Owner: Watson Inc URL:http://watsoninc.blogspot.com Join Date: Fri, 08 Jun 2007 23:34:24 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Watson inc wants you to be free of all debt and financially independent. Roshawn Watson explains why debt is not your problem and gives you his secrets for dumping debt and building wealth. Learn key financial concepts that will CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER! Site statistics:Click here
Do Attractive People Earn More? 2008-02-19 06:11:00 By: Roshawn WatsonHave you ever wondered if attractive people earn more? Naively, I believed that this occurred irregularly. However, a research by Daniel Hamermesh and Jeff Biddle suggest that "Ugly Discrimination" is more widespread (Journal of Labor Economics, 1998). They suggest that attractive people earn about 5 percent more in hourly pay than their average-looking colleagues, who in turn earn 9 percent more per hour than the plainest-looking workers.It is Not Fair But IS LegalSeveral people have tried unsuccessfully to sue their employers; however, ugly discrimination is legal. Apparently, unless you live in Washington D.C. and Santa Cruz, you have no legal remedy against this form of discrimination. You could legislate for every kind of discrimination but not this. In... jobs...th
Celebrity Apprentice Episode 7 2008-02-18 10:31:00 By: Roshawn Watson I have to say that I am surprised by some of the behaviors by this season’s participants. I expect these “business-savvy stars” to be more poised and civil in front of the camera.This week’s task was simple and objective: raise the most money selling carriage rides in central park. Once again, the teams were shuffled a bit. The new team Hydra consisted of Piers Morgan, Omarosa, Lennox Lewis, and Carol Alt. Team Empressario members were Marilu Henner, Tito Ortiz, Trace Atkins, and Stephen Baldwin. What should have been a straight forward task, ended up causing one of be biggest disputes in Apprentice
history.Piers was project manager for Team Hydra, and he said that his strategy was: just raise as much money as possible. Should they fail the task, he would bring i Read more:Celebrity
, Episode
Uncommon Money News (Vol. 12) 2008-02-13 08:57:00 In preparing to write my posts, I often come across noteworthy and sometimes bizarre financial and business news. Here are links to some of these sites. Enjoy!Lastly, I also wanted to thank all of you who are voting for articles from this site on social bookmarketing sites such as stumbleupon, delicious, and propeller. Together, we are spreading the word about the importance of financial literacy. I appreciate your help so much! Thanks.By: Roshawn WatsonEconomyCongress Approves Economic Stimulus PackageCrashing the Subprime PartyNew York now accepting Euros! Talking With Your Honey About Money
Career and JobsDo Pretty People Really Earn More?EntertainmentThe Economy of Britney Spears! At a reported net worth of over $100 million, she is not only person profiting off of her fame.Offbeat New
Celebrity Apprentice Episode 6 2008-02-12 09:49:00 By: Roshawn WatsonThis week’s task was to design a living window display featuring a campaign for a Vera Wang’s new Serta mattress.Omarosa led team Empressario while Former Heavyweight champion, Lenox Lewis led team Hydra. Stephen Baldwin decided to switch teams (from Hydra to Empressario) due to the Piers Morgan-Vinnie debacle .The teams were judged on creativity, brand-messaging, and entertainment value.Team Empressario: Being Omarosa’s second time as a project manager (she also led task number one) and given Empressario’s embarrassing record of 1:4 wins, the stakes were high to bring a win.Click here for free gifts for new Watson Inc subscribersThey immediately chose a wedding theme: Vera's niche. They created a classic and beautiful wedding display. It was gorgeous, and Vera wa Read more:Celebrity
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Retired at 40 years old? 2008-02-07 05:00:00 By: Roshawn WatsonA recent article of Money Magazine profiles Todd and Julie Nielsen, who both retired from the air force after serving about 20 years each. Although retirement from the military at this point is typical because twenty years is when one may collect a pension and lifetime medical benefits, the Nielsens have done something very unusual. They have elected not to pick up private sector jobs: they have quit work altogether for good!By retiring from work, Todd, 44, and Julie, 40, are living some people's dream; however, money is still tight. For example, their annual pension income is $58,500, but they have a family of five, with expenses of nearly $54,000, including a mortgage of nearly $20,000 per year.They also have nearly $400,000 in stocks and Roth IRAs. Their plan is to not Read more:Retired
More Colleges Replacing Student Loans with Grants 2008-02-04 23:44:00 By: Roshawn WatsonBoth Harvard and Yale recently made news for eliminating loans in its aid packages for families earning as much as $180,000 and $200,000 annually, respectively. Now other private schools are beginning to follow suit by replacing student loans with grants for incoming students. These other schools include Duke University, Dartmouth College, California Institute of Technology, Emory University, Tufts University and Williams College, and others. For example, Columbia University is eliminating student loans for students whose families earn less than $50,000 annually. Harvard and Princeton have removed home equity from their equations for establishing need. In fact, the aid is taking many different forms including: tuition freezes, fee freezes, and more. Obviously, the schools Read more:Student
, Loans
Celebrity Apprentice Episode 5 2008-02-04 09:41:00 By: Roshawn Watson At the conclusion of episode 4, the promotion for episode 5 promised the biggest showdown in Apprentice
history, and they were right. Although I was initially skeptical, what unfolded over the 2 hour time span proved to be one of the most riveting and entertaining Apprentice episodes ever!Complete with corporate espionage and other betrayals, a stunning resignation, and extremely high tempers, the cast of Celebrity
Apprentice stopped just short of striking blows.The Task: The task was to design a campaign and corresponding receptacle for recycling old Crocs shoes. The goal of the receptacle was to collect shoes for underprivileged countries. Former supermodel, Carol Alt led Empressario while Piers Morgan led the men (Team Hydra).Click here for free gifts for new Watson I Read more:Episode
Uncommon Money News (Vol 10) 2008-01-31 07:46:00 By: Roshawn WatsonIn preparing to write my posts, I often come across noteworthy and sometimes bizarre financial and business news. Here are links to some of these sites. Enjoy!Additionally, my Taking Control of Your Finances post was the editors pick at Everything Finance. Many thanks to Tushar for highlighting my post in his carnival.Lastly, I also wanted to thank all of you who are voting for articles from this site on social bookmarketing sites such as stumbleupon, delicious, and propeller. Together, we are spreading the word about the importance of financial literacy. I appreciate your help so much! Thanks.What Does Goldman Sachs Know That We Don't! Personally, I do not feel the article speaks to whether or not they had a lot of extra information but the importance of acting on the in Read more:Money
Celebrity Apprentice Episode 4 2008-01-29 23:53:00 By: Roshawn Watson Fitting for New York, the last task was to raise more money by selling tickets for four different Broadway productions. As usual, the money raised went to charity. Marilu Henner was the leader for Empressario while Frank Lombardi led team Hydra. Note that both Marilu and Frank have strong backgrounds in theater. Empressario’s Performance: Marilu pulled out all of the stops for this task. She contacted booking agents to find out which productions sell better. She and the rest of the team contact their high net worth friends to purchase tickets at inordinately high prices. Overall, the team worked well and looked poised to easily glide to their first win. Hydra’s Performance: In contrast, the men had several interpersonal and other challenges. Piers Morg Read more:Celebrity
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What You Respect, You Attract 2008-01-24 11:26:00 By: Roshawn WatsonDid you know that rich people admire other rich and successful people? Alternatively, many poor and middle class people resent the rich. If your view of rich people is negative in any way, and you desire to be a good person, then you can never be rich. How can you be something that you despise?It is perplexing and troubling to see the resentment and outright anger that poor and middle class people have towards the rich. You will hear such people say that “I can never get ahead. Those evil, greedy, rich people are just so selfish.” It is as if they believe that rich people made them poor by taking all the money, so now there is no money left for them.My Thoughts are My Business. If you happen to be one of the people who says “my thoughts are my business,” you are r
Celebrity Apprentice Episode 3 Recap 2008-01-23 08:29:00 By: Roshawn WatsonEpisode
3 commenced with a corporate reshuffling. Since Gene Simmons led team Hydra to a win on the last task , Trump asked Gene to lead team Empressario (the women) to a victory. Gene reveled in the request and gladly accepted. After suffering two devastating and embarrassing losses, team Empressario welcomed Gene's contributions.The task was to create a Kodak mobile experience. Both teams each received an air-streamed bus, several cameras, and Kodak's brand new Ink Jet Printer. The teams were judged on originality, brand message, and profits; the proceeds go to the team leader's favorite charity. Tito Ortiz, from Ultimate Fighter, led the men's team (Hydra).Team Empressario: Gene started off the tasks saying that he leads as a benevolent dictator, which surprisingly wen Read more:Celebrity
, Apprentice
, Recap
Uncommon Money News (Vol 9) 2008-01-17 13:19:00 By: Roshawn WatsonIn preparing to write my posts, I often come across noteworthy and sometimes bizarre financial and business news. Here are links to some of these sites. Enjoy!Additionally, my Taking Control of Your Finances post got accepted into the Carnival of Twenty Something Finances and the carnival of Personal Finance Financial Planning. Thank you so much for including my post in your carnivals.Lastly, I also wanted to thank all of you who are voting for articles from this site on social bookmarketing sites such as stumbleupon, delicious, and propeller. Together, we are spreading the word about the importance of financial literacy. I appreciate your help so much! Thanks.The odds of a recession increasedAn audioclip discussing "What is the middle class?"ID theft gets personal when Read more:Money
Seize Your Opportunities 2008-01-16 08:05:00 By: Roshawn Watson It is so interesting how two people can see a situation so differently. For example, one person can look at the subprime mortgage crisis and say "oh my, what is going to happen to the value of my home." In contrast, David Bach, Warren Buffet, and Donald Trump all say it is a fabulous time to get into real estate. Similarly, one person may look at the looming recession and say "what am I going to do" while their neighbor is launching an idea that will provide thousands of jobs.Click here for free gifts for new Watson Inc subscribersSomeone very dear to me recently purchased a car. Like me, she is on the 100% down plan, so she simply transferred money from her emergency fund to cover the expense. Consequently (because she paid cash), she was able to broker a fabulous deal, Read more:Seize
, Opportunities
Celebrity Apprentice (Episode 2) 2008-01-13 23:18:00 By: Roshawn WatsonThe latest task was to design a thirty second original ad for the Pedigree dog adoption drive. The winning project manager was given $20,000 towards his or her favorite charity.Nely, a TV executive veteran, naturally took leadership for team Espressariro (the women) while renaissance man and marketing genius Gene Simmons was project manager for the men (team Hydra).Once again, the teams took very different approaches to the task.Team Empressario decided to meet with the pedigree executive to get a feel for what he wanted. Overall, they tried a more holistic approach, right down to group meditation before the meeting. Nely and Marilu Henner took the creative lead for the task. Marilu was increasingly dissatisfied with the actors and even decided to do an on-camera spot her Read more:Celebrity
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Uncommon Money News (Vol 8) 2008-01-10 15:55:00 By: Roshawn WatsonIn preparing to write my posts, I often come across noteworthy and sometimes bizarre financial and business news. Here are links to some of these sites. Enjoy!Additionally, Taking Control of Your Finances post got accepted into the Carnival of Money
, Growth and Happiness and the Carnival of Financial Planning . Thank you so much for including my post in your carnivals.Lastly, I also wanted to thank all of you who are voting for articles from this site on social bookmarketing sites such as stumbleupon, delicious, and propeller. Together, we are spreading the word about the importance of financial literacy. I appreciate your help so much! Thanks.This was a pretty interesting slide show about the world's richest college drop outs. This article is sad. It highlights how free
Setting Your Sights on Higher Ground 2008-01-09 12:55:00 By: Roshawn WatsonFor me, watching movies is always enjoyable , but reading books and attending conferences and meetings keep me motivated. Nonetheless, in addition to visiting family and catching up on flicks over the holidays, I also made time for some meetings as well. One of these meetings was particularly challenging me. As I sat listening, I realized that the speaker had literally challenged the magnitude of everything that I was currently pursuing: every investment, every plan, every venture, and every dream that I then had was minute compared to what he was talking about. (Sometimes the problem with these types of events is that they create much discontentment with our current situations).Honestly, I felt so disappointed in myself initially. I do not recall when I shrunk my dream d Read more:Setting
, Sights
, Higher
Celebrity Apprentice (Episode 1) 2008-01-07 22:54:00 By: Roshawn WatsonIndulge me this one guilty pleasure: I am an Apprentice
fan. Celebrity
Apprentice (like other installments of the franchise) is a gold mine for personal finance and business wisdom.In the long-awaited premiere, the first task was to raise money selling hot dogs in New York city. The proceeds go to the winning project manager's favorite charity. The two teams are team Hydra (the men) and Empressario (the women).The Strategies: Stephen Baldwin served as the first project manager for team Hydra. Their strategy was to bank on their celebrity to charge a lot for their hot dogs. They even sent people back who did not have enough money for their overpriced dogs. They had poor signage and appeared to have no plan outside of relying on Gene Simmons. Gene Simmons literally had his Read more:Episode
Uncommon Money News (Vol 7) 2008-01-02 23:49:00 By: Roshawn WatsonIn preparing to write my posts, I often come across noteworthy and sometimes bizarre financial and business news. Here are links to some of these sites. Enjoy!Special thanks to all of you who are voting on articles from this site on social bookmarketing sites such as stumbleupon, propeller, and delicious.Whoopi Goldberg, recently of Wake Up with Whoopi (radio) and The View fame, says down with the death taxCNN poll says that most Americans believe we are in recession. Watch video hereNote that we are currently not in recession by the standard newspaper definition of a recession: a decline in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for two or more consecutive quarters.Most would almost kill (figuratively) to be on any forbes list. Well...except, perhaps for this onePF bloggers ne Read more:Money
Developing True Commitment to Financial Goals 2008-01-02 07:39:00 By: Roshawn WatsonI once read a quote by W. H. Murray "Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to drawback, (and) always ineffectiveness." I think this quote really applies to wealth-building. Think about the billions of people who want wealth but the relatively few people who have it. Before you say that this is because of unjust "mean, greedy, rich people," ponder whether lack of commitment could have some role in this.One reason some of us do not commit ourselves to creating wealth is that we internally have a negative perspective about wealth. For example, we may..."fear that all our money will go to the government""fear the amount of work it will take to gain the wealth""fear that everyone is going to want a handout""fear that we will be robbed""fear that money will cor Read more:Commitment
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Free Gifts for Watson Inc. Subscribers 2008-01-02 00:32:00 Happy New Year! Over the Christmas holiday, I had a chance to catch up with some movies, and one of the movies I saw was Ridley Scott’s amazing “American Gangster” flick. I was captivated by the story and inspired to write about the parallels between how Frank Lucas formed his empire and personal finance. Although the post is slated to be released in its entirety in a month, I wanted give all new Watson
Inc subscribers a sneak peak at the post. Additionally, my friend Mehdi at Strong Lifts has given me his permission to gift his authoritative fitness ebook. This is also my gift to all new Watson Inc subscribers. (Thanks Mehdi)I will email the white paper and ebook to all new email subscribers (and to existing subscribers per requests), and RSS subscribers will be eligible to receive Read more:Gifts
, Subscribers
11 Powerful Lessons from Top Business Masters 2007-12-18 15:59:00 By: Roshawn WatsonIn case you missed the link to this story from last week's Uncommon Money News, I made this slideshow based off of the 11 powerful lessons article. (BTW, if the speed of this slideshow is a little too fast, just scroll over the slideshow, and click the pause icon)I have special gifts to all subscribers!
Simply make a comment on the following page by pasting
the following URL in your address bar.
-gifts-for-rss-subscribers-jan-2008.html
Copyright 2008, Roshawn Watson, Pharm.D. All Rights Reserved.
Read more:Lessons
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, Masters
Rich Means Rich! 2007-12-11 02:38:00 By: Roshawn WatsonWhat is your financial ambition...your true intention? The old adage goes "if you aim for nothing, you will hit the mark every time." Accordingly, it is very important to critically evaluate your financial goals. These goals must be appropriate, realistic, and measurable. Most are unable or unwilling to invest the time necessary to set and evaluate such goals. Thus, it is no wonder why so few individuals have the majority of the wealth. One big problem with personal finance is that so many people have distorted or incomplete pictures of wealth. For example, some people confuse being comfortable with being rich. The difference must be clear in your mind, so that you can choose the appropriate level of resources necessary to achieve your goals.Poverty. Some are satisfied wi Read more:Means
Response to the Impending Destruction of the U.S. Economy article 2007-12-04 14:42:00 By: Roshawn WatsonIn today's Uncommon Money News post, one of the articles, entitled "Impending Destruction
of the U.S. Economy," detailed the fragile state of the U.S. economy. The author cited several statistics including how a few years ago the euro was worth 85 cents (US), but today it is worth $1.48. My opinion is that with the rest of the world economies continuing to inflate (meaning their prices continue to increase) and a war that costs $500K a minute, it is possible (not certain) that we are headed for a recession.Believe it or not, the problem isn't too little money but too many dollars. The world is choking on too many U.S. dollars. Due to the subprime meltdown, we can't simply raise interest rates to correct the problem, as it would wreak havoc on overextended mortgage holders Read more:Response
Uncommon Money News (vol. 5) 2007-12-04 10:32:00 By: Roshawn WatsonIn preparing to write my posts, I often come across noteworthy and sometimes bizarre financial and business news. Here are links to some of these sites. Enjoy! Loss of the patent for Plavix (a blood anticoagulant) will cause BMS to loose an estimated $3 billion. BMS intends to cut 40,000 jobs.Perhaps, this article about the impending doom of the US economy is one of the most provocative articles I have read recently. I am not a fatalist and will discuss this article in more detail in a subsequent post.Sam Walton's frugality is legendary. Here are some of the other frugal billionaires.I never heard about reselling your insurance policy until reading this article. I thought it was pretty interesting and am surprised it is legal.Will the $100 laptop project dismantle?One of Read more:Money
Taking Control of Your Financial Life 2007-11-30 06:50:00 By: Roshawn WatsonEither consciously or subconsciously, we steer our financial lives. Throughout the day, we make a myriad of decisions that move us steps closer to success or mediocrity and financial struggle. For example, "Should I buy that suit today on credit or wait until I have the money?" "Should I start that business with a loan or make it cash flow itself from the beginning?" "Should I loan her the money or just say no?" "Do I really need an emergency fund?" The point is we are constantly making choices that affect our financial destinies, yet we often do not act like we are in the drivers’ seats. Instead, we often play the victim card.Victims focus on "poor me", and that's exactly what they get. (T Harv Ekers)One of the first characteristics indicating that someone has a victim Read more:Financial
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Trace Atkins - The Better Celebrity Apprentice 2008-04-01 09:18:00 By: Roshawn WatsonThanks to all the people who wrote in over the past few weeks. I am fine but was too busy to consistently update Watson Inc with meaningful content. One hot topic that several readers wrote me about was CelebrityApprentice
. It ended on last Thursday. Since I was giving weekly recaps, I feel compelled to address to season finale. Briefly, I was immensely disappointed. Check out my brand new budgeting series!Piers should not have made the final two, given his poor character and the recommendations from the advisors (Erin and Mad Money star Jim Crammer). He is simply a mean, arrogant, and ruthless person who few people liked. Unfortunately, those people who liked him had money and that made him look good with respect to some tasks. Despite all of the "evidence to the contr Read more:Atkins
, Trace
Budgeting - Your Foundation For Wealth (Part 1) 2008-04-01 01:00:00 By: Roshawn WatsonPart 1: Where did my money go?Whether you make $40,000 per year or $400,000, you can still be broke. People constantly ask me questions about their finances, especially with regards to planning for retirement, getting out of debt, or saving for education. It always amazes how some people waste so much money and then wonder why they are broke. Sometimes my frustration shows through, and they feel it necessary to justify wasting money. By far, the worst justification is “I have worked so hard and earn enough money, so I deserve to have nice things.” The new flash is a lot of people work very hard, but working hard alone is not good rationale for being financially irresponsible.Some people both figuratively and literally mortgage their and their family’s future so that Read more:Wealth
, Foundation
, Budgeting
Is Home Ownership A Good Investment? 2008-04-03 07:30:00 By: Roshawn WatsonHome prices are down, but the hopes and dreams of home owners are high.Since late 1990s, the average prices have nearly doubled. This has caused many people to try to purchase as much home as they can afford. However, if you look at a more long-term view, you will get a more complete picture. Robert Shiller, a Yale Professor, tracks real estate history. According to his research, from 1890 -1990, there was virtually no change in real inflation corrected real estate prices.Professor Jack Clark Francis, Baruch College, research also indicates that single family homes are not a good investment when compared to other asset classes. His research indicates that from 1978-2006 the S&P 500 has averaged a 13% return, stock from small companies (small cap) has averaged 16% whil Read more:Ownership
, Home Ownership
Budgeting - Your Foundation For Wealth (part 2) 2008-04-06 23:11:00 Knowing What’s Going On?By: Roshawn WatsonKnowing is half the battle. It is hard to plug a hole when you cannot identify its location. Budgeting
shows you the problem by allowing you to see your real expenses… not what you think they are. Unfortunately, we sometimes have selective memories when it comes to recalling just how much that last mall or electronics store excursion cost us. The little things do add up, especially over time. That’s why a budget is so imperative.Those who win with money generally know what their expenses are, even down to nauseating details. That’s one of the reasons they have real money in the first place. In fact, many can answer yes to each of these three questions whereas most people cannot. 1. Do you know how much your family spends each year for food, Read more:Foundation
, Wealth
Overdue Consumer Debt Skyrockets 2008-04-09 07:36:00 By: Roshawn WatsonAccording to the American Banking Association’s quarterly survey, consumers fell behind on their debt at the highest rate since 1992. Across all eight loan categories tracked, payments that are at least 30 days past due increased, reflecting the immense economic stress consumers currently face. Leading the pack was late car loan payments, which make up two-thirds of consumer loans with fixed balances. Consumer
s over-borrowed because they assumed that home prices would continue to rise.As the value of homes continues to depreciate, the implications are broadly felt. Banks are taking steps to protect themselves. For example, some banks are now… • no longer issuing subprime home equity loans• requiring home buyers put down larger down-payments and prove their income
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