Investor Nomenclature and the Venture Spiral The press loves the term Super Angels. They use it at almost every opportunity they get and sometimes even when they don’t have the right opportunity for it. In my view the terminology being used for early stage investors by the press and the media is not as clear as it should be. I’ve talked about this on several occasions when I’ve been at conference and on panels, but I figured it would make sense to do a post explaining my taxonomy of the early-stage investing world. Friends and Family: Or sometimes referred to as the 3Fs for Friends, Family and Fools. This is probably the very first group that an entrepreneur who is starting out may approach for some funding for his or her idea. Incubators and Accelerators: Incubators and accelerators have to a large extent replaced the funding from friends and family. Angels: Angels are individual investors, who are investing their own capital and doing so on a part-time basis. Here is a handy cheat sheet for investor nomenclature:
Sheet Music 24 Quick Actions You Can Do Today That Can Change Your Financial Life Forever Note: This is a post from Adam Baker, founder of Man Vs. Debt. Last week, while I was talking about our new You Vs. Debt class, we touched on the “status quo” of our Upside-Down Nation. We talked about our obsession with the debt-fueled life path and how it’s keeping millions trapped. But talk is cheap. I’m much more interested in action. And this week, I want to do my part to shatter any excuses or justifications you may have. I took the time to provide 24 different options. Sure, there’s little chance all will be viable for your situation. I’m asking for one. Do it. Action #1: Pull Your Credit Report (10-20 minutes) Simple steps: Visit Annual Credit Report – Visit annualcreditreport.com. How this can change your life: When we first pulled Courtney’s credit report, we were saddened to find she was a victim of identity theft. We had better luck with my credit report, however I did discover a $200 collections account I didn’t even know existed! Action #3: Get 1 paying client (15-35 minutes)
Track Your Expenses! One of the reasons budgets fail is because a crucial first (and ongoing) step is missed in the budgeting process: tracking your expenses. If you don't know what your starting point is, then there's little chance that you'll be able to harness your cash flow to your benefit. Here are a few tips to help you track your expenses effectively, then transform your current cash flow into a well-oiled budgeting machine. Step One: Don't Budget As funny as it sounds, your first task in creating a budget is not to budget. exorbitant to begin with). This gives you a realistic starting point, and a benchmark upon which to build and track your budget going forward. Use a Spreadsheet (or Equivalent) Each time I whip out my wallet, I record the money I spend in a notebook that I keep in my purse. So create a spreadsheet that allows you to analyze your data, past and present. You can create a separate spreadsheet tab for each month, or you can record all the data on one sheet, using running totals. Be Honest
30 Financial Moves Before 30- Ideas Worth Trying January 13, 2011, 6:00 amby:MD Category:Miscellaneous I started reading the Art of Non-Conformity the other day and the idea of the life list/bucket list got me thinking again. I started thinking about my bucket list for what I want to accomplish before I turn 30 (in 7 years). Then I started to get more specific. I started thinking about what I want to accomplish financially before 30. Then I realized that my mind was all over the place. Since every financial bucket list is unique to your own situation, I decided to outline 30 financial moves that might be of interest to your unique financial situation before you turn 30. 1. Keep a buffer in a savings account because you never know when a rainy day will hit you out of nowhere. 2. You can debate good debt vs bad debt, but at the end of the day you should try to kill off your credit card debt before you turn 30. 3. The sooner you start planning for your retirement, the sooner you have compound interest working on your side. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Sound Library FindSounds Search the Web for Sounds What types of sounds can be found on the Web using FindSounds? Below is a partial list. Click on any link below to perform a search, or enter one or more words in the search box above and then click on the Search button. Animal Sounds alligator, baboon, bat, bear, bobcat, buffalo, bullfrog, camel, cat, cheetah, chimpanzee, chinchilla, chipmunk, cougar, cow, coyote, crocodile, deer, dinosaur, dog, dolphin, donkey, elephant, elk, ferret, fox, frog, gibbon, goat, gorilla, grizzly bear, guinea pig, hippo, horse, hyena, jaguar, kitten, lamb, lemur, leopard, lion, llama, marmot, monkey, moose, mouse, orca, panda, panther, pig, polar bear, prairie dog, puppy, rabbit, raccoon, rat, rattlesnake, rhinoceros, rodent, sea lion, seal, sheep, snake, squirrel, sugar glider, tiger, toad, whale, wolf, zebra Insect Sounds bee, cicada, cricket, insects, katydid, mosquito, wasp
blog.knowyourmoney.co.uk & Blog Archive 21 Practical ways to save money Wednesday, July 9th, 2008...12:50 pm 21 Practical ways to save money Jump to Comments Make a shopping list: This will ensure that you only buy what is necessary and don’t overspend. Clear out and sell anything you don’t need any more: All of that stuff you have that’s gathering dust in the attic or in the garage can be sorted through and gathered up and disposed of in a number of profitable ways. Don’t dine out: Dining out costs a lot more than it does to eat in. Go energy-efficient: By buying all those slightly more expensive energy-saving light bulbs, you’ll be saving more in the long run, as those bulbs will last for much longer before having to be replaced, and will also use up less electricity, softening the blow of when the bills come in.Change cars: So you have a massive and impressive SUV? Use the public library: Instead of buying all those books and movies, you could go to the library and borrow them for almost nothing, for as long as you wanted to continue borrowing.
Presentations - Visualize Data This image gallery offers best-practice examples, advice, free resources and insight from experts on the best of data and information visualization. 1 of 17 Data Visualization Advice, Examples and Free Resources"Excellence in statistical graphics consists of complex ideas communicated with clarity, precision and efficiency," writes information visualization guru and author Edward R. More Insights 29 Steps I Took to Leave the Workforce at Age 29 Today is my last day at work! No more corporate rat race for me. I’ve been planning an early retirement for as long as I can remember. At age 29 I left the corporate world behind and I’m embarking on a new chapter in my life: spending more time with my kids (ages 1 and 2), following my passion (teaching others about personal finance), and an overall life of freedom not tied to a JOB! Here’s how I did it (and how you can too!) Leaving the Rat Race at Age 29 Save Early. What’s Next? I’m working on creating some new goals, learning how to cook, and beginning early Roth IRA withdrawals. I’m also going on a field trip with preschool, getting to watch my favorite t.v. shows again, and spending more time with my spouse … all things I wouldn’t have gotten to do with my job. Update: Reflections on Leaving My Job… Six Months Later. You can get my latest articles full of valuable tips and other information delivered directly to your email for free simply by entering your email address below.
Classical Music Download Sites Classical music can be an ambiguous term. It is widely used to identify the Classical period, which approximately covers the years from 1750 to 1820. On the other hand, Western art music from 1000 CE to the present is also called classical music. The following is a list of the best classical music download sites that provide a mix of both, i.e. classical music ranging from Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods and via the 20th century to Contemporary classical music of our time. All tracks and albums are legal to download. They are either copyleft / public domain or available under a Creative Commons license. Classical.com Classical.com is the classical pendant to iTunes. Every week, however, an entire album is available to download for free. As I write this article, the free download is an album of famous Strauss waltzes, available as mp3’s in 128 and 192 kbps. This is a fantastic resource to discover classical music as such. Wikipedia:Sound/list All downloads are in .ogg format.