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Good Tuesday morning!
Here's your weekly,
incredibly street-smart
Dose of Dover
Still
the single-most reliable source for un-common
sense advice,
insights and
cover-your-derriere strategies you simply
won't be able to find
anywhere else.
Take
your best shot...try to put me out of a job!
How?
Make everyone a little lot
smarter:
Forward
today's newsletter to everyone
in your Address
Book! [C'mon...be
a big shot!]
Spread
the wealth and share the word: Lots of eye-opening
Tuesday, August 12, 2003:
As I tour the country to whor,
I mean promote my new book Back
Off!, I've been able to watch
all sorts of TV in all types of markets: I've
had a the chance to watch more than my share of infomercials, which
means you now have the chance...or should I say
"opportunity"...to save yourself serious cash and
aggravation in the months/years ahead. Here are just a few of the
latest pay-for-play TV shows that got my attention.
No money down real estate
deals: You too can make thousands of dollars a week with none of your
own cash at stake!!! No
money down real estate systems sell dreams and "100% money back
guarantees" and set wannabe
entrepreneurs up for disappointment.
If it was that easy, everyone would do it. Ben's bottom line: The
clowns that lead the sales pack make their money selling you a
buncha crap that you'll never convert to cash. Dover's Rule?
#1
If they sell their programs through spam (Robert
G. Allen ends up in my Deleted Box most often these days) blacklist
'em and refuse to do business with these bottom-feeders. Why?
Because spam is a tremendous (and early) indicator
of ethics: Anyone that uses spam as a
marketing vehicle is indicating they don't mind breaking the law...so why
do you think they'll deliver on any promises?
Here's a new spin on the "no
money down" mentality: It's called "Motor Millions" by a
guy named Dean Graziosi. I
thought I was gonna go into glucose-shock by the time he was finished
with his half-hour infomercial hype: Make thousands by flipping car
titles! Billions of dollars worth of cars are sold every minute...so why
can't you get your piece of the action? He'll show you how for only
$59.95 + S&H..but if it sounds too good to be true, then it's
definitely worth a closer look. Read
the comments of one disillusioned buyer of the dream...
Be A Loser!
I've gotta admit, I do like the hook of this book
title by weight loss poster child Greer
Childers. She's a hot 56 year old
blonde hawking her "Body Flex" exercise program on
before-dawn infomercial TV. The "aerobic breathing and resistance
training" concept is anchored by her "patented ideas,"
which borders on the absurd. Her kit includes a "gym
bar" and special carry bag, some videos and a 99 cent tape
measure [because the tape measure doesn't lie]...all for just 2 payments
of $19.95 each + shipping and handling fees approaching another
$13. Use her overpriced tape measure and pad her bank account!
(I'll betcha Susan
Powter's head will explode when she sees this infomercial.)
Matthew Lesko...the
whacky source for !!!!!!FREE!!!!!! money from the U.S. Government:
I've known Matthew for several years, having doen a
couple of TV shows and radio shows with him since 1996, and he's actually
a pretty quiet guy off camera. Matthew
figured out some time back that he could cut-and-paste everything our
government has printed and re-print this stuff in books the size of
boat anchors. What Lesko does is
pull together information on grants and loans that anyone can have "just
for asking!" Sounds good...but the realities are simple:
Most people are lazy...especially those who want "something for
nothing." They won't pursue the government loans with any
more fervor that they will take Matthew up on his "100% money back
guarantee." In other words: Most consumers will order the book
but never return it. For Matthew, like most infomercial-driven
hawkers, direct marketing is a
numbers game...and they play to win.
Before you bite on any
infomercial product sold on TV:
1.
Beware of staged "I got amazing
results" testimonials...or the come-ons such as "If
anyone has any experience with this product, please let me know"
message boards: The anonymity of the Internet
sets-up dupes for insider success stories that are anything but credible.
2.
Wanna do some research about the company, person or
product? Try a little Dover
Counter-Intuitive Investigating Logic: Search
engines are an amazing resource...but also one subject to
cyber-manipulation. Search on a company or person in the world of
"no money down" business opportunities and you'll find the
results stacked with sites obviously created by the very
entrepreneurs you're trying to check out. Instead of clicking on the
first or second pages of "results," use Ben's strategy and click
on pages 10-20. The deeper you look,
the better the chance for finding comments from former employees, clients
or "students" of the self-proclaimed gurus.
Nowhere is it
written that you have to give them accurate information:
They'd like you to, but they'll never really know. So use a disposable
e-mail address (like Hotmail
or Yahoo) and get
creative when you register. But just remember: They/we are
giving you a tremendous service for a great
price...free! So
no complaining...
Flying anytime soon? Your
camera, "walkman" or laptop computer are gonna get the
hairy eyeball from airport security screeners: Expect
another reason for extra scrutiny the next time you fly the friendly
safer skies...here's
why.
Mortgage rates are on the
rise...isn't that a revelation? They
rose [albeit briefly] above 6.5% last week and while they're still
incredibly low, the obvious message is clear--they're not gonna remain at
these record-low levels for ever. Read
more about it.....
Since interest rates
are moving, it's not too late to buy a home. Interest
rates are still
lower than they were a year ago, what
are you waitin' for? Cash
in and lock in the lowest
rate in decades by re-financing your current mortgage and cut 10
to 15 years off your term! It's
easy to get educated about the process first...and the price is
right! (Free!)
Everything you need to know can be found on-line; get your own copy of Bens'
2003 Home Buyer's Guide by clicking here.
Now that you're
motivated to buy a house, or trade-up from your current home...how
would you like to get some cash back on your next home
purchase (or sale)?
(I'll
show you how.) Click here.....
Okay, so you're
about to move; it's time to go down your "things to
do" checklist: Moved your phone service and
utilities? [Check!] Put
in your change of address on your mail? [Check!!]
Have all of your belongings held hostage by some rogue movers? [Check...not!!!]
Do your homework (first) and
choose the right moving company! Ben's
Moving Tips will save you time, money and lots-o-heartache.....
Attention! Doctors who
need to heal thy [rude] self: Beginning
in June '04, the National Board of Medical Examiners are going to make
medical students take standardized tests to gauge their bedside manners...
as well as their medical skills. Double
up on your Xanax and read more about it...
Time to get off
your butt and start making travel plans for the lonnnnnnnng Labor
Day weekend (now only 17 days away): Stretch
your travel budget and get your Thanksgiving or Christmas-time
travel planning handled now while you're at it. Check
out Ben's no-brainer choice for hotel room or condo
deals: www.hotels.com.
Still looking for a cool birthday (or
other special occasion) gift that'll keep on giving, all year
long? Then give 'em
a subscription to the Dose
of Dover...the
most reliable source of insights and no s*** ideas available on the
planet. (You can afford it...it's free!) Time to share
the wealth! Sign-up
for a subscription to the weekly Dose of Dover Newsletter right
here!
Are you sweatin' the
thought of signing up for a health club membership? Watch for the
newest trend: Pay as you burn your calories and not just your cash.
The latest-and-greatest innovation for health clubs
can be found in your wallet: Get ready for ATMs in health clubs, selling
prepaid cards to be used on assorted work-out machines. Put
the Snickers bar down, wipe off your fingers and read all about it.....
Speaking of
brain-damage, check out the new section for Californians that'll help
you get a handle on your rights if you do decide to pull the
ripcord (that's slang for filing for bankruptcy) on your
creditors: It's a
Q&A
with one of the top bankruptcy attorneys in the state,
and a chance to debunk the half-truths being
spewed by those bottom-feeding tele-terrorists.
If you've done
business with Microsoft, IBM, Sears, AT&T,
General Electric, Bank of America...deal with 14
out of the nation's top 15 credit-card companies...7
out of the top 10 auto manufacturers or 5 of the top 6
retail banks...I've got bad news for you. Your personal
information might "be in play"...another term for
compromised. Stolen!!! This
isn't good news, but you need to know it and follow up on it...now!
Speaking
of credit problems...know anyone that's got some of their
own? It's time to learn more about the inner-workings of
that black hole known as the credit reporting bureaus:
You can get a digital copy of Ben's 1993 (#5) bestseller Life
After Debt on-line,
right now. Read
how right here.....
Trying to renegotiate
with your credit card company? If it's Providian, you're probably in
deep doo-doo: These
clowns were the leaders in high-risk lending for the 1990s, issuing more
credit cards to more inept borrowers than any other time in the history of
man. And while they cried the blues about irresponsible consumers
failing to pay their bills, Providian Management was handsomely
rewarded...in fact their top two execs got salary and bonuses exceeding
$16 million in 2002, just before federal banking regulators put the
squeeze on them. Read
"the other side of the story" in this week's edition of
Ask Benjamin Dover from The Dallas Morning News right here!
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