Posts by Mark Morgan Ford
What If You Were On The Bottom Looking Up?
I was fortunate in being born into a family that believed in education. But we were not rich … far from it. We were 10 people living in a small, $12,000 house. Throughout my childhood and adolescence, I wore hand-me-down clothes … drank powdered (instead of real) milk … and played in the municipal…
Read MoreA Six-Week Program to Feel Younger, Look Better, and Have More Energy
Want to lose a few years? Get rid of that paunch? Muscle out, limber up, and feel better? You can make a great start in six weeks by following Dr. Al Sears’ Anti-Aging Plan. Week One: Start taking anti-aging vitamins, particularly those that lower homocysteine levels: B12 (500 mcg), folic acid (800 mcg), B6 (25…
Read MoreBecome A Millionaire By Investing Only A Dollar A Day
In “The One Minute Millionaire,” authors Hansen and Allen say there are two routes for climbing “Millionaire Mountain”: the long route and the short route. The long route is the safest and easiest. You can become a millionaire by simply investing a dollar a day (roughly $30 a month) over a period of time. Here…
Read MoreWhen You Bang Heads With Your Boss
Your boss may be wrong. And he may be a bully. But he has the power. And pitting yourself against him in a head-to-head confrontation is a bad idea. It’s like some famous bullfighter said in response to being asked how he trains for strength: “The bull weighs half a ton. I am not going…
Read MoreHow To Run Great Meetings
There is no question in my mind that the executive who involves his managers in the decision-making process by running meetings that are open, candid, and informal will achieve more and suffer fewer setbacks than the employer who is all output and no input. That said, it must be acknowledged that quite often in business…
Read MoreChange Bad Habits Into Good Ones
“Guilt is anger directed at ourselves — at what we did or did not do.” – Peter McWilliams Use guilt — with a stop-loss point — to turn bad habits into good ones. Let’s say, for example, that you want to get to bed earlier. Right now, you are in the habit of hitting the…
Read MoreFollow-Up On “The Benefits of Being Global”
In Message #787 guest editor Lief Simon explained some of the benefits of buying real estate overseas. After reading that essay, Dr. John Wholihan wrote in to ask if there is any advantage to owning international properties as a corporation rather than as an individual. “For example,” he says, “if my family owns the corporation…
Read MoreThe Four Most Important Rules of Direct-Mail Copywriting
Recently, I got into a discussion about the most important elements in writing strong direct-mail promotions. This is what I said: 1. You must figure out what the prospect is most concerned about and make sure most of the copy addresses that concern and not others. 2. You must stress the Unique Selling Proposition (USP)…
Read MoreThe Fastest Way To Become A Millionaire
In “The One Minute Millionaire,” the authors tell us that you can get your first million faster (and surer) by following this simple three-step approach: Step 1. Create a “millionaire mindset,” they say, by developing self-confidence and allowing your burning desire for wealth to grow. I’ve talked a lot about mind and attitude and…
Read MoreThe Social Security Fiasco
In the middle of January, the General Accounting Office (the auditing arm of the U.S. government) said that by 2017 Social Security will start running annual deficits. This is no surprise to ETR readers. I warned you two years ago, and last year too, that the supposed Social Security “surplus” was a fiction of numbers…
Read MoreHow Not To Start A Business — Even If You Are A Woman
Here are the “tools” More magazine provided to help its readers get started as entrepreneurs: * Consult with an attorney to make sure you set up the right legal structure. * Check with your municipal authority to make sure “they permit a venture like yours to work out of the home.” * Buy business insurance…
Read MoreAnother Way To Get Your Name In Print — And Get Paid For It Too
In a recent Saturday edition of ETR (12-28-02), we gave you guidelines to help increase your chances of having your letters to the editor of your local newspaper published. After reading that article, Glen Strathy, a freelance writer, wrote in to suggest that you might want to write Op-Ed pieces instead. Here’s what he had…
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