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6 Thought-Provoking Bible Verses About Money

7/31/2016

This site isn’t geared towards any particular religion, but there are several thought-provoking Bible verses about money, greed, finances, prosperity, and happiness. I think it’s important to study religious texts (and not just the Bible) because they have the ability to completely transform our thinking and our way of life.

I am not a theologian, nor do I claim to be an expert on any religious texts. But I do like to explore these important books and pick up nuggets of wisdom that can help me in my life. With that being said, here are some Bible verses about money that might help you change your financial life.

Proverbs 22:7
Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender.

This is the foundation of a lot of Christian financial literacy classes because they preach the importance of remaining debt-free. I’m of the opinion that there is a pretty clear difference between “good debt” and “bad debt”, although many people would beg to differ.

“Good debt” is debt that is leveraged to make you more money, such as a mortgage on an investment property. “Bad debt” is consumption debt; the type that is loaded up on credit cards to getting the hottest electronics and fashion. With “bad debt”, you truly are servant to the lender because you have to somehow repay your promises. With “good debt”, I think the line gets blurred. Your are a servant in the fact that you have to find tenants, but once you find tenants, they are servant to you.

1 Timothy 6:10
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”

This is probably the most misquoted Bible verse of all time. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people proudly proclaim “money is the root of all evil”. However, the Bible doesn’t say that, does it? It says that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. It isn’t the root. People can be evil for other reasons besides love of money. Yet, when people try to gain riches through illicit means, they often destroy their lives.

Having millions of dollars doesn’t mean that you love money, nor does having $20 to your name make you a saint. People with money may use it to benefit the lives of others – is that evil?

Luke 12:15
“Then he said, ‘Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”

I think this is so true – life really isn’t measured by how much you own. When you type the word “greed” into Google, you get this definition: “intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food”.

It’s important to highlight the word “selfish” in that particular definition. Wealth should be attained through service to others, not at the expense of others. If you are trying to get money at the expense of others, that is greed. Yet, I don’t think it’s inherently bad to want to own things, as long as you understand you can own them by rendering useful service to other people.

The Bible tells us that greed can never be satisfied and that greedy people will lie and steal to get what they want. They accumulate material goods under false pretenses, not by adding true value to the marketplace.

Proverbs 10:4
Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.

For some reason, a lot of Christian people grow up having a limiting belief that poverty is virtuous. They think that if they’re poor, they’re somehow closer to God. When I found this particular Bible verse, I was elated, because it can help shatter that particular limiting belief.

If you’re even slightly interested in accumulating wealth, you must be diligent. Drifting into laziness brings poverty. Upon doing more research, I didn’t find any Bible verses that paint a picture of poverty being virtuous, but I did find several verses that said to be generous and kind to the poor. The only verse that came close was, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God”, but when I really thought about it, aren’t we all blessed?

Luke 6:38
“Give and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full – pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

All throughout my life I’ve heard motivational quotes like “you get what you give” but it was this particular Bible verse that really made it click for me. I’m starting to understand that you can give in more ways than just financially. You can give by inspiring people, teaching others, sending positive vibes, and speaking positive things.

Jim Rohn had an excellent piece of advice in one of his many audio programs – he said that if you ever think about tipping someone two different amounts, always go with the higher one. It will put you (and the person you tipped) in a better mood all day. I’ve been putting this advice into practice in my own life and it definitely feels like I have been receiving more. For example, I left over a $10 tip on a bill that was just around $10, making my total amount $20. It’s not a crazy generous amount, but it was a high tip, percentage-wise. Later that night, I found a $20 bill on the ground. Probably just a coincidence, I know, but it makes me wonder…

Proverbs 22:3
“The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple go on and suffer for it.”

To me, this verse is all about having an emergency fund. You must be able to “see” danger in the future and be prepared for it. If you’re “simple”, you will spend all your money and suffer for it. Make sure you are taking refuge by having at least six months of expenses socked away in a liquid account so you can easily access it.

Do you have any favorite Bible verses or personal finance advice from other religious texts? Let me know in the comments below!

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30+ Places That Offer Sweet Student Discounts

7/20/2016

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Let me get that 10% off!

Are you a college student looking for student discounts? College tuition isn’t cheap. Throw in nights with friends, groceries, toiletries, etc. and you can rack up quite a bill. Fortunately these places understand your pain and they’re willing to offer great student discounts. Save this list and check it whenever you’re looking to save some money.

Pro tip: keep your student ID on you at all times. Many of these places require you to show your student ID in order to receive the student discount.

Food

Chick-fil-A
Gives you a free small drink whenever you purchase a meal, so load up on those chicken sandwiches and waffle fries!

Arby’s
Gives you a 10% discount at certain locations. I wish I knew about this when I was in college – I love Arby’s.

Chipotle
Gives you a free small drink with your meal at select locations.

Buffalo Wild Wings
Gives you a 10% discount on your wings.

Subway
Also gives you a 10% discount. A 10% discount seems to be a common theme among these restaurants. It doesn’t sound like much but it really adds up.

Waffle House
Also gives you a 10% discount.

Papa John’s
Has discounts, but they vary based on location. I know the Papa John’s where I went to college (University of Delaware) had a lot of campus-specific promotions.

Domino’s
Like Papa John’s, has campus-specific promotions and discounts.

Dairy Queen
Usually gives a 10% discount, but not all locations do, so be sure to check.

McDonald’s
Gives a 10% discount at some locations.

Show your student ID to get 15% off at Kate Spade!

Clothing/Apparel

Goodwill
Typically gives college students a 10% discount, but be sure to check with your particular location. If you’re shopping at Goodwill, you’re already pretty thrifty, so an extra 10% off would be phenomenal.

J.Crew
Gives you a 15% discount. Nice!

Ann Taylor
Also gives you a 15% discount, but only off full-priced items.

Charlotte Russe
Gives you a 10% discount.

Banana Republic
Offers a 15% discount. I wish I knew about this one too.

Topshop
Offers 10% off for college students.

The Limited
Gives 15% off in stores.

Kate Spade
Gives you 15% off full-priced items in the store.

Steve Madden
Lets college students take 10% off full-priced items in the store.

Hmmm.... is this every college library in the country?

Tech

Apple
Gives students up to $200 off on a MacBook and up to $20 on an iPad. I can’t tell you how many people at my college used this discount. I think maybe 99% of the student population had MacBooks. It’s a pretty solid discount, so if you were even thinking about getting a MacBook, you might as well take the discount and do it.

RadioShack
Gives 10% off, but let’s be honest, RadioShack is going extinct anyway, so…

Microsoft
Offers a 10% student discount if you don’t want to be in the Apple family. (Don’t feel bad – I’m neither completely Apple nor Microsoft. I own an iPhone and iPad, but all of my computers are Microsoft.)

Sony
Gives college students up to 10% off on select items. This would come in handy if you’re getting speakers or something for your dorm. Just don’t do what I did – I had my suitemate visit my room nearly every night telling me to “turn the bass down”. Boy, was that fun.

Spotify
Gives students Spotify Premium for only $4.99 per month, which is half the normal price.

T-Mobile
Gives a student rate of 10% off the monthly bill and will even pay your early termination fee if you are stuck with a current provider.

Sprint
Gives college students 10-15% off their monthly bill. Be sure to request the discount, though.

Norton
Gives up to 50% off their products. Antivirus is a must-have if you’re living in dorms. I got a virus on my computer freshman year and it was a disaster.

Best Buy
Has a college student deals program that gives college students deals on electronics like laptops, tablets, and desktops.

Theaters

I went to so many movies in college. I would’ve saved a ton of money. Make sure you take advantage of these theater student discounts.

AMC Theatres
Offers special discounted tickets for students on Thursdays. Check with your location for the actual pricing, as that varies.

Cinemark
Offers discounted movie tickets that also vary by location.

Regal Theaters
Offers student discounts, but again, this varies by location. An easy way to check is to just enter your zip code on their site to see if your local theater offers a student discount.

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7 Power Habits of Super Successful People

7/19/2016

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You better get started. Which book are you going to read? I'd recommend my book, "Above Average Finance". :)

This post may contain affiliate links.

What are the habits of successful people?

If you’ve ever wondered what successful people do that’s different than everyone else, you’re in the right place. Learning about success habits is one of the first things one can do in order to become successful. After all, knowing the success habits is half the battle. Actually implementing them is the other half.

Here are some habits of highly successful people that can, if implemented, truly change your life.

They read. A lot.

Elon Musk (founder of Tesla and others) supposedly read at least four hours a day growing up. Warren Buffett reads about eight hours per day. Mark Cuban reads for three hours per day, and Bill Gates read for one hour before bed. You get the picture.

Books contain a wealth of knowledge and it’s incredible to think how many people never take advantage of their local library. Heck, you don’t even have to go to the library anymore. You can literally type a book title into Amazon, click the buy button, and have it delivered to your Kindle in less than two minutes. I can’t even get in my car to go to the library in less than two minutes. You have absolutely no excuse for not reading, even if it’s only for ten minutes per day.

Also on Personal Finance Genius:

After reading all those self-improvement books, it's time to catch some Z's.

They organize their knowledge.

On a superficial level, you might understand that successful people read a lot. Then, you might even take action, reading for an hour or two per day. As the weeks pass, you forget the quotes, insights, and valuable knowledge you just learned.

This is a big problem for people trying to accomplish their goals, because the chances of instantly implementing all the knowledge from a book are slim, especially if you’re reading as much as you should be. Imagine reading one of Dave Ramsey’s debt books. Are you going to get through all six baby steps in one day? Nope. How about three weeks? Not likely. You should have the information organized and contained for time-saving easy reference when you actually need it.

I personally highlight passages and take detailed notes. When I’m done, I put all the notes and highlights onto a few condensed pages and file them away for future use. When I want some help on advertising, I search for “advertising” in my notes. If I need help with real estate, I search for “real estate”. The point is that I already have all the notes organized and I know exactly where and how to find them when I need them.

They plan out their day the night before.

I can’t remember where I first heard this tip, but I’ve been doing it for quite some time. I never go to sleep unless I have a plan for the next day.

I noticed that it was almost always a struggle for me to get my days started because I would spend precious time thinking about what I needed to do, what I could be doing, etc. I don’t know about you, but my motivation is lowest right in the morning. It was a tremendous help for me to have a list on my desk, ready to go. There would be no questions and no confusion – just get started on the list. This way my time is maximized and I am super productive.

I feel like this is the most underrated productivity tip of all time. Everyone is searching for the next great app or browser extension. This is underrated because of its simplicity. It prevents you from getting derailed by all the little emergencies that pop up during your day. Instead of running around putting out fires all day long, you can circle back to your plan and get back on task.

Also on Personal Finance Genius:

9 Productivity Tips to Increase Productivity

They are concerned about their health.

Successful people have great health habits. They know that if they’re going to be productive, they have to keep their body in excellent condition. Think of it this way… if you had a million-dollar racehorse, would you feed it candy and junk food? Of course not! You would give it nothing but the healthiest foods and tons of exercise. Here’s the truth: you are your own million-dollar racehorse.

One of the things I’ve noticed (that I’m working on myself) is that successful people schedule their meals. They understand that sporadic snacking leads to inconsistent energy, which makes for inconsistent results. Successful people organize their meals in such a way that they avoid massive highs and lows. By putting consistent rhythms on their meals, they have less focus on hunger/thirst and more focus on the important things.

They also get enough sleep. It’s easy to get caught up in this “no sleep” culture that corporate America and young entrepreneurs put on a pedestal, but sleep matters. Successful people make it a habit to get quality sleep so they can rejuvenate. Besides, successful people realize that getting enough sleep helps them attain maximum performance. They know that it’s better to get eight hours of sleep and be more productive than only get six hours of sleep and be less productive.

On Instagram, EVERYONE drives a Rolls-Royce!

They know time is limited.

This goes hand-in-hand with personal productivity. Successful people understand that they need to get the most out of every minute in the day, whether it results in financial gain, better health, or stronger relationships. Maximal productivity is a must, because every wasted minute is a minute that one can never get back.

Like the late Muhammad Ali said: “Don’t count the days, make the days count.”

They keep up their momentum.

Inch by inch, anything’s a cinch as long as you keep going. I personally feel that it doesn’t matter how slow you’re going as long as you know where you want to end up. Don’t be a drifter. Have an end goal in mind and keep moving towards it. If you stop, you ruin your chances of ever getting there.

This applies to almost everything in life. If you want to enjoy fantastic health, you can’t just exercise one time. You have to keep doing it; you have to keep the momentum. It helps to work your goal-oriented activities in a way that they’re consistent with what you enjoy doing. This reduces the chance of losing momentum and giving up.

It’s also important to create a solid support system filled with people who push you to keep going towards whatever it is you want. It could be a partner, a family member, an online community, or a mentor. Just make sure that your support system will actually hold you accountable. Too many people confuse talking about their goals with actually taking action towards them. Don’t be one of those people.

They don’t compare themselves to others.

At some level, comparison can be a good thing, if you let certain people show you what NOT to do. But don’t stress yourself out by comparing yourself to those who are (at a particular point in time) seemingly miles ahead of you. You can’t work on other people – all you can do is work on yourself. Have faith in the process and have faith in yourself.

There will always be the temptation to compare your progress to other people. Every time you chat with a friend and every time you check in on social media, the temptation is there. “Look at how I’m doing” and “See what I just bought?” is all over the place.

Speaking of social media, let’s talk about Instagram. Five minutes on Instagram is enough to fall into the comparison trap. You see people eating delicious food, going to the beach, traveling, etc. It’s not a fair comparison! People don’t post photos of themselves when they’re doing mundane things. People don’t post about their insecurities, their boredom, their procrastination, or their arguments with others. If all you see is the great stuff, of course you’ll feel like crap. Don’t let your mind trick you into thinking social media is reality, because it isn’t.

Just remember that you have a particular set of gifts and circumstances that will allow you (and only you) to accomplish whatever it is YOU desire. You can’t exchange yourself with another human being, so don’t compare yourself to others. Instead of looking at other people, see the good stuff right in front of you.

They surround themselves with smarter people.

This habit is HUGE. It makes no sense for you to try to learn everything in the entire world. Find the people who are great at certain things and put them to use. If you need legal help, don’t try to read a legal dictionary or spend hours putting together a case – get a great attorney. Take advantage of other people’s skills, talents, and experiences. Likewise, it doesn’t make sense to make mistakes if someone else has already made those mistakes for you. Shorten your learning curve as much as possible.

Tai Lopez (someone who is pretty cool – I watch his YouTube videos every now and then) says that you should spend a third of your time with people are below your level, a third of your time with people who are on your level, and a third of your time with people who are beyond your level. This is a pretty good rule of thumb, but I think you should spend much more time with people who are smarter than you because it just makes so much sense.

Do you want to get in shape? Find out who is the absolute best at getting in shape and take advice from that person. Do you want to build a business? Don’t reinvent the wheel – find a business consultant or a mentor to help you.

I think it was Henry Ford who said: “I am not the smartest, but I surround myself with competent people.”

David Ogilvy (the father of modern advertising) is credited with this quote: “If you ever find a man who is better than you are – hire him. If necessary, pay him more than you would pay yourself.”

There’s also a cool story about Ogilvy that says he presented each of his board directors with a set of Russian dolls. The board directors opened the dolls until they found a note inside the smallest one. The note said, “If you always hire people who are smaller than you, we shall become a company of dwarfs. If, on the other hand, you always hire people who are bigger than you, we shall become a company of giants.”

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Motif Investing Review: Low-Cost Thematic Investing

7/15/2016

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Note: This page contains affiliate links. With that being said, I wholeheartedly endorse Motif Investing and think it's a cool concept. In fact, if you sign up today you can get up to $150 cash back. So take advantage of that offer.

Many people have emailed me asking me to review Motif Investing. The reason it’s taken a little while is because I decided to try it out for myself to give you my honest thoughts. I had been using Betterment but now Motif Investing is part of my portfolio.

Motif Investing was founded to be disruptor; it has revolutionized the finance industry by giving investors more say over what they invest in. They do it in a way that’s easy and low-cost.

In a nutshell, Motif is a low-cost brokerage that allows you to invest in groups of investments called “motifs”. Each motif has twenty to thirty stocks that follow a particular theme. This is pretty cool, because I used to do this on my own and pay per trade. Now I can get a group of high-yield dividend stocks and just pay one time. Here are some of the themes:

Lots of Likes on Facebook (never heard of this one until Motif)
Healthy and Tasty
Recession Resistant (might be a good idea to add this to your portfolio)
Biotech Breakthroughs
Utility Bills

Motif has one of the nicest stock screeners around because it allows you to search for motifs by using different criteria, including yearly returns, popularity, and even current events. You can find exactly what you’re looking for in an investment. The high-yield dividends motif is my favorite because it suits my personal investment style, which is based on a long-term view and cash flow.

You can also create your own fund. Just select up to thirty stocks or ETFs of whatever area you like and buy shares for the flat $9.95 rate.

Advantages of Motif Investing

Low Cost and No Hidden Fees

Once you decide what motif you want, you pay one flat fee of $9.95 per transaction. With Motif, there aren’t any management fees and no activity requirements. It’s really that simple. This puts a lot of investors at ease since they don’t have to worry about getting hit with some random fee.

If you choose to remove or change a certain stock in your motif, you can do It for $4.95 per trade or just pay a flat $9.95 for unlimited changes. In nearly all cases, it’s probably best to just pay the ten bucks and forget about it. That way you if anything changes, you won’t rack up a bunch of $4.95 charges.

Let’s say that instead of buying a motif, you decide to buy thirty stocks from E-Trade. I have nothing against E-Trade – I just like keeping my money rather than paying it to a brokerage. You would end up paying $299.70 (30 x $9.99 = $299.70). Hmmm… would you rather pay $9.95 or nearly $300? It’s an easy choice.

Easy to Get Started

The number-one thing that investors need to do to get on a fast track to retirement is just getting started. People see the high account minimums of other brokerages and put off investing for another month… or two… or seven. Because compound interest will allow you to exponentially grow your money, it’s critical to get started as soon as possible.

There is no deposit amount required to open an account with Motif Investing, but you’ll need to deposit $300 to make a trade. Compared with the multi-thousand dollar minimums of brokerages like Fidelity and Vanguard, this is great!

Motif will even give you $150 if you open an account today.

Tons of Features

To say that Motif has some nice features would be an understatement. Here are some of the features offered:

Flat Rate Pricing – I’ve already covered this; you pay $9.95 regardless of how many stocks/ETFs are in your Motif. If you want to break it down a little more, the cost per stock (with thirty stocks in a motif) is an ultra-low $0.33 per stock traded.
Available Accounts – they offer Individual, Joint, IRA, Roth IRA, Rollover IRA, and Trust accounts.
Single Stock Trades – if all you want is to buy and sell single stocks, Motif might not be your best choice. I would look into something like Robinhood, which is free. However, if you really want to trade single stocks, commissions are $4.95 per trade.
Tons of Ready-Made Motifs – there are over 9,000 pre-made motifs to choose from.
Trade Alerts – you can get notified of price changes in the motifs you own. This is nice, because it means you don’t have to check your investments every second of every day… not that you should anyway… wink, wink.
Horizon Motifs – these are just like target-date funds, which allow you to create a stock/bond ratio that matches your investment horizon.
IPO Stocks – with Motif, you have access to J.P. Morgan IPO stocks. I personally believe that most IPOs are bad investments, but if you see one you like and want to take a chance, you can do it.
Mobile App – you can use their app right from your Android, iPhone, or iPad.
Scheduled Transfers – you can make it so you automatically invest. My philosophy is to make investing as easy and as painless as possible so you have no excuse to get it done. You can set up recurring transfer for bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc. Again, it’s “set it and forget it”.
Real-time Data – you get real-time access so you can see your investments, down to the fractional share (yes, they give you fractional shares too!) and penny.
Full Visibility – investors are becoming more caring, and that’s a good thing. People care about what they’re invested in. With traditional mutual funds and ETFs, your money could be supporting polluters and gun makers. With Motif, you can keep your investments consistent with your personal values.

Instant Diversification

If you have a specific niche you’re looking to invest in, Motif is the place to go. At the same time, having the ability to put up to 30 stocks of ETFs together is a great way to get instant diversification.

Note: You should be diversifying across industries and sectors. Having thirty different oil stocks is NOT diversification. If the oil industry gets hurt, your money will be wiped out. Diversification means having some utility stocks, some oil stocks, some tech stocks, etc. Putting all of your money into one industry or sector is the biggest mistake I can see one making with Motif. If you can truly diversify, you’ll be good.

Active Rebalancing

Rebalancing is one of the most important things you can do with your stock portfolio. It guarantees that you buy stocks when they are low and sell them when they’re high. Thank goodness Motif Investing is low-cost, because rebalancing can get ridiculously expensive with other brokers.

If you select one of the ready-made motifs, Motif actively monitors it for rebalancing needs. You can truly “set it and forget it”.

Disadvantages of Motif Investing

No Dividend Reinvestment

Motif Investing does not offer dividend reinvestment. As I mentioned before, the high-yield dividend motif is my favorite, but there’s no way to automatically reinvest the dividends. This may not be an issue for all investors, because some people prefer the cash.

Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if they added this feature in the near future because it’s something that many investors want. I prefer to automatically reinvest my dividends, but this isn’t a deal-breaker for me.

No Complex Orders
This isn’t a big disadvantage, but I figured I should point it out. If you’re looking to get involved in more complex investments such as options and futures, Motif Investing isn’t for you. But for the majority of people who are just looking for a cost-effective way to invest in stocks, it’s perfect.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get started?

Make an account, deposit your minimum balance, and select/create your motifs!

Is Motif SIPC insured?

Yes, Motif Investing is SIPC insured.

How does Motif make Money?

Motif makes money from the commissions charged on investment behaviors, such as buying/selling Motifs ($9.95) or buying/selling individual stocks ($4.95). They also have new Motif Premium services, which are $9.95 and $19.95.

How many people use Motif?

At the time of this writing, nearly 300,000 people use Motif.

Summary

I’m very impressed with Motif Investing and I will definitely be adding to my portfolio. I’ve used several broker platforms in the past and I rate Motif Investing very high. I’ve been missing out for several years and I’m late to the party, but it’s definitely a wonderful investing platform.
Motif Investing is especially good if you’re looking to invest in trends or a particular sector. The pricing is extremely competitive and tax efficient (if you don’t constantly trade the stocks, of course). It’s also cool how you can customize your motif so you aren’t limited to the pre-created ones.

I feel as if Betterment makes investing automatic and idiot-proof, while Motif gives the user a lot more control. Motif works for new investors as a primary trading method and experienced investors can use it for secondary trading. Used correctly, a Motif investor should be able to achieve better returns for less money.

Be sure to create your Motif Investing account today and get your $150!

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Swagbucks Review – Make Money Online With A Survey Site That Actually Pays You

7/13/2016

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Swagbucks is one of the easiest ways to make money online fast because it is a survey site that actually pays you.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. With that being said, Swagbucks is a survey site that I’ve actually used and recommend to friends who want to make extra cash.

Start earning money with Swagbucks today!

Is it Legit?

Swagbucks is an online rewards program where you earn “Swag Bucks” (known as SB) that can be turned into real gift cards from places like Walmart, Target, Amazon, Best Buy, and more.

If you’re concerned about it being legitimate, don’t worry. I had the same fear as you. Give personal information and consumer data to some site I don’t completely trust? No thanks. But Swagbucks has an A+ rating with the BBB (which is what reassured me) and they’ve been around since 2005.

It’s completely free to join, has over fifteen million members earning money, and has paid out over $137 million (at the time of this writing).

One SB is worth about one cent, but you can earn them fairly easily. While “free money” doesn’t really exist (there’s no such thing as a free lunch), Swagbucks comes pretty close. Here are the ways you can make SB.

Shop Through Their Site

Using Swagbucks as a shopping portal is a nice way to earn some extra cash back. They have stores like Nike, Best Buy, Amazon, and Hotels.com. If a particular store pays you 3 SB per dollar spent, it’s equal to 3% cash back on your purchase. When you combine a rewards credit card and an online discount code, you can save a significant amount of money.

Swagbucks does this because the retailers pay them a commission for people they refer and all they’re doing is passing on some of that referral fee to us. Let’s say you buy a new desktop from Best Buy for $1,000. Best Buy might pay Swagbucks 8% of that sale ($80) and Swagbucks will give you half (4%, or 4,000 SB).

If you’re doing some online shopping, at least do it through Swagbucks because it adds up. All you have to do is click the “Shop Now” link and do your shopping. After you make your purchases, the SB will be in your account within seven days.

Use Their Search Engine

When you first make your Swagbucks account, there will be an option to make Swagbucks your default search engine. I know it might be difficult for you to use anything other than Google, but it’s worth it. The Swagbucks search engine is powered by Yahoo, so you’ll see the same results as when you use a Yahoo search bar.

As I was writing this post, I typed “personal finance genius” into their search bar and earned a quick 20 SB. Twenty cents just for searching something? Not bad!

Please be aware that Swagbucks is incredibly sensitive to people who abuse the system, so please don’t sit around searching random items all day long. You will be met with a not-so-friendly warning.

Take Surveys (of course)

In my experience, this is the way to make the most money with Swagbucks. When I have taken their surveys, I have averaged about $9 per hour. It’s not much, but if I’m waiting around somewhere, I log in and knock out a few dollars. Hey, it pays for lunch!

There’s a ton of surveys that pay a couple hundred SB, which is a few dollars per survey. Most of the surveys pay between 50 and 200 SB. There’s a few that pay 300 SB and take about twenty minutes – that’s how I got to my $9 per hour figure. If you can complete the surveys faster than me (and I am somewhat slow), you can earn more money.

Watch Videos

I wish Swagbucks would let you watch videos all day, but they don’t. They limit your earnings to 150 per day, but I make sure I watch the videos and collect my 150. If you do just this, and nothing else, you’ll earn about $45 per month.

The video categories are: entertainment, pets & travel, home & garden, news, music, health, and food. All you have to do is click play and collect your money. It’s really that easy.

Play Games

In my honest opinion, this isn’t really worth your time. If you like playing online games, go ahead, but I don’t. I played their Deal or No Deal game and didn’t earn too much with it. Maybe I would earn more if I enjoyed playing casino-style games online. I don’t know enough to make more judgments, but that’s my take on the games part.

Print Grocery Store Coupons

This is pretty cool. Not only can you save money by using coupons themselves, but you earn SB for using them. You get 10 SB for every coupon you redeem at your local grocery store, so it’s like getting an extra ten cents off each coupon. If you’re someone who uses coupons, this is something for you to consider. I always see coupons for Dawn, Yoplait, Hawaiian Punch, and more.

Be aware that the coupons take a little time to process (10 to 12 weeks), but if you use them regularly, you won’t even notice the wait.

Refer Your Friends

You can earn 10% of your friend’s earnings. Need I say more? If you refer someone who will actively use Swagbucks, you can get quite a bit of money without doing any of the work.

How Much Money Can I Make With Swagbucks?

You might not become a millionaire using Swagbucks, but you can definitely earn $50-100 in gift cards every month by using them for a few minutes per day. At the bare minimum, you should be usng their search feature. It’s the most painless way to earn SB and you will slowly but surely be earning some rewards that you otherwise wouldn’t.

Swagbucks should NOT be a replacement for a more steady income, because you’d be hard-pressed to earn more than $10 or so per day. I personally think it’s a nice, easy way to earn a few extra dollars that can be used for gifts, dining out, etc. without touching my “real” money.

At the end of the day, Swagbucks is an easy way to make money online fast.

What are you waiting for? Sign up for Swagbucks today!

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Here Is The Secret From “Think and Grow Rich” (Summary of “Think and Grow Rich”)

7/9/2016

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Andrew Carnegie

“What is the secret mentioned in Think and Grow Rich?”

“Is it the golden rule?”

“It’s probably a burning desire plus faith…”

“Is there a deeper meaning behind Napoleon Hill’s classic book?”

“What IS that darn Carnegie secret wealth formula?”

These questions (and many more) have plagued my mind for years. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill is probably my all-time favorite book, and believe me, I’ve read a lot of books. When I first read it, the message hit me like a ton of bricks. You can control your thoughts! Not exactly rocket science, but enough to change the course of my life by bringing it to my conscious awareness.

If you’re not familiar with the book, let me bring you up to speed. In the early 1900s, Napoleon Hill spent decades of his life trying to figure out what made successful people successful. He studied people like Andrew Carnegie (who inspired the book), Henry Ford, and Thomas Edison.

In the book, there is a secret. It’s the Carnegie wealth formula – the secret to success. It’s mentioned in every single chapter but Hill never explicitly tells us what the secret is. It’s up to the reader to read between the lines and figure it out.

However, no matter how hard I tried the “secret” never really made sense to me. Until recently, that is.

SPOILER: IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO FIND OUT THE SECRET FROM THINK AND GROW RICH, DO NOT READ THIS POST. IT CONTAINS NAPOLEON HILL’S EXPLICIT REVELATION FROM LATER IN HIS LIFE.

If you are a true believer in the Think and Grow Rich philosophy, you might want to give strong consideration to finding the secret out for yourself. However, if you really want to know, keep reading.

Let’s start by breaking down the different chapters and what they really mean. I’ve found that words such as “desire”, “faith” and “imagination” have vague meanings in the minds of different people, so it helped me tremendously to sit down and write out the definitions to the chapter titles.

Desire – a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen

Napoleon Hill explains that you must have a burning desire, not just desire. So you must really, really want something to happen.

Faith – a complete trust or confidence in someone or something

To me, faith means that you need to believe that you can accomplish what you want. You need to “have faith”. I’ve noticed that a lot of people struggling with truly believing deep down that they can get what they want, and that’s okay. You don’t have to completely trust yourself if you trust someone else. If you find someone who has been where you want to go and you follow what he/she says, you should automatically have trust in their process. I talk about this extensively in my article, Top 5 Books Entrepreneurs Should Read When Starting a Business.

Autosuggestion – the subconscious adoption of an idea that one has originated oneself

The “idea that one has originated oneself” is one of the most powerful points in the book. It tells you that you can pick any idea you choose and “plant the seed” in your subconscious mind. You get to choose what you put in your mind.

Knowledge – facts, information, and skills

You need to get the facts, information, and skills that will help you accomplish your goal. Today, with many libraries and the internet, there is no excuse for you not getting the facts and information you need. As far as skills go, it pays to know how to purchase knowledge. If you want to build a business, you must find the people with the skills you need and pay them well.

Imagination – forming new ideas, images, or concepts of external objects not yet present to the senses

Remember – if you can see it in your mind, you can hold it in your hand. You must develop your imagination in order to visualize and form images of what you want. The more clearly you can visualize your goal, the easier it will be to put the other parts together (like knowledge and faith) to get it.

Plan – a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something OR an intention or decision about what one is going to do

You can imagine and visualize all day long, but if you don’t get off the couch and take action, nothing will happen for you. Once you decide what it is you want, you must start immediately to write down your plan and put it into action. Even if you don’t know where to start, do something. Also, understand that if you take action on your goals, you are demonstrating to yourself that you have faith you can do it.

Decision – a conclusion reached after consideration

After interviewing thousands of people, Hill discovered that lack of decision making was one of the chief causes of failure. In my own experience, it’s better to make a bad decision than no decision at all. At least when you make a bad decision, you can pivot later. Without a decision, you’re stagnant.

Hill tells us: “The great leaders of the world were men and women of quick decision.”

Persistence –a firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition

Once you identify your burning desire, develop the faith to pursue it, use autosuggestion to “plant the seed”, get the knowledge to take action, use your imagination to visualize the process, and organize a plan, you still must persist. You have to continuously take massive action until your goal is realized. Understand that persistence is the opposite of procrastination. One the days that you’re tired, do not give in. Force yourself to act so you have something productive done that day.

Mastermind groups – groups that offer brainstorming, education, peer accountability and support

While they are important, the chapters focusing on sex transmutation, the subconscious mind, the brain, etc. just give clarification to the earlier chapters. If you study the second half of the book, you will better understand the first half.

So What Is The Secret?

First-time Think and Grow Rich readers typically get frustrated that Napoleon Hill never directly mentions the secret in any chapter. They’re left to figure it out on their own. In a desperate attempt to figure out the secret, most people come up with three conclusions.

The secret is that you have free will. You can choose whatever you want out of life. I personally thought this was the Carnegie wealth secret for a long time, especially since Napoleon Hill focuses on this concept in his other works. For example, in Outwitting the Devil, Hill explains that most people are drifters because they never decide what they want out of life.
There is no secret. These are the people who think “the secret” was just a literary device to get you to finish the book and buy more of Hill’s personal brand. After all, he did have other books and projects, such as The Law of Success.
There is no secret. This crowd thinks “the secret” is different for everyone and that it’s best left up to the individual’s own interpretation. Everyone has his/her own “burning desire” in life and “riches” don’t necessarily imply financial riches. If you believe you’ve found the secret, then you’ve found it.

Stop and read that one more time. If you believe you’ve found the secret, then you’ve found it. That’s a big clue to what the secret really is.

As I delved into Napoleon Hill’s other work for the first time, I thought I found the secret in his book, The Master-Key to Riches.

At the end of the book, Hill says: “The great Master-Key to riches is nothing more nor less than the self-discipline necessary to help you take full and complete possession of your own mind.”

Remembering that Napoleon Hill never explicitly revealed the secret in Think and Grow Rich, I went to my Kindle version and searched for the words “discipline” and “self-discipline”. If nothing came up, it was the evidence needed to prove I had stumbled across the secret. The only instance of the word “discipline” in the book is under the “Thirty Major Causes of Failure” section, where he lists lack of self-discipline as a major cause of failure.

I shouldn’t have been looking this hard. There’s something bigger than self-discipline. Without a certain thing you wouldn’t ever develop self-discipline in the first place. That certain thing is the secret.

Months later, I had a big “Eureka!” moment because I thought I stumbled across the secret. It instantly flashed across my mind (the sixth sense?), my jaw dropped, and I scrambled for a pen and paper to write down my newfound revelation.

The way you search for the secret IS the secret.

I realized that Napoleon Hill says you must have a BURNING DESIRE along with FAITH that you’ll accomplish your DEFINITE PURPOSE in life. Then you must organize a plan for achieving your burning desire. Everything else is secondary, because if you have a BURNING DESIRE and FAITH, you will make the decision, be persistent, form a mastermind group, find the specialized knowledge, and so on.

If you never had a burning desire to find the secret itself, you wouldn’t care enough to look. The people who think Think and Grow Rich is a scam or some wishy-washy law of attraction book generally fall into this category. They brush it off and never give it a second look. Likewise, if you didn’t have faith that you could find the second, you wouldn’t try in the first place.

To find the secret, you have to:

Want to find the secret. I mean, have a burning desire to find this thing called “the secret”.
Actually believe it’s possible for you to find it.
Make a plan to study the text carefully and not give up until you find it.

I thought that these very steps were the secret. Napoleon Hill even said that if you’re ready for the secret, you’re halfway there. I thought this meant you just needed to take it one step beyond and realize that the steps required searching for (and finding) the secret is the secret itself.

I was incredibly close to the real thing.

Later in life, Napoleon Hill wrote a fantastic book called Grow Rich! With Peace of Mind. It was released just three years before Napoleon Hill died and it contained a much wiser, more mature Hill. It also contained the secret from Think and Grow Rich.

After years of reading and re-reading Think and Grow Rich, I almost felt silly when I found out the secret. It was hidden in plain sight but I never picked it up. However, “when the student is ready, the teacher shall appear”, so I guess I’m ready now.

Anyway, Napoleon Hill reveals the “Supreme Secret” in chapter 14 of Grow Rich! With Peace of Mind, which is a chapter titled “The Magic Power of Belief”. Here is the secret, spelled out:

“Anything the human mind can believe, the human mind can achieve. That is the Supreme Secret. Truly, deeply believe you will have great wealth, and you will have it.”

When I read this, I was reminded of this quote:

“I always knew I was going to be rich. I don’t think I ever doubted it for a minute.” – Warren Buffett

It makes sense. The father of modern psychology, William James, told us that our faith (belief) in advance of a doubtful undertaking is the only thing that can assure its successful conclusion. If you have any doubt or fear that you will not get what you want, you will not get it.

The shockingly simple secret hidden within Think and Grow Rich is…. belief.

What do you think? Did you have the right “secret”? Let me know in the comments below!

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Here Is The Secret From “Think and Grow Rich” (Summary of “Think and Grow Rich”)