If you can not follow a rule, do not begin speculating or investing, as you are sure to lose. Learn to adhere strictly to a rule or do not follow it at all.
The following rules should be carefully studied and applied in your trading:
Capital Required
You would not try to run an automobile and start out to travel several hundred miles unless you knew how much gasoline it required to run a given number of miles. Yet, you go into speculation without knowing one of the most important things, the amount of capital required to succeed and make speculation a business. Do not try to get rich in a few months or a year. A man certainly should be satisfied if he can acquire a competent fortune over a period of ten to twenty years. Often we have one year when a man with nerve and knowledge and a small amount of capital can make a fortune. I have been able to pile up enormous profits in a short time by pyramiding, but this can not be done continuously and I do not claim to be able to do it.
What I am trying to teach you is a safe, sure way, which will yield more profits than any other business on earth if you will only be conservative and not make speculation a wild gamble. A man may go into business and lose all of his money and then years pass before he has another opportunity to make a large amount of money in that or any other business. Yet, in the speculative markets opportunities return every year, provided a man has studied enough to see them when they appear. The chances for gain are so unusual and so many great opportunities do come in Wall Street that the average man gets greedy, gambles and does not wait between times for the real opportunity.
Limit Your Risk
A strong will power is just as essential as plenty of capital. If you have not the firmness, will power, and determination to protect every trade with a stop loss order, do not start stock trading, for you will fail. I have often heard traders say “If I place a stop loss order at a certain point the market is sure to catch it.” Yet they realize afterward that the stop loss order being caught was the best thing that could happen to them.
There is nothing better than getting out quickly when you are wrong. The man who refuses to get out when he is wrong usually stays until his money is gone and the margin clerk sells him out. A lot of people do not know how to place a stop loss order on a trade when they make it. A stop loss order is an order given to the broker that becomes a market order when the stock reaches the price at which it is placed.
About the Author
Anthony Green is an expert author on stock market related topics. His articles about online stock trading, stock market trading and stock recommendations have been published on numerous web sites, forums, blogs and e-zines all over the Internet. For more information visit at http://www.5minutetrader.com.
Is it easy or difficult to make money in the stock market?
I recently decided to try the stock market. I invested money in various different companies. Companies as safe as GE and Wal-Mart to as risky as General Motors. No matter the diversification of the portfolio, I still lost money, not much though, say about $400.00 thus far. It was a good month for most people, so why not me? I did basic research and to the best of my ability. Is it easy to make money in the stock market? So far it has been rather difficult for me. What are your opinions and experiences? Thanks in advance to all whom answer. Serious answers only please.
P.S. I currently use e-trade as my brokerage firm, if that makes any difference at all. Maybe there is another company that will work better for me than etrade? Thanks again!
The absolute biggest misconception that everyday people have is that buying “good” companies like Walmart is safe. Walmart being a good company does NOT mean that its stock is a good investment – in other words, it’s not just what you’re buying, it’s how much you’re paying for it. In fact, you can really say that it’s entirely how much you’re paying for it, since buying really terrible companies is perfectly fine if you’re getting a bargain price for it (not just “cheap”, but so cheap that even its cheapness isn’t justified by its level of terrible-ness). Sorry about the second-grade colloquialism.
What you need to be able to do to make stock-picking worth your while is to be able to identify companies that are worth more than what the market is pricing it at. This is incredibly difficult and is why fund managers get paid insane amounts of money to do an okay job and those who do it very well get paid despicable amounts.
Honestly, what I would do is figure out how much of your money you’re willing to put in the market, and just dump it in something like the Vanguard S&P500 index fund, and maybe a few others (international index fund, etc.). I specifically mention Vanguard due to the level of fees. S&P500 index funds are ALL the same. Unless it’s some shady company. If you ever come across an idea you really like or have a truly compelling reason to put your money in a company, you can always reallocate a little bit over. The answer it’s what people like to hear but it’s probably the only honest one for somebody who isn’t trying to spend their life researching companies.
A word on technical analysis – NO. It’s just not very smart – stocks are traded based on fundamental value (all those up and down days you see are getting driven by news and events affecting the company, not because some random indicator lit up). Quantitative methods do work, just not the stuff you find on the internet (run of the mill candlesticks, oscillators, moving averages, what have you). I’m talking the heavy duty stuff that requires knowledge of math and the ability to identify market inefficiencies and the abililty to run large amounts of money very quickly with [*this is key*] very low trading costs – the type of thing you don’t want to try in your personal account, especially not what the kind of percentages you’re probably paying in fees.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Some DIY Guides to PC Troubleshooting and Repair
The next time you are having trouble with your computer, use this checklist to troubleshoot computer problem before you pick up your phone to call for help. Whether your processor slows down, starts behaving strangely of totally crashes, you may be able to get your PC back to peak performance with just a few basic troubleshooting tricks. Try this before calling the repair shop. Don’t ignore the problem; it’s not going to go away. But try these troubleshooting tricks before you call the expensive computer technician. Chances are that if you call the repair shop or the tech support hot-line, the person who answers your call will have less experience than you. Save yourself the time, inconvenience and expense by utilizing these 12 suggestions and procedures to dig out system misworkings, process shutdowns, and strange Windows actions independently. Never overlook what would seem to be the obvious.
The first thing to always do when experiencing any problem with equipment not starting or working as it should is to check for the usual disruptions: unplugged or loose cords or cables, a power outage that has occurred, or a monitor that should have been on but somehow got powered down. If none of the above seems to be the cause, try restarting your computer or modem. This easy step helps to fix several randomly occurring errors. You know better than anyone what the personality of your computer is, so ask yourself, “What has changed?” If you have installed a new hardware or software in the recent past, shut it down. Check for icons in the system tray to make sure that there is not a program running in the background. If the icon is present, just right-click the icon and select Exit or Close from the menu. Then try and look for a program listing under the Processes button in your Task Manager, then press the Ctrl,Alt and Delete buttons at the same time to open up the utility. You could also just uninstall the application entirely. If you have recently modified any of your device drivers, go back to the previous one by using the rollback function for Windows’ device drivers. You can find full instructions in Microsoft Knowledge Base 283657. Part One: Divide and Conquer. You can check if an auto-start application is causing the problem by opening the System Configuration utility (a.k.a. “Msconfig”) To turn off all startup programs, press the windows key and “R” key then type msconfig and press enter.
Click on Selective Startup under the General tab, then uncheck Load Startup Items. Inside the General tab, click on Selective Startup option and uncheck the box next to Load Startup Items. If the problem goes away, come back to Msconfig, click on Normal Startup inside the General tab, choose the Startup tab, and activate your autostart programs one by one until the problem occurs again, at which point of time you’ve located the source of the trouble. Software Explorer, which is part of Windows Defender, is designed to manage startup programs and it’s built right into Vista. Microsoft offers a free AutoRuns utility, which also runs in XP; this is much easier to use and less clumsy than Software Explorer. Strategies and techniques for troubling times: Always try System Restore once. If you don’t know what is causing your problem, and it just appeared recently, System Restore might be of use in restoring your PC’s function.
Click on the Start button, then All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore, in that sequence. From the options provided, select “Restore my computer to an earlier time” then click “Next” and simply follow the prompts that you will be given. See Woody Leonhard’s expert tips for even more information on System Restore in the February 16, 2006 paid version. A different profile may work. Log off of your account and log on again under an alternate one. If you can’t do that because you don’t have another account, then make a new one. A secondary account can be useful if you have a problem with your main account. Create a new user account by first opening Windows’ User Accounts Control Panel applet.
Then click on Create a new account and follow the steps that are displayed. In Microsoft Vista, you will have to click the add or remove user accounts, or manage another account, before you start to create a new account, hence if the problem doesn’t present itself in the other accounts, there is an error in your profile, in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER section of the Registry. You can use the second profile as your main user account, but you will still be required to reinstall some software and replace the custom settings from your original profile. Despite that fact, it is a better alternative to reinstalling Windows. Be sure to select the “Last Known Good” setting. After booting your computer, try pressing F8 before Windows starts if you cannot log into Windows.
Select “Last Known Good Configuration” option using arrow keys on the “Windows Advanced Options” screen. Selecting this will undo the latest changes made to your computer’s configuration. If using this option lets you restart Windows properly, you may have fixed the problem. It is not that Last Known Good Configuration can resolve every issue, but like many of these troubleshooting strategies, it’s worth attempting. Try Safe Mode resolution. If in any case Last Known Good Configuration fails to restart Windows normally, press the function key F8 on startup again to go back to the Windows Advanced Options Menu, but this time you need to choose Safe Mode (or Safe Mode with Networking if you need to access the Internet or a network resource).
Safe Mode can’t fix anything, but it will attempt to open Windows with some very basic drivers. The problem in your computer is likely to be a device driver if you can start Windows in Safe Mode. Once you know what the problem is, you can also use Safe Mode to fix it. There’s more about this in the next tip. Activate boot logging feature. If you think the problem might involve a specific driver or is related to your hardware, look through your Windows boot logs for detailed information. Pressing F8 during startup will open the Windows Advanced Options Menu, which is where you will find the option of enabling boot logging. In order to start Windows with boot logging activated, arrow down to select Enable Boot Logging and press the Enter key.
Pressing Win+R and then typing c:\windows\ntbklog.text and hitting enter will open up the log file. The boot log will add new information at the bottom of the file, so you will have to scroll down to see if it has added any helpful information. Keep an eye out for entries that might show a problem with loading a driver. When you log into Windows using the Safe Mode, it will show you a log of all drivers Safe Mode doesn’t use; thus this boot log is not really going to be of any use in determining which drivers may be causing the problem. Part Two: Divide and Conquer. Msconfig is a great tool to help isolate the problem if you think it is a driver or other system file. But first, a warning: Using Msconfig utility to temporarily deactivate Windows services will erase restore points made by System Restore. This method should only be used if you are absolutely sure that you won’t need any of the restore points that currently exist and the problem was not corrected by using System Restore. On the keyboard press Win+R, type the command msconfig, and hit the Enter key. Then find the tab that says “General”, choose “Diagnostic startup” and then click “OK”. Follow each of the steps in order to successfully restart your computer. If the problem goes away, you can add other system files back in with the Selective Startup option on the General tab to narrow down the possibilities and check whether the problem lies in System.ini, wini.ini, services, and so on.
When you have gotten your search nailed down to a particular area, get more refined by turning on specific items using the check boxes under the other Msconfig tabs. Get additional details from Windows. In some cases your system will automatically reboot when a crash occurs. You will be unable to check for possible reasons why you are auto rebooting because of this Windows feature. To stop auto restarts after your computer crashes, reboot and press F8 right before Windows load to bring you to the Windows Advanced Options Menu. By using the arrow keys, you will then be able to select Disable automatic restart on system failure. Choosing Properties, Advanced from the menu you get in XP when you right-click on My Computer will allow you to either turn the feature back on or off, depending on its current setting, without restarting your computer. Find the tab that says “Startup and Recovery” and then click “Settings”.
Under Automatic Restart, there is a checkbox that you can use to enable or disable the feature. In Windows Vista, press Start, type the command SystemPropertiesAdvanced, and hit Enter. Click on the Continue button when prompted to by User Account Control. After clicking the Advanced tab, choose Settings in Startup and Recovery. You can manage the Automatic Restart option by checking or unchecking the box below it. The next time you have an unexpected reboot, an error message should display on your screen with possibly the name of the file that may have caused this error. It might be helpful to do a Web search for the specific file name to find out more details. The possible components of the video driver you are using that might have caused your system to fail will be displayed by Windows. If the answer is yes, inquiring about recent driver modifications on the Website of your video card maker could be the answer.
Check your system files. Windows has a tool that allows you to check the integrity of the files it requires to function properly which you can use to examine, and replace files if required. System File Checker will examine your files and offer to replace with the original if any problem with an original file is found. Open a Command Prompt window with Administrator rights, type sfc /scannow, and hit the Enter key on the keyboard. You might need to insert your Windows installation CD for retrieval of the original file. There are two published articles available from Microsoft regarding the proper use of this tool: one covers its use in Windows XP and Server 2003, the other is a guide to using it in Vista. Consult a troubleshooter. It’ll be difficult if you’re a man – it’s like asking for directions. In certain cases, the troubleshooting guides in Windows Help can be helpful, although they can often miss the mark.
The guides can be accessed by choosing Start, then Help and Support. Look for some form of the word “troubleshoot”. Perform a distinct search for each of these terms since there is a high likelihood of getting differing results depending on the search term. Be tenacious, but have a get away plan. A long time acquaintance and exceptional troubleshooter told me, “When nothing has worked, fiddle with it.” Unrelenting pursuit The next time you are having trouble with your computer, use this checklist to troubleshoot the problem before you pick up your phone to call for help. Whether your processor slows down, starts behaving strangely of totally crashes, you may be able to get your PC back to peak performance with just a few basic troubleshooting tricks. Try this before calling the repair shop. Don’t ignore the problem; it’s not going to go away. But try these troubleshooting tricks before you call the expensive computer technician. Chances are that if you call the repair shop or the tech support hot-line, the person who answers your call will have less experience than you. Save yourself the time, inconvenience and expense by utilizing these 12 suggestions and procedures to dig out system misworkings, process shutdowns, and strange Windows actions independently. Never overlook what would seem to be the obvious.
The first thing to always do when experiencing any problem with equipment not starting or working as it should is to check for the usual disruptions: unplugged or loose cords or cables, a power outage that has occurred, or a monitor that should have been on but somehow got powered down. If none of the above seems to be the cause, try restarting your computer or modem. This easy step helps to fix several randomly occurring errors. You know better than anyone what the personality of your computer is, so ask yourself, “What has changed?” If you have installed a new hardware or software in the recent past, shut it down. Check for icons in the system tray to make sure that there is not a program running in the background. If the icon is present, just right-click the icon and select Exit or Close from the menu. Then try and look for a program listing under the Processes button in your Task Manager, then press the Ctrl,Alt and Delete buttons at the same time to open up the utility. You could also just uninstall the application entirely. If you have recently modified any of your device drivers, go back to the previous one by using the rollback function for Windows’ device drivers. You can find full instructions in Microsoft Knowledge Base 283657. Part One: Divide and Conquer. You can check if an auto-start application is causing the problem by opening the System Configuration utility (a.k.a. “Msconfig”) To turn off all startup programs, press the windows key and “R” key then type msconfig and press enter.
Click on Selective Startup under the General tab, then uncheck Load Startup Items. Inside the General tab, click on Selective Startup option and uncheck the box next to Load Startup Items. If the problem goes away, come back to Msconfig, click on Normal Startup inside the General tab, choose the Startup tab, and activate your autostart programs one by one until the problem occurs again, at which point of time you’ve located the source of the trouble. Software Explorer, which is part of Windows Defender, is designed to manage startup programs and it’s built right into Vista. Microsoft offers a free AutoRuns utility, which also runs in XP; this is much easier to use and less clumsy than Software Explorer. Strategies and techniques for troubling times: Always try System Restore once. If you don’t know what is causing your problem, and it just appeared recently, System Restore might be of use in restoring your PC’s function.
Click on the Start button, then All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore, in that sequence. From the options provided, select “Restore my computer to an earlier time” then click “Next” and simply follow the prompts that you will be given. See Woody Leonhard’s expert tips for even more information on System Restore in the February 16, 2006 paid version. A different profile may work. Log off of your account and log on again under an alternate one. If you can’t do that because you don’t have another account, then make a new one. A secondary account can be useful if you have a problem with your main account. Create a new user account by first opening Windows’ User Accounts Control Panel applet.
Then click on Create a new account and follow the steps that are displayed. In Microsoft Vista, you will have to click the add or remove user accounts, or manage another account, before you start to create a new account, hence if the problem doesn’t present itself in the other accounts, there is an error in your profile, in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER section of the Registry. You can use the second profile as your main user account, but you will still be required to reinstall some software and replace the custom settings from your original profile. Despite that fact, it is a better alternative to reinstalling Windows. Be sure to select the “Last Known Good” setting. After booting your computer, try pressing F8 before Windows starts if you cannot log into Windows.
Select “Last Known Good Configuration” option using arrow keys on the “Windows Advanced Options” screen. Selecting this will undo the latest changes made to your computer’s configuration. If using this option lets you restart Windows properly, you may have fixed the problem. It is not that Last Known Good Configuration can resolve every issue, but like many of these troubleshooting strategies, it’s worth attempting. Try Safe Mode resolution. If in any case Last Known Good Configuration fails to restart Windows normally, press the function key F8 on startup again to go back to the Windows Advanced Options Menu, but this time you need to choose Safe Mode (or Safe Mode with Networking if you need to access the Internet or a network resource).
Safe Mode can’t fix anything, but it will attempt to open Windows with some very basic drivers. The problem in your computer is likely to be a device driver if you can start Windows in Safe Mode. Once you know what the problem is, you can also use Safe Mode to fix it. There’s more about this in the next tip. Activate boot logging feature. If you think the problem might involve a specific driver or is related to your hardware, look through your Windows boot logs for detailed information. Pressing F8 during startup will open the Windows Advanced Options Menu, which is where you will find the option of enabling boot logging. In order to start Windows with boot logging activated, arrow down to select Enable Boot Logging and press the Enter key.
Pressing Win+R and then typing c:\windows\ntbklog.text and hitting enter will open up the log file. The boot log will add new information at the bottom of the file, so you will have to scroll down to see if it has added any helpful information. Keep an eye out for entries that might show a problem with loading a driver. When you log into Windows using the Safe Mode, it will show you a log of all drivers Safe Mode doesn’t use; thus this boot log is not really going to be of any use in determining which drivers may be causing the problem. Part Two: Divide and Conquer. Msconfig is a great tool to help isolate the problem if you think it is a driver or other system file. But first, a warning: Using Msconfig utility to temporarily deactivate Windows services will erase restore points made by System Restore. This method should only be used if you are absolutely sure that you won’t need any of the restore points that currently exist and the problem was not corrected by using System Restore. On the keyboard press Win+R, type the command msconfig, and hit the Enter key. Then find the tab that says “General”, choose “Diagnostic startup” and then click “OK”. Follow each of the steps in order to successfully restart your computer. If the problem goes away, you can add other system files back in with the Selective Startup option on the General tab to narrow down the possibilities and check whether the problem lies in System.ini, wini.ini, services, and so on.
When you have gotten your search nailed down to a particular area, get more refined by turning on specific items using the check boxes under the other Msconfig tabs. Get additional details from Windows. In some cases your system will automatically reboot when a crash occurs. You will be unable to check for possible reasons why you are auto rebooting because of this Windows feature. To stop auto restarts after your computer crashes, reboot and press F8 right before Windows load to bring you to the Windows Advanced Options Menu. By using the arrow keys, you will then be able to select Disable automatic restart on system failure. Choosing Properties, Advanced from the menu you get in XP when you right-click on My Computer will allow you to either turn the feature back on or off, depending on its current setting, without restarting your computer. Find the tab that says “Startup and Recovery” and then click “Settings”.
Under Automatic Restart, there is a checkbox that you can use to enable or disable the feature. In Windows Vista, press Start, type the command SystemPropertiesAdvanced, and hit Enter. Click on the Continue button when prompted to by User Account Control. After clicking the Advanced tab, choose Settings in Startup and Recovery. You can manage the Automatic Restart option by checking or unchecking the box below it. The next time you have an unexpected reboot, an error message should display on your screen with possibly the name of the file that may have caused this error. It might be helpful to do a Web search for the specific file name to find out more details. The possible components of the video driver you are using that might have caused your system to fail will be displayed by Windows. If the answer is yes, inquiring about recent driver modifications on the Website of your video card maker could be the answer.
Check your system files. Windows has a tool that allows you to check the integrity of the files it requires to function properly which you can use to examine, and replace files if required. System File Checker will examine your files and offer to replace with the original if any problem with an original file is found. Open a Command Prompt window with Administrator rights, type sfc /scannow, and hit the Enter key on the keyboard. You might need to insert your Windows installation CD for retrieval of the original file. There are two published articles available from Microsoft regarding the proper use of this tool: one covers its use in Windows XP and Server 2003, the other is a guide to using it in Vista. Consult a troubleshooter. It’ll be difficult if you’re a man – it’s like asking for directions. In certain cases, the troubleshooting guides in Windows Help can be helpful, although they can often miss the mark.
The guides can be accessed by choosing Start, then Help and Support. Look for some form of the word “troubleshoot”. Perform a distinct search for each of these terms since there is a high likelihood of getting differing results depending on the search term. Be tenacious, but have a get away plan. A long time acquaintance and exceptional troubleshooter told me, “When nothing has worked, fiddle with it.” Unrelenting pursuit has served me well in determining several computer issues. Try every solution you can think of, one right after the other, but keep in mind to go slowly and methodically so you can undo every attempted “fix” if it doesn’t work to solve the issue. For instance, when working with the Registry, take due care to use the File, Export command to backup the Registry branch you’re about to tweak. Obviously, anything that is subsequently added to the Registry such as keys or branches will not be included in your backup.
Advanced PC Tweaker has served me well in determining several computer issues. Try every solution you can think of, one right after the other, but keep in mind to go slowly and methodically so you can undo every attempted “fix” if it doesn’t work to solve the issue. For instance, when working with the Registry, take due care to use the File, Export command to backup the Registry branch you’re about to tweak. Obviously, anything that is subsequently added to the Registry such as keys or branches will not be included in your backup.
The first thing to always do when experiencing any problem with equipment not starting or working as it should is to check for the usual disruptions: unplugged or loose cords or cables, a power outage that has occurred, or a monitor that should have been on but somehow got powered down. If none of the above seems to be the cause, try restarting your computer or modem. This easy step helps to fix several randomly occurring errors. You know better than anyone what the personality of your computer is, so ask yourself, “What has changed?” If you have installed a new hardware or software in the recent past, shut it down. Check for icons in the system tray to make sure that there is not a program running in the background. If the icon is present, just right-click the icon and select Exit or Close from the menu. Then try and look for a program listing under the Processes button in your Task Manager, then press the Ctrl,Alt and Delete buttons at the same time to open up the utility. You could also just uninstall the application entirely. If you have recently modified any of your device drivers, go back to the previous one by using the rollback function for Windows’ device drivers. You can find full instructions in Microsoft Knowledge Base 283657. Part One: Divide and Conquer. You can check if an auto-start application is causing the problem by opening the System Configuration utility (a.k.a. “Msconfig”) To turn off all startup programs, press the windows key and “R” key then type msconfig and press enter.
Click on Selective Startup under the General tab, then uncheck Load Startup Items. Inside the General tab, click on Selective Startup option and uncheck the box next to Load Startup Items. If the problem goes away, come back to Msconfig, click on Normal Startup inside the General tab, choose the Startup tab, and activate your autostart programs one by one until the problem occurs again, at which point of time you’ve located the source of the trouble. Software Explorer, which is part of Windows Defender, is designed to manage startup programs and it’s built right into Vista. Microsoft offers a free AutoRuns utility, which also runs in XP; this is much easier to use and less clumsy than Software Explorer. Strategies and techniques for troubling times: Always try System Restore once. If you don’t know what is causing your problem, and it just appeared recently, System Restore might be of use in restoring your PC’s function.
Click on the Start button, then All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore, in that sequence. From the options provided, select “Restore my computer to an earlier time” then click “Next” and simply follow the prompts that you will be given. See Woody Leonhard’s expert tips for even more information on System Restore in the February 16, 2006 paid version. A different profile may work. Log off of your account and log on again under an alternate one. If you can’t do that because you don’t have another account, then make a new one. A secondary account can be useful if you have a problem with your main account. Create a new user account by first opening Windows’ User Accounts Control Panel applet.
Then click on Create a new account and follow the steps that are displayed. In Microsoft Vista, you will have to click the add or remove user accounts, or manage another account, before you start to create a new account, hence if the problem doesn’t present itself in the other accounts, there is an error in your profile, in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER section of the Registry. You can use the second profile as your main user account, but you will still be required to reinstall some software and replace the custom settings from your original profile. Despite that fact, it is a better alternative to reinstalling Windows. Be sure to select the “Last Known Good” setting. After booting your computer, try pressing F8 before Windows starts if you cannot log into Windows.
Select “Last Known Good Configuration” option using arrow keys on the “Windows Advanced Options” screen. Selecting this will undo the latest changes made to your computer’s configuration. If using this option lets you restart Windows properly, you may have fixed the problem. It is not that Last Known Good Configuration can resolve every issue, but like many of these troubleshooting strategies, it’s worth attempting. Try Safe Mode resolution. If in any case Last Known Good Configuration fails to restart Windows normally, press the function key F8 on startup again to go back to the Windows Advanced Options Menu, but this time you need to choose Safe Mode (or Safe Mode with Networking if you need to access the Internet or a network resource).
Safe Mode can’t fix anything, but it will attempt to open Windows with some very basic drivers. The problem in your computer is likely to be a device driver if you can start Windows in Safe Mode. Once you know what the problem is, you can also use Safe Mode to fix it. There’s more about this in the next tip. Activate boot logging feature. If you think the problem might involve a specific driver or is related to your hardware, look through your Windows boot logs for detailed information. Pressing F8 during startup will open the Windows Advanced Options Menu, which is where you will find the option of enabling boot logging. In order to start Windows with boot logging activated, arrow down to select Enable Boot Logging and press the Enter key.
Pressing Win+R and then typing c:\windows\ntbklog.text and hitting enter will open up the log file. The boot log will add new information at the bottom of the file, so you will have to scroll down to see if it has added any helpful information. Keep an eye out for entries that might show a problem with loading a driver. When you log into Windows using the Safe Mode, it will show you a log of all drivers Safe Mode doesn’t use; thus this boot log is not really going to be of any use in determining which drivers may be causing the problem. Part Two: Divide and Conquer. Msconfig is a great tool to help isolate the problem if you think it is a driver or other system file. But first, a warning: Using Msconfig utility to temporarily deactivate Windows services will erase restore points made by System Restore. This method should only be used if you are absolutely sure that you won’t need any of the restore points that currently exist and the problem was not corrected by using System Restore. On the keyboard press Win+R, type the command msconfig, and hit the Enter key. Then find the tab that says “General”, choose “Diagnostic startup” and then click “OK”. Follow each of the steps in order to successfully restart your computer. If the problem goes away, you can add other system files back in with the Selective Startup option on the General tab to narrow down the possibilities and check whether the problem lies in System.ini, wini.ini, services, and so on.
When you have gotten your search nailed down to a particular area, get more refined by turning on specific items using the check boxes under the other Msconfig tabs. Get additional details from Windows. In some cases your system will automatically reboot when a crash occurs. You will be unable to check for possible reasons why you are auto rebooting because of this Windows feature. To stop auto restarts after your computer crashes, reboot and press F8 right before Windows load to bring you to the Windows Advanced Options Menu. By using the arrow keys, you will then be able to select Disable automatic restart on system failure. Choosing Properties, Advanced from the menu you get in XP when you right-click on My Computer will allow you to either turn the feature back on or off, depending on its current setting, without restarting your computer. Find the tab that says “Startup and Recovery” and then click “Settings”.
Under Automatic Restart, there is a checkbox that you can use to enable or disable the feature. In Windows Vista, press Start, type the command SystemPropertiesAdvanced, and hit Enter. Click on the Continue button when prompted to by User Account Control. After clicking the Advanced tab, choose Settings in Startup and Recovery. You can manage the Automatic Restart option by checking or unchecking the box below it. The next time you have an unexpected reboot, an error message should display on your screen with possibly the name of the file that may have caused this error. It might be helpful to do a Web search for the specific file name to find out more details. The possible components of the video driver you are using that might have caused your system to fail will be displayed by Windows. If the answer is yes, inquiring about recent driver modifications on the Website of your video card maker could be the answer.
Check your system files. Windows has a tool that allows you to check the integrity of the files it requires to function properly which you can use to examine, and replace files if required. System File Checker will examine your files and offer to replace with the original if any problem with an original file is found. Open a Command Prompt window with Administrator rights, type sfc /scannow, and hit the Enter key on the keyboard. You might need to insert your Windows installation CD for retrieval of the original file. There are two published articles available from Microsoft regarding the proper use of this tool: one covers its use in Windows XP and Server 2003, the other is a guide to using it in Vista. Consult a troubleshooter. It’ll be difficult if you’re a man – it’s like asking for directions. In certain cases, the troubleshooting guides in Windows Help can be helpful, although they can often miss the mark.
The guides can be accessed by choosing Start, then Help and Support. Look for some form of the word “troubleshoot”. Perform a distinct search for each of these terms since there is a high likelihood of getting differing results depending on the search term. Be tenacious, but have a get away plan. A long time acquaintance and exceptional troubleshooter told me, “When nothing has worked, fiddle with it.” Unrelenting pursuit The next time you are having trouble with your computer, use this checklist to troubleshoot the problem before you pick up your phone to call for help. Whether your processor slows down, starts behaving strangely of totally crashes, you may be able to get your PC back to peak performance with just a few basic troubleshooting tricks. Try this before calling the repair shop. Don’t ignore the problem; it’s not going to go away. But try these troubleshooting tricks before you call the expensive computer technician. Chances are that if you call the repair shop or the tech support hot-line, the person who answers your call will have less experience than you. Save yourself the time, inconvenience and expense by utilizing these 12 suggestions and procedures to dig out system misworkings, process shutdowns, and strange Windows actions independently. Never overlook what would seem to be the obvious.
The first thing to always do when experiencing any problem with equipment not starting or working as it should is to check for the usual disruptions: unplugged or loose cords or cables, a power outage that has occurred, or a monitor that should have been on but somehow got powered down. If none of the above seems to be the cause, try restarting your computer or modem. This easy step helps to fix several randomly occurring errors. You know better than anyone what the personality of your computer is, so ask yourself, “What has changed?” If you have installed a new hardware or software in the recent past, shut it down. Check for icons in the system tray to make sure that there is not a program running in the background. If the icon is present, just right-click the icon and select Exit or Close from the menu. Then try and look for a program listing under the Processes button in your Task Manager, then press the Ctrl,Alt and Delete buttons at the same time to open up the utility. You could also just uninstall the application entirely. If you have recently modified any of your device drivers, go back to the previous one by using the rollback function for Windows’ device drivers. You can find full instructions in Microsoft Knowledge Base 283657. Part One: Divide and Conquer. You can check if an auto-start application is causing the problem by opening the System Configuration utility (a.k.a. “Msconfig”) To turn off all startup programs, press the windows key and “R” key then type msconfig and press enter.
Click on Selective Startup under the General tab, then uncheck Load Startup Items. Inside the General tab, click on Selective Startup option and uncheck the box next to Load Startup Items. If the problem goes away, come back to Msconfig, click on Normal Startup inside the General tab, choose the Startup tab, and activate your autostart programs one by one until the problem occurs again, at which point of time you’ve located the source of the trouble. Software Explorer, which is part of Windows Defender, is designed to manage startup programs and it’s built right into Vista. Microsoft offers a free AutoRuns utility, which also runs in XP; this is much easier to use and less clumsy than Software Explorer. Strategies and techniques for troubling times: Always try System Restore once. If you don’t know what is causing your problem, and it just appeared recently, System Restore might be of use in restoring your PC’s function.
Click on the Start button, then All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore, in that sequence. From the options provided, select “Restore my computer to an earlier time” then click “Next” and simply follow the prompts that you will be given. See Woody Leonhard’s expert tips for even more information on System Restore in the February 16, 2006 paid version. A different profile may work. Log off of your account and log on again under an alternate one. If you can’t do that because you don’t have another account, then make a new one. A secondary account can be useful if you have a problem with your main account. Create a new user account by first opening Windows’ User Accounts Control Panel applet.
Then click on Create a new account and follow the steps that are displayed. In Microsoft Vista, you will have to click the add or remove user accounts, or manage another account, before you start to create a new account, hence if the problem doesn’t present itself in the other accounts, there is an error in your profile, in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER section of the Registry. You can use the second profile as your main user account, but you will still be required to reinstall some software and replace the custom settings from your original profile. Despite that fact, it is a better alternative to reinstalling Windows. Be sure to select the “Last Known Good” setting. After booting your computer, try pressing F8 before Windows starts if you cannot log into Windows.
Select “Last Known Good Configuration” option using arrow keys on the “Windows Advanced Options” screen. Selecting this will undo the latest changes made to your computer’s configuration. If using this option lets you restart Windows properly, you may have fixed the problem. It is not that Last Known Good Configuration can resolve every issue, but like many of these troubleshooting strategies, it’s worth attempting. Try Safe Mode resolution. If in any case Last Known Good Configuration fails to restart Windows normally, press the function key F8 on startup again to go back to the Windows Advanced Options Menu, but this time you need to choose Safe Mode (or Safe Mode with Networking if you need to access the Internet or a network resource).
Safe Mode can’t fix anything, but it will attempt to open Windows with some very basic drivers. The problem in your computer is likely to be a device driver if you can start Windows in Safe Mode. Once you know what the problem is, you can also use Safe Mode to fix it. There’s more about this in the next tip. Activate boot logging feature. If you think the problem might involve a specific driver or is related to your hardware, look through your Windows boot logs for detailed information. Pressing F8 during startup will open the Windows Advanced Options Menu, which is where you will find the option of enabling boot logging. In order to start Windows with boot logging activated, arrow down to select Enable Boot Logging and press the Enter key.
Pressing Win+R and then typing c:\windows\ntbklog.text and hitting enter will open up the log file. The boot log will add new information at the bottom of the file, so you will have to scroll down to see if it has added any helpful information. Keep an eye out for entries that might show a problem with loading a driver. When you log into Windows using the Safe Mode, it will show you a log of all drivers Safe Mode doesn’t use; thus this boot log is not really going to be of any use in determining which drivers may be causing the problem. Part Two: Divide and Conquer. Msconfig is a great tool to help isolate the problem if you think it is a driver or other system file. But first, a warning: Using Msconfig utility to temporarily deactivate Windows services will erase restore points made by System Restore. This method should only be used if you are absolutely sure that you won’t need any of the restore points that currently exist and the problem was not corrected by using System Restore. On the keyboard press Win+R, type the command msconfig, and hit the Enter key. Then find the tab that says “General”, choose “Diagnostic startup” and then click “OK”. Follow each of the steps in order to successfully restart your computer. If the problem goes away, you can add other system files back in with the Selective Startup option on the General tab to narrow down the possibilities and check whether the problem lies in System.ini, wini.ini, services, and so on.
When you have gotten your search nailed down to a particular area, get more refined by turning on specific items using the check boxes under the other Msconfig tabs. Get additional details from Windows. In some cases your system will automatically reboot when a crash occurs. You will be unable to check for possible reasons why you are auto rebooting because of this Windows feature. To stop auto restarts after your computer crashes, reboot and press F8 right before Windows load to bring you to the Windows Advanced Options Menu. By using the arrow keys, you will then be able to select Disable automatic restart on system failure. Choosing Properties, Advanced from the menu you get in XP when you right-click on My Computer will allow you to either turn the feature back on or off, depending on its current setting, without restarting your computer. Find the tab that says “Startup and Recovery” and then click “Settings”.
Under Automatic Restart, there is a checkbox that you can use to enable or disable the feature. In Windows Vista, press Start, type the command SystemPropertiesAdvanced, and hit Enter. Click on the Continue button when prompted to by User Account Control. After clicking the Advanced tab, choose Settings in Startup and Recovery. You can manage the Automatic Restart option by checking or unchecking the box below it. The next time you have an unexpected reboot, an error message should display on your screen with possibly the name of the file that may have caused this error. It might be helpful to do a Web search for the specific file name to find out more details. The possible components of the video driver you are using that might have caused your system to fail will be displayed by Windows. If the answer is yes, inquiring about recent driver modifications on the Website of your video card maker could be the answer.
Check your system files. Windows has a tool that allows you to check the integrity of the files it requires to function properly which you can use to examine, and replace files if required. System File Checker will examine your files and offer to replace with the original if any problem with an original file is found. Open a Command Prompt window with Administrator rights, type sfc /scannow, and hit the Enter key on the keyboard. You might need to insert your Windows installation CD for retrieval of the original file. There are two published articles available from Microsoft regarding the proper use of this tool: one covers its use in Windows XP and Server 2003, the other is a guide to using it in Vista. Consult a troubleshooter. It’ll be difficult if you’re a man – it’s like asking for directions. In certain cases, the troubleshooting guides in Windows Help can be helpful, although they can often miss the mark.
The guides can be accessed by choosing Start, then Help and Support. Look for some form of the word “troubleshoot”. Perform a distinct search for each of these terms since there is a high likelihood of getting differing results depending on the search term. Be tenacious, but have a get away plan. A long time acquaintance and exceptional troubleshooter told me, “When nothing has worked, fiddle with it.” Unrelenting pursuit has served me well in determining several computer issues. Try every solution you can think of, one right after the other, but keep in mind to go slowly and methodically so you can undo every attempted “fix” if it doesn’t work to solve the issue. For instance, when working with the Registry, take due care to use the File, Export command to backup the Registry branch you’re about to tweak. Obviously, anything that is subsequently added to the Registry such as keys or branches will not be included in your backup.
Advanced PC Tweaker has served me well in determining several computer issues. Try every solution you can think of, one right after the other, but keep in mind to go slowly and methodically so you can undo every attempted “fix” if it doesn’t work to solve the issue. For instance, when working with the Registry, take due care to use the File, Export command to backup the Registry branch you’re about to tweak. Obviously, anything that is subsequently added to the Registry such as keys or branches will not be included in your backup.
Free Nikki! & The Semantics Of Cash
The joke behind the story that Nikki Finke might get paid a consulting fee on Tilda because it's soooo Nikki is that the big question is whether she can cover HBO if she does the deal.
The bigger question is whether we could, if she does this deal, make the very reasonable conclusion that one of Nikki's 5 primary operators, Ari Emanuel, who is packaging the show, is now, essentially, paying Nikki for services rendered and services to come in benefit of WME.
For that matter, her attorney, according to THR, is Tal Vigderson, who also has producing ambitions and a history with such talent as the exec producers of 24. He also worked with a number of Simpsons producers and others on the twice-failed web comedy/animation start-up Icebox.com, partnering with Gary Levine, who was formerly Executive Vice President, Creative Affairs at Warner Brothers Television, Steve Stanford, formerly of New Media at ICM, and Howard Gordon and John Collier, both of whom have extensive television credits.
But of course, the biggest conflict of interest is that HBO is Time-Warner and Time-Warner is Warner Bros and Nikki is already in bed with WB production chief and hopeful Horn-of-the-future Jeff Robinov. Now his company will be paying her too.
This is not to say that every relationship leads to bias or that it is easy to escape corporate parents who create unwished-for conflicts of interests when all the party in question wanted was a to make a living. In such a small media universe, conflicts must be proven by action, not simply inferred by relationship.
But I digress...
Crazy Nikki Finke is in the gossip game. Virtually every story she runs is something someone has asked her to write. Every story is a relationship with someone being worked over to both sides' mutual benefit.
The only actual difference between Nikki being paid by HBO as "a consultant" and her cashing a check from every studio that she runs stories for is... well... the semantics of cash.
Nikki has, for the decade-plus that I have known and dealt with her, traded in ego first and money a distant third or fourth. She doesn't really care about anything she writes - now more than ever - so much as the fact that a studio chief hops to and answers her e-mails or calls like a trained monkey... that she can abuse highly paid, highly regarded staff members of companies like toilet paper during a gastric disorder... that she can convince herself of her own importance even though she has not actually done a single positive thing for a single person - other, perhaps, than Diane English, whose film she intimidated WB into releasing more widely - in all of her years of work (even though WGA hardliners still think her support meant something as they went through a strike that got them nowhere.)
So I say, "Free Nikki!"
Who cares whether HBO pays her? Who cares who does what for her when? She is bought and paid for already, just in the perception of power, not cash. And for Nikki, that is worth more than money. Of course, she'll cry in her bathroom, afraid to expose herself to the closed curtains of her living room windows, when the show airs. But she'll write about how she controlled Bill Condon. And she'll take the Big Win, which is that she was willing and capable of intimidating HBO into paying her.
And journalists who once thrived on the ego of writing for Mainstream Media will try to hide the drool sloshing out of both sides of their mouths, seeing someone who seems to be self-empowered at the same time their former outlets' slides into bankruptcy and other obscurity utterly emasculates their perception of their own power and creates blinders to all the standards they once claimed to hold dear.
For Nikki, conflict of interest is a given. Her work starts and ends there. Everyone of any significance knows it. And none of them want to say it on the record because they fear her. Same old high school crap. No one has the guts (or the sense of honor) to tell Carrie that she's not really a popular homecoming queen and that once they get a good laugh, they'd just as soon soak her in blood for a bigger laugh. Part of this is the sick culture of enjoying shredding someone privately while building them up to their face. Part of it is just gutlessness. But a big part of it is that they all still operate under the delusion that Nikki can set the room on fire with a thought.
And the truth is, Nikki can... because the stakes are so low. In this town, screaming and leveraging are very powerful tools. No one in the world, including Wall Street, could give two fucks about Nikki Finke calling someone names or attacking them on a blog. Carl Icahn is not reading Nikki Finke to determine what to do next, no matter how desperately the LGFers feed her intel in hope of changing public perception of their fight. But the most powerful men and women in this town are its thinnest-skinned, most-broken children. With few exceptions, they too have screamed and leveraged their way into getting others to think they know best. And in one or two cases, they do. (Those people know who they are. And those who think I am talking about them in the pejorative are proving my point about their fear.) In more cases than not, they are the best upward managers on the planet, first and last.
The bigger question is whether we could, if she does this deal, make the very reasonable conclusion that one of Nikki's 5 primary operators, Ari Emanuel, who is packaging the show, is now, essentially, paying Nikki for services rendered and services to come in benefit of WME.
For that matter, her attorney, according to THR, is Tal Vigderson, who also has producing ambitions and a history with such talent as the exec producers of 24. He also worked with a number of Simpsons producers and others on the twice-failed web comedy/animation start-up Icebox.com, partnering with Gary Levine, who was formerly Executive Vice President, Creative Affairs at Warner Brothers Television, Steve Stanford, formerly of New Media at ICM, and Howard Gordon and John Collier, both of whom have extensive television credits.
But of course, the biggest conflict of interest is that HBO is Time-Warner and Time-Warner is Warner Bros and Nikki is already in bed with WB production chief and hopeful Horn-of-the-future Jeff Robinov. Now his company will be paying her too.
This is not to say that every relationship leads to bias or that it is easy to escape corporate parents who create unwished-for conflicts of interests when all the party in question wanted was a to make a living. In such a small media universe, conflicts must be proven by action, not simply inferred by relationship.
But I digress...
Crazy Nikki Finke is in the gossip game. Virtually every story she runs is something someone has asked her to write. Every story is a relationship with someone being worked over to both sides' mutual benefit.
The only actual difference between Nikki being paid by HBO as "a consultant" and her cashing a check from every studio that she runs stories for is... well... the semantics of cash.
Nikki has, for the decade-plus that I have known and dealt with her, traded in ego first and money a distant third or fourth. She doesn't really care about anything she writes - now more than ever - so much as the fact that a studio chief hops to and answers her e-mails or calls like a trained monkey... that she can abuse highly paid, highly regarded staff members of companies like toilet paper during a gastric disorder... that she can convince herself of her own importance even though she has not actually done a single positive thing for a single person - other, perhaps, than Diane English, whose film she intimidated WB into releasing more widely - in all of her years of work (even though WGA hardliners still think her support meant something as they went through a strike that got them nowhere.)
So I say, "Free Nikki!"
Who cares whether HBO pays her? Who cares who does what for her when? She is bought and paid for already, just in the perception of power, not cash. And for Nikki, that is worth more than money. Of course, she'll cry in her bathroom, afraid to expose herself to the closed curtains of her living room windows, when the show airs. But she'll write about how she controlled Bill Condon. And she'll take the Big Win, which is that she was willing and capable of intimidating HBO into paying her.
And journalists who once thrived on the ego of writing for Mainstream Media will try to hide the drool sloshing out of both sides of their mouths, seeing someone who seems to be self-empowered at the same time their former outlets' slides into bankruptcy and other obscurity utterly emasculates their perception of their own power and creates blinders to all the standards they once claimed to hold dear.
For Nikki, conflict of interest is a given. Her work starts and ends there. Everyone of any significance knows it. And none of them want to say it on the record because they fear her. Same old high school crap. No one has the guts (or the sense of honor) to tell Carrie that she's not really a popular homecoming queen and that once they get a good laugh, they'd just as soon soak her in blood for a bigger laugh. Part of this is the sick culture of enjoying shredding someone privately while building them up to their face. Part of it is just gutlessness. But a big part of it is that they all still operate under the delusion that Nikki can set the room on fire with a thought.
And the truth is, Nikki can... because the stakes are so low. In this town, screaming and leveraging are very powerful tools. No one in the world, including Wall Street, could give two fucks about Nikki Finke calling someone names or attacking them on a blog. Carl Icahn is not reading Nikki Finke to determine what to do next, no matter how desperately the LGFers feed her intel in hope of changing public perception of their fight. But the most powerful men and women in this town are its thinnest-skinned, most-broken children. With few exceptions, they too have screamed and leveraged their way into getting others to think they know best. And in one or two cases, they do. (Those people know who they are. And those who think I am talking about them in the pejorative are proving my point about their fear.) In more cases than not, they are the best upward managers on the planet, first and last.
Can You Get More Financial Aid If You’re In Debt?
Hi, everybody. As you probably know, this site started out as a site about scholarships and how to get them, but has slowly morphed into an advice site about all things related to college, money, jobs, and occasionally even bigger issues like what you should do with your life and how to be happy.
I’m cool with all of that, and let me thank you once again (because I don’t do it enough) for entrusting me with these important questions you have, many of which will determine the direction of your life. I promise to keep giving you the best advice I’ve got, whatever it is you’d like to know about.
Why do opera singers always have beards?
And on the subject of our ever-expanding topics, I’m getting more and more questions recently about the financial aid process itself — FAFSAs, EFCs, awards, financial aid offices, strategies, etc. I’m learning FAST that this is one of the most, if not THE most, critical issue on your minds.
You’re in luck, because I have a fair bit of experience with the financial aid system, and not just as a student. When I started my Google Adwords agency back in 2001, things were going so poorly and I was so broke that I had to donate plasma twice a week just to keep my house out of foreclosure. To make ends meet, I took a job as a call-center rep for FAFSA, and was trained by the government on the ins and outs of the financial aid system (so that I could intelligently answer the frustrated calls of folks like you/your parents).
Later on, after business picked up for me and I quit that job, I co-owned a FAFSA service that completed many thousands of financial aid apps for students. ANYWAY — my point is, please feel free to fire away with any financial aid questions you have. I’ll get them answered. And to that end, today we have Debbie:
Dear Mr. Barsch,
I admire your frank communication with the students and I’m hoping you’ll be able to guide me out of my dilemma.
I’ll do my best!
A few years ago my husband was laid off from his job, during the time he was out of work, we ended up using all of our resources (IRA’s, savings, etc) and went into debt to keep from losing our house. Our daughter is an opera major at UC Irvine and loves school, her friends and her life. Even though my husband is back to work and I am working full time, our combined salaries tell FAFSA that we earn too much to get any scholarships or grants.
First of all, congrats to you for pulling through those difficult times without losing your house or having to pull your daughter out of school. The headlines, unfortunately, will always belong to those who DID lose their houses and everything else during this time, but I know sometimes it must feel like cold comfort when you’re now having to start over from square one with savings and fallback money.
The UC system is raising their tuition this coming year plus she’s going to have to pay extra for voice lessons and housing is $850/month! not including food.
That doesn’t surprise me, unfortunately. If the predicament itself wasn’t enough, Debbie’s also a victim of California’s epic budget deficits, where the state is pinching everyone they can, everywhere they can, just to stop bleeding money.
I’m afraid our debt that we’ll be paying for is going to take about 20 to 30 years to pay off plus our son is going to go to college in another 3 years.
I don’t know how much the debt adds up to or how much you and your husband make or what your lifestyle expenses are like, but I’d be lying if I said I disagreed with you. I could (and probably will, soon) make a blog post on a collection of ways to save, say, $5,000 per year (and then put that $5k toward your existing debt). But otherwise, yeah, that’s definitely a possibility.
If there’s any upside to the above, it’s that the feds will expect less money out of you when you have multiple kids in college and reduce your EFC.
My question is, is there any way at all of getting our debt information into FAFSA to change their final financial decision?
Unfortunately there’s not. The government does not count consumer debt against your assets when determining your EFC. They just count the assets. Now, you can help yourself out by taking whatever cash and savings you have and paying down your debt with it — that way, the assets aren’t there anymore and the government can’t count them against you. However, a) it sounds like you may not have recovered much of your savings just yet, and b) that’s always a risky proposition anyway, especially if you’re paying down cards or lines of credit that have since been closed out by the lender (since any cash you put toward them now isn’t offset by an opening/easing of a credit line for life’s next emergency).
My daughter is extremely talented, she’s a favorite of her teachers and her grades are getting the attention of Rhodes and Fullbright for her masters.
Sincerely,
Debbie
Well, that brings up another point that I’m sure you’ve heard others say, and I’d be screwing you over if I didn’t at least make mention of it myself. Your daughter is an adult now, and situations like this are why God created the unsubsidized student loan.
I know you want to help her, and when my daughter is that age (she’s only 6 now), I’m probably gonna need someone sitting in my current chair telling me the same thing I’m telling you. But you’ve gotta avoid the temptation to throw yourself under the bus financially when there’s another solution tailor-made for this, and that’s the usage of student loans.
Yeah, she’s probably a broke college student, and she probably won’t make millions the minute she steps out of college with an opera degree. But she’s got the power of time on her side. She’s 20-some years younger than you with a lot fewer needs and responsibilities. She’ll be able to hack the payments over time even better than you will, possibly. (Of course, let’s hope she wins a Rhodes or Fulbright gig and this becomes a non-issue).
Plus, like you said earlier, if things go south financially again during the next few years, you don’t want to be stretched so thin that you can’t help your son out at all, even in an emergency or something like that.
That’s my best advice for the day. What about you — what do you think Debbie should do? Let us know in the comments below. Oh, and if you haven’t already, please fan/like me on Facebook if you’re so inclined. I’m sick of getting my butt kicked
I’m cool with all of that, and let me thank you once again (because I don’t do it enough) for entrusting me with these important questions you have, many of which will determine the direction of your life. I promise to keep giving you the best advice I’ve got, whatever it is you’d like to know about.
Why do opera singers always have beards?
And on the subject of our ever-expanding topics, I’m getting more and more questions recently about the financial aid process itself — FAFSAs, EFCs, awards, financial aid offices, strategies, etc. I’m learning FAST that this is one of the most, if not THE most, critical issue on your minds.
You’re in luck, because I have a fair bit of experience with the financial aid system, and not just as a student. When I started my Google Adwords agency back in 2001, things were going so poorly and I was so broke that I had to donate plasma twice a week just to keep my house out of foreclosure. To make ends meet, I took a job as a call-center rep for FAFSA, and was trained by the government on the ins and outs of the financial aid system (so that I could intelligently answer the frustrated calls of folks like you/your parents).
Later on, after business picked up for me and I quit that job, I co-owned a FAFSA service that completed many thousands of financial aid apps for students. ANYWAY — my point is, please feel free to fire away with any financial aid questions you have. I’ll get them answered. And to that end, today we have Debbie:
Dear Mr. Barsch,
I admire your frank communication with the students and I’m hoping you’ll be able to guide me out of my dilemma.
I’ll do my best!
A few years ago my husband was laid off from his job, during the time he was out of work, we ended up using all of our resources (IRA’s, savings, etc) and went into debt to keep from losing our house. Our daughter is an opera major at UC Irvine and loves school, her friends and her life. Even though my husband is back to work and I am working full time, our combined salaries tell FAFSA that we earn too much to get any scholarships or grants.
First of all, congrats to you for pulling through those difficult times without losing your house or having to pull your daughter out of school. The headlines, unfortunately, will always belong to those who DID lose their houses and everything else during this time, but I know sometimes it must feel like cold comfort when you’re now having to start over from square one with savings and fallback money.
The UC system is raising their tuition this coming year plus she’s going to have to pay extra for voice lessons and housing is $850/month! not including food.
That doesn’t surprise me, unfortunately. If the predicament itself wasn’t enough, Debbie’s also a victim of California’s epic budget deficits, where the state is pinching everyone they can, everywhere they can, just to stop bleeding money.
I’m afraid our debt that we’ll be paying for is going to take about 20 to 30 years to pay off plus our son is going to go to college in another 3 years.
I don’t know how much the debt adds up to or how much you and your husband make or what your lifestyle expenses are like, but I’d be lying if I said I disagreed with you. I could (and probably will, soon) make a blog post on a collection of ways to save, say, $5,000 per year (and then put that $5k toward your existing debt). But otherwise, yeah, that’s definitely a possibility.
If there’s any upside to the above, it’s that the feds will expect less money out of you when you have multiple kids in college and reduce your EFC.
My question is, is there any way at all of getting our debt information into FAFSA to change their final financial decision?
Unfortunately there’s not. The government does not count consumer debt against your assets when determining your EFC. They just count the assets. Now, you can help yourself out by taking whatever cash and savings you have and paying down your debt with it — that way, the assets aren’t there anymore and the government can’t count them against you. However, a) it sounds like you may not have recovered much of your savings just yet, and b) that’s always a risky proposition anyway, especially if you’re paying down cards or lines of credit that have since been closed out by the lender (since any cash you put toward them now isn’t offset by an opening/easing of a credit line for life’s next emergency).
My daughter is extremely talented, she’s a favorite of her teachers and her grades are getting the attention of Rhodes and Fullbright for her masters.
Sincerely,
Debbie
Well, that brings up another point that I’m sure you’ve heard others say, and I’d be screwing you over if I didn’t at least make mention of it myself. Your daughter is an adult now, and situations like this are why God created the unsubsidized student loan.
I know you want to help her, and when my daughter is that age (she’s only 6 now), I’m probably gonna need someone sitting in my current chair telling me the same thing I’m telling you. But you’ve gotta avoid the temptation to throw yourself under the bus financially when there’s another solution tailor-made for this, and that’s the usage of student loans.
Yeah, she’s probably a broke college student, and she probably won’t make millions the minute she steps out of college with an opera degree. But she’s got the power of time on her side. She’s 20-some years younger than you with a lot fewer needs and responsibilities. She’ll be able to hack the payments over time even better than you will, possibly. (Of course, let’s hope she wins a Rhodes or Fulbright gig and this becomes a non-issue).
Plus, like you said earlier, if things go south financially again during the next few years, you don’t want to be stretched so thin that you can’t help your son out at all, even in an emergency or something like that.
That’s my best advice for the day. What about you — what do you think Debbie should do? Let us know in the comments below. Oh, and if you haven’t already, please fan/like me on Facebook if you’re so inclined. I’m sick of getting my butt kicked
Home Mortgage Facts For Home Buyers Or Exisiting Home Owners
When it comes to getting the house that you have been seeking, or leveraging the equity in your existing home to get the things in life you need, you will find that there are a number of different Home Mortgages designed to meet your credit needs.
Buying a home is one of the largest expenses that most of us cannot incur without applying first for a home loan. Because your home is your kingdom, and your most valuable possession, buying any type of real estate is perhaps the most important decision that any individual will make in his or her lifetime.
A typical Home Mortgage Application requires considerable paperwork, including details on your employment record, and the type of house you want to buy in order to determine the loan you need among the different types available, such as Rural Housing Loans, VA Loans, FHA Loans, and so on.
Furthermore, lenders will require exact details of your personal finances, a copy of your latest pay stubs and income tax notice of assessment if you are an employee, or financial statements, if you are self employed. It will obviously be an easier process if you are just renewing an existing mortgage, instead of getting your first one.
For existing real estate owners, home mortgage refinancing can bring additional benefits when home mortgages are obtained under different interest rate schemes, as an example, from an Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) to a Fixed-Rate, although that is a decision you should make with great caution, depending on the amount of time you plan on being in your home.
Another important consideration when applying for home loans, is your credit score. A lender can reject your application if you have not established credit yet, or your credit is not good. Even then, Bad Credit Mortgage Loans are available for those who have bad credit, poor credit, damaged credit, or no credit at all, as well as for people with a previous foreclosure, bankruptcy, and other credit report issues. The only problem is that the interest rates will be higher and there may be other requirements, like a longer pay back term, or other restrictions.
Considering all of this, it is better if you try to repair your credit score before applying for a regular home mortgage.
If you want to get a loan for home repairs, for your childrens college tuition, to supplement your retirement income, or for other important reasons, consider getting a home equity loan.
A Home Equity Loan always requires that you own a home, which is used as collateral, to get the money you need. You are granted a loan based on how much equity is available in your existing mortgage. If your mortage was for two hundred thousand dollars and you have paid off half of that, then your home equity loan would likely be for a maximum of that difference of one hundred thousand dollars, depending also on the current value of your home.
If you are unsure of the benefits of one mortgage loan compared to another, research online at the various financial institution or related websites. For example, at www.fanniemae.com, you will find a wealth of information about home mortgages, while the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides excellent information at www.hud.gov.
Because knowledge is power, taking the time to learn more about home mortgages can make the difference in making your dream home come true, in finding the funds to improve your life situation, or not.
Buying a home is one of the largest expenses that most of us cannot incur without applying first for a home loan. Because your home is your kingdom, and your most valuable possession, buying any type of real estate is perhaps the most important decision that any individual will make in his or her lifetime.
A typical Home Mortgage Application requires considerable paperwork, including details on your employment record, and the type of house you want to buy in order to determine the loan you need among the different types available, such as Rural Housing Loans, VA Loans, FHA Loans, and so on.
Furthermore, lenders will require exact details of your personal finances, a copy of your latest pay stubs and income tax notice of assessment if you are an employee, or financial statements, if you are self employed. It will obviously be an easier process if you are just renewing an existing mortgage, instead of getting your first one.
For existing real estate owners, home mortgage refinancing can bring additional benefits when home mortgages are obtained under different interest rate schemes, as an example, from an Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) to a Fixed-Rate, although that is a decision you should make with great caution, depending on the amount of time you plan on being in your home.
Another important consideration when applying for home loans, is your credit score. A lender can reject your application if you have not established credit yet, or your credit is not good. Even then, Bad Credit Mortgage Loans are available for those who have bad credit, poor credit, damaged credit, or no credit at all, as well as for people with a previous foreclosure, bankruptcy, and other credit report issues. The only problem is that the interest rates will be higher and there may be other requirements, like a longer pay back term, or other restrictions.
Considering all of this, it is better if you try to repair your credit score before applying for a regular home mortgage.
If you want to get a loan for home repairs, for your childrens college tuition, to supplement your retirement income, or for other important reasons, consider getting a home equity loan.
A Home Equity Loan always requires that you own a home, which is used as collateral, to get the money you need. You are granted a loan based on how much equity is available in your existing mortgage. If your mortage was for two hundred thousand dollars and you have paid off half of that, then your home equity loan would likely be for a maximum of that difference of one hundred thousand dollars, depending also on the current value of your home.
If you are unsure of the benefits of one mortgage loan compared to another, research online at the various financial institution or related websites. For example, at www.fanniemae.com, you will find a wealth of information about home mortgages, while the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides excellent information at www.hud.gov.
Because knowledge is power, taking the time to learn more about home mortgages can make the difference in making your dream home come true, in finding the funds to improve your life situation, or not.
“Get Paid To” (GPT) Sites: Scam or Money Making Opportunity?
With the rising costs of fuel, food, and everything else, I am seeing more and more people turning to “Get Paid To” (GPT) sites in order to earn some extra spending money.
But can you really make money, and what are the risks?
For those not familiar with the lingo, a GPT site is one that pays you for online shopping, completing surveys, reading paid emails, clicking on sponsored links, completing offers or participating in product trials. Some sites focus on just one of these, while others pay for
some or all of them. Some pay in the form of gift cards, while others pay cash via check or PayPal. Most insinuate that you can make “big bucks” just by clicking on a few links and reading a few emails. Nothing like making easy money while sitting at home, surfing the Internet, right?
No so fast. As with other get rich quick offers, the claims made by many GPT’s are often exaggerated. Are these sites a good way to make money? The answer is, “Maybe,” but it isn’t as simple as clicking on a few links. I’ve been doing GPT sites since the heyday of the ’90’s when sites were plentiful and rewards were high. In recent years, many sites have closed down or restructured their offerings due to fraud and too much competition. The bad news is that now there are fewer sites to choose from. Those still around pay less per offer and require you to earn more before you can “cash out” for your reward. In other words, you have to work a lot harder for a smaller amount of money. The good news is that these closings and restructurings forced many scammers out of business.
So what are the downsides and risks to GPT’s? First, you will receive a lot of spam from these sites. Even the good sites will send you tons of spam. Selling your address and sending you offers is part of how they make money. Don’t sign up with your primary email address; get a freebie from GMail, Yahoo, or the like and use it only for your GPT programs.
In order to do GPT’s, you need a fairly high tolerance for having your personal information (address, phone number, name, email address and some demographic information) shared with a lot of companies. Many offers and product trials require that your information be transmitted to the business administering the offer and, very often, their business is selling information. You may get a free sample of a product, but they’ve got your information and they will make money by selling it to other parties. If you’re not comfortable with this, GPT’s may not be for you.
You may also pick up computer viruses, spyaware, or adware from some sites. Even reputable sites are susceptible to this if their advertisers put up bad ads/offers and the site manager isn’t vigilant. Keep your computer’s software up to date and run anti-virus and anti-spyware software regularly to protect yourself.
Beware of trial offers where you pay up front to try a product and are guaranteed to receive your money back if you choose not to use the product or service. These are typically the highest paying offers on GPT sties, but you have to remember to cancel the offer, you will be charged if you don’t cancel, and you must give your credit card number in order to participate. If you do these types of offers, be prepared to fight through customer service in order to cancel, keep excellent records of cancellation deadlines and confirmations, and be aware that sometimes these offers result in credit card fraud.
If you want to try GPT sites, protect yourself from the outset by making certain that the site you’re dealing with is reputable and known to pay its members regularly and promptly. Sites that have been around for a while are generally preferable to newer sites because they have a verifiable track record. Google the site you’re considering and look for complaints about missing/delayed payments and/or poor customer service. Look for evidence that other members have had their personal information misused. These are indicators that the site you’re considering is, at best, going to be pain to deal with and, at worst, a complete scam.
Never, ever, give your Social Security number when enrolling in a GPT site, even if they claim they need it for taxes. Some scam sites ask for your SSN and then proceed to commit identity theft. Taxes on the money you earn are your responsibility. If you earn more than $600 in a year from any one site, the site will have to file Form 1099 on you and you may need to provide your SSN at that time. But don’t give it out before that time. Chances are you won’t have to worry about it because $600 in earnings from one site is difficult to achieve.
Once you’ve joined a site, make certain to follow their rules to the letter. Different sites have different rules, so if in doubt, ask. Doing GPT sites is often like submitting rebates. You must follow every rule exactly or you will not get paid. When shopping through a GPT site, keep your purchase confirmations in case you need proof later. When doing other offers, keep as much of a record as you can as to the date you completed the offer, any confirmation emails you receive, and the amount you were supposed to be paid. Most reliable GPT sites are able to resolve disputes if you can provide a way for them to track what you did, although there will be times when you won’t get paid no matter how hard you fight or how reputable the site. GPT’s rely on computer programs to tell them what you should be paid for and, like everything else with computers, these systems just don’t work right sometimes.
The more sites you join, the more money you can make, but doing more than a couple of sites becomes complicated if you aren’t careful. It also becomes very time consuming. You need to be organized enough to keep up with which offers you’ve done where, which site should be paying you for what, and when you should be receiving payment from each site. Also, joining more sites exposes your personal information to more advertisers and businesses, so you need to determine how comfortable you are with that.
It is possible to make some money through GPT sites if you’re savvy and patient, but don’t expect to be able to quit your day job. Those “big bucks” they promised you? Not likely. In my twelve-plus years of doing GPT’s, I’ve probably made a few thousand dollars. It sounds great and the extra money is nice, but it’s not the kind of money that’s going to save you from financial ruin. For that you need a real job.
Even when everything works and you get paid for an offer or survey, the amount is often pitiful compared to the amount of time you put in to earn it. My hourly rate for GPT’s is probably in the neighborhood of $0.10/hour on a good day. There are other job opportunities that pay far better and more reliably if you need extra income. I’d recommend getting a part time job or starting a business from home if you really need money.
I do GPT sites in my spare time as a hobby, mostly because I get a kick out of playing the game. If everything works and I actually receive my payment I’m thrilled, but I don’t count on that money to be able to eat, buy gas, or anything else. It’s all extra “fun money.” I wouldn’t recommend GPT’s as a way to subsidize your income during this time of economic uncertainty, but if you like doing surveys and getting new offers, and you’re organized enough to keep up with the record-keeping, then the bit of extra money might be worth it to you.
But can you really make money, and what are the risks?
For those not familiar with the lingo, a GPT site is one that pays you for online shopping, completing surveys, reading paid emails, clicking on sponsored links, completing offers or participating in product trials. Some sites focus on just one of these, while others pay for
some or all of them. Some pay in the form of gift cards, while others pay cash via check or PayPal. Most insinuate that you can make “big bucks” just by clicking on a few links and reading a few emails. Nothing like making easy money while sitting at home, surfing the Internet, right?
No so fast. As with other get rich quick offers, the claims made by many GPT’s are often exaggerated. Are these sites a good way to make money? The answer is, “Maybe,” but it isn’t as simple as clicking on a few links. I’ve been doing GPT sites since the heyday of the ’90’s when sites were plentiful and rewards were high. In recent years, many sites have closed down or restructured their offerings due to fraud and too much competition. The bad news is that now there are fewer sites to choose from. Those still around pay less per offer and require you to earn more before you can “cash out” for your reward. In other words, you have to work a lot harder for a smaller amount of money. The good news is that these closings and restructurings forced many scammers out of business.
So what are the downsides and risks to GPT’s? First, you will receive a lot of spam from these sites. Even the good sites will send you tons of spam. Selling your address and sending you offers is part of how they make money. Don’t sign up with your primary email address; get a freebie from GMail, Yahoo, or the like and use it only for your GPT programs.
In order to do GPT’s, you need a fairly high tolerance for having your personal information (address, phone number, name, email address and some demographic information) shared with a lot of companies. Many offers and product trials require that your information be transmitted to the business administering the offer and, very often, their business is selling information. You may get a free sample of a product, but they’ve got your information and they will make money by selling it to other parties. If you’re not comfortable with this, GPT’s may not be for you.
You may also pick up computer viruses, spyaware, or adware from some sites. Even reputable sites are susceptible to this if their advertisers put up bad ads/offers and the site manager isn’t vigilant. Keep your computer’s software up to date and run anti-virus and anti-spyware software regularly to protect yourself.
Beware of trial offers where you pay up front to try a product and are guaranteed to receive your money back if you choose not to use the product or service. These are typically the highest paying offers on GPT sties, but you have to remember to cancel the offer, you will be charged if you don’t cancel, and you must give your credit card number in order to participate. If you do these types of offers, be prepared to fight through customer service in order to cancel, keep excellent records of cancellation deadlines and confirmations, and be aware that sometimes these offers result in credit card fraud.
If you want to try GPT sites, protect yourself from the outset by making certain that the site you’re dealing with is reputable and known to pay its members regularly and promptly. Sites that have been around for a while are generally preferable to newer sites because they have a verifiable track record. Google the site you’re considering and look for complaints about missing/delayed payments and/or poor customer service. Look for evidence that other members have had their personal information misused. These are indicators that the site you’re considering is, at best, going to be pain to deal with and, at worst, a complete scam.
Never, ever, give your Social Security number when enrolling in a GPT site, even if they claim they need it for taxes. Some scam sites ask for your SSN and then proceed to commit identity theft. Taxes on the money you earn are your responsibility. If you earn more than $600 in a year from any one site, the site will have to file Form 1099 on you and you may need to provide your SSN at that time. But don’t give it out before that time. Chances are you won’t have to worry about it because $600 in earnings from one site is difficult to achieve.
Once you’ve joined a site, make certain to follow their rules to the letter. Different sites have different rules, so if in doubt, ask. Doing GPT sites is often like submitting rebates. You must follow every rule exactly or you will not get paid. When shopping through a GPT site, keep your purchase confirmations in case you need proof later. When doing other offers, keep as much of a record as you can as to the date you completed the offer, any confirmation emails you receive, and the amount you were supposed to be paid. Most reliable GPT sites are able to resolve disputes if you can provide a way for them to track what you did, although there will be times when you won’t get paid no matter how hard you fight or how reputable the site. GPT’s rely on computer programs to tell them what you should be paid for and, like everything else with computers, these systems just don’t work right sometimes.
The more sites you join, the more money you can make, but doing more than a couple of sites becomes complicated if you aren’t careful. It also becomes very time consuming. You need to be organized enough to keep up with which offers you’ve done where, which site should be paying you for what, and when you should be receiving payment from each site. Also, joining more sites exposes your personal information to more advertisers and businesses, so you need to determine how comfortable you are with that.
It is possible to make some money through GPT sites if you’re savvy and patient, but don’t expect to be able to quit your day job. Those “big bucks” they promised you? Not likely. In my twelve-plus years of doing GPT’s, I’ve probably made a few thousand dollars. It sounds great and the extra money is nice, but it’s not the kind of money that’s going to save you from financial ruin. For that you need a real job.
Even when everything works and you get paid for an offer or survey, the amount is often pitiful compared to the amount of time you put in to earn it. My hourly rate for GPT’s is probably in the neighborhood of $0.10/hour on a good day. There are other job opportunities that pay far better and more reliably if you need extra income. I’d recommend getting a part time job or starting a business from home if you really need money.
I do GPT sites in my spare time as a hobby, mostly because I get a kick out of playing the game. If everything works and I actually receive my payment I’m thrilled, but I don’t count on that money to be able to eat, buy gas, or anything else. It’s all extra “fun money.” I wouldn’t recommend GPT’s as a way to subsidize your income during this time of economic uncertainty, but if you like doing surveys and getting new offers, and you’re organized enough to keep up with the record-keeping, then the bit of extra money might be worth it to you.
“Get Paid To” (GPT) Sites: Scam or Money Making Opportunity?
With the rising costs of fuel, food, and everything else, I am seeing more and more people turning to “Get Paid To” (GPT) sites in order to earn some extra spending money.
But can you really make money, and what are the risks?
For those not familiar with the lingo, a GPT site is one that pays you for online shopping, completing surveys, reading paid emails, clicking on sponsored links, completing offers or participating in product trials. Some sites focus on just one of these, while others pay for
some or all of them. Some pay in the form of gift cards, while others pay cash via check or PayPal. Most insinuate that you can make “big bucks” just by clicking on a few links and reading a few emails. Nothing like making easy money while sitting at home, surfing the Internet, right?
No so fast. As with other get rich quick offers, the claims made by many GPT’s are often exaggerated. Are these sites a good way to make money? The answer is, “Maybe,” but it isn’t as simple as clicking on a few links. I’ve been doing GPT sites since the heyday of the ’90’s when sites were plentiful and rewards were high. In recent years, many sites have closed down or restructured their offerings due to fraud and too much competition. The bad news is that now there are fewer sites to choose from. Those still around pay less per offer and require you to earn more before you can “cash out” for your reward. In other words, you have to work a lot harder for a smaller amount of money. The good news is that these closings and restructurings forced many scammers out of business.
So what are the downsides and risks to GPT’s? First, you will receive a lot of spam from these sites. Even the good sites will send you tons of spam. Selling your address and sending you offers is part of how they make money. Don’t sign up with your primary email address; get a freebie from GMail, Yahoo, or the like and use it only for your GPT programs.
In order to do GPT’s, you need a fairly high tolerance for having your personal information (address, phone number, name, email address and some demographic information) shared with a lot of companies. Many offers and product trials require that your information be transmitted to the business administering the offer and, very often, their business is selling information. You may get a free sample of a product, but they’ve got your information and they will make money by selling it to other parties. If you’re not comfortable with this, GPT’s may not be for you.
You may also pick up computer viruses, spyaware, or adware from some sites. Even reputable sites are susceptible to this if their advertisers put up bad ads/offers and the site manager isn’t vigilant. Keep your computer’s software up to date and run anti-virus and anti-spyware software regularly to protect yourself.
Beware of trial offers where you pay up front to try a product and are guaranteed to receive your money back if you choose not to use the product or service. These are typically the highest paying offers on GPT sties, but you have to remember to cancel the offer, you will be charged if you don’t cancel, and you must give your credit card number in order to participate. If you do these types of offers, be prepared to fight through customer service in order to cancel, keep excellent records of cancellation deadlines and confirmations, and be aware that sometimes these offers result in credit card fraud.
If you want to try GPT sites, protect yourself from the outset by making certain that the site you’re dealing with is reputable and known to pay its members regularly and promptly. Sites that have been around for a while are generally preferable to newer sites because they have a verifiable track record. Google the site you’re considering and look for complaints about missing/delayed payments and/or poor customer service. Look for evidence that other members have had their personal information misused. These are indicators that the site you’re considering is, at best, going to be pain to deal with and, at worst, a complete scam.
Never, ever, give your Social Security number when enrolling in a GPT site, even if they claim they need it for taxes. Some scam sites ask for your SSN and then proceed to commit identity theft. Taxes on the money you earn are your responsibility. If you earn more than $600 in a year from any one site, the site will have to file Form 1099 on you and you may need to provide your SSN at that time. But don’t give it out before that time. Chances are you won’t have to worry about it because $600 in earnings from one site is difficult to achieve.
Once you’ve joined a site, make certain to follow their rules to the letter. Different sites have different rules, so if in doubt, ask. Doing GPT sites is often like submitting rebates. You must follow every rule exactly or you will not get paid. When shopping through a GPT site, keep your purchase confirmations in case you need proof later. When doing other offers, keep as much of a record as you can as to the date you completed the offer, any confirmation emails you receive, and the amount you were supposed to be paid. Most reliable GPT sites are able to resolve disputes if you can provide a way for them to track what you did, although there will be times when you won’t get paid no matter how hard you fight or how reputable the site. GPT’s rely on computer programs to tell them what you should be paid for and, like everything else with computers, these systems just don’t work right sometimes.
The more sites you join, the more money you can make, but doing more than a couple of sites becomes complicated if you aren’t careful. It also becomes very time consuming. You need to be organized enough to keep up with which offers you’ve done where, which site should be paying you for what, and when you should be receiving payment from each site. Also, joining more sites exposes your personal information to more advertisers and businesses, so you need to determine how comfortable you are with that.
It is possible to make some money through GPT sites if you’re savvy and patient, but don’t expect to be able to quit your day job. Those “big bucks” they promised you? Not likely. In my twelve-plus years of doing GPT’s, I’ve probably made a few thousand dollars. It sounds great and the extra money is nice, but it’s not the kind of money that’s going to save you from financial ruin. For that you need a real job.
Even when everything works and you get paid for an offer or survey, the amount is often pitiful compared to the amount of time you put in to earn it. My hourly rate for GPT’s is probably in the neighborhood of $0.10/hour on a good day. There are other job opportunities that pay far better and more reliably if you need extra income. I’d recommend getting a part time job or starting a business from home if you really need money.
I do GPT sites in my spare time as a hobby, mostly because I get a kick out of playing the game. If everything works and I actually receive my payment I’m thrilled, but I don’t count on that money to be able to eat, buy gas, or anything else. It’s all extra “fun money.” I wouldn’t recommend GPT’s as a way to subsidize your income during this time of economic uncertainty, but if you like doing surveys and getting new offers, and you’re organized enough to keep up with the record-keeping, then the bit of extra money might be worth it to you.
But can you really make money, and what are the risks?
For those not familiar with the lingo, a GPT site is one that pays you for online shopping, completing surveys, reading paid emails, clicking on sponsored links, completing offers or participating in product trials. Some sites focus on just one of these, while others pay for
some or all of them. Some pay in the form of gift cards, while others pay cash via check or PayPal. Most insinuate that you can make “big bucks” just by clicking on a few links and reading a few emails. Nothing like making easy money while sitting at home, surfing the Internet, right?
No so fast. As with other get rich quick offers, the claims made by many GPT’s are often exaggerated. Are these sites a good way to make money? The answer is, “Maybe,” but it isn’t as simple as clicking on a few links. I’ve been doing GPT sites since the heyday of the ’90’s when sites were plentiful and rewards were high. In recent years, many sites have closed down or restructured their offerings due to fraud and too much competition. The bad news is that now there are fewer sites to choose from. Those still around pay less per offer and require you to earn more before you can “cash out” for your reward. In other words, you have to work a lot harder for a smaller amount of money. The good news is that these closings and restructurings forced many scammers out of business.
So what are the downsides and risks to GPT’s? First, you will receive a lot of spam from these sites. Even the good sites will send you tons of spam. Selling your address and sending you offers is part of how they make money. Don’t sign up with your primary email address; get a freebie from GMail, Yahoo, or the like and use it only for your GPT programs.
In order to do GPT’s, you need a fairly high tolerance for having your personal information (address, phone number, name, email address and some demographic information) shared with a lot of companies. Many offers and product trials require that your information be transmitted to the business administering the offer and, very often, their business is selling information. You may get a free sample of a product, but they’ve got your information and they will make money by selling it to other parties. If you’re not comfortable with this, GPT’s may not be for you.
You may also pick up computer viruses, spyaware, or adware from some sites. Even reputable sites are susceptible to this if their advertisers put up bad ads/offers and the site manager isn’t vigilant. Keep your computer’s software up to date and run anti-virus and anti-spyware software regularly to protect yourself.
Beware of trial offers where you pay up front to try a product and are guaranteed to receive your money back if you choose not to use the product or service. These are typically the highest paying offers on GPT sties, but you have to remember to cancel the offer, you will be charged if you don’t cancel, and you must give your credit card number in order to participate. If you do these types of offers, be prepared to fight through customer service in order to cancel, keep excellent records of cancellation deadlines and confirmations, and be aware that sometimes these offers result in credit card fraud.
If you want to try GPT sites, protect yourself from the outset by making certain that the site you’re dealing with is reputable and known to pay its members regularly and promptly. Sites that have been around for a while are generally preferable to newer sites because they have a verifiable track record. Google the site you’re considering and look for complaints about missing/delayed payments and/or poor customer service. Look for evidence that other members have had their personal information misused. These are indicators that the site you’re considering is, at best, going to be pain to deal with and, at worst, a complete scam.
Never, ever, give your Social Security number when enrolling in a GPT site, even if they claim they need it for taxes. Some scam sites ask for your SSN and then proceed to commit identity theft. Taxes on the money you earn are your responsibility. If you earn more than $600 in a year from any one site, the site will have to file Form 1099 on you and you may need to provide your SSN at that time. But don’t give it out before that time. Chances are you won’t have to worry about it because $600 in earnings from one site is difficult to achieve.
Once you’ve joined a site, make certain to follow their rules to the letter. Different sites have different rules, so if in doubt, ask. Doing GPT sites is often like submitting rebates. You must follow every rule exactly or you will not get paid. When shopping through a GPT site, keep your purchase confirmations in case you need proof later. When doing other offers, keep as much of a record as you can as to the date you completed the offer, any confirmation emails you receive, and the amount you were supposed to be paid. Most reliable GPT sites are able to resolve disputes if you can provide a way for them to track what you did, although there will be times when you won’t get paid no matter how hard you fight or how reputable the site. GPT’s rely on computer programs to tell them what you should be paid for and, like everything else with computers, these systems just don’t work right sometimes.
The more sites you join, the more money you can make, but doing more than a couple of sites becomes complicated if you aren’t careful. It also becomes very time consuming. You need to be organized enough to keep up with which offers you’ve done where, which site should be paying you for what, and when you should be receiving payment from each site. Also, joining more sites exposes your personal information to more advertisers and businesses, so you need to determine how comfortable you are with that.
It is possible to make some money through GPT sites if you’re savvy and patient, but don’t expect to be able to quit your day job. Those “big bucks” they promised you? Not likely. In my twelve-plus years of doing GPT’s, I’ve probably made a few thousand dollars. It sounds great and the extra money is nice, but it’s not the kind of money that’s going to save you from financial ruin. For that you need a real job.
Even when everything works and you get paid for an offer or survey, the amount is often pitiful compared to the amount of time you put in to earn it. My hourly rate for GPT’s is probably in the neighborhood of $0.10/hour on a good day. There are other job opportunities that pay far better and more reliably if you need extra income. I’d recommend getting a part time job or starting a business from home if you really need money.
I do GPT sites in my spare time as a hobby, mostly because I get a kick out of playing the game. If everything works and I actually receive my payment I’m thrilled, but I don’t count on that money to be able to eat, buy gas, or anything else. It’s all extra “fun money.” I wouldn’t recommend GPT’s as a way to subsidize your income during this time of economic uncertainty, but if you like doing surveys and getting new offers, and you’re organized enough to keep up with the record-keeping, then the bit of extra money might be worth it to you.
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