Ready, Set, BLITZ!!

At Decide Freedom International we are in all out massive action right now during our Summer Power Blitz! It's great, people are rocking in their business right now. The summer is an amazing time to be working from home. This summer Blitz is just an added bonus. There are people's lives being impacted in a huge way. So many people are being contacted, so many people are hearing about Decide Freedom International, our goals, and our philosophy. Lives are being changed and touched. People in our company are making money and some will be making more than they ever have as a result of this Blitz.

We are on our second day of a 3 day Blitz. This is awesome, it feels like when I first started working from home. It's exciting, it reminds a little of the movie Boiler Room. If you have not seen it I suggest you do. There is just so much excitement on our live calls and we have 3 a day. So many people working from home are taking time off right now yet, we are in full momentum. I am certain we will see results from this for another month or so. Congratulations to everyone who is apart of this Summer Blitz!

Keep Blitzing!
Jackie O'Quinn
1-800-620-3019

A weekend with Transformers

Carmen and I just got back from the movies. We saw the movie Transformers. I have to tell you I watched this cartoon some as a kid but, mostly would just turn past it as I was on my way to watch my then favorite He-Man. I expected that this movie would at least be mediocre. I was alittle nervous when you are talking about a movie with Transforming alien robots, there is more than one area that could cause the whole movie to go south quickly. After watching the movie here is what I can tell you.

It was incredibly expensive to make. Never doubt Steven Speilberg's ability. This freaking movie has become one of my favorites, it was out of this world. There was tons of action, a cute love story, and several places that would just cause you to laugh. Carmen, who I didn't think would even like it, said she wants to rewatch it! My best friend and movie critic Gary Conway was absolutely dead on with his movie review on this film. You can read his review in it's entirety here.

Don't let this one get away,
Jackie O'Quinn
Phone: 1-800-620-3019

Where are we headed in life?

On your current path in life where are you headed? A good indication of where you are headed is by looking to see where you have come from. Look back on life, and see how much progress you have made to reaching your life's goals. Do you have a goal of being debt free? Do you have a goal of retiring early, or sending your kids to college? Maybe you want to give money away to charities? Have you been able to do any of that yet? Do you want to start your own business? Have you taken any proactive steps towards your goals? Or, are you just living each day one day at a time with no real aim to your daily life? Is life living you or are you living life?

You don't have to look at life as a whole for some of us that seems overwhelming, break your goals down to yearly, monthly or even weekly. Then focus on daily task to reach those goals. In other words if you have a goal of paying of $10,000 of debt in one year. Then first break that down to monthly goals of $800 a month to pay off. There are two ways to pay down debt, first either make more money that's what I did and here is how I did it. Or cut back your living expenses to pull extra money out of your current income to start paying down debt. Now if your goal is to pay down debt you have to ask yourself each day. Am I actively taking steps to help me reach my goal today? Too often it's easy to write our goals down but not keep ourselves accountable to them. Then we end up with goals that we never reach.

Are currently taking steps to reach your goals? Let me know?

Step by step,
Jackie O'Quinn
Phone: 1-800-620-3019

Have you seen Renae's Blog

My good friend Renae Heikkila, just wrote a great post on her blog. If you have not read it yet you should. No matter what business you are in that post will speak directly to you. Some great advice from an incredibly knowledgeable woman.

Have a great day,
Jackie O'Quinn
1-800-620-3019

My Prosper.com loan was funded

Actually my Prosper.com loan was funded about two days after I listed it. However, my interest rate was bid down from around 14 percent to the current 10.90%. You can check out my loan here. You can also apply for your own loan. Prosper.com, is similar to Ebay for the personal lending industry. You apply for a loan and individuals bid on your loan starting with a minimum bid of at least $50. People continue to bid on your loan until the loan is fully funded. Then as people continue to bid they have to be willing to accept a lower interest rate. Unlike Ebay, the winners on Prosper.com are not the highest bidders they are the bidders that are willing to accept the lowest rate of return on their money. I enjoy investing on Prosper.com, I find it to be a great concept. So far I have enjoyed borrowing from Prosper.com as well. I will keep you posted on this.

This weekend, Melissa and I (our realtor) are going to go look at some apartment buildings. I want to start getting out and looking at some rental property so I can see what the market is doing and get a feel for the market.

Have an Awesome Day,
Jackie O'Quinn
1-800-620-3019

I am going to Invest in Real Estate.

OK, I am constantly working to always live by design and not default however, something came up recently that totally showed me that I was living by default and allowing excuses to get in my way. I didn't even realize it. Recently my brother Stacy told me he was working with a friend of his to potentially buy a 3 million dollar apartment building. I was stunned by this and asked how in the world he could possibly afford to finance something like that. Don't get me wrong Stacy, is a successful businessman and earns a great income and has equity in two homes that he owns however, he doesn't have 300,000 dollars laying around to even put down 10% on that kind of property. In a state of shock I asked, "How in the world could you possibly afford something like that?"

"How could you not if it is a good deal?" He responded.

I was at a complete loss for words. Stacy, is smarter than I am when it comes to Real Estate but I was totally confused by this. I couldn't even comprehend what he was saying. So I told him, I just didn't get it. He went on to explain. Jackie, it works like this; I got to finish crunching the numbers but I already have a partner (Stephen his best friend) and if this deal is good enough he and I both can mortgage ourselves completely to come up with 10% of the money to get it financed. If that doesn't work I have a network of people I have created who are all higher level investors and would go in with us to complete financing as long as the deal is profitable enough. That deal didn't work out the positive cash flow would have only been about $2,000 a month. Which was far too much risk for very little reward. But he taught me two lessons in this conversation the first was when he said, "This could be a deal of a lifetime and you have to be ready and willing to pull the trigger when you find the right deal".

The next lesson came when I gave this excuse, "I need to start saving more money so that I can start investing in rental property. He responded in his very pointed manner, "That is an absolute excuse! Stephen bought his first rental when he didn't have any money to put down and he was only making $25,000 a year!"

That was like a slap in the face with complete reality. I immediately came home and started reading a book Stacy told me to buy two years ago but I had never gotten around to reading it. It's titled "The Millionaire Real Estate Investor". This has been a great read and it is truly eye opening. I am now looking at the market in my local area and will most like buy some rental property by the end of the year. Stacy, said this was the best book he has EVER read on real estate investing and I can see why. I have already learned a tremendous amount in the past week and a half, that I have been reading it. Here is the bottom line in order to achieve true wealth you have to develop passive income. With Coastal Vacations and Decide Freedom Intl. we can earn a tremendous income. However, it takes more than a tremendous income to achieve wealth that is only the first part. Then we have to invest in income producing assets (Real Estate). I am now on a mission and I will be a real estate investor soon enough. Another lesson learned.

All the best,
Jackie O'Quinn
1-800-620-3019

First Steps to Success in Seattle, WA

Seattle, here we come! Taking the city by storm... OK that just sounded fun in my head. No seriously in the morning we are headed out to Washington for First Steps to Success. I am excited to go because I have never been to Seattle, plus we have several new team members going who I have not been fortunate enough to meet in person yet. Also my friend Wayne Jones, will be there and I have not seen him in a while. I can't wait to see what I learn this time. I always seem to learn something new that I am able to bring home with me and apply right away. Why more people looking to excel in their business do not attend is beyond me, it makes no sense.

Carmen and I will be leaving in the morning from Michigan at 7 am and we will arrive in Seattle at 8 am PST. I am not sure exactly who all is going. I am definitely looking forward to seeing Stacy O'Quinn and Renae Heikkila! These are two of my very best friends in the world (OK, Stacy is my brother but he is also one of my best friends). Not to mention my Realtor friend Melissa Hecht, will be there as well. Her real estate career has more than tripled since she started attending First Steps to Success. I wish my best friend Gary would go one day. I know he would love hanging out for the weekend.

See you when we get back,
Jackie O'Quinn
1-800-620-3019

My Garden!

My garden is looking sweet! OK, so it's just some pepper plants and tomato plants in flower pots but, it's still fun. A couple of weekends ago at the cigar shop someone gave me some tomato plants and that was it. I went to Walmart and got some pots and Miracle Grow potting soil, then went to the nursery and got some pepper plants and onions. Now in my backyard I got a row of about 15 pots, 4 tomato plants and some Ceyenne peppers, Habanero peppers, Chili peppers, Jalapeno peppers, Sweet Banana peppers, and onions. The onions are planted in a long window seal planter. It's been a couple of weeks and now I have some small peppers on some of the plants. I will never eat all of those peppers. I love peppers but, I have way to many... lol. The trick is going to be Tahiti, while I am in Tahiti there will be no one to look after my garden. We will just have to see what happens. It's been fun taking breaks in the afternoon to water my plants, it's just been another hobby that I would never take time to enjoy if I didn't have as much free time as I have now, thank goodness to Decide Freedom Intl.

Another exciting thing that is taking place in my life is tomorrow morning I am going with Melissa our Realtor to look at an apartment building. Carmen, and I are both looking to start investing in Real Estate. That is a 3 unit building that looks like it is at an attractive price, so we are going to go take a look at it early in the morning. I need to just get out and start looking at some Real Estate in the local area so I can get a handle on what the current fair market prices are. I will keep you posted on that!

All the best,
Jackie O'Quinn
1-800-620-3019

I am getting financed on Prosper.com!

I just put a loan on Prosper, check it out. You can bid on it or even give me an endorsement. This was really a last minute decision. I was just going to pay my back taxes with a credit card but just decided hey why not give Prosper a try. So I did and I just created a listing. The interest on this loan will probably be cheaper than what it would be on a Credit Card. I expect to pay this off before the end of the year.

I am already a Lender on Prosper with a Group so this will be a great way for me to see how well Prosper works from a Borrowers perspective.

Update on my life, this past weekend Carmen and her Mom have been on a cruise. They will be getting back late tonight and I am looking forward to seeing them. So today and this weekend I have been working from her office during her office hours. I really don't know how to a lot here. I primarily just supervise and keep notes so that Carmen can get things caught up when she gets back. Yesterday, Melissa and I went to Sanford Lake. That was alot of fun we went out with her uncle on his Pontoon boat and just swam and played a little. I put on plenty of sunscreen and I am NOT sunburned! I hate being sunburned.

Well, time to get back to work on this beautiful amazing Monday! Don't forget to bid on my loan on Prosper, it is good way to make some extra money.

Have a Blast,

Jackie O'Quinn
1-800-620-3019

Middle of the week

OK, so we are past the middle of the week it's Thursday now. This week is going great so far. I have hit my minimum daily goals each day, I am feeling the wave of momentum under me as I am staying consistent each day. The end of the week and weekend might me a little tricky, but nothing I can't handle. Carmen and her Mom are going on a 3 day cruise to the Bahamas. I decided to opt out with Tahiti coming up and Puerto Rico. That is just too much traveling for me. I have to stay home some this summer... lol. Since Carmen, will be out of town I will be working from her office Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I will still be working with Decide Freedom Intl. but I will just be working from her office instead of my home office. That just takes me out of my element and makes me responsible to be there on time to open up for the rest of her employees. I guess, a little responsibility will be a good thing.

With Carmen out of town, I will probably spend more time than usual at the Cigar Lounge just relaxing with the fellas. That should make for a great weekend... I will keep you posted!

Have an amazing day,
Jackie O'Quinn
1-800-620-3019

Make 8% to 12% on your money

Do you want to earn a better rate of return on your money than what you can earn with money markets or bank CDs? Do you want to earn up to 10% on your money without the stock market? Do you want to start investing but don't have alot of money to get started with?

Then why don't you join me by investing in Prosper.com? You can actually get started with only $50. You don't have to know anything about the stock market, and I will even help you out by letting you know what loans I am investing in. My current rate of return on my Prosper.com account is over 12%. There are many reasons to invest in Prosper; first, you can earn a good rate of return on your money. Second, it's a great way to help people out who are looking for a loan. Also, you can get started for less than $100 although, I started with $1,000.

If you get signed up as a Lender right now with Prosper.com they will give you $25 just for signing up and making your first loan. Once you sign up, go here and join our group. All of our group members will be notified each time I bid on a loan. You can actually follow me step by step until you feel comfortable doing your own thing.

Prosper Always,
Jackie O'Quinn
1-800-620-3019

The weekend is coming up

OK, so tomorrow is Friday, this is when I start thinking about the weekend. I don't have any major plans, I will make 50 dials tomorrow and get that done with by early afternoon. Then I am planning on going to Timothy's Fine Tobaccos and enjoy an Edge Lite most likely. Edge Lite, is a mild smooth cigar, with light body and a creamy flavor profile; it has lots of smoke and would be a great start to the weekend. Saturday, I will work half a day as will Carmen and then we will go on a date. Not sure what we will do but I would love to go to the movies because we have not been in a while. Although, we have several movies rented from Blockbuster online so we may just cook something in and watch movies. Sunday, afternoon Carmen's assistant Jen is having a birthday party and we were invited so that is most likely how we will wrap up the weekend.

Weekends are great you really have to have a balance in life. Work hard and play hard and have a blast doing both!

Hope you have a great weekend as well,
Jackie O'Quinn
1-800-620-3019

P.S. What are your plans this weekend?

Mark Twain said it best

There Are No Excuses

Mark Twain once wrote, that there are a thousand excuses for every failure but never a good reason. The tragedy of the average American is that whereas his or her main preoccupation seems to be money, or the lack thereof, the average person has the inherent potential to earn far more than he or she is doing currently.

I am currently running late for some dinner plans but as I was logging off of my computer I read an email and the above quote was in it. I agreed with it so strongly I felt compelled to write about it. Often when establishing individuals in business I want them to succeed so bad, unfortunately sometimes I want their success more than they do. One of the things that I have had to learn is that I have to let go of the outcome and I am getting better at that. However, what drives me insane is when someone gives you excuse after excuse about why they are not successful yet they never give you the reason. Mark Twain, said there is never a good reason for failure and he is correct however, most of the time the bad reason is our own lack of work ethic. With Decide Freedom International, I literally work 20 hours a week or less and truthfully I should be working more. However, if someone doesn't have the work ethic to succeed in a business that I literally built working 8 to 10 hours a week in the beginning then I am not so sure they deserve success.

I will give you another example I have a dear friend of mine who is like a brother to me. I would do anything for him, I love him a great deal. For various reasons he has been unemployed for a number of years, it has been said to me that he is unemployed by choice, according to others around me. I have never really believed that until a couple of days ago. I found out about a couple of companies that were looking for people to work from home and earn an hourly rate doing customer service work from home. They were paying up to $9 an hour for this job. I thought WOW, I got to call my friend to tell him about this.

I immediately called him up and told him about the positions that I had heard were available. I was so excited but he wasn't really responding. When I was done and my excitement had calmed down, he flatly told me he was not interested. I was totally dumbfounded, my thought process is you are almost 30 years old with no job, no income, and I just told you away to earn some extra income working from home but you would rather stay broke living with your mother. His excuses were, it wasn't enough pay and that wasn't something he wanted to do and he would keep applying. I realize that to most of you reading this his excuses sound so ridiculously far fetched; but, it just goes to show you what excuses we are able to make and live with. Honestly, I have a friend who doesn't want to work because clearly he doesn't have to. He would rather have his mom continue to support him. This also happens to be the person who has the most potential of anyone that I personally know. I believe he could be far more successful than even myself however, he would have to believe that first. He is by far much smarter than I am and if he had a little money and drive he could start whatever business he wanted and create a massive legacy for himself. I gave him the way to earn alittle bit of that money but he failed to take it.

This gentleman is a perfect example of someone who has the inherent potential to earn far more than he is currently doing. I will never learn to motivate those who choose to stay unmotivated. That is a lesson I have learned.

Thank You God,
Jackie O'Quinn
1-800-620-3019

I just won a listing on Prosper

I just won a listing. It's promising, you can check it out here. As long as funding is completed after the applicants information is verified I will be earning 16.8% interest over the course of the loan. That is not too shabby if you ask me. Prosper, remains to be fun and I am earning a great Return on Investment unlike many lenders on the site however my oldest loans are not quite a year old. So time will tell how well I really do. The problem with Prosper is that the company is still really young and has had their share of growing pains. But I think they will all get it figured out eventually.

Happy Investing
Jackie O'Quinn
1-800-620-3019

Summer is here in Michigan!

Thank you Lord for warm weather. In all honesty Michigan is almost bearable when it's warm out. They have amazing lakes and ponds and beautiful trees, when I think of how frigid it was just a few short weeks ago it's difficult for my brain to make the connection that I am in still in the same state that was so unbearable to me in December and January. Summer is here and I am looking forward to Vacation. Of course we are going to Bora Bora as I mentioned in another post. We will also be heading to Puerto Rico for a 4 day all-inclusive vacation as well. That should be a blast. I also hope to have a few relaxing weekends at my favorite Cigar Lounge, kicking back smoking a couple of Ashton VSGs with my good friend Timmy Nye. Maybe we will be smoking some Rocky Patel 1990s preferably the 60 ring gauge. That is a nice long smoke, really smooth and easy on the palate but full body and rich in taste.

Speaking of Timmy he is a great guy you should meet him sometime. Most people misunderstand him but he has a heart of gold. The reason he is misunderstood is because his middle name is sarcastic, in fact that is probably his middle, first, and last name... lol. He is some of the best company you can have when you are relaxing with a great cigar, light hearted and a lot of fun to talk to.

Thank God summer is finally here. Looking forward to making some lasting memories this year. I look forward to blogging about them as well!

Have a great summer,
Jackie O'Quinn
1-800-620-3019

Bora Bora Here We Come

Dude! We are on our way! Bora Bora here we come. Carmen and I as well as several of our friends are planning a vacation in Bora Bora. Until a year ago, I didn't even know Bora Bora was an island in Tahiti. I have since found that Bora Bora, is one of the most beautiful islands in the world. We are planning this vacation for late July early August and we will be staying at the Bora Bora Nui. We will be gone for about 9 or 10 days. So often I feel so blessed just to be allowed to live the life that I live. Who would have thought that a poor fatherless boy would grow up and by the age of 26 be self employed and earning an income in excess of six figures. Be in a serious committed relationship to an amazing woman who herself is incredibly successful. I am already so blessed and life continues to have high points and low points. I am certain it always will, but how amazing and how humbling to be in the position that I am.

To be honest even when I was struggling to get through college and didn't have a car and was walking back and forth to school, even then I felt blessed just to have the opportunity that I had. I am talking about the opportunity to sleep on someone else's couch, to be able to attend a community college, and just to be able to have the dream of actually becoming a nurse. Then I became a nurse, I remember then feeling blessed that I was well enough to walk the halls and was not one of the patients laying in the bed that I took care of. I wanted more out of life and decided to start a business working from home. In the beginning, I failed several times but I remember feeling honored to be in a free country like America where there is opportunity to try and try again in this capitalistic society. Once I discovered Coastal Vacations and Decide Freedom International and had success even then and now I feel blessed to be in the position that I am in. Not to mention I am totally humbled at what the future holds for us.

Stay Blessed,
Jackie O'Quinn
1-800-620-3019

Prosper.com

In the past I have often talked about managing money and investing on this blog. Finances, are something that I love and I am very excited about! One of the more unique ways of investing is through a website called Prosper.com. I discovered this site about a year ago and have rarely ever said anything about it on this blog. In fact the only reason I am writing about it now is because I just left the website Prosper.com. Prosper is like the Ebay of the personal loan industry.

Someone looking to get a personal unsecured loan would go to Prosper.com and apply for a loan between $1,000 to $25,000. Once someone applies for the loan it would go up for bid and anyone and everyone could bid on a small part, up to the entire amount of the loan. Typically a loan would be up for bid for 7 days. If the loan gets funded then the person requesting the loan will get the money they requested. The very next month they will start repaying the loan and you will get your portion of that loan repayment including interest.

Prosper.com is great because you can literally start investing in loans with as little as $50. Also it's almost like owning your own lending business. Plus, you can earn much more than you can with a Money Market or Traditional CD. For example, I just bidded on a loan that will earn me over 15% interest if I win that loan. Not to mention it's alot of fun bidding on loans! The key to success with Prosper.com is by successfully screening and picking great loans. It takes a little bit of practice but it really isn't that difficult. Just thought I would share that with you. Have a blessed day!

Freedom is a Decision,
Jackie O'Quinn
1-800-620-3019

Decide Freedom Intl

I have not been updating regularly and I sincerely apologize for that. The biggest reason for not updating is simply because this blog has not been my highest priority. I have been paying much more attention to my home based business right now and have been focusing heavily on a new marketing system that has been created for our business. We have already had some amazing success with this system so far.

"All I can say is WOW, WOW. WOW! This new group is kicking some booty :) My show up ratio has never been this good. Out of 10 people that I scripted, I followed up with 9! This is INSANE!" - Catherine , MO

"Hi, I am sooo excited about this new website. I love the way it is easier to understand what we are really all about and the ease of training people on my team. Thank you so much for taking the steps necessary to help us grow as a team!" - Amy in MO

"I think that systems is awesome and your support staff ROCK!! Everything I have asked has been dealt with immediately." - Kayleen , BC

"I want to tell you that I have been working with the DFI system and the only thing I have to say is "Thank You...Thank You....Thank You" I know that DFI will allow me to make a 6-figure income within the next 12 months. "To Your Success" - Monique , NB

"Less than 1 week in the system and I have 2 people who are coming in at Level 3 putting their funds together and 1 at level 1! This system ROCKS!" - Mike and Amanda , MO

You can check out the new system for Decide Freedom International here. I look forward to updating much more regularly again.

All the best,
Jackie O'Quinn
1-800-620-3019

Understanding Wealth IV

As I mentioned in my last post I will be talking about generating an income from Stock Dividends. Stock Dividends have some clear advantages and disadvantages that separate them from Money Market accounts. The biggest disadvantage that comes to mind is the greater potential to loose initial capital. Although companies that give the type of dividends that you would want to rely on for income are usually larger companies with very stable track records of doing business. Although that isn't necessarily a guarantee of any kind. Many of the wealthiest people in this world rely on dividends from stock investments as a source of income.

What is a dividend? Dividends are money given back to shareholders by the company. This money usually comes from profits the company has earned. Since shareholders own a small stake in the company, it's the companies way of passing profits on to the shareholders. Not all companies pay dividends, it's totally up to the management of the company. Some corporations simply keep the dividends to reinvest in their companies to help fund an increase in company growth.

When looking for a company to invest in for dividend income there are some things that you should look for. You want to look for a company with a history of paying consistent dividends. Dividends are usually paid quarterly so you want to make sure that they have been paying a consistent dividend for at least 5 years or more. You also want to make sure that the amount of the dividend is also consistent. Dividends naturally will vary some depending on company profits it's always a good sign if you see a slow steady growth in the amount of the dividend. Often times that shows the companies are having growing profits, and is a stable company. That's the type of company you want to invest in for income.

One of the very best things about investing in stocks that provide dividend income is the potential for capital growth. Stock prices go up and down so it's possible to lose your capital investment however, most companies that provide stable dividend are usually stable companies and more than likely their stock price will actually increase over time. Stock dividends usually are 4% to 6% of the stock price. That means if you buy a stock today at $10 per share and it has a dividend of $.50 per share. Over the next 5 years that stock price goes up to $20 per share and the dividend remains at 5% that means the stock that you originally paid $10 for is now paying you 10% on your money. So basically when investing in stocks with dividends your income stream can actually grow without the dividend itself increasing.

Understanding Wealth III

As I stated in my last post, I will be discussing one of the income streams that I have learned about. I will start by discussing one of the easiest to learn and understand, Money Market Accounts. Money Market Accounts, are very similar to any other savings account except they usually earn slightly higher interest. Some things to be away of about money market accounts is that most require a minimal deposit and you have limited access to your money sometimes you can only withdraw money 3 to 4 times a year. The interest rate on Money Market Accounts right now ranges between 3% to 6% annually. Currently the interest rate on mine is 5.04%.

Money Markets, are a great place to put money that you expect you may need but prefer not to touch it. I love to keep my emergency fund in a Money Market account. The Money Market account that I use is Paypal. There interest is very very competitive. Plus I do not have limited access to my account. I can withdraw money at anytime. It takes 3-5 business days to send money to my bank from Paypal but, I also have a debit card and I can use that to withdraw money instantly if I need to. Also Paypal, does not require a minimum deposit to open their Money Market account. I do not think Money Markets are FDIC insured but historically your principle in a Money Market account is very safe.

I encourage you to open a Money Market account if you don't already have one. Deposit money in there and "Walla!" you have your first additional passive income stream. I don't care if you deposit only $10 in there you have just started an additional passive income stream. Congratulations! Now just use your additional cashflow to add to it. You will be getting small interest payments monthly into your account, now your money is working for you, instead of you working for it!

In the next post titled "Understanding Wealth" I will talking about stock dividends!

Till Then,
Jackie O'Quinn
1-800-620-3019