| June 11, 2013
One comment

Twitter,Re-Tweets, Comments and How to use them

It’s been a while since my last blog,here at Mike1040, and I wanted to bring folks up-to-date on what’s going on. I’ve been trying to get the hang of Twitter. I have been trying to figure out how to use it. I’ve found that re-tweeting seems to get you noticed and has increased my number of followers. Even when you are not writing original content, people want to know what you’re doing. Re-tweets show others what your interests are and often those interests are ones that your followers share. Of course while your reading these tweets you are presented with a golden opportunity. By that I mean comments.

Comments are great! They keep you engaged and give you the opportunity to show off your expertise in any number of topics. Remember the big blogs want and need comments too. When folks are reading these blogs they usually hang around to read a comment or two. So if you want to comment, pull the trigger right away. Be one of the first three commenters! If you use commentluv or any comment enhancing plug in your message will go out as well with your comment.

Re-tweet are your way of spreading a little Twitter love to other bloggers that you like and want to build relationships in the future. I have to go, but it was fun sharing these thoughts with you.

My name is Michael J Craig, aka Mike1040, and as always I’ll see you at the top!!!

Category: better blogger, commentluv | Tags: , , , ,
| May 19, 2013
No comments

Carol Amato is getting it done!

Blogging isn’t just about creating your internet voice . Its about the intereaction and involve with your reader and viewers. Mike1040 recently wrote an article about “gurus” on the internet and how to spot them. I  don’t want you to think that everyone who makes you an offer falls into that category. I recently stopped by Carol Amato’s website. Certainly her command of information on her site qualifies her as a “mentor’. I commend her and her site as an example of someone reaching out with valuable content who’s trying to make a genuine human connection.

Sure internet markets and bloggers are commercial. We can’t help it.  But its important to remember why we blog in the first play. For me, its to make a difference, even to be the difference and of course to help. Stop over to Carol’s site and see what you think. I’ll be interested as always in your comments.

 

http://www.carolamato.com/boosting-blog-traffic-with-valuable-content

My name is Michael J Craig,aka Mike1040, and as always I’ll see you at the top!

Category: better blogger, commentluv | Tags: , ,
| May 16, 2013
3 comments

What is a Lending Club affiliate link?

An affiliate link is a link that compensates you for referring people to the site. The reason why I ask the question is Just Retweet is telling me that I’m using a Lending Club affiliate link. I wish I had such a link but as of this writing I don’t have a direct affiliate link with Lending Club. What I do have is a Lending Club account. On the Lending Club site there is a promo offer to get folks to sign up with Lending Club. The offer is from Lending Club, not me. I am not compensated in any way. If folks use the link they receive a bonus from Lending Club. That bonus is added to their account, not mine.

Peer2Peer investing is exploding all over the country. Lending Club is clearly the industry leader. Any one interested in investing in Lending Club is urged to do their own due diligence and investigation of all the facts associated with Peer2Peer investing. Like any other investment Peer2Peer investing involves risks and these risks are not suitable for all investors.

I will continue to bring you as much info on Peer2Peer as possible.  If I can help with a free bonus offer so be it.

My name is Michael J Craig,aka Mike1040, and as always I’ll see you at the top!

P.S. here’s the link to Lending Club https://www.lendingclub.com/invite/invite.action

Category: Peer 2 Peer | Tags: , , ,
| April 24, 2013
No comments

A Roth IRA that’s guaranteed!!!

There’s an intriguing notion! A Roth IRA that’s guaranteed! How exactly would that work. Let’s take each of the components and then meld them together.

A Roth IRA  works the opposite of a regular or tradional IRA. A person can put $5,000.00 a year into a Roth. Even though a tax deduction is not taken for the Roth contribution the IRS tax year is used for purposes of designating the year of the contribution. Folks who are getting large refunds  and especially those not covered by a retirement plan are good candidates for the Roth. Keep in mind the Roth is a tax shelter. You have to fund the Roth with something that grows overtime. So what to choose.

This blog post will deal exclusively with non-security funding vehicles those who are interested in funding a Roth with securities should seek the advice of a licensed investment advisor, since I am not an investment advisor.

I recommend using guaranteed savings  contracts because I believe strongly that retirement money should not be exposed to risk of loss of principle. The type of vehicle I recommend would earn interest on a guaranteed annual basis. Each and every year your account goes. How much it goes up depends on the particular savings contract. These contracts can also guarantee streams of income for your life and that of your spouse while the contract itself continues to grow. These contracts themselves pay out best after age 59 1/2. So  something to fund the Roth is now in place what does the synthesis look like. It looks great. Guaranteed tax free income that you can’t out live. You can even pass it on to your heirs,(also tax free). Keep reading my blogs for more info on how to sock away those internet marketing earnings.

I invite you to post responses here at Mike1040.com where your comments will get the commentluv they deserve, or over at http://www.ibosocial.com/mike1040

My name is Michael J Craig, aka Mike1040, and as always I’ll see you at the top!

Category: commentluv | Tags: , , ,
| April 22, 2013
One comment

IRS TAX HELP: OR JUST MORE HYPE

IRS tax help or just more hype! Unfortunately just more hype is probably the answer. You know the ads I’m talking about, the ones that claim to save the person in tax trouble with the IRS eighty to eighty-five cents on the dollar. They are pure hype. Nothing more than blue sky. The program they refer to is the IRS Offer in Compromise program. Well guess what? If  the IRS feels that you can pay out the debt within seventy-two months you don’t qualify.  Even if you do qualify only about 15 percent of offers are actually accepted by the IRS.

So why do these ads seem to be everywhere. Simple, because they make money, a lot of money for the “tax help” companies. They get their fees up front. The poor tax client winds up with two problems instead of one. There I said it. I don’t care if it angers these companies. People with tax problems with the IRS deserve the truth.

What is the truth. The IRS will set up an installment agreement with you if you file your outstanding tax returns,( at a minimum the last five years). They will give you  5 or 6 years to pay on a regular basis Are installment agreements a good idea for the tax client?  Yes, in most cases they are the most practical alternative.

Do I offer tax help? Yes, I do. But I tell you the truth either in my office or here on the internet. If you live in the Philadelphia area call me for help at 267-345-0260. I’ll get to work for you and no HYPE!!!

My name is Michael J Craig, aka Mike1040, and as always I’ll see you at the top.

P.S. Your comments are welcome and will receive the commentluv they deserve.

Category: tax related | Tags: , , , ,
| April 21, 2013
No comments

How easy is Peer2Peer Investing in Pennsylvania?

I spent some time trying to decide on a good title to this post. I rejected things like “why isn’t peer2peer investing easy in Pennsylvania” and I’ll tell you why.

My name is Michael J Craig, aka Mike1040. Peer2Peer is a little complicated in Pennsylvania. Let me explain. Lending Club investors in Pennsylvania can’t invest directly. If you set up a Lending Club account in Pennsylvania, and a number of other states that are not yet approved, you are re-directed to a secondary platform called Foliofn.

The first thing you notice about Foliofn is that the interface is not as robust as the actual Lending Club platform. So what!!! It works well enough if you spend a little time on it. It’s a little slow. So get over it!!!

The advantage to Foliofn is that all the notes are live. On the main Lending Club site many of the notes are pending because the loans are in the process of being approved. Foliofn gets your money right in there…working,working, and working. With a little work you can sort the notes by number of months remaining, whether the borrower has ever been late or is at least current, and most importantly what your return will be based on the number of months left. I said it was a little complicated. I got the hang of it by going to Peerinvesting.info. They have step by step videos that will walk you through the whole process. I know their video techniques work because I’ve used them on the Foliofn site myself.

So the answer to my original question is that Peer2Peer in Pennsylvania with Lending Club can be very easy if you use a few simple video tools.

Let me know how it works for you. Here’s the link to Peerinvesting.info

http://www.peerinvesting.info

For  more info on Peer2Peer investing in Pennsylvania or elsewhere please go to my site archive or just ask a specific question in the comments, where your comments receive the commentluv they deserve. I’ll also post this blog over at IBOSOCIAL as well.

My name is Michael J Craig,aka Mike1040, and as always I’ll see you at the top.

Category: commentluv, Peer 2 Peer | Tags: , , , , ,
| April 17, 2013
One comment

Grow Your Tribe : Special Shout Out to Kevin DaSilva

Over the last couple of days I’ve been viewing and reading posts from Kevin DaSilva that center on the idea of growing your tribe and the whole notion of being a viralizer. I’ll put a link to his site site so you can check them out for yourself but I wanted to let you know about them first. He focuses a lot of attention on Twitter. He explains in a step by step way how to go about growing your twitter account and even explains all the unique nomenclature of Twitter. I think he’s on to something that will help a lot of people , get more followers and evenually monitize those followers into an income stream. What’s he willing to give away for free? Frankly a lot. That why I watched the three videos and am reporting back to you.

On a personal note Kevin talks a little fast. So make sure to listen close. I’m from Philadelphia so his New York  style  comes as a little bit of a linguistic culture shock, but his message is sound, even warm and friendly in a New York sort of way. I also note that I am not a Kevin DaSilva affiliate yet. So this link is on the house to both you and Kevin. When good people put solid info out on the internet, folks should take notice. Let me know what you think of the “viralizer”.

http://viralizers.com/challenges/m/lesson-1-how-to-target-retweeters/

 

Thanks a gain for visiting my site. My name is Michael J Craig, aka, Mike1040, and as always I’ll see you at the top!

Category: Uncategorized |
| April 14, 2013
One comment

Is Technology Overwhelming You?

It’s been a long and successful tax season. Michael J Craig Financial Services  has moved forward but unfortunately at the expense of Mike1040.com. I have been so busy in my business that I haven’t had the time to work on my business. I’m not the most technologically savvy person on the planet,( how’s that for understatement). Frankly sometimes I just feel overwhelmed by technology. When I feel like that nothing good happens. I put things off. Does that ever happen to you? How do you get back to moving forward.

I’m having a conversation with my wife about how to make my internet activity easier on the go. I kept talking about broad concepts and she kept talking about the technological features of different internet devices. At times I thought we were talking in different languages. It was frustration writ large, but then I thought, what should I do now. The answer is this blog post.

Don’t worry about what you can’t do today. If you have to learn something just do it. I want to be technologically mobile. I just have to do it and I need to start right now.

Mike1040.com is a voice for my personal journey. Thanks for listening and keep in touch!

My name is Michael J Craig, aka Mike1040, and as always I’ll see you at the top.

Category: Uncategorized |
| April 9, 2013
No comments

Peer 2 Peer Prosper Pennsylvania update.

Major peer 2 peer player Prosper has just issued an update about various states including Pennsylvania. Apparently  some Pennsylvania officials are still rather skeptical of peer 2 peer investing. The Prosper press release doesn’t close the door completely on Pennsylvania. If you want to be able to invest directly in Prosper in Pennsylvania call your state representatives and start educating them about peer 2 peer. Keep it positive and focus on members of the banking commitee. My state senator Mike Stack is on the banking committee and frankly he needs a little more info and constituent feed back on the benefits of peer 2 peer for Pennsylvania to come on board.I’ll try to reach out to my state rep Kevin Boyle with a personal appeal.

New leadership at Prosper will only give peer 2 peer an even higher profile. Prosper is back in the game in a big way.

Let me know of any politicians in Pennsylvania that  I should be talking to . Please reach out to your local Pennsylvania rep and senator. Then get back to me and everyone know how its going.

My name is Michael J Craig,aka Mike1040, and as always I’ll see you at the top!!!.

 

A link to the Prosper press release  http://blog.prosper.com/2013/04/04/welcome-back-washington-lenders/

Category: Peer 2 Peer | Tags: , , , ,
| April 8, 2013
8 comments

I took the plunge:My new Lending Club Account in Pennsylvania

Yes, I took the plunge. Michael J Craig, aka Mike1040 now has a Lending Club account. I opened it on Friday via Foliofn which as you, may or may not ,know is the only way to do it at this time in Pennsylvania.  I will be issuing updates on how I’m doing so that others can see that Peer 2 Peer can be done, even in Pennsylvania,

I spent some time over the weekend searching for information about Lending Club via Foliofn. I’m happy to report that I found some great videos that I will provide links to. Matthew Allen’s post is great and you should go over and check out his blog.

 

http://dumbpassiveincome.com/foliofn-note-trading-platform-lending-club-review/

 

the best videos on how to use Foliofn to buy and sell Lending Club notes is below. They’re very short in a step by step style. I think you’ll like them as much as I did.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib28kkmYVeM

 

Well, this is a short update and I have to run.

My name is Michael J Craig, aka Mike1040, and as always I’ll see you at the top.

 

 

Category: commentluv, Peer 2 Peer | Tags: , , , ,
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