Some time back I posted my review of the Armando Montelongo seminars and associated bus tours etc. Since then, I have even less good to say about him. Here is one specific complaint that was made that really spells it out:
Waltraud Wendy Deridmacker writes
"I am also disabled. I paid for seminars of over $30.000.00.I was promised my first transaction before the end of the week. This never happened. Now I am so far in debt. That I am about to lose my home. Please help me..."
What bothers me almost as much as what Montelongo and many other "gurus" do that scam folks out of their life savings is that many of their victims come to me for help, but there is nothing I can do after the fact. The only thing I can do - and I do it - is to try and warn people ahead of time, before they get in debt up to their ears with nothing to show for it.
And while it is true that for over 30 years I have been offering a real estate investing course of my own, so I am their competitor, I get just as much satisfaction if my only contribution is to save a few poor souls from falling into the "medicine show" trap by the likes of Montelongo.
And it REALLY irks me when those other "gurus" charge upwards of $30,000. There is NO real estate investing course worth the price of college tuition! None. Not even mine. In fact, I sometimes feel like I am over-charging at $100, though I teach many more strategies and provide all the tools necessary, including free coaching. It simply is not astrophysics or brain surgery - ordinary people have been succeeding in real estate for hundreds, if not thousands of years.
If I can sell you my program, great! But even if I cannot, I am just as satisfied if my warning keeps you safely out of the shark infested waters of the over-priced gurus.
/
Friday, August 30, 2019
Friday, August 23, 2019
Real Estate Investing 101
OK, so you have seen this title before, by many real estate investing gurus and sites. But this is different. This is the REAL Real Estate Investing 101 - the stuff those others are not talking about.
Real estate investing does not begin with a seminar, boot camp, or even a real estate course. It begins before that. It begins with proper preparation of self; building on negotiation skills, because every transaction is a negotiation, and making important connections, because successful investing is not a one-person sport - it requires bringing people together, and working with them. But even before that, it requires a "special" attitude.
I have been investing successfully in real estate for over a half century, and I created "The Simple Man's Guide to Real Estate" training course, and I can tell you that success is not guaranteed simply by knowing the mechanics of methods and strategies. Yes, those are crucial, but they are also not worth much if the would-be investor is not properly prepped.
Like any other career, success is best achieved when the individual has DESIGNED his or her success with purpose. For example, before a doctor practices medicine, he or she must first learn latin and take other courses that may seem irrelevant for using a scalpel, and then must intern. While real estate investing is not brain surgery, it does require that certain ancillary knowledge and personal traits are honed. It's not hard, but it will super-charge success.
And that's where my free eBook, "Success - By Design" comes in. And it really is free - you don't have to sign in, sign up, or even provide your name or email. And while it is not the "be all or do all" tome for self-prepping, I guarantee if you read it, learn it and live it you will be more likely to succeed in every aspect of life - work, family, romance - and yes, real estate investing.
Downloaded over 4,000,000 times, I have never asked readers to pay anything for it. All I have ever asked is that, if you find any value in it, that you pass it along to everyone you care about - relatives, friends, associates, FaceBook or Twitter followers - because most people can receive benefit from it.
"Success - by Design" is the perfect companion to "The Simple Man's Guide to Real Estate", the lowest cost yet most effective training course available. Check them both out - it costs nothing to look.
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Sunday, August 18, 2019
Sen. Warren Dishonestly Cherry-Picks the Bible
Sen. Elizabeth Warren invoked Matthew 25 in a speech to Christians, claiming "The Lord calls us to act." But that is neither the narrative of Matthew 25 nor the intent.
Matthew 25 consists of three parables (posted below for reference). The parable of the ten virgins is in reference to entering the Kingdom of Heaven and tells us we cannot be foolish and unwise and then expect the Lord to "open the door" for you afterward.
The second parable is the one of the servants and the talents. God gives each of us what we need, and tasks us with using his gifts to us wisely. Those who do not are punished. This is one of the many chapters in the Bible that speak well of EARNING what you want, and using it responsibly. The Lord gives us responsibility, and those who act accordingly are granted greater responsibility and the rewards include a share in the Master’s joy for their work. It denounces the lazy and irresponsible. He does NOT call for the wise and fruitful to support the lazy and irresponsible - just the less fortunate; those UNABLE by fate to care for themselves.
The third parable is the "sheep and the goats". The sheep are the righteous, being granted the Kingdom of Heaven because they took care of the less fortunate (but NOT the lazy and irresponsible, as shown in the first two parables). They cared for the sick, the hungry, the thirsty etc.
We are tasked to act in His name to be good stewards of His gifts to us. As He said in another story, we should only sow our seeds the Word of God and God's gifts to us) on FERTILE ground, and to not waste it on barren, rocky or thorny ground . The Lord told what he meant by “good” soil - the person who readily listens to the His word (symbolized by the seed) and understands it (Mt. 13:23). Mark describes the good soil as those who “accept” the seed (4:20), while Luke characterizes the fruit-producing soil as those who have an “honest and good heart, having heard the word, hold it fast...” (8:15).
Senator Warren does not know nor understand the Bible, and like so many others, cherry-picks verses for her own personal benefit - which is very much in opposition of what the Lord calls us to do.
Matthew 25:1-13
1“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
3 The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them,
4 But the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.
5 Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.
8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
9 But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’
10 While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked.
11 Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’
12 But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’
13 Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
Matthew 25:14-30
14 “It will be as when a man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
15To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately
16 the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five.
17 Likewise, the one who received two made another two.
18 But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.
19 After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them.
20 The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’
21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’
22 [Then] the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’
23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’
24 Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter;
25 So out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’
26 His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter?
27 Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?
28Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.
29 For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
30 And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’
Matthew 25:31-46
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne,
32 and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,
36 naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’
37 Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
38 When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
39 When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
40 And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
41 Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
43 A stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
44 Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’
45 He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’
46 And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Matthew 25 consists of three parables (posted below for reference). The parable of the ten virgins is in reference to entering the Kingdom of Heaven and tells us we cannot be foolish and unwise and then expect the Lord to "open the door" for you afterward.
The second parable is the one of the servants and the talents. God gives each of us what we need, and tasks us with using his gifts to us wisely. Those who do not are punished. This is one of the many chapters in the Bible that speak well of EARNING what you want, and using it responsibly. The Lord gives us responsibility, and those who act accordingly are granted greater responsibility and the rewards include a share in the Master’s joy for their work. It denounces the lazy and irresponsible. He does NOT call for the wise and fruitful to support the lazy and irresponsible - just the less fortunate; those UNABLE by fate to care for themselves.
The third parable is the "sheep and the goats". The sheep are the righteous, being granted the Kingdom of Heaven because they took care of the less fortunate (but NOT the lazy and irresponsible, as shown in the first two parables). They cared for the sick, the hungry, the thirsty etc.
We are tasked to act in His name to be good stewards of His gifts to us. As He said in another story, we should only sow our seeds the Word of God and God's gifts to us) on FERTILE ground, and to not waste it on barren, rocky or thorny ground . The Lord told what he meant by “good” soil - the person who readily listens to the His word (symbolized by the seed) and understands it (Mt. 13:23). Mark describes the good soil as those who “accept” the seed (4:20), while Luke characterizes the fruit-producing soil as those who have an “honest and good heart, having heard the word, hold it fast...” (8:15).
Senator Warren does not know nor understand the Bible, and like so many others, cherry-picks verses for her own personal benefit - which is very much in opposition of what the Lord calls us to do.
Matthew 25:1-13
1“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
3 The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them,
4 But the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.
5 Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.
8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
9 But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’
10 While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked.
11 Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’
12 But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’
13 Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
Matthew 25:14-30
14 “It will be as when a man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
15To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately
16 the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five.
17 Likewise, the one who received two made another two.
18 But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.
19 After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them.
20 The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’
21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’
22 [Then] the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’
23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’
24 Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter;
25 So out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’
26 His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter?
27 Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?
28Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.
29 For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
30 And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’
Matthew 25:31-46
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne,
32 and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,
36 naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’
37 Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
38 When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
39 When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
40 And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
41 Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
43 A stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
44 Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’
45 He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’
46 And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Monday, August 5, 2019
The REAL Reason the Left Wants "Gun Control"
You have heard all the rhetoric - from both sides - as to why we need more gun controls, or why we do not. What you have NOT heard is the real reason those on the left want more gun control.
To begin, understand that the left has always used the "Overton Window" strategy to get their way. You can think of it as getting to the (moving) goal post incrementally. They want the legalization of drugs, so they start with fighting for something so innocuous as "decriminalization", then moving to "medicinal use", and now to recreational use. With that in mind, make no mistake - "gun controls" are just the first step in their very real quest to do away with our right to own and bear arms. They want to take our guns. Period. And there is plenty of proof if you doubt this.
But the real question is: WHY?
Here's why - the radical left plans on being in control of Congress and the White House again someday. And when that day comes, they intend to put through their radical, socialist agenda. We know this because they tell us that is their goal. Most people are aware of that. But what many may not be aware of is that they play a "long game". They realize that pushing through their socialist agenda, to achieve more - and permanent - power for themselves, it would very likely start a civil war - a SHOOTING war - as millions of Americans will fight to the death to preserve the Constitution and our freedoms. They know that millions of citizens will take arms against ANY government that tries to take away their guns and push through socialism.
And the left knows that the only way they can retain their control, permanently, is to disarm the opponents. Without weapons, We, the People would not be able to stand against the full power of a government that is under the left's control.
They plan a coup. They want complete and permanent control. But they could never achieve it as long as millions of everyday citizens have guns.
Sure, you could say this is a "conspiracy theory". But if you research the things powerful people on the left have actually been saying and doing, it becomes all to clear that this is reality. For example, at a town hall meeting in Keene NH in October 2015, Hillary Clinton said that a mandatory gun buyback program is something “worth looking at,” referring to Australia’s firearms confiscation programs in 1996 and 2003, which collected roughly 700,000 banned semiautomatic rifles and other firearms. And SHE was almost elected president!
Conspiracy theory? Perhaps - but unlikely!
How To Create A Mass Murderer
Although gun ownership is way up, but shooting deaths are down in comparison, there is a lot of angst and the wringing of hands when some unstable person goes on a shooting spree. And in the midst of this, people seem to be at a loss as to what we can do to put a cork in it. And that is what perplexes me - people seem unable to grasp that it is a waste of time trying to to fix the problem by RE-acting instead of by acting.
Before we can figure out what to do, we must first figure out what we have already done that contributes to the instability of some people to the extent that they can commit such insane crimes. Why, after hundreds of years are young people now bouncing off walls - even the suicide rate is escalating?
The first thing we need to understand is that most shootings are not a product of mental illness, though it appears that way. It is actually a result of mental conditioning. More and more young people are being conditioned by our current culture to act with anti-social behaviors. After all, mental illness has always been with us, but has not resulted in so many mass murders in so short a time. No - but what is new is our rapidly changing - and deteriorating - culture.
If I were tasked with creating a culture where people feel so disassociated with others that it would result in a mass shooting, here is what I would do - ask yourself if this hits a chord.
The very first thing I would do is disable the persons' conscience. To do this, I would take God out of his or her life. It makes no difference whether or not there is a God - whether God created us or we created Him does not make a difference in how we do or do not have a moral conscience. In other words, if we do not fear God because we do not believe in a Heaven and Hell, we have much less reason to lead a life of morality.
Then I would take away the old-fashioned idea of taking personal responsibility for our actions; that life choices should be like those in video games, where there is a do-over for any choice - simply end the game and start over. No consequences for making poor choices.
Along that same line, the next thing I would do to insure a good crop of mass murderers would be to get rid of any semblance that there is any sanctity of life; that life, itself, is not all that important. To this end I would promote abortion, ensuring that children grow up with the realization that it is just hunky dory to end a human life as long as it is deemed to be inconvenient. If you make poor choices, it's just time for a do-over. No consequences. This takes the lack of personal responsibility to it's highest level - life and death.
To further the development of a mind that is capable of mass murder, I would invent addictive video games that teach developing minds not only how to kill everything in sight, but to feel excitement, and even joy at doing so - an adrenaline rush. And that is the addictive part of such games. And like any other adrenaline rush, it drives adrenaline junkies to move up to a bigger, better rush. Seeking the ultimate high.
And to make sure unstable minds have no reason to NOT commit murder, I would invent social media, where such individuals can live in a world where there is no need to actually meet face-to-face with other people, or make real, human, personal connections that would otherwise provide the individual with relationships that can ground them to reality. In a recent poll, 22% of millennials say they have NO FRIENDS! So, who in their life is anchoring them? Who is instilling personal connections with others, to provide them with a sense that other people have value?
Finally, I would fill the teaching staff at colleges and universities with professors intent on indoctrinating students with radical ideas, and put the mainstream media into the hands of those who would further promote radicalism, and brainwash people by not offering an unbiased view of their story lines.
Of course, it is even more complicated than this, but these are the things I would do that would insure that susceptible people would be prone to mass violence. And I am absolutely certain that these things do contribute heavily. And that is why we, as a people, need to reconsider the long-range results of changes in our culture and begin working on making changes to those changes.
And just how do we do that? In the home! Families - particularly parents - need to take an active role in reducing the impact of such things. Provide your children with a moral compass through religion. Teach them the importance of taking responsibility for their choices so they will be more likely to use greater care in making those choices. Then work to teach sanctity of life by ending abortions of convenience, and limit them to those that involve a life-threatening issue or incest. And limit your child's dependence on addictive video games, even if non-violent, and severely limit their use of social media. In fact, ban social media for any child under the age of 16 - give them a chance to make real, face-to-face relationships with others. And require your representatives to set up a program that monitors universities and forces them to teach our kids HOW to think, and not WHAT to think. And stop watching/listening/reading media that show a clear bias in their reporting.
Do these things in every family, and mass murders will become the rarity they should be. And if a child's family is unable to do so, for whatever reasons, we need after school programs that help to fill that void.
/
Before we can figure out what to do, we must first figure out what we have already done that contributes to the instability of some people to the extent that they can commit such insane crimes. Why, after hundreds of years are young people now bouncing off walls - even the suicide rate is escalating?
The first thing we need to understand is that most shootings are not a product of mental illness, though it appears that way. It is actually a result of mental conditioning. More and more young people are being conditioned by our current culture to act with anti-social behaviors. After all, mental illness has always been with us, but has not resulted in so many mass murders in so short a time. No - but what is new is our rapidly changing - and deteriorating - culture.
If I were tasked with creating a culture where people feel so disassociated with others that it would result in a mass shooting, here is what I would do - ask yourself if this hits a chord.
The very first thing I would do is disable the persons' conscience. To do this, I would take God out of his or her life. It makes no difference whether or not there is a God - whether God created us or we created Him does not make a difference in how we do or do not have a moral conscience. In other words, if we do not fear God because we do not believe in a Heaven and Hell, we have much less reason to lead a life of morality.
Then I would take away the old-fashioned idea of taking personal responsibility for our actions; that life choices should be like those in video games, where there is a do-over for any choice - simply end the game and start over. No consequences for making poor choices.
Along that same line, the next thing I would do to insure a good crop of mass murderers would be to get rid of any semblance that there is any sanctity of life; that life, itself, is not all that important. To this end I would promote abortion, ensuring that children grow up with the realization that it is just hunky dory to end a human life as long as it is deemed to be inconvenient. If you make poor choices, it's just time for a do-over. No consequences. This takes the lack of personal responsibility to it's highest level - life and death.
To further the development of a mind that is capable of mass murder, I would invent addictive video games that teach developing minds not only how to kill everything in sight, but to feel excitement, and even joy at doing so - an adrenaline rush. And that is the addictive part of such games. And like any other adrenaline rush, it drives adrenaline junkies to move up to a bigger, better rush. Seeking the ultimate high.
And to make sure unstable minds have no reason to NOT commit murder, I would invent social media, where such individuals can live in a world where there is no need to actually meet face-to-face with other people, or make real, human, personal connections that would otherwise provide the individual with relationships that can ground them to reality. In a recent poll, 22% of millennials say they have NO FRIENDS! So, who in their life is anchoring them? Who is instilling personal connections with others, to provide them with a sense that other people have value?
Finally, I would fill the teaching staff at colleges and universities with professors intent on indoctrinating students with radical ideas, and put the mainstream media into the hands of those who would further promote radicalism, and brainwash people by not offering an unbiased view of their story lines.
Of course, it is even more complicated than this, but these are the things I would do that would insure that susceptible people would be prone to mass violence. And I am absolutely certain that these things do contribute heavily. And that is why we, as a people, need to reconsider the long-range results of changes in our culture and begin working on making changes to those changes.
And just how do we do that? In the home! Families - particularly parents - need to take an active role in reducing the impact of such things. Provide your children with a moral compass through religion. Teach them the importance of taking responsibility for their choices so they will be more likely to use greater care in making those choices. Then work to teach sanctity of life by ending abortions of convenience, and limit them to those that involve a life-threatening issue or incest. And limit your child's dependence on addictive video games, even if non-violent, and severely limit their use of social media. In fact, ban social media for any child under the age of 16 - give them a chance to make real, face-to-face relationships with others. And require your representatives to set up a program that monitors universities and forces them to teach our kids HOW to think, and not WHAT to think. And stop watching/listening/reading media that show a clear bias in their reporting.
Do these things in every family, and mass murders will become the rarity they should be. And if a child's family is unable to do so, for whatever reasons, we need after school programs that help to fill that void.
/
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