The holidays are coming. Are you ready??!?

You: A merchant that sells services or other products that aren’t easily purchased over the Internet (i.e. pizzas).

The problem: How can you take advantage of the Internet to monetize web-based traffic, sell more of your services or products, and increase cash flow, especially during the holidays?

The answer: Use BoomTime to sell Instant Gift Certificates on your website!

Yes, I do feel a bit guilty for the shameless plug to one of my businesses. I lose the guilt though, when I think about the results. Let me explain: We went after spas and salons with our SpaBoom brand, and have almost 2,000 spas and salons signed up. (Don’t believe me? Check out our aggregating website, Spa Emergency!) We’ve learned something: That almost 50% of gift buyers wait until the last 48 hours of a holiday or event to make their gift purchase. These buyers are rushed, in a hurry and either don’t trust the mail service (i.e. US Post Office, FedEx, etc) or they have just plain run out of time and cannot mail it even if they wanted to.

So, our spa and salon customers are nearly doubling their gift certificate sales using our Instant Gift Certificate technology during the holidays. Over the span of a year, the results are pretty dramatic. They are seeing a 15% to 30% in overall gift certificate revenues.

So, check it out! If you’re a spa or salon, go to www.spaboom.com, otherwise check out www.boomtime.com and consider using us to drive Instant Gift Certificate sales. We use a “pay for performance” model, which is a fancy way of saying commission of 5% or less, depending on your volume of sales in a given month. The good news about this is it doesn’t cost you anything unless you start making money.

Good luck to you and have a happy (and prosperous) holiday season!

Radio Free David

Internet radio listening has never been more fun!

Radio Free David brings you the best music for your internet radio listening pleasure, from classic internet radio and the solid beats of yesterday to today’s cutting edge songs. He has assembled an awesome collection of songs, and although you might know the tune, you probably haven’t heard these versions before. Give them a listen on the Internet and you just might be surprised at the selection and variety of music they offer from their deep radio playlist. You can easily connect to them and listen to the music using your favorite player. You can also listen to them on your cell phone!

The Radio Free David Playlist

The Radio Free David playlist brings you the best possible songs and cuts of your favorite songs. Each and every tune has been hand-selected, considered, and placed into the rotation for your listening pleasure. They feature the less heard versions of songs, including live, acoustic and unplugged versions. They are very particular about what they play and they have to like it! Sit back, turn up the volume, and enjoy!

Request your favorite music

You can request and dedicate songs! Just visit the playlist and find your favorite tune, then click the “Request” link next to each song. You will even have the chance to dedicate the tune!

Getting angry … it’s all a matter of perspective …

It’s sort of interesting, how your world view can change when you have a near-death experience … and your life flashes before your eyes.

I had just that sort of event, on the highway, earlier today.

You see, I had a semi-truck decide to cut across two lanes of traffic, and run me off the highway. And it got me thinking … how we get angry as individuals, because of the stories we tell ourselves … making outrageous assumptions about someone else’s behavior. Let me explain …

I was traveling about 70mph on a six-lane highway in Albuquerque, NM. I was in the far right-hand lane, and the semi was traveling as fast as I was, in the far left-hand lane. I saw out of the corner of my eye, a big wall changing lanes … coming towards me. I looked, and noticed he had his turn signal on. I naturally assumed he was changing lanes, to take the middle lane that sat between us.

Well, without so much as a one-second pause, the semi kept on coming … over into my lane. I had nowhere to go. A concrete wall was approximately 6 feet from my car on the right. I had only a second to react, and decided to jam on my brakes. The semi crossed into my lane, missing me car by inches and kept going on his way.

Luckily, no one was behind me, so I didn’t have anyone crash into my rear. No other cars nearby, so no other accidents to avoid.

I was really, really angry at that truck driver. How could he intentionally run me off the road like that??!?

I sped up, overtook him on his left, pulled in front of him, rolled down my window and gave him a long, hard look at my bird. Then, I sped away to get to my final destination.

My heart raced. My mind full of doubt. Should I have slammed on my brakes in front of the semi, to show him the extent of my displeasure? Was it impolite to give him the bird? What would have happened, if the semi crashed into me? Should I have kept my ground, because the semi would have veered back into the middle lane at that last minute, in a high-stakes game of chicken??!?

It slowly occurred to me that I was really angry, because I assumed he intentionally tried to run me off the road. That’s the story I told myself. He intentionally did it. By thinking his behavior was intentional, it opened the door to all sorts of angry feelings and rude behavior on my part.

However, what really is the truth? Did a truck driver set out this morning to run some random freak off the road??!? Or, is it more likely that I wasn’t actually going the same speed as the semi, but in fact going a bit faster, so that the trucker didn’t see me when changing lanes? Sure, he was wrong for changing two lanes of traffic at the same time, but I imagine he felt it was his only opportunity to get over in time to take advantage of an exit some miles ahead.

So, my point here is, I can get angry at a trucker for changing two lanes at the same time, and putting my life in danger. But, that anger is very different than the anger I might feel, if I believe someone did it intentionally. Anger is a matter of perspective.

It seems to me, folks who frequently get angry at others, have a hard time empathizing and putting themselves in the shoes of others. I’m going to bet a psychologist might say this is because such individuals long for this treatment themselves and their anger is a form of fear at not getting what they really desire. Sure, that might be true, but “do unto others” goes a long way. Understand that anger is a matter of perspective, and seek to understand the perspective of the object of your ire.

Beware of Lifetime Warranties

“Buy it for looks. Buy it for life.”

Moen purchased a great reputation, by dumping millions of dollars into its very clever marketing campaign. It makes the consumer think “great looks,” and they really stand behind their products. Moen isn’t the only company to boast of a “lifetime warranty.” Just google lifetime warranty to see what pops up.

Many companies will use the phrase “limited lifetime warranty,” at least alerting you that there are limitations. Be very, very wary with “lifetime warranty” claims, whether they are preceded with “limited” or not. From my experience, lifetime warranties are worthless and definitely not worthy of any consideration whatsoever, when making a purchase decision. This goes for Moen.

Let me tell you why, but before I do, Seth Godin writes on his blog that there is indeed at least one company that stands behind the phrase “lifetime warranty.” That company is Le Creuset, the “french enamel on cast iron cookware people.” My hats off to Le Creuset … I’ll be on the lookout for other companies of this ilk, but they are unfortunately few and far between.

Why are lifetime warranties worthless? While many lifetime warranties are different, you will generally find some combination of four significant limitations to lifetime warranties, that really reduce their value:

• Warranty Card - Many manufacturers require you to send in a “warranty registration card” (on your own dime, using your own postage), that contains your name and address, date of purchase, place of purchase, etc. There are many legitimate reasons for this warranty registration card, but it also helps the manufacturer prevent people from avoiding the limitations in a lifetime warranty. Additionally, most manufactures limit how long you can wait from the date of purchase, before you can submit the warranty registration card (usually a couple of months). If you miss this deadline, many manufacturers will disclaim your warranty. Because many people don’t send in their warranty registration cards, this is an excellent way for manufactures to weasel out of their lifetime warranty.
• Original consumer purchaser - You need to save your receipt, which most people will lose within the first year. You cannot transfer the warranty to someone else, even if they buy the product directly from you or they buy it installed in a home. Also, the warranty doesn’t apply, even if you buy a new home from a builder. In the case of Moen, if you are buying a home with Moen faucets, you are buying faucets without any warranty whatsoever. See Moen Warranty Information for more.
• As long as the original consumer purchaser owns their [fill in the blank: home, boat, car, etc] - The fact that you’ve installed a product in your home is immaterial to the product itself, but it allows manufactures to get out of the warranty sooner. If your name happens to be on the receipt, they will generally not ship a replacement to a different name. Similarly, they will not ship a replacement product to a different address, from what they have on file with the warranty registration card.
• Original packaging - While Moen doesn’t have this requirement, many resellers, distributors and manufacturers will require you to send in the original packaging to take advantage of a lifetime warranty. Again, just google “lifetime warranty” “original package” to get a sense of how common this is. Obviously, very few people keep the packaging of their purchased products for any appreciable length of time. From a seller’s perspective, this is a great way to weasel out of a lifetime warranty.

The above limitations will significantly reduce any warranty, lifetime or otherwise. I just personally find them onerous on a lifetime warranty, only because these limitations are so common and so damaging to the value of a lifetime warranty.

My advice is, stop thinking of Moen as high-quality faucets. They aren’t any better (or worse) than the average faucet maker out there. And, when confronted with any warranty — but especially “lifetime” or “limited lifetime” warranties — ask to see the “fine print.” Examine the warranty for the language above, and if it limits you in any of the ways above, assume the warranty is worthless. In other words, don’t make your purchase decision based on the warranty (or lack thereof).

How to ensure you get the very best mortgage rate and deal

I don’t know about you, but I’m a terrible juggler. Two balls, I can handle. But, give me three or more balls, and not just one or two - but all the balls - will end up on the floor.

I have the same problem when trying to make a decision that involves a number of different factors. I’ll quickly loose track of all the variables, end up making the decision on gut instinct, and then royally screw up the task at hand. That can happen to me when buying a new car.

• Quick Tips for Getting a Mortgage or Refinancing
• Using a Spreadsheet to Keep Mortgage Brokers Honest

And it can definitely happen to me, when I’m trying to find a mortgage or refinance my home. It seems like every bank or mortgage broker I talk to, confuses me more than the previous one. I end up getting all confused and embarrassed, and end up make a hasty decision that I regret for years - since a bad mortgage decision can be one of the costliest mistakes to make in one’s life.

So, to compensate for this tremendous shortcoming in my character, I’ve come up with a system and I’m now sharing it with you. It involves Microsoft Excel, so apologies to those of you who don’t use Excel or detest computers. You also need to make sure you have the “Analysis ToolPak” add-in installed for Excel, which is a free add-in on the office install disks. Microsoft has a brief tutorial on how to install the Analysis ToolPak. You do NOT need the Analysis ToolPak VBA add-in.

Don’t worry. Take a deep breath. If you can suffer through this, and learn the spreadsheet, you can save yourself a LOT of money. Even better, you’ll have a tool to keep everyone honest and to help with negotiations. For example, I’ve used this spreadsheet to review my closing documents, only to find the closing documents were in error. You cannot imagine how amazed your mortgage broker will be, when you correct his or her numbers! At any rate, I’m going to walk you through the entire spreadsheet and help you understand how to add numbers to it and compare not just the mortgage rates, but closing costs, points, etc, to determine what is the very best mortgage for you!

Quick Tips on Getting a Mortgage or Refinancing

Okay, first some quick tips. Then, I’ll give you my recommended steps.

• Mortgage brokers almost will never give you the best deal. They know this, so will talk about “service” and “not leaving you when the loan is done.” That’s all a bunch of BS. At the end of the day, you want to pay the least amount of money. Even $100 per month can go a long way to upgrading your cable service, paying for a better car, etc. Don’t give your money away!
• Some of the best rates I’ve found are at eloan. They are a reputable company and the last 4 of my mortgages were through them.
• Do your research! A great place to search for rates is Mortgage-X.
• Don’t forget to check with your bank - yes, the one you have your checking account with - as they may have competitive rates for existing customers.
• Believe it or not, it’s okay to pay points. Points buy down the long-term cost of the loan. If you believe you will not refinance for at least three years, points are an excellent way to save money in the long-run. Make sure you look at a few mortgages with points, and see how they compare. Points are also great for lowering the monthly rate (because you have a lower interest rate).
• It’s sometimes difficult to get all the closing costs, and different companies and brokers will throw different numbers at you. At the end of the day, they all have to put those numbers on a HUD. Do NOT agree to do a deal, until you’ve seen the HUD and you’ve plugged the numbers into the spreadsheet.

Using a Mortgage Spreadsheet to Keep Mortgage Brokers Honest

On to Larry’s recommended steps for obtaining the very best mortgage rate and deal you can:

1. Download my Mortgage Analysis Spreadsheet. (It’s virus free, promise!)
2. Shop for a mortgage rate, like you would normally do. Talk to people. Find a mortgage broker you can trust.
3. Do you have a rate and mortgage in mind? Get a HUD, and put in the details of that mortgage in the “Baseline” of the spreadsheet.
4. Go to eloan.com and see what sort of mortgage you can obtain from them.
5. Whatever type of loan you’re considering, i.e. 30-year, consider ARM and fixed. Consider each with some points. Put them all in the spreadsheet.
6. Now ask yourself, “How long do I think I’ll go, before I will refinance?” Let’s say you say 6 years. Then, look at the spreadsheet and compare the 6-year outlook. Which of the loans will save you the greatest amount of money? Look at the “P+I” column, which represents your monthly payment (not including any escrow payments you might have to make). Can you afford the mortgage?
7. The chance is very great that the best loan for you is an online company you’ve found, like eloan. Take that data into your local outfit, whether mortgage broker or bank, and give them an opportunity to match. They have many tools at their disposal, and you might be surprised at what they can do - if they really want your business.
8. If you do get your local outfit to give you a better deal, get a HUD and put the information in the spreadsheet to keep them honest and make sure it’s the best decision for you.
9. Finally, make a decision and lock in a rate. Close your mortgage as you normally would. However, make sure you keep your spreadsheet and data handy, because you’ll want to us it to verify your closing documents and final HUD. Don’t let anyone change the numbers on you. Steadfastly stick to the data in the spreadsheet. It will never steer you wrong.

If you follow the steps above, you will save yourself hundreds of dollars EACH AND EVERY MONTH, and you will save yourself a hundred-thousand dollars over the lifetime of the loan (depending on the loan amount, of course).

The pictures above are snapshots of the spreadsheet (If you click on those snapshots, a larger picture display so you can really get a look at the spreadsheet). Each row represents a loan. I’ve inserted 6 example loans, so you can see how this works. The empty cells are where you put your fresh information in. There are two main areas for each loan. The first area (represented by pink and blue cells) are where you put the loan information in. Pink represents required information, while blue is optional information. The second area (represented by white cells) are the areas where the spreadsheet works its magic: It calculates all the principle, payment and interest information. The most important area is under “Total Savings in the Given Year.” If I didn’t think I will refinance again until 6 years from now, I would want to know “If I go with loan X, will I save money or loose money in 6 years?”

The way I answer this, is find my “baseline” loan (you know, the loan I would probably do because I’m completely lost and confused, and think it “feels good” and I’m anxious to just make a decision and move on with my life). I put that “baseline” loan information on the line that says “Baseline Loan”. Now, I look at the information presented for the other loans that I’ve researched. I look to see how much money I would save - or loose - if I go with a loan other than the baseline.

To be crystal clear: The loan that has positive (i.e. black) numbers in the “6 Year Savings” column, that loan is better than my baseline loan (remember that I was using 6 years as an example - if you think you’ll move in 4 years, use that column). Likewise, if the loan I’m comparing to baseline has negative (i.e. red) numbers in the “6 Year Savings” column, that loan will leave me in a worse-off position than my baseline loan.

So, again, take a deep breath and plunge in. Use the examples I’ve included as a guide. If you do it right, this spreadsheet will tell you your closing cost, monthly payments and interest expense to the penny. Good luck!