Did Goldman start beginning of end of commodity rally?

Inflation borne from rising commodity costs could be affecting the continued rise of those commodity prices. An announcement from Goldman Sachs that it will divest itself from commodities and reap the profits had investors charging in a herd toward the commodities exits. Demand has started to erode under pressure from rising prices and speculators are cashing in, which exacerbates the slide. Source of article – Will Goldman-triggered commodity rout lower U.S. gas prices? by MoneyBlogNewz.

What Goldman predicts

By the end of the day on Monday, April 11, there was an end to the advancement of commodity costs after they rose 25 percent just since December. Japan’s economic minister gave a warning that the economy would end up worse than predicted after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami while Goldman Sachs warned that there would be a decrease in commodity costs which started a commodity rout. Oil fell more than 7 percent and copper ended Tuesday with its largest one-day loss since February. There might be “demand destruction” from the high costs on oil which may end up staying long even though oil and gasoline are close to the Spring 2008 amounts, states Goldman. Most who were betting on fear and risk causing an increase in oil costs have stopped since there may be a cease-fire in Libya and peaceful elections in Nigeria.

Back to realistic commodity prices

Some analysts think Goldman triggered the commodities rout in order to cash in and position itself for a more profitable entry point into a longer term upward trend. Goldman’s comments happened, however they were not the only thing. There has been lots of pressure on the prices for commodities. High oil costs could threaten the growth of the economy according to a report on Tuesday from the International Energy Agency. On Monday the International Monetary Fund projected that inflation borne by high commodity costs would slow global economic growth from 5 percent last year to 4.5 percent in 2011 and 2012. Dow Theory Letters publisher Richard Russell said on Tuesday that the Federal Reserve’s quantitative easing program is ending which markets may be preparing for. With the $600 billion the Feds bought in Treasury Securities, there has been a lot of cheap cash. This makes for more costly commodities.

Prices impacted by United States consumers too

Goldman Sachs aside, there is another that makes a difference to the oil prices in the United States This is the customer in the U.S. There was a report released on Monday by MasterCard. It stated that there was a fifth week of decrease in gasoline sales. Before the decline, demand increased for two months and analysts expected the trend to continue as the economic recovery gathered steam. But the average gasoline price in the U.S. is already 41 cents higher than the same period in 2008, when the average gas price peaked at $4.11 in July. This time last year, price was down 80 cents a gallon. MasterCard stated that last week there were 2.7 billion gallons of gasoline sold, which is 3.6 percent lower than last year at this time. A survey was done by the Oil Price Information Service in March. It showed that of all gas station chains, there was a 70 percent decrease in service. More than 50 percent reported a decline of 3 percent or more.

Citations

Barrons

finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/112536/commodities-selloff-possible-correction-barrons?mod=bb-budgeting&sec=topStories&pos=7&asset=&ccode=

Reuters

reuters.com/article/2011/04/12/markets-metals-idUSLDE73B0WS20110412

The Street

thestreet.com/story/11080240/2/goldman-calls-commodities-top-is-now-the-time-to-sell.html

Delcotimes.com

delcotimes.com/articles/2011/04/11/news/doc4da2fdeae7538694359346.txt?viewmode=fullstory

Jesse Jackson Jr. claims iPad is destroying publishing, costing careers

In one of the more fickle political flip-flops of current months, Illinois Democrat Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. turned on the iPad machine he used to love. Just one month ago, Jackson lauded Apple’s groundbreaking tablet as a revolutionary educational tool. Yet just Friday, Jackson said the iPad can be “responsible for eliminating thousands of American jobs.” Source for this article – Jesse Jackson Jr. says iPad is killing publishing, costing jobs by MoneyBlogNewz.

Jackson believes there won’t be writing anymore

The recent bankruptcy of Borders Books and the sea change toward textbookless campuses has the junior congressman from Illinois up in arms today, and the iPad is the catalyst.

“What becomes of publishing companies and publishing company jobs?” Jackson asked the House. “What becomes of bookstores and librarians and all of the jobs associated with paper? Well, in the not-too-distant future, such jobs simply won’t exist.”

China’s role in the iPad also made Jackson upset.

“There is no protection for jobs here in America to ensure that the American people are being put to work.”

Biting the hand that feeds the US

The wealth the iPad has had for many businesses in the U.S., not even Apple, has not been considered by Jackson, states Business Insider. According to MarketCues, there is so much the iPad can do. It can help get billion dollar industries going. Publishers could have many myriad opportunities making up interactive textbooks without costing too much to students because of the e-readers and iPad.

It was expected that traditional writing was to change. According to @Craigmod, the evolution was needed. The lessened environmental impact of digital writing coupled with convenience and immediacy that electronic books provide translates into good will plus e-commerce transactions. Morgan Stanley points out that with the over $2 billion in revenue on the iPad every quarter, over 65 percent of owners use the gadget to read books.

Adaption the publishers must face

Unlike Jesse Jackson Jr., publishers are likely to have to adapt. Amazon already sells more electronic books than print books (per late 2010 figures). It is supported by iPad users. This is also making the change take place. YUDU Media reports that iPad users, in comparison to desktop computer browsers, will spend 30 times more time on sites such as Wired.com, VanityFair.com and GQ.com. There were more Wired.com iPad apps sold than Wired print editions. This is what late 2010 figures showed.

As the iPad television ad claims, “It’s already a revolution, and it’s only just begun.” Jesse Jackson Jr. missed out. He may not be invited anymore.

Citations

@Craigmod

craigmod.com/journal/ipad_and_books/

The Hill

thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/148879-jackson-an-ipad-for-every-schoolchild

Huffington Post

huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/17/jesse-jackson-jr-ipad-unemployment_n_850227.html

Market Cues

marketcues.com/blog/2010/02/will-apples-ipad-impact-the-printing-and-publishing-industries/

Neiman Journalism Blog

niemanlab.org/2010/02/the-ipad-business-model-for-news-strategies-publishers-must-embrace/

Publishing Perspectives

publishingperspectives.com/2010/11/simba-releases-statistics-on-ipad-e-book-reading/

Real Clear Politics

realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/04/15/rep_jesse_jackson_jr_blames_the_ipad_for_killing_jobs.html

TSTC Publishing’s Book Business Blog

tstcpublishing.wordpress.com/2010/02/26/ipad%E2%80%99s-potential-impact-on-textbook-publishing/

YUDU Media

slideshare.net/yudu/the-apple-ipad-trends-and-statistics

Economies evolve, pontificators pontificate

youtube.com/watch?v=D5X8W7MgbhM

Amazon to release advertisement-supported Kindle for $114

Amazon is in a position to ride the wave of revolution in the print industry, thanks to its Kindle device. Industry studies indicate that the Kindle currently holds a 60 percent share in the e-reader market, a figure that will no doubt improve as the company introduces the $114 Amazon Kindle with Special Offers. Yet there’s a catch – those Special Offers are advertisements, a move that has several worried about the shape of the reading experience to come.

Is an ad-based Kindle worth $25 off standard price?

The price of the Amazon Kindle has fallen a few times since the first generation was introduced at $399 in 2007. The price deduction never incorporated advertisements before this. Doing this, the e-reader market could be breached making the iPad competition. The Kindle with Special Offers is slated to ship May 3. The advertisement-supported version could be found in Best Buy and Target for the Kindle 3.

Founder and CEO of Amazon Jeff Bezos claim it is a “chicken in every pot” move. Every person will want the Special Offers $114 kindle:

“We’re working hard to make sure that anyone who wants a Kindle can afford one,” he said via a statement.

An ad-based kindle might bright out typical concerns. These concerns were displayed as responders on a Christian Science Monitor article on price cuts. With 99 cent books, one reader would be okay as long as the ad based e-kindle was free. The price of books becomes a different issue then. Several experts say it is good that Amazon only has advertisements on the bottom of the home screen and on Kindle’s screensaver, although some complain a $25 discount is not enough.

“It’s very important that we didn’t interfere with the reading experience,” Kindle director Jay Marine told the Associated Press.

Why everyone worries about a price

TechCrunch predicts that the $114 Amazon Kindle with Special Features is an intermediary step toward a $99 Kindle for Christmas 2011. Traditional marketing psychology suggests the “.99″ price point is a magic number.

However, new research from New York’s Columbia Business School indicates the advantage is more imagined than it is real anymore. The Columbia study showed the “dollar-minus” approach bringing it down to 99 cents was not nearly as effective as bring it up a penny for a “dollar-plus” approach. There was a 3 percent increase in sales of dollar plus method products. This is because they did not seem as manipulative to consumers.

Information from

Christian Science Monitor

csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2011/0413/Will-readers-accept-ads-in-exchange-for-a-cheaper-Kindle

Columbia Business School

gsb.columbia.edu/ideasatwork/researchbriefs/7314376?&top.region=main

Knowing and Making

knowingandmaking.com/2011/04/new-research-99-no-longer-optimal-for.html

TechCrunch

techcrunch.com/2011/04/11/amazon-kindle-99/

Kindle sales tripled after last price drop

youtu.be/PaAFm_fZQ2A

Energy crisis jitters hit as gasoline costs approach record high

The steady increase in gasoline prices, which are nearing record highs, has begun distant rumblings and rumors of looming energy crisis. Gasoline costs have been rising nationwide for weeks. The effects have reverberated throughout numerous industries, and households are feeling the pinch. The rise in price is not going to likely subside, either.

Price of gasoline easily rises 20 cents

There was a 20 cent increase in gasoline in only a week alone. Between March 18 and April 8, gas went from $3.57 to $3.76 nationwide according to Reuters. A single dollar increase in gasoline has happened over the past year. The current record for gas costs in the U.S. was set in July of 2008, at $4.11 per gallon. Currently, large cities in the U.S. are averaging more than that. On April 8, California alone reached a statewide high of about $4.14 according to CBS.

This is really hurting airlines

CNN has reported that jet fuel is increasing as well and air travel is impacted. Jet fuel costs go up with the price of petroleum, which recently climbed to $112 per barrel. The record was in 2008, when the cost of oil hit $150 per barrel and airlines took an enormous hit to their bottom lines. Shares of major airlines have started to fall on stock markets due to the increasing cost of oil. On April 8 stock costs for several airlines had dropped; Jet Blue by five percent, UnitedContinental by seven percent, and Delta by four percent. Costs of oil and gasoline are not likely to decrease, as analysts don’t believe that unrest in the Middle East is subsiding. Airline tickets will only continue to go up as the cost of gasoline continues to go up in tandem.

Consumers are figuring out how to cope

There are already signs of consumers not wanting to grin and bear greater costs of a gallon of gas. Charge card companies, according to Daily Finance, have noted falling gas sales for the past five weeks, and 70 percent of the nation’s gasoline station chains have noticed the same. More economic vehicles have aided in this decrease of sales at gas stations. According to USA Today, hybrid cars sales this year alone have increased by 37 percent. The increase in price is leading to lower demand, as fewer people are willing to pay the increased cost of fuel.

Citations

Reuters

reuters.com/article/2011/04/11/us-energy-gasoline-retail-idUSTRE73929V20110411

CBS News

cbsnews.com/stories/2011/04/10/eveningnews/main20052599.shtml

CNN

money.cnn.com/2011/04/08/news/economy/American_Airlines_fuel_crisis/index.htm

Daily Finance

dailyfinance.com/story/drivers-hit-the-brakes-as-gas-prices-rise/19908875/

USA Today

usatoday.com/money/autos/2011-04-06-prius-tops-one-million-in-sales.htm

The way a co-signer can eliminate their name from student education loans

Have you ever agreed to be a co-signer on a friend’s education loan but regretted having done so after the fact? Let’s say you do not talk to the person anymore, and fear risking a damaged credit rating if they default on the loan. If this is the case, it’s high time you took steps to protect yourself. There are ways to have your name removed from those student loan documents and improve your credit score in the process.

Don't lose too much as a student loan co-signer

You should know that co-signing a student loan makes you partly responsible. The loan or debt is being guaranteed by you. The student sometimes will not pay back the loan. This makes it your responsibility to pay. Thus, it is wise to make sure that you’ll be able to make the payments, in the worst case scenario. If not, collectors will come to call and your credit rating will suffer severe damage, which in turn will make it much more difficult for you to obtain other forms of credit.

When co-signing an educational loan, a creditor will give you a list of obligations. This can be explained to you. Get copies of the Truth in Lending Disclosure agreement and loan contract. Keep these around.

Get the student loan released

Start by pursuing a standard student loan co-signer release. If the student is making payments well enough on his or her own, the private education loan will sometimes allow the co-signer to get off the contract. The student must also meet the lender’s credit standards and other requirements. Thus, the hope is the estranged student has kept their credit history tidy.

If the lender will not allow you to obtain a co-signer release, then the student can have to refinance the loan. Refinancing enables the student to obtain an entirely new loan at a lower rate of interest, and this loan pays off the original education loan. Any lender can be used to do this, whether or not it is the same. The student has to have great credit to do this though.

Students might not want you to leave

Students are impacted when the co-signer disappears. It will make the student more at risk. If they’re suddenly unable to repay their student loans and don’t have a co-signer as a fallback, the lender can take them to collections. In the case of government loans, even tax return money is not safe.

Information from

Bankrate

bankrate.com/finance/college-finance/is-there-a-way-out-for-student-co-signer.aspx

ehow

ehow.com/how_2002636_remove-loan-cosigner.html

Whalehook Loans

whalehookloans.com/2007/09/26/what-are-the-benefits-of-obtaining-or-removing-a-cosigner-from-a-student-loan/

No co-signer? No credit history? No problem.

you.tube/PN3ApHIGopo

Growing Apple influence leads to Nasdaq rebalancing

The Nasdaq stock exchange declared Tues that it is rebalancing its Nasdaq-100 index next month to fix the outsized influence of Apple, Inc. The Nasdaq rebalancing decreases the weight of Apple stock on the total worth of the Nasdaq index by half. Nasdaq’s stirrings will shrink the propensity of financial institutions of the hedge fund type to cynically disrupt the natural rhythms of Apple stock so that average Joes can count on a more reasonable possibility of return on investment down the road.

Switching Apple to fix the Nasdaq

An increase in Apple stock has also been a rise in the Nasdaq-100 in the last few years. Since the market bottomed out in 2009, the Mac, iPhone and iPad have driven Apple shares skyward more than 250 percent. There has been another 150 percent increase more than the 20 percent of the Nasdaq-100 total value in Apple stock since then. According to Nasdaq officials, Apple stock has ballooned to more than twice the weight it should have on the index. On May 2, Nasdaq will rebalance anything. This will make, on the Nasdaq-100, Apple shares only 12 percent. Apple stock ratios will be better for calculations on the Nasdaq-100. All will be well. This is a large change. It will change 81 other business positions. Some Apple rivals will gain. There will be an increase from 3.4 percent to 8.3 percent for Microsoft. There may also be rises in Google to 5.8 percent, Intel to 4.2 percent and Oracle to 6.7 percent.

All the Apple rumors change things

Due to the lower Apple share ratio, the Nasdaq-100 will be protected. Any manipulation by hedge fund traders will be stopped. Recently, there was an instance where Apple stock swung in price due to Apple rumors, in accordance with Jason Schwartz at Seeking Alpha. Apple was trading at $360 in February. At this time, a rumor that iPad 2 releases would be postponed until June due to "supply chain contacts" came out by Yuanta Securities. The rumors spread very quickly. Soon, Apple shares were shorted by Yuanta Securities to make money. Apple stock went down $20 just 2 days after trading. There was then an announcement by Steve Jobs. He said that March 10 the iPad would go on sale. Yuanta made lots of money off of it although investors felt really dumb. However the chicanery impacted the worth of the entire Nasdaq-100.

Not an impression rumor left

It will be another month before the Nasdaq rebalancing occurs. Still, money managers are rebalancing what they have. Apple stock went down on Tues from $337 to $341.19 with a $4.19 drop. The ability of hedge funds to manipulate the industry using Apple already has been diminished. Analysts don’t expect the latest iPhone delay rumors (which would freeze the iPhone market and hurt Apple if they were true) to work because Apple stock remains about $15 below its high and is trending upward again. A window has been opened for average investors and traders to get into Apple shares and the company is expected to exceed expectations again when it reports first quarter earnings this month.

Citations

Fortune

tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/04/05/a-good-day-to-buy-aapl/

Mac Observer

macobserver.com/tmo/article/nasdaq-100_to_cut_apples_index_share_nearly_in_half/

MSN Money

money.msn.com/market-news/default.aspx?feat=e52a3c86-3053-48e5-91eb-970765febdcc

Seeking Alpha

seekingalpha.com/article/260887-hedge-funds-bloggers-and-the-origin-of-apple-rumors

Danger of autopilot finances highlighted by $16 million cable bill

Many companies claim that computerized billing systems make life simpler and bills more accurate. A $16 million cable bill is the latest in a long string of unintended overcharges that call that into question. This particular invoice has been corrected already. The lesson, however, is that keeping an eye on your finances is incredibly important. Source for this article – $16 million cable bill quickly reversed by Time Warner by MoneyBlogNewz.

Bill of $16 million for resident

The Time Warner cable service is something Ohio resident Daniel DeVirgilio subscribes to. The charge card DeVirgilio uses to pay his cable invoice got denied at the end of last month. He got notification of this. A charge of $16.4 million, $1 million for every March Madness pay-per-view basketball game, was put on his account by Time Warner. Time Warner changed this after the glitch occurred.

Do not use autopay

The cable bill Daniel DeVirgilio pays was on autopay, as many people experience. Monthly bill pay services where customers just give over their credit or debit card number occur often. Each month, the invoice gets paid on its own. Bill payers do not have to worry about this. After noticing his credit card was declined for his invoice, Daniel DeVirgilio realized he had gotten a $16 million charge.

The policy of watchful waiting

It could be dangerous to simply use autopay with your bills, as shown by the $16 million cable invoice. Sometimes it can be really difficult to remember when all of your bills are due though. It is simple to do watchful waiting. There are things you are able to do to avoid forgetting though. The first option is to do the simplest thing — pay each bill the day you receive it. It can be helpful to track the dates on a calendar since sometimes that is not always an option. Make sure you spend a few hrs every month checking all your bills if you do determine to do auto invoice pay. You may end up simply paying a few extra dollars more than you would like each month, even though you probably will not get a $16 million cable invoice.

Information from

Digital Life Today

digitallife.today.com/_news/2011/04/04/6405791-time-warner-charges-man-164-million-for-cable-service?GT1=43001

Yahoo News

news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110325/ts_yblog_thelookout/ohio-man-gets-a-16-4-million-cable-bill

Internships: How mothers and fathers can help grads find them

Most colleges do not successfully prepare graduates to take on the job market, thanks to under-funded, under-staffed, under-motivated college career centers. The onus falls upon the student and mothers and fathers to start a career path. The role of mothers and fathers can’t be overstated here, argues Fox Business. With active involvement, the road toward student internships could be easier to travel. Resource for this article – Parents can help college grads secure internships by MoneyBlogNewz.

A good idea to do an internship

Most parents are hoping the college education their children get will eventually pay off. Colleges typically are not connecting graduates with jobs. At the same time, college students sometimes do not know how to find a job following four years of the college atmosphere. It could be hard for parents because of this.

It might help a student out to try out a career for a while in a student internship. It also could get a student closer to a career. There are some things parents can do. Internship opportunities are always around.

Facebook can never replace face time

Nothing is more essential that being face-to-face with an employers, although it can be helpful to use online social networking. Parents can aid children (long before they’re graduating from college) by teaching them how to network in person. Getting into a job sometimes means making a personal connection. It could be one of the best things to do. Hiring managers and industry organizations will remember the "go-getters.". "Eighty percent of success is just showing up," as Woody Allen makes very clear.

Fox Business makes it clear that social media on the Internet is important also though. Several university students will do well to use social recruiting apps on Facebook. LinkedIn is a popular site that can certainly help a lot with online networking while Internships.com should also be consider.

See who you know

Make sure you know individuals that you are able to call in favors for in essential positions. As a parent, it is okay to call and see if any person wants an intern. Go ahead and call everybody you know.

'Big Five’ for graduates to consider

I Am Next; is a student career blog that suggests the following for being a good intern:

1. Make sure your supervisor likes you. This is essential.
2. Make sure you work very hard.
3. Make sure you know what is going on.
4. Get help from supervisor lessons. These can guide you.
5. Get a letter of recommendation before you leave.

Articles cited

Fox Business

foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2011/04/04/parents-help-college-students-land-internship/

I Am Next

powertochange.com/students/careers/internship/

Student internships are a learning opportunity

youtube.com/watch?v=TpqJSflKaoQ

Patent reform bill aims to streamline authorization, encourage job creation

Accelerating technology is proving too much to manage for the antiquated United States Patent and Trade Office. The U.S. patent system has been politicized in meaningless debates for decades, however the latest round of reforms might finally take hold in one form or another. Goals of patent reform include reducing backlog, increasing funding and creating jobs.

All of the “millions of jobs lying in wait” because of patent reform indecision

It was clear that Senate was happy to pass the patent reform bill earlier this month. It was voted 95 to 5 to pass. The House has decided to debate the patent reform bill. This is in its own version though. The House will probably not like the U.S. Senate version of the patent reform bill very much. All of the lawmakers agree a patent reform bill is necessary; the way to go about that is argued on quite a bit. The U.S. Patent and Trade Office have been staying the same while the technology has been going up each day in the last six decades. Now, there are over 700,000 patent applications in backlog and getting a patent will take at least three years. Wednesday, in a House Subcommittee testimony on Intellectual Property, USPTO director David Kappos said that "millions of jobs lying in wait" could possibly be stopped if the wait might be shortened to about a year.

Patent reform significant provisions

The USPTO gets about 500,000 patent applications yearly. That means lots of work processing. Congress sets the USPTO spending budget, determines the fees it can charge and spends some of the revenue on programs unrelated to patent authorization. The most significant change in patent reform would allow the patent office to create its own fee structure and keep all the money. Kappos said the USPTO would have an additional $300 million a year to hire more staff and invest in a state-of-the-art patent review and authorization system. Patent reform would also help keep patent disputes out of the courts by allowing the USPTO to look at commercially viable patents a third party tries to invalidate, which is currently done through litigation. The most controversial aspect of patent reform might be changing the U.S. patent system from first-to-invent to first-to-file.

Small investors will not benefit

The most argumentation has come from the first-to-file part of the patent reform. Small inventors may not be able to benefit from the Senate version of the patent reform because large companies are able to file patent applications much easier than small inventors. Small inventors can do better than large companies in the current process. The patent is given to whoever invents the product, not whoever puts in the patent first. Smaller inventors may have to give up due to all the costs behind it which is another issue some see with the bill. Most expect the USPTO budget increase will stay the same. Other than that, the rest of the Senate's version is anticipated to go.

Citations

CNN Money

money.cnn.com/2011/03/30/technology/patent_reform/index.htm?iid=HLM

bNET

bnet.com/blog/technology-business/senate-passes-a-patent-bill-but-don-8217t-hold-your-breath-for-actual-reform/9124

Washington Post

washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-tech/post/qanda-small-inventors-raise-patent-overhaul-concerns/2011/03/28/AFLJ9NpB_blog.html

Work-from-home career tips you can use

The U.S. job market has been sluggish to recuperate from the recession, which means several Americans are nevertheless out of work. Working from home is good path out of the woods. Try some of these ideas on for size. Source of article – Work-from-home job ideas you can use by MoneyBlogNewz.

Good reasons to work at home

Gainful employment is something individuals need. It helps people pay for every little thing they need. The Telework Research Network explains that U.S. workers and employers could save more than $750 billion per year by telecommuting or working at home 50 percent of the time.

A lot of that money comes from less oil being used to pay for gas. There would be about $200 billion in annual labor saved as productivity would increase by 6.2 million man-years. Companies would reduce spending on real estate and utilities by at least the same amount each year, while highway maintenance costs and traffic accidents would drop significantly.

The best option for you to work at home

It can be really hard to make lots of money on eBay, although it is always a choice. This is as the cost of product and shipping needs to be less than the amount getting paid, which is uncommon. Without getting on Craigslist and finding too several scams, there is a lot of work from your home options available to you. As Clark Howard states, if a company claims it will find you a work from home career for a large fee upfront, it’s most likely a scam. If it is a work from your home idea, make an effort to get one without red tape. Keep in mind that some might charge a background check fee.

Opportunities to work from home

• AlpineAccess.com: A background check is required at AlpineAccess.com to get a virtual call center career. The fee is $45. Positions typically involve consumer service work.
• ConvergysWorkatHome.com: Convergys can get you, on top of customer service telephone positions, work from home opportunities on billing service and human resource areas.
• Elance.com: Any freelance writer that is flexible can use this source. There are many smaller businesses that get help from Elance. It’s there to help with SEO, programming, web design, copywriting professionals and graphic design. You will have to start bidding lower than normal rates at Elance unless you are very experienced since there are so many individuals willing to do it.
• LiveOps.com: Fortune 200 businesses use this for virtual call center agents. There is a $50 required background check at LiveOps.com before it will give you any work. More work will come if the $175 background check is chosen. A dedicated land phone line for LiveOps.com work only is needed.

All the scams work at home can have

You can figure out which home rip-offs and which aren’t by going to the Federal Trade Commission or Better Business Bureau websites. You’ll conserve a lot of time and money this way.

Information from

Better Business Bureau

bbb.org/Alerts/article.asp?ID=436

Clark Howard

clarkhoward.com/news/employment-military/work-home-guide/nFZH/

Dr. Phil

drphil.com/articles/article/494

Federal Trade Commission

ftc.gov/bcp/menus/consumer/invest/workhome.shtm

John Tesh has everything you need to work from home

youtube.com/watch?v=RLSvN6f-nvw