Which one do you feel is riskier....

Hi Sandy,

As usual, you make some great points and ask some great questions.... :)

> here's the clencher for many folks:
> 1)how do I do this and maintain a healthy
> balance between family and financial goals?

Yes, this is important to me too. Lifestyle is very important to me....

Mail order is one of the common answers to this question. Although I've bought plenty of books about mail order, to be honest I still needed convincing. What finally clinched it?

Two books, I'd say, clinched this for me (that mail order is a great business)....

One was Jim Straw's "Own Your Own Mailorder Business" course. He really does give it to you straight. I like Jim Straw's stuff, because he skips all the useless filler that you find in most books. Instead, he cuts to the chase.

(By the way, if you want to get this book, first check out Gordon Alexander's deal on this and join the Jim Straw Plus Study Group for no extra charge. All you have to do is get it through Gordon's link. It's the best deal on the 'net. Gordon has stated that admissions close on Feb. 28....)

The other book that convinced me was George Haylings "A Lifetime of Homework." A fantastic book, crammed with information not just on mail order, but also on hundreds (maybe thousands) of unusual little businesses. I believe that Terry Alexander (no relation to Gordon, as far as I know!) still has some copies left for sale. He posted earlier on in the forum....

> 2)how do I cope with the jobs which drain your
> time and energy and still give quality time
> to new endeavors?

Yes, I think this is where efficiency might come in....

Partly through talking to and observing my brother Thomas, I've come to realize that efficiency is vitally important. He spends a lot of his time thinking about how to improve his efficiency, and the efficiency of his company.

As he wrote earlier in the forum, efficiency is about getting more for less. (Either for less money, or for less time.) Who doesn't want that? :)

> 3)which" alternative sources of income
> opportunities" require the least time and money
> yet gives the most reward?

Ah, yes, this is the big question....

Any suggestions?

I think the answer may be different for each person....

I've found I can make a lot of money in the stock market, while spending very little time, by identifying and investing in undervalued long term growth stocks. But I know that this may not be for everybody....

The main "problem" with the stock market, as I see it, is that you do need money to make money. The more money you have, the more you can make. (Or the more you can lose, if you don't know what you're doing or if you're not careful.... It definitely pays to educate yourself first in this area.)

- Dien Rice