Gabby

Have you ever fantasized about building an island paradise? Although many people dream about creating an island, few can dredge up the money or materials to realize those inspirations except in the most unusual circumstances. But, within the past century, developers have created habitable islands where individuals can live in communities or where they can visit for entertainment and relaxation. Investors now can own a piece of man-made island paradise, all shaped from dreams and blueprints or expanded upon with reclamation efforts.

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After the previous article on my chances to build dreams late in life, it occurred to me that my daughter doesn’t need to repeat my financial mistakes. She has dreams, although her parents and other adults may not be privy to many of those goals. Whether or not I approve her ambitions doesn’t matter. What matters is her ability to make those dreams become reality, because empowerment isn’t grounded in magic. What it takes to succeed financially is the recognition of those myths regarding women and money and the willingness and strength to dispel them.

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Do you want to grow up to be a programmer? You have a choice, then. You can go off to college or you can learn the basics now at home. Whether you can learn those programming skills for free or not is the question. So, we went on a search for the most common and the most popular programming languages to see what we could find. We learned that you can learn every computer language known to mankind online through open source projects, free online tutorials, free eBooks and wikis.

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The Association for the Advancement of Retired Persons (AARP) turns fifty this year, and I’m about four years older than this organization. I’m happier than ever with this group, as I learned from them today I might live to see age 85, since I made it to age 50. Can you imagine? I may live to see the year 2035, much to my daughter’s chagrin.

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What do Web 2.0 and real estate have in common? Well, at the moment, you might say that commonality includes the various mashups of Google maps, where little colored balloons may indicate homes for sale or rent. Or, those balloons could point to rotten neighbors or even to homes you can rent for a month in an exotic location. But, that’s just the tip of the real estate Web 2.0 revolution.

Ever since Dion Hinchcliffe tried to visualize Web 2.0 through mere words in 2005, the user experience has blossomed to include blogs, shared photos, video, social networking and more. A person who wants to purchase a home today can describe his or her desires in a few written words and have that home appear as if by magic through a widget that is tuned to keywords and locations. The buyer can view photos, floorplans, videos, three-dimensional tours, learn about the neighborhood, talk with residents who live in the area, and contact the seller directly. Almost every detail that goes into a home sale or purchase can be initialized and even finalized online by the buyer or seller.

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If you read my first articles at BUYandHOLD, you know I come from a fishing family. Some of you may cringe at this fact, but when we catch fish, we eat them. If they aren’t large enough, we throw them back. And, we catch our limits and no more. In other words, my family is a throwback to hunter/gatherers, but we abide by modern laws. Hence, I’m filled with analogies that originate from the fishing culture.

So, when I talk about “lures,” I mean those artificial objects attached to the end of fishing lines meant to attract and catch fish. If the fish likes the lure and if that fish is hungry, you might have a meal on your hands. This is why the $600 “stimulus” package seems like a lure to me. It may seem like something fishy to the Senate as well. As I write this article, the Senate remains undecided on how to word their bill in response to President Bush’s plan.

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You probably made New Year resolutions, because — if nothing else — you’re superstitious. But, those resolutions don’t happen telepathically. You’ve got to make an effort to meet those goals at least halfway to fulfill them at least fifty percent. But the Webmaster has special problems, as this job requires long hours and a ton of frustrations. Those hours are filled with stressful clients, server emergencies, and browser incompatibilities. What do Webmasters do to stay healthy, both physically and mentally?

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If you followed the previous two articles, you know that I recently attempted to diversify my portfolio with a real estate investment. I’m in the fortunate position to have a decent down payment, one that will reduce house payments to the size of my apartment rent, so it’s time to move on. However, it appears that I picked the wrong door at the game show. I’ve been told that my story is one “for the books,” because everything that could go wrong went wrong.

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The following list is filled with tools and resources that will help any real estate agent achieve their SEO goals. You can choose to learn from blogs, tutorials, or forums, and we’ve also pointed you to specific blog entries and forum threads that will get you started. You can study search engines to learn what they require from you, and you can choose among some professionals to help you refine your Web site or to take over completely. The choice is yours.

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In the previous article I wondered if anyone could trust advertising agencies, let alone a realtor, a broker, a moneylender, or anyone else involved with the real estate business. So, I decided to try out the real estate scene, since I had accrued some money for a down payment. Amazingly, I found a town home within the past seven days that seems to be a good investment. But, I’ve also discovered that buying a home isn’t a joyous or rational experience when an egoistic broker is involved.

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