Vegas Foreclosure Express Tour

I recently took a bus tour of Las Vegas foreclosures. I saw the advertisement for The Zucker Team in our local Review Journal and had to check them out. Their web site was predominately displayed in their ad so I paid a visit www.vegasforeclosureexpress.com . I signed up for the tour and was pleased to find it everything that was promised in the ad and on the web site.

The real estate couple known as The Zucker Team and their associates were very pleasant and extremely knowledgeable about not only the Las Vegas real estate market but also about a fast growing market within the market known as the bank owned or foreclosed real estate market.

There was a CNNMoney.com article about Las Vegas tops foreclosure list. A major point in that article was that Most middle class still can't buy a house . I grew up in a house that we supposedly owned. However, in all of my years I can't remember my parents not making a house payment. So who really owned the house?

I moved here to Las Vegas before the rise in housing market values. I was here before the rest of California figured it out that they could sell the homes they lived in in Cali and with their equity nearly pay cash for a home in Las Vegas in the mid 90's.

So what do we teach out kids about home purchases and ownership. Well for starters it is not necessarily a sign of success just to be living in a home. We have to teach them to take into account how long do they think thy might live in an area. young people are more mobile and prone to jump up and follow a career than ever before.

I was told to buy more home than I could afford and I would grow into the payments, RIGHT! My parents in the late 50s early 70s may have been the last to see it work that way. That is a big part of the recent foreclosure rate not only in Las Vegas but nationwide. Vegas just had the convenient influx of California equity money burning holes in peoples' pockets.

There were some insane profits made by the early speculators. But like most things the Johnny Come Lates were left holding the bag.

As we also know credit was available to anyone who could fog a mirror. That is not the way I was brought up and as I watched this all take place in the mid 2000s something deep inside my gut told me this was a train wreck about to happen. So a good rule of thumb for young people would be, you buy a house when you've saved enough down payment. Ten to twenty percent would be nice. However, with today's government backed loans I think three percent is certainly doable. When people have a stake in something they tend to take more responsibility.

I saw a lot of houses on that tour and thought about the lessons the kids were learning from the parents who moved them in an out of those houses. I can't imagine how the parents justified or explained to the kids having to move out and change schools. Will they be honest and teach their kids what went wrong. Or will they blame it on the government or economy or maybe even on the rich and the banks. I can't imagine.

I found a TV newscast about The Zucker Team and their Las Vegas Real Estate Foreclosure Express and you can view it here:

Making Money - So Easy a KID can do it

I am always looking at how people are making money on the internet. I actually have a number of online income streams myself. There is one online business that I have not given much attention to for myself till a respected friend started using the system, making lots of money and showed me that it was so simple even a KID could do it. I am all about young people not only learning about money but also earning money, saving it and investing it.

Although most children will grow up to enter the work place in various jobs it does not mean that they can't take advantage of being a small business owner at the same time. As a matter of fact that is exactly what their patents should be doing, not only to get ahead but also to take advantage of the tax benefits.

Also, it teaches kids to earn without trading their precious time and energies for money. An online internet business will allow them to earn with leverage and do so 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I got my 15 year old involved and she is as the old saying goes: In Business. I highly recommend going here and getting your young ones signed up. Start out for free and because young ones are so social they will be earning in no time and the business will not only be paying for itself within a week but will also start generating profits and the potential for growth and pay is unlimited.

So go for it. You have nothing to loose. Take advantage of the fact that eventually everyone and I do mean everyone will someday have their own web site and domain name. So why not now? Why shouldn't you and your kids get paid to help others. Click here to view the short presentation and then get started for free.

Back to Basics

It has been over a year since last reading T. Harv Eker's bestselling Secrets of the Millionaire Mind. But it has been nearly two years since attending his Millionaire Mind Intensive. In these times of the news and media trying to force a recession down our throats, it is more important than ever to be aware of our "financial blueprints". I was clicking through some of the links of Retire Your Kids Now and started listening to some of Harv's words of wisdom and you should too.

During fantastic times it is so much easier to keep a positive mindset and remain optimistic as we go day to day. When it is time to tighten the belt and watch the budget is when we need exposure to right influences more than ever. How we react during rising gas prices and a devaluing dollars is a strong influence to our kids. What influence are you demonstrating to your young ones? Remember, we must watch our words around young ears.

Realize that great fortunes have been made during economic downturns. Life is cycles and the down economies are just that, a cycle of life. but people have needs during all economies and the one who can find a way to satisfy the most need will make the most money, regardless of how bad it gets. To participate in a recession is a choice. Prepare your mind for the slow cycle of economy.

Get your kids involved in a little brain storming and figure out a way to increase your household cashflow. A second or third job usually isn't the answer, when factoring in additional travel, child care expenses and the possibility of bouncing into a higher tax bracket. Take a look at some of the money earning opportunities that are presented at www.retireyourkids.com.


Remember, regardless of the size, your own business will not only increase income but provide you will tax savings that will keep more money in your family's pocket. As always refer to professional tax advise.

Another reason I use Quicken products

In my business I use Quicken Quick Books because it makes it really easy for even me to understand the day-to-day accounting of my business but especially for that end of the year tax time that hit us December 31st. But Quicken has some fantastic educational tools available to all.

I was doing a little surfing and came across an article by Don Silver that is right up my alley. Take a minute and check it out. How Your Kids can Retire as Millionaires

Debit Card Dangers

My 15 year old just got her first debit card before Christmas. Sounds like a great way to monitor and control spending and it is. The bank we use allows for a maximum cash out from an ATM or Point of Sale purchases daily which I set. I can also monitor all transactions through the internet. I control the direct deposit of 10 percent of her earnings being transfered from checking deposits into a savings account, a long term savings account. Which means, she will see that money in about 45 years. The savings only works one way and that is deposits in never out until they are transfered into a higher yielding investment.

I have used an ATM card for over 20 years and pretty much take them for granted. However, take a look at the attached video. There is caution that must be taken when putting even ATM plastic into the hands of a teenager. But it is still a great way to prepare a teenage to become a responsible adult. Just stay on top of it.

You can read the accompanying article to this msnbc.com broadcast by clicking HERE

A good question and some GREAT answers

This article just came out in yesterday's Kiplinger.com

I have a 15 year old who started her first job last year and of course she has been saving a minimum of ten percent of her income for long term, one day to be retirement money. Any other purchases she might be saving for is not commingled with here long term money. We sil be transferring that savings into a Roth IRA before tax day, April 15th which this year lands on a Tuesday. Check out Kim's answer by clicking here

A right on article

I was doing a Goggle surfing and came across this article from CNN Money and there are some really great ideas to take in and certainly use to teach your children about money. The whole idea is to teach our young how to work for money only until they can get into position so that money will work for them for the rest of their lives.

Pay particular attention to the Start early, save more box. Here you can see the importance of time when it comes to wealth creation. Remember, you can always replace money but you can never replace time. Time is more valuable then money. The sooner you and your children get started, the sooner financial independence is achieved. Check it out here CNN Money