Archive for January, 2010
January 29, 2010 ·
Jason interviews his early mentor Dr. Denis Waitley on “The Psychology of Winning.” Listen in at: http://www.jasonhartman.com/radioshows/. At age 17, Jason discovered Waitley and it was a life altering event leading to his early and sustained success. Waitley is one of America’s most respected authors, keynote lecturers and productivity consultants on high performance human achievement. He has inspired, informed, challenged, and entertained audiences for over 25 years from the board rooms of multi-national corporations to the locker rooms of world-class athletes and in the meeting rooms of thousands of conventioneers throughout the world. Recently, he was voted business speaker of the year by the Sales and Marketing Executives’ Association and by Toastmasters’ International and inducted into the International Speakers’ Hall of Fame.
With over 10 million audio programs sold in 14 languages, Denis Waitley is one of the most listened-to voices on personal and career success. He is the author of 15 non-fiction books, including several international best sellers, “Seeds of Greatness,” “Being the Best,” “The Winner’s Edge,” “The Joy of Working,” and “Empires of the Mind.” His audio album, “The Psychology of Winning,” is the all-time best selling program on self-mastery.
Denis Waitley has studied and counseled winners in every field from Apollo astronauts to Superbowl champions, from sales achievers to government leaders and youth groups. During the 1980’s, he served as Chairman of Psychology on the U. S. Olympic Committee’s Sports Medicine Council, responsible for performance enhancement of all U. S. Olympic athletes.
Dr. Waitley is a founding director of the National Council on Self-Esteem and the President’s Council on Vocational Education, and recently received the “Youth Flame Award” from the National Council on Youth Leadership for his outstanding contribution to high school youth leadership. As president of the International Society for Advanced Education, inspired by Dr. Jonas Salk, he counseled returning POWs from Viet Nam and conducted simulation and stress management seminars for Apollo astronauts. A graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, and former Navy pilot, he holds a doctorate degree in human behavior. Upcoming shows will feature: Asset Protection Attorney Mark Kholer, Marketing Guru Ted Nicholas, Federal Reserve Commentator Andre Eggeletion, Video Marketer Mike Koenigs, Internet Money Machine Yanik Silver, Organizational Expert David Allen and many other thought leaders
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January 27, 2010 ·
Jason talks with real estate “artist” and 5-time international best-selling author, philanthropist, risk-taker and visionary, Frank McKinney, who sees opportunities and creates markets where none existed before. Listen at: http://www.jasonhartman.com/radioshows/. McKinney’s first job earned him $180 a week digging sand traps on Deerfield Beach golf course. At age 22, he bought his first $50,000 fixer-upper, selling it a few months later for a $7,000 profit. Now, over 23 years later, he creates real estate markets where others dare to tread. He has built spec homes (without a buyer) valued in the tens of millions of dollars. A true maverick, he is without peer in the risky world of speculative high-end real estate, shattering price records with each new project. And his latest? McKinney just completed “Acqua Liana,” the world’s largest and most opulent triple certified (USGBC, FGBC & Energy Star) “green” mansion at $29,000,000. Each of the estate homes he creates is a one-of-a-kind work of art, infused with vivid imagination and designed on a canvas of sun-drenched Atlantic ocean.
Prior to the completion of his new multi-million dollar “green” mansion, he sold, with an asking price of $50 Million, the largest and most expensive spec home ever created, containing 72 rooms, 32,000 square feet, 12 bedrooms, 18 baths, and a 14 car garage. McKinney has created and sold 36 oceanfront properties with an average selling price over $14 million.
In addition to his real estate artistry, Frank McKinney has now become a five-time international bestselling author. In addition to his first two books, McKinney just released three new books simultaneously, each representing a distinctly different genre. All three books are published by Health Communications, Inc., best known for the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Mr. McKinney’s new titles are; 1.) The Tap, 2.) Burst This! Frank McKinney’s Bubble-Proof Real Estate Strategies, and 3.) Dead Fred, Flying Lunchboxes, and the Good Luck Circle.
His vision and risk-taking has been the subject of numerous international television, radio and print features. McKinney was recently featured on ABC’s 20/20 with Martin Bashir, the cover of USA Today, the Oprah Winfrey Show, CBS’ The Early Show, CNN, Discovery Channel, Travel Channel, HDNet, CBN TV, National Public Radio (NPR), in The Wall Street Journal, NY Times, Bloomberg, Fortune, Barrons, Town and Country, Robb Report, The Nightly Business Report (PBS) and in over 1500 additional TV and print stories. Several areas are covered in this exciting episode ranging from real estate, motivation, marketing and spiritual growth. Next up – one of Jason’s all-time favorite mentors, Dr. Denis Waitley, on The Psychology of Winning and The Seeds of Greatness.
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January 26, 2010 ·
Jason talks with Sara, Eric and Jim about the nitty-gritty details of non-owner occupied financing with conventional loans, construction and low-down rehab financing. In a challenging lending environment you need all the help you can get, you need the real story, you need the facts rather than the usual hype promulgated by the mortgage industry. Listen at: http://jasonhartman.com/radioshows/. Many new and experienced investors purchase great properties with high hopes only to find that obtaining a mortgage may well be nearly impossible. In this show we’ll roll up our sleeves to explore myths and misconceptions about financing. Future shows will include: a rich sampling of “The Masters Weekend: A Gathering of Experts,” Dr. Dennis Waitley, Mark Kholer, Ted Nicholas, Andre Eggeletion, Charles Goyette, Mike Koenigs, Frank McKinney, Yanik Silver, David Allen and many other thought leaders. Be sure to join us for The Creating Wealth Boot Camp on 2/20! Info and registration at: http://jasonhartman.com/store/events/
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January 14, 2010 ·
The mortgage meltdown altered the landscape of real estate investing. While some of yesterday’s most favored strategies will not work going forward, today’s savvy investor can still find great opportunities for growth and profits-if they understand how recent events could shape this industry over the next few years.
Jason talks with author Steve Bergsman about the state of various market sectors – including commercial, residential, and leisure real estate. Listen at: http://www.jasonhartman.com/radioshows. Get direction as to where things are headed, so you can make the right decisions on property investments during the coming years. The new decade will produce multiple investment currents. By separating the asset classes that will remain stable from those that will continue to lose value going forward, you’ll will gain insight on the changing marketplace. Recent developments have hurt some investors, but they have also opened the door to profitable new opportunities down the road.
Upcoming shows will feature: Nick Nanton on Celebrity Branding, Mark Kholer on Asset Protection, Ted Nicholas on Marketing, Andre Eggeletion on The Federal Reserve, Dr. Denis Waitley of The Psychology of Winning, Mike Koenigs on Scalable Video Distribution, Frank McKinney on Mansion Development, Yanik Silver on The Internet Lifestyle and many other success leaders.
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January 7, 2010 ·
The “Barbell” strategy of investing
In the marketplace of ideas, there is no shortage of strategies for investing to produce superior returns. These range from the ‘crackpot’ infomercials schemes that infest early morning television to people that are afraid of the stock market altogether, and also include the research of Nobel laureate economists. The key question for an aspiring investor to ask is what they can learn from each method and strategy.
Let’s start with the Nobel economists. There have been many prominent thinkers who have extolled the virtues of portfolio diversification as it relates to investment in the stock market. The analysis and conclusion of their models are very logical and convincing. When combining securities whose price volatility is not highly correlated, the aggregate effect can be to lower the volatility for the total portfolio, while still preserving average returns. The factor that this analysis misses is the impact of rare, but catastrophic events like a total market collapse. While it is true that portfolio diversification can reduce normal volatility, it is also true that this diversification will not protect against a systemic market disruption.
On the other end of the spectrum, we find people who are afraid of the stock market altogether. Many of the people who express this sentiment were heavily influenced by the stock market crash of 1929 and the great depression. Typically, these people gravitate toward the perceived safety of bonds in lieu of stocks. The implicit problem with this strategy can take one of two flavors. The first is if the bonds are conservative low-interest instruments with guaranteed principal values. There is a significant risk that the value of these bonds will not keep pace with inflation. The other side of risk with bonds is if the investor seeks out high-risk bonds that pay out attractive interest rates, but are issued by companies in dangerous financial condition that may default on their debt obligations.
The final piece of the spectrum is the ‘crackpot’ schemes that are pushed by slick-sounding hucksters. Most of these so-called ‘fool proof’ systems promise fabulous returns by following a few over-simplified steps. Typically, these systems are designed for a particular market environment. When the market shifts, the strategies that once produced tremendous wealth can suddenly generate crippling losses. A prime example is the ‘house flipping’ mania that swept across the country during the real estate bubble. One investor after another reported tremendous gains from buying houses, doing modest rehab work, and then re-selling the house for a significant profit. This system seemed to be working great until the market shifted and the speculative buyers disappeared. At that point, there were suddenly a large number of people holding investment properties that they couldn’t afford to pay the mortgage on, could no longer afford to rehab, and were not able to rent out for a sufficient amount of money to pay the mortgage and taxes.
Each of these strategies carries strengths and weaknesses. The optimal way to blend these factors in an advantageous way is what has been affectionately labeled the “barbell” strategy. The basis for this name is based in the notion of combining relatively stable assets such as income real estate with speculative investments such as stock options. Traditional investment theory recommends channeling funds into the middle of the investment spectrum with a diversified stock portfolio. However, the impact of rare events has shown a need for stability that stocks do not adequately provide. Thus, in order to capture upside growth opportunities it is optimal to speculate with a small portion of the total investment portfolio so that the risk of loss is mitigated by the stable portion of your portfolio.
In the end, this style of investing defies almost all of the advice that is popular in the news media. Traditional advice is tilted toward primary investment in the false sense of security that is offered by a ‘diversified’ portfolio of stocks. Unfortunately, this strategy lacks the ability to withstand rare market disruptions, while possessing a limited upside growth opportunity because of the portfolio’s diversified nature. Prudent investors should seek to build a base of returns from assets like income real estate that are spread around in fragmented markets so that speculative opportunities can be pursued without endangering the base portfolio value.
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January 5, 2010 ·
There are women all over the world who would like to become rental property investors but many don’t know how to start. According to Creating Wealth Show guest, Lisa Bromma, women have inherent skills that can turn them into savvy and successful real estate investors, even if they have never owned property before. Visit http://www.jasonhartman.com/radioshows. Lisa is the author of many successful books, including Wise Women in Real Estate. This book helps combine the skills women already have with real estate investment know-how from experts in the field, giving you the power to take complete control of your financial future. Tune in to hear the valuable insights into why women make ideal investors… naturally, as well as tools to help you invest successfully. Upcoming shows will feature: Bill Ganz, an expert in new media technology and founder of MORE media group and Diane Kennedy, the nation’s preeminent tax strategist and founder of TaxLoopholes.com.
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January 4, 2010 ·
Re-Inflating the Debt Bubble
Reading the news has never been the best way to inspire optimism. This phenomenon has never been more true than it is today for financially astute people that are aware of causes and consequences. In a recent press conference, the US President was touting a new blitz of government programs to get the US economy “back on track.” On the surface, this seems like a laudable goal, until you consider what is meant by getting the economy back on the track it was previously traveling.
It is not a secret that the precipitous collapse of the US economy was created by a prolific expansion in debt financed investment and consumption. This helix of credit escalated asset prices upward in a speculative bubble until they were so high new buyers could no longer be found to continue paying the ever increasing prices. As the prices contracted, many people and funds with overleveraged positions found themselves ‘upside down’ when values plunged below the purchase prices. This downward vortex was fed further by people who had purchased home mortgages that they did not have the capacity to afford based on the assumption that their homes would continually increase in value. As prices fell, foreclosures increased, which further depressed prices, which created more foreclosures.
Most people of even an elementary education level intuitively know that this much debt cannot be undertaken without a tremendous level of risk. True economic growth is fueled by increases in the level of productivity for labor output that allows a nation to increase the amount of output with the same amount of input. Misalignments of prices from market manipulations frequently disrupt this natural progression of labor productivity increases with boom and bust cycles. The unfortunate fallout of this phenomenon is that politicians are frequently more interested in creating an artificial ‘boom’ that they can claim credit for than fostering genuine economic growth
For evidence of this phenomenon, one must look no further than the efforts of the current Presidential administration to re-inflate the debt bubble as a means of artificially propping up the economy in absence of a discernable improvement in the underlying fundamentals. After many months of campaigning against traditional populist straw dogs of “Greed” and “Corporate America” the people currently in charge are repeating the exact same actions that perpetuated the last debt bubble.
For example, one of the ‘fixes’ proposed was to increase allowable debt levels so that more people could refinance their homes. Another round of government sponsored programs was to give away taxpayer money to new home buyers and new car buyers. In each of these cases, the government is directly encouraging further indebtedness to finance short-term consumption. The philosophy guiding these actions is a belief that this debt-financed consumption will “get the economy moving” again.
Looking at the total credit outstanding across all sectors as a ratio of Gross Domestic Product shows a startling trend of increasing indebtedness. Even more startling is the fact that the recent economic collapse served as little more than a speed bump in this upward trajectory, and all signs point to the current administration accelerating the debt bubble with ballooning record budget deficits and fiscal policy directed at encouraging debt to stimulate short term consumption.
The intense irony of this situation is that it is a carbon-copy repeat of the behaviors that caused the current financial mess in the first place. Sustained economic growth can only come from production and innovation. These things cannot be produced by government fiat or market manipulations. They must emerge from individual people having the right incentives to create valuable products and services. As long as the government continues to engage in ‘smoke and mirrors’ forms of market manipulations and debt bubble inflation, it is not very likely that the necessary conditions for a market recover will emerge.
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