Tag: creating wealth

Are You Ready for Extraordinary Success?

Dexter and Pamela Montgomery
Dexter and Pamela Montgomery

Have you ever wondered why some people are so successful and you

just can’t quite seem to reach the level of success that you

deserve and desire? I know how you feel! Well, I recently read a

fantastic book that may have the answers to your questions about

achieving an extraordinary level of success. I find that reading

business books by authors who are wildly successful inspire me and

give me a broader perspective on my business. You may want to

take 30 minutes every day to read a book that will help keep you

motivated.

The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and

Failure

According to Grant Cardone, a New York Times best-selling author

and internationally recognized sales training expert, successful

people know and follow the 10X Rule. In his latest book,

The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and

Failure, Cardone sets forth the principle that if you

adjust your actions and thinking to 10X levels you will guarantee

success. This very readable and exciting book is not your ordinary

business book about setting goals and achieving them. This book

sets forth a way of life that allows you to (1) create

extraordinary achievement, (2) ensure that you will keep it, and

(3) create new levels of achievement without it feeling like work.

I found it motivational, inspirational, and eye-opening. It helped

me focus on what was really important in achieving extraordinary

success.

Are You Ready for The 10X Challenge™?

The information in this book is extremely helpful for anyone who

wants to receive greater levels of success in any area of life. I

would highly recommend it to any aspiring real estate investor or

other entrepreneur. You can find the book at http://ConnieLoves.me/ProductivityBookList

Are you ready for The 10X Challenge™? Are you ready to set gigantic

goals and take the massive action necessary to achieve those

goals? If you are ready to achieve extraordinary success, follow

my blog so that you get the latest information on how you can

achieve extraordinary success. Over the next few days, I will be

writing about some of the tips set out in The 10X Rules.

Conclusion

We would love to hear from you. Let us know if you plan to join us

in The 10X Challenge™. Send us an e-mail:

dexter@thebookoninvesting.com.

Remember that with real estate investing as one part of your

financial plan, you can create the life of your dreams by following

a few time-proven strategies and techniques. Download a free

article on real estate investing at: www.thebookoninvesting.com

What Has Your Education Done For You Lately?

Dexter with Steve Wozniak, Co-Founder of Apple.
Dexter with Steve Wozniak, Co-Founder of Apple.

Are you $80,000.00 in debt for your college education and can’t make

a decent living? A recent story on the CNN’s Money website really

caught my eye and made me wonder, what has your education done for

you lately? Are you learning the right things in school for today’s

global economy? Or, are you learning an antiquated educational

curriculum that is irrelevant to today’s economy? I surmise that you

are still doing the same old thing and expecting a different result

as it relates to your education, your professional career

objectives, and your personal economy.

MBA’s: A Dime a Dozen?

Case in point, the CNN story entitled, “My Master’s wasn’t Worth It” (http://money.cnn.com/gallery/news/economy/2013/01/24/masters-degree-debt/index.html?iid=HP_LN), highlighted a young man who spent

$120,000 to earn a Master of Business Administration(MBA) and

another Masters Degree only to find that he could not find a job.

This young man stated that people with MBA’s and Master Degrees

are a dime a dozen and that after interviewing with various

companies, he was told that he was either “overqualified” or” high

risk”. The high risk part really surprised me. This means that

because of his high level of education, the company did not want to

hire him because they thought he would leave if he were offered

another job making more money.

So back to my question for you, what has your education done for you

lately? Don’t’ get me wrong, I am not against education. As a matter

of fact, I have advanced degrees in business and in management.

However, I believe that you must have the right education for

today’s economy. In addition, without the right education, you end

up at the whim of the business climate, or the company that you work

for. When things are good, things might be good for you. However,

when things are bad, you are thrown on the heap with all of the of

other advance degree holding folk trying to figure out what happened.

What is the Right Education?


So you are asking, what is the right education? Well, I believe that

the people who learn how to invest in real estate, or how to build

and buy businesses are the ones who will be hiring the MBA’s. After

all, somebody will have to run the day to day operations of the

company while the owners are vacationing in Maui. I also believe

that people who take their passions and turn them into businesses

will be wildly more successful than anyone with an MBA from a top

business school.

To learn more about the right education for this new economy, read

The Book On Investing (www.thebookoninvesting.com). In

The Book On Investing, we show you that with the right education and taking massive action, you can create the life of your dreams. Join The Savvy Investor Program™ today.

Conclusion

Remember that with real estate investing as one part of your financial plan, you can create the life of your dreams by following a few time-proven strategies and techniques. Download your free article on real estate investing at: www.thebookoninvesting.com

The Four Steps for Getting Started in Real Estate Investing

You may be thinking, “How do I begin investing in real estate?” 

“How do I take the first step?”  You may even have a more basic

question, “Is this something that I really want to do?”  This post

discusses the four steps that you should take to help you answer

the question whether real estate investing is the right path for
you. 

 Investigating the Possibilities

 

1.         Search the Internet: 

Start your investigation by using the Internet.

The Internet can be an invaluable source of information about

getting started in this business of acquiring real property to

sell, rent, or develop. You can find thousands of  experienced

investors on the Internet who have websites and blogs, offer free

on-line seminars, and who are willing to send you free information

that can help you get started.  Before spending any of your own

money, look to the Internet as a source of free, timely, and

important information on how to become successful in this area of

business. I use the word business, because to be successful, you

must treat investing  as a business and not a hobby.

 2.         Read Books:  Continue your

investigation by reading books. Start by educating yourself about

the business. Your public library is full of free books that you

can borrow to study and find out more in-depth information about

getting started in property investing. You can also buy books if

you think they will be a long-term resource in your education about

this business.

 

3.         Attend Seminars:  After you have

a basic familiarity about this topic, and think this may be the

type of business that you are truly interested in pursuing, then

you should attend seminars where

you can meet other like minded-individuals.  As you are

investigating the possibilities of getting started in this

business, these seminars can be invaluable sources of information. 

At a real estate seminar you can find a network of individuals who

can be the source of encouragement and potential

deals. 

 

4.         Conduct more specific

research: Once you have a better understanding of this

business and if you are still interested and excited, now you need

to get more specific in your investigations.  Find out about the

various opportunities for investing in real estate, such as: single-

family residential units, multifamily residential units, or

commercial properties like larger apartment complexes, shopping and

storage centers, and office

buildings. 

 Conclusion

Once you have

investigated the possibilities about investing in real estate by

searching the Internet, reading books, attending seminars, and

conducting more specific research about the various opportunities

available, then you need to make up your mind.   Is real estate

investing really for me? Once you decide, please let us know. We

would love to hear from you.

Remember that with real estate

investing as one part of your financial plan, you can create the

life of your dreams by following a few time-proven strategies and

techniques. Download a free article on real estate investing at: www.thebookoninvesting.com.

Building Better Business Relationships

JT Foxx_Dexter_Steadman Graham_MegaPartnering
Dexter with JT Foxx and Stedman Graham

Do you have the types of relationships that are beneficial to your career or business? Are you networking with the right people? As you know, Your Network equals your Net Worth!

Here are seven reasons why your success depends far more on those all-important relationships than you realize:

(1) Any entrepreneur will tell you that their greatest asset is their network or circle of influence. It’s where opportunities come from. And when it comes to networking, doing it old school is a major distinguishing factor versus social networking. When you have a personal relationship with someone that creates a level of trust that sets you apart from the virtual hordes on the Internet. People do business with people they trust and know.

(2) Strong relationships make it easier to get information. Information is power. It could be about a major project, a potential customer, a big deal or ways to save money. When it comes to important stuff, you have to give to get, and you’re not going to get anything valuable from somebody who doesn’t have a relationship with you.

(3) Relationships get people through tough times. We’ve learned that, all things being equal, a good personal relationship will help you keep your job, win the business, or gain whatever it is you need. It can make the difference when times are hard. It also means you have someone to lean on. Try leaning on someone you hardly know.

(4) The bigger your business becomes the higher the stakes, the bigger the deals, the more important everything becomes. And that means people have to look you in the eye and feel confident that they know who they are dealing with and that you’ll do what you say you’re going to do.

(5) Companies today are leaner, and that means they have fewer, but stronger relationships. No kidding. It’s the same reason why manufacturers minimize their number of vendors, suppliers and components. Because it’s more cost effective that way. Also, there’s a cost associated with bad business because you didn’t know the person as well as you should have and he failed to meet a commitment. In addition, they understand that building stronger relationships with customers, the create clients for life.

(6) It may be easier than ever to work and communicate virtually, but all that does is level the playing field, meaning there’s nothing that distinguishes your relationship with an individual. There’s no real connection, no real bond, and when push comes to shove, you can’t expect that person to do anything special or to go the extra mile for you.

(7) Building good relationships is important in just about every other country on earth than they are in the U.S. Why that is, I don’t know. It seems as though every culture devotes more time and energy to personal relationships than Americans do. And the more global our markets become, the more important it is to get with the program.

Free Networking Events
If you want to find out how you can build better business relationships then join us at one of our networking events.

Send us an email to get information about these free networking events at:

dexter@thebookoninvesting.com
or
pamela@thebookoninvesting.com.

Visit us at www.thebookoninvesting.com

Sometimes It’s Not Just About The Money!

Dex and Pam
Dexter and Pam

We’ve been talking to you about the importance of having the financial freedom to do what you love, but it is important not to confuse being rich with being happy. A dream life is not just about the money. Most extremely wealthy people will tell you that having lots of money doesn’t automatically guarantee happiness and satisfaction. Those come when money is not the goal but a tool you use to obtain what you really want out of life.

For example, Pamela’s initial goals were best obtained by looking for opportunities to be an active, healthier, more productive member of society. Of course, that involved spending money and doing things for herself, but it also meant doing things for others — which is the very important other end of the spectrum.

Philanthropy has been a huge part of our lives and we’re very involved with our church and local charities. This past Christmas, for example, we rang bells for the Salvation Army and met many kind-hearted individuals while standing in front of Wal-Mart. We have learned that it is important for us to give both money and time to charitable endeavors.

We’ve talked to you about having a dream, setting goals, and wanting more out of life than going to work every day, just trading hours for dollars. Of course there is nothing wrong with that but, if you are like us, you want and can achieve so much more out of life.

We’ve also talked to you about being able to help people, which is the other end of the happiness equation. Investing has given us the opportunity to create the kind of life we want to live.

Now, we want to help others do the same, to realize that relying on a traditional job for financial security (for them and their families) is just not the answer. We all need to work, but it doesn’t have to be the proverbial 9-5. We’re not saying that you need to quit your job today.

What we are saying to you is that while you’re working and have that income, try to create some other kind of business or investment opportunity. Finding financial freedom isn’t going to happen if you are just having a portion of your paycheck going into a savings account or mutual fund. That’s not going to be enough in today’s economy.

The answer is to find a way to make money from your passion. What is it that you want? What are your dreams? What is your WHY?

We have several coaches who help us fulfill our dreams. One of those coaches is Connie Ragen Green. Connie is such an inspirational person! She decided after many years of teaching and working a second job as a real estate broker to start an on-line marketing business. In a few short years she was making a 6 figure income from her efforts.

I have personally met and talked to Connie and participated in her training programs. If you want to enhance your career, jump start your new business, or take your current business to the next level follow the link at the end of this post for the FREE Super Summer Giveaway (it’s available year round) to get some outstanding free information!
Super Summer Giveaway

That’s right the information is FREE! Connie will help you start to see the possibilities!!

Book Launch in London

IMG_0359bigbenlondon2012
London: Big Ben at night

We just returned from London where we launched “The Book on Investing” www.thebookoninvesting.com in the U.K. at The Ultimate Author Bootcamp www.theultimateauthorbootcamp.com.

You should have been there! You could have met the many interesting and exciting people in London like we did. Perhaps you would have enjoyed the wonderful sights and sounds of Christmas as you visited the Winter Festival in Hyde Park or shopped on Regent Street or Sloane Square!!!

Have you ever dreamed of visiting London? Perhaps you dream of owning a bigger house or creating wealth for you and your family. I challenge you to dream big and to launch the life that you want live!

Making Your Dreams Come True
Dreams won’t necessarily come true on their own, although you’d be surprised how often clarifying what you want and focusing your thinking on something is enough to make it happen. There will be lots of new things to learn and tasks to be accomplished, so it is important to establish specific goals, with deadlines, and then take the necessary actions to meet or exceed your own expectations.
Perhaps you are one of those people who absolutely hate deadlines. Do they fill you with dread and create a level of anxiety that keeps you from doing anything at all? Not to worry, when set properly a deadline is your friend in that it motivates you to move forward and provide a wonderful, satisfying measure of success.

Our early experience summarizes what we’re talking about perfectly — we had a dream, a plan, and a set of goals. Critically, we continued to take the actions needed. Now, we are fulfilling an entirely new set of big and wonderful dreams.

This process is definitely not as monumental as it sounds. By laying out a plan for yourself and continually setting attainable goals, you can have outstanding success also.

If you are interested in finding out more about a successful goal attaining system that can help you achieve your goals go to our website www.thebookoninvesting.com to get a copy of the book.

Your Network Equals your Net Worth!

Does it seem to you that there never seems to be enough time to get everything done. Why is that? I don’t know. But I do know that, in an era of social networking, telecommuting, and virtual meetings, when it comes to business, the one thing that often gets sacrificed is developing relationships.

That’s a big mistake.

If you want to get anywhere in your business, one of the worst things you can do is just focus on being in the business and work, work, and more work to the exclusion of building relationships and widen your circle of influence.

Success today is all about building relationships. It is vitally important to build solid relationships with the people you work with, customers, clients, stakeholders — everyone in your immediate business circle.

And I’m not just talking about working relationships; I’m talking about your personal relationships with these people, where you break through the workplace persona people use for whatever reason and actually connect with the human being beneath.

Just to be clear, this isn’t about wasting people’s time. That’s a bad idea because, as I said before, that’s the one precious commodity that nobody has enough of these days. But if you do it right — if you’re genuine, open and sensitive to people’s boundaries — you’ll do fine.

Recently I attended a fabulous networking event in Chicago, Mega Partnering IV, sponsored by one of my business coaches, J.T. Foxx. Hundreds of the country’s top business owners and leaders attended. One of the general themes for this event was that your network equals your net worth. In other words, there is a direct correlation between the people that you associate with and your net worth. So, logic dictates that if you want to increase your net worth, then you should start to build relationships with higher net worth people. Remember, your network equals your net worth!
If you are interested in expanding your network and increasing your net worth, I would highly recommend that you join me in Dallas, May 4-6 for Mega Partnering V. Seats are limited, but I am able to invite a few friends. If you would like an invitation go to: https://foxx.infusionsoft.com/go/mega5prime/dextermontgomery

To learn more about building business relationships and increasing your net worth, go to www.thebookoninvesting.com.

More information for The Savvy Investor

 INVESTING BASICS FOR MAKING REAL ESTATE DEALS COME TO YOU

Do you have real estate deals coming to you? To have real estate deals coming to you, you will need to let people know that you are in business by placing ads in the newspaper, placing ads on the Internet, and placing bandit signs on the street. Placing ads on the Internet may be your first consideration because it’s free.

Using the Internet for advertising is much more cost effective than any other advertising media. Despite the Internet being more cost effective, you still need to learn how to target your market. On the other hand, placing ads in the newspaper and posting signs on the street will cost more than using the Internet, but placing ads in the newspaper and posting signs on the street, may be easier to target a specific area and market.

Regardless of the advertising method(s) you select, people will see your ad and call you. The people who do not call, you will have to find them.

  INVESTING BASICS FOR FINDING REAL ESTATE DEALS ON YOUR OWN

Finding the people who do not call you can be accomplished by making calls to all the ads in the newspaper, all the ads on the Internet, and all the “We Buy houses” signs you see on the street. Making all these calls will serve two purposes:

1) to inquire about potential real estate deals, and
2) to let the other person know you are looking for real estate deals.

Calling the ads in the newspaper and on the Internet is a good way to introduce oneself to other investors and owners interested in selling their houses. Calling the “We Buy Houses” ads and signs will introduce you to other investors. Contacting other investors will also let you know if they have any houses for sale and what type of houses they are interested in buying. Those first few calls can be stressful.  Just remember to use The Savvy InvestorTM  Interview Format of fact, goal, and challenge type questions to qualify a potential dream team member.

Contacting other investors is also a good way to develop your buyers list. Knowing what other investors are looking for will help you when it comes time for you to sell the property you have acquired.
To find out more about making the real estate deals come to you go to www.thebookoninvesting.com.

Home Ownership Costs Are Rising Despite Record Low Mortgage Interest Rates!

Did you know that earlier  this week 30- year mortgage rates hit a new historic low, averaging at  3.89 percent for fixed rates loans, according to weekly survey data released Thursday by Freddie Mac. Other news from Washington, will make it more expensive for new homeowners despite the low-interest rates.  During the end of the year fight between Congress and the President over the extension of the payroll tax cut, several mortgage financing benefits disappeared.  One of them, the ability of many home buyers and homeowners to write off the premiums they pay for mortgage insurance, could ratchet up the costs of homeownership this year.   This change in the law took place on January 1, along with the expiration of 58 other tax code benefits that Congress failed to renew, such as credits for home energy improvements, credits for energy-efficient houses and deductions for state and local sales tax payments.    The elimination of this tax deduction will hit many low-down payment conventional loans  originated since 2007, plus almost all new loans where the down payment is less than 20 percent.

For families with low to moderate income the ability to find an affordable place to rent is also becoming tougher.  As you probably know for the past three decades family income have grown at a much slower pace than the cost of owning or renting housing.  This situation means that  families with low and moderate incomes must spend an ever-growing portion of their family income on rent.  As the cost of construction of affordable housing has gone up, the incomes of low and moderate income families has stayed flat.  The third factor contributing to the shortage in supply of affordable housing:  the greatly reduced availability and size of public subsidies to cover the gap between what housing costs and what people can pay.   Because of changes since 1980 in our  public policy regarding subsidizing low and moderate housing, we can only expect the current situation in the United States to stay the same or to get worse in the foreseeable future.

What does this mean for the real estate investor? You must continue to evaluate each deal and determine which ones fit into your overall strategy and risk profile.  Knowing about the overall financial and housing markets  and changing government housing policies helps make you a SAVVY INVESTOR. To find out more about becoming a SAVVY INVESTOR go to www.thebookoninvesting.com.