will only come once a degree of safety is established, and investors are still hesitant. Many plans have fallen through. A consortium of American private equity firms announced intentions last year to build an amusement park in Baghdad designed by Ride & Show Engineering Inc., the same company that developed Disneyland in California. But the financial backers pulled out months ago.<br /><br />Hann, however, is unfazed. He’s already organizing his next trip for March. “I don’t like security travelling with us very much,” he admits. “It stops us from going to places we could otherwise quietly go to.” Any takers?</span><br /><br /><a href="http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/personal-finance/article/canadianbusiness/1330/tourism-of-duty-in-iraq">SOURCE</a>Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-32091547542642419952009-11-25T19:16:00.000-08:002009-11-25T19:17:56.802-08:009 Billion in Sales From Imitating Cocaine!<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-8Xj32tf2DE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-8Xj32tf2DE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-90124195536550370752009-11-11T18:51:00.000-08:002009-11-11T18:56:19.971-08:0021 Year Old Kid Chooses Cards Over College & Makes $8 Million<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.pokernews.com/files_en/cnt/4af9558e12664.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 265px; height: 175px;" src="http://www.pokernews.com/files_en/cnt/4af9558e12664.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />LAS VEGAS – A 21-year-old Michigan poker professional who chose cards over college won the World Series of Poker main event in Las Vegas early Tuesday, winning $8.55 million and becoming the youngest player to win the tournament in its 40-year history.<br /><br />Joe Cada of Shelby Township, Mich., turned over a pair of nines early after 46-year old Darvin Moon called his all-in wager with a suited queen-jack, setting up an about-even race for most of the chips on the table.<br /><br />But a board of two sevens, a king, an eight and a deuce didn't connect with either player's cards and gave Cada the win.<br /><br />"I ran really well and I never really thought this was possible," Cada said. "It was one of those dreams and I'm thankful it came true."<br /><br />The hand abruptly ended a final table that saw Moon, a logger from western Maryland, bounce back to a dominant chip lead after being down 2-1 in chips to start the night.<br /><br />"I knew if I could catch, I got him," Moon said of the final hand. "I just took a shot."<br /><br />Cada broke a record for the tournament's youngest winner set last year by Peter Eastgate of Denmark. Cada is 340 days younger than Eastgate.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><br />The record was previously held for two decades by 11-time gold bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, who posed for pictures with Cada after the win.<br /><br />He also posed with his mother, Ann Cada, a dealer at MotorCity Casino Hotel in downtown Detroit.<br /><br />"My baby," Ann Cada said as she approached her son with cameras snapping.<br /><br />When asked what's next for him after reaching the pinnacle for poker so early in his career, Cada said: "To win it back-to-back."<br /><br />Moon and Cada traded the lead several times in 88 hands spanning nearly three hours of play, with one 20-minute break.<br /><br />Moon erased Cada's lead in 12 hands, revealing a pair of queens during a showdown to rake in a pot worth millions of chips. Cada shook his head after he lost and briefly stood up from the table, walking over and chatting with two of his supporters.<br /><br />After some chip-shifting, Cada was ahead by less than 4 million chips after 52 hands, with 194.8 million chips in play.<br /><br />But Moon stormed to nearly a 100 million-chip lead after the break, visibly frustrating Cada and leaning on him to make tougher decisions.<br /><br />Fortunes changed when Moon pounced on a board with two 10s, a nine and a five to put Cada's entire tournament at risk. After a sip of bottled water and several minutes of thinking, Cada called the bet and flipped over a nine for a pair.<br /><br />Moon held a straight draw but didn't hit his hand on the river, giving the lead back to Cada and drawing roars from the crowd.<br /><br />"I should have went all-in on the flop. He made a phenomenal call," Moon said. "That's why he's the champion."<br /><br />Moon won $5.18 million for second place.<br /><br />"I only play good when my back's against the wall," said Cada, who was nearly ousted from the tournament on Saturday when he held about 1 percent of the chips in play after 123 hands.<br /><br />The players traded chips atop a table with a stack of cash and a gold bracelet on its felt, and in front of nearly 1,500 screaming fans in a capacity crowd at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.<br /><br />Their tug-of-war ended an epic tournament that began with 6,494 players in July.<br /><br />After a 115-day break, Cada and Moon endured more than 14 1/2 hours through 276 hands at the final table on Saturday and early Sunday, when they outlasted seven others to make it to heads-up play.<br /><br />Unlike Cada, who said he regularly plays about a dozen tournaments at a time online or three at a time in heads-up cash games, Moon hasn't played a single hand of online poker. He doesn't even own a computer or have an e-mail address.</span><br /><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091110/ap_on_sp_ot/world_series_of_poker"><br />SOURCE</a>Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-31591165960444083492009-11-02T18:41:00.000-08:002009-11-02T18:45:39.688-08:00Goldman Sachs Compensation Package<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.liquidmatrix.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Goldman.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 298px; height: 419px;" src="http://www.liquidmatrix.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Goldman.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /> <br /><br />Who would've ever thought that a Wall Street bank would have a dilemma over too much money? Now that Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE:GS) has blown away its third-quarter profit estimates, talk has turned to the boatloads of money the bank is expected to hand out in bonuses at year's end -- and the backlash that's likely to follow.<br /> <br />Thus far this year, Goldman has already set aside $16.7 billion for compensation, roughly 46% more than it did in the first three months of 2008, and just below the record amount of $16.9 billion set aside for the same period in 2007. So far the bonus pool is high enough to pay each Goldman employee $527,192 for the period, according to Bloomberg. Of course, all that bonus won't be divvied up equally, as John Carney wrote earlier this year.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><br /> * Goldman's senior executives -- known as PMDs for partner managing directors -- slice off a huge chunk of the revenue. In 2007, the top guys took around 20% of the total. This means that if compensation comes in at $20 billion this year, that's $4 billion for Goldman's 400 or so PMDs. If these guys and gals divided the money evenly, each PMD would take home a cool $10 million each.<br /><br /> * The guys who find the most favor with the compensation gods will likely take somewhere between $20 million to $40 million. Goldman has to disclose what they pay the executive management team -- guys like Lloyd Blankfein and CFO David Viniar.<br /><br /> * The next level down at Goldman are the executive managing directors. These are folks who didn't get tapped to join the inner circle of the partnership, but have been at the firm a long time or control a good book of business. They can probably expect to make somewhere between $2 million and $4 million a piece.<br /><br /> * The rest of Goldman's financial employees--the vice presidents, associates and analysts -- get paid according to their performance evaluations<br /><br />However the bonus pie gets sliced up, the total size is what critics will be keying in on. There's a line of critics around the block formed by those who are already gearing up for a fresh round of Goldman-hating, something the bank's management and public relations department are working overtime to blunt.<br /> <br />The latest rumor is that Goldman will make a $1 billion donation to charity, something that hard-pressed charities would welcome with open arms. However, a charitable contribution, particularly one of that size, could backfire and leave Goldman open to charges of an attempt to buy good will. <br /> <br />Critics will also be digging up quotes from Goldman's own CEO Lloyd Blankfein, who's had much to say on Wall Street compensation this year. In September, Blankfein said that "compensation continues to generate controversy and anger. And, in many respects, much of it is understandable and appropriate."<br /> <br />Still, the answer may be that Goldman will just have to pay the bonuses and weather the storm since the employees that made all that money for the firm are likely to insist on what they see as their fair share of income. And while Goldman is sure to get plenty of heat over bonuses, it won't be alone. The 23 largest financial institutions in the U.S. are on track to pay employees $140 billion in aggregate this year, a record high, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, inciting outrage among readers. - George White<br /><br /><a href="http://www.thedeal.com/dealscape/2009/10/goldman_sachs_bonus_compensati.php">Source:</a></span>Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-21671555941498797182009-10-20T18:35:00.000-07:002009-10-20T18:41:27.494-07:00Man Buys Condo For 56.6 Million Dollars!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/10/15/realestate/15property395.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 395px; height: 246px;" src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/10/15/realestate/15property395.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />HONG KONG — One of Hong Kong’s largest developers announced Wednesday that it had sold an apartment for 439 million Hong Kong dollars, setting a record, just hours after the city’s chief executive warned that the city might be facing a real estate bubble.<br /><br />The developer of the "Conduit Road 39" building in Hong Kong announced that a 6,158-square-foot duplex apartment in the building has sold for $56.5 million.<br /><br />The deal, valued at the equivalent of $56.6 million, set a record price per square foot for Hong Kong, and the developer, Henderson Land, said it was not aware of a higher figure’s having been paid anywhere else.<br /><br />Henderson Land declined to disclose the buyer’s name but said it was a company registered in Hong Kong. The buyer’s representative spoke the local dialect with a strong mainland Chinese accent and appeared to be spending money earned on the mainland, a Henderson representative said.<br /><br />As China’s economic recovery has gathered force this autumn, wealthy Chinese are pouring fortunes into Hong Kong real estate, producing a powerful surge in prices for luxury real estate. Hong Kong pegs its currency to the U.S. dollar and links its interest rates to American rates; with a flood of money pouring into local banks, adjustable-rate mortgages are available in Hong Kong for an initial rate as low as 2.05 percent, fueling real estate speculation.<br /><br />Donald Tsang, the city’s chief executive, cautioned in his annual policy address Wednesday that the boom might not last.<br /><br />“The relatively small number of residential units completed and the record prices attained in certain transactions this year have caused concern about the supply of flats, difficulty in purchasing a home and the possibility of a property bubble,” Mr. Tsang said.<br /><br />International comparisons of apartment prices per square foot are difficult because different locales have different conventions on how to count terraces, common areas and other features.<br /><br />Hong Kong in particular has had many controversies over whether developers have overstated the square footage of apartments and the value per square foot of often-complicated transactions.<br /><br />Henderson Land said that the apartment on Hong Kong Island, near the top of a skyscraper overlooking Victoria Harbor, was a two-story unit with five bedroom suites. It measures 572 square meters, or 6,157 square feet, and has a garden of 340 square feet, for a price per square foot of 71,289 Hong Kong dollars, including the garden. That measurement includes common areas like elevator lobbies that are partially allocated to individual units.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><br /> Most real estate markets use a narrower definition of square footage, excluding such common areas. Henderson Land said the price per square foot of usable area, a more common international measure, was about 88,000 Hong Kong dollars, or $11,350.<br /><br />The apartment building has its own ballroom, outdoor swimming pool, fitness center and outdoor yoga area. Another unit on the same floor just sold for 397 million Hong Kong dollars.<br /><br />Last month, a local businessman bought a one-bedroom apartment of 816 square feet at a luxury development across the harbor in Kowloon for 24.5 million dollars.<br /><br />Hong Kong’s real estate market is unusual because the local government owns virtually all of the land and leases it to developers for periods of as long as 99 years. Each lease contains strict zoning rules governing the square footage of the building that may be erected, how the building may be used and other uses; changes to the lease typically require lengthy negotiations with the government, as well as very large payments.<br /><br />Hong Kong has more than 1,000 old industrial buildings left from its days as a manufacturing hub before almost all of the factories moved across the border to mainland China in the 1980s and 1990s to take advantage of low-cost labor.<br /><br />Because of a strict requirement that they be used by manufacturing companies, many of the buildings are vacant or serve as warehouses for manufacturers across the border even though the buildings occupy prime locations. And here is the rest of it.<br /><br />Still, the record price set Wednesday is not likely to last long. The latest deal was for an apartment on the second-highest floor at 39 Conduit Road; the penthouse has yet to go on sale, with Henderson Land expecting to price it at 100,000 Hong Kong dollars per square foot, or $12,900.</span>Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-70288544530111584542009-10-15T20:45:00.000-07:002009-10-15T20:46:33.343-07:00The Accidental Entrepreneur<span style="font-weight:bold;">Davids Farm – The Redneck Resort</span><br /><br />Davids calls his farm a “Redneck Resort”. You can watch his videos for yourself and make your own decision.<br /><br />Good or bad; high class, low class, mid class, or no class – it doesn’t matter. These folks deliver the viewer ad click-throughs to google ads that appear on their video pages – and in return, they get compensated.<br /><br />Here is David at the “Redneck Resort” showing off his $14,000 check from Google for the month of July.<br /><br />$14,000 in a month, at the Redneck Resort, just having fun. Who needs a Business Plan – David is yet another Accidental Entrepreneur.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vn1qlUgh2Dw&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vn1qlUgh2Dw&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841180686226364738.post-28403567557495567972009-10-06T19:15:00.000-07:002009-10-06T19:26:26.815-07:00Making A Statement- Presenting The 2010 Rolls Royce GhostThis is definitley one of the most prestigious brands in the world. Rolls Royce is he cream of the crop and enjoyed by the top 1% of the worlds population. What do these people have that the rest of the 99% of the world don't? 2 simple things, a highly successful business, and or a skill which is extremely high in demand ie) energy traders or professional athletes.<br /><br />Nobody will tell you how to do it, or when to do it, but those people with enough drive and motivation can achieve extraordinary success and enjoy the finer things in life.<br /><br />So with that being said, check out the preview for the new 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost.<br /><br /><object width="360" height="240"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nj5HbRUcG3A&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nj5HbRUcG3A&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="360" height="240"></embed></object>Rana V (R.V.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07584640385219825479noreply@blogger.com0