If you have taken a blogging course with me, then you already received an email from me with this information.  However, it’s such an important issue that I want to share it here with everyone.

It was recently brought to my attention that WordPress.com is now outright banning MLM blogs, referring to them as “affiliate marketing” and “pyramid schemes.”  While I disagree with this assessment, and have alerted the DSA who is looking into the issue, it is important that you be aware of this, so that you don’t get your blog shut down.

In my own correspondence with WordPress about the issue, here is their clarification:

“Any kind of MLM blogs – or blogs created to direct readers to external domains for commercial purposes – are not permitted at WordPress.com. If you are creating the blog to make money, WordPress.com is not the place for you.”

However in WordPress’s rules, they do allow business blogs to demonstrate expertise:

“Business: Professionals ranging from realtors to lawyers and stock brokers are using WordPress to share their expertise, and companies have discovered the power of blogs to more directly and personally engage with their customers.”

When I followed up with them asking about this, here is what they said:

Jennifer: “If legitimate direct sellers are only using their blog to demonstrate their expertise, wouldn’t that fall under those rules?”

WordPress: “Yes, but if the direct seller is continually linking back to their own domain to sell things, they will not be allowed. If the blog is purely information (with no intent to direct users elsewhere to buy things), that is perfectly okay.”

You can read all the rules here: http://en.wordpress.com/types-of-blogs/

If you follow the strategy laid out in my courses and teachings, you SHOULD be OK.  You should not be highlighting specific products or opportunity, but instead should be giving practical, actionable content that people can use right now without spending a dime.  However you will NOT be allowed to include a link to your personal website based on WordPress’ interpretation of the rules.  Instead, you should have a place for people to sign up for your newsletter, and you can share the link to your website there.  Be aware, however, that WordPress.com will shut you down without notice if they decide your blog is in violation of their rules.

Please note that this does not apply to you if you are hosting your blog on your own domain.  However if you are using the free WordPress.com service, it is important to make sure you are in compliance.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email WordPress directly at support@wordpress.com.

What do you think about these rules?  Do you think the actions of a few “bad apples” is messing it up for the rest of us?  Is it fair?  Would love to read your thoughts below.

**********

When life gets tough, or when money gets tight, always keep your Pre-Paid Legal membership – and actually USE IT.

Do you think going it alone will turn things around for you?  The best way to make progress in your life is to seek out the best advice and counsel, on any kind of challenges as you face them, from your attorneys.  This empowerment is no longer restricted to just the rich.

They have had this power to themselves for far too long – until PPL came along for the rest of us.

I have heard people over the years say once in a while “I need to cancel my PPL membership due to no having much money.”  Or maybe they had not been using it.  Once I talked and counseled with them, they realized they likely got to that broke place because they did things WITHOUT expert advice and help.  So they often kept their membership, and actually started calling the law firm for guidance and changed their lives for the better.  To restate the point, they just didn?t know what they didn?t know, which held them back. But after talking, they felt empowered because of PPL.

Never go back to “Un-Equal Justice Under Law”. Never go back to being alone in a tough and unfair world where you are taken advantage of as “the little guy”.

Never feel insecure, unprotected, poor, or helpless again – because you have hundreds of powerful attorneys who have your back at all times when you need them. Since you have this exclusive Pre-Paid Legal membership, you should always remember to feel confident, secure, empowered, protected, and wise in negotiations throughout life.

Remember to call upon your law firm when any question in life enters your mind about your rights, being treated unfairly, or just negotiating the best deal for you.

Maybe the person who sold you your PPL membership did not fully explain the powerful asset that they helped you sign up for – and for that we apologize. But now you know.  And you will know even more once you begin to use your membership in your life.  It is always better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it (from the standpoint of actually making calls to your attorneys).  But just think, the peace of mind of knowing you are protected – even when life seems to be going just fine – is priceless.

Well worth the few coins a day – to get on a track of a peaceful, less-stressful life of good decisions.

As time has passed since you became a member of PPL, also know that your paid hours for a lawsuit trial defense have been adding up and accumulating in your account for you, at no additional cost.  And your IRS audit hours are there to use in case the IRS decides to come for an audit for any years starting with the one you filed in the year you joined PPL and forward. Have you had your Will drafted yet?  That will be done for free as a part of your service, so please do that for your family?s sake.  And if you can think of any question in your life needing an answer right now, please pick up the phone and make the call.  Feel the empowerment.

Sincerely,

Brian Carruthers

Learn more (click)

ADA — The economy is still in the doldrums, people are losing their jobs — and conditions couldn’t be better for Ada-based Pre-Paid Legal.

At least that’s the outlook for CEO Harland Stonecipher, whose company saw net income rise 6 percent the first half of 2009 with cash flow of $35 million, up 28 percent.

“It’s just our business model,” Stonecipher said. “We’ve reported positive net income for the past 10 years. We’re an Oklahoma company, we’ve got offices in Ada, Antlers and Duncan and we’re still rural America. You get a good work ethic, attitude and lesser cost of operations.”

Tulsa financial analyst Jake Dollarhide sees the depressed economy, however, as yet another strength for Pre-Paid Legal: people need attorneys more than ever, and the company’s “pre-paid” approach is more appealing than a hefty $2,000 retainer.

“The thing about Pre-Paid is some might consider it to be a luxury item, much like Starbucks coffee,” Dollarhide said. “But it does cater to middle income or lower income level, or anybody who finds it distasteful to pay a $2,000 retainer.”

Stonecipher agrees.

“The economic downtown has not affected our company, but it has affected our Pre-Paid members,” Stonecipher said. “They need our services more now than at any other time. Foreclosures are at record highs, and, in fact, we’re told in 2010 and 2011, more than 50 percent of mortgages will be under water. Those people will need lawyers.”

Stonecipher said Pre-Paid members are already getting good use of their service, consulting with attorneys about foreclosures and having a better shot at working out an agreement to keep their homes.

“A lot of people who get into this situation can’t afford $300 to $500 an hour,” Stonecipher said. “But with Pre-Paid, they get unlimited access.”

Pre-Paid Legal is continuing with the programs it has had for years but is adding programs designed to help small businesses deal with unions and debt collection.

“Some of these small businesses are very concerned about being unionized. They know there’s a major press in that area, but they don’t know how to respond or what to do about it,” Stonecipher said. “And our lawyers can help them with that. They can also help on debt collection — these businesses need help in tough times to collect every dollar they can.”

Dollarhide said that when the economy recovers, Pre-Paid is in good position to do even better — if it can survive a recently launched Securities and Exchange Commission investigation of Pre-Paid’s marketing practices and stock repurchase program.

Pre-Paid has had a mixed bag in its dealings with the SEC. Several years ago, the company restated its earnings steeply downward after regulators disagreed with the way it booked its sales staff’s commissions. But the last time the SEC came around Ada, the end was nothing but a hit on the stock price.

“Investors hate bad headlines,” Dollarhide said. “Obviously a subpoena casts a cloud. How dark that cloud is remains to be seen. The sooner they can get through that, the better.”

Stonecipher said he was surprised, but not shocked, by the latest investigation. He suspects the probe is related to his company’s repurchase program, in which Pre-Paid has spent $421 million buying back 14 million of 24 million shares the past several years.

“We’re a public company, and that’s the price you pay when you’re a public company. It’s not the best use of our resources, not best for shareholders. It’s only in the interest of the short-sellers. The shorts don’t like our stock buyback program.”

Stonecipher’s response makes sense to Dollarhide.

“The executive founder of a company will always put something in a good light,” Dollarhide said. “And I’m sure the short-sellers don’t like it or anything that might limit them. Some blame short-sellers for the entire crash.”

Could Pre-Paid go private?

“We don’t really need to be public anymore, we don’t need the cash,” Stonecipher said. “We’re buying back one day at a time.”

via newsok.com

It might be the ultimate in retail technology: A way to make huge profits by selling things that do not need to be acquired, stocked or shipped. But these items—perhaps a diamond-lined collar for a virtual pet or a special power in a shared game—are becoming big money. Virtual goods sales are projected to hit $5 billion this year, according to The New York Times.

But virtual goods are hardly free. The paper of record said the revenue was “all for things that, aside from perhaps a few hours of work by an artist and a programmer, cost nothing to produce.” Would they have said the same thing about a bestselling—albeit basic—applet? What is software other than the work of artists and programmers? The more important thing about virtual gifts, though, is what they say about the gift buyers. As Winston Churchill’s Web designer said, “Never before have so many spent so much on so little.” Is this pent up demand for immediacy? Entertainment? Is it a sign that consumers are now ready to embrace micropayments? Regardless, $5 billion is nothing to virtually sneeze at.

Lenders filed an average of 272 foreclosure actions in South Florida each day in October, an 8 percent increase from the same time last year, according to Condo Vultures report.

The October activity is also an 86 percent increase from 2007, which could mean more trouble for the residential real estate market.

But, the overall pace of foreclosures is slowing for the year, said Peter Zalewski, managing principal of Bal Harbour-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures, which tracks sales activity in the tri-county area.

Condo Vultures projects that 2009 will log 98,000 actions this year based on the pace of foreclosure filings to date. The high volume of activity earlier in the year put the tri-county area on pace for 102,000 foreclosure filings.

“Foreclosure filings are up from last year, but beginning to slow in volume compared to a quarter or two ago,” Zalewski said.

Looking at the first 10 months of the year, lenders filed foreclosures against 75,000 properties in 2008 and 33,000 in 2007. Foreclosures through the end of October this year represent a 28 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Broward is leading the pack, with a 21 percent year-over-year jump – with 4,002 foreclosure actions filed in October. Miami-Dade saw its foreclosure activity grow by 10 percent, and Palm Beach actually saw its numbers drop by 9 percent.

The rise in foreclosure activity does not coincide with a rise in inventory, as would be expected. In fact, South Florida’s residential resale inventory dropped 1.1 percent on a week-over-week basis on Nov. 2, to 69,342 single-family houses, townhouses, and condominium units, according to the report produced using Florida Association of Realtors data.

Windows Media

• Companies:

  • Amedisys Inc.
  • Google Inc.
  • Lhc Group, Inc.

Is it possible to outperform the market using a strategy that uses only two variables? On Dec. 2, 2005, I started tracking a portfolio I based on the writings of Joel Greenblatt, a strategy he called his “Magic Formula.” He described this formula — which is “magical” in that it includes only two variables — in his bestseller The Little Book That Beats the Market.

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AMED	40.67	+0.29
GOOG	540.30	-7.99
LHCG	30.60	-1.05
MHG	7.13	0.00
MHP	29.22	+0.09

No sophisticated investor would take a chance on a formula based on magic, and there is not much reassuring about a book that calls itself “The Little Book That Beats the Market,” but I have looked at Greenblatt’s strategy in detail and decided to include it among the other legendary strategies I offer on my site for one reason — it works.

It’s not magic, despite its name, and there is nothing little or insignificant about it. As a way to invest in the stock market, Greenblatt’s strategy sits comfortably among those of the giants of the investing world. Since I began following it, it is up 46.6%, compared to a loss of 14.5% for the S&P 500 over the same period. Year to date, the Greenblatt strategy is up a sterling 64.0%, as compared with the S&P 500’s gain of 19.7%. You can see more detailed performance for it on my model portfolio page.

Why does the strategy work? Because it looks it focuses on two variables that get to the core of successful investing — profitability and valuation.

One of the two variables used is return on capital, which measures how profitably a company is using its assets. This is similar to return on assets, but ROC uses earnings before interest and taxes instead of reported earnings (which is typically used with return on assets) because debt payments and taxes can hide how well a firm’s actual operating business is doing.

Why look at ROC? Because it is a measure of a company’s competitive advantages. Companies with high ROC tend to be able to charge more than no-name competitors — take for example Toyota vs. some of the Chinese carmakers reportedly interested in entering the U.S. market. Or perhaps the company has a strong competitive position — as is the case with Google , which can offer capabilities to customers its smaller competitors cannot.

The second variable addresses earnings yield, but again, Greenblatt has some variations on a common theme. Once more he uses EBIT rather than earnings, and divides this by the value of the company, which includes the price of the company’s shares along with the amount of debt used to generate earnings. Another way to look at this is that this variable measures the return one could expect if one bought the whole company, including its debt.

With these two variables (which he weights equally), he ranks the 3,500 largest stocks — the higher the ranking, the better.

So which stocks are now highly ranked by this strategy? One is Pre-Paid Legal Services , which provides a form of insurance that reimburses members for legal expenses, much as medical insurance reimburses members for medical expenses. Its earnings yield is 21.19%, giving it a rank of 16 out of all stocks, and its return on total capital comes to 104.42%, earning a ranking of 32. However, when combined, Pre-Paid Legal Services is No. 4 among the stocks in our database. That’s impressive.

Amedisys is another Greenblatt favorite. It provides home health care services in the Southern and Southeastern regions of the country. This company’s earnings yield is 13.82%, which garners a ranking of 98, while return on total capital is 330.65%, a return that ranks fifth among the stocks in our database. Combined, Amedisys comes in at No. 8, a very strong result.

Another company that meets these tests is LHC Group , which provides both home- and facility-based health care services primarily to Medicare beneficiaries in the Southern U.S. Earnings yield for this company is 13.89%, good for a 95 ranking, while return on total capital is 122.23%, 19th among all stocks. Combined, its ranking is No. 9 out of our total database of stocks.

The strategy also likes venerable book publisher McGraw-Hill Companies , which is in the process of selling its Business Week magazine to Bloomberg. Its earnings yield is 12.42%, ranking it 149, while its return on total capital is 149.90%, earning a 13 ranking. In total, McGraw-Hill is ranked 13th among all the stocks in our database.

Greenblatt goes out of his way in his book to point out that, like all strategies, his will not work every month or every year. And that fact is what allows it to continue to work in the long term — its strong track record and common-sense approach make this strategy one worth paying close attention to.

Please note that due to factors including low market capitalization and/or insufficient public float, we consider Pre-Paid Legal Services to be a small-cap stock. You should be aware that such stocks are subject to more risk than stocks of larger companies, including greater volatility, lower liquidity and less publicly available information, and that postings such as this one can have an effect on their stock prices.

ADA, Okla., Oct. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. (NYSE: PPD – News) is ranked number 66 in the 2009 Forbes Magazine annual list of “America’s 200 Best Small Companies,” climbing 64 positions from its 2008 ranking of 130 on this list. For the second consecutive year Pre-Paid Legal Services has retained the number one ranking in the Forbes survey in the category of return on equity (RoE), a measure of how efficiently a company uses its assets to produce earnings.

Related Quotes

Symbol	Price	Change
PPD	43.28	+0.69

{“s” : “ppd”,”k” : “c10,l10,p20,t10″,”o” : “”,”j” : “”}

“It’s gratifying to see Pre-Paid Legal Services recognized once again in the Forbes list of best small companies in America,” said Harland C. Stonecipher, Founder and CEO of Pre-Paid Legal Services. “We are proud to be listed among America’s finest small companies and we are especially pleased that our bottom line results have merited such high ranking.”

Stonecipher describes the PPD’s repeat performance as the number one ranked company for return on equity as significant. Earlier this year, DeMarche Associates, an independent investment research firm, named PPD as one of the 100 best U.S. corporations, based on the company’s growth and risk management strategy.

PPD’s 2009 Forbes ranking (based on $453 million in sales), included the 192nd position for sales growth and the 128th position for earnings per share.

PPD has been on the Forbes list for the past three years, which in itself is a measure of stability. According to Forbes, 71 of the 200 companies listed last year fell off the 2009 list. The Forbes list rankings are based on earnings growth, sales growth and return on equity for the previous 12 months.

About PPD

We believe our products are one of a kind, life events legal service plans. Our plans provide for legal service benefits provided through a network of independent law firms across the U.S. and Canada, and include unlimited attorney consultation, will preparation, traffic violation defense, automobile-related criminal charges defense, letter writing, document preparation and review and a general trial defense benefit. We have an identity theft restoration product we think is also one of a kind due to the combination of our identity theft restoration partner and our provider law firms. More information about our products and us can be found at our homepage at www.prepaidlegal.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this press release, other than purely historical information, regarding our future plans and objectives and expected operating results, dividends and share repurchases and statements of the assumptions underlying such statements, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The forward-looking statements contained herein are based on certain assumptions that may not be correct. They are subject to risks and uncertainties incident to our business that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are described in the reports and statements filed by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including (among others) those listed in our Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K, and include the risks that our membership persistency or renewal rates may decline, that we may not be able to continue to grow our memberships and earnings, that we are dependent on the continued active participation of our principal executive officer, that pending or future litigation may have a material adverse effect on us if resolved unfavorably to us, that we may have compromises of our information security, that during an economic downturn in the economy consumer purchases of discretionary items may be affected which could materially harm our sales, retention rates, profitability and financial condition, that we could be adversely affected by regulatory developments, that competition could adversely affect us, that we are substantially dependent on our marketing force, that our stock price may be affected by short sellers, that we have been unable to increase our employee group membership sales and that our active premium in force is not indicative of future revenue as a result of changes in active memberships from cancellations and additional membership sales. Please refer to pages 15 – 17 of our 2008 Form 10-K and pages 7 and 8 of our June 30, 2009 Form 10-Q for a more complete description of these risks. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward-looking statements in this release.

via finance.yahoo.com

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Press Releases

Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. Recognizes Associates Achievement

October 22, 2009 7:00 AM EDT

ADA, Okla., Oct. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Since Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. (NYSE: PPD) announced the re-launch of its marketing program at the 2009 Leadership Summit, there has been a significant increase in the number of independent associates achieving senior-level recognition and earnings with the company.

“We have delivered a strong message about the growth potential at Pre-Paid Legal.”

Services and our independent sales associates are responding to this opportunity,” said Harland C. Stonecipher, Founder and CEO of Pre-Paid Legal, Inc. “For the four-week period, from September 21 through October 16, 2009, we have seen more activity at all levels within the associate network, and we are proud to announce 13 major recognition and earning awards.”

These associate recognition and earnings awards (Editors: see note below) include:

–  $100,000 Ring Earners: Michael and Lisa McCoy (Clive, Iowa), Scott and Ronda Ferguson (Houston, Texas), Ryan Sean Burns (West Jordan, Utah), Trina Robinson and Austin Kemie (Los Angeles, California)
–  $250,000 Ring Earner: Chris and Sky Hughes (Murrietta,
California)
–  $300,000 Income Earners: Frank and Theresa AuCoin (Charleston, South Carolina), Sean and Loren Mikael (Los Angeles, California)
–  $800,000 Income Earner: Mark and Tammy Smith (Mission Viejo, California)
–  $1.5 million Income Earner: Brian Carruthers (Davidsonville,
Maryland)
–  Millionaire Club Member: Kim Ferris (Amherst, New York) and Joe and Doreen Wilkinson (North Richland Hills, Texas)
–  Platinum Level Award: Danny and Charlotte Walker (South Pete Beach, Florida)

Stonecipher referenced timing as a key variable in the recent surge of associate success. “In this economy people need legal advice — they have legal issues — and they need additional income,” Stonecipher said. “Our product and opportunity provide access to legal counsel and a way to generate more cash flow, both in the form of first-year commissions and residual income in later years.”

Editors Note:

Associate earnings are either for commissions earned during a 12-month period (which includes the “corporate ring system” given at earning levels of $100,000, $250,000, $500,000 and one million dollars) or for the Millionaire Club (which includes associates who have achieved one million dollars in commissions during their association with PPD). Pre-Paid Legal recognition includes other programs, such as the Platinum awards, a network leadership designation.

About PPD

We believe our products are one of a kind, life events legal services plans. Our plans provide for legal service benefits provided through a network of independent law firms across the U.S. and Canada, and include unlimited attorney consultation, will preparation, traffic violation defense, automobile-related criminal charges defense, letter writing, document preparation and review and a general trial defense benefit. We have an identity theft restoration product we think is also one of a kind due to the combination of our identity theft restoration partner and our provider law firms. More information about our products and us can be found at our homepage at www.prepaidlegal.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this press release, other than purely historical information, regarding our future plans and objectives and expected operating results, dividends and share repurchases and statements of the assumptions underlying such statements, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The forward-looking statements contained herein are based on certain assumptions that may not be correct. They are subject to risks and uncertainties incident to our business that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are described in the reports and statements filed by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including (among others) those listed in our Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K, and include the risks that our membership persistency or renewal rates may decline, that we may not be able to continue to grow our memberships and earnings, that we are dependent on the continued active participation of our principal executive officer, that pending or future litigation may have a material adverse effect on us if resolved unfavorably to us, that we may have compromises of our information security, that during an economic downturn in the economy consumer purchases of discretionary items may be affected which could materially harm our sales, retention rates, profitability and financial condition, that we could be adversely affected by regulatory developments, that competition could adversely affect us, that we are substantially dependent on our marketing force, that our stock price may be affected by short sellers, that we have been unable to increase our employee group membership sales and that our active premium in force is not indicative of future revenue as a result of changes in active memberships from cancellations and additional membership sales. Please refer to pages 15 – 17 of our 2008 Form 10-K and pages 7 and 8 of our June 30, 2009 Form 10-Q for a more complete description of these risks. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward-looking statements in this release.

SOURCE Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc

via streetinsider.com

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