Yooohooo...I'm over here now!

Hey everyone. I'm going to keep on bugging the rest of you remaining old feed subscribers until you start using the new website address at http://alansmoneyblog.com

the new feed is located at:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/AlansMoneyBlog

Once again..I've moved

Boooo! Did I scare you? Yes? Good! Now pay attention because this blog took all the content, packed it all nice and neat in a moving van and relocated to:

http://alansmoneyblog.com

Go there now! You know you want to.

Dear readers please update your feeds

Dear readers. I have noticed that some of you still have not using the RSS feed of my new blog. Please do so at your early convenience so that you may get my latest content.

The new feed is once again located at:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/AlansMoneyBlog

See you at the new site! Bye.

Important news about this blog - I've moved!

As of today all new posts will be placed at my new blog address at:

http://alansmoneyblog.com

Please update your rss feeds accordingly and use the following feed link:


http://feeds.feedburner.com/AlansMoneyBlog


For the comments feed use:


http://feeds.feedburner.com/CommentsForAlansMoneyBlog

my new wordpress blog is almost ready

Hi everyone. As I said a while back, I have almost completed the move from blogger to a self-hosted WordPress blog. So far so good, I'm almost done, but if you're curious to know how it is going to look you can check it out at:

http://alansmoneyblog.com

The only thing that I cannot figure out how to do - and maybe one of you can help me - is how to place a banner advertisement at the right hand side of the header. Once I get that up and running it will be perfect - and I'm a big perfectionist.

Review: V-Money global payment system

Hi everyone. Okay, I took a little break from my GoldenBux site but I got a little bored so I decided to write a review. Lol, aren't I crazy ;)? Nevermind, don't answer that question! :)

Today I am going to briefly review a new e-currency called V-Money (v-money). Well, v-money is not exactly new; they've been around for a while, but I just never gave them much notice. I opened an account, hmm, about a year ago and then just sort of forgot about it. I came across it my bookmarks file and it just struck me today that I should do a review of it on my blog, so here I am doing exactly just that.

Effective July 1st, 2007 www.v-money.net is owned and managed by Globyte S.A. a Panama Corporation duly incorporated and registered with the relevant authorities. On June 18, 2007 Globyte S.A has been issued a commercial license number 2007-4886 to process online payments. I believe they used to operate out of Switzerland with the corporation being registered in Seychelles, but as you can see above they've moved shop to Panama - a good thing in my humble opinion.

Now the first thing you should understand about v-money is that it is not backed by any precious metals so it is NOT what is commonly referred to as a DGC (digital gold currency). V-Money is more or less like paypal or like e-bullion e-currency, meaning that it is based solely on fiat money. There are obvious pros and cons to this, the most obvious pro is that you don't have to pay any storage fees like you do with e-gold or e-bullion. So like I've said, v-money is more or less an alternative to Paypal or e-bullion e-currency. However it would not be quite correct to compare it to paypal because there is one BIG difference between v-money and paypal. With PayPal you can add/withdraw money from your account using PayPal's OWN system, with v-money you CANNOT - you have to use a third party, or what most people call "an exchanger". So from that point of view v-money is more like e-bullion e-currency.

Lately I've noticed that a lot of HYIPs and autosurfs have flocked to v-money. Now, I am not a big fan of HYIPs or autosurfs (I'll be up front and tell you that most so called HYIPs are just scams and you WILL lose your money), but I can see why they've done so. V-Money being based out of Panama (and previously Switzerland with Seychelles IBC) offers excellent privacy and cannot be touched by the fascist US Government - like e-gold has been (and hurt quite badly I might add).

Ok, let's talk about the all important fees. Here is their fee table:

Fees Table
Type	Fee Percent	Minimum Fee	Maximum Fee
Transfer	1%	$0.01	$0.50
Withdrawal to e-gold	5%	$0.01	NA
Deposit from e-gold	2%	$1.00	NA

You have the ability to nearly instantly move between v-money and e-gold. I say nearly instantly because most transfers are completed withing 24 hrs not instantly.

If you're wondering how you can withdraw your v-money to your bank account or to some other financial medium, well, you're going to have to use a third party exchanger. There is a list of officially sanctioned "exchange partners" on the v-money website.

I think that should be all the info you need to know. The next step is up to you. If you're looking to add another e-currency to your portfolio then you've found it. If you're like me your portfolio is probably already overflowing.

Have a good day/night/morning/evening/dusk/dawn..whatever...:)

P.S In case numerous links throughout the page have eluded your attention, the V-Money website can be seen at:

http://www.v-money.net

ClixSense proof of payment (again)

Here is my second proof of payment from ClixSense. Click on the image to view it at full scale.

Sorry for the lack of updates

Sorry everyone for the lack of updates to my blog, but I've been pretty busy working on building and promoting my GoldenBux.com PTC website. The site continues to grow, but sadly it seems to have slowed down a bit. Another problem I've been having is a few additions to the site have been delayed slightly. I have in mind to add advertising packages in the range of 100, 200 & 500 visitors. That way you won't have to pay for 1000 visitors (the smallest package so far) and only get 312 (the number of members as of Sept 13) or get duplicate visitors.

However, we still need to attract some advertisers so I've lowered the price of the 1000 visitors package to $18 from now until September 29.

Hm, well, seeing as how I am pretty busy with this new venture of mine don't expect too many updates in the next two weeks, but I'll try my best to sneak in a few important news items or reviews of a few earning opportunities.

Take care everyone, and don't forget to sign-up to my site :)..

http://www.goldenbux.com

GoldenBux.com continues to grow

GoldenBux.com continues to grow its member base at an amazing rate. So far there are 235 members, which is not that bad considering that the site has been open for only a few days.

To attract some advertisers I've lowered the price for our 1000 visitors package down to $20. This offer is valid for a week (from Sept 09 to Sept 15) so if you've got a spare $20 note feel free to give our services a try :)

Also, GoldenBux.com now has a members forum and a free links exchange. The forum is for members only and we require that you register with your GoldenBux username (we check, so don't try to be slick..lol). The free link exchange comes with only one condition, that you post a link back to our site.

The main site is available at: http://www.goldenbux.com
The forum is available at: http://www.goldenbux.com/forum
The link exchange site is: http://www.goldenbux.com/links

Infinity Shares Forex Investment Club (SFIC) announces 5.52% profit for Aug 2007

I just received a notice from the admins of Infinity Shares Forex Investment Club (SFIC) letting me know that they've managed to pull through August with 5.52% (technically it is 5.5277%) profit.

Here is the split up of the profit:

About 3.3% is going to increase the share price from 3.35 to 3.46.
Another 2% is used to pay out as dividend being 0.07/share.
The remaining profit is also added to the reserve funds.

After the weak performance showed in the previous months this is indeed quite refreshing to hear. I hope this performance level will continue far into the future.

For those of you who have never heard about this program see the rubric "High Yield Investments" on the right hand side of this blog.

GoldenBux: Get paid to view ads

Hi everyone. I've decided to open up my own Paid to click" site (PTC). I call it GoldenBux, and I believe it to be your golden earning opportunity. Lol, ok enough with the clever marketing slogans. Basically you will get paid $0.01 (1 cent) for each 20 second ad you view and $0.0015 for each ad your referral views. Pretty simple eh?

The minimum payout is $10, and it is handled via PayPal. However, if you're looking to purchase advertising packages we accept PayPal, e-gold, c-gold, and moneybookers. Currently our ad packages start at $28 for 1000 visitors, but stay tuned as we will soon ad 100, 200, and 500 visitors packages for advertisers on a small budget. All visitors to your site are guaranteed to be unique on a 24 hour basis.

If you're into paid to click sites I'd strongly recommend you join now while the site is young and get as many referrals as possible. So far the site has 80 members (in just 2 days after launching) and I estimate that number will double in the next 7 days or so.

You may use the banner above this post to promote GoldenBux.

or the following link: http://www.goldenbux.com/banner.jpg

Thank you all for your support! Cheers.

Almighty Google drops all e-gold adwords ads

Well, I'm a bit shocked to hear this. According to Digital Money World Google has decided to prevent any future use of adwords ads that contain any reference to e-gold, including e-gold exchange, e-gold investment etc. Some have called this move as "fascist" and "anti free-market", others have said that e-gold had it coming and in a way deserves this because of their lack of "self regulation". I think this move is utterly preposterous. Filtering out keywords such as "HYIP" or "e-gold investment" can be somewhat justified on the grounds that it can be easily proven that the majority of such supposed e-gold investment sites are nothing more than ponzi scams, but banning completely the use of "e-gold" as a keyword is ridiculous. E-gold is a CURRENCY, much like US Dollars, and Euros. Who in their right mind would ban people from using the word "dollar" or "euro" in their advertisements. Google's decision does not seem wise to me and I think that either they have been pressured by some "outside influence" or they are embarking on some sort of moral crusade to rid the internet of ponzi scams and the like. Well, I've got news for you Google; you're not going to accomplish much because all those advertisers that used keywords such as "e-gold" will simply move to your competitors' sites.

Anyways, I am going to stop here before I go on a rant. I am interested in hearing what you people think about this, so feel free to post a response to this post.

Here is a copy of the e-mail Google sent out to its customers:

Dear AdWords Advertiser,

We are writing to inform you of a change to Google’s advertising policies that may affect your AdWords account.

In the coming weeks, we will no longer accept AdWords ads that promote e-gold.

Ads and websites are also not accepted for related content which includes, but is not limited to, e-gold exchange, e-gold investment, and e-gold accounts.

When we make this change, Google will suspend all ads identified as being in violation of this policy. If your account is affected by this policy change, please remove any e-gold content from your ad text and website. Current e-gold advertisers are encouraged to instead advertise other products or services that comply with our policies.

As a business, Google must make decisions regarding the advertising that we accept. We apologize for any inconvenience this policy change may cause you.

Sincerely,

The Google AdWords Team

** As noted in our advertising Terms and Conditions, Google may refuse any ads or terminate ad campaigns at any time, for any reason. Please note that the decisions we make concerning advertising in no way affect the search results we deliver. Google offers broad access to content across the web without censoring search results.

PPREI (Paradise Properties Real Estate Investments) is back

Everyone who has expressed an interest in PPREI should check out this e-mail I've received from the admin. It discusses some very important information that both existing and potentially new members should know.

--begin quote--

It has been a long haul to get the new PPREI site up and running, but we are finally there :)

The truth is, the site was ready a few months back and we were about to launch it but then we heard about rumors at FriendlyPay so we held off. FriendlyPay then stopped processing transactions. At this time we decided to no longer accept FriendlyPay. FriendlyPays payment system was heavily integrated into our new back end script which took a long time to do as it is not the easiest to work with (however it is very secure). So we had to change all the code for the script and re-do the site. That is why the long delay.

Now what......Well we have decided to no longer use an Escrow provider as we still do not know what is happening with FriendlyPay, and to have money tied up in any Escrow payment system is crazy. We are now using PayPal, Ebullion and Wire.

Why these options?

Simple.....PayPal has been around for a very long time and we have checked to make sure they allow Real Estate payments and our service (which they do). Ebullion has also been around for a long time and is located out of the USA or Canada so it shouldn't suffer the same problems that Egold is having plus it is a very secure site. Wire transfer, this is the easiest way to transfer money to us as you can wire it directly to us.

PPREI was built with safe payments (Escrow Payments) however with the loss we may face with FriendlyPay we can not allow that to happen again. Everyone that invested using the Escrow system, your money is still invested with us. Even though we may never get that money out, it is still invested with us as that was our promise that your funds would be safe.

REFUNDS:
For those that do not feel comfortable moving forward using these new payment options we will provide a refund back through how you paid. We will simply cancel your Escrow Payment(s) you made with us through FriendlyPay and you can try to get your money back out. Or you can leave it invested with us and if FriendlyPay doesn't come back then we will be the ones to take the loss as you have already invested the money with us.

Those of you that have invested into the Early Bird plan on the old site please go to the PLANS page and you will see a plan named OLD EARLY BIRD PLAN. You must use that plan to continue investing your monthly payment until the entire 24 payments have been paid (payments from FriendlyPay plus the new payments).

We wish to thank each of you for your patience with us while we changed our site. Without you PPREI would not exist.

Rupert
PPREI Admin
Invest in your future.

Life-Holding profit for August: 9.30%

Here is the latest news for the admin of Life-Holdings.

"August was a good month until this week, when my mainboard fried and I got sick. These events kept me offline for the better part of the working week. Nonetheless, we have a large profit figure: 9.30% net profit for investors in August."

I for one am very satisfied with 9.30% and I hope next month will be just as good as this one. Thanks should go out to the admin of Life-Holdings (you know who you are).

That's it for now.

c-gold website is now available via secure http only

I thought I should let all you e-currency aficionados know that the c-gold (commerce gold - a new e-currency backed 100% by gold deposits)website is now available via secure http only (https://). I really don't understand why they couldn't just forward http requests directly to the secure http port if security is such a concern. In my opinion it would be better if they let consumers chose for themselves the level of security they want to have. But still, even if they want everyone to forcibly load every page via encrypted http they should at least put up a notice on their non encrypted http server to let us all know. Instead all you will get when you load the website via regular http is "unable to connect". Basically what they've done is turn off port 80 on their web servers completely and left only port 443.

I hope my complaint gets noticed by the c-gold administrative staff and that someone is able to provide some sort of rationale for this decision. By the way, not even e-gold has done this or any other e-currency that I know of. None of them force you to load all the html pages on their website via an encrypted connection only.

Forex Brokers And Their System of Screwing Forex Traders

Here is a video those of you who trade the forex market like me might find interesting.

Some more funny for your money: Foreign hotel signs

Foreign Hotel Signs:

FROM A BROCHURE OF A CAR RENTAL FIRM IN TOKYO: When passenger of foot heave in sight, tootle the horn. Trumpet him melodiously at first, but if he still obstacles your passage then tootle him with vigor.

IN A TOKYO HOTEL: Is forbidden to steal hotel towels please. If you are not person to do such thing please not to read notis.

IN A JAPANESE HOTEL ROOM: Please to Bathe inside the tub.

IN A BUCHAREST HOTEL LOBBY: The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable.

IN A LEIPZIG ELEVATOR: Do not enter the lift backwards, and only when lit up.

IN A BELGRADE HOTEL ELEVATOR: To move the cabin, push button for wishing floor. If the cabin should enter more persons, each one should press a number of wishing floor. Driving is then going alphabetically by national order.

IN A PARIS HOTEL ELEVATOR: Please leave your values at the front desk.

IN A HOTEL IN ATHENS: Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9 A.M. and 11 A.M. daily.

IN A YUGOSLOVIAN HOTEL: The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid.

IN A JAPANESE HOTEL: You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid.

IN THE LOBBY OF A MOSCOW HOTEL ACROSS FROM A RUSSIAN ORTHODOX MONASTERY: You are welcome to visit the cemetary where famous Russian and Soviet composers, artists, and writers are buried daily except Thursday.

IN AN AUSTRIAN HOTEL CATERING TO SKIERS: Not to perambulate the corridors in the house of repose in the boots of ascension.

ON THE MENU OF A SWISS RESTAURANT: Our wines leave you nothing to hope for.

ON THE MENU OF A POLISH HOTEL: Salad a firm's own make, limpid red beet soup with cheesy dumplings in the form of a finger, roasted duck let loose, beef rashers beaten up in the country people's fashion.

IN A HONG KONG SUPERMARKET: For your convenience, we recommend courageous, efficient self-service.

OUTSIDE A HONG KONG TAILOR SHOP: Ladies may have a fit upstairs.

IN A BANGKOK DRY CLEANERS: Drop your trousers here for best results.

OUTSIDE A PARIS DRESS SHOP: Dresses for insert bold tagseet walking.

IN A RHODES TAILOR SHOP: Order your summers suit. Because is big rush, we will execute customers in strict rotation.

FROM THE SOVIET WEEKLY: There will be a Moscow Exibition of the Arts by 15,000 Soviet Republic Painters and sculptors. These were executed over the past two years.

IN AN EAST AFRICAN NEWSPAPER: A new swimming pool is rapidly taking shape since the contractors have thrown in the bulk of their workers.

IN A VIENNA HOTEL: In case of fire, do your utmost to alarm ther hotel porter.

A SIGN POSTED IN GERMANY'S BLACK FOREST: It is strictly forbidden in our black forest camping site that people of different sex, for instance, men and women, live together in one tent unless they are married with each other for that purpose.

IN A ZURICH HOTEL: Because of the impropriety of entertaining guests of the opposite sex in the bedroom, it is suggested that the lobby be used for this purpose.

IN AN ADVERTISEMENT BY A HONG KONG DENTIST: Teeth extracted by the latest Methodists.

IN A ROME LAUNDRY: Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the rest of the afternoon having a good time.

IN A CZECHOSLOVAKIAN TOURIST AGENCY: Take one of our horse-driven city tours - we guarantee no miscarriages.

ADVERTISEMENT FOR DONKEY RIDES IN THAILAND: Would you like to ride on your own ass?

IN THE WINDOW OF A SWEDISH FURRIER: Fur coats made for ladies from their own skin.

ON THE BOX OF A TOY MADE IN HONG KONG: Guranteed to work throughout it's useful life.

DETOUR SIGN IN KYUSHI, JAPAN: Stop: Drive Sideways.

IN A SWISS MOUNTAIN INN: Special today: no ice cream.

IN A BANGKOK TEMPLE: It is forbidden to enter a woman even a foreigner if dressed as a man.

IN A TOKYO BAR: Special cocktails for the ladies with nuts.

IN A COPENHAGEN AIRLINE TICKET OFFICE: We take your bags and send them in all directions.

ON THE DOOR OF A MOSCOW HOTEL ROOM: If this is your first visit to the U.S.S.R., you are welcome to it.

IN A NORWEGIAN COCKTAIL LOUNGE: Ladies are requested not to have children at the bar.

AT A BUDAPEST ZOO: Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.

IN THE OFFICE OF A ROMAN DOCTOR: Specialist in women and other diseases.

IN AN ACUPULCO HOTEL: The manager has personally passed all the water served here.

FROM A JAPANESE INFORMATION BOOKLET ABOUT USING A HOTEL AIR CONDITIONER: Cooles and Heates: If you want just condition of warm in your room, please control yourself

A forex trader's opinion on the subprime mortagage debacle

Here is a very informative e-mail I received from Mr. Felix Homogratus from whom I receive forex trading signals on a regular basis. Some of you might know and already subscribe to his free service. Anyways, he sent out this informative e-mail that shares what a forex trader thinks about the whole sub-prime mortgage debacle. Enjoy it, and hopefully it will enlighten you on the current situation.

--begin quote--

My partner Rob Grespi, from kingforexsignals.com, was recently asked to write an article for a major financial magazine in Europe, regarding the current economic condition of the US, and subprime mortgage crisis. As a courtesy, he wanted you to get this article, before all the other readers of that magazine get it :) Here it is:

BEGINNING OF ARTICLE

Due to the recent market volatility, provoked by the sudden "subprime loan debacle", many subscribers have been interested to know my personal view on this subject, especially that it is something I have been talking about for the last 4 months. But before I go on with this little dissertation I want you to understand that I don't pretend to be an economist, I simply use "basic economics 101", which is something our financial leaders maybe should use.



Basically, when it gets to be complicated and does not make sense, chances are it isn't right. However I am convinced that they basically complicate the principles of a healthy economic logic so that the average unaware person gets lost and therefore doesn't ask any questions in fear of sounding stupid, or they just repeat what they hear on the media to sound educated during cocktail parties.







I told my subscribers in the room that the recent hasty moves from the Fed, (from several massive injections of cash into the market to the recent 1/2 point rate cut was a desperate and hasty move. This "patch the holes" moves, is rendering the market a great disservice, and it will make things a lot worse for the long term.



Basically, the Fed is adding water pump to a sinking ship, instead of fixing the holes, and eventually the ship will sink anyway, because nothing has been fixed. But I don't think they care, they need to make the masses feel better now, because they need a happy consumer to keep on buying crap.







However as harsh as it sounds and as painful as it will be (but not a politically popular move) it is a needed economic cycle, needed to purge the excess and this imbalance that have been created in order to begin a new healthy, and lasting positive economic cycle. The "band aid solution" ( "instant feel better") will only delay the inevitable and once it comes, instead of going thru a "mild and short recession" it will be a lot more painful possibly creating if not a depression but at least a SEVERE long and VERY painful recession .







This credit debacle is far more serious than most even begin to realize, and here is why I think so:







I have been talking for quite a while now (way b4 all this emerged) that we are at a critical credit and liquidity imbalance , and it goes all the way down to the low income consumer. Our consumption society as a whole is now mostly based on borrowed money, practically no one nowadays has the discipline to save his cash to buy XYZ item or a car or take a vacation. Most spend more time planning "credit vacation" than they spend planning healthy finances.



For example I have witnessed in both Europe and the US (I have lived in both continents long enough and have the advantage of knowing both very, very well) and observed consumption habits on both continents and the similarities are very scary, of course the US is by far still the "the leader of the pack".







In general I have observed that families with medium limited incomes were basically shopping on credit most of the time, either for clothes, cars, food, electronics, and vacation. During X-mass time I was amazed to see so many getting trapped in the "buy now pay later" ingenious concept of stores, not to mention store's credit cards which of course are a dangerous sucker trap. Nowadays just about everything they have in their house doesn't belong to them, but to the financing company, and that includes X-mass toys and vacation they took 2 years ago that they are still paying for, and of course expensive cars.



In my parent's days they saved for everything. But at the end whatever they had in their house was 100% paid for, their vacation was 100% paid for, and they still managed to save some hard cold cash for rainy days.



Today the people not only don't have a decent nest egg, they just don't have any, but they drive Mercedes, BMW's, have entertainment centers that would make George Lucas look like a hobo....



In my parent's days whomever was driving an expensive car (well most of the time) really could afford it and actually had money. Today I see in Europe for example, 20 year old kids making 1.500 euro/month at best driving expensive automobiles. Basically, this consumption society is completely out of whack and is imbalanced.







So when it comes to people and real estate, why are we so surprised? It is the same mentality, they have used their overpriced houses like an ATM machine, courtesy of clever and creative financing method to either make some other ludicrous over priced real estate acquisitions they can't afford (hell, they could barely afford the first one in the first place if it had not been for ("creative mortgage facility"), or buying all types of useless adult toys, not to mention extravagant home improvements or vacations.



They bought into the nonsense of these realtors and the media that real estate would go up indefinitely, these realtors, most of whom are no more than improved shoes salesmen and Tupperware housewives have been taught in an 8 hours seminar learning the cookie cutter classic economic theories why real estate will always go up. The funny thing is I hear the same logic being used in the US and in Europe. They all must attend the same 8 hours seminars, and all become economic experts at the end of it, why not!!! They have certificates of completion to prove it...And the media is basically owned and operated by the ones that want the mass to consume and spend for the benefit of some other companies they own. "The basic Asylum runs by its patients"







Now you might think what is then the relationship with subprime loan? well here it is in a nutshell: ( I will simplify the process for you):







This is what Banks, and financial institutions do (which are more worried of making short term money to obtain fat bonuses and fat executive salaries):







They borrow money in Yen (Japan has the lowest interest rate of all industrialized country) actually at almost 0 %, and they either invest in equity and debt markets around the globe (also creating a bubble on borrowed money, btw), and also they loan that borrowed money to other financial institutions that create all sort of "exotic mortgages", and "credit facility", you name it. Then some other layers of financial institutions re-package all these different forms of loans into high yield financial instruments to be parceled out and sold back to the financial institutions that had borrowed money in the first place. Basically, they are creating a gigantic credit Ponzi scheme on borrowed money with the consumer as its base for guarantee, and since the consumer himself is over extended, I don't need to tell you what will happen next.







Of course we try to find an easy typical fall guy "Wall Street" for creating all these derivative instruments, all they did is they found an opportunity and ran with it to make money.



The real "crew of culprits "are the highest and also the lowest level on the food chain, the higher ones: well, we vote for them and the mass buy into their self serving demagogic promises and speeches, the lowest one is the consumer gullible naivety, and greed.







Almost all financial experts want us to believe that whatever the fed is doing is good. Think again.



This will not save the people that are about to lose their homes, this will not save the basic overextended consumer, since most all exotic Mortgage and credit companies are closing their doors anyway, and even the conservative ones are now on "survival mode", they will not cut any slack to the overextended and delinquent consumer, on the contrary. No matter how much liquidity the FED is pouring and no matter how many times they cut rates. The surviving institutions are now in contraction mode, too busy doing damage control or even saving themselves. The only money they will loan back in the market will be to people that don't need it.







The only thing you will see will be fake "dead cat bounces" but at the end the real estate is "cooked" (actually it has been cooked for over 2 years , the masses just didn't know it yet and still don't even know it or to what extend it will be cooked). Houses that are sold today for 2 million dollars they will be lucky to get 1 million for it, and if they even get that.



Keep in mind that in the next year another $700 billion or so of "adjustable mortgage are due to reset, that is over $170 billion more than this year, and more adjustable mortgages will be reset after 2008.







This massive liquidity and credit imbalance which started over that last 20 years or so is only about to enter a severe readjustment and it has barely just begun. I just don't know how long and how it will play out, but it will play out.



Of course the Fed/government will play some of its "voodoo" economic short term magic tricks just in time to benefit some "crooked, lying, greedy, performing monkey ass politicians" election or re election, and it will make the "masses" feel better in short term, just in time to cast their vote, all this trumpeted by their favorite interested (paid off or own) accomplices "cheer leaders", the media.







Also don't forget, because it is related and will play a major role in this grand skim of things, that the US is running an unprecedented account deficit , basically in less than 8 years the current US administration have borrowed more money than any other administration put together, so if the country enters a severe recession ( which I think it will ) not only the US government does not have a "nest egg" but it has blown its wad by already overextending itself "debt wise" and in a period of decent economic time I may add, (for their own benefit btw, but that is another subject all together) .






So when we finally enter this severe recession the US government has already blown most of its "borrowing options"(during the good times), the only option it has left will be to go much deeper in debt rendering the US dollar as valuable as the pesos, the consequences of that will also be severe, and they will have to raise taxes drastically, just to pay the " bar tab" of the previous administration. So when I hear deficit don't matter they will re think that theory very soon, but of course the "fearless leaders" who left the restaurant with this "orgy tab" will be out of office by then, enjoying their pontificated retirement and collecting book deals, consulting deals, speech deals, and other corporate deals they worked out before, leaving the already over extended US taxpayers to pick up the "orgy bill" (via increased taxes) for decades to come. Hell, the US taxpayers are still paying for the S&L debacle they don't even know it, but trust me there (that was when Mr. Bush senior was VP, interestingly enough, most best S&L debacle asset that went into auctions were picked up at ridiculous bargain prices by some of Mr. Bush Senior's friends .The public was only allowed to bid for the chairs and tables and the bailout package was provided again- courtesy of the taxpayers.

END OF ARTICLE


It's Felix again :) So I finished reading this article, and I am like: "So Rob, what's your point?" I guess I like to transfer everything into practical advice.
Here is my opinion on this whole situation. After the Great Depression in the US, World War II followed. During World War II, people went into factories to build military equipment, in order to satisfy the demands of the War. After the War was over, the momentum of American production stayed, but instead factories shifted to producing a lot of the goods for local consumption, so the economy flourished. Now history repeated itself with Asia. Asia was in a mess, before the Americans started to massively consume the goods that were produced there. Asians have been working very hard for very little money to satisfy the Americans and Europeans. The only problem is that instead of paying them real money, the US has mostly been issuing them a bunch of "I owe you X amount notes". And then the US consumer has been buying these goods by issuing the same notes to its government. One of the reasons why the US economy flourished so much is because it's been getting basically stuff for FREE :) Everybody thinks that Asians depend on the US and will keep giving them free stuff forever, but they have such big population, and they have so much momentum in their economy that when the time comes, they'll simply make a similar switch like the US did after World War II, and will simply start consuming their own produced goods.
So what's the point? The point is that the US has been issuing so much money in order to continue getting stuff for free, that it even stopped reporting its money supply a while back. Bottom line is that I think that every person that currently owns US dollars is extremely lucky, because they own something that has a lot more buying power than it's supposed to. So if I were you, instead of using your dollars to buy consumer goods that will depreciate in value very rapidly, I would buy something that's more real and permanent, like gold and silver. Imagine that you own a bunch of toilet paper, and by some madness, everybody thinks that it's worth a lot, but you as a sane person realize, that very soon there will come a day, when people will realize that toilet paper has value indeed, but not as much value as everybody thought it had during this madness.
Anyway, that's my take on it, I may be wrong. I know most Asians are very nice people, so they may just forgive all the debts, and consider that all the manufacturing work they did was nice exercise for their bodies, and they loved doing it so much, that they don't mind not getting paid for it.

Thanks :)
-Felix

--end quote--

Time for a brief humorous interlude

IQ test for professionals.
The rest of you can take this also.

1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?

Correct answer:
Open the refrigerator door, put the giraffe in, and close the door. This question tests whether or not you do simple things in a complicated way.

2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?

Wrong answer:
Open the refrigerator, put the elephant in, and close the door.

Correct answer:
Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put the elephant in, and close the door. This question tests your prudence and practicality.

3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals except one attend. Which one does not attend?

Correct answer:
The elephant. The elephant is still in the refrigerator and cannot open the door from the inside. This question tests whether or not you have comprehensive thinking skills.

If you did not answer correctly the first three questions, this next question is your last chance to show your qualification to be a professional.

4. There is a river inhabited by crocodiles. How do you manage to pass it?

Correct answer:
Swim through it. All of the animals, including the crocodiles, are attending the conference (except the elephant, of course).

Don't be frustrated if you failed this test. According to Andersen Consulting Worldwide, about 90% of the professionals failed the exam. However, most pre-schoolers got it correct, thus disproving the popular theory that most "professionals" have the brains of a four-year old.

Gold and the sub-prime mortgage problem

Hi everyone. Here is a letter I've received from Paul Tustain, the founder of BullionVault. Like Mr. Tustain, I too am very bullish on gold and I believe that due to this whole sub-prime mortgage issue an increasing amount of investors will flee to what has always been a "safe-haven" in times of great financial turmoil - gold. As I mentioned previously, I keep 25% of my wealth stored in gold bullion and light of recent events I was thinking it might be a wise decision to "stock up" on some more bullion. Ok, so without further ado, here is the article:

Dear BullionVault user,

Once everyone gets back from vacation and starts to focus on
what's really going on, we may be in for a torrid few months in
the financial markets.

I believe the current lull in gold prices could offer a good opportunity
to defend yourself before the real trouble begins.

Since the end of June there has been huge damage done to the finances
of hundreds of organizations worldwide. But much of this pain is
still hidden inside investment funds holding obscure financial
instruments which are now unmarketable.

Too many investment professionals have been backing the same
short-odds gamble - residential housing - and the aggressive
financial arrangements they set up are unravelling a little more
every day.

The underlying problem of non-paying U.S. mortgage debt is getting
worse, not better, but this fact is being forgotten in the current
rate-cut induced rally in shares and bonds. Short of organized
double-digit inflation I don't believe there is a force capable of
halting the slide in subprime U.S. property prices.

On top of that, we still have the extended pain of increasing
rates hitting more U.S. home-buyers as their "teaser" deals end.
The Financial Times says this trend has barely begun.
It won't peak until the end of summer next year.

The world's largest financial organizations have already taken
big hits - quietly, for the moment - but it really is hurting, and
we are seeing things that just shouldn't happen in a well-ordered
financial world.

** Fund managers are not producing credible fund valuations; they
have frozen values using old prices, and are forbidding the normal
result, which is investors exiting.

** No-one can price mortgage-backed derivatives at the moment,
and no-one really knows how the underwriters of credit default
swaps are pricing the insurance time-bomb they're sitting on.
These horrible investments are in many cases worth nothing, and in
the case of credit-default swaps, less than nothing.

The current lull might prove an opportunity for the prospective
gold buyer. Gold has not yet moved up - in fact, it has dipped a
little as stretched investment funds have sold whatever they can
to raise cash and reduce their margin calls.

I cannot sign off without remarking on the apparent "flight to
quality" which on Monday this week saw U.S. Treasuries put in their
strongest day since Black Monday 1987.

U.S. Treasury bonds are part of the fast-growing and utterly
irredeemable $9 trillion public debt now outstanding in the
United States. The U.S. trade deficit was also on record-breaking
form again last month. Only a few short weeks ago these dreadful
statistics drove the U.S. Dollar to record lows against a basket
of major world currencies.

Only a lack of imagination would allow investors to think suddenly
of the U.S. Dollar as today's "quality" refuge. Any respite for
the Dollar will surely be temporary; indeed, the bounce we saw
during the sharpest stock-market losses so far may have simply
been short-covering by Dollar bears (of which there are plenty)
rather than fresh buying of “quality”.

Everything that has just happened in fact makes things worse for
the U.S. currency. At the heart of this current crisis lies the
bubble in poor-quality U.S. home loans. It is U.S. consumers who
are being pinched; it is the return on invested U.S. Dollars which
is now being cut.

Lower U.S. rates on the back of America's weakening domestic economy
will re-kindle a Dollar slide in due course. So the current lull
may offer only a brief window, in which fewer, stronger Dollars
buy more gold than they soon will.

Kind regards,
Paul Tustain
Director, BullionVault


Well said Mr Tustain! Thanks for your attention.

Solution to get your e-gold account unblocked

I just came across this very useful post on the NoBSNetwork Forum.

Over the last 1-2 days there have been a huge number of e-gold accounts being blocked. We believe they may be blocking accounts that they feel are involved in money laundering or illegal activity. They may also be blocking accounts that they feel have the wrong personal contact information associated with them. Here is a copy of an email E-gold will send you with the reason of the block:
Your account has been blocked under our Rights of Association clause in the
account user agreement.
Quoting from the e-gold Account User Agreement:
Terms of Use
— begin quote
4.6. Right of Association
Issuer reserves the right to refuse service to particular individuals or
entities, at its sole discretion, with or without cause.
— end quote
There are people who have done nothing wrong, and now have thousands of dollars in e-currency locked in their accounts. Luckily E-gold promises to resolve the issue and unblock accounts as long as you send them information to verify your contact details in your account. Here is the email you will most likely get if you contact support about an account being blocked:
In order for us to assist you with the block we will need due
diligence
documents. Please mail (or preferably, use a courier service such as
Fed Ex
or DHL) original notarized copies of all of the following information:
a) A signed and notarized affidavit listing: Name, address, and
telephone
number for the owner of e-gold account 4470514
b) Copy of a telephone or utility bill that has the same address stated
in
item A.
c) Notarized copy of Passport or Driver’s license for the account
owner.
Addressed to:
G&SR
175 East Nasa Blvd.
Suite 300
Melbourne, FL 32901
Attn: Due Diligence Unit
Please include a copy of all email correspondence on this matter with
your
due diligence documents.
Thank You,
e-gold Service

So, please make sure you have correct information in your e-gold profile, and if you don't now is the time to correct it.

That's all for now. Take care.

News about my proposed blog move

Well my dear readers, I am rethinking moving my blog to WordPress just yet. I was under the mistaken impression that I can just forward http://alansmoney.blogspot.com to my new domain. So what I intend to do is wait a bit until I have my WordPress blog all setup neatly the way I want it and purchase a domain and just move all the content over to the new blog. I'll let you all know at least a week ahead of time before I bring the new blog live. Also I'll put a big note on this blog's header so everyone will see the news.

The only bad thing about this move is that it will kill my page rank.

Ok, that's it for now, I'll keep you guys posted on anything worth mentioning. Take care everyone.

c-gold announces new features

The people behind c-gold have added an IP challenge mechanism to their system. Here is a quick explanation of how the feature works from that release:

The strongest - and recommended - security settings are limiting access to a specific IP address, and an email challenge is sent when users enter correct login data from any other connection. The system allows users to disable this security measure, or to weaken it by picking multiple IP locations and machines.

I am thinking of moving this blog to WordPress

Hello my dear readers. Lately I have been contemplating moving my blog to a dedicated host and using the WordPress blogging platform. I am still in the process of learning WordPress and getting my test blog to look like this one. Hopefully soon I will have everything done and you'll all be able to bow down to my elite blogging skills. That was a joke btw :)...Take care everyone.

Red Hot Silver program removed fro my blog due to fear of it being a potential scam

Hi everyone. One of my readers brought to my attention some disquieting information about a former program called BullionClub which I believe is more recently incarnated as EasyBullion. I had here on my blog a silver investment program called Red Hot Silver which from my research is operated by the people from EasyBullion.

I decided to remove it as there is a slight chance that this program could turn out to be a scam and I for one DO NOT want to be lending support to scam programs by my blogging efforts.

Go HERE for the link to the original Red Hot Silver review which has some comments below that you should definitely check out!

Also I would like to ask those of you who have had bad service from EasyBullion/Red Hot Silver (as in not getting what you purchased etc) or those of you who have more detailed info about the company and people behind these websites to step forward and release this information. I would be glad to publish it here on my blog.

I may or may not reinstate this program when I feel 100% that it is legit and not some elaborate scam.

Take care everyone and I hope to hear from you all.

Forex Trading Tips

Hey everyone. I've complied a list of good tips that novice FOREX traders should all read. I hope it helps to make you a better trader. Take care.

Tip 1.

Gamblers go to casino. All unproved, spontaneous actions in Forex trading are a part of pure gambling. Any attempt to trade without analysis and studying the market is equal to a game. Game is fun except when you are losing real money...

Tip 2.

Never invest money into a real Forex account until you practice on a Forex Demo account! Allow at least 2 month for demo trading. Consider this: 90% of beginners fail to succeed in the real money market only because of lack of knowledge, practice and discipline. Those remaining 10% of successful traders had been sharpening and shaping their skills on demo accounts for years before entering the real market. A good demo account to start practicing with could be, for example, FXGame from Oanda.

Tip 3.

Go with the trend! Trend is your friend. Trade with the trend to maximize your chances to succeed. Trading against the trend won't "kill" a trader, but will definitely require more attention, nerves and sharp skills to reach trading goals.

Tip 4.

Always take a look at the time frame bigger than the one you've chosen to trade in. It gives the bigger picture of market price movements and so helps to clearly define the trend. For example, when trading in 15 minute time frame, take a look at 1 hour chart; trading hourly would require obtaining a picture of daily, weekly price movements. If a trend is hard to spot . choose a bigger time frame. Up and down market patterns are always present. Always make sure you know the dominant trend, unless you are a scalper. Scalpers have no need to spend their time studying big trends, what's happening in the market here and now (during 5-10 minute time frame) should be of only importance to a Forex scalper.

Tip 5.

Never risk more than 2-3% of the total trading account. One important difference between a successful and an unsuccessful trader is that the first is able to survive under unfavorable conditions on the market, while an unsuccessful trader will blow up his account after 5-10 unprofitable trades in the row. Even with the same trading system 2 traders can get opposite results in the long run. The difference will be again in money management approach. To introduce you to money management, let's get one fact: losing 50% of total account requires making 100% return from the rest of money just to restore the original balance.

Tip 6.

Put emotions down. Trade calm. Don't try to revenge after losing the trade. Don't be greedy by adding lots of positions when winning. Overreaction blocks clear thinking and as a result will cost you money. Overtrading can shake your money management and dramatically increase trading risks.

Tip 7.

Choose the time frame that is right for you. Choosing wise means that you are comfortable and have time enough to analyze the market, place and close orders etc. Some people can't wait for hours for the price to make a move, they like action and therefore prefer smaller time frames. On the contrary, for others 10-15 minutes is a hustle to be able to make the right decision.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tip 8. Not trading or standing aside is a position.

When in doubt, stay out. If it is not clear where the market will move, don't trade. In this case saving present capital is and absolutely better choice than risking and losing money.

Tip 9. Learn to use protective stops. Respect them and don't move.

Hoping that market will turn in your direction is a very delusive hope. By moving a stop loss further a trader increases his chances to end up with much bigger loss.

When holding to a losing trade too long, and even if funds permit, traders as a rule are very reluctant to accept big losses, thus often continue "hoping for best". In the mean time invested money is stuck in the open trade for unknown period of time (weeks and even months) and cannot be used for opening new positions. Not working money, dead money. Also this will result in constant interest payments for holding open positions.

Tip 10. "Keep it simple, stupid" applies to indicators, signals and trading strategies.

Too much information will create a controversial picture of where to trade and when not to. To avoid lots of confusion create a simple but working method of trading Forex.

Tip 11. Think about risk/reward ratio before entering each trade.

How much money can you lose in this trade? How much can you gain? Now, make a decision if the trade is worth entering.
Example: if trader is looking for possible 35 pips gain and possible 25 pips of loss, such conditions are not worth trading. Compare it with the situation when a trader has 100-120 pips of potential gain and only 10-20 pips of possible loss. This is the trade to open!

Tip 12. Never add positions to a losing trade. Do add positions when the trade has proven to be profitable.

Don't allow a couple of losing trades in a row become a snowball of losing trades. When it is obviously not a good day, turn the monitor off. Often not trading for one day can help to break a chain of consecutive losses. Trying to get revenge can often make things worse.

Tip 13. Let your profits run.

Let your position be open for as long as the market wishes to reward you. Of course, for this traders need a good exit strategy, otherwise they risk to give all profits back...
Running two or more open trades gives an option to close some positions earlier and keep others running for higher profits.

Tip 14. Cut your losses short.

It's better to finish unprofitable trade quickly than wait for the situation to get worse. Don't put a stop loss too far, it's your money you risk. Better calculate the best spot to enter when a potential loss would be minimized. Again: respect your stop and don't move it "cherishing hopes".

Tip 15. Trade currency pairs in respect to their active market hours.

Learn about overlapping market hours: when two markets are open and highest volume of trades is conducted.
For example, Australian and Japanese trading sessions are overlapped from 8pm to 1 am EST. At that time trader can successfully trade AUD/JPY currency pair.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

16. Choose the right day to trade.

This recomendation is often wrongly taken as an optional thing, because everyone knows that Forex market is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Yet, choosing the time to trade can make a difference between successful and hopeless trading.

It's proved and highly recommended not to trade on Mondays, when the market has recently awaken and is making first "probation steps" to form a new or confirm a current trend; and on Fridays afternoon, during the huge volume of closing trades. The best days to trade are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

17. Learn about Fibonacci levels and how to use them for trading.

Fibonacci can be very helpful in trading, even partially using the study, for example, to determine the best exit, can bring traders to a new edge of trading.

18. Always ensure that a signaling bar/candle on the chart is fully formed and closed before you enter a trade.

A golden rule of trading: "Always trade what you see, not what you would like to see" is the best explanation here.

19. If you ask for someone else's advice as about how and when to trade

In other words, choose to rely on live trading signals from other traders, make sure you do it for your benefit, not for disaster. If you use such signals to discover how other traders do analysis and study on the price, you are on the right track and soon you'll be able to do analysis yourself.
But if you're just blindly following recommendations and your only task is to push the correct button... think again.

20. Using a highly leveraged account comes at a cost.

It will, of course, give a trader more financial gear to trade, and also trader's broker will be happy as it will mean higher spread income for him. On the other side a trader signs up for additional risks that multiply with higher leverage in a "friendly tight" proportion.

21. Learn to measure trading success by the end of the day, week and then month and year.

Do not judge about your trading success on a single trade. To be successful traders don't need to win every trade, they also don't become rich in one trade, they need to be profitable in a long run.

22. There is no such thing as a secret approach to understanding the market.

Take the time to develop a solid trading system and find out that the secret to trading success lies in hard work and constant learning.

New Affiliate Program: Art.com Affiliate Program

Sorry for the lack of recent posts guys, but I've been extremely busy with FOREX trading. Recently the GBP/JPY pair (well, all carry trade pairs) tumbled like a rock and I was busy taking advantage of that and netting some very nice pips :). Anyways, today I have a new affiliate program that I came across. It is being offered by Art.com, and as you can guess by the name alone it obviously has something to do with art.

Founded in 1995, Art.com is the leading online marketplace for prints, posters, photographs, limited editions and custom framing. With its distinctive collections and high-quality custom framing service, Art.com offers consumers over 1.4 trillion product combinations.


The Art.com Affiliate Program is FREE to join, so you have nothing to lose and a hefty commission check to gain!

From my research I've found out that Art.com's Affiliate Program has been in operation since 1998, so they're not exactly an upstart program. Another cool thing is that the program is available to just about every country.

Ok, now for the all important info; money!

When and how do I get paid?

They send out checks approximately 30 days following the end of the month. If you have reached your minimum payout level (set as low as $20), they will send you a check in US dollars for the percentage of sales you referred to our website

Art.com Affiliate Program has a tiered commission schedule; here it is:

SALES PER MONTH	PERCENTAGE OF SALES
Less than $500	25%
$501 to $2000	26%
$2,001 to $5000	27%
$5,001 to $10,000	28%
$10,001 to $20,000	29%
$20,001 and up	30%

As you can see you can earn some nice $ with this affiliate program. I think that pretty much covers it all. Those of you who like art or think that you can effectively promote art products will surely enjoy this money maker. I wish you all the best of luck and permit me to raise a toast to your success. Thank you for your attention.

New PTC/PTR program: ClixDaddy

Hi everyone. This is going to be a short post so don't expect any verbosity. Basically I just wanted to let you all know about a new "Paid to Click" (PTC) website that I've found. This website is called ClixDaddy, and it appears in the "beta" stages. You get paid 1 Cent per each ad you view. There aren't many members yet (like 370 so far), so for those of you who are into the PTR/PTC arena (or those of you with too much free time on your hands) can get in early and referr a lot of people and earn mucho dinero ($$$). Das ist alles fur heute..lol, ok, ok, I'll stop with the foreign languages :p

Money quotes

enjoy these money quotes...

"I wish everyone could get rich and famous and everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that's not the answer."
~ Jim Carrey

"He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money." ~ Benjamin Franklin "If you would be wealthy, think of saving as well as getting."
~ Benjamin Franklin

"Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody."
~ Benjamin Franklin

"Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pound ought and six, result misery."
~ Charles Dickens

"If all the rich people in the world divided up their money among themselves there wouldn't be enough to go around."
~ Christina Stead

"Money was never a big motivation for me, except as a way to keep score. The real excitement is playing the game."
~ Donald Trump

"If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to."
~ Dorothy Parker

"I'm living so far beyond my income that we may almost be said to be living apart."
~ e e cummings

"The only way not to think about money is to have a great deal of it."
~ Edith Wharton

"Save a little money each month and at the end of the year you'll be surprised at how little you have."
~ Ernest Haskins

"My problem lies in reconciling my gross habits with my net income."
~ Errol Flynn

"The mint makes it first, it is up to you to make it last."
~ Evan Esar

"Lack of money is the root of all evil."
~ George Bernard Shaw

"Money frees you from doing things you dislike. Since I dislike doing nearly everything, money is handy."
~ Groucho Marx

"If you can count your money, you don't have a billion dollars."
~ J. Paul Getty

"I have enough money to last me the rest of my life, unless I buy something."
~ Jackie Mason

"A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of."
~ Jane Austen

"A wise man should have money in his head, but not in his heart."
~ Jonathan Swift

"Do not be fooled into believing that because a man is rich he is necessarily smart. There is ample proof to the contrary."
~ Julius Rosenwald

New affiliate program: IncrementalGold

I found another e-currency exchanger that has a worthwhile affiliate program. The name of the e-currency exchanger is IncrementalGold and from my knowledge they've been around for a while and are an established e-currency exchanger. Here is your chance to profit from the e-currency exchange business by referring clients to their site. In exchange they will offer you 20% of their fees! I'd say this is far better than what Goldex and other e-currency exchangers offer (especially eForexGold). The the program is free to join.

How Does It Work?
When you join the IncrementalGold affiliate program, you will be supplied with a range of banners and textual links that you place within your site. When a user clicks on one of your links to IncrementalGold, their activity will be tracked by our affiliate software. If that user makes a purchase on our website, your account will be credited with a sale (commission).

Real-Time Statistics And Reporting!
Login 24 hours a day to check your sales, traffic, account balance and see how your banners are performing.

Affiliate Program Details
Payout Type	Pay-Per-Sale
Payout Amount	20% for every sale you generate and 15% of all sales generated by 2nd tier affiliates!
Payout Threshold	$30.00 USD - Minimum balance required for payout.
Payout Duration	The e-gold payment will be sent on the 5th of each month, for the previous month.

This affiliate program should appeal to those of you who are savvy about the e-currency exchange industry. So, I wish you all success and hope you make lots of e-gold! Take care.

Review: Open2exchange P2P Gold Exchange

Greetings everyone. I am back with another review. This one is geared towards those of you who are interested in e-currencies and trading gold-backed digital currencies. The name of the site that I am going to review is called Open2exhange (aka O2E). O2E is basically an e-currency bourse ("stock" exchange). It allows you to buy or sell your gold currencies on an open market 24/7. This will no doubt save you the hefty commission fees charges by most e-currency exchange businesses.

Now let's get into some commonly asked questions about Open2exchange (O2E).

How much is the membership fee?
Membership to Open2exchange is free.

How much are the brokerage fees?
Each time a trade is executed, Open2exchange automatically calculates a brokerage fee. This fee is exactly .40% of the value of the trade in if the trade is in PCX (Pecunix) and exactly .40% of the value of the trade if the trade is in any of the other supported Internet golds. This brokerage fee is divided equally between the buyer and the seller, so each party in the transaction pays 0.2% of the transaction value for PCX trades and 0.2% of the transaction value for the others.

How do I add funds to my account?
You can fund your account directly with e-gold, Pecunix, Webmoney Gold (WMG) or Loomster O2E-$. Open2Exchange does not accept ANY direct national currency funding. No account holder can withdraw national currency directly from Open2Exchange, its not possible. USD account withdrawals can be done via Loomster O2E-$. Example: If you have $100USD you can withdraw it and receive 100 O2E-$ on the Loomster system. To fund your account with digital currencies other than those we accept, please visit an exchange agent and convert to an accepted digital currency. Open2Exchange is not an exchange agent and does not sell digital currency.

Does Open2exchange protect my privacy?
Open2exchange will never divulge any of your information to any third party without a court order from a court of suitable jurisdiction. All your information in the Open2exchange database is encrypted with extremely strong AES encryption to ensure your protection.

Why can't I cash out my balance of gold?
For security reasons, we only allow your account to cash out to your verified gold account. To load your verified gold account into the Open2exchange system, simply upload some gold from your gold account to the Open2exchange account using the "balances" page. Once you have uploaded gold, your account number will be saved by the Open2exchange system and all future cashouts will be made to that account.

Do I pay the brokerage fee if I cancel an open trade?
No, brokerage is only charged by the exchange as a trade is closed.


In addition to offering you the ability to trade digital gold currencies you can also exchange between e-gold and pecunix as well as exchange between metals (such as e-gold silver, palladium, platinum, etc).

To join this innovative site simply click on any of the Open2exchange links dispersed throughout this review (all of link open up in a new window)

I hope this site will be of service to you and I'd like to thank you for visiting my blog. Take care!

Update from PPREI admin

Here is the latest update from the PPREI Admin crew. For those of you who had concerns (like me) that they took off and ran, well, this should quell those concerns; for now..lol just kidding :) your money is safe. Take care everyone.

Resend of earlier email update just to let you know we are still working on it.

Hello

How are you?

You may notice that the PPREI site has been unavailable. This is because we are updating to the new site. Unfortunately we have to manually move over all invested amounts as the 2 sites are not compatible and as such we cannot move the details from the old site to the new site automatically.

This being said, please watch for the new site and a new email once it is online by the first part of next week (I am shooting for Tuesday).

As for those that have previously been paying monthly into the Early Bird plan.......We will now be accepting wires directly to us as well as Ebullion and PayPal. More details on how the move from FriendlyPay to these will work next week.



Thank you kindly

Attention savers: Achieva Financial has increased their interest rate

Good day my fellow Canadians. Yes, sorry, this post is targeted to Canadian citizens who are interested in high-interest savings accounts. I just learned that Achieva Financial (one of the banks that I reviewed here) has increased the interest rate on their savings account to 4.35% (per annum).

However Achieva still does not have the highest interest rate of any Canadian bank. For that you're going to have to look to ICICI Bank Canada who offers a rate of 4.50%. If you are interested in opening up an account with ICICI Bank Canada and you want to get $20 free then e-mail and I'll send you a special invitation.

That's all for now. Take care everyone, and thanks for taking the time to read my blog.

Legisi hits the wall, e-gold accounts seized

A very popular online investment club called "Legisi" has just "hit the wall". Check out this post from the No BS HYIP Blog for further information.

Okay guys, this is it.

Legisi had most of their e-gold seized on April 2007 *before* they went private.

Greg lied to his investors, he told them nothing and still accepted their money while going private. For those hoping to get their hard earned cash out of Legisi. Tough luck, you wont.

Total amount seized - over $1.7 MILLION dollars.

I knew it. Legisi was too good to be true. How many more of these scammers have to show up, before people learn their lesson?

Sources : Talkgold, Cattyshaq, Clifton

For more detailed info you might also want to check out the following links:

http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?t=19811&page=1&pp=40

Federal District Court Filings & Dockets

Also check out this post on the scam.com website (post 39 in the Legisi thread)

Here is some particularly damning wording court case documents:

The transaction history shows that, while there were some payments out to investors (generally in the tens to hundreds of dollars), the vast majority of funds were simply taken out of the account for use by McKnight.

Approximately 5440.90856 grams ($3,443,852.80) was exchanged out for national currency through Omnipay orThe Bullion Exchange. Another e-gold account, number 2828872 in the name of “LIDO Consulting LLC” and also controlled by McKnight, received 892.133009 grams ($550,000) from account 2636005.

Not cool at all. The moral of the story should be obvious to all.

Better Money

Here is a recent post by Dr. Douglas Jackson (found of e-gold) on the e-gold blog where he discusses why e-gold is "better money". I agree 100%.

The trademarked slogan "Better Money" is displayed on the homepage of the e-gold site. As best I recall, I came up with that one myself. In making this claim my intent was (and is) to stimulate thinking and discourse along the lines of "In what way(s) can one brand of money be better than another?"

Thinking back, the logic for what I'm going to say next derived from an essay I read in '97 or '98 by Antal Fekete. I just now tracked it down again and it is still online. I haven't re-read it again in detail so I don't want to imply I agree with everything it says though on a quick scan it still looks pretty worthwhile.

Fekete described money as "a transmitter of value through space and time…with the least possible loss". Transmission of value through time correlates to money's role as a store of value. Transmission through space is a reference to money's usefulness as a medium of indirect exchange, that is, a means of effecting payment. It looks to me like he meant or was emphasizing physical space, distance.

I prefer to think of the space part as transaction space, where value is conveyed from a payer to the recipient of payment, a change of ownership or entitlement.

So how can one brand of money be better than another?

Money that does not lose its exchange value over time - relative to goods and services, relative to other brands of money - would generally be better than money that did. I say generally because, as with most propositions, there are exceptions -circumstances where some participants in a money economy stand to gain from a decline in exchange value. There are also circumstances where an increase in exchange value can be disruptive, creating winners and losers. At some point I hope to expand on this. It ties into (among other topics) discussions on balance of payments, an area where e-gold or any globally oriented and designed currency can alter or invalidate existing paradigms in an interesting way.

e-gold's performance as a store of value perfectly mirrors physical gold since it is backed at all times by a 100% reserve. For present discussion purposes, suffice it to say that gold has a long track record of being ascribed exchange value and is unlikely to become worthless pending very significant advances in physics. [There is, by the way, a provision in the e-gold Account User Agreement that could be triggered in a circumstance where gold is no longer scarce in an economically meaningful way.]

How about the other dimension - preservation of value across transaction space?

In the long run, which I define as the post-transitional phase after e-gold has been embraced by mainstream institutions and is fully integrated into banking/payments/financial arrangements, many payment mechanisms will be unaffected. A credit card transaction will be a credit card transaction regardless of whether the payables or receivables are due in GBP, USD or AUG.

There are two payment scenarios though where e-gold can offer unique advantages, something better, than what is possible with legacy brands or money.

The first case is direct acceptance of e-gold, as it currently exists, for payments over the Internet.There is not a single entity that currently accepts payment online who would not stand to reduce their costs and extend their market reach by adding e-gold as an alternative, additional option. e-gold is the only truly global payment platform. An online retail merchant can accept e-gold from anyone anywhere at extreme low direct cost, with immediate settlement and no risk of payment reversal (chargeback) even if the payer has no plastic, no credit history, even if they are unbanked altogether.

The direct cost issue is significant. Imagine a large retailer selling computers online and accepting plastic. The fee for accepting a credit card payment for a $2,000 computer may be higher than $20. The fee for receiving the same value in e-gold would be e-gold's maximum Spend fee - 5 gold cents, that is, 5 cg of e-gold, equivalent at current exchange rates to less than $1.20.

For the recipient of payments using a credit card intermediary such as PayPal or Neteller, the differential is even wider. The payment processing fees for these services must incorporate the full credit card fee (since that is how a payment is usually "funded") and add a further markup to cover their costs of adjudicating disputes such as when (as is not uncommon) they suck payments back from recipients. For every $1 million of payments processed via PayPal [eBay/PayPal uses the term Total Payment Volume or "TPV"], PayPal extracts over $38,000 in revenue. PayPal's revenue, of course, constitutes the expense of their users. With e-gold, in contrast, for every $1 million worth of velocity, the system deducts Spend fees totaling about $2,000 worth - one nineteenth as much. Both of these pale, though, compared to the vig that Neteller extracts, $138,000 per every $1 million "receipted", more than 65 times the fees e-gold charges. Youch!

The second case where e-gold can afford benefits unachievable with any other currency relates to its function as a settlement platform. The truly unique and unprecedented characteristic of e-gold is not that it is digital, or tied to gold, or online. It is the fact that end users can directly access the settlement platform... without going through any financial intermediary. To tell this story though requires a clear understanding of the role of liability in monetary arrangements.

PPREI (Paradise Properties Real Estate Investments) website is down

Hmmm, it appears that the PPREI website is down and has been down for quite a few days now. The last update I heard from the admin (Rupert) was on the PPREI forum where he mentioned something about bringing the new website online. Well, it has been a while and I don't see why it could be taking so long just to bring online their supposedly new website. If anyone has any information about what is going on please get in touch with me. Thanks.

FIAT EMPIRE - Why the Federal Reserve Violates the U.S. Constitution

This Telly Award-winning documentary, which features presidential candidate RON PAUL, was inspired by the book, "The Creature From Jekyll ... all » Island" by well-known author, G. EDWARD GRIFFIN.

Find out why some feel the Federal Reserve's practices are a violation of the U.S. Constitution and others feel it's simply "a bunch of organized crooks." Discover why experts agree the Fed is a banking cartel that benefits mainly bankers and their corporate clients as well as a Congress that would rather increase the National Debt to $9 trillion than raise taxes. Find out how the corporate media facilitates the partnership between the Fed and Congress and why it fails to disclose what's going on. Lastly, find out how the Federal Reserve member banks are owned and controlled by an elite group of insiders.

Produced by attorney William L. Van Alen, Jr., (cousin to John Jacob Astor IV), this 1-hour documentary is a co-production between Matrixx Productions and Cornerstone Entertainment. In addition to interviews by G. Edward Griffin and Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas), FIAT EMPIRE features interviews with media expert/MOVIEGUIDE Founder, DR. TED BAEHR, as well as constitutional attorney, EDWIN VIEIRA, Ph.D., (with four degrees from Harvard). FIAT EMPIRE was written and directed by Hollywood filmmaker, James Jaeger, and narrated by Kris Chandler with music by Jack Rooney. Associate producers are Ted Pollard (author and former Commissioner of Radnor Township); James E. Ewart (well-known author of MONEY) and Kenneth Gullekson (formerly with DISNEY).

More money related jokes :) Enjoy!

"Did you know I've taken up a career as an author?"
"Have you sold anything?"
"Yes, my TV, my car and my watch!"

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Statistics prove that the best time to buy anything is a year ago!

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The shortest measurable interval of time is that between when you put away some money for an emergency, and the arrival of the emergency.

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In order to get a loan, you first need to prove that you don't need it.

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The world's best salesman is the one who sold two milking machines to a farmer with one cow, and then accepted the cow as down payment.

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Two holidaymakers at the Great Barrier Reef were chatting. One said, "I'm here on insurance money. I got $10,000 for fire damage." The other replied, "So am I, but I got $50,000 for flood damage." The first one thought a while and then said, "Tell me, how do you start a flood?"

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Housewife: "Inflation is terrible! I just went to the supermarket and put a down-payment on a ham!"

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A good citizen should pay his taxes with a smile, but the government always insists on money...

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"I see your previous boss says you were a real live wire salesman. I'm pleased to know that! What were you selling?" "Live wires, sir!"

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"There's only one honest way to make money. Only one." "What is it?" "I thought you wouldn't know it!!!"

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A real penny pincher went into a church and put a five cent piece in the offering. One the way home, he was caught in a rain storm, so he crawled into a hollow log. The rain and his wet clothes made the wood swell, and soon he was stuck fast. Scared, he started thinking about his sins. Finally he remembered the five-center in the offering. That thought made him feel so small that he slipped out of the log and went home.

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Two unionists were passing a construction site and observed a backhoe bulldozer hard at work. One said to the other, "That horrible machine! If it wasn't there, six men with shovels could be on that job!"
The other one replied, "And if it weren't for your six shovels, 200 men with teaspoons could be at it!"

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The tribal wisdom of the Dakota Indians, passed on from one generation to the next, says that when you discover you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount. However, in modern business, because of the heavy investment factors to be taken into consideration, often other strategies have to be tried with dead horses, including the following:

• Buying a stronger whip.
• Changing riders.
• Threatening the horse with termination.
• Appointing a committee to study the horse.
• Arranging to visit other sites to see how they ride dead horses.
• Lowering the standards so that dead horses can be included.
• Appointing an intervention team to reanimate the dead horse.
• Creating a training session to increase the rider's load share.
• Reclassifying the dead horse as living-impaired.
• Change the form so that it reads: "This horse is not dead."
• Hire outside contractors to ride the dead horse.
• Harness several dead horses together for increased speed.
• Donate the dead horse to a recognized charity, thereby deducting its full original cost.
• Providing additional funding to increase the horse's performance.
• Do a time management study to see if lighter riders would improve productivity.
• Purchase an after-market product to make dead horses run faster.
• Declare that a dead horse has lower overhead and therefore performs better.
• Form a quality focus group to find profitable uses for dead horses.
• Rewrite the expected performance requirements for horses.
• Promote the dead horse to a supervisory position.

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It's not hard to meet expenses, they're everywhere.

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I started with nothing, and I still have most of it left.

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A lottery is a tax on people who are bad at probability.

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A very successful businessman was out of town, residing in the best 5-star hotel in the city. To his horror, he was treated as just "another customer". Determined to show his great riches and importance, he loudly requested the waiter to bring him $100 worth of bacon and eggs for breakfast. The waiter realised he needed a wake-up call and replied (for all in the room to hear), "Sorry sir, we don't serve half portions!"

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"Stick 'em down! One false move and I'll blow my brains out!" "Don't you mean Stick 'em up?" "No wonder I'm losing money..."

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Executive: Someone who believes in sharing the credit with the one who did the work.

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"I'm looking for someone to lend me $50." "You've got a nice day for it!"

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Who's afraid of the depression? I've failed in boom times!

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The best way to make ends meet is to get off your own.

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"What? $1000 for that antique? But you only wanted $450 for it last week!" "You know how the cost of labour and materials keeps going up!"

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Business is so bad that the bankruptcy court has opened a drive-in window!

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Is it true that income tax is a form of capital punishment?

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I owe a fortune, but I'm still not unhappy. Think how bad it would be to be one of my creditors!

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Crook: a business rival who has just left the room.

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A local idiot was constantly teased by being offered a 10c coin or a 20c coin. He always chose the ten-center. When asked why, he said, "If I ever pick the big one, they'll stop offering!"

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Money isn't everything - there are also stocks, bonds, letters of credit, traveller's cheques, drafts, ...

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After 40 years of hard work, he retired with $9,000,000, which he had gained through courage, diligence, initiative, skill, devotion to duty, thrift, efficiency, shrewd investment, and the death of an uncle who left him $8,999,999.50.

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"My dad writes a couple of lines, calls it a poem, and gets $50 for it!"
"My dad writes a few squiggles on lines, calls it a song, and gets $75 for it!"
"My dad reads a sermon from a pulpit, and it takes four deacons to collect the money!"

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I have enough money to last me the rest of my life - unless I buy anything!