Here’s a neat idea to make money from your vacation homes or even your personal property. Have it star in a movie!

All you need to do is take about 36 pictures and send them to the local film commision. They maintain a database for location scouts. Of course they’ll take a large chunk of the money you make as a commission but with rates going as high as $2,500/day its probably worth it.

The San Diego Film Commission has the following tips:

Movie magic has been the source of fantasy and dreams for nearly 100 years.Most people are fascinated with the process and will cooperate if they understand what is going on.The film experience can be fun.Here ‘s what you need to know to make your property a “star”:

One: You must own or manage the property and be able to legally grant permission for filming to occur.

Two: Production companies carry insurance that covers damage or accidents that may occur during location shooting.Request that you and your property be added as “additional insured ” on their policy and get a copy before filming begins.

Three: Ask questions first:

* Is the San Diego Film Commission involved?(Your assurance that all local governmental and agency permits, requirements and concerns are being handled.)
* What is the name of the production company and the project name?
* What kind of project is it? TV, feature film, commercial, print ad? Is it an interior or exterior shot?
* What is the action? Walk and talk? Fight scene? Chase?
* How many crew members and talent will be on the property?
* Where will they park? Will it impact my business? The neighbors?
* Will the company inform the neighbors and provide a neighborhood letter?
* How long will they use the location?
* If the filming takes longer than planned, what happens then?
* How and when will the company restore the property to its original condition?

Four: You will be working primarily with the location manager. Ask the manager to tape off areas of your property that won ‘t be used to prevent crew and talent from “roaming ” from the scene.

Five: Make a written agreement as to what you do and do not permit on your property, for example: eating, drinking, smoking.

Six: The location manager will offer you a fee for the use of your property. Ask how and when you will be paid. When considering whether the amount is a fair offer, first think of a reasonable rate if you were to lease your property to a typical user for one month, then divide that amount by thirty to determine a daily rate. If it is a business property, consider what you would make in revenue on a typical day. Other considerations are the level of inconvenience, the time and number of people involved and whether or not you would enjoy the experience. Interior filming is more disruptive than exterior filming. A print shoot, with a tripod and a crew of 3 to 5 people, is not as disruptive as a 35-member commercial shoot with camera and sound equipment. Remember, the production company must restore everything to its original state.

Seven: Recognize that any time you have people in your home there will be disruption. Cables will be laid, furniture moved, things bumped, etc. The crew will lay cardboard on your floors to prevent damage and will clean or paint any walls they damage. Negotiate up front for other protective measures your property and belongings may require.

Eight: You may want to remove any personal items that you consider to be valuable or irreplaceable before shooting begins, such as antiques, photographs or family memorabilia.

Nine: If there is a celebrity on your property you will be tempted to photograph them or talk to them. Make certain that you have permission to do either. The actor may be concentrating on the part and not appreciate the interruption. The location manager will know the best approach, and may prefer to introduce you themselves. Please don ‘t invite friends and family to view the filming. The production company is performing work that needs a quiet environment to succeed.

Ten: The production company supplies its own electricity via portable generator, as well as their own bathrooms, unless otherwise specified.

Eleven: The production company should ask your permission before cutting any shrubs, trimming trees or any other activity that alters your property.

Twelve: Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If the production company can ‘t answer your questions to your satisfaction please call the San Diego Film Commission at (619)234-FILM.

Taz Trader Blog has a great article on how to lose money trading.

#10 – Put all of your efforts into finding the perfect technical indicator. Once you find this magical indicator, it will be like turning on a water faucet. Go all in. The money will just flow into your account!

#9 – When your technical indicator says that the stock is oversold, BUY IT RIGHT THEN. Always do what your technical indicator says to do. It takes precedence over price action.

#8 – Make sure to visit a lot of stock trading forums and ask them for hot stock tips. Also, ask all your friends and family for stock tips. They are usually right, and acting on these tips can make you very rich.

#7 – Watch what other traders do and be sure to follow the crowd. After all, they have been trading a lot longer than you so naturally they are smarter.

#6 – Pay very close attention to the fundamentals of a company. You MUST know the P/E ratio, book value, profit margins, etc. Once you find a “good company”, consider going on margin to pay for shares in their stock.

#5 – Forget about developing a trading plan. If you see a good stock just buy it. Don’t worry about when your going to sell. No need to get caught up in the details. Besides, you’ll probably get rich the first year of trading anyway.

#4 – Buy expensive computers and trading software. While your at it, buy a couple more TV’s so that you can watch CNBC on multiple screens! You NEED all of these gadgets in order to trade stocks successfully. Then watch the money roll in!

#3 – Always follow your emotions. They are there for a reason. If you feel nervous, sell the stock! If you are excited, buy more shares. This is the best way to trade stocks and fatten up your trading account.

#2 – Don’t worry about using stop loss orders. When the time comes, you will be able to sell your shares and take a loss. Your emotions won’t even come into play. Besides, stop loss orders are for sissies!

#1 – Absolutely, without a doubt, FORGET about managing your money. Don’t worry about how much you can lose on a trade. Only think about how much loot your gonna make. Then start planning that trip to Fiji!

I recently bought a book for a friend’s birthday at Barnes and Nobles Book Store. Since my friend is an investor in one of my private placement funds, I considered this a business expense[and the book was below $25 as allowed by the IRS for Business gifts].

When I forked over my business credit card to pay for Guns, Germs & Steel I was informed that I would get a corporate discount of 15%!!!

So not only was the gift tax deductible, but I also got a discount on it!!! I love having my own corporate entity!

According to an article in Forbes, there are a few surprizing jobs that pay $100k salaries. Not everyone in this profession makes 6 figures, but there probably 20%+ that do.

10 surprising jobs that can pay you $100,000
Court reporter
Professional (life or career) coach
Mine manager
Salesperson
Truck driver
Pressman
Technical writer
Restaurant manager
Air traffic controller
Elementary school principal

Well, if I ever need a job in another profession, I’m pretty sure I can cut it as a Court Reporter [Just need to type 200 words/minute], a Mine Manager[Dig a hole THERE!] or a Truck Driver!

According to MarketWatch.com,

Prices for condos were down 0.3% year-over-year nationally. Fifteen cities had double-digit increases from a year earlier, while 14 had declines. In the condo market, Phoenix, Ariz., had the biggest gains, up 25.3%. Condo prices fell 5.1% in the Atlanta, Ga., metro region. Condo prices were down in once-hot markets like San Diego and Washington.

Nationally, median prices for existing homes were up 3.7% year-over-year, according to data already released by the group.

The biggest year-over-year gain was in Baton Rouge, La., where prices jumped 27.3% as demand skyrocketed after the hurricanes. The rest of the top 10: Ocala, Fla.; Virginia Beach, Va.; Gainesville, Fla.; Portland, Ore.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Tampa, Fla.; Spokane, Wash.; Beaumont, Texas; and Eugene, Ore.

And according to the Real Estate Journal

Price gains slow across the U.S.

In the second quarter of this year, there was a drop in the number of cities experiencing double-digit home price gains from the same period the year before — from 66 to 37, according to new data released by the National Association of Realtors and published by MarketWatch.com. In the second quarter of this year, 26 cities experienced price declines, compared to 16 metros last year, MarketWatch says. Across the U.S., median existing-home sale prices rose 3.7% between the second quarters of 2005 and 2006, the Web site says. Baton Rouge, La., showed the biggest price increase — 27.3%, while Danville, Ill., had the biggest price drop — 11.2% — the article says. Condo prices fell 0.3% nationally, with Phoenix, Ariz., experiencing the biggest increase — 25.3%, the Web site says.

Hot vacation-home markets cool

During the housing boom, prices for second homes in vacation hot spots across the U.S. soared. But now, as the real-estate market slows, price tags in some areas are declining, The New York Times says. Vacation locales in all price ranges are experiencing a slowdown — from pricy enclaves like Lake Tahoe in California and Nevada and the Hamptons in New York, to more modestly priced locations like the Jersey Shore and Panama City, Fla., the paper says. According to the article, sales dropped 35% in the first half of this year in Lake Tahoe, 14% in Southampton, N.Y., and 19% in East Hampton, N.Y. Median prices declined 10% in June from the year before in the more modestly priced Panama City, Fla., and dropped 10% to 15% this spring and summer from the same period a year before in Ocean City, N.J., the New York Times says.

Prices have started falling in San Diego. 10% in the condo range and a little more in the high end home range. Even the median home price is down 5-10% from last year. I’m glad I’m a renter!!!

Sometimes your best investments are the ones you don’t make.
Donald Trump

I buy expensive suits. They just look cheap on me.
Warren Buffett

There’s nothing wrong with getting fired.
Ted Turner

The consumer isn’t a moron; she is your wife.
David Ogilvy

My son is now an “entrepreneur.” That’s what you’re called when you don’t have a job.
Ted Turner

And just when you thought that the price of oil couldn’t go any higher you hear that Exxon’s been understating their profits by around 10%!!!! There’s a tax loophole that allows companies to use a fixed pricing for their cost of goods. Some companies use this to artificially boost their profits, while some like the oil companies use it to hide them!!!

Anyway, according to an article in fortune, US drivers haven’t changed their driving habits and oil consumption is actually higher than it was last summer. Instead, they say we’ve cut other stuff like eating out.

Another interesting article about deflation, this time caused by excess global liquidity.

But, for now, a superabundance of money and credit is financing a leap in asset prices across markets and time zones. Colleague Ian McCulley has made a study of this transnational and heterogeneous bull market. The most favored asset classes run the gamut: comic books, Spanish postage stamps, U.S. farmland, Indian paintings, exotic automobiles, Middle Eastern antiquities, Middle Eastern equities, European houses, Tokyo land. Taking a bow for a stellar second quarter, Sotheby’s cited strength in the Chinese art market, the Russian art market and in Impressionist and contemporary art sales in London. It has pushed through a 22% increase in commission rates.

Also got an email today also talking about credit expansion.

“It’s time,” Addison reports from on the scene in Cannes, France. “The good doctor poked me in the shoulder last night at dinner. ‘It’s time for the United States to collapse,’ he said, with a satisfied smile on his face. ‘The world needs to heal.'”

In a normal economic expansion, Dr. Richebächer contends, credit expansion is roughly equal to the nation’s savings. As 2005 was the first full year in which the U.S. consumer saw a negative savings rate since 1933, the rate of credit expansion should have also been negative.

Au contraire, Dr. Richebächer estimates that for every dollar of GDP produced in the United States last year, over four dollars of credit was created. “We haven’t seen such a bubble as this one since the 1920s. The only difference is…this time it’s much worse,” says the good doctor.

If you want to read why Dr. Kurt Richebächer thinks the US is headed for a slump you can read the whole article By Far the Weakest Recovery

Today the Fed the the brakes on the rate hikes. So will the Fed stay on pause or will it continue raising the rates at the next meeting?

Seems like economists don’t know either.

“There was a strong case for pausing at 4.5%,” said Ian Shepherdson, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics. “There was already plenty of evidence the previous hikes had begun to soften growth.” He predicts the Fed will start to cut rates by next April.

“You can’t fight inflation without risking overkill on the economy,” said Ethan Harris, chief U.S. economist at Lehman Brothers, who thinks the Fed shouldn’t have paused and predicts it will eventually raise the rate to 5.75%. “That is a risk, and it’s a risk they should take.”

There’s an interesting theory I read somewhere put forth by a trader[of course]. You should watch how the market reacts to the Fed’s rate hike [or not] and see what it does. Apparently if you take the opposite position, you will be rewarded the very next day with an inverse movement in the market and a profitable trade. [NOTE: this is not something I follow, nor recommend, just something random I read]. Since the market was down today, it should supposedly move up tomorrow. Lets see if it works! [if it does, I still won’t recommend it]

With today’s surge in crude oil prices to $77/barrel, we can expect prices at the pump to jump up as well. How would you like to buy a sports cars with performance that rivals a porsche and only costs 1 cent/mile???

Well Tesla Motors is creating the world’s first electric sports car. The Telsa Roadster is a nifty piece of engineering and comes with a comparatively low price tag of $90,000. Don’t know how much it’ll cost to replace the batteries [they should last 100,000 miles] but with a 3.5 hr charge from a 240volt outlet, thats quicker than my cellphone!!!!