Forbes.com iConference: All-Weather Portfolio Strategies

On May 22, 2008 Forbes.com will hold its first-ever virtual investor conference that is designed to help investors navigate the current turbulent market environment.

Prospering during times of uncertainty takes more than just patience and investor fortitude, it requires smart, actionable investment advice. This day-long online event begins at 10:00 a.m. and goes to 6:00 p.m., and will feature Steve Forbes and an all star panel of investment advisors and experts, including Robert Kiyosaki. The event is free to all investors and is accessible via any Web-connected computer.

In addition to speakers and discussions, you can visit an exhibit hall with booths and information about the sponsors. There is also a resource center, opportunities to network, receive advice through chat rooms and message boards and the opportunity to win prizes just for attending!

Steve Forbes and Robert Kiyosaki will present Stocks, Politics and the Economy: Prudent Strategies for Turbulent Times at 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.

Click here for more information and to register for this valuable free event.

Posted 08:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Book Review

Get Rich by Getting Smarter About Money

Increase Your Financial IQ: Get Smarter with Your Money by Robert T. Kiyosaki (Business Plus, 2008)

In what may be his best book to date, Robert Kiyosaki challenges his readers to wise up about their own financial situation and what they need to know to become financially intelligent because, he says, if you can increase your financial IQ, you can become richer.

Continue reading "Get Rich by Getting Smarter About Money" »

Posted 06:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Rich Dad Education Annual Forum starts on March 30 in Orlando! There's still time to reserve your spot to see Robert and Kim Kiyosaki, plus a host of other exciting, motivating, informative speakers -- all live and in person! You will "Strike it Rich" at this phenomenal event, so click here now for more information and to find out how to register.

Posted 02:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I saw an online news headline that read:

Housing Bust Gets Scarier
Former NBA Star in Foreclosure

Oh, please! That an irresponsible professional athlete managed to make and squander millions of dollars has absolutely nothing to do with the state of the real estate market today.

Don’t buy into the media doom and gloom. Are there a lot of foreclosures out there? Yes, and that means opportunities for foreclosure investors.

For savvy investors, this market is not scary at all – it’s exciting and full of opportunity.

What do you think when you see headlines like the one above?

Posted 01:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Are mobile homes really magnets for tornados? No. But they should be magnets for smart real estate investors.

Manufacturing housing continues to be a popular option for consumers across the country, and what makes them appealing to consumers is exactly what makes them a profitable choice for investors: They are less expensive than site-built homes while offering comparable amenities.

If you’re considering mobile homes as an investment strategy, you may want to read an article that recently appeared in the Orlando Sentinel: “Despite 2007 Orlando-area tornadoes, mobile homes still popular.” Then check out our advanced training on Manufactured/Mobile Homes & RV Parks. An online course begins April 1.

Posted 09:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hear Robert and Kim Kiyosaki on Doing It Right Radio™. Click here to hear Robert speak on entrepreneurship and Kim on the importance of financial literacy for women.

Posted 06:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In a post on ProgramCritque.com, Mark says, "I for one can testify fully that these courses work. I'm living proof." Click here to read his message.

Posted 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As you’re shopping for your holiday gifts this year, consider a gift that will be kept and used forever: knowledge. Books, audio and video programs, training classes – all are truly gifts that keep on giving and will always be treasured.

Got someone on your list who is interested in investing in real estate or stocks? Wealth Intelligence Academy training makes a wonderful gift. Or the Millionaire Real Estate Mindset is an affordable book full of advice on how to create and manage wealth. For a business owner or manager, The Entrepreneur’s Almanac is a book they’ll refer to regularly for years to come.

The gift of knowledge is one that will increase in value and be appreciated forever.

Posted 05:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It’s going to be three exciting days of networking and knowledge. Reserve your place now at the Rich Dad Education Annual Forum in Orlando March 30 through April 1, 2008. Click here for more information.

Posted 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In many areas, real estate prices are dropping, inventory is up, and the doomsayers are predicting the worst.

But let’s get personal about this: is the right time for you to invest in real estate? Only you can make that decision, but don’t let “the current market” fear mongers scare you away from achieving your financial goals. Any time is the right time to invest in real estate if you know what you’re doing.

The National Association of Realtors® ran an ad in yesterday’s Orlando Sentinel that was interesting. Though it was targeted to individual homebuyers, investors could learn from it as well.

Some of the points in the ad:

• Right now, interest rates are still at historic lows, conventional financing is available, and FHA-insured mortgage applications are on the rise.

• On average, the value of a home nearly doubles every 10 years.

• During the past three decades, home values have increased an average of 6.6 percent per year.

• The average homeowner today has 36 times the wealth of the average renter.

Definitely something to think about.

Jackie

Posted 08:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here at Wealth Intelligence Academy, we think financial education is critical to financial security and success. We also think that education is a process that builds on itself—learn the basics, practice, then learn more advanced material, practice, then take your education to an even higher level.

Sometimes, however, you know things you have to forget because they are things that will hurt your progress. I was reminded of this when I read something recently that included the following quote:

"You must unlearn what you have learned." – Yoda in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back.

Of course, you don’t want to unlearn everything you know … be selective, but be willing to let go of the things that are holding you back.

Posted 09:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

If you’re going to be at the Wealth Intelligence Super Conference in Las Vegas next week, please be sure to find me and say hello. I’ll be buzzing around with a notepad and camera, because my job at the conference is to produce the daily newsletter that keeps everyone up-to-date on what’s happening. I’m looking forward to meeting you.

Jackie

Posted 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Our conference team is in high gear getting ready for the Wealth Intelligence Super Conference in Las Vegas Aug. 16-19 at the luxurious Paris Hotel.

Our keynote speaker is Robert Kiyosaki, bestselling author of Rich Dad Poor Dad. You’ll also hear Russ Whitney, Kim Kiyosaki, Marshall Sylver, and many more great speakers who will be there prepared to share their knowledge and experience with you.

This high-powered, high-energy conference is a one-of-a-kind event full of information and motivation. If you’re serious about building wealth, you’ll want to experience every exciting minute.

Click here for details on speakers, the schedule, special conference events, and accommodations. Then call 1-866-601-6152 to register.

See you in Vegas!

Jackie

Posted 12:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

More and more baby boomers are going to work for themselves rather than retiring. Some are enjoying tremendous success, others are failing, and still others are just treading water. A lot of things contribute to the differences, but one thing is sure: knowledge is essential to a successful operation.

AARP Magazine recently published a good piece, “Are You Ready to Start Your Own Business?”

If you’re ready to start your own business, consider a business in real estate investing and/or stock trading. Then invest in the education you need to make your effort profitable.

Jackie

Posted 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday’s Bound & Gagged comic strip showed doctors in an operating room with surgeons holding their instruments and one doing a WebMD search on “quadruple bypass.”

The internet has become a resource for all kinds of information, but it’s no substitute for comprehensive training. If you really could find everything you need to know about wealth-building and real estate investing doing searches on the internet, everyone with a computer and modem would be wealthy.

Of course, there are some tremendous training programs available online and Wealth Intelligence Academy offers a growing number of them. These aren’t just reading a few articles—they’re serious, structured programs taught live over a period of time.

Continue reading "How much can you learn on the internet?" »

Posted 02:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The clock is ticking. The Wealth Intelligence Super Conference in Orlando is just two weeks away. The conference begins on Thursday, Feb. 8, with registration, some exciting bonus sessions for early arrivals, and the traditional open forum with its free-wheeling question and answer format. On Thursday evening, you’ll be introduced to the newest members of our International Hall of Fame.

Then on Friday morning, we get down to work, with session after session of informative presentations, capped by Marshall Sylver’s mind-boggling Las Vegas-style show. Saturday and Sunday are more of the same.

There are some places still open, but you need to make your reservations now. Click here for details.

Hope to see you there!

Jackie

Posted 07:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Have you changed your life for the better with real estate investing? If so, you may be eligible for the Wealth Intelligence Academy International Hall of Fame.

To be considered, go to www.wiacademy.com/superconference, click on the Hall of Fame link, scroll down to the bottom of that page for a link to the Hall of Fame questionnaire. Follow the directions for completing and submitting the questionnaire.

Hope to see you in February at the Super Conference in Orlando.

Jackie

Posted 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

With the housing market becoming red hot in many areas of the country the last few years, real estate and real estate investing has recently become a popular career path. Since we’ve already established that education is the first key to unlocking your potential to a successful real estate investing career, let’s look at the educational programs currently available.

The best training offers hands-on instructional strategies using in-the-field real-life situations. As mentioned in a previous article, in this type of training, you actually practice the techniques used by investors and receive personalized support for your new business. Some people, however, forget the fact that real estate investing is a business.

If you look at the world of academia, you’ll find that many colleges and universities now offer real estate investing classes and some have even established real estate degree programs. BusinessSchools.com lists 194 real estate programs at colleges and universities across the country. For example, the University of Southern California has a Master’s degree program titled Master of Real Estate Development. Their curriculum states, “The USC Master of Real Estate Development (MRED) program prepares graduates for key positions in real estate development.” These programs are geared toward “employee” positions. For example, a graduate of this MRED program is on the career path to employment with a large corporation or developer.

At Universities.com, Peirce College offers an online Bachelor Degree in Real Estate Management that focuses on preparing students to “develop, buy, sell, appraise, and manage real property” upon graduation. This is a non-traditional program since the Internet is used as the instructional method of delivery instead of in-person classroom instruction. The Real Estate Management program at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, however, takes a more traditional classroom approach preparing students for a management position.

Continue reading "Real Estate Schools and Training" »

Posted 08:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Previous articles have acknowledged that foreclosure investing takes knowledge and perseverance. There is never a bad time to invest in real estate if you know the strategies and which ones to apply to certain market situations such as foreclosures.

In the world of real estate investing, there are many top-notch educational opportunities. The best offer hands-on training based on in-the-field situations where you walk through some of the steps to practice the techniques. For example, if you are in a foreclosure training class, you may actually go to a county clerk’s office to observe a sale. Or, you may inspect a house in foreclosure and prepare a cost analysis.

There are also thousands of at-home training products including audio, books, DVDs, games, online classes, telecommunications, and workbooks available. These methods alone, however, don’t offer the mentoring and coaching a new investor needs to take that step from knowing to doing. Since self-help is often a difficult road to take, personal advisors can make a big difference in becoming a successful investor.

In recent years, real estate investing has even become recognized in the world of academia. There are now accredited college courses about the subject of real estate investing; and, you can even get a college degree in real estate. The downside to the collegiate education, however, is that learning is limited to the classroom setting and to the books used in the classes.

With all these choices, how do you decide? You examine the education and training available and then answer these questions. Which method gives you the best chance for success? Do you want to be taught by professors who learned real estate investing from books? Or, do you want to be taught by successful investors who live investing, made past mistakes and are willing to share them with you, and have the passion for real estate investing that you do? Do you want the personalized approach of hands-on training and support for your new business? Once you answer these questions, you’ll know that hands-on training gives you the best chance for success.

Remember, learning the proven strategies and techniques of successful real estate investors is crucial to your success. This means that education is the first key to unlocking your potential to a successful real estate investing career.

Posted 05:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

There are many myths when it comes to foreclosures and foreclosure investing. One is that foreclosure investing is easy money and it is often seen as a get-rich-quick scheme. Another myth is at the opposite end of the spectrum. This myth says that you can’t make any money with foreclosures. Both of these statements, of course, are false.

However, these myths will continue to surface as foreclosure replaces the housing bubble as the next hot real estate topic. Fraud also comes into the limelight when foreclosures increase as scam artists use some of the techniques of legitimate investors to make a quick buck.

The Los Angeles Times looked at one example of foreclosure fraud last month in an article titled “Foreclosure Fraud Finds a Home.” This article looked at one family who had been defrauded back in 2004 and were still living with the possibility of losing their home two years later. Media attention like this makes it critical for the legitimate foreclosure investor to stay current with laws and investing strategies and separate themselves from the scam artists.

Getting back to the myth of easy money and the get-rich-quick scheme of investing, an educated investor learns quickly to recognize these myths and schemes and moves on to the business at hand. You have to invest the time and money into learning the strategies necessary to turn your foreclosure business into a long-term profitable one.

We’ve previously discussed the definition of foreclosures, why they are currently becoming a hot investment opportunity, and how to find them. This is only the tip of the iceberg. Even after you’ve shopped, found your property, calculated your cost, and estimated your potential profit, you still have to figure out the financing and inspect both the physical property and the title to the property.

These steps take knowledge and knowledge comes with continuing education. So how do you make a lot of money in foreclosures? You have to invest in our own education, learn the strategies, and then take action on what you’ve learned.

Posted 09:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A recent article on CNNMoney.com titled “Real estate insiders go bearish in blogs” supports the opinions of the industry experts that the real estate market boom is over and the market is setting itself up for a correction. Although there are varying degrees of opinions about the current market, the common denominator is that none of the bloggers were singing the praises of the current market.

The article goes on to say, “NAR, chief economist, David Lereah, is on record predicting price appreciation will drop to the mid-single digits.” And NAR spokesman, Walter Molony, thinks we’ll see a balanced market this year. He says, “There has been a steady rise in inventory since last fall, but, broadly speaking, it’s still a little tight.”

If you read some of the blogs discussing the current market situation, you’ll find this article to be on target. There are a variety of opinions about the market, but the general consensus is that the market has slowed in virtually every part of the country. One of these posts also quoted David Lerah as saying, “The air is coming out of the balloon. The bubble is not bursting.” What this means is that investors will need to adjust their strategies to a slower market not a market in crisis.

I found it interesting that strategies are even being as reported in a recent MSNBC.com article. This article found that some builders were looking at the current market as “an opportunity to build market share.” Other builders want to “decrease their exposure and wait out this wave of uncertainty in the market right now.”

If you live in a market where the builders are continuing to build inventory while the market remains slow, there will be opportunity ahead.

So what is the pulse in your market? Has your market slowed? Are you ready to take advantage of the opportunities to come? The news articles, blogs, and industry experts keep talking about the change in the market, the slowdown, the bubble, and even the leaking balloon.

This brings us back to the subject of foreclosures since this is the next big opportunity waiting for the educated real estate investor. Of course with any discussion of foreclosures comes a lot of negative reporting and foreclosure myths.

Posted 01:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, some housing markets like Naples, Florida; Medford, Oregon; and Atlantic City, New Jersey are currently overvalued and poised for a correction. Of all the overvalued markets nationwide, California and Florida have had the largest number of local markets with soaring prices resulting in overvalued properties. However, many other states have also experienced large increases and overvaluation.

Even in states where home sales may have been flat or undervalued in 2001, prices have soared. For example, in Wilmington, North Carolina prices have gone from the $120s to over $200,000. Portland, Maine had an average price of $143,500 in 2001, and at the end of 2005, it was $217,000.

There are markets that have remained flat like those found in Ohio. In Texas, some markets are even undervalued. There are also undervalued markets found in the Midwest, including markets in Michigan and Minnesota. However, these undervalued markets are not to the extreme like the overvalued markets.

According to CNNMoney.com, “Naples went from 72 percent to 76 percent overvalued” by the end of 2005. The lowest undervalued market in this article is El Paso, Texas, which is undervalued at 25%. Thus, the markets that are undervalued are undervalued by a slight percentage as compared to the extreme percentages seen in the overvalued markets.

What does all this data tell us? That most of the country has experienced rapidly increasing prices during the past five years. So what can we expect next?

In the overvalued markets, we can expect a real estate slowdown of sales combined with reduced prices. In markets that are flat, the prices may remain steady, but a slowdown in sales will still occur. In the undervalued markets, the prices may level off and even increase slightly in some markets, but the slowdown of sales experienced in the other markets will also occur.

Regardless of the market you are in, get ready to start looking for bargains. The overvalued properties will fall back in line with value-prices and many will reach that bargain price level. The flat and undervalued markets may already be bargain priced and ready for the foreclosure fallout. Increasing foreclosures in all these markets will produce an abundant supply of bargains for the educated investor to find.

Posted 06:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As Steve McLinden wrote in a recent bankrate.com article, “foreclosure buying is a very competitive game right now,” so you have to arm yourself with education to take advantage of buying foreclosures.

First, you should know the definition of foreclosure. Investor Dictionary.com defines foreclosure as “A legal process by which the lender seizes property of a homeowner, usually due to the homeowner not making timely payments on the mortgage." In other words, if you fail to meet the obligation of your payment schedule, the lender can use a legal process to take the property from you.

This legal process is determined by whether or not the state you live in is a judicial or non-judicial state. If you live in a judicial state, the lender may choose to take the property back with a deed in lieu of foreclosure or use court proceedings to foreclose on the property. If you live in a non-judicial state, the lender will follow foreclosure procedures established by state statute without court proceedings.

How do you know if your state is a judicial or non-judicial state? You should be able to find the answer at your county clerk’s office. If the civil division of the county clerk’s office has procedures for mortgage and lien foreclosure sales, then you are in a judicial state. With the popularity of the Internet, many local government agencies will have this information readily available online. If not, call your county clerk’s office to get the information.

Once you know what a foreclosure is and what legal process your state uses to foreclose on property, you’ll be ready to take the next step.

Posted 08:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Let’s say that you looked at your local market and you’ve determined that your market is indeed in a bubble. “So what?” you ask. What you need to recognize is that this bubble isn’t the source of great concern, the market correction or pullback that follows this euphoric housing bubble is. So if prices where you live have recently increased rapidly and are now starting to fall quickly and the talk among realtors and investors has shifted from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market, the bubble is deflating.

How do you react to the deflating bubble? Experienced real estate investors and industry gurus recognize that the real estate market moves in cycles and prepare for them accordingly. In the March & April 2006 edition of the AARP magazine, economist Richard Dekaser provides a sample list of overvalued and undervalued markets. At the high end of overvalued markets was Naples, Florida at 84%.

When the market pulls back in Naples, Florida, there will be opportunity for some and tragedy for others. Think about it. If the market has increased rapidly and then starts falling quickly, there will be those that bought at the high side of the market and end up with what “Wikipedia” calls negative equity. Some of those will ultimately also end up in foreclosure. Because educated investors know the real estate cycles, they will be ready to start implementing foreclosure strategies as soon as the bubble begins to deflate. Will you be ready?

Posted 08:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)