How I Almost Lost P25,000 On The Internet

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For over 2 years now, I've been a webinar junkie. Starting an online career as a virtual assistant, it was my constant concern to improve my skills and get as much updated information from online content that's why I'm always on the look out for free webinars. 

So far the best ones I've been following are from Jomar Hilario (I've been one of his students since 2009) and Brendon Burchard of Experts Academy and best-selling author of The Millionaire Messenger. These guys have changed my life dramatically with Jomar teaching me to have an online career and Brendon inspiring me to be a motivator and author. 

Every now and then I get some e-mails inviting me to check out a video on internet marketing and recently I've been following the webinars of Robert Allen after I bought his book The One Minute Millionaire. One of his frequent webinar hosts is Bob Gatchel who teaches multiple ways to earn from the internet that's why whenever he's on, I make sure I attend. 

Anyway, last Thursday on my first day of vacation leave, I woke up early to catch Bob's latest webinar training on "10 Ways to Make $10,000.00 online". It was an exhilarating audio training where you'll learn unique ways to make money online from eBay, blogging, PLR products, etc. Got some ideas and was already choosing some of the tips there that I would be using but what got me really interested was the offer of Bob to a limited number of people to be coached one-on-one by his team of professional internet marketers for 30-days to guarantee that you could earn right away from any of the 10 ways he presented. Saying that there was an interview to go through before being considered for the program, I immediately hooked on by magicjack and called the number Bob gave. A nice gentleman got my call and started the interview by getting my name and what's my job and a little later on he started asking about my financial status. Was a little embarrassed at first but if this is what I needed to answer to qualify for the program then what the hell. I admitted that I had some credit card debt that I wanted so much to get rid of and he reassured me that it was really why they offered the program, to help people get out of debt as fast as possible. He said that I was a fitting candidate especially that they don't have a market yet in the Philippines and I could be their first success story here. 

Encouraged by his words, little by little I became more open about my finances and a few moments later he was calculating my credit card debt, thinking that he was doing this to estimate how many months I should expect to pay all of my credit card debt after enrolling in the program. To my surprise, he was actually computing how much credit card balance I had left so I could pay the program. He said that since they believe in my dedication as a solo parent and they would really want to help me get out of debt right away, they would shoulder most of the $1,995.00 program fee and only ask me to pay a "measly" $600.00. Furthermore, soon as they swipe my card they could immediately start me on the program by helping me open my own eBay store.  So if I was really serious in improving my finances and give a secure future to my son then I could start giving him my credit card details.

And I did. Because I was dead serious in getting out of debt and securing my son's future but not by getting into more debt! As he was calling his assistant to run my credit card, I was already in a lot of stress especially when I got my phone calculator and saw that $600 was roughly P25,000! God must have heard my desperate prayers because when the guy went back he said that his assistant had already gone home but he would call me back the following day to verify the transaction. Yes, I still didn't try and cancel the transaction because of "hiya" or misplaced embarrassment. 

But as soon as the call was finished, I called up my credit card company and asked them to send me a new one as I have misplaced the card and to cancel all immediately incoming transactions. Okay, I didn't chicken out all the way because the following day when I got the call from the guy, I told him that I had changed my mind about the program and I don't believe that getting into more credit card debt would improve my finances. He still tried to persuade me by saying that they were really "committed" to helping me out of debt and that if I changed my mind I could call him anytime.

Today, a Google + friend of mine posted a video about get-rich-quick internet scams and the phone conversation there pretty much resembles the one I had with the online marketer. After watching this, I began researching on the web about Robert G. Allen and I found this video clip from an Australian news network:

Whew! Without divine intervention I would have really ended up in more trouble. Next time, I'd practice a little more due diligence! That's the lesson here folks, DUE DILIGENCE!

Desk Lunching A Growing Health Risk

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With the dawn of multitasking, came the epidemic of desk lunching which according to this article on Forbes.com has been on the rise and should be cause for alarm with the health risk it entails.

According to the article:

The desk lunch does have an incredible allure to it of being within close proximity to your workload and without all of the time consuming extras of going out (i.e. waiting for a table, waiting to take a group order, waiting for the check) that the group lunch of old can't boast. Continuing to stay seated throughout the day may not only prove to be a health risk, but at the same time it may be your only option. 

To break the pattern of the desk lunch, Forbes suggests some tips here.