How to lose money

A plethora of financial management or money-making tips are made available through self-help books, job market, business articles, and forums. Some work for others while others work for some. Do you regret you did something that made you lose your hard earned money or have you ever wonder what happened or why you no longer have the amount of money you used to have? If you lost money, you have done one of these mistakes:

1) Joining multilevel marketing (MLM). I have never been successful to any of the so-called binary or pyramid scheme type of business or investment. I joined Forever Living Products, Amway, LoadXtreme, and IgenPortal but I lost more money, time, and effort instead of earning cash. This is not really for me and I learned that you can only be successful with MLM if you are good at finding and dictating people who can work hard for your team.

2) Accepting double-your-money deals. There is nothing wrong with investment or business venture. What makes it wrong is that if you fail to avoid a fraudulent person or company. A well-known prototype is the infamous Celso delos Angeles Demonios of the nagLegacy (in Ilocano, naglgasi means slipped) Group of Companies. My mother lost her money which was supposed secure my sister’s tertiary education. It literally slipped into delos Demonios’ pocket.

3) Keeping a credit card. If this is you’re not caught between life and death situation, there is no need to apply for a credit card because it will only increases your buying compulsion. Credit cards are one of financial firms’ strategies to gain profit by giving you access to things you want or what they tell you to must-have. This is their effective trap for people who don’t have self-control and who don’t know how to teach themselves to make payments on time. In the first place, don’t buy if you don’t have the money. Wait until you have enough and be sure to save for future needs through a debit card or savings account. I had my credit card closed before its second year (of course, the first year is waved and this is their trick that you get used to using their instrument of all temptations) because I didn’t want to pay the annual fee. Guess what. The credit card issuer didn’t get any profit from me because I paid my bills during the day or week of purchase. Instead, they lost courier fees and wasted papers trees for sending me letters as well as time and effort of customer service representatives (call center agents). Tsk tsk tsk!

4) Window shopping. Planning can be a good thing to make things happen but it takes preparation to achieve its full benefit. So if you window shop, be sure to have cash before going back to get what you’ve always wanted. Shopping around to look for cheaper or more reasonable prices are indeed a good way to save money but if you window shop to look for what’s hot or cool to buy, you better have a change of attitude and learn to be more discerning.

5) Vices. The more vices (smoking, alcohol, concubine, gambling, gluttony, materialism, living beyond your means, etc.) you have, the more expenses you will make. Try to stay away from temptations or things that do not help improve your life at all. It takes sacrifice to prove your worth as an individual in society or family where you belong.

6) Looking at what others have instead of what you have. If you bare in mind and practice by heart the 9th commandment, “You shall not covet your neighbors’ good,” that’s the only time you’ll stop wanting and start working hard for something you really need.

How to make real money?

In my experience, there is only one rule when it comes to earning for a living. No one or nothing in this world can make you successful but yourself.

Whether you are self-employed or an employee, you own a small, medium-sized or multicultural business organization, professional or skilled worker, investor, entrepreneur, or belong to show business, your productivity depends on your ability to function in your work environment. Therefore, you have to focus on, develop, and specialize your physical and mental skills.

Increased sales make you more profitable but you have to think how to attract customers before you can achieve that. You may not know how to plan and implement an effective marketing strategy but it all depends on your ability to choose your partners. Don’t say that your secretary or any other person is behind your success because people who are considered as subordinate or partners usually act according to external stimulus and that is you who set demands and standard. If you’re not critical about other people’s productivity, start caring for and becoming sensitive to everything around you. If you won from lottery or gambling it’s because you chose to risk your money.

When choosing a career, engaging into business, applying for a job or working alone or with others, you can make yourself productive and efficient worker if you improve your individual attributes, identify your self-worth, have the right motivation, understand your strengths and limitations, set priorities, do things you like doing and learn how to do them, use your resources effectively, learn from your and other people’s mistakes, be sincere, face your fears, eradicate barriers, avoid mediocrity, and most importantly respect and love yourself.

I may not be one of the high wage or profit earners but I’m working as a human being – honest, diligent, and appreciative.

If you’re jobless, start applying for a job or looking for employment or business opportunities. Online jobs are a good source of unlimited but not stable income. It all depends on how fit you are to a specific task. Waste no time and start empowering your brain and enhancing your skills needed for online jobs.

How to get a job

More and more Filipinos are becoming jobless due to global financial crisis. Some people believe, who usually blame misfortunes and corruption especially in government offices, claim that there is no choice but to resort to crime or turn to vices. However, it’s not the end of the world so don’t ever lose hope.

The government’s steps in resolving this problem are not enough because it only offers a few short-term jobs and it should be serious and firmly implement its effort to seek help from then taken-for-granted land – to turn back to agriculture instead of focusing on industrialization. The government should focus on projects that would provide Filipinos opportunities for sustainability by maximizing but not exploiting land production in order to provide food for Filipinos. My disapproval of luxurious housing or expensive real estate expansion does not make me sour graping for I am only concerned that wicked individuals are gradually making the lands exclusive to the wealthy and the powerful. What if one day a natural disaster like deluge or earthquake ruins your investment? I see no reason why lands are not made to equally serve all people. And I wonder why those who illegally acquired lands are not haunted by their conscience knowing that many people are suffering because of their selfishness. After all, life on earth is not a race to riches but to God’s realm.

If the government can’t help us find a job, help yourself and God will do the rest. It takes humility, honesty, patience and hard that we may not develop a feeling of insecurity when can’t earn as much as we can dream of. If you can’t find a job somewhere else in your locality or target area, try to learn about online jobs. Many Filipinos are earning extra income out of writing, programming, trading or investing.

Don’t be fussy as long as you have a decent job. Be sure not to entertain swindlers, know your strengths and limitations, use your time efficiently, discern what is good, and practice moral and social responsibility.

Writing for a living

I decided to share this topic because I’m fed up of managing and teaching people, particularly writers, who caused more problems than produced desirable outcomes. If you are interested and believe that you have the qualities and skills of a good academic writer, this is your chance. Have the right motivation, attitude, and information and I promise you won’t regret you’ve chosen to be one of us.

There are a lot of websites and blogs that provide or discuss online jobs. Just enter the right keywords in any of the search boxes of your search engine to find answers for your specific queries. I don’t have to elaborate the details but here are some considerations before you start deciding about working online.

1) Internet Access

Make sure you have your own computer, as much as possible, and an Internet connection because this more convenient rather than working in a cybercafe. Unlimited DSL connection is cheaper and more efficient than broadband subscription. I suggest Bayantel DSL if you’re in metro manila area or Digitel if you’re in the province. Based on my experience, other DSL or broadband providers are not very satisfactory. Using your mobile phone as a modem (just install the latest PC suite software) is fine if you are willing to spend 20/hr.

2) Choosing a Job

Be careful in discerning legitimate from fraudulent sites. Visit forums or Q&A communities. Please note that academic writing is just one of the various types of online jobs. This tough but it’s the most rewarding.

If you want to perform with utmost quality and productivity, look for free online libraries where you can get reliable sources of information or references. You may pay to view academic journals but it’s better if you choose a monthly or annual subscription. I recommend Questia because (USD99/year) it has the largest collection of literatures and Philippine eLib (Php12,000/year) if your target clients are Filipinos.

It’s definitely possible to choose to be an independent writer. However, you might find it difficult to have clients unless you have a large network of friends or marketing skills. My first and current online writing job provider is essaywriters.net (Its local site is writers.ph). There may be negative comments about this company but I have proven this to be the best so far due to the following reasons:

* There is no bidding, which means that writers have the freedom to start working with the chosen order immediately.

* Writers can ask for time extension, additional compensation, and copy of the required reference/s from the client or support team.

* It doesn’t run out of clients, which means that you can have long-term income stability.

* It encourages professionalism.

* It delivers salary on time.

* It has a very effective system and it is concerned with the writers more than the clients.

* It offers bonuses, learning opportunities, flexible work period, dispute resolution, 24/7 support through chat or PM, and direct communication with the clients through the messaging system.

Other sites, which I believe are legitimate, include: oDesk, AcademiaResearch, and AcademicExperts. There are also blogs that pay for original articles.

3) Bank Account

You must have a bank account, preferably international, or a debit/credit card, esp. with MasterCard or Visa logo. This is not to be used for registration or sign up fee but for receiving your salary because most legitimate companies don’t ask for any payments. To secure your debit/credit card, sign up for a free PayPal account.

4) Honesty is the Best Policy

Force yourself to do beyond your capability or limitations and ruin your reputation or be honest with yourself and gladly accept the fact that, indeed, there are times that you can’t do something no matter how much you want to. Focus on quality, not quantity. Do not plagiarize, follow instructions, and work ethics because everything that is haphazardly, badly, incorrectly or mistakenly done would always come back to give you another chance, if it’s not to haunt, annoy or make things more difficult for you.