In my book Forever Cash, I mentioned some different ways that you can make money, both by doing extra work on the weekends and by making some smart investments. On page 97, I wrote the following:

"Think outside the box and locate some new opportunities that others may have passed over. Look at the people (outside of your family and coworkers) and try and see what kind of need they have. Is there a hole in their daily lives that you can help to fill? Think practically, and use your imagination."

The best products and the best investments are those that fill a real need in the loves of people around you. That's why restaurants, clothing stores, and auto mechanic garages last for years and years, while cupcake and DVD rental stores have disappeared. One group fills a real and lasting need in the lives of people, while the other only offered temporary luxuries. Casinos fit into that second group.

I just came across this article on Forbes that talks about a new app to help folks control their spending. Check it out! You enter the amount you have available to spend each month, subtract bills and savings goals and then provide the account numbers and...

As part of our series "What can we learn from...?", I wanted to talk about Cornelius Vanderbilt. Yeah, THAT Vanderbilt. The one who became a railroad magnate and left enough money for his family to build huge houses down the East Coast (which today people visit as museums). We are talking about the Vanderbilt who fought against monopolies and went to court to stop the government from getting involved in business. We are talking about a man who - when he died in 1877 was worth $143 billion in 2007 dollars (almost three times Bill Gates' worth in the same year).

I just came across this article and it made me think. There are so many people who expect to be treated as "leaders" just becuase of their job position. But getting others to follow you isn't as simple as printing out fancy business cards or giving yourself a long title - it's about learning to show the qualities that people admire and giving them a strong example to imitate. Here are 14 esssential traits that every leader should work on, courtesy of www.leadershipinstitute.org

Hello all, and welcome to another session of Passive Income 101. Today I wanted to talk about when you can expect to start seeing cash start flowing in from a passive income asset. Of course, the answer depends a lot on what kind of asset you have decided to invest in and how much work you put into it. Even the best asset willl need some sort of management from time to time and some kind of promotion. 

I came across this article on Reuters the other day. Can you imagine how all those people who were depending on the governemnt for their pension feel? It makes me sad.

Detroit emergency manager sees bankruptcy plan confirmed by fall

BY EDWARD KRUDY

A view of the entrance to the City of Detroit Water and Sewerage Wastewater Treatment Plant on Jefferson Avenue in the Delray neighborhood of Detroit , Michigan December 13, 2013.

(Reuters) - Detroit's emergency manager expects the city's $18 billion bankruptcy plan to win court approval by the fall despite obstacles such as a dispute over swap agreements and a vote by retirees on the plan that could potentially slow or derail the process.

The Motor City filed for bankruptcy more than a year ago in the largest municipal filing in U.S. history, pitting pensioners against bondholders and threatening the city's world-class art collection with liquidation.

I just came across this article and wanted to share it. The article talks about a rating system used by SNL Financial (a bank analysis firm). Recently published results show that there are fewer banks in danger of failing, but that those who are in danger...

As part of our “What can we learn from” series, this week I wanted to talk about Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, angel investor on ABC’s Shark Tank, and self-proclaimed “serial entrepreneur”. With a net worth of over $2.5 billion, there is no doubt that the man has been successful when it comes to business, so let’s see what lessons we can learn from him.

In my book Forever Cash, I talk quite a bit about money management. In fact, that’s kind of all that I talk about. I share wisdom from my grandfather and the lessons that my wife and I learned through the years. One of those lessons has to do with the way that we spent our money. Before we got serious about real estate, we carried a lot of consumer debt (including a water softener that I foolishly bought from a door to door salesman). The fact is, we had a lot of debt and had to get out of it as soon as we could.

I want you to be wealthy. I honestly do. I want you to stop worrying about your bills and to live the life that you and your family have always dreamed of. That’s why I have developed training programs, set up websites, organized seminars, and written books on the subject of wealth creation. But sometimes the hardest step can be the first one. For example, how can you possibly think about investing if you are struggling from paycheck to paycheck?