Why would someone collect coins (Numismatics), especially gold and silver coins? Most of us know that coins can increase in value over time but most do not know the value increase factor(s).  We depend on Numismatists (coin specialists) to tell us a coin’s worth.  How does a coin with a currency value of one dollar (or four sheep) end up selling for over $3 million?

Humans love tokens. The pictures we take of our family, the arts and crafts we value and collect, trophies to remind us of our victories, clothing articles we cannot part with are all items we keep as reminders of another time.  In many instances when a person’s home was lost, they mourned the irreplaceable family pictures and other items worth far more, to them, than the monetary value of the house itself.  We treasure these tokens until they deteriorate with the passing years and are deemed worthless.  We can assume that is why marble, bronze, silver and gold are the choices for precious art especially if they are meant to capture memories and honor famous people or events. Witness the museums harboring the tokens that represent an entire civilization, thriving long before we were born.

Shiny, sparkling, aesthetic gold and silver is desirable in any form though silver is the more practical metal of the two. Most people think that the metal content is the determining factor in a coin’s value.  If their estimation of these two factors is correct, then the oldest gold and/or silver coin would be the most valuable, right?  Let’s see if that works out.

The Lydian Lion trite has been called the “first coin.” Minted from a gold and silver combination called electrum or “white gold,” its obverse is a lion’s head and the reverse bears a variety of marks.  This Kingdom of Lydia “coinage” (650BC to 561BC) auctions in present day from around $350 to $2,500 despite it being over 2000 years old.  Its worth during its time is argued at anywhere from one to eleven sheep.  If its worth was indeed eleven sheep during its time, its value has not increased much beyond inflation since eleven sheep would cost you from $550 to $1,100 today.

Let’s be thorough and not jump to conclusions. Possibly a reason for the low value of the Lydian trite is due to the fact that it has not been proven to be an official coin.  According to Webster, Second Edition, a coin is: “A piece of metal (or, rarely, of some other material) certified by a mark or marks upon it to be of a definite exchange value and issued by governmental authority to be used as money.”  The Lydian “coin” lacks any evidence of being issued by a governmental authority with a definite exchange value.  Additionally, it was rarely found outside of its own kingdom, thereby leaving us with insufficient proof that it was used as currency.  The reverse marks on a Lydian trite vary in design and number.  Some may have been made simply to hold the metal in place while the lion’s head was being pressed.  Others are more complex but their significance was lost with time.

Following this line of thought, the Greek coins and others throughout Asia Minor and China would be the next oldest, dating around the same time period of 5^th Century BC. However, despite their metal content, extreme age and the fact that they are tokens of a long gone age for an ancient civilization, these coins are not at the top of an auctioneer’s price list.  One may dream of finding a treasure chest full of doubloons buried centuries ago by a famous pirate.  And, perhaps, if they were pure gold, it may in its abundance, truly be a treasure.

Though we may gaze upon ancient coins with wonder and imaginings of those who held them so long ago, Greek, Chinese and Asian coins (the earliest validated coins) are being sold as entire collections for only a few thousand dollars. A Spanish doubloon in excellent shape might fetch $4,000.  Absence, apparently, only makes the heart grow fonder until the absence has lasted beyond the point where it matters.  The more distant the history does not equate to rarity or personal appeal on the auction floor.

Realizing by now that Numismatists, coin collecting experts, are not archaeologists, we can check the sales history of a few auction houses and see what did sell well. We have heard about coins that have sold for a million dollars, is it true?  Checking the Heritage Auction Galleries, we find a “Hall of Fame” and two coins that sold for $3.7 million — the Class I 1804 American silver dollar and the 1913 Five Cent Liberty.  Why would recent history have so much more value to a Numisimatist than ancient history?  Does this mean that the Kingdom of Lydia, the hay day of Greece or China has no special memories for us?

Let’s fall back on a law we know to be true in marketing:  supply and demand. Hypothesizing that the value of the coin is not established by its age but rather by its rarity and appeal to the affinities of the coin collector, the history of the coin or its “story” would most affect its selling price.  Following this line of research we find the presentation below the coin.  Written there is an entire history of the coin including its owners, how much each paid for it, the fact that there are only eight known to be in existence, two of which are in institutions and the grading done by a respectable Numismatics firm.  Only six Numismatists own this coin (supply and demand).  Having this coin in your collection would practically immortalize you as a Numismatist.

From this we can hypothesize that a coin’s rarity, history, sentimental appeal and numismatic prestige have a lot to do with the price it will fetch on the market. Looking into this further proves out the theory.  The 1913 Five Cent Liberty has a similar documentation and sold at $3.7 million.  Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule.  It is important to know the highest content of pure gold or silver in your coin and the highest grade possible for your type of coin.

This particular article, however, was to clarify that the value of coins is not based on its age. If you are selling coins on auction sites, you will want to certify as much information as you can and display it along with your coins.

Click below for more information on how to start your own gold and silver coin collection as a consumer or as part of your own home business…

COIN SHOPPING

MORE INFORMATION

NUMISMATICS HOME BUSINESS

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT NUMIS NETWORKING

What Is Numismatics and Why Is It Important?

Numismatics (new miss MA ticks) was the hobby of kings.  It is the collecting of rare or limited coins from all over the world similar to an Art Collector’s activities.  A coin collector or coin specialist is called a Numismatist (new MIZ ma tist) and the study of coins is Numismatology (new MIZ ma TOL o jee).

The Value of Gold and Silver

Everywhere you look these days there are signs and ads for buying gold and silver.  Some say it is a sign of a shaky world economy.  Some say it is simply that the value of gold and silver are on a constant rise over a long period of time.  To an entrepreneur, the smell of profit lingers in the air.  People who buy gold and silver depend on the seller’s ignorance of the market or the seller’s need for immediate cash.  He then gambles on the continued rise of the metal’s value.

What does this have to do with Numismatics?  In all honesty, there is little relationship between the value of the metal and the value of a coin.  There exists a great deal of confusion about collecting bullion (an investor’s venture and the subject of paragraph two) and the value of rare and limited coins (the subject of paragraph one).  A silver tray crafted by a famous person in the 1700’s would have little value melted down but extreme value to a collector.

Why would this be important to know?

Let’s get straight to the point.  Bullion coins are an investment in the metal itself.  The value of the bullion is completely dependent on the value of the metal.  Let’s say it is an American Eagle silver dollar.  You go to the store, hand the cashier that coin and she values it at one dollar.  But as a troy ounce of silver melted down it is worth $18 (see chart).  Sell it to a gold and silver buyer and he will give you a fair price for it based on its value as silver.  Sell it on eBay and you might get even more due to the nature of bidding frenzy and the ignorance of the buyer.

One concerned eBay member issued a warning:  http://reviews.ebay.com/The-best-coin-graders-NGC-ANACS-and-the-worst_W0QQugidZ10000000003785971 naming the two best coin graders (NGC and ANACS) and giving a review on the rest.  The warning was due to eBay buyers getting scammed into paying more for “slab” coins.

Can that same coin be worth even more?

You betcha!  Bullion is sold in rolls straight from the mint.  The seller will tell you that this ensures they are “mint coins” never been touched.  They arrive in a stiff clear plastic so you can see them.  You may as well have purchased silver bars.  The cost is slightly above the current value in silver.  So how does that SAME coin get a higher value?  Just like the old silver tray or the work of art, you need an expert to determine the value of the coin.  This is called grading and the report above tells you that NGC and ANACS are the most reliable.

The highest grade is MS70 and the difference in value between bullion, MS69 and MS70 is drastic.  Examples of that are later in this article.  And, this applies to their increase in value as the coins get older or more rare based on what older coins sell for (see report).

A Numismatist will ensure he gets MS70 coins, graded by NGC or ANACS and encapsulated in a plastic case for protection.  He only deals with the most reputable dealers.  Yes, there have been counterfeit labels printed in a garage and slapped on a plastic case in which sits a “slab” coin.  If you want something that has value now and is likely to increase in value, then you need to know the difference between bullion and a coin that has the highest rating.

The Drastic Difference In Value

Let’s take an example of a 2010 American Eagle silver dollar.  We’ll use a random dealer I found through an internet search who sells bullion as well as graded coins.  As of July 11, 2010, this dealer was selling a roll of non-circulated American Eagle silver dollars for $459 which is $22.95 per coin.  On that page, there is a link to the certified coins.  Same coin, same year, but these have been graded.  Their cost for a certified MS-69 coin was $29.95, graded by NGC and encapsulated with an NGC grading label.  They give a guarantee and they are a member of the BBB.

Now really pay attention here.  They were selling the MS-70, same coin, same year, for $125.  Why?  The answer is Numismatology.  Just like fine art, you are going to get a value based on what the consumer wants.  The mint punches out these coins all day.  An expert is going to GRADE the coin with a magnifying glass and expertise.  He’s the one that is going to estimate the value of your coin right now with a grading system that tops off at 70.  MS 70 is “MINT” not the “never been touched coin roll.”  Then he encapsulates it so it is never going to decrease in that grade, like my coins.  After that, only time will tell.

What About Older Coins?

Alright, since I’ve mentioned several times now the difference in values as time passes, let’s take that up now.  There is no guarantee that your MS70 coin is going to increase in value.  Numismatics is NOT an investment activity.  For example, let’s say you love the art of a locally popular artist who is already old and you are quite young.  You figure that’s a great investment to buy his art and hold onto it.  But after that artist is dead and gone, no one is interested.  Market value is bullion, collector value is supply and demand.

If one wants to know the value increase in the coins over time, we can only look to the past.  For an example of what same coin from 1997, check out these two charts:

To read these charts more clearly, hold down ”Ctrl” then the + sign on the number line of your keyboard.  This will magnify your screen.

Valuable coins sell at auctions, not pawn shops.  Years from now when you pull out the collection and decide to auction them off, they are going to sell to the highest bidder.  See how that’s done.  Watch this video.

The moral of this story is “Be smart, be safe and fill your days with gold and silver.”

For more information on how to profit from ANACS graded gold and silver coin…,

CLICK HERE

Then Why Is Network Marketing Attracting Millionaires?

Times have changed…

Ideas age rapidly in the face of a changing environment.  Whatever concept people have of Network Marketing, if it is negative, is most likely out of ignorance or prejudices that are based on isolated circumstances.  When I say “out of ignorance,” I am including lack of research.  This is unfortunate as Network Marketing is now recognized as the future for entrepreneurs by people such as Warren Buffet, Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki.  The previously mentioned “mis-attitude” might be similar to hanging onto the idea that all investment is bad because of the Stock Market crash or that you cannot trust anyone because one (out of six billion) ripped you off.  Instead of hanging onto the past, let’s take a look at some facts.  What exactly is Network Marketing?

What is Network Marketing?

Simply put, Network Marketing is the moving of a product or service through a network of people who are either customers or marketers or both.  A network can be structured as a multi-level, affiliate (advertising for another company for a commission) or it can be a system of duplication similar to franchises.  All network marketing companies are NOT the same.

Is Network Marketing or MLM a Get-Rich-Quick Scheme?

Multi-level marketing, or MLM, is called a “pyramid” or “Ponzi Scheme” derogatorily by the ill-informed.  Most people who call it that cannot differentiate one business from another and rarely know what those terms mean.  Clearing up the definitions can alleviate that.  Let’s clear up “Ponzi Scheme” first.

Charles Ponzi Was A Real Person

In the field of investment or securities fraud, the phrase “Ponzi scheme” refers to a real person and event.  According to the article “‘Ponzi’ Schemes” on the United States Securities and Exchange Commission website, Charles Ponzi raised over a million dollars in three hours in 1921.  People gave him money as an investment with a promise that they would get a 50 percent return in 90 days.

That sounds too good to be true even today.  A good rule of thumb when considering an investment is “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”  Never spend money you cannot afford to lose.  That being said, any money opportunity could be a “Ponzi Scheme” if you are being lied to.  But applying that term to all Network Marketing would be ridiculous.  What about a “Get-Rich-Quck Scheme” or “Pyramid.”  Let’s clear up those next.

Read more about Ponzi at Suite101: The Original Ponzi Scheme: Charles Ponzi’s Name Means Investment Fraud Today http://white-collar-crime.suite101.com/article.cfm/ponzi_schemes#ixzz0tS2opVuY

What is a Pyramid Scheme?

Any so-called opportunity where the money rolls up to the top and other levels in the structure need to get people “below” them could be considered a pyramid.  But what would make them an illegal scheme?  Typical examples are chain letters asking for money and you are required to send the letter to a certain number of other people and this eventually creates a great deal of money coming to you.  This is not marketing.  It is a scheme.  There is no product and the last people in the chain supply the money.

The importance here is whether or not the offer is an illegal scheme and not so much if the structure is a pyramid.  Most large companies are a pyramid.  The structure is few or one at the top and most at the bottom.  Those in charge receive the highest pay and the menial jobs at the bottom are paid the least.  Are you being paid what you are worth?  That’s what sets one company apart from another – a chance for advancement and being paid commensurate to your worth.

Examples where people get paid for their actual work would be subcontractors, salesmen, those paid wage plus tips, jobs with available bonuses and the like.  The truth is that when people are paid for the work they do, only lazy people complain.

Why Would Someone Call Network Marketing a Pyramid Scheme?

In truth, unethical marketing companies are to blame.  The savings Network Marketing companies enjoy from the lower overhead, reduced advertising costs, avoidance of minimum wages, etc., would ideally cover the commissions paid out to its marketers.  However, some companies inflated the price of the product or services and compensated or appeased their customers with a message of “sign up two people and your product is virtually free.”

However, if the customer or potential marketer fails to sell the product or sponsor other marketers, they end up paying too much and quit, knowing their “sponsor” and the company made money off their purchases.  This causes a lot of “drop-off,” known as “attrition.”  Marketers have to work twice as hard to keep a customer base and eventually, the marketers will quit, too.  Now, having wasted a lot of time and money on a product or service they may not have wanted or needed, these people will refer to all network marketing companies as pyramids.

The truth is far more optimistic.  Valid companies do not inflate their product price beyond its proper exchange rate.  The companies that have made it through the decades offered services and products worth the price in the eyes of their customers.  Therefore, this can be another rule of thumb in searching out a valid network marketing company.  Before one decides on a home business with network marketing, he or she should be certain about being a willing customer.  If so, and the money you spend is an amount you can afford to lose, then the experience you gain will be worth the price no matter how the venture turns out.

Why Are Millionaires Turning To Network Marketing?

I stated earlier that times have changed.  New internet regulations such as earnings disclaimers, have reduced much of the rip-off schemes that were once there.  Additionally, time has proven that people DO make a legitimate income using the internet with an international scope of consumers.  Old school marketing with seminars, house parties and business meetings in your home are fading out.  The internet is faster, easier and more efficient.  But there are other factors.
ECONOMIC INSTABILITY:  These days, outsourcing is the economically smart thing to do.  A United States citizen faces competition internationally.  He is no longer competing with just other local college graduates.  A company would be foolish to pay a technician $80 an hour when he can outsource the job to someone who is just as qualified and will do the job for $20 an hour.  In America, we have an economic situation creating “work instability” and unemployment.  Additonally, our governments are weakened by paying for the unemployed and when they do, some public scream “socialism.”  A country with working citizens finds less complaints.  And, they need work that pays well.

CONTROL OVER THE WORK ENVIRONMENT: A few decades ago it was the norm to offer shares in the company, benefits you could rely on, staff suggestion boxes, and other features which created a teamwork atmosphere.  An employee could count on tenure, feel he had a say in how things ran and a chance to work his way up to the top.

Nowadays, a sudden cutback could leave you unemployed, inadequate insurance coverage is all the company can afford, retirement funds are sometimes lost in bad investments or the company is bought out or taken over and they have their own staff choices.  An employee does not feel he has control over his future.  People need to be in tune with their working future and have more choices as to their benefits.

TOO MUCH COMPETITION:  Competition to get a job created new political issues and tensions.  Many people have settled for a pay far less than their worth.  Competition continues in the work place for promotions that will only come about if one puts in the extra time and effort.  Even then there are no guarantees.  Valuable time with family and one’s personal recreation may be lost forever.

Why Not Start Your Own “Regular” Business?

THE UP-FRONT INVESTMENT:  A few decades ago, you could solve all this by starting up your own company.  To a degree, this is still true today.  However, even if you wanted to start a business such as landscaping, you will need several thousand dollars in startup fees.  You will need to know accounting or hire someone to keep the IRS happy and several government agencies will be interested in your licenses, insurance, how you pay your employees, taxes and whether or not you have the proper paperwork filed with the proper agencies.  Got that covered?  Great.  There is still another consideration … time versus income.

A SLAVE TO YOUR COMPANY:  Let’s say you take out a small business loan or use your own working capital.  Most people sweat out the time to profit, making timely payments, they run into personal debt as they rally the business into more income than cost, all the while wondering why they gave up that cushy job with the regular schedule and paycheck.  With your own business, all the risks are yours.  Even if you are incorporated, the banks are not likely to give you another loan if you fail.  You have to run the company and retirement is usually a long way off unless you can sell the business or turn it over.

With Network Marketing, you let the company bother with most of that.  Your job is to market the product, build a team, get it set up so that it runs on automatic and then you can retire early.  You make your own hours, build it to run on its own then sell the position that has been built, if you want to, or leave it to your children or best friend.

How To Make It In a Network Marketing Business

Here is what the successful people are doing.  They educate themselves on how to choose the right company and the right marketing system.  They do this in their spare time after work.  When they are ready, they sign up with the company and set up their system.  They know they probably won’t get rich overnight.  Methodically and knowledgably they build the business, keeping an eye on their target and firing up their motivation constantly (important but personal).

When their income exceeds their job and they are confident that it will only keep growing due to the leverage they have established (the customer base and skill is an asset called leverage), they FIRE THEIR BOSS and find out what true financial freedom is.

Summary

Knowing the information above, many people have built their business and made their fortunes or enjoyed an extra income.  A small percent did it with luck or a windfall but most network marketers took two to five years to make it to six figures.  That’s an honest assessment.  Where will you be in two to five years with your present employment?  That should answer the question as to why millionaires and aspiring millionaires are attracted to Network Marketing.  Want to find out more?  Subscribe to this blog!

Usually I do not recommend a particular company unless it will help you with your own business.  However, a recent migration of my most respected top earners in the network marketing industry to one company caught my attention.  Naturally, I opted in to find out what was so attractive about this particular business.

My story was one where I had done well with several nutritional distributing companies on the idea that if the product was effective, I would not only gain income but also the health and energy necessary to get the business going.  This sounded good in concept but did not work out in the real world.  In an MLM, at a certain point, the bottom line has gone wide.  In most MLMs, it is important for those you bring into the business to make money as fast as possible.  Why?  Because you have to balance the inflated price of the product with income in order to retain the person’s interest in the company and product.

Many who have had non-fulfilling experiences with multilevel marketing companies can sympathize with anyone who has had to convince people to put out a few hundred dollars a month for bottles of juice, vitamins or coupons.  It works only so long as people work their business and get income to offset the cost.  When a distributor looks at a box and all he or she can think of is “I paid $200 for that box plus shipping (not to mention time and money spent promoting it)” they no longer see the benefit or value the product provided.  You, as the sponsor, now have to scramble to keep those distributors happy and working toward making their purchase worthwhile.  Or, you need to create that business faster than it deteriorates.  Let’s face it, the product price IS inflated in order to pay commissions to the distributors.

Supposing there were a product that was not only worth what you paid but had a good chance of increasing in value over the years.  What if the product were worth buying even if the distributor never brought in another member?  That would increase retention, don’t you think?  Well, that was exactly where those top earners had migrated.  A new company marketing rare, top-graded gold and silver coins headed by people who really know what they are doing had launched in August, 2009.

The rapid expansion of the company led to many trying to ride on their coattails but the difference between them is explained in my video below.

Numismatics is NOT Gold and Silver Bullion

This company makes so much sense that the only thing the competition felt it could do would be to throw confusion into the arena.  I feel that Ray Higdon’s video explains the differences best and how distributors can clear them up.

Ray Higdon on Numismatics Marketing

Bottom line here is that it is a win-win company with a terrific future and a totally professional team there to ensure your success.  If you’d like to talk to me about personally, call me at 760-780-1449 or go to http://www.CherylCurrie.com/coins

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You Must Have Found The Magic
Lamp Because Your Top 3 Wishes Have Just Been Granted…

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Be honest, Who hasn’t said … at one point or another… ( I know I have!)

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Brought to you by Cheryl Currie

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Hello.  My name is Cheryl Currie. That’s me sitting in front of the computer with my headset on.  WELCOME to my personal blog. For mobile phones, click on the title to see video.

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I want to thank you for stopping by.  I love working with people and helping them learn and profit from internet marketing.  Like you, I searched for information that would help me build an income from home but ran into ripoffs and letdowns.  Be my guest and enjoy some FREE information.  Subscribe and get access to an entire library of e-Books and newsletters.  ENJOY and LEARN!

Start your education toward Financial Freedom. Subscribe to this blog now…

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CherylCurrieYouTubeChannel – click on “Playlist” at the top

Still skeptical?  Read the testimonials below.  These people and I are real people just like you who enjoy helping others.

TESTIMONIALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

“If you’re looking to create multiple streams of income online, I highly suggest you get connected with Cheryl.  She is one dynamic person.” — Josh Paiva, February 7, 2010

“Cheryl and I met in a Skype help group. I was not able to reach the person who should have been helping me and she saw my problem, told me should could and would help me, gave me times to contact her as she is very busy. In the early hours she extended herself to a complete unkown and spent several hours of her valuable time guiding me down the right path. HIGHLY recommended!!” –Rick McKinnley, March 7, 2010

“Cheryl is probably one of the most giving and generous people I’ve met online. We help each other out on anything and she is always available to help me or someone facing a problem. She is smart, amazing and hangs out with very high profile individuals. Don’t be shy to connect with her she is always there to help!” –Reggy Charles, March 9, 2010

Sad Tale: An excellent marketer put six months into marketing a health product, spent hours training enthusiastic distributors, did everything she knew would work, built a downline of a thousand distributors and then watched it shrink right back up the line faster than she could build it.

That’s called “attrition” folks and it is a home business or MLM fatal disease.  Is it a marketer’s job to cure it … or is this something best handled by company management?  Could it be an intrinsic pattern to the nature of the business?

The JUMPERS are still jumping from one company to another in active pursuit of the latest and greatest “make-me-healthy-and-wealthy” opportunity.  The carefully and intricately woven expansion of the internet marketer can unravel like a badly knitted sweater if the competition is too high.  Another trial and test has proven the masters right once again.

“The Health Market Is Saturated”

One of the top marketers said to me recently that he was through with marketing health products.  I’ve heard several others mention that the health market was saturated.  I’ve seen repeated derogatory comments in ads and articles about “the next juice” or “miracle health” item.  Yet those marketing the products profess that health and diet are a billion dollar industry, the largest of most network marketing.

I majored in math and business so this intrigued me enough to do some calculations and see if what I found might apply it to this attrition problem.  Sure enough, I did find some patterns.  Now, your opinion is definitely invited but I urge you to do some investigation first.  You can only divide so many diet and health companies into that billion dollars before the individual figures get pretty small.  And then you have to divide that number by the total distributors who hope to make some money.  The competition is astounding.

Supply, Demand and Deliver

How this affects you as a home business owner or online network marketer is in the area of supply, demand, and delivery.  If you deal in information, work strictly with computer systems and deliver by internet, then you bypass a lot of these problems.  Not so with the health industry.  This would explain the trend of internet companies toward information since we are not dealing in consumables so there is no concern about shelf life.  Witness the growth of Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Netflix, etc.

What are most people looking for when they log onto their computers?  How many people are look into a possible home business that they could run from the privacy of their home?  Being serious about network marketing includes doing your own research.  You should look into these figures and learn where there IS a demand.

I’ve always advised that one should keep an eye on what the top earners are doing, befriend them, subscribe to their websites, learn from them.  For example, if you were planning on making some investments, you would study Warren Buffet, right?  You would read books, learn as much as you could before turning your hard-earned money over to a broker.  True?

The Information Business

What if there were a business that offered not only information about what the top earners do but also provided the whole system in a neat package and all the potential home business person needed to do is plug in the information and follow the video tutorials.  Such a proven network marketing systems exists.  In fact, that’s my main business which I’ve branded as Pro Marketing Systems.  It has no shelf life and it is international.  It is NOT multilevel marketing yet it does provide monthly residual and affiliate income.  You can use it to boost ANY home business.  But is there something that is even hotter than that right now?  Yes.

Gold and Silver as a Marketing Business

Let’s look at another business that won’t pile up consumables in your kitchen or garage.  Are you aware of the historical demand for collectible gold and silver coins.  What?  This is a business?  Well, I do believe it is and has been all the way back before recorded history.  Gold is something so valuable that most of North America was settled by explorers who hoped to find it.  Nothing got an explorer out on those ships to cross the uncharted Atlantic Ocean better than gold.  Sure, spices and drugs brought them across the Atlantic, too, but recall the rush to California?  Why dive deep in the ocean to find a sunken pirate ship unless it has something old or something silver or gold?  A handful of gold coins from another century is instant wealth.  I’m only showing that the value of gold and pure silver has a long a lustrous history.

Recently, a company launched the marketing of MS70 (mint) gold and silver collectible coins.  The growth of the company since its launch is hysterical.  This just further proves my point.  People want something of VALUE with no shelf life.  You can only drink so much juice and when it has been drunk, it is gone.  These coins are not only remain “fresh” but they increase in value as they age.  The simplicity of “What if you had been collecting a gold or silver coin every month for the last ten years?” is easily understood to be valuable.  The paper dollar, on the other hand, has decreased in value.  In essence, one is trading a decreasing value paper for an increasing collectible coin worth more than its weight in gold.  The value of gold and silver have constantly increased.  Mint condition coins become more valuable with time.  An American Liberty silver dollar in mint condition bought ten years ago would have provided a five to ten times increase in value.

Personally, I think this company is onto something.  I see NO competition.  And the really good news is that it can easily lock into the workable marketing system that Pro Marketing Systems provides.  So I can offer two businesses that include a complete marketing system, several avenues of income, PLUS a commodity that is in high demand, has no shelf life, increases in value and provides substantial income as well … with a monthly investment of less than $200 a month.

But let me explain the title of this article.  A gold and silver coin business affects attrition like this: (1) The person is getting a gold or silver coin every month that will only increase in value as it ages; (2) with a little bit of work, he can get it for free; (3) with a little bit more work, he gets the coins for free plus an extra income.  Why, in heaven’s name, would he stop his auto-shipment?  Right.  He won’t and they don’t.  Right now my attrition percentage is ZERO and one of the top marketers who has been in this business for almost a year has a retention percentage of 95%.

This particular company, Numis, has several avenues of income and bonuses that allow your sign-ups to make good money and quickly (very important to avoiding attrition).  But, more importantly, you know your personally sold customers and distributors are getting money for their money.  If you sold them a whole garage full of silver and gold coins, are you going to lose sleep over it?  No, and neither will they.  If your sign-ups sat there and did nothing to build their own business, if they packed their coins away and sat on them, they will STILL come out ahead.  The whole idea just makes sense.

The best part is there is no competition.  Check it out.  How many network marketing companies can you find that market MS70 grade collectible gold and silver coins?  Right.

If you’ve looked into online marketing, you probably ran into the same thing I did.  Everyone has the best offer, you get labeled by your interest then bombarded with emails.  Promises of making you a millionaire get pretty tiresome after a while if you lose money trying a few out.  It can leave you with a pretty bad taste in your mouth and a jaded view of the subject.

So, is there any good in it?

Let’s try a new perspective.  Let’s compare it to a “normal” business.  Let’s say you get a small business loan and open a corner store.  It’s groceries — everybody needs those — and you have a good location.  The neighborhood knows you and in a couple of years you figure you should be in profit.  But after a year, someone opens another store nearby.  Your new cashier has been driving business away with her caustic personality and the inventory sheets reveal that you are being robbed.  Gas prices just happen to rocket making delivery rates unaffordable.  Your suppliers raise the prices and a new zoning law wipes out the nearest parking.  The IRS wants to audit your accounts, the health department has fined you, the Board of Equalization is threatening to shut you down due to an incorrectly filled out form and a partial freeze gets put on your accounts.  You can’t pay your help, you can’t pay your loan, stock runs low and you end up filing bankruptcy.

If you think that was a harsh story of woe that does not reflect the normal situation, you haven’t seen the files down at the bankruptcy court.

The first problem here is that the usual business owner has only one source of income.   In this scenario, that income source depends on customers from one small neighborhood.  If you thought the example of a rude cashier was irrelevant, let me assure you that in ANY business, customers will often forsake quality, price and other concerns to do business with someone they like.  On the other hand, if they do not like the people they have to deal with, the price could be terrific, the quality sky-high but they will avoid the place like the plague.

How does this relate to online marketing?  Factually, what’s true for a corner store is true for ANY business.  Like the corner store owner, some online marketing companies offer only one source of income, limited products, unappealing people to work with, little or no training, limited areas to market in.  They run into problems just like the corner store.

Would you honestly try to open a store if you knew NOTHING about groceries, zoning laws, small business licenses, or anything else that had to do with owning a business?  Yet people gleefully join online marketing companies in swarms, thinking someone else will make them rich.  They even make money sometimes.  But untrained people not only don’t get rich, they don’t make anyone else rich either.  If it all looks so complicated that it  couldn’t possibly be done, then the door closes on that opportunity.  Slam!

Reverse the scenario.   A person decides that the greatest opportunities are in online marketing.  They start training.  What is online marketing?  Who is successful at it?  Do they offer courses?  Who should I use to build a website?  Do I need a website?  Why shouldn’t I just buy into one of those sell my site and e-books deals?  I heard somebody made $200,000 with one of those.  What about getting in at the top of a pre-launch opportunity?  I could get lucky, right?  Why not join something that’s been around for a long time?  They must know what they’re doing by now!

If you couldn’t answer all those questions is simply because you’re not trained.  There are answers to all of them.  You CAN know which company is best to join, what training is best to learn, what systems are best to use and, when it is all said and done, what takes you to that six-figure income that lasts and lets you retire.

Why be an online marketer?  It’s GLOBAL.  It’s in demand.  There is no ceiling on the potential income.  The rewards and opportunities are FAR better than a mere job or local business.  But it doesn’t happen by magic.  Training is key.  Training is your new boss!

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Should people in retirement start a Home Business?  That was the question I asked myself last year and thank goodness I did!  My answer turned out to be a howling “YES.”  But not everyone sees it the same way.  I’ll explain.

If you are over 60 and not quite happy with your retirement or not looking forward to it, a Home Business may be right for you. Statistically speaking, those who hang out and “relax” tend toward depression and arthritic type diseases.  It would seem that the mind and body want to be pushed to the limit as often as possible.  There are things that work provides such as self-esteem, a feeling of contribution, mental activity and the joy that comes with creation to name a few.

Personally, I quickly tired of all that relaxation.  I wanted more not just for me but also for my children.  I saw them struggling to make ends meet and couldn’t help them as much as I wanted to.  My income was limited and my physical energy would not allow for extensive travel.  In fact, retirement reminded me of my High School years when adults hounded me with the question, “What do you want to do with the rest of your life?” Fact is, I could not answer that question.  I knew I had a “rest of my life” but no idea what to do with it.  With retirement, it was High School all over again.  I had more time to think about it, though.

This time, unlike High School, I came up with some answers.

• I wanted to feel like I still had 25 years left.
• I saw no difference between 25 to 50 except energy level, amount of opportunities for employment and amount of knowledge and experience.
• Whatever I decided to do, it would not be physically straining.  In fact, best case scenario, it would provide increased health and energy.
• It couldn’t cost more than my present expenses and ideally would provide a great deal of income.
• There would be no more demanding schedules or having to please a boss.  I was done with that.
• Finally, it would have to be something I could sell or turn over when I was done establishing it.

Those are the criteria with which I started searching the internet for a work-at-home opportunity.

A home business or part-time job seemed more likely than publishing my books but even that is entrepreneurial.  Work on the computer would let me control my schedule, stay at home and keep the physical strain down.  Even publications were best promoted on the internet.  Most of my life I had avoided the internet.  Retired, I finally had time to see what all the hoopla was about but I only knew enough to avoid any serious trouble.  Just setting up a Facebook account was a massive challenge!

For months, my largest stumbling block was the terminology.  Beyond that, the young people who spoke it fluently did not have the patience to explain it in layman terms.  I almost quit several times.  During those times, I reminded myself that for the last 50 years I had been studying one thing or another.  My experience as an executive, private teacher, supervisor and many other professions had prepared me for this task. I’d raised three children, survived decades of married life.  In other words, I could deal with this.  I would no longer let those young whippersnappers make me feel stupid.

The first real business I learned was a support system for other businesses.  It provided an extreme amount of training for online marketing which, for me, was its attraction.  However, there were days when I just sat there staring at the screen wondering if I would ever understand what a domain was or how to set up a website.  On the other hand, almost every day something would click into place and I’d be able to visualize how some aspect of network marketing worked.  I persevered.  Soon people were telling me that I was an internet guru.  Me?  An internet guru?  At first I simply wondered why they were saying that.  It seemed impossible that I could have learned that much in such a short amount of time.

That first business paid for itself in golden training — and in cash.  Not only did I learn what I needed to know to set up a Home Business and market it on the internet, I also had met and befriended people who were very successful.  This led to other opportunities.  I’m not a gullible person and had learned very quickly which type of companies to avoid.  I knew exactly how much money I was willing to lose on a venture.  A couple of so-called opportunities had taken my money and some of my friends’ money and given nothing in return.  I now refuse to get involved with anything that doesn’t put a tangible, desirable product in my hands.

The next company I got involved with was a health product.  This company had an impeccable reputation, was in its mid-cycle growth period had an excellent training program and the group of people I had come to know as top producers were recommending it.  I had my policy of “let me try the product.”  That turned out really well.  The product not only provided me with extra energy but healing benefits as well.  Within a couple of weeks, I was making more than I was spending. Thanks to my sweat and tears with the first company, I knew how to market the second company.  Then, thanks to my rising up the ranks, I ended up near the very top of yet another health product company.  My health, my income, my mental alertness are all where I want them to be.

Should retired people start a Home Business?  I’d say if you’re not happy with the amount of creativity, finance or future you have, you should.  Keep your spending close to nil.  Study until you’re a pro.  You’re not dead yet or you wouldn’t be reading this!

To sum this up, a Home Business is not unlike any other job, profession or privately owned company.  You have to be willing to go through the learning process, learn from your mistakes, set sane policy for yourself, know what your going for and stick with it until you get it.

by Cheryl Currie

When I was first looking for a J-O-B (back when dinosaurs were still roaming the earth), the best possible option was “on-the-job-training.”  College degrees were important but lack of experience was still a deterrent to getting hired.  Young people rightly asked, “How do I get the experience if I can’t get a J-O-B?” Some companies had the idea that if they hired young people and trained them specifically on what their company did, they’d have that employee for life.  Unfortunately, it was such a great idea that some terrific professionals were made.  Other companies enticed them away and fewer companies were willing to make that kind of training investment.

You may wonder why I spell “job” as J-O-B.  I shouldn’t diverge here but I’ll tell you that it represents my distaste for the present day type of employment.  Corporations provide little chance for advancement.  They have become the new “pyramid scheme.” Shocked by my use of words?  Take a look at it.  Without a chance to be in charge, the few at the top get rich and the pay scale goes down from there.  But it wasn’t always that way.  I’m old enough to remember when the mail room boy had a shot at rising to corporate management level.  Ah, yes, the good old days.

Now, if you’re happy with your J-O-B, why are you surfing the net looking at Home Business opportunities?  Maybe you just want some extra cash?  Okay, but I can almost guarantee that taking on the adventure of entrepreneurial work is not going to make you money overnight.  You’ll have to work and you’ll have to train.  There’s a lot to learn.  Like the good old days, with a Home Business, you can earn while you learn.  Up for it?  Then read on.

Some similarities between a Home Business and a job are:  (1) if you work, you get paid; (2) if you know what you’re doing, you can make a decent pay; (3) if you are nice to people, you can make a lot of friends.  Is that it?  Yup.  It might seem like an unfair assessment but the freedoms and limitless income afforded by a home business have clouded over any other similarity in my mind.  With a home business, your income depends on your own abilities.

When you have a J-O-B, someone else is calling the shots.  If that’s comfortable for you, don’t quit your job.  If you are a leadership type, you might resent being bossed around with little opportunity to really make a difference. You might hope to be in charge someday.  If you’re out of job, this is a good time to learn a new trade!  Maybe you like building pleasant relationships with people and helping them succeed.  Now, honestly, in your present or last J-O-B, was that the focus of your work?  If you’re building a Home Business, it had better be!

One of the most obvious differences between a corporate J-O-B and a Home Business is that with a home business, you work at home! You can see your family, watch your kids grow up and there’s no commute.  You can make your own schedule and make your own decisions.  You rely on your own talents.  You work or don’t work and get paid according to your own cleverness and productivity.  Your age, gender, color, creed, race and all that … doesn’t matter.

If you had the idea that you have to be ruthless to make a few million, let’s clear that up right now.  No one lasts very long at the top if they step on or alienate people on their way up.  It takes a TEAM of successful people to build a lasting business. Whether you’re building a team of customers, subscribers or MLM members, you need large numbers.  Some of them will help build your business.  How do you build a large following?  That’s in the training.  How do you retain thousands of people once you have them?  Not by ripping them off, that’s for sure.  And, again, it’s in the training.  If you don’t learn this, the result is obvious — no customers, subscribers or downline leaves you with no money.

One place to start is with Mike Dillard’s book on Magnetic Sponsoring.  It was a “new think” for me to be able to attract people to my business rather than chasing them down for a sale.  And I learned things beyond the contents of that book like if I wanted to think and act like someone who is a successful entrepreneur, then I’d better start associating with some.  Why?  Well, if someone wants to know how to do something, they ask or learn from someone who has done it. Does that mean you hang out with them?  Not necessarily.  You can read their books, communicate with them, sign up for their newsletters, join their businesses or even follow them on social networks.  They won’t snub you unless you want something for nothing, waste their time by ignoring their advice or treat them with disrespect.

Watch the videos to the right and listen for the common message.  Millionaires started out just like you — surfing the net or otherwise looking for a way to better their income.  People aren’t born knowing how to make a million dollars.  They learn.  And each and every one of them talk about their extensive training and how they’ve never stopped learning.  Each and every one talks about a mentor they had the good fortune to meet.  And each developed their own system for residual income (click on Business Success tab above).

If you want the best training, top businesses opportunities and most workable systems — the ones used by the TOP earners in this field — why waste your time surfing the net, getting ripped off by wannabes and copy cats?  Been there, done that.  You were smart enough to come to this site.  Stick around.  Sign up for the free e-book and training.  Check out the Business Success page.  Watch the videos.  Learn!