2010 - Update on the IQ Money Team

Hello - I hope everyone had a great holiday Season wrapping up 2009.

We learned a lot during the last year and have observed many trends and had no choice but to face a variety of realities. A quick update on our founders and what we've been up to.

FOUNDER'S UPDATE
David - (yours truly) - outside of IQ Money Team projects I helped Lawrence and his wife Jeannie launch their new Wellness clinic main sites are: (zeronalaserslim.com & LaserslimNutrion.com), the first one is the main one, the 2nd one I used for marketing testing with twitter. I've been consulting with an international bio-diesel project. I was invited by a long term client of mine to assist in an Internet Marketing company launch as a principle. Part of that is to author some of my materials as well as be part of a core team of professionals that consult with other projects. A marketing project with a NASCAR affiliation surfaced that was very interesting and it looks like it will be launching soon.

Lawrence has been focused on establishing the new clinic. Lawrence and I have a history going back over 25 years. It was like old times only much new and less expensive IT technology this time around. Lawrence retired early about 10 years ago and sold a clinic practice to a growing national outfit that was publicly traded (made millions). Many of you remember it was popular back then to sell your business for "stock" in the new hot growing business. The new company bankrupted itself. I think we all learned a few things about the general stock market over the last 10 years. During the summer Lawrence was not only busy on a new business launch but also had some weddings :)

Peter is doing what he's always done as a professional architect. This year he's going to setup a few websites for his businesses. He is very good at what he does. Peter has come up with some interesting ideas for our Business model for team members. Its the same core context but with a different compensation model option.

ICRE and Commercial Real Estate
Peter and I attended a very personal and private syndication seminar put on by Cherif Medawar in San Juan. Cherif's cell is on my speed dial (laugh). He is a very dynamic, sincere and good man that found a unique niche in San Juan and achieved the American Dream and he gave us a private tour of all of his properties and explained first hand how all the deals came together.

We were stepped through a complete syndication legal and marketing package that Cherif put together and we all had an opportunity to present projects we had put together for syndication. I was a guest to this event and due to time limitations I did not have the opportunity to "pitch" an 10 million dollar project I had identified but I did introduce some of the IQ Money Team concepts which did inspire some inspiration.

There were some good solid quality projects presented - ready to go. Looking back and from observation Cherif was doing what we all were trying to do - find finding for some really good projects. Cherif had a very nice syndication package around Dollar Stores. I thought that was interesting because Lawrence's first deal was an assignment deal of a solid Dollar Store, which had a 14% CCR right out of the blocks. I helped him with the marketing and we discovered two things: #1 - Predatory investors who were just jerks, #2 - Investors afraid of their own shadow (can't really blame them after what has been going on over the last 10 years), but hard #'s and straight facts didn't seem to matter.

Everyone seemed to be looking for $$ for projects. During the last 24 months I saw funding needs for 15 million for the International Biodiesel project go unfunded, its in operation, has a solid market and huge lease contracts (the key to that business), sustainable long term and the profits stunning. The project has navigated "scam after scam" of investors either misrepresenting their capacity, and/or just predatory. Quite stunning actually.

A 1.5 billion dollar sound stage project - tanked because the founder ran into the same issues - lots of elaborate $$ scams, and at one time - had a gf go crazy download his cell phone contacts and then started calling everyone like a crazy person the day before he was to sign paperwork on stage 1 funding with a major financial institution who put the whole project on hold. Oddest thing I ever observed. New consulting rule for aspiring business leaders - no dating or relationships until after funding (laugh).

The NASCAR project is very interesting. It only needed about $300,000 in start up capital and our client had 3 investors lined up. They had a good idea, our team transformed the base idea into an expansive international business beyond just NASCAR. Closest thing to a no-brainer I've seen. When the rubber met the road, folks either didn't have the capacity the claimed (thus wasting everyone's time), or they were trying to be predatory. It was very bizarre to observe.

ICRE announced it was declaring bankruptcy - more of a financial move/re-organization. We discovered that most of the ICRE members - i.e. the ICRE database of members were really a database of deal finders looking for financial investors, all the financial investors seemed to have taken "hits". Add a flavor of the news media talking about the coming Commercial Real Estate "blood bath" and projects with long term lease contracts backed by solid corporate guarantees starting at 10 CAP - with great upside potential - no $$.

We did some market research and in our own Portland Oregon area in a 5 mile radius of downtown Portland over 5,000 people with over $500,000 each all their $$ in bank CD's. I had to scratch my head on that one. I was advertising a guaranteed 10% APR, backed by 1st Position Cashflowing Commercial Real Estate, Plus Benefits unheard of, the principle backed by hard assets, the interest backed by cashflowing lease contracts. Perhaps the safest most reliable approach I have ever seen.

Instead, they put half of their $$ at total risk with the FDIC insurance (almost bankrupted several times over the past few years), and CD interest rates as low as .75% Apr and as high as 1.75%. I'll admit, when I sat there looking at projects we had ready to go in various industries, and our IQ Money Team plan - I was a tad bit frustrated. I turned on the Comedy Channel at one point and heard someone state "You can't fix stupid.".

I came across a website that was very impressive: zeitgeistthemovie.com that identified some core problems of our culture and the history of those issues and its corruption. I was impressed with the Venus Project which backs those award winning documentaries. I've been a blogger on social issues pretty much all of my life (laugh). I have a deep love of business and people backed by a strong sense of "Changing the world" which I still haven't had beaten out of me since I was a young man. (I'm 45 and have been around the block a few times.)

I saw Michael Moore's new film "Capitalism a Love Affair" - many business folks don't like Michael Moore. I personally think his films are quite simple and direct and reveal things we need to look at. The last 6 months I've taken a quiet look around at politics, business, and how our world works and there are a lot of things that need to change.

That change is going to require new vision and new financial leadership. In recognizing this I am taking what I created with the IQ Money Team Business plan and will be working with current business projects to use some of these concepts for corporate asset management strategy for the growing business projects already in play. Its sort of a "next step".

My "no brainer" - "sure thing" was buying WAMU stock and options - the day before it was sold in the middle of the night to Chase by our Federal Government. (Yea, it was a gamble, all those things are gambles - the entire financial markets system is one big casino - laugh) - who knew they could step in and sell a publicly owned & traded company privately - totally by passing all the bankruptcy processes. Really what good is share values and calculations of assets vs liabilities when they can legally seize the assets and sell them in the middle of the night and screw all the actual "owners" of the company (i.e. share holders.) - something never done before - a little obscure law, and just 1 week before major bail out funding for the entire industry? Who could of guessed? Turns out that little "buy out" was 12 months in the planning.

I learned a few things there - I was reminded - there is always risk by things that do not make any sense, and we perhaps have a lot of "lawful" things going on that really aren't ethical and the whole system is "rigged" to a certain extent and your "plans" and projects have to navigate many predators and manipulators as part of the process. Folks don't know who to trust and if it sounds too good to be true - it probably is. Fear seems to rule the day.

I took some time to study the FTC's website and the scams being run on people at all levels of the financial spectrum are stunning. Organized crime has gone high tech and its amazing the fraud and theft going on.

I think I was a bit naive - to think that a solid business plan backed by 1st Position Assets - would launch simply and easily. People were/are selling properties they don't even own by falsifying notarized documents on public record (laugh). I ran into that myself in pre-foreclosures years ago - someone moves into an empty house and then tries to sell it as if they owned it. (No kidding).

Going against my legal counsel telling me "don't guarantee anything" - I was advertising a guaranteed 10% Apr, plus benefits with full disclosure of what backs that guarantee - attorney's live in a world of fear, manipulation and predatory waters. They know the mess their industry has created and nobody wants to fix it.

Shortly after I launched my marketing some folks started publishing "If anyone is guaranteeing you 6% or greater APR - it has to be a scam." - I felt like suing them for slander. 2008-2009 was a very frustrating time for all of us, knowing we had something good, brilliant in fact - but re-educating our audience was not going to happen on our timeline.

Right now my life partner's business (she has a niche product area she's been successful in for years - a ground up business), her product line is being featured in a National Magazine that began being released yesterday. I've been helping her with that. Yes, excess profits will be deployed in Commercial Real Estate.

The IQ Money Team - we are on hold pending growing our own financial resources to invest together personally, less regulations to deal with, less risk, etc. I'm sure once we get going we'll have a lot of folks wanting to "join in" once we've proven ourselves. I think at that point we'll probably just stay and be a tight nit team.

I know I will most likely teach the team model and a sponsor financial teams as a model. There needs to be a new financial leadership to emerge in the world (my opinion), one rooted in the spirit of Free Enterprise that Henry Ford exampled - freedom, liberty, progressive growth and everyone working together. I think he's my business hero. He hired his labor at 2x the prevailing wage and he built community - hospitals, schools, roads and subdivisions - it was rooted in mutual benefit and it made good business sense - today - its all about the least common denominator of cost, and milking anything and everything to make an extra time.

I'm sort of tired of living in a world where the 16 oz box, becomes an 8 oz box, becomes a 6 oz box, then a 5.5 oz box, then a 5.25 oz box, then a 4 oz box, then a 3.75 oz box, all in the same box, and the price stays the same - when the cost of the "box" is more that what is in the box.

Like I didn't notice this, and then have some survey tell me cost of living went up by 5%, when I know for a fact its up over 100% when you look at the milking and bilking going on?

Its not sustainable as an economic system. I think the Zeitgeist folks have nailed it right on. We are all going to be facing a lot of changes - and within those changes will be many opportunities to grow with and into. I am looking forward to myself, my teams and friends to be part of a new emerging leadership. I am a deep advocate of Free Enterprise - what existed before this modern monster we call capitalism - which is not what America was founded in - contrary to popular deception. Our founding fathers got it right - Personal Liberty, Freedom and Pursuet of Happiness.

The problem is - we are suppose to have a "Free Market" and Government is suppose to keep things a level playing field. This means competition with people creating better and better products and services which evolve forward. We haven't had that for decades within existing or established markets. We've had abuse of law, and resources and government to protect existing interests within our boarders and now are facing we are behind the leadership curve across the board in new developments in industry, textiles, and technology. All of what we are experiencing is/was unnecessary. But it is what it is.

Namaste' and Blessings to everyone. Keep in touch, I will drop notes in and if there are any interesting developments I'll post those opportunities here. If you like the IQ Money Team Concepts - let me know - if enough people come together to form a team there is a never ending parade of great opportunities available at any given time.

Independence through Interdependence is a powerful concept. I have identified a major Retirement Flaw most people are facing - it is one of the educational materials I am developing on to sell. Most people, by themselves - based on my observation and what I know is going on and has been going on - its a struggle just to hang on and maintain, and its a crap shoot to grow financially and most of what folks are focusing on are nothing but casino methods of putting their money to work. I enjoy the casino from time to time (laugh), but I am always mindful that the House is always the winner, and the player - well - he's always on a roller coaster.

My plan - create new cashflows and then invest the profits in Commercial Real Estate, and to multiply the power of that - work with friends and team mates I know personally. Grass roots sort of thing.

- David