2010 brings with it some changes to the tax code. Here are the top three tax changes that you should pay attention to this year.

1. Estate Tax
2. ROTH Conversions
3. Gift Tax Exclusion

Whether any of these tax rules changes applies to you, you should seek the advice of your tax adviser or CPA and as always, do your due diligence to think and grow rich.

Does your team or your prospects feel a lack of trust or confidence in your message or in your customer service? As with any relationship, a lack of trust in a business relationship is a big deal. It can undermine all of your hard work; costing you time, money, and loyalty.

So how do you build trust in your business relationships?

1. Make sure you are consistent in your leadership. No matter where you go in the world, McDonald’s delivers the same burger. Your goal should always to be consistent in all of your business dealings, from employees to customers.

2. Make sure you are clear in your instructions and your purpose to the world. You are your message so you need to be clear on what that message reflects.

3. Show your human side. Do you have a favorite charity? Do your children work in your business? Showing what your interests and hobbies are gives people a better understanding of who you are and what you really care about.

The bottom line is that people do business with people they know and trust. Those who are the most trusted are the ones who will thrive and survive in any economy!

If 2009 was the year of the financial loss, 2010 must be the year that we wise women focus on what we have!

Have you ever heard the saying; “The best things in life are free?” Below are 5 suggestions (I am sure you can come up with many more) on how to reduce that “material girl” instinct and still live the life of your dreams.

1. Give up the gym membership and meet a friend for daily walks.
2. Entertain more at home with family and friends.
3. Borrow best seller books from the library.
4. Invest in Relationships. Take your kids to open a savings account at the local bank and let them make deposits. Even at $1.00 per month they will learn the value of saving money and you will enjoy the “ah ha” moment they get when they see their bank balance!
5. Pick a charity and make it a family affair. Helping others as a family is a great way to give back to your community and provides life lessons for your kids!

These tips will not only will you save money, but you will end up appreciating what a fulfilled life can be!

The Better Business Bureau has received close to 900,000 reports of rip offs from consumers. From Internet Ads that feature “free trial” offers to companies advertising to improve your credit score and reduce credit card interest rates, the scams are plentiful!

Here are two simple tips to help keep you and your wallet safe!

1. Pay attention to the fine print before you buy any product or pay for any service.

2. Do your due diligence! Contact the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org) and go to Rip Off Report (www.ripoffreport.com). Both sites will offer you valuable information

Now more then ever consumers need to be vigilant. Do your homework so you won’t get burned!

Does all of the advertising and hoopla over the ROTH IRA make sense to you?

Download the free ROTH report from Entrust and learn how to take advantage of one of the last tax enhanced programs the government allows. Visit www.entrustcalifornia.com for details.

Did you know there are over 10 million individual and family owned forest owners in the U.S? 72% of these are located in the Eastern part of the country where productive timberland is produced.

According to The American Wind Energy Association, 20% of the nation’s electricity may come from wind by 2030. States with the most wind power include: Texas, Iowa, California, Minnesota and Oregon.

And what about water? The business of water rights is alive and well in states such as Colorado.

These alternative investments are allowable in a self-directed IRA. If this is of interest to you, log onto www.theentrustgroup.com to learn how you can self-direct your IRA to acquire investments that are important to you!

The internet and social networking has allowed the professional business owner the ability to market their business with little financial costs to them. The reality of social media such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace has changed the frontier from the wired world to the main world.

Do you use the web, blogs and social media to help build your brand?

Here are a seven must-haves that are worth the investment should you decide to expand your horizons in technology.

1. Have a CRM (contact relationship management program) for managing your customers.

2. Use a good email marketing program. I like Constant Contact but there are others out in the market.

3. Consider launching an e-commerce web site if you are in a business that sells product.
4. Review your search positions. Research from Cornell University showed that searchers spend the bulk of their time looking at the initial 10 results on the first page, with a sharp drop occurring after the 10th result.

5. Test banner ads and headlines, graphics against each other to see which performs best.

6. Continually refresh or update your blog, Twitter and any social media that touches a prospect. My personal goal is three entries a week on each of my technology related media and I know that is probably not enough.

7. Finally if you are using email marketing, make sure your message is well thought out and offers an appealing incentive and a call to action or next step.

By using today’s technology tools you add more to your little bag of tricks at little cost to your bottom line. What do you have to lose?

With the forecast of foreclosures still on the rise, one would assume that the rental markets and long-term strategy of real estate investing make sense. In my opinion, long term real estate can be a great strategy. In certain markets, however, flips or buy/sell strategies are making a comeback

From investors attending auctions in markets such as Phoenix, to investors acquiring delinquent tax liens in Florida to brokers or wholesalers representing out of state investors in Texas, to California markets that have gone through economic perils, who now have investors buying multiple properties with private funds, short term real estate investing can be profitable to those who know how to navigate the market and buy right.

While there is plenty of inventory out there, you as the investor must know the local marketplace, where to buy, actively participate in and be involved in the actual transaction, and of course, have the money or financing in place before you buy.

If you are serious about making money in real estate, you must educate yourself and be responsible for due diligence and the steps needed to follow through with the transaction along with an exit strategy for your investment. Never allow others to control the transaction or your money. Know what you are getting into and be prepared to present multiple offers. Most importantly, know when to walk away and when a deal makes no sense.

In other words there is to be no emotional decision making! This is the key to a successful real estate investor. It is about the numbers and only the numbers!

Good luck!

These 40 tips coms comes courtesy of Kathleen Snodgrass.

Enjoy!

For Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants..
4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games
7. Read more books than you did in 2009 .
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

For Your Personality:
11. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don’t over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
18. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree…

For Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything..
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

For Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come..
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Last but not the least:

40. Please Forward this to everyone you care about, I just did.

With all of the known scams as well as the new ones to come, where do you go to protect yourself when entering into a new financial arrangement or having your identity protected?

Identity Theft
Identity Theft Resource Center. No cost victim assistance. Contact them at 888-400-5530 or on the web at http://www.idtheftcenter.org.

Mortgage Scams
Freddie Mac – This site has links for report suspected mortgage fraud and examples of what to look out for. Visit http://www.freddiemac.com/avoidfraud for more details.

Investment Brokers or Advisors
You can do your due diligence on your investment broker or advisor through the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority http://www.finra.org/investors

Do your homework before you do your deal!