Responsible Education Reform

Still, for the millions of students, billions of dollars, and countless hours of effort devoted, there is no shortage of criticism for our American educational system. Students are maligned for poor communication, math and decision making skills, the inability to creatively solve problems, and a host of other inadequacies. Teachers and administrators alike are criticized for failing to impart the knowledge, know-how, and wisdom students need to not only survive, but to flourish in modern society. Uniformly expectations for education are high and the demands are great, but unfortunately the results do not always measure up.

The culture and political system of the United States act increasingly to concentrate power, particularly in the hands of government. The unstated, but irresistibly attractive advantage to relying on government for any task is that we get to divorce ourselves from the bane of human existence: personal responsibility, and the work such responsibility demands.

Given to contrivance and convenience we convince ourselves education can be reduced to an equation of inputs and outputs – dollars committed to productivity achieved. Taxpayers need only contribute their apportioned tolls and they can then make performance demands. Every rational assessment of our system however, identifies a bankrupt enterprise. We search for superman and race to nowhere, but now it is time we focus on the only viable solution to our educational dilemma: personal responsibility.

In our immaturity, we loath the very notion of taking on responsibility. The reality is, however, every human life is a unique journey of self-discovery – our educational system should advance, not inhibit, the voyage. Each individual is responsible for the quality, intensity and depth of their experience. Until an individual accepts full responsibility for developing his or her talents, exploring this world and contributing to society, that individual will never be fully free or fully alive. We ignore this truth at our own peril.

We cling to the promise of “industrialized education” when instead we should transform the system to promote two ends: establish a base level of intellectual (communication, calculating, reasoning) and social skills; and help each individual uncover and develop his or her unique gifts and talents. Assuming personal responsibility must be at the forefront of any effort to revise the education equation.

While students and parents still bear the lion’s share of responsibility for outcomes, teachers can and do play a critical role in formal educational. To begin the transformation here is one idea, amongst literally hundreds, to raise the bar on responsibility for teachers: Make a part of every teacher’s compensation the future earnings of his or her students. Allocate a portion of every working individual’s taxes (a few percent) amongst his or her teachers from grades one through twelve as deferred compensation. Students and parents could refine apportionment through performance criteria established over the course of the student’s formal educational career – better teachers would warrant greater consideration.

This proposal would not require additional taxation; just a reallocation of taxes with priority given to teachers. In the long run, a teacher’s economic viability would depend on the working contributions of their students. A teacher would have a vested interest in the long-term physical and intellectual well-being of every student.

This idea is just one example of measures that could be implemented to instill a sense of personal responsibility for everyone involved in education. Education and learning, growth and socialization are intrinsically human (not industrial) endeavors. The tragedies and triumphs inherent in the American educational system are microcosms of society at large. To effectively reform our system we must make personal responsibility the focal point for sound education policy. We all have a stake in education, let’s begin responsible reform.

Copyright (c) 2011 Scott F Paradis

8 Top Tips When Buying an Investment Property

In most countries, purchasing an investment property continues to be one of the most popular ways to invest. The goal of this investment should be to provide you financial freedom and enhance wealth. The problem is many believe that once they get into the venture, it will be a guaranteed, easy success.

It is vital you learn how to effectively manage your investment as this will determine whether or not the investment can help you achieve your financial goals. Below are a few tips when buying an investment property:

1. Choosing the ideal property at the right price

Purchasing an investment property at the right price is highly critical. It is all about the capital growth when it comes to investing in a property so make sure to choose a property that has a high potential of increasing in value.

Always do research. Find out as much as you can about what is selling in a certain area. The more you learn, the more you become skilled in determining the property that is worth investing on. In other words, you will know a bargain when you see it.

If you want to acquire valuable data on various locations and properties, get information from lenders and insurers as they have data that can help you avoid selecting the wrong investment property.

2. Do Your Computations

You should consider property investment as a means of long term type of investment. As this is the case, you need to ensure that you have the budget to maintain your mortgage repayments over the long-term. It is not right to sell your investment property when you are not good and ready since if you are to encounter any financial problems then you might be forced to dispose of the property at the wrong time.

It is less expensive to keep an investment property and service the loan once you already own the property. This is because you can get rental payments as well as tax deductions on several of the expenses connected with property ownership. Things will become easier along the way especially that as rent tend to increase over time so will your income.

Learn the taxes involved in property investment and include this in your budget. Seek advice from your accountant and learn about stamp duty, capital gains tax and land tax. While interest rates can change over time, as the owner, you can always increase the rental fee to cope with the expenses.

3. Get a Reliable Property Manager

Usually, a property manager is a licensed real estate agent whose job is to make sure that things are in order for you and your renter. Your agent can provide you advice, assist you in managing your tenants and help you get the best value for your property.

Your agent should be able to teach you about property law as well as the rights and responsibilities of both you and your tenants. The agent can also handle maintenance problems. Except for other emergency repairs, the maintenance costs should get your approval first in advance. Your agent can also assist in finding the right tenants, do background checks as well as make sure tenants pay rent on time.

4. Understand the market and the dynamics where you are buying.

Search for other properties available in your current area and talk with as many real estate agents and locals as you can. Only get advice from professionals you can trust and make sure to do the leg work. You can use the information in this site to view demographics, average rents, property values, and suburb reports.

It will be to your advantage to know about the changes that are planned or are happening in your suburb. For example, knowing about the planned by-pass may quickly enhance the value of your property as this means traffic in the area may reduce.

5. Pick the right type of mortgage to suit you.

There are a lot of financing options for an investment property. Seek advice in this area to find the option that will be in favour to your financial status.

While the interest on an investment property loan is usually deductible, some borrowing costs are not easily deductible. Appropriately structuring your loan is vital and it is best that you seek help from a trustworthy financial advisor about this.

When choosing between a fixed rate loan and a variable rate loan, go with the loan that is in favour with your circumstance. Carefully consider both options before you decide. For example, as a variable rate loan can become cheaper overtime, choosing a fixed rate loan at the appropriate time can really be beneficial.

Rather than principal and interest, a majority of the investment loans should be created as ‘interest only’ as it can enhance the effectiveness of the tax of your investment especially for a home loan. An ‘interest only’ loan is better compared to principal and interest loan when it comes to investment property since it causes your negative gearing benefit to decrease as you pay down your loan.

6. Examine the age and condition of the property and facilities.

The condition of your property and facilities can highly affect the profit of your investment. It is vital, that before making a purchase, you hire a professional property inspector to perform comprehensive inspection of the property in order to detect potential issues earlier.

7. Make the property attractive to tenants

Choose neutral tones and make sure that your property’s kitchen and bathroom is in good condition. An attractive property can attract better quality tenants. When it comes to purchasing a property, do not only consider what you think is attractive to you. What is attractive to you may not be attractive to some. Remember, that the investment property will be the home of your tenant and not your own.

8. Take a long-term view and manage your risks

Think of property investment as a long term investment and understand that property prices do not rise right away. The longer you can commit to a property, the better. When you build up equity then you can decide to purchase your second investment property. Avoid being greedy and balance your goal of financial stability and in enjoying your current life.

A Simple Product Creation and Product Launching Formula

If you tried to think of people involved in product creation, who would come to mind? You may think of Edison, Franklin, or maybe Henry Ford. Would you ever think of yourself as someone who can create a quality product? Product creation is actually relatively easy and product launching is not that tough either! If you follow a few easy to understand steps, you could be starting the product creation and product launching process sooner than you think.

The first step in creating your information product is to know and understand your market. This can be very time-consuming, especially if you are unsure of what to do or where to look to know your market. Studying your niche market and understanding the buzz words and buying patterns can ease the process dramatically. Personally, I would recommend networking with someone who has had success in the niche market you are considering and learn from their results. If they are into product creation and not very business savvy expect some hesitation. If they only sell products and have nothing to do with product launching or product creation you may your first affiliate (sales person)! Something else you can use to find hot trends is with the Google Trends tool.

The second step is the product creation process. Take your niche market and brainstorm ideas and topics relating to it. There are a lot of product launching contests going on recently relating to a newly created internet marketing tool. There are so many aspects to the mentioned niche that literally, and unfortunately, anything can be considered an Internet Marketing tool. The reason that anyone can basically create an Internet Marketing tool is because of something called Private Label Rights products.

What I use private label rights products for, and highly recommend them in this specific manner, is to cure writer’s block especially when it is lingering. Many people base their entire product creation and product launching on a private label rights product. This is where you can start to shine and build a strong brand for yourself. If you set goals for yourself, short-term goals to be exact, you can see your product creation come into being much faster and there is a good chance with less revision needed. If you keep hitting time restraint road blocks; however there is nothing wrong with a slow and steady approach, you can consider outsourcing portions of your project. Outsourcing can be an extremely huge benefit or just as great of a disaster.

You can find someone to outsource work to at a freelance site such as Guru.com or eLance.com. When reviewing proposals it is almost mandatory you perform a background check on them as you are in essence hiring them. Doing a background check on freelancers is as easy as asking for samples of their work and reviewing feedback on the freelance site from previous customers. Depending on the size and requirements of your project this can add up to a decent sized investment, so caution is very important. One tip I always recommend to people looking to hire an individual is to ask them what they can provide you that no one else can. This simple question gives them a chance to “toot their own horn” and acknowledge where they feel most competent as far as their skill set.

The final portion of the product creation and product launching formula is the launch. This can literally make or break the effort, time, and maybe (if you invested) money you put in to your project. There are numerous aspects to product launching and although their relevance is debated in terms to their effect, experts agree all must be followed. The person in your field who you asked for product advice from can help you substantially if you have kept in touch. If not, the first thing you need to do is to create a visually appealing website with flawless design work.

I also mentioned outsourcing before, this is one aspect of product launching I have little strength in and I always outsource this portion. The website does not have to be large however the content (ad copy in Internet Marketing) must be stellar and as perfect as possible. This is where advertising knowledge or experience is beneficial. When the site is set up you now put a lead capture form on your website.

I put two lead capture pages on all products I create on the internet and is one of the best methods of getting a solid start when you are in the product launching stage. When you gain information from a prospect or someone looking to get paid for referring sales you are able to provide them updates or specials. Many people abuse their prospect or affiliate lists by in turn emailing them with a new product daily and I find the recommendations to be totally unrelated to their original need, problem, or interest.

Another stage in the product launching stage is creating a free report or demo version of your product to entice the product to sign up to your email list. Using proper follow up with this can help generate numerous sales for you. One thing you need to ensure is that your free product completely relates to your main product that you are looking to sell.

You are now ready to advertise your product launching to customers as well as the opportunity to sell for affiliates. This is the single aspect that many product creations and launches fail on. It is actually not entirely difficult. One thing you can do is write articles (and a good amount of them) on topics relating to your product. I am a huge advocate of giving a solution in forums. When you join a forum you are normally offered the opportunity to create a signature. In your signature, you should enter the link to your opt-in or lead capture page. When you respond to posts, you are advertising your opportunity.

It is not impossible to create a product and it does not have to take a long time. You need to setup a plan and stick to it. If you get stuck, look at similar and successful products to your own and try and see how they did it. When you sit down and brainstorm you will be surprised with what you can imagine.