Create a PayPal Donation Button

When we think of making money with our blogs, methods like Google AdSense and WidgetBucks comes to mind. However, these free ad services are not the only ways to generate revenue. In fact they're far from the only ways, and this article will show you one of the different paths to earning money - PayPal donation.

PayPal is the leader in sending money and buying products online. For years people around the globe have been utilizing PayPal to purchase items from places like eBay and Amazon. But one of the great features that PayPal provides bloggers and site owners is the ability to create a donation button. And thanks to the good folks at PayPal - this process is easier than ever! We'll learn here that integrating PayPal on our Blogger blogs takes a matter of minutes and requires no HTML or programming knowledge.

Go ahead and log into your PayPal account now. If you don't have one yet, setup is a breeze. Just head over here to sign up and then come back when you're done.

Once you've logged in, click on the Merchant Services tab. This will be located in the top menu of your My Account Overview page.

Now that you're on the Merchant Services page, choose the option link that says “Donate”. You'll find this under the Create Buttons section.

When you click on the Donation option, PayPal will then direct you to the donation configuration screen. Here you can name your donation (I've simply added my name). A donation id, which is optional; the amount you would like to have donated (I recommend leaving this blank… let your donator decide that). Then select which style of button you like and click on Create Button Now near the bottom of the page.

PayPal generates the HTML/JavaScript for you. Go ahead and copy all the contents of your text box. When you're all set, head over to your Blogger account and login. Choose the Layout option from the dashboard and click Add a Page Element. To integrate our PayPal donation button, we'll need to add an HTML/JavaScript module.

Now simply paste the contents you got from PayPal into the HTML/JavaScript form, save your changes, and you're done! That was pretty painless, wasn't it?

Our blogs are really shaping up nicely to this point. We've integrated Google AdSense,WidgetBucks, and now we have our very own PayPal donation button!

Ebid Emerging As Serious Competitor To Ebay + No FEES EVER!!

Okay hands up who has had enough of ebay monopolising the online auction market? Wow! that's quite a few hands! The truth is ebay in the last few months has really started to show it's nasty side. Most sellers now are really struggling to make a profit with their fees having recently just gone up - again. Many small business relied on ebay to sell their wares to a mass market, but now ebay & paypal have stuck the knife in & the fees are just too high to sustain a business let alone a profit! Ebid however has noted all the changes at ebay & have changed their terms accordingly. With so many sellers now leaving ebay in search of newer pastures, Ebid has seen a huge surge in new registered customers & rightly so. For starters they have zero listing fees & zero final value fees. This is where ebay has failed is customers by steadily incresing these fees over the years. Now it has got to a point where the sheer size of the combined fees of listing, final value & paypal fees overshadow any profit. Payment processors that ebid use are: Google Checkout (highly recommended) PPPay, & Paypal (let's not go there -right?!) If you want to start making a profit agian & have no fees ever - FOR LIFE! - I would ditch ebay today for good & switch to the rapidly growing fee-free world of Ebid.

I was so impressed with this auction site that I have even enrolled myself & paid for the seller+ option (lifetime membership with NO FEES EVER!) My username on Ebid is edsthreads.

Alternatives To Paypal & Ebay + Paypal in The News

More than one in 10 Canadians who shop online have fallen victim to identity theft, with Ontarians hit the hardest, a survey released yesterday suggests.

The survey, conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of PayPal Canada, found that 12 per cent of all online shoppers polled in Ontario claimed they had been victims of identity theft. Albertans were second-hardest hit, with nine per cent reporting their identities stolen.

"People are doing more and more transactions online and that predisposes them to more chances of a fraudulent transaction happening," said Darrell MacMullin, country manager for PayPal Canada. "Fraud continues to evolve. Don't share information online that you don't want everyone to know."

Only eight per cent of respondents from British Columbia and Quebec were hit, while fewer than six per cent of respondents in Atlantic Canada reported having their identities stolen.

According to data from Phone Busters and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre, which is operated by the RCMP, Canadians have reported 8,048 cases of identity theft so far this year, totalling $7.3 million in losses.

In 2007, there were 9,971 cases of identity theft reported, totalling only $6.4 million in losses.

Globally, English-speaking countries have been hardest hit by identity theft, according to the study. Around 10 per cent of online shoppers in Canada, the United States and Britain reported having their identities stolen, compared to only five percent of respondents in France, Germany and Spain.

Ebay Fined £1.5 Million For LVMH Sales On French Ebay

From BBC News:

A Parisian court has fined eBay 1.7m euros (£1.5m) after ruling that it had not kept to an injunction banning users from selling on LVMH perfumes.

eBay users in France are blocked from selling certain branded perfumes -including Christian Dior, Givenchy and Kenzo - on the internet auction site.

eBay said the injunction hurt consumers and called it an abuse of "selective distribution".

The company added that it hoped the ruling would be overturned.

"Today's outcome hurts consumers by preventing them from buying and selling authentic items online," said Alex Von Schiermeister, director of eBay Europe.

"The injunction is an abuse of 'selective distribution'. It effectively enforces restrictive distribution contracts, which is anti-competitive.

"We believe that the higher courts will overturn this ruling and ensure that e-commerce companies such as eBay will continue to provide a platform for buyers and sellers to trade authentic goods."

He added that the fine was "disproportionate given that eBay complied with the injunction".

Ebay vs Amazon

Ebay vs Amazon.. In the words of Harry Hill.. "Which one is better?.....FIIIGHT!"

Every day, buyers and sellers log on to the world wide web in the hopes of finding a treasure or earning some big bucks. With the internet being as large as it is, there are plenty of auction sites to consider. In that spirit, this article attempts to compare two of the largest, most well-known auction sites in existence. They are both popular, offer excellent features for both buyers and sellers and are in constant competition with one another. Amazon and eBay are the auction sites of topic and while, in many ways they are alike, there are an equal number of ways in which they differ.

Beginning with similarities, both eBay and Amazon charge their sellers a listing and final value fee. The listing fee, from both auction sites, is non-refundable even if the item does not sell. However, an unsold item may be relisted for free at both Amazon and eBay auction sites. Amazon Auctions charge their sellers a $.10 listing fee with the possibility of having all listing fees waived if the seller signed up for a Pro Merchant Subscription. Where listing fees are concerned with eBay, the minimum fee is $0.25 for a starting bid of $.01 to $0.99. If an eBay seller opens an eBay Store, listing fees may be as low as $.05 each.

An unfortunate aspect of internet auction commerce, but a presence nonetheless, is an uncompleted transaction. This usually occurs when a buyer fails to send payment. In this instance, both eBay and Amazon auctions will refund the final value fee for that particular auction, which is based on the final bid amount. Both auction sites also provide seller tips and a bulk loader program, which allows the seller to upload a number of auctions all at once.

Make your blog as an online store with simplecart (js) + Paypal

If you use Wordpress.org as your application for your blog, you may have ever heard a plug in that can make your blog as an Online Store. Can a blog at blogger.com be made as an Online Store too?

Well, there is interesting information for those who use blogger as the application because a developer has created JavaScript that can make your blog as an Online Store, this script named simpleCart(js) + Paypal. With simpleCart(js) + Paypal, you can build your business by using blogger application.

PayPal PRO, Verisign, and PayPal Express Checkout - and osCommerce

Not so long ago PayPal bought Verisign, and this has positively improved the way how PayPal accepts payments.

PayPal has come up with a new implementation of PayPal PRO payment method, which is now based on what used to be called Verisign PayFlow PRO.

Also, PayPal Express Checkout feature comes as a part of PayPal PRO, making it possible to easily sign up and place an order on almost any web site that has it integrated by just logging into your PayPal account.

This new approach in PayPal PRO has been implemented in the UK, but there are rumours it will be spread over to other countries as well.

There are several shopping cart solutions that have support for new PayPal PRO, and interestingly enough osCommerce is among them!

What has happened is even more intriguing - PayPal has created their own modules for osCommerce! This proves PayPal considers osCommerce as one of the leading Ecommerce solutions for SME, worth investing development time into.

How To Create Paypal Subscription and Recurring Payment

Subscription and Recurring Payment in PayPal

Recently, I have costumer request to buy one of my products in my other blog trough PayPal. Of course, I really happy to follow up this transaction, but the customer give me a little headache because he/she request me to create different two recurring subscription in PayPal regarding to this transaction. It is really hard work for me because I do not know anything about what subscription and recurring payment in PayPal is and how to create it. So, I do what I usually do if I do not know about things in internet world. I go to Google and do search about what and how PayPal subscriptions.

Thanks god that there are many article write about PayPal subscription and recurring payment. It instantly gives me enlightenment about PayPal Subscription and recurring payment. PayPal subscription and recurring payment are useful to create an automatic payment system. PayPal subscription and recurring payment system can charge automatically costumers base on daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. This automated payment system can save time for both us and our costumers. After aware about benefit of the PayPal subscription system, I directly create the PayPal Subscription for the transaction that request by my costumers before.

How to create PayPal Subscription and Recurring Payment
Login to PayPal account

Click “Merchant Service” Tab

Click “Website Payments Standard” Tab

Go to “offer automated payments” and then click “Create one now” button

Fill the form of Step 1:

Fill the form of step two:

Fill the form of step three:

Click “Create Button” button

Click “Email” tab and send the link to my costumers

Use PayPal Subscription and Recurring Payment Email Method

Please note that I create this PayPal subscription and recurring payment for only one customer which have special price that different from others costumers. That’s why I choose the email method instead website method. Email method allows me to send a payment unique link to costumers directly. And I still can create others payment link for another customers with different price as many as it is needed. This flexibility and privacy can not get if use website method. The button will saturate your blog for different price scheme if use website method. And there is no privacy in website method.

How To Setup PayPal Subscription & Recurring Payments

If you need an easy way to accept credit card and bank account payments for content site subscriptions, newsletter fees, club dues, or recurring donations, PayPal offers an easy way to do it. I recently started selling private advertising spots on my blogs and needed a way to automate the monthly hassle of recurring payments. Luckily I already had a PayPal account so all I needed to do was figure out how to set it up.

To be honest, it was a real pain to read and try to figure out how to set it up via PayPal. Their site has too much information and it’s very clear what features come included with my current account setup. I spent a few hours searching Google and the PayPal website only to eventually find the best solution which I’m not sharing with you.

So you basically have to choices — you can setup subscription buttons and place them on your website or create email links and send them out to your customers. Since I’m selling ad space on my blogs, I decided to be more personal and email each customer and include a link. Here are the steps you need to take once you have a PayPal account setup.

1.Login to your PayPal account
2.Click on the Merchant Services tab at the top
3.Then under the “Create Buttons” section, click the “Subscribe” link
4.This page is where you setup the subscription information. This link explains it in detail.

If you’re setting up payment via email, make sure you change the last option “button encryption” to “No” otherwise you won’t get the email link. Also, the email link is really long and will break if you just paste it directly into your email. So what I did was use a free url converter called TinyURL and created a much smaller url which I then included in the email.

That’s pretty much it. I hope this post saved you time and you were able to easily and quickly create your PayPal subscriptions!

PayPal Adds Fees, Sneakily

When it comes my personal finances, I like to stay informed, so imagine my dismay when PayPal quietly tacked on fees for a service I'd previously enjoyed for free.

As a writer, a significant chunk of my earnings come through PayPal. For all parties involved, it's faster and more convenient than sending a check. I hold a personal account, rather than a premium one, which means I previously didn't have to pay any fees as long as the money was transferred directly from another PayPal user's account balance.

But when money started rolling in last month, I noticed that a fraction of it (2.9 percent, plus 30 cents) wasn't making the jump from my employers' accounts to my own. In June, PayPal had started charging for payments classified as "Goods" or "Services," even if you have a personal account. It's possible to send money for free as a personal transfer, but this is only intended for friends and family.

As I explained to Charlotte Hill, PayPal's PR manager, the fees themselves don't really bother me. PayPal can run its business as it pleases, and I have every right to take my business elsewhere. What's really infuriating is that there was no warning about the new fees, and no notification once they were instated.

Hill protested. An e-mail did go out, she said, and there were news articles and a post on PayPal's official blog.

Well, not really. Coinciding with the new fees, PayPal started allowing people with premium accounts to make personal transfers for free. That's great for users who do a lot of business on eBay, for instance, because they no longer have to pay for transfers to friends and family. Thing is, that's all PayPal talked about when the changes took place. The news articles Hill cites make no mention of new fees.

I did get an e-mail along the lines of what Hill showed me, but it says nothing about changes to the fee structure for the sale of goods and services. If you want real confirmation that the fees changed in early June, you'll have to look for grumblings on random Internet forums. (Of course, this is nothing compared to some of the previous controversies PayPal has stirred up among customers.)

"We didn't want to make a huge formal communication out of this pricing change, because we weren't really adding any fees, and we were hoping it would be a more useful experience for people," Hill said.

Maybe, but in any situation where you're taking more money from customers - even if it's a small amount - a formal communication is what they deserve. Otherwise, you're just being underhanded

PayPal withdrawal with PublicBank Debit Card

After PayPal announced that international users could use Credit Cards and Debit Cards to withdraw their paypal funds, I tried my PublicBank debit card that bears a Visa Electron logo on it.

I test-withdrew $35 on Sep 29, 2007 and after 4 days it was successfully arrived in my Public Bank account.

Below is the screenshot from my Public Bank account. As you can see it was available on 4th October 2007.

Public Bank Debit Cards

I have been using PublicBank debit card since 2002, and now I am on the second card. First one (see left) expired in 2006. It is a very reliable debit card. It works on internet and it works in any ATM worldwide that has (Visa Electron) logo on it.

The only difference of this card from Credit Card is that, the money on the card is your own. That means if you put $200 on it, you can only use up to $200. Charging the card $201 will give error. Other than that it functions exactly like credit card.

Annual fee for the card is RM24.00 (about USD7.00). You can also link it to your bank account so that you can reload it using internet banking. Now that I can receive paypal funds in my debit card, the extra money I can simply transfer to my bank account using the internet banking facility offered by Public Bank.

Xoom – An Alternative Method To Withdraw Funds From PayPal To A Local Bank - Part 4

Finally, you will be taken to a Review Your Transaction page. Here, you will be provided a summary of your transaction. Make sure all the details are correct (it is after all, your hard earned money!). If there are any changes to be made, hit Back and make them, else click on Authorize.

On clicking Authorize, you’ll be taken to a PayPal authorization page where you need to put in your PayPal credentials. Once you do that, you need to authorize the payment from your within your PayPal. Thereafter, you’ll be taken back to the Xoom website and a summary for your transaction will be shown to you. A link to the transaction summary will also be automatically be emailed to you.

Lastly, heave a contented sign of relief as your PayPal money is transferred to your local account (especially if you are an Indian).

If you are one of the many plagued by India’s PayPal blackout, give Xoom a try. If you aren’t, you’ll still love the convenience it offers for transferring funds all over the world.

Let us know about your experience (or any alternatives) in the comments.

Xoom – An Alternative Method To Withdraw Funds From PayPal To A Local Bank - Part 3

Now, you’ll be redirected to a page where you need to enter recipient information. Simply enter all the details of your (or anyone else’s) bank account. This is the bank account where you want to receive the money. Make sure you enter accurate details as these will be verified with the bank once you authorize the transaction. After entering the details, click Next at the bottom of the page.

Once you click Next, you’ll be taken to a Payment Information page. Under Service Type, select Pay With Your Debit Card, Credit Card, or PayPal Account. Under Select a Payment Method, select PayPal. Now comes the good part. If you’ve got a coupon code, enter it in the text box under Coupon Code (optional), and click Apply.

Thereafter, click Next.

Xoom – An Alternative Method To Withdraw Funds From PayPal To A Local Bank - Part 2

Transferring Money

After completing the verification process, use your credentials to sign-in to the Xoom website. Click on the Send Money link at the top of the page. You will land at the page shown below.

Select Send Money To A New Recipient and select a country from the drop-down list. Enter the amount to send in the text box to the right side of the screen. Then click on the Calculate Fee button to calculate the fees that you will be charged for the transaction. Although the transaction fees appear steep, many-a-time you can evade those by using a coupon code that you can find by performing a search online. I managed to find a few but they expire pretty quickly.

Now you’ll be presented three options for your transaction. Select the one that suits you best. Let’s select bank deposit for this example.

Now, you’ll be redirected to a page where you need to enter recipient information. Simply enter all the details of your (or anyone else’s) bank account. This is the bank account where you want to receive the money. Make sure you enter accurate details as these will be verified with the bank once you authorize the transaction. After entering the details, click Next at the bottom of the page.

Xoom – An Alternative Method To Withdraw Funds From PayPal To A Local Bank - Part 1

PayPal recently caused a lot of furore and confusion when they announced “temporary halting” of payments to India. Every other person was left outraged and stranded with no means to withdraw funds from PayPal to a local bank. Xoom is a service that aims to solve such a crisis from affecting PayPal users. Apart from allowing you to withdraw from PayPal to a local bank, Xoom also lets you send money globally at really reasonable rates.

Here’s how you can use Xoom to move your PayPal money to a local bank account.

Sign up for the service

Head over to the Xoom website, and sign-up for their service. The website automatically detects your country and shows you the exchange rate that you can get for your precious dollars. Once you sign-up, you need to verify your email address. Head over to your inbox and click the validation link there.

How to Withdraw Money From a PayPal Account

Many people use PayPal accounts to receive money from eBay sales or other online commerce. It's also not uncommon to be paid for online projects via a PayPal account. When you use the money in your account to pay bills, you'll want to make sure you can easily access the funds. It's simple enough to withdraw the money either to your bank account or by requesting a check.

Withdraw Money to Your Bank Account

Step 1: Add a bank account to your PayPal account if you don't already have one associated with it. Make sure that you have gone through the process of confirming your bank account with PayPal.

Step 2: Assure that the bank account to which you want to transfer money is designated as your primary bank account. This can be checked and changed on your PayPal "Profile Summary" page.

Step 3: Sign in to your PayPal account and click the "Withdraw" tab at the top of the "Account Overview" page.

Step 4: Choose the "Transfer Funds to Your Bank Account" option and click on the hyperlink.

Step 5: Enter the amount of money you want to withdraw and choose the correct bank account from the drop-down menu. Hit the "Submit" button.

Step 6: Allow 3 to 5 business days for the funds to post to your bank account.

Withdraw Money by Check

Step 1: Click on the "Withdraw" tab in your PayPal account.

Step 2: Use the "Request a Check From PayPal" link.

Step 3: Enter the amount you wish to withdraw, allowing for a small processing fee to be taken from your PayPal balance.

Step 4: Confirm that your address is correct and hit the "Continue" button.

Step 5: Wait 1 to 2 weeks to receive your check in the mail.

Withdraw Money via a PayPal Debit Card

Step 1: Apply for a PayPal debit card by scrolling down to the bottom of any PayPal page and clicking on the "ATM/Debit Card" link.

Step 2: Provide the requested information and submit your request for a debit card. You will receive your card and PIN in the mail in separate envelopes in approximately 2 weeks.

Step 3: Use your PayPal debit card as you would any other, either at an ATM or by getting cash back when you make a purchase with your card.
.

Now You Can Withdraw PayPal Money to Debit, Credit Cards

PayPal announced new funds withdrawal functionality to withdraw PayPal money to credit card, debit card, or prepaid cards in 26 countries. The process only takes 3 easy steps.


Image: withdraw paypal funds to credit card

The new feature is great for PayPal members in the countries where previously can send money but had limited ways to receive or withdraw money. Example: Previously, Malaysian PayPal members can only send or receive PayPal funds but no official way to withdraw the funds. Now, they can withdraw their funds to their card.

The new functionality is available in: Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Cyprus, Estonia, Gibraltar, Iceland, Indonesia, India, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Philippines, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, UAE, and Uruguay.

Check PayPal Offerings Worldwide for updates.


Withdraw PayPal funds to your card
Before you can withdraw PayPal funds to your card, you need to add a valid debit, credit card or prepaid card to your account.

The PayPal website stated that you can withdraw PayPal funds to both Visa and MasterCard cards but the official blog stated that the new withdrawal function is only available to Visa-branded cards. But I believe MasterCard cards will be supported soon.

Each withdrawal cost $5 USD. Minimum withdrawal amount is $10 USD (check other currency limits). Maximum withdrawal amount per day is $500 USD. The processing time takes 5-7 business days.

Xoom ends money remittance via Paypal

In a recent announcement made last week, Xoom has finally ceased accepting Paypal-funded transactions to the Philippines.

This was made in effect last March 25, 2010. Xoom did not clarify why it has stopped supporting Paypal as source of funds for transfer.

It has, however, indicated that Xoom money transfers are still supported using a United States bank account, debit card or credit card.

Before Paypal officially supported bank withdrawals in the Philippines, Xoom was the easiest and most effective way of getting funds from Paypal accounts.

Update: According to the comments left below by Xoom CSR and the discussion in the Xoom blog, remittances to the Philippines will only be accepted by Xoom using a US-based payment source. This special treatment for Philippine transactions could be an indication that we’re categorized under “high-risk” for fraud. No big surprise there.

How To Withdraw Funds From PayPal To Bank Account

PayPal issues with Indian bank accounts are still not resolved ans PayPal has officially confirmed that it will take few more months for the situation to come under control. There is no exact date when the bank withdrawals from PayPal to Indian bank accounts will be resumed. In the meantime, if you want to withdraw funds to your bank account then you can use a service called as XOOM.

XOOM seems to be the best alternative to PayPal. From the last few days I was looking for a good alternative to PayPal. Some users have already transferred the money to their bank accounts using XOOM and according to @smartin and @mayurjango it took only 2 days for the withdrawal process. It seems quite better.

You will get three options with XOOM :
Cash Pickup : Pickup money in just minutes at a Punjab National Bank branch in India.

Bank Deposits : Same day Bank deposits are available to Punjab National Bank accounts and the faster bank deposits to any ban in India.

Home Delivery : Home delivery via Blue Dart is also available with XOOM.

The exchange rate of XOOM seems to be too good as compare to PayPal ( USD 1.00 = INR 46.0031 ) when I withdraw the money but their processing fees is higher. You can use the following coupon codes to avoid any processing fees when making payment from PayPal.

Coupon Codes : XOOM2010, FEBXOOM10 (These coupon codes are for one time use only)

Please make sure to :
1.Provide your real Name, Address, E-mail ID and Phone number.
2.Enter complete details about your bank account.
Disclaimer : Please try XOOM at your own risk. I shared this information after reading about this service at forums at some websites. I will not be held responsible for any loss or problem if you face any.

How to Use PayPal: Basics and Beyond

PayPal is a popular site for transferring money online, but making the most of your PayPal account can be confusing. This page will teach you how to use PayPal.

PayPal is an online financial middleman that facilitates the transfer of money between people and businesses online. Users only need to share private financial information with PayPal, not unknown parties. You can use PayPal to buy things online, shop on eBay, or receive money from your friends. If you've ever wondered about how to use PayPal, read on and learn!

This guide takes you through all the steps needed to get started, and then to make full use of PayPal services.

First we’ll look at the different types of PayPal account – Personal, Premier and Business – and which one is best for your needs. Then we’ll proceed on to how to create an account from scratch.

A PayPal account can receive money as soon as it’s been created, but to use it to send money or to buy products online, you’ll probably want to also set up a means of getting funds into the account. Normally to do that people will link their PayPal account to an existing bank account, or to a credit or debit card. We’ll go through that process, and the means by which PayPal makes sure that you are the true owner of the account.

After you’ve completed those steps, you’re all set to send or receive money, and to buy and sell online. We’ll examines some of the ways that you can do that, for example by using PayPal buttons on websites, including eBay, using PayPal from a mobile phone, and how to send money by email.

Finally we’ll discuss how to stay safe using PayPal, looking out for signs of potential scams and security issues. We’ll also provide pointers to more topics, such as using PayPal with other software like Quicken, Skype and Facebook, and ways to resolve any problems that you might have.

How to add a PAYPAL DONATE button

Adding a Paypal donation button to your blog will give your loyal readers a chance to support(encourage) you by donating a few bucks.
If you don't have a paypal account yet,.. you can get a Free Paypal account here.

so,let's see how to put a Paypal donation button in your blog...

1.First,Log in to your Paypal account.

2.Click on the 'Merchant Services' tab (see at the top of the page).

3.Scroll down the window and you will see an option "Donations" in the right sidebar.Click on it!

4.Now,you will see some options like Donation name/service ,donation id,etc etc...
The first field (Donation name/service) is the only thing that is required and all the remaining fields are optional.
Enter that first field,choose a button style,scroll down the window and click on "Create a button Now"

5.Now,you will see some html code... Copy it and sign in to your blogger dashboard »» Click on the layout »» Add a Page element »» html/javascript »» and paste that html code and SAVE THE CHANGES.

Here is how the button will look in your sidebar

Make Money Free By Using Blogger And Paypal

Many Internet marketers have said they you can't make money using blogger. They say that blogger it just doesn't look professional enough and doesn't instill trust and the buyer. I'm tempted to ask them if that's because they spend so much money on their websites and don't want to face the fact that many people are making a lot of money by using blogger and PayPal, both free services.

It's really not that hard to make money online by using blogger and PayPal, if you know how to do it correctly. Yes, your blog can come across as looking unprofessional and not a very trustworthy site. However, even then people can still make money online with a poorly crafted blogger site.

It all comes down to having something that someone else needs. It's as simple as that. You can spend thousands of dollars on an amazing website that has a lot of traffic to a handy can have a poorly crafted blogger site that has the same product and both will make money. Of course you probably don't want to compete with these websites.

What you do want to do, is find a product or service that people really want and need and are willing to spend money for. That is the true key to making money online. As the saying goes, you can put a notepad and pencil attached the tale of a mangy dog and send him on his way through town, and by the end of the day you'll have at least one person in this signed the pad of paper. The point being here is that by the numbers alone of the amount people on the Internet today you're bound to make a sale no matter how ugly your site looks.

But you are going to want to make a lot of money online and so of course you're going to try to make your blog or site look as professional and trustworthy as possible, of course.

So what you will need to do is either create a product, such as an e-book on a topic that you know very well and that you know a lot of people would be interested in buying or would want this information, or find someone else that has a product, such as a software product, that will allow you to sell their product for a commission.

Once you have this product simply put up a well thought out sales page on your blog and creates it by now PayPal button to the merchant services area in PayPal and cut-and-paste that button at the bottom of your sales page on your blog or site.

It's as simple as that, and it is also as hard as that since you ultimately have to have a product that people are willing to pull out there wallets and pay for.

A trader's tool

A mechanic has many tools. Each tools with its own usage and purpose. It is only down to intelligence and creativity that separates a good mechanic and a bad one.

Like a mechanic, a trader has many tools as well. Each indicator is a tool for the trader and a combination set of tools with rules is a trading system. A good trader has not 1 but many system. Each system has different purpose. It is down to knowledge and creativity that separates a good trader and a bad one apart from portfolio.

The best time frame to trade is the lower time frame but due to noise and spikes it is difficult to trade using lower timeframe. It is the reason why most trades fail in short time frame.

EurUsd has been ranging for the past few days and due to it, has hit my stop loss twice. Being a trend trader myself, I just cannot trade during these ranging period. So I stopped trading and try to make a new trading system using lower time frame to catch these ranging market.

It seems with a new set of tools (not new actually, had not used them for a while), I have manage to create an almost perfect trading system for all time frame but with the target of 15m chart. The only thing that this new system doesnt show is when not to trade which i made up with a new set of rules.

If any of you would like to try the new trading system please leave your email. I will try to get back to you ASAP.

It's not pips but profit in forex

You can actually tell if someone is new in Forex by the way they count their pips or profit. When people starts forex they count pips. They can have hundreds of pips a day and yet their profit is low. This is due to the low risk reward ratio they have taken.

Once you are older in Forex, you will see the ratio. No point of taking hundreds of pips when the profit is low. So you start to take high risk high return trade. These trades do not give you high pips but the profit margin is high.

That is how money is to be made in Forex. You actually manage your risk and take profit from it. For today as of now, I already taken 3 trades. 2 profit trades and 1 lost trade. My account grows 37%. Not bad for a slow Monday.

For the answer to Forex, once you know it you will feel helpless. No matter how smart or brilliant you are it counts for absolutely nothing here. I have Banking and IT qualification. Did that help me? 2 different qualification did not help me one bit here. Made me want to cry when I found it out.

Next up EURGBP

EurGbp is going up so those of you who have the guts do buy EG at every dip refer to chart 1H or lower to view.

I got lots of email and calls asking me about the secret of forex and how to trade. What if I tell you the answer is not as u expected it to be. Some people even rejected the answer when I told them.

I dont blame them. When I found the answer I feel like Im going to cry. Its hard to accept something the logical mind cannot understand. In the mean time, take it slow and enjoy the ride.

People say seeing is believing. 2 post already TP. Another 1 more for weeks to come. Forgot to mention. Possible retrace at the price in the picture. So TP at will reentry on next low.

An eye on AUDUSD

AU manage to hold its level when both EU and GU fall down dramatically. Do look at the daily chart to see what I mean.

Some of your might not understand what it means and so do I :) Dont worry, the longer you are in Forex the more info you will filter out. This is coz some things are not worth understanding.

The reason I am pointing this out is when a pair is making a stand like AU, you can actually use it to your advantage. Advantages such as:

1. The next time AU decide to fall down there is a high probability the EU and GU will crash but there is a limit to everything.

2. The next time EU and GU start to climb, AU will fly.

Keep that in mind coz I do. I am waiting for the AU to fall or fly.

Why buy insurance?

Why should one buy insurance ? The answer to this question seems to be pretty obvious to each and everyone one of us but the answer can varies. Some may see it as a form of investment such as buying life insurance that will give you some returns and coverage together while others may see it as a form of savings.

The main reason why one should buy insurance is to protect you and your loved ones from any catastrophic financial losses as a result of any unforeseen mishap or circumstances that may arise. How about considering the situations below ?

You are driving a car on the highway and you crashed into the back of the car in front. It turns out that the repair cost of the car in front is significant and you are deemed to be liable for it. Do you have the money to pay for the damages ?



You are the sole breadwinner of the family and due to some unforeseen mishap, you passed away. Will your family's quality of living change if no one in the family is able to replace your income ?

As such, do keep in mind the reason on why you are buying insurance. And if you keep it in mind, you should always consider the amount of coverage you are getting and getting a sufficient amount of coverage. Don't think of insurance as a form of investment where you are supposed to get some profits back at the end of the day. Consider it as a small amount of expenses that will hedge any unforeseen huge financial losses arising from unforeseen circumstances. In fact, you should separate your insurance needs from your investment goals.

Buy term insurance and invest the rest

This post is part of a series of posts that discuss about the buying term insurance and invest the rest in detail. To access the other posts in this series, click here.

The above title is more commonly known as buy term and invest the rest or in short, BTITR. This is a topic which has been widely discussed before. As compared to the BTITR approach, the other alternative is to buy whole life insurance and this has been a more popular approach for Singaporeans. However, the more popular approach need not be the better approach and in this post, I will attempt to show why is this the case.

As taken from the guide to life insurance from the Life Insurance Association of Singapore or LIA in short, whole life insurance offers life-long protection. Premiums will be paid throughout your life although this can be changed to a limited period and this policy will pay out the sum insured and any bonuses you have built up when you die or become totally and permanently disabled.

In contrast, term insurance only offers protection for a set period of time and it will pay the sum insured when you die or become totally and permanently disabled.

The BTITR can be a better approach as the returns from investing the difference in the premiums between the whole life insurance and term insurance can be potentially higher than the sum assured from the life insurance policy when the coverage for the term insurance has ended.

As a rule of thumb, the premiums for term insurance is around ten times cheaper than the premiums for the life insurance. As such, we can use the difference in the premiums to invest. The table below, which is taken from Tan Kin Lian’s blog, who is the ex-CEO of NTUC Income, shows a comparison of the premiums for the difference type of policies and the link can be found here.

For the returns of the life insurance, the returns is likely to be around 3% and this is taken from a article on Tan Kin Lian’s website. The poor yield of life insurance policy is due to the expenses and marketing costs incurred by the insurance companies and these costs can be up to 4.5%. More details can be further found here in this article on Tan Kin Lian’s website. As such, if you are investing in the same type of investment portfolio exactly by the insurance companies, your potential returns would be around 3% + 4.5% = 7.5%. The difference when compounded over a long period of time can affect the overall returns significantly.

Disability Income Insurance

For the majority of us, our main source of income is from work. As such, if we are not able to perform our work due to any mishaps such as medical reasons or injuries, this can be financially devastating. Now some of you may think that since they have bought some form of insurance, the insurance company should be able to cover this. However, if you have only bought life or term insurance, you must satisfy the criteria of total and permanent disability which I have covered in an earlier post here before the insurance company will make any payout and this criteria can be very difficult to be satisfied. So what happens if you are injured and you are unable to work ? Are there any insurance plans out there in the market that can cover this gap and provide you with income for the period which you are not able to work?

The answer is disability income insurance. Currently, only Aviva and Great Eastern have disability income plans and they are known as IdealIncome under Aviva and Paysecure under Great Eastern. Typically, these plans insure 75% of your current income. In the event that your employment income is terminated if you are unable to work due to any injuries or sickness, these plans will kick in to replace 75% of your income after a period of time following the start of any disability. This compensation from the insurance company can be continued up to your retirement age depending on the type of plan that you have bought. Furthermore, if you are unable to achieve your previous income being drawn from your work prior to disability, these plans will also supplement your income after your disability if you managed to find employment.

As such, if you are dependent on your employment income, it will be prudent to take up this type of insurance policy. In my opinion, this is the most important insurance policy one should have besides your medical plan. There are minor differences between the two plans offered by the two different insurers so it will be good to seek the advice of a qualifed financial adviser, who can advise you on which plan to choose.

The opinions expressed by the author in this article is provided for your personal information only and should not be constituted as financial advice. It is recommended by the author that one should seek the advice of a qualified financial adviser with any issues or questions regarding financial matters.

Always pay yourself first

Always pay yourself first. This is something which we can do as a start to manage our finance prudently. I do think that the majority of us tend to spend their salary first once they receive it. Only at the end of the month, the remaining amount will then be transferred to a savings account. If you actually think of it, we are actually using the money to pay others first before we pay ourselves. In some cases, the savings account is not really one since funds are frequently transferred from it to cover for the shortfall that may occur in any month or to spend on big ticket items. Thus in the long term, the savings is likely to remain at a stagnant level.

As such, it can be hard to pay yourself first. However, there are a few steps which you can do. Firstly, you should make your savings account as inaccessible as possible. Preferably, there should be no ATM card linked to this account so there will be no chance of you withdrawing cash from the ATM from this account. Secondly, establish only one link to your savings account to other accounts and that account should be the account which your salary will be credited to. Thirdly, reduce the transfer limit of this savings account to the minimum so that you will not be allowed to transfer a large sum of money from this savings account. Lastly, you should set up an automated instruction in your internet banking to transfer a set amount of money from the account which your salary will be credited to, on the payday itself. This ensures that you get to save a sum of money first before you get a chance to spend your salary. Hopefully, this ensures that your savings will grow to a substantial amount.

Recession. Which type?

Articles in the press often talked about how will a recession be like. Often, they will tend to use shapes such as a V-shaped, U-shaped and a L-shaped recession to describe it. But what do these shapes actually mean ?

A V-shaped recession is one which goes down in a steep way rapidly and recovers at an equally fast pace. The start of this type of recession is mainly due to the influx of some disastrous news and this contributes to the start of the plunge. Once fear and panic subsides, the recovery will take place quickly due to the sound fundamentals of the economy. This will happen after the market realize that the effects of the news that contributed to the plunge is over. Some of the examples of a V-shaped recession includes the 9/11 terrorist attacks in US and the SARS attack in Asia which affected Singapore.

A U-shaped recession is one that goes down at a slower rate and recovers at a slow pace too. This type of recession can last for several years. The start of this recession is also due to the influx of disastrous news. However, the news associated with this kind of recession tend to have some basis behind them. Most of the reasons are due to a poor forecasted economic outlook such as a high rate of inflation, falling exports, increasing unemployment rate and etc. Gradually, the economy will recover due to actions being taken by the government but it will be at a slower pace since this recession is caused by problems in the economy. One example of a U-shaped recession occurs in the 70s in the US.

A L-shaped recession is one that goes down and stays at that level for a long time. The cause of this recession is similar to that of the U-shaped recession i.e. poor economy outlook. However, this recession may take a very long time to recover and the reason behind this can be due to wrong or slow actions taken by the government to correct the recession. One such example would be the recession in Japan which started in the 90s. Even at this point of time, Japan has never really recovered fully from this recession.

What is STI ETF?

This post is part of a series of posts that discuss about the STI ETF in detail. To access the other posts in this series, click here

A lot of people have often asked me during discussions on investment on what exactly is STI ETF when I tried to introduce them to it. Quite a few of them also seems to think that STI ETF is SGX which is the counter that represents the Singapore Exchange so I thought it will be good for me to write on this issue.

STI ETF stands for Straits Times Index Exchange Traded Fund and it is managed by State Street Global Advisors (SSgA). It has been listed on SGX since 17 April 2002. I am sure the Straits Times Index is familiar to most of us since it is an indication on the performance of the stocks in Singapore generally. But what is an Exchange Traded Fund ? ETF in short for Exchange Traded Fund, is a fund that tracks the index but can be traded like a stock. Thus STI ETF is a fund that tracks the Straits Times Index but can be traded like a stock on the Singapore Exchange.

Let me give an example of how STI ETF follows the STI. For example, at this point of time, STI is at 1711.13. This can be found on the main page of SGX where I have highlighted it with a red rectangular box.

Thus the STI ETF should be trading at a level of 1711.13 divided by 1000 which will give a price of around $1.71. At this point of time, the price of STI ETF is at $1.76 which can be seen in the picture below. I have also highlighted STI ETF and it's price with a red rectangular box.

Now some of you may ask how come the price of STI ETF is at $1.76 instead of $1.71 since STI is at 1711.13. This is because STI ETF does not really track STI exactly although it will try to track STI as closely as possible. It usually trades at a price slightly higher than the STI by a range of around 5 to 10 cents more but it is not really a cause of worry.

I will be touching the advantages of buying STI ETF as compared to stocks and unit trusts and perhaps some points one should take note when one buys the STI ETF in subsequent posts.

If you wish to find out about the STI ETF, the URL is here. The prospectus and the NAV per share can also be found at the link.

Why invest in STI ETF?

This post is part of a series of posts that discuss about the STI ETF in detail. To access the other posts in this series, click here

Why invest in STI ETF ? Since the STI ETF tracks the Straits Times Index, we can take a look at the historical performance of the STI. STI is a benchmark that tracks the performance of stocks in Singapore generally. The picture below which is taken from fundsupermart, shows the historical performance of STI from 1985 up to 2008. The numbers in the picture indicate the onset of bear markets.

From a region of around 700 points in 1985, it managed to touch a high of around 3800 in 2007. The important point to take note is that STI always rise in the long run as seen from the picture above. Between this period of 1985 and 2007, Singapore has faced periods of economic turmoil such as the recession in 1985 and the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997. Yet STI is still able to rise throughout these years. Since the STI ETF tracks the STI, it is likely that the STI ETF is able generate positive returns in the long run.

A study was done by La papillion, an investor who blogs at bullythebear.blogspot.com. His analysis can be found here. The key findings from his analysis is that on average, STI will give a returns of around 7% in the long run and that excludes dividends. If one includes dividends, the returns is likely to be slightly higher. This return of around 7% is more than the Singapore Government Bonds, which only offer around 4% for long term bonds and definitely more than the interest rate being offered in the CPF accounts.

STI ETF also gives out dividends. Currently it distribute dividends twice in January and July every year. The dividends for the previous years can be found on the SGX website here.

As a conclusion, STI ETF will be appropriate as a form of investment for anyone has the intention to hold this investment for a long time. The returns offered by the STI ETF is likely to outperform other similar form of investments in the long run.

I will be doing a comparison between ETF and unit trust as a form of investment in my subsequent posts.