July 11, 2007

Could You Be Getting Cash from a Lost Pension Plan?... The ther People (OP) Rule... Fifteen Minutes In An Indy Car... It'll Cost You... and More.

** Could You Be Getting Cash from a Lost Pension Plan?
By Adrian Newman, Founder of e-Wealth Daily

You could be sitting on comfort, support, and stability for your future without even knowing it. It may be possible that you or someone you know could be owed pension benefits without knowing it.

According to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), it's a serious possibility. You may be entitled to pension money if you were with a company that went out of business in the past or canceled its benefit pension plan.

Since 1996, PBGC has offered the "Pension Search" directory (http://www.pbgc.gov/search/) as a tool for people who earned a pension during their career but are unable to find it. You can complete a search by your last name, the company name, or the state where the company was headquartered.

The PBGC has had success in reuniting people with their lost pensions. However, its Pension Search directory has not located all of the lost pensions that are out there yet. Pension plans have to be distributed to employees or retirees upon their termination or when the company goes out of business.

In the case where an individual cannot be found, the plan administrator must purchase an annuity from a private insurer under your name or deposit the funds into a financial institution. Finding an insurance company to accept the pension fund on behalf of an individual is not always easy to do.

The Pension Search Program (created by the Retirement Protection Act of 1994) locates people who are owed benefits from fully funded pension plans that have ended. According to the PBGC, in August 2004, the states with the most missing pension participants and money to be claimed were as follows:

To date, the PBGC has found more than 25,626 pensions. Those of you who believe that your pension plan owes you benefits or that you may be missing from the plan's records should first try to contact the pension plan administrator or the company where you earned your pension. If the company you're trying to reach cannot be found, contact the PBGC at:

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
1200 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005-4026
Phone: (202) 326-4000 or 1 (800) 400-7242
Plan Administration Inquiries: 1 (800) 736-2444
General Legal Inquiries: (202) 326-4020
For TTY/TDD users: 1 (800) 877-8339
E-mail: ask.pbgc@pbgc.gov or missing@pbgc.gov
Web site: http://www.pbgc.gov

In Canada, contact the below organizations or drop into your nearest local human resources center and speak with an individual on any issues you may have with your previous or current pension plan:

Social Development Canada
Ottawa, ON K1A 0L4
Phone: 1 (800) 277-9914 (in English) or
1 (800) 277-9915 (in French)
TTY device: 1 (800) 255-4786

For nearly two decades I have been involved in the testing of hundreds of national advertisements, the goals of which were to understand what moves people — and to employ the correct tactics that would move them.

As a result of these marketing tests — or scientific experiments, if you will — I have learned which thoughts, words, and emotions work like magic to attract attention, gain interest, build desire, and move people to take action in my favor. As a result, I can tell you with absolute certainty which ideas move people to take action.

In fact, I have seen one advertisement sell 50% more products than another and the only difference was the headline! Five seconds of a reader's attention made all the difference in the world. This statement dramatizes the huge selling power your choice of words has in getting others to do what you want. This is the foundation you will use to increase your income and improve your life overall.

The most important words are ones that appeal to people's self interest, because that is at the core of moving people. Have you ever heard the acronym WIFFM? It stands for "What's In It For Me?" When you structure your communication around the WIFFM principle — whether that communication is verbal, graphic, or written — you will increase your chances of success tenfold.

If you want other people to do what you want, then you must know what they want and appeal to their self-interests. For example, if you want to buy a car at a discount, instead of first thinking how much money you can save, think about what the sale will mean to the salesman, then structure your communications toward helping him accomplish that goal.

In direct marketing, this type of "benefits to the buyer" is burned into our thinking. The average person thinks solely of the benefits to themselves. This is why ads that just talk about how great a company is will usually fail. But if they speak to our basic needs to save money, improve our health, or show us how to retire five years earlier, they will strike a chord with the reader and make a product or service millions of dollars in revenue.

Begin thinking in respect to benefits to others, and I'll guarantee you'll get what you want. But if you think about benefits to you, you'll never move anyone to your way of thinking. With a few key concepts in your mind and a few key, scientifically proven phrases in your vocabulary, you will be able to show anyone the benefits you bring to them — and you'll be handsomely rewarded when you achieve everything you've ever dreamed of.

Tomorrow, I'll give you my 10 hidden persuaders to help you get people to do almost anything you want them to.

** Fifteen Minutes In An Indy Car... It'll Cost You
By Michael Newman, the "Money Finder"

Watching an IndyCar race on television certainly doesn't do the event justice.

Sure, you get the ongoing commentary from the announcers and you can learn a little about the drivers' strategies that require lightning-fast responses while going 200 mph.

But witnessing the speed and power of these cars firsthand is something you can't really get from the comfort of your armchair.

Dedicated fans march to racetracks by the thousands just to catch a glimpse of these cars whipping past them, and only inches away from concrete barriers. The sound of these incredibly powerful engines roaring past you is truly a marvel.

And for some fans, simply watching the action live isn't enough. For about $500, racing fans can actually get strapped into a specially equipped race car and whip around the track three times. It’s a pretty short ride, but at speeds of up to 175 mph, it’s certainly something these fans will never forget.

From a business point of view, what these race events offer customers are different levels of experience. You can get the basic level that grants you access to the race grounds, you can get a little closer with a pass to the paddock area, even closer with bleacher seats, and a few fans can even get VIP access to the pits where they repair cars mid-race.

Each of these levels of experience is separated by price that increases as the perceived value of the experience also increases. Walking the grounds and seeing the exhibitors and displays is perceived as good enough for the basic price, gaining a little more access costs a little more, and so on.

When it comes to your business and your product or service's pricing, consider the perceived value of what you have on offer. You can start by finding out what your competitors charge and then determine the right levels of experience you can offer. A more hands-on approach will almost always be perceived as having a high value.

The way I see it, there are three standard levels of experience that can be offered.

The first is the basic package. It's what gets the customers in the door and is typically a new customer's first experience. The basic package may not have any extra bells and whistles, but it has to live up to its promises in order to bring customers back.

Next is the intermediate level that adds value to the basic package. You could call this level the "added touch," since it typically goes above the expectations of the basic level, making the experience feel more personal.

And then there's the premium level. Here, the experience should feel tailor-fit and custom-made. This level will always command the highest price, as the perceived value of exclusive and personal experience is very high.

When it comes to your business, consider the experience you are offering to potential customers and weigh the options to see if having multiple levels of service is right for you.