A couple days ago I wrote about how to remove a judgment on your credit report.
 
But what if, after doing the strategy I laid out (or if you've already repeatedly disputed it to the point where the credit bureaus refuse to investigate it again), it still doesn't come off your credit reports?
 
Here's a little nugget of information:

By the time a creditor (in the case of my example, Capital One) puts a judgment on your credit report, 2 things have happened:
 
1)  They've put a lot of time, effort, money, and hassle into attempting to collect from you whereas they felt their final recourse was a judgment.
 
2)  They don't really expect to receive any money from you since it's reached this point of time and expense on their part; threatening legal action against you apparently has never gotten to you and to them you're considered a "lost cause."
 
Knowing this information gives you a powerful advantage when you do want to have the judgment removed off your credit.  This gives you what I call "bargaining power" since they completely wrote you off at this point anyway.
 
Now, a couple of things I should mention:
 
1)  A judgment typically remains on your credit report anywhere from 7 to 10 years.  If you're already "deep" into having the judgment on your credit report (i.e. it's been there for 6 years, say) then do nothing.  Just "wait it out" and let it fall off.  If it doesn't fall off at the 7-year mark, dispute it.  From my experience, the only thing that stays on a credit report for 10 years is a bankruptcy.
 
2)  If you're not deep on the judgment and it just happened, as in Ronnie's case, and you want to clean up your credit to raise your FICO to get your business credit rolling so you can start tapping into significant lines of credit then you're going to want to consider negotiating to get that judgment off.
 
Only you know if you fall into #1 or #2 above with the judgment(s) in question.
 
Now, before you consider picking up the phone to negotiate anything (since you don't want to send them a letter), you will need to know 2 things:
 
1)  How much is the judgment?

2)  How much can you pay to satisfy the judgment?  (This can be as little as 5% or 10% of the amount owed so don't think it has to be half or more.)

There's a little-known secret called "Pay to Delete."  This essentially means that you will call your creditor and make an arrangement to where they will accept a smaller "settlement" amount on your debt.  In return, they will delete the account off your credit report as if it never existed.

Most creditors will deny they can do this.  They will state that legally they cannot completely delete an account but that they can update your account as "paid."  Don't let them fool you.  They can, in fact, delete an account if you pay an agreed settlement amount.  Don't fall for an "updated" yet "paid" status because it will still show that you had a delinquent account even though it's paid.

You are aiming for a complete delete.  You need to be forceful and stern, letting your creditor know that since you already took the hit on your credit report with the delinquency or judgment, they can't do any more damage to your credit so they need to choose if they want a small settlement amount for a deletion...or not.  It's their choice.

If they choose to delete the account when you pay a small fraction of what is owed, this needs to be in writing on their letterhead before you will pay them a single cent.

Also, many times after you make the payment, they won't delete the account or live up to their agreement (or they will be very slow with updating your account).  However, that's okay.  Once you have their agreement in writing and your cashed check, simply send those documents over to the credit reporting bureau and the account will be immediately deleted.  Case closed.

What if your creditor won't agree to a "pay to delete" arrangement?

There is one last thing you can do to have a delinquency or judgment permanently removed.
 
And I'll tell you more about it in a couple of days!

See you at the top!

Your mentor,

Monica Main
www.MonicaMain.com 

.S.  On a personal note, today's my mom's birthday.  She'd be 61 today had she survived brain cancer.  Happy Birthday, Mom!  I miss you so much!
 

The other day Ronnie asked judgment he received on his credit report a couple of months ago. Even worse, this creditor (Capital One...one of the more vicious creditors out there) had taken money out of his bank account to collect on this new judgment.

This was a judgment and a credit account that I was completely unaware of.  (We live separate lives so there's a lot of things I don't know.)  Apparently he had been fighting with Capital One for years, unbeknownst to myself.  He asked about how he could start the process of negotiating with Capital One to have this judgment removed.

I told him, "Don't negotiate anything. Not yet anyway!"

The first thing I asked him was if he was ever given legal notice of the impending judgement. By law, all creditors must give you notice that there is an impending judgement 30 days before they file a judgement against you.  If they fail to do this, they are in violation of federal law, Rule 77; Notice of an Order or Judgment.

The second thing I asked was how much the judgment was and how much they took out of the bank account to use to satisfy the judgment.  It turned out that they had hit a personal savings account that he was in the process of closing that barely had any money in it and it didn't satisfy even 10% of the amount they claimed he owed on the judgment.

Here are the facts:

1)  He was never notified about the impending judgment as required by law.

2)  Being that they took some money to satisfy his debt, this would not immediately reflect on his credit report as a payment being made, therefore the information being reported on his credit report would be inaccurate and thus ripe for removal.

How should he deal with this situation?

Unfortunately, calling their legal department right away to resolve the issue is the last thing he should be doing at this point.

The first thing he needs to do is dispute this judgment on his credit reports with all 3 credit reporting bureaus.  This dispute will be based on their reporting inaccurate information due to the fact that the amount Capital One states he owes isn't the same as what he truly owes due to their taking money out of his account.

In about 4 weeks after sending off the dispute letters to the credit bureaus, the next course of action for Ronnie would be to send a certified letter to Capital One demanding proof of his receipt of the impending judgment 30 days before the judgment was entered, as per Rule 77.  Furthermore, he would ask for proof that this credit account actually belongs to him including a signed credit application as well as other supporting documentation including credit card slips with his signature, etc.

Why not wait until after the investigative results come back from the credit bureaus?

Judgments rarely ever just fall off because vicious companies like Capital One will be "on it" the second they get the investigation request from each credit reporting bureau.  If they have departments full of lawyers willing to not only waste court resources to file a judgment against you for a couple thousand dollars and take the time to painstakingly research where you do your banking just to end up with a paltry couple hundred dollars, they're certainly not going to suddenly drop the ball on the process by refusing to respond to an investigation request by any (and all) of the 3 credit reporting bureaus.

In fact, if you're in more of a hurry to get this crap off your credit report, you won't even wait the entire 4 weeks to send Capital One a letter.  You'll wait only 2 weeks because by this point, Capital One will have already been notified of your dispute and they're already in the process of responding to the credit bureaus (if they haven't already by this time).

To be clear, it's important that you send Capital One (or whatever lame creditor put the judgment on you) a letter via certified mail.  This means you are getting their wet signature on a little green card that will be mailed back to you once they sign off on receiving your letter.

So...what happens when Capital One sends you their bullsh** from their legal department giving you all of your requested documents and their "proof" of your account?

By this time you'll have received some type of response from the credit bureaus about how they've completed the investigation, blah, blah, blah...and that the crap will stay on your credit report for the time being.

By now hopefully the initial 30 days have passed because now you can file another dispute with the credit bureaus on this same account.
This time, when you send a letter to the credit bureaus, you'll be sending them a copy of the the certified signed card (and not the original) with a letter stating that the creditor refused to give you the information you requested in your letter to them.  (Make sure you send a copy of that letter that you sent to the creditor.)

Here's the deal:

Even if the creditor did send you any one thing you asked for in the letter, it's unlikely that they sent you everything you asked for.

To be clear, here's what you're asking for:

1)  Proof of your notification of impending judgment, as per the legal requirements of Rule 77.

2)  Proof that you had an account with them in the form of a signed credit application and signed credit slips/receipts.

3)  Proof of the exact amount they are claiming you owe including proof that they have given credit(s) of any amounts they've garnished or seized (if they have, in fact, done this); you also want proof that they've applied these payments to the amount they claim you owe.

Like I said, it's completely unlikely that they'll give you 100% of what you're asking for because it's impossible for them to drum up all this information in the very limited time frame they have.  So, when you communicate with the credit bureaus in reference to not receiving what you asked for, you're not going to indicate that you received anything from them at all in response to your request.  (You won't lie and say you received nothing but you won't indicate that they sent anything either; you'll indicate that "the creditor failed to provide the information as outlined" in the letter to them.)

Once this letter goes out to the credit bureaus (after the 30-day investigative period expires with the creditor; this will be 30 days from the date that they signed for your letter), you have to wait 30 days for the second investigation to occur and be completed.

Hopefully you will have a favorable response which will be that they will remove the judgment off your credit report.

In a couple of days, I'm going to tell you how to get this judgment off your credit report if you're unable to get a favorable removal after this second investigative period is completed.

By the way, now is the time to get all of your disputes out in the mail.  Dispute every delinquency on your credit reports with the credit bureaus.  The holidays are the best times to dispute because the bureaus are more lax in getting the investigations done on time, especially since creditors tend to drop the ball during this period due to having fewer employees on staff, more days off because of the holidays, etc.  And federal law states that the credit bureaus must do the investigation in 30 days regardless of holidays, weekends, etc.

See you at the top!

Your mentor,

Monica Main
www.MonicaMain.com 
 

I feel like I'm a different person...like some alien took over the normal Type A Monica Main's body and replaced her spirit with that of a Buddhist monk.  And this all happened last weekend! (Imagine that!)
 
My first strange revelation happened last week when I was playing a really lame iPad app/game called Cook Dash.  (Some of you may know of this lame game and how addicting it can be for "mindless" entertainment.  We all need that once in awhile.)  Since I've essentially mastered the game, I've been going into something called "challenge mode" where I've found myself so good at the game that I can't lose.
 
And that really sucks!
 
I've been playing the game for about 4 days in the past week, wasting a total of approximately 9 hours on this game and I can't lose because I've gotten soproficient at the game.
 
Now I'm dissatisfied with the game because the challenge and excitement iscompletely gone.
 
Then it dawned on me.  This is how life is.  It's a game.  And when you win all the time, the interest in the game is gone.  (Remember the Twilight Zone episode when the mobster died and thought he ended up in Heaven?  He started winning all the time, everything came to him easy, and he had to work toward getting nothing because it was all handed to him.  He then realized he was in hell because the challenge of the game was completely gone.  And he was miserable.)
 
The prospect of losing (or the threat of danger) makes anything challenging and exciting. Without it, everything in your life will begin to suck.  And bad.
 
It's like going to a movie.  You don't go to see a movie about a fat guy laying on the beach all day, getting even fatter with buttered lobster brought to him by a guy named Ramon on a silver platter, and puffing on a cigar while drinking Patron, do you?  Imagine watching that for 90 minutes.  (That movie would suck!)  Or do you go to a movie to see the hero get thrown into some dangerous situation that he is able to (barely) overcome?  (Now that's exciting!)  Or the underdog doormat guy who is able to become wealthy, popular, a winner, or whatever by overcoming his shortcomings?
 
When you get to a certain level in life where you've gotten so good at something and it becomes boring, second-nature, and "hum-drum," your soul will start to erode away (and eventually die) unless you begin pushing the envelope on yourself again.  And to push yourself could be as simple (and dangerous) as taking up tightrope walking to walking out on your boss and starting your own business.  Today.
 
Of course, it doesn't have to be career-oriented at all.  It doesn't have to be something about making money.  It doesn't have to be a dangerous activity.  It doeshave to push you to be a better and different person, even if it's just a little.
Even if it's taking that cooking class at your local college...the one you were afraid to enroll in because you don't want to meet new people.  Or submitting that manuscript to that publisher.  Or deciding to become a photographer.
 
Constantly be striving.  (Striving isn't struggling.  Striving is walking along your path through your personal journey to your destination.)
 
Arriving sucks, especially if you were waiting to see the Wizard of Oz, just to realize it's a meek dude behind a curtain.  (Because that's basically what "arriving" is...a suck-fest at the end.  Or some lame dude behind a curtain...or your ego hiding behind things to show the world you're worthy because you're an empty shell of a person inside.)
 
When you strive, don't do it for the moment of arrival, thinking that moment is a rolled out red carpet with trumpets blowing and people throwing handfuls of cash at you while yelling your name.  Because it's never all that.  Even if it is, you won't enjoy it.  While you're walking the red carpet, you'll just be too mentally preoccupied thinking about how you can get more cash, more cars, more diamonds, more, more, more...and you'll miss the moment anyway!
 

Onto my second revelation...

This morning when I was walking my daughter to school, I was acutely aware of all the rich snobs driving around in their overpriced cars, looking completely miserable and mentally preoccupied, nearly running over the little kids trying to cross the street because their upcoming meeting (or whatever) is so f****** important.  (I used to be one of those people so I know what they're all thinking.)

There's this older Asian man.  He's the crossing guard.  He's always very polite.  He wishes me a good morning each day.  He always compliments people on what they're wearing or tries to make "mini" conversations as people cross the street.  He genuinely tries to brighten people's days.
 
Yet to the rich snobs, he's completely insignificant in the chain of capitalism and greed.  To me, he's significant in just making people walk a little taller or give them a pep in their step because he took a moment to show that he cares by throwing out a compliment or a good morning here and there, especially in a world that is cold and uncaring to most.  He's also very significant in making sure the rich snobs don't roll over our kids with their S-class Mercedes' and Land Rovers.  (Trust me, they wouldif given the opportunity.)
 
Today I was in a drive-through getting an iced coffee.  There was this Hispanic man standing there cleaning the windows on the outside of the restaurant.  As I grabbed my coffee and was about to take off, he waved at me.  I waved back and smiled.  It warmed my heart.
 
Yet again, according to the rich snobs of society, this man would be completely insignificant in the pecking order of our capitalistic society yet he made me smile...and probably dozens of other people this morning.  Insignificant?  Not really.  Not when you're making the world a better place, even if it's offering a gentle wave or a hello.
 
Why am I telling you all of this?
 
I've come to the conclusion that the majority of the people who follow my work and who participate in my groups, seminars, courses, etc. are all doing it for an end result.  That end result, of course, is wealth and financial freedom, right?
 
I was you at one point.  I jumped into the business of being an investor and an entrepreneur for the sole purpose of getting rich.
 
And I got rich.  A few times over, actually.
 
With each time I hit my "peak" in my life, I found myself dissatisfied because I though something was supposed to "happen" when I got wealthy to a certain point.  Now, I know this sounds ridiculous but you're all thinking the same thing, too.  You don't know what's supposed to happen but you probably think life is going to be awesome and an endless whirl of cocktail parties while never worrying about money again.  You think it's going to be the beach party that never stops or...who knows?  We all have something in our little imagination about what it means to arrive financially.
 
But it never happens as you picture it.  Something else happens.

You become the old guy driving the S-class Mercedes, looking preoccupied, worried, pissed off, and harried while nearly running over a 3rd grader because you were looking at emails on your iPhone to see if that contract came in.

You become the ass**** who looks down at people working at a fast food establishment because you think you're better than him due to the fact that you just bought a new Porsche.

You become the neighbor who has to compete with other neighbors on home upgrades just to show that you're just as good (or better) than they are.  And you do this because you feel this is the only way you can show others you're worthy and significant.

You become the rich guy who has a drinking problem, has a whole medicine cabinet full of prescriptions to deal with a wide variety of ailments brought on by stress and anger, and none of your family can deal with you anymore so you're lucky to get a phone call a month from your kids who live way far away from you.  (This is when you realize it wasn't worth it.  Unfortunately, this is when it's too late.)

You become the person who is not happy with what you have because you have to make more money.  In fact, that's all your mind becomes.  You become preoccupied with money and success that nothing else becomes relevant.  Even worse, you look at most other people as if they are peons and losers, especially if they are homeless or work menial service jobs.

You become trapped in the body of this person who wasn't you when you were born.  You become trapped in the body and life of someone else.  Once you are trapped in the snare, your only escape (in most cases) is death (unless you make a realization).
 
When I first moved into my new neighborhood (of rich snobs), I felt disconnected from everyone.  (I still do, don't get me wrong.)  I found myself having problems identifying with my environment.
 
And then I realized why.
 
It was because I was one of them and didn't want to admit that I was.  (I was "better," after all.) I found myself realizing that I was just like those very saps that I found myself detesting.
 
How I was I any different?  How could I say I was spiritually better when I was doing the same f****** things?  Running to the office, preoccupied, harried, miserable, and thinking that closing one more deal would be the moment I'd find happiness.  (The happiness never came after that "one more deal" because there was always the next"one more deal" then I'd be happy.)  Yelling at "menial" customer service reps on the phone when I wasn't getting my way.  Constantly thinking about what I could do to increase my wealth and thinking about nothing else, including being with my daughter even when I was with her.  (Mentally I was always somewhere else and never in the "here and now.")
 
How could I say I more spiritually balanced than they were as I drove down the street with my $105,000 BMW in an effort to stay relevant with my shallow neighbors?  Or what about the Navigator with the chrome rims I have sitting in my garage that I never drive?  

What the f*** is that for?
 
Something really snapped inside of me last week.  I went from being "one of them" to being an observer of everything around me including observing myself.  Instead of being upset, I found myself laughing hysterically at the ridiculousness of it all.  (Okay, I wasn't really laughing hysterically.  That would be weird, especially if I was by myself.)

And then we get to the revelation about fear...

Fear is what holds all of us back.  We fear not making it, not winning, not making the grade, not getting in, and not becoming successful.  

And with this fear, sometimes we end up doing jack nothing.  (Why bother if there's a chance we can't be successful doing it, right?)

But that "fear" is the part of the game equation that makes the journey a challenge...thus fun!  (Remember the mobster who died and went to hell?)

I can't believe it but, for myself, I came to a realization that I wish would have come 20 years ago.  (Unfortunately it takes experiences, life, time, and aging to figure things out.)

What's the realization?

Without the notion of "what if I don't make it" in the equation of pursuing anything, you have nothing meaningful of the actual attainment when (and if) you do make it.

Huh??

For example, imagine being a kid in high school and you're trying out for the football team.  Of course there will be fear.  "What if I don't make the cut?  What if I'm not good enough?"  But when you do make it in, the attainment is meaningful and fulfilling because there was always that possibility that you wouldn't have made it.  Therefore, your attainment is satisfying and fulfilling to your soul.  It has meaning.

When you settle in a life that lacks challenge because it's the "safe" road to take, you may as well lay down and die now because your life has lost meaning and purpose.  If you stopped doing things because of the fear of "not making it" or "not being successful" then you've stopped living.

And finally...

If the only reason you're taking courses, seminars, and mentorships is for the end result (financial security) without finding enjoyment and fulfillment in the process of doing the business then you'll be a failure no matter what, even if you do find financial success one day.  You'll arrive at your financial destination just to sign up for a prescription of Prozac once you realize that the financial attainment did nothing foryou and who you are.  And it certainly didn't make you happy at the "end" if it didn't make you happy and fulfilled during the journey of it.

Success is not stocking up on loads of money.  Success is not driving a $100,000 car to show other people you're a worthy cool dude who's better than they are.  (People don't look at you like you're worthy, by the way.  They look at you like you're an ass**** or they're just plain jealous; neither type of reaction that you're going for, I assure you.)

Success is living a life that makes you truly happy, inside and out!

So, what do you do?

Find things you can do that you have an interest in.  Find things you want to do to challenge yourself with that would be fun for you.  

Don't do anything just for the money otherwise I'd suggest taking to a life of prostitution or drug dealing if it's just for the money.  Do things in business and your career that you like.  It shouldn't be "work" but rather something that's fun and challenging.

And, by golly, it may actually not have anything to do with real estate investing or anything else that I teach.  Or maybe it does.  This is the time where you need to figure that out.

You have to enjoy the game and the process.  When you do, the fear falls away.  Things will just come to you (i.e. success, wealth, happiness, etc.).  You'll be a person with your own identity rather than having to keep up with society's shallow status symbols.  You'll be balanced.

And this can all happen as fast as right now to whenever you decide you want to make that mental shift (which can be 50 years from now).  Because eventually you'llhave to make that mental shift otherwise your future will be a meaningless miserable shuffle in struggle, attainment, and constantly wanting more.

I have a recommendation for you.  There's a movie (documentary) out there called Finding Joe.  If you really are ready for a change, I recommend you seek out the movie and get it.  I think Amazon is out of stock right now but you may be able to order it for delivery when they get it back in stock.  It's an amazing, life-changing video.  It's not for everyone but it's for those of you who know what I'm talking about and you're ready for a major mind-altering shift because you know what you've been doing up to this point in your life hasn't been working.  I get no profits or proceeds from this movie.  It's just a recommendation I'm making to you because I've recommended it to so many people and those who have watched it have changed their lives because of it.

Happy Holidays!

See you at the top!

Your mentor,

Monica Main
www.MonicaMain.com 
 

Years ago on Thanksgiving I saw my Aunt Rosemarie (my dad's sister) who I hadn't seen for a long time before that day.  She's a nice lady, I guess.  A little rough around the edges but most notably...dumber than a box of rocks.

Or at least that's what I started to think about her mental capacity (or lack thereof) after the heated argument I had with her during that Thanksgiving episode.

So, the argument?

Let's see, the short version of the debate/argument sort of went like this:

Aunt Rosemarie:  "So, Monica, do you cook?"

Me:  "No, I don't have time.  I work 60 hours a week and make roughly $2 million a year so I never quite got around or understood the use of learning how to cook."

Aunt Rosemarie:  "Really?  You don't know how to cook?  Anything?"

Me:  "Well, unless you count scrambled eggs, spaghetti noodles, or a bag of popcorn...basically no.  I don't cook.  Anything."

Aunt Rosemarie:  "Don't you think you should know how to cook?"

Me:  "Uh, no.  Not really."

Aunt Rosemarie:  "But why?"

Me:  "Because I run two companies.  I don't have the time or the interest."

And on and on and on this boring, heated, angry, and unpleasant conversation went.

Maybe I should have poked the hot stoker stick right back into her face.  Like..."Hey, Aunt Rosemarie.  Why don't you divorce that lying piece of sh** husband of yours who is cheating on you and hits you?  You know, the one that gave you an STD recently?  Oh, wait.  

That's right.  Because you can't financially take care of yourself, you're stuck living with the pig until you die.  But...as long as you can cook and all, everything must be A-OK in your simple-minded world.  Hope you like your daily face-punchings from your loser husband.  

You can probably take them better than most people being that you're head is made of rock and all.  Maybe you can cook your way out of your situation."

Sorry to be mean but...no, sorry I'm not mean.

It's odd how someone can try to diminish what someone can't do regardless of whether it's actually important.

It further disgusts me that people don't realize what's really relevant.  Like with my aunt, for instance.  Why would cooking be relevant when she's in a situation that, well...completely sucks?

Maybe it's all she's got.  You know, her only "claim to fame."  And what better way to showcase something you're good at than to diminish somebody else in the process?  Right?

One of the things I instill in my daughter's ripe and growing mind is this, "Learn to take care of yourself.  Become independent of others...especially of needing a significant other to carry you through life."

This applies to both men and women alike.  (Believe it or not, some men are in abusive domestic situations as well!)
Where am I going with all this?

Well, it's Thanksgiving tomorrow and it made me think of a huge reason as to why it's awesome that I get to sit at home with 3 cats and drink an entire bottle of wine while watching movies...instead of the alternative which is doing a bunch of work and spending time with people that suck.

It's also a reason to always be ready, willing, and able to take direct financial control of your life however you can (legally, of course) so you're not at the whim of another person or the economy or being broke and having no choices.  Because that really sucks.  Been there done that, for only a short time before I quickly kicked that life choice to the curb.

And best of all, a direct ticket to creating your own income streams so you don't have to end up like my aunt...only knowing how to cook and...knowing how to argue with those who don't.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

See you at the top!

Your mentor,

Monica Main
www.MonicaMain.com 
 

Here we are on Thanksgiving week.

Again.

And I'm miserable, as usual.

My mom's favorite holiday was Thanksgiving.  And she's been gone for 8 years now.
So...for the last 8 cruel, grueling years I've suffered in agony with each passing Thanksgiving because she's not here.

Here we are on Monday of Thanksgiving week.  Most people pillaged the grocery store shelves this past weekend for food, stuffing, ingredients, turkeys, and a variety of other things for their Thanksgiving table on Thursday.

But I won't be enjoying the same holiday you will be.  Instead I'll be sitting at home, by myself.  My daughter will be with her dad's family.  I don't see my own dad or brother except on very rare occasions.  Thanksgiving isn't one of them.

One thing I will tell you is that the more wealthy you become means you'll be separated from your loved ones because of it.  I've been lucky in that I'm the Goose that Lays the Golden Egg.  (I wouldn't ever trade that position out to be the "other guy" in the equation.)  

So...when you hold that title, everyone else will stand there with their hand out or, even worse, try to steal your Golden Eggs.  Yes, that includes family, too.  (Especially family!)

And this tends to put major stress and strain on relationships you may currently have in place with your friends and family.
I will never regret being able to take care of myself financially.  (And pretty damn good at that!)  What I do wish I would have rearranged a little differently is my display of wealth.  Maybe I should have downplayed my wealth a little more and became the "Millionaire Next Door" rather than buying the $100,000 cars or the million-dollar house.

Oh well.  What do they always say?  Money will bring the best and the worst out in people.

Wait...that's not a saying of any kind, is it?

And who the hell is "they" all the time anyway?  They don't know jack sh** most of the time.

It can be painful dealing with this disparity between your ability to make money vs. your entire friend/family base trying to get at it.  

Unfortunately, the poorer your family/friend base is, the more "separated" you will become when you achieve wealth.

So...if you come from a middle class, upper-middle class or (even better) a wealthy upbringing with a financially solid friend/family base then you're in the best possible situation to be in because these people (1) won't have their hand out when you hit it big, (2) won't try to steal from you, and (3) won't be pissed off when you're bank account is exploding at the seams.

Believe it or not, this is why "success" is actually a fear people have.  They're afraid their friends and family will either beg for money or steal it.

And trust me...they do both!  (With much more frequency than you'd ever imagine.)

So...what do you do?  Decide to stay in your current station in life?

Or...

Do you make money and remain the Millionaire Next Door to where no one really knows what you have and don't have.  (This is a good route to take.)

Or...

Say "F*** it!"?  And make whatever you want to make, roll around town in your Bentley, and just deal with the people who have claimed to be your friends and family all these years?!  (This is the route I took.  It comes with both pros and cons.)

Believe it or not, this is all stuff you have to figure out before you start banking huge sums of money with your real estate empire.  It may seem insignificant now until you start rolling in some serious dough...then you'll see your posse's attitude change.  And fast!
Even worse...you're going to have to figure all this out within a very short period of time.  Try in 36 months...or less!

See you at the top!

Your mentor,

Monica Main
www.MonicaMain.com 
 
 

I found myself taken a little off guard when talking with a few students recently who had no clue as to what my Cash Flow Evaluator (CFE) Excel spreadsheet was.

And I was stunned.

How is it that these "students" of mine have been taking online mentorship groups, showing up to seminars, and have supposedly been reading through my courses on real estate investing yet none of them knew what the CFE was...which is the crux of how I teach students to analyze a property's cash flow?

Two (2) important things about the CFE:

1)  I have the best analysis tool out there for analyzing cash flow properties.

2)  Anyone who even remotely considers investing in a passive income cash flow property needs to use this tool before putting in an offer.

Since I'm in the position now where I just want to share my latest and last real estate investing secrets with all of my students and students-to-be, I'm going to give you the link to download the 2013 CFE.  I also have a link on the download page to view the video tutorial which will show you how to use the Excel spreadsheet.

Here is the link to get the 2013 CFE:  http://www.monicamain.com/cfe

Remember, you need to have Microsoft Excel loaded onto your computer in order to use this software.  Also, you must first save the file into your Documents before you'll be able to use the spreadsheet.

Once you download it, go to www.monicamain.com/cfe_tutorial_2013 to watch a quick video on how to find the cash flow of any passive income real estate deal you're considering.

You should never even consider doing a real estate deal without first doing an analysis of the cash flow.  I've done thousands of hours in consulting with relatively smart people like doctors, dentists, lawyers, and even engineers who were told by a commercial real estate agent that the deal they were looking at was a "hot deal" and that they should "jump on it ASAP."

And they jumped on the deal.

And now they're losing the property because the deal was in a negative cash flow before they bought it but didn't know because they never analyzed the numbers on the property!

Of course, you won't end up in that position.  Ever!  Because you have the most powerful tool out there to help you with the cash flow analyses of any potential property deal you're looking at.

See you at the top!

Your mentor,

Monica Main
www.MonicaMain.com 
 

I started thinking about something the other day that I believe holds great significance.
 
I imagine all the people in the world being part of this gigantic tapestry being made to hopefully (one day) be completed.  (Maybe then the secrets to the universe will be revealed in the picture that's been woven.)
 
Each person is a thread in this tapestry.  Without one another (good or bad), we can't exist.  After all, without the dark we never know the light.  (Right?)
 
Except, of course, the tapestry would turn out much better if we all did the right things but, most importantly, we help other people.
 
I think the most important threads in the tapestry are those who can enrich other people's lives daily.
 
This is what I try to do with my students.
 
As I've neared my "I Quit!" date (next month on the 31st), I realize that I have too much work left to do.  And when did this whole thing become about me?
 
I think I got to the point where I wasn't seeing the purpose of all this.  I was in the "me-me-I-I" mode of thinking...becoming a whining little nag about students that wasted my time or drained my energy.
 
And always forgetting the students who have empowered me over the years with their success stories and their "ah-ha" moments I helped get them to.  Or their pleas of "don't leave us now, Monica."
 
Because, after all, somehow I made it about me and not about you.
 
And it's always been about you.  Or at least it should have been.
 
I think both teachers and students help each other learn.  They always say, if you want to learn a topic super fast, teach it.  Nothing is more true a statement than that.
 
I have found that my students have taught me a lot, made me strong/brave to do things I perhaps feared, and have given me a purpose all of these years.
 
As I'm nearing my "end date," I'm thinking..."Now what?!  I thought I had it all figured out but it seems that I don't."
 
I do realize that I'm going into a different direction now.  I think my students know too.  I'm getting more away from the real estate training and more into the Aggressive Income stuff.
 
Starting next year, I'm going to be expanding on the Aggressive Income side as well as adding onto my Wealth Attraction stuff since that's done so phenomenally well for my students.
 
I don't want to be done teaching.  I've realized that teaching/mentoring is part of my "thread" in the greater tapestry of life and that without that element, my life would essentially bring no meaning to both myself or anyone else.
 
What is your thread?
 
Sometimes it's not all about making money.  You have to be a thread somewhere otherwise you become insignificant and basically a waste to the valuable resources on this planet.
 
For example, if you make a lot of money with a business or real estate, are you contributing to any worthy charities?  Even better, are you planning on creating your own non-profit organization?  (This is something that's been heavy on my mind lately -- creating a non-profit to directly benefit people.)
 
It's been said before that there's only one difference between heaven and hell; this difference is in whether people help one another...or not.  And you can probably guess where you're at if everyone is selfish, only out for themselves.  In the other place, everyone is a servant to one another, giving selflessly to benefit other people.
 
I've come to realize lately just how incredibly lucky I am.  And I make it a point to feel that gratitude into the pit of my stomach each day.  Yes, I have "problems."  Who doesn't?!  But the more I focus on how awesome things are, awesome things continue being part of my life.
 
If you want to start changing things around for yourself, I suggest you start being grateful for all you do have.  No, this shouldn't be some once-a-year deal around Thanksgiving where you sit at a table, reciting a short list of everything you're grateful for.  It can be something you do each day when you're driving on the freeway to work or driving home...or when you're at the store because you can buy things or when you're at home because you have running water.
 
I know...this all sounds trivial and you're thinking, "But Monica, you don't have any idea about my problems, do you?"
 
No, I don't.  And I don't care.  Do you want to know why?  Because I've had battles in this lifetime that I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy.  That's why.  And I've gotten through them.
 
So unless you're on trial right now for a murder you didn't commit, you can't possibly top me in the problems you have that I haven't battled personally in this lifetime.
 
I get so tired of everyone being so "touchy" and "offended" and "appalled" by things these days.
 
Right before Halloween Walmart pulled a child's costume called "Naughty Kitty" because someone was offended by the name of the costume.
 
Puulllleeezzzzeeee!
 
I wish people would start finding a purpose on how they can benefit others rather than bitching about every freaking thing.
 
[In a whining voice:]
 
"Oh, that lady offended me because she said an ethnic explicit comment...to someone else other than me!"
 
"Oh, that company made a shirt with an offensive picture so they need to stop selling it otherwise I'll continue being 'offended.'"
 
"Oh, that manufacturer named a Halloween costume something I find to be 'dirty' so therefore they need to stop selling it to make me 'happy.'"
 
"Oh, that politician was texting a woman pictures of his gentiles so therefore he and therefore he should be fired...and then I'll be 'happy'"
 
"Oh, that guy over there looked at me and therefore he should be arrested because...well, he looked at me and he wasn't smiling...so I'm 'offended.'"
 
Is it just me or is it getting ridiculous.
 
To all these people who are so easily offended, I have this to tell you.
 
Think about people (who were perhaps even your own family members) who had to sit in a concentration camp for years!  Then, imagine that had to be you.
 
And think about how many of the stupid things that would offend you right now that would really bother you if you survived something so extraordinary!
 
Absolutely nothing would bother you.  That's what!
 
My point in all this?
 
If you're not contributing, you're not a good thread in society.
 
If you're one of those whiney people and complaining is your "thread," find another thread because you're destroying the tapestry.
 
Write a book.  Teach a class.  Donate your money or time to a charitable cause.  Go help cook Thanksgiving dinner for homeless people.  (If you ever do that, I guarantee you that all the things you thought were "offensive" will immediately disappear as you see the belly of what skid row looks like...and how fortunate you really are.)
 
My thread is to help people find financial freedom.  And I've always enjoyed helping people find success in their own lives.
 
I should also mention that 2014 is my year for Aggressive Income.  This means that Passive Income won't be something I'll be covering a lot of during 2014.
 
See you at the top!
 
Your mentor,
 
Monica Main
www.MonicaMain.com