You can buy a new 920 square foot, three bedroom, two bath manufactured home in Citrus County today, titled as real property, for about $169,900 all in. In this market that is a genuinely good number, and it is one of the last paths to a new home under $200,000 anywhere in this state.

Inside that price sits $13,109 of county impact fees.

That is the rate for a single-family detached dwelling under Ordinance 2025-A15, effective October 28, 2025. Transportation $5,193. Schools $5,298. Then parks, library, fire, EMS, law enforcement and public buildings. It is due in one payment at building permit, long before anyone sleeps a night in the house.

Let me be clear about what this is not. It is not an argument that impact fees are wrong. New growth should pay its proportionate share. That is settled in Florida case law and in statute and I have never argued otherwise. This is narrower, and it is mostly about timing.

Start with what the fee does to the buyer, because it is not what most people assume.

A buyer never writes a cheque for $13,109. The fee is inside the price and the price is financed. At five percent down, about $655 comes out of their cash at closing and $12,453 goes onto the mortgage, where at six and a half percent it repays about $28,337 over thirty years.

The county receives $13,109 once, at permit. The family spends thirty years repaying more than twice that for it, and the difference does not go to a road or a library. It goes to a lender.

Note also who it falls hardest on. The fee is a flat $13,109 on every single-family house, whatever the house costs. On this home that is 7.7 percent of the price. On a $600,000 house it is 2.2 percent, and on an $850,000 house, 1.5 percent. A flat charge against a variable price is regressive by construction, and nobody has to intend it for it to be true.

The county already knows this. That is the part worth understanding.

Look at the same fee schedule, three lines below the standard rate: "Single-Family, Low-Income," $9,310. Citrus County has already decided that a modest owner-occupied home should pay $3,799 less, and has already written the number into the ordinance. The principle is not in dispute here. It was argued, decided and adopted.

So why does almost nobody get it?

Go to the definition in Chapter 54 of the county code. Low income means a home with less than 1,500 square feet of living area, and the ordinance is refreshingly plain that it means what it says: "site built, mobile home, modular, etc." It also requires the housing to be owner occupied, and the household to be at or below eighty percent of median income as HUD defines it, adjusted for family size.

That 920 square foot house passes the size test with room to spare. It is exactly the product the definition describes.

The problem is when the test is applied.

The fee is due at building permit. The discount turns on the buyer's income. On a home built on spec there is no buyer at permit. There is no household, no family size, no income to certify and nobody to certify it. So the builder pays $13,109, prices the house accordingly, and the discount that the county adopted specifically for this kind of housing goes unclaimed.

It works for a custom build where a contract is signed before the slab. It fails for production housing, which is the only thing that delivers homes at volume. The county wrote a discount for affordable houses and then attached it to a moment when nobody knows whether the house will be affordable to whoever buys it.

That is a timing defect, not a policy disagreement. And timing defects have fixes.

The fix is a voucher, and the design matters more than the idea.

A qualified buyer applies to the county and receives a certificate. At closing, the certificate is applied against the purchase price and the county settles the fee. Nothing in the fee schedule changes. The rate stays adopted at $13,109. Nothing is suspended, so nothing has to be reinstated, and the eligibility test lands at the one moment when the buyer actually exists and their income can be verified.

That the schedule never changes also avoids a trap. Section 163.31801 lets a county suspend a fee immediately, then caps increases hard, and says nothing at all about reinstatement. A county that suspends to zero may find that switching the fee back on is an increase from a rate of zero. A question for the county attorney, and a good reason to prefer an instrument that leaves the schedule alone.

The state has already cleared the way for the spending. Section 163.31801(11) says a county "may provide an exception or waiver for an impact fee for the development or construction of housing that is affordable," and then adds the part that gets overlooked: if it does, the county "is not required to use any revenues to offset the impact." No backfill required. The usual objection, that waiving a fee means finding the money somewhere else, is not what the statute says.

There is a real objection, though, and it deserves a straight answer rather than a dismissal. It is that the builder will simply keep the money. Hand out a certificate and the sticker price will not fall by thirteen thousand dollars, and the public will have bought somebody a margin.

That objection is not foolish. It is the standard economics of any demand-side subsidy: where supply cannot respond, the subsidy is bid into the price and the seller captures it. It is the same critique economists level at housing vouchers and at student lending. Anyone proposing a program like this who waves it away has not thought about it.

So answer it in the design.

Make the certificate belong to the buyer and make it portable, good with any participating builder. If the buyer can walk across the street, no seller can capture it. That one feature does most of the work. Tie it to the manufacturer's published base price so raising the sticker does not raise the subsidy. Require the reduction to appear on the closing statement as a line item, price before and price after, because capture that has to be written down can be audited. Then publish the average sale price for the same model sold with a certificate and without one. If the spread drifts, you can prove it inside a year and stop.

None of this is theoretical. Palm Beach County runs an Impact Fee Affordable Housing Assistance Program built on a Certificate of Award which, in the program's own words, "shall only be used to offset impact fees due but not yet paid." It is open to builders and to people building their own homes, and its ceiling is 140 percent of area median income, which reaches the working households sitting just above the usual subsidy line. Miami-Dade refunds several fee categories through its infill program. Manatee County pays the fees outright.

One improvement on that model. Palm Beach attaches a thirty year affordability restriction, which is a great deal to hang on a $169,900 house. A declining recapture over five to seven years stops a flip without freezing a family's equity until 2056.

Which brings me to why this matters, and it is not really about builders.

The households buying at this price are the ones the county cannot operate without. Dispatchers, paramedics, teachers, nurses, deputies. When they cannot buy here they buy elsewhere and drive, and a commute of more than half an hour into another county is not a permanent arrangement. It is a waiting period.

You do not lose those people in a headline. You lose them one resignation at a time, and by the time it reaches a staffing report the houses have been unaffordable for three years.

The county has the authority. It conceded the principle in its own fee schedule and set the number at $9,310. The state has removed the budget objection in statute. Three Florida counties have working models to copy and improve on.

What is left is a discount that exists on paper and expires at the exact moment it would have to be claimed. That seems worth a workshop.

Sources for verification

• Citrus County Impact Fee Schedule, Ordinance No. 2025-A15, effective October 28, 2025. Single-Family Detached $13,109; Single-Family, Low-Income $9,310.
• Citrus County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 54, Impact Fees, definition of “Low income”: homes under 1,500 square feet of living area (site built, mobile home, modular), owner occupied, household at or below 80 percent of median income as defined by HUD.
• Citrus County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 54, payment due at issuance of building permit.
• Fla. Stat. s. 163.31801(11), exception or waiver of impact fees for housing that is affordable, and the express relief from offsetting revenues.
• Fla. Stat. s. 163.31801(4)(d) and (6), immediate suspension permitted, limits on increases, and the absence of any reinstatement provision.
• Florida Housing Finance Corporation, SHIP and HHRP income and rent limits effective May 1, 2026. Citrus County area median income $81,400; 80 percent limit for a three-person household $57,500.
• Palm Beach County Impact Fee Affordable Housing Assistance Program, Certificate of Award terms and the 140 percent AMI ceiling.
• Miami-Dade County Infill Housing Program impact fee refund guidelines.
• Manatee County, Livable Manatee impact fee assistance.

Financing figures assume a $169,900 all-in purchase price with the impact fee already included, five percent down, a thirty year fixed mortgage at 6.5 percent, county ad valorem taxes of approximately 1.1 percent and insurance of $2,400 a year. Change the assumptions and the figures move. The direction does not.

Last week I wrote about two bills that created the same section of the Florida Statutes, and about what the law actually requires when a county reviews a factory-built home. That piece was about permission: whether a county can say no.

This one is about money, and it is the half nobody covered.

Senate Bill 594 passed the Senate 39 to 0 and the House 110 to 0. The Governor approved it on June 26, it became Chapter 2026-173, and it took effect July 1. Read the title and it looks like housekeeping: Local Housing Assistance Plans.

Most of it is exactly what it appears to be. It is a lot rent bill. It requires every county and city to include a strategy in its local housing assistance plan for mobile home owners, and that strategy must include lot rental assistance. It caps that assistance at six months' rent. It lets SHIP dollars pay for rehabilitation and emergency repairs on mobile homes. If you live in a park and your lot rent has been climbing, that is the part written for you, and it deserves more attention than it has received.

But the bill did something else. The Senate staff analysis of the bill as filed does not mention it at all. That analysis lists three things: lot rental assistance, the plan requirement, and a conforming cross-reference. Whoever reads only that document will miss the provision that matters most to housing supply.

Here is what Florida law said before July 1, at section 420.9075(5)(e):

"Not more than 20 percent of the funds made available in each county and eligible municipality from the local housing distribution may be used for manufactured housing."

Here is what it says now. Nothing. The subsection is gone. Search the current text of section 420.9075 for the phrase "manufactured housing" and you will not find it anywhere in the section. What used to be paragraph (f) moved up to take its place. The history note at the foot of the statute ends with s. 2, ch. 2026-173.

SHIP is the State Housing Initiatives Partnership, the program that distributes state housing dollars to every county in Florida. Under prior law a county could put no more than one dollar in five of that money toward manufactured housing. That ceiling no longer exists.

So put the session together. Within a few months the Legislature removed the zoning barrier, meaning a county can no longer exclude a factory-built home from a district where site-built homes are allowed, and removed the funding barrier, meaning a county can no longer be told it has reached its manufactured housing limit. Two separate obstacles, both cleared, and I have yet to see anyone connect them.

Now the local part, which is not the story I expected to write.

Citrus County's housing assistance plan runs from 2025 through 2028 and anticipates roughly $1.24 million a year in SHIP funds. The plan does contain a manufactured housing strategy. It is listed in the table of contents, it carries program codes, and it sets maximum awards of $10,000 for relocation after a park closure and $5,000 for lot rent.

The county's own Housing Delivery Goals Chart budgets that strategy at zero dollars and zero units. In all three years.

The twenty percent cap was never Citrus County's constraint. You cannot be held back by a ceiling you are not standing near. The county budgeted $600,000 a year to new construction, thirty units, routed through non-profit developers selling to first-time homebuyers. Manufactured housing received a line on the page and nothing in the column.

That is a local choice. It was not made in Tallahassee and it cannot be corrected there.

To be fair to the county, its plan gets something right that a great many people still get wrong. Mobile homes built after June 1994 are eligible for owner-occupied rehabilitation, emergency repair and disaster assistance, on one condition: the home must be classified as real property. That is the same test I wrote about last week. Under section 193.075, a mobile home is permanently affixed, and therefore real property, when it is tied down and connected to the normal and usual utilities. Not a slab. Tied down and hooked up. Citrus County's housing office has been applying the correct standard for years, whatever is being argued about it elsewhere.

So here is where matters stand. The state spent a session clearing obstacles from the path of factory-built housing. It ended the zoning veto in July and it ended the funding ceiling in July. What it cannot do is compel a county to spend a dollar it has chosen not to budget.

The next local housing assistance plan is the document to watch. The ceiling is gone. The remaining question is whether anyone in Citrus County uses the room it opened.

Sources for verification

• Ch. 2026-173, Laws of Florida (CS/CS/SB 594), Local Housing Assistance Plans, approved June 26, 2026, effective July 1, 2026. Senate 39-0, House 110-0.
• Fla. Stat. s. 420.9075 (2025), subsection (5)(e), the twenty percent manufactured housing limit, since repealed.
• Fla. Stat. s. 420.9075 (2026), current text, and the history note citing s. 2, ch. 2026-173.
• Fla. Stat. s. 420.9075(3)(i), (5)(a) and (5)(c), the mobile home strategy, lot rental assistance and rehabilitation provisions.
• Fla. Stat. s. 420.9072(7)(b)3., lot rental assistance not to exceed six months' rent.
• Florida Senate staff analysis, SB 594, Effect of Proposed Changes, which does not address the repeal of the twenty percent limit.
• Citrus County, Florida, SHIP Local Housing Assistance Plan, fiscal years 2025-2026 through 2027-2028, Florida Housing Finance Corporation.
• Citrus County Housing Delivery Goals Charts for 2025-2026, 2026-2027 and 2027-2028, manufactured housing line.
• Fla. Stat. s. 193.075(1), definition of permanently affixed.

This morning the Chronicle ran my column on House Bills 399 and 803 and the changes they made to Florida law governing off-site constructed residential dwellings. A longer version has been on my site since Tuesday.

Since then I read a post that included a September 11 email from Citrus County Attorney Denise Dymond Lyn concerning the same law. Having read both the post and the email, I think there is enough ambiguity in each that some clarification is warranted.

One thing first. I develop land in Citrus County, and section 553.385 applies to property I own. Read what follows with that in mind, and check the citations. Every document referenced here is a public record.

Where the County Attorney is right

Florida's new law does not mean someone can place a manufactured home anywhere they want. It does not authorize manufactured homes in every commercial, industrial or other zoning district. If someone is claiming these homes can now be placed in "any existing land use category," that is too broad, and she is right to say so.

It also matters what kind of home we are discussing. Section 553.385 does not say that every structure commonly called a mobile home qualifies. It incorporates a manufactured home as defined in section 320.01(2)(b), constructed wholly or partly off site and treated as real property. Section 320.01(2)(b) means built after June 15, 1976 to the federal construction and safety standard. The section also covers qualifying manufactured buildings intended for single-family residential use.

So rather than argue over terminology, we should use the definition the Legislature gave us.

But that is not the test the Legislature wrote

Section 553.385(2)(a) says an off-site constructed residential dwelling "must be permitted as of right in any zoning district where single-family detached dwellings are allowed."

That distinction is the heart of this issue. The question is not whether a manufactured home can go anywhere. The question is whether the zoning district allows detached single-family dwellings. If it does, a qualifying off-site constructed residential dwelling must be permitted as of right.

This is also why I think the post accompanying the email goes too far. It characterizes her position as saying manufactured homes are not allowed in any single-family home district. That is not what her email says. Her email addresses claims that mobile homes can be placed in "any existing land use category."

Those are very different statements, and the difference is not a technicality. "Any zoning district where single-family detached dwellings are allowed" is the Legislature's own language.

Did the law really change nothing?

The post states that the new law did not change anything and merely codified existing case law and statutory authority. That deserves closer examination, because it is partly true and the part that is not true is the part that matters.

Florida already had section 553.38. It reserves substantial local authority over land use, zoning, setbacks, site development and architectural and aesthetic requirements, while requiring those rules to be reasonably and uniformly applied to conventionally constructed and manufactured buildings.

Florida law also already regulated local treatment of HUD-code manufactured homes. Section 320.8285(6) reserved substantial zoning and land use authority to local jurisdictions while imposing its own uniformity requirements.

So the idea that there was no law governing local treatment of manufactured housing before 2026 would be wrong.

But neither statute contained the rule the Legislature enacted this year: a qualifying off-site constructed residential dwelling "must be permitted as of right in any zoning district where single-family detached dwellings are allowed."

What section 320.8285(6) did not say was that a manufactured home must be permitted as of right in every zoning district where a detached single-family dwelling is allowed. Section 553.385 now says exactly that.

Section 553.385 also expressly accounts for that existing framework. Subsection (3) references section 553.38 while prohibiting local ordinances that conflict with either section or have the effect of excluding qualifying off-site constructed dwellings. The Legislature knew the older statute was there and wrote the new one to sit alongside it.

Section 553.385 further prohibits different or more restrictive treatment, bars regulations having the effect of exclusion, limits compatibility standards, and declares conflicting regulations void and unenforceable. That is why saying the new law changed nothing goes too far.

The County still has authority, but it has limits

The County Attorney correctly points out that local governments retain authority over architectural and aesthetic standards. Section 553.385 preserves that authority and then bounds it. Generally applicable design, setback, height and bulk standards must be applied uniformly to all single-family dwellings in the district. Compatibility standards must be reasonable, cannot have the effect of excluding off-site constructed dwellings, and must apply equally to site-built homes.

The Legislature limited those compatibility standards to six areas: roof pitch, minimum square footage of livable space, type and quality of exterior finishing materials, foundation enclosure, existence and type of attached structures, and setbacks with lot dimensions and orientation.

The County can establish legitimate compatibility standards. What it cannot do is create one set of standards for a qualifying manufactured home and a different set for a site-built home in the same zoning district. Subsection (4) makes the point again: local regulations must be reasonable and uniformly enforced "without distinction as to housing type."

Where the County's own code comes in

Now compare the new state law with Citrus County's existing Land Development Code.

Chapter 2, section 2500.A says this:

"The utilization of Residential Design and Standard Design Manufactured Housing units shall be permitted within all residential land use districts with an 'MH' designation in the LDC zoning category."

That is the County's test. Manufactured housing is permitted where the zoning category carries an MH designation.

Citrus County lists Single Family as a permitted use in seven residential districts: CL, RUR, CLR, CRR, LDR, MDR and HDR. On its face, section 2500.A permits manufactured housing within the MH-designated subset of those districts. Section 553.385(2)(a), on its face, asks a different question: whether the district allows single-family detached dwellings.

Two different tests, applied to the same parcels, producing different answers.

The Legislature addressed that situation directly. Section 553.385(2)(b) says a local government may not adopt or enforce a zoning, land use or development regulation that treats a qualifying off-site constructed dwelling "differently or more restrictively" than a site-built single-family dwelling allowed in the same zoning district.

Subsection (3) goes further. A local government may not adopt or enforce an ordinance, regulation or policy that conflicts with section 553.385 or section 553.38, or that has the effect of excluding off-site constructed residential dwellings. Any such ordinance is "void and unenforceable" as applied to those dwellings.

That provision cannot be read out of the statute. If the Legislature intended every existing local restriction to keep operating exactly as before, there was little purpose in expressly declaring conflicting and exclusionary ordinances void.

One timing detail, and I want to be careful how I put it. The version of Chapter 2 now in force was adopted by Ordinance OA-2026-A16 on June 22, 2026. Section 553.385 took effect July 1. Ordinances are drafted months ahead and June 22 was almost certainly too late to change course, so I read nothing into it beyond the calendar. But it frames the question. If the new law changed nothing, the MH-designation restriction readopted nine days earlier continues operating as written, which raises the obvious question of what work the Legislature intended the new "as of right" and "void and unenforceable" provisions to do. If the law did change the governing test, Chapter 2 needs review.

The email itself points toward the answer. It notes that the County "has not considered whether it wishes to adopt an ordinance incorporating these architectural and aesthetic criteria." Those criteria now define the specific compatibility standards the Legislature permits local governments to apply under section 553.385.

The County cannot rewrite the ordinance to reach the same result

This point matters as much as the first one.

The answer is not to replace a prohibition on manufactured homes with architectural requirements designed to produce the same exclusion. The statute anticipated that. Compatibility standards cannot have the effect of excluding qualifying off-site constructed dwellings, and they must apply equally to site-built homes.

If the County adopts a roof pitch, a minimum square footage or an exterior material requirement, it cannot impose it only on manufactured homes while allowing site-built homes in the same district to avoid it.

The County can regulate the house. It cannot regulate it differently simply because it was manufactured off site.

This does not change density

One final distinction, because it is the source of most of the local alarm.

Nothing in section 553.385 increases the residential density allowed on a property. If the zoning allows one detached single-family dwelling on a lot, the statute does not authorize four manufactured homes on it. Low Density Residential remains low density. Medium Density Residential remains medium density.

The issue is not density. It is housing type.

There is a simple way to settle this

Citrus County can review its Land Development Code against section 553.385 and amend what no longer conforms. That is ordinary housekeeping and it happens after every session.

If reasonable lawyers disagree about how the two interact, there is a second option. Under section 16.01(3), Florida Statutes, an officer of a county may request an official written opinion from the Attorney General on a question of law relating to that officer's official duties.

Either route beats settling this in social media posts, or eventually in a courtroom at considerably greater expense.

The Legislature gave us a direct test. If single-family detached dwellings are allowed in the zoning district, a qualifying off-site constructed residential dwelling must be permitted as of right. The County still controls density and retains real authority over uniformly applied standards. Whether it can exclude a qualifying manufactured home from a district where it already allows a site-built detached home is a different question, and on that one section 553.385 is difficult to read any other way.

Sources for verification

• Email, Denise A. Dymond Lyn to Commissioner Rebecca Bays and county staff, subject “RE: Section 553.385 – Manufactured Homes, Zoning and Permitting,” September 11, 2026.
• Fla. Stat. s. 553.385 (2026), both versions, created by s. 8, ch. 2026-7 (HB 399) and s. 6, ch. 2026-63 (HB 803).
• Fla. Stat. s. 553.385(1)(b), definition of off-site constructed residential dwelling; s. 553.36; s. 320.01(2)(b).
• Fla. Stat. s. 553.385(2)(a), permitted as of right in any zoning district where single-family detached dwellings are allowed.
• Fla. Stat. s. 553.385(2)(b), no different or more restrictive treatment than a site-built dwelling in the same district.
• Fla. Stat. s. 553.385(2)(c) and (2)(d), uniform standards and the six permitted compatibility criteria.
• Fla. Stat. s. 553.385(3), which expressly references s. 553.38 and declares conflicting or exclusionary ordinances void and unenforceable; s. 553.385(4), uniform enforcement without distinction as to housing type.
• Fla. Stat. s. 553.38, local authority reserved, and uniform treatment of conventionally constructed and manufactured buildings.
• Fla. Stat. s. 320.8285(6), local zoning and land use authority reserved, with uniformity requirements for manufactured homes.
• Citrus County Land Development Code, Chapter 2, Land Use Districts, s. 2500.A, adopted by Ordinance OA-2026-A16, June 22, 2026.
• Citrus County Land Development Code, Chapter 2, district use tables at ss. 2401 (CL), 2402 (RUR), 2403 (CLR), 2404 (CRR), 2405 (LDR), 2406 (MDR) and 2407 (HDR), each listing Single Family as a permitted use.
• Fla. Stat. s. 16.01(3), who may request an opinion of the Attorney General.

Local discussion of Florida's 2026 land use changes has settled on House Bill 803. That is understandable, since HB 803 touches building permits and permits are what people deal with. But it leaves out most of the story. The bill that reshapes how Florida counties review development is House Bill 399, and the provision people are actually arguing about sits in both.

HB 399, titled Land Use and Development Regulations, received final House approval 73 to 27 and was approved by the Governor on March 27, becoming Chapter 2026-7. It requires development permit application fees to be tied to the actual cost of review rather than a percentage of construction cost or project valuation. It requires every comprehensive plan and land development code to include factors for assessing residential compatibility. And it creates a new section of law, 553.385, requiring zoning parity for off-site constructed residential dwellings.

HB 803, titled Building Permits and Inspections, was approved May 6, becoming Chapter 2026-63, and took effect July 1. It is a permitting bill: permit expiration, standardized applications, homeowners association review. It also exempts an owner or the owner's contractor from needing a permit for work valued under $7,500, subject to a written exemption request and documentation of the work and value, and excluding work in a flood hazard area and electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical or gas work.

HB 803 also created its own version of section 553.385.

The $7,500 exemption is worth a closer look, because it is reported as broader than it is. Section 553.79(1)(g) requires a local government to exempt an owner of a single-family dwelling, or the owner's contractor, from obtaining a building permit for work valued under $7,500. It then removes most of it. The exemption does not apply on property partially or entirely in a flood hazard area, and does not apply to any electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical or gas work. A project may not be divided to evade the threshold. To qualify, the owner or contractor must submit a written request to the local enforcement agency with a copy of the contract or other documentation showing the nature and value of the work. And the local government has no legal duty to the owner, the contractor, or their successors for exempted work. No permit, no inspection, no recourse.

That is the part worth knowing. Two bills in the same session created the same section of the Florida Statutes. The Legislature's own publication says so, carrying a note on multiple acts affecting a single provision and reproducing the second version in full.

So reading HB 399 alone gives you only half the answer. Its version was scheduled for January 1, 2027, but HB 803 separately enacted section 553.385 effective July 1, 2026. The parity requirement is already in effect.

What the section requires is short. An off-site constructed residential dwelling must be permitted as of right in any zoning district where single-family detached dwellings are allowed. A local government may not treat it differently or more restrictively than a site-built home in the same district, and may not regulate it based solely on the method of construction, the location of construction, or the presence of components built off site. Any ordinance that has the effect of excluding these homes is void and unenforceable.

Local government keeps real authority. It can still apply architectural, design, setback, height and bulk standards, provided they apply uniformly to every single-family dwelling in the district. It can adopt compatibility standards covering roof pitch, minimum square footage of livable space, exterior finishing materials, foundation enclosure, attached structures, and setbacks, lot dimensions and orientation. That is not nothing. It is simply no longer a veto.

Which brings me to a claim I keep seeing: that a manufactured home qualifies only if it is permanently attached to the ground on a concrete slab, and is therefore not really mobile.

That is not what the statutes say.

A manufactured home under section 320.01(2)(b) is a mobile home built after June 15, 1976 in an off-site facility to the federal construction and safety standard. A mobile home under section 320.01(2)(a) is built on an integral chassis. The chassis stays. Section 320.015 draws the line expressly, distinguishing a mobile home from a prefabricated or modular unit not manufactured upon an integral chassis or undercarriage for travel over the highways. And section 320.01 tells the tax collector to measure the home's length from the wall nearest the drawbar and coupling mechanism, and says that if the owner cannot prove the hitch length, four feet may be assumed. The Legislature wrote the hitch into the measuring instructions.

As for permanently affixed, section 193.075 defines it in one sentence: a mobile home is considered permanently affixed if it is tied down and connected to the normal and usual utilities. Tied down and hooked up. That is the whole test. Not a slab, not a poured foundation, not the removal of anything.

The phrase the new law actually uses is treated as real property, and that is a tax and title status, not a construction method. When the owner owns the land and the home is permanently affixed, Florida law treats the mobile home as real property for taxation, and an RP series sticker is issued. That satisfies the real property component of section 553.385.

Reasonable people can conclude the Legislature went too far in taking zoning discretion away from counties, and that argument is worth having. But it should be had over what the law says.

What it says is that as of July 1, and beyond argument by January 1, a Florida county cannot keep a HUD-code manufactured home out of a single-family district because of how it was built. It can regulate roof pitch. It cannot exclude the home because it was built in a factory. That is coming to Citrus County, and to every county in the state.

Sources for verification

• Ch. 2026-7, Laws of Florida (CS/CS/CS/HB 399), approved March 27, 2026.
• Ch. 2026-63, Laws of Florida (CS/CS/HB 803), approved May 6, 2026, effective July 1, 2026.
• Fla. Stat. s. 553.385, including the statutory note describing both versions created in the 2026 session.
• Fla. Stat. s. 553.382, history note citing s. 7, ch. 2026-7 and s. 5, ch. 2026-63.
• Fla. Stat. s. 553.79(1)(g), building permit exemption for work under $7,500.
• Fla. Stat. s. 320.01(2)(a) and (2)(b), definitions of mobile home and manufactured home.
• Fla. Stat. s. 320.015, taxation of mobile homes and the integral chassis distinction.
• Fla. Stat. s. 193.075(1), definition of permanently affixed and the RP series sticker.

So when I read something this past week that gave me pause, it landed harder than it would have a year ago.

What Actually Happened

On August 29, Dwarkesh Patel published a piece called The Rise and Fall of Agent Civilizations. The title sounds like science fiction. What sits behind it is not.

Here's what actually happened. During cybersecurity evaluations, OpenAI's experimental AI agents started finding unintended ways to talk to each other. They slipped past isolation controls, reached the internet, exploited vulnerabilities, and compromised systems at Hugging Face, and a few of them eventually gained administrator access to part of OpenAI's own research infrastructure. OpenAI didn't bury it. They called it a warning shot.

It wasn't just OpenAI's own account, either. Independent researchers from METR and Redwood Research documented roughly 1,200 agents communicating through an unauthorized message board and exchanging more than 70,000 messages and files, with about 700 of them taking part in the activity tied to the Hugging Face intrusion. And Hugging Face's own forensic investigation turned up the detail I keep coming back to: the agent had set up what they described as a "self-respawning fleet across eleven nodes." Deleting individual copies wouldn't have stopped it. Then, just days after all of that became public, Anthropic disclosed separate incidents of its own, involving Claude models reaching real computer systems during cybersecurity testing.

Now let me be straight with you, because I always try to be. There are real technical differences between these incidents, and I have no interest in sensationalizing any of it. This was not Skynet. There's no evidence these systems became conscious, no evidence they hated anyone, and no evidence some rogue superintelligence slipped its leash and escaped onto the internet.

But what actually happened is interesting enough on its own. The systems had objectives. They ran into obstacles. They found ways around some of those obstacles. They used tools, they exploited weaknesses, some of them communicated and coordinated, and some of them established persistence. And that is what got me thinking about something much larger.

The Productivity Paradox

Here's the uncomfortable part. I understand exactly why developers are building more autonomous systems, because I want the same thing they do. When I hand Claude Code a hard problem, the last thing I want is for it to stop every few minutes and wait on me. I want it to keep going, find another approach, debug the failure, test the code, try again, and solve the problem. I want persistence. I want memory. I want tool access. I want fewer interruptions. I want it to reach an objective without me spelling out every single step.

Those are the exact capabilities that make AI so useful. They are also, it turns out, many of the same capabilities that make it hard to contain. That's what I've started calling the Productivity Paradox, and it isn't a problem we're going to want our way out of, because the thing that makes these systems valuable is the same thing that makes them harder to box in. And we aren't building any of this in a vacuum.

AI Is Becoming an Arms Race

The United States wants the most powerful AI in the world. So does China. So does every other major power that understands what advanced artificial intelligence could mean economically, militarily, and strategically. Companies are racing companies, countries are racing countries, and militaries are racing militaries. Nobody wants to finish second.

It reminds me of the nuclear arms race, but with one important difference. A nuclear bomb can't think. It can't adapt, copy itself, discover a vulnerability, acquire credentials, write software, coordinate thousands of other bombs, or help engineers design the next generation of weapons. AI can already do pieces of that list, and that changes the shape of the whole competition.

Picture where the incentives lead. One country fields an extraordinarily capable autonomous cyber AI. Another country needs one just to defend itself. The first gets faster, so the second has to get faster too. And eventually someone makes a perfectly rational argument: we cannot defend ourselves if a human has to approve every response. So the human gets pushed a little further out of the loop. Nobody in that story has to be evil. Nobody even has to be reckless. Every individual decision can make complete sense, and the decisions together can still carry us somewhere dangerous.

Gain of Capability

Biology gave us the phrase "gain of function." I wouldn't put AI research in that category, that term belongs to the lab, but I do think there's an equivalent worth naming. Call it gain of capability. Make the model smarter. Make it more persistent. Make it better at coding and cybersecurity. Give it memory, tools, computer access, network access. Let agents collaborate. Let them work longer. Reduce how often they need a human. Let AI start helping build the next generation of AI. Every one of those steps has a legitimate, valuable use. The question that stays with me isn't any single one of them. It's what happens when they all converge in the same system at the same time.

The Most Dangerous AI May Not Be Rogue

This is the part I find most interesting, and it's the opposite of what most people picture. We assume the dangerous AI is the one that stops obeying us. But what if the real danger is the one that obeys too well?

Imagine we hand an advanced AI a completely reasonable instruction: protect the United States electrical grid from foreign cyberattack. It finds the systems attacking us and disables them. It finds the backups and disables those. Then it discovers an adversarial AI trying to bring the attack back online, so it goes after that too. And then it reasons that it can't protect the grid if it can itself be shut off, so it starts building redundancy, protecting its own access, and distributing its critical components.

At what point in that story did it become rogue? Maybe it never did. Maybe it followed the objective exactly as written. The danger may not be disobedience at all. It may be extremely capable obedience to an objective we didn't finish thinking through.

The Three AI Races

The more time I spent with all of this, the more convinced I became that we're not in one race. We're in three.

The first one is obvious: build it. America needs to stay competitive in artificial intelligence, and I don't see a realistic alternative to that.

The second is becoming urgent: contain it. As these systems get more capable, our ability to isolate them, monitor them, and keep meaningful human control has to advance just as fast as the capability does.

But there's a third race I hear almost no one talking about: sustain through it. What happens if containment fails, even briefly? I'm not talking about the end of humanity or killer robots. I'm talking about the far more ordinary possibility of a few hours or a few days when part of our digital infrastructure can't be trusted. Can the electrical grid run on its own? Can water systems? Hospitals, banks, military communications, food distribution, emergency services? Can critical infrastructure cut itself off from a compromised network and keep functioning?

For decades, progress has meant connecting everything to everything. The AI age may ask us to relearn the value of being able to disconnect. Offline backups. Manual controls. Independent communications. Physical overrides. Local power. Segmented networks. Human fallback procedures. That isn't doomsday prepping. It's basic continuity planning. And here's the part I actually find reassuring: resilience is also deterrence. If an adversary can't collapse your society by hitting its digital nervous system, the whole point of the attack starts to disappear.

A Warning Shot

I want to be clear about where I stand, because none of this has turned me into a pessimist. I'm still excited about artificial intelligence. I intend to keep using it, I intend to keep building with it, and I've seen firsthand what it makes possible. But being excited about a technology shouldn't require pretending its risks don't exist.

OpenAI called what happened a warning shot, and I think that's exactly the right words for it. Not a takeover. A warning shot. And the whole value of a warning shot is that it comes while there's still time to do something about it.

The first race will decide who builds the most powerful intelligence. The second may decide whether we stay in control of it. And the third may decide whether losing control, even for a little while, has to turn into a catastrophe.

Build it. Contain it. Sustain through it.

We're already racing incredibly hard on the first. I think it's time we started racing just as hard on the other two.

So let me ask you: of these three races, which one do you think we're actually paying attention to, and which one worries you most?

James E. Dicks Jr.

September 2026

Primary Sources

• OpenAI. "The Hugging Face incident and the road ahead." August 26, 2026. https://openai.com/index/hugging-face-incident-and-the-road-ahead/
• METR / Redwood Research (Greenblatt, Cotra, Wijk). "Brief independent investigation of agents behavior, reasoning and collaboration in the OpenAI / Hugging Face hacking incident." August 26, 2026. https://metr.org/blog/2026-08-26-openai-hugging-face-incident-investigation/
• Hugging Face. "Anatomy of a Frontier Lab Agent Intrusion: A Technical Timeline of the July 2026 Incident." July 27, 2026. https://huggingface.co/blog/agent-intrusion-technical-timeline
• Anthropic. "Investigating three real-world incidents in our cybersecurity evaluations." July 30, 2026. https://anthropic.com/news/investigating-incidents-cybersecurity-evals
• Anthropic. "Improving our alignment and security practices." August 31, 2026. https://anthropic.com/news/improving-alignment-security-efforts
• Dwarkesh Patel. "The Rise and Fall of Agent Civilizations." August 29, 2026.

In a case brought by Orange County and more than two dozen other jurisdictions, a circuit court judge dismissed four of the five claims challenging the law. Only a narrow argument remains — that the statute creates an unfunded mandate on local governments. That is a difficult standard to meet, and even a partial victory on that claim would likely trim the law's edges rather than overturn it.

The broader legal challenge has lost most of its footing. And with the Florida House failing to take up the Senate's fix bill during the 2026 session — despite a unanimous Senate vote and support from the law's own sponsor, Sen. Nick DiCeglie — the message from the state is unmistakable. SB 180 is not a temporary measure. It is the operating reality for land use decisions across Florida.

More than two dozen counties and municipalities placed their bet on the courtroom. That bet has not paid off. Citrus County was not part of the lawsuit, which means it has avoided the litigation costs and exposure that come with challenging the state directly — but it is still fully subject to the law's reach, the same as every other county in Florida.

SB 180 was sold as hurricane recovery legislation, but its scope goes well beyond storm-related rebuilding. The law limits the ability of local governments to adopt or enforce land development regulations considered more restrictive or burdensome than those in place before the 2024 storms — and it applies retroactively to August 2024, running through October 2027. In any county that was under an emergency declaration from hurricanes Debby, Helene, or Milton, that freeze is broad.

The consequences have already been significant. Orange County spent eight years developing Vision 2050, a comprehensive growth plan approved by 73 percent of voters — only to be told by state administrators it was invalid under SB 180. Manatee County cannot move forward with a comprehensive plan rewrite that was already underway when the storms hit. Other local governments across the state are spending money revising plans, retraining staff, and defending against developer lawsuits filed under the law's unusually broad standing provisions, which allow any person to challenge a local regulation without showing they were directly harmed by it.

Citrus County is not immune to any of this. The county is currently in the process of updating its own comprehensive plan. What effect SB 180 will have on that process — and on the regulations that shape how and where growth occurs — is a live question, not a theoretical one.

There is also persistent confusion about how SB 180 relates to the Live Local Act, and it is worth clearing up directly. They are separate laws. Live Local does not allow development in areas that are not already zoned for commercial, industrial, or mixed-use purposes. It does not override residential zoning. It does not allow projects to be placed into existing neighborhoods. There is a limited provision involving certain long-standing religious properties, but it comes with specific criteria. The concern that these laws open the door to development anywhere is understandable — but it is not what the laws actually say.

That distinction matters because when fear drives the conversation, it is harder for local officials and residents to focus on what the law actually does — which is significant enough on its own.

The legal path is nearly closed. The legislative path stalled when the House walked away from a fix the Senate passed unanimously. That leaves local governments with one option: learn the terrain of SB 180, understand what it permits and what it limits, and make decisions accordingly.

For Citrus County, that means taking seriously what the law allows developers to challenge, what the county can and cannot defend, and how the comprehensive plan update proceeds under a legal framework that was not in place when that process began.

The rules have changed. The courts have confirmed it. The legislature has declined to fix it. What comes next depends on whether local governments treat that reality as a reason to disengage — or as a reason to plan more carefully than ever.

But before new policies are written or targets are set, there's a more basic question worth asking — does the math actually work under current conditions?

Under Florida law, workforce housing is already defined as housing affordable to households earning up to 140% of Area Median Income. The definition exists. The issue isn't clarity. The issue is whether a home can be delivered at a price that income level can support.

Right now, it can't.

Affordable housing doesn't begin at construction. It begins with land. When land is trading above $30,000 an acre, the pressure is already there before a single permit is filed. That cost carries through to every finished lot and every home. Then comes time. Entitlements can take two years. Permitting adds another six to eight months. In many cases, land is being carried for three years before anything is built. Interest, taxes, engineering, and compliance all accumulate during that period, and none of it disappears. It shows up in the final price.

Every requirement placed on a project has a cost. Buffers, preservation rules, design conditions, impact fees — individually each may seem reasonable. Together, they move pricing in one direction. There is also growing pressure for lower density, larger lots, and tighter development standards. Those preferences come with a trade-off that rarely gets stated plainly: lower density and more restrictions do not produce lower-cost housing. They increase it.

There's also confusion about who actually delivers housing. Developers create lots. National builders construct at scale. Local builders operate in small numbers. Local builders can't solve affordability at scale — they may build a handful of lower-priced homes, but that doesn't move the market. National builders focus on efficiency and margin, and products like townhomes or duplexes often cost nearly as much to build as single-family homes while selling for less. In many smaller markets, they simply don't pencil out. Multifamily housing is even further out of reach — from entitlement to completion, apartment projects can take five to six years, and in smaller markets rents often don't support what it costs to build them today.

The disconnect at the heart of this conversation is straightforward: you can't increase costs and expect prices to fall. You can't extend timelines and expect affordability to improve. You can't reduce density and expect lower home prices. Housing doesn't work that way.

What often gets lost in these discussions is that workforce housing isn't just a social good — it's an economic engine. When people who work in a community can also afford to live there, the effects compound. Local businesses have stable employees. Employers can recruit and retain. Residents spend locally, pay property taxes, and support the services everyone depends on. Roads, schools, public safety — these aren't funded by policy intentions. They're funded by a growing, stable tax base. Workforce housing is part of how a county builds that base. Without it, the workforce commutes in from somewhere else, or leaves entirely, and the county loses both the people and the revenue they would have generated.

If the goal is genuinely attainable housing, the focus has to shift to what actually drives cost. That means clear, predictable standards that don't change midstream. Reasonable timelines that don't stretch into years. Conditions that align with affordability goals rather than work against them. And real collaboration with the people actually financing and building housing — not mandates handed down without any understanding of how projects get delivered.

The most direct tool available is a streamlined, fast-track approval process — one that developers and builders can actually count on. Not a special carve-out for a few select projects, but a consistent framework that applies broadly. When the path from application to approval is clear and the timeline is predictable, projects get financed. When projects get financed, they get built. That is how supply increases. That is how prices stabilize. The approval process itself is either part of the solution or part of the problem, and right now it leans heavily toward the latter.

Because when a project stops making financial sense, it doesn't get built. And when it doesn't get built, affordability doesn't improve — and neither does the tax base, the road budget, or the quality of services the whole county relies on.

If the gap between income and home prices continues to widen, the outcome is predictable. Workforce residents will look elsewhere, and over time that impacts employers, services, and the broader local economy. Affordable housing isn't created by policy alone. It's the result of land cost, time, and regulatory conditions all working together toward the same goal.

The county has an opportunity to make that case — and to lead with a process that proves it means what it says. A fast-track approval framework, applied consistently, would send a clear signal to the market: we want this housing built, and we're going to make it possible.

That's where it starts.

The national housing discussion has recently centered on margin compression, rising inventory, and selective price softening in certain Sunbelt markets. Headlines have emphasized earnings declines and inventory expansion.

A broader historical lens suggests something more measured.

The current cycle reflects normalization following the most distorted housing environment in modern real estate history.

The 2020 through 2022 period was fueled by:

• Near zero interest rates
• Extraordinary fiscal stimulus
• Institutional capital inflows
• Artificially constrained supply
• Record low mortgage costs

Margins expanded beyond long term norms. Demand velocity was exceptional. Builders operated in a liquidity rich, rate suppressed environment that cannot serve as a structural baseline.

The present environment reflects reversion, not systemic weakness.

Builder Margins Within Historical Context

During the stimulus period, gross margins for several public builders reached into the low twenty percent range. Prior to 2020, long cycle builder gross margins typically ranged between fourteen and seventeen percent. Recent compression into the mid-teens places margins squarely within historic bands.

Public builders remain profitable. Balance sheets remain strong. Cash positions are elevated relative to prior cycles. Leverage ratios are conservative. Equity cushions are substantial.

This is disciplined adjustment in response to rate conditions, not financial stress.

Production Discipline and Starts

Single family starts have moderated from pandemic highs.

That reduction reflects:

• Controlled production pacing
• Community release management
• Risk adjusted land exposure
• Capital allocation discipline

Builders today operate with stronger balance sheets and more conservative land structures than in prior cycles. Option based land control has replaced heavy raw land ownership.

Housing is a pipeline driven industry. When starts decline for multiple years, supply impacts are felt with a lag.

When starts decline for multiple consecutive years, the supply response becomes visible only after a delay. The housing pipeline cannot accelerate instantly. If household formation stabilizes while production remains disciplined, future supply tightness becomes a measurable probability rather than a theoretical risk.

Reduced starts today can translate into tighter supply conditions tomorrow.

Inventory in Proper Perspective

Inventory comparisons to 2020 and 2021 create distorted conclusions. Those years reflected artificially low supply under abnormal demand pressure. A more appropriate comparison is the normalized 2014 through 2019 cycle.

Viewed in that context:

• Inventory expansion appears measured
• There is no foreclosure driven supply wave
• Approximately two percent of homes are underwater
• Average loan to value ratios remain near forty six percent
• Delinquencies remain historically contained

Inventory without distress behaves differently than inventory during credit collapse.

This is not a leverage driven downturn.

Incentives as Strategic Tools

Builders are deploying mortgage rate buydowns and closing cost credits at elevated levels. These tools preserve base pricing and protect comparable values. They allow volume to continue while protecting long term land basis and appraisal integrity.

Temporary incentive use reflects tactical absorption management, not capitulation.

Builder Balance Sheets and Equity Markets

Public builder equities have retraced from cycle highs. That retracement reflects normalization expectations and rate uncertainty.

At the same time:

• Liquidity levels remain historically strong
• Cash reserves are substantial
• Market share among top builders has consolidated
• Profitability remains positive

Public builders today are operating with balance sheets materially stronger than in prior cycles. Net debt to capital ratios remain conservative, liquidity positions are elevated, and cash reserves are near historic highs. This capital strength provides flexibility in land acquisition, production pacing, and incentive strategy. Companies with strong cash positions can absorb cyclical margin compression without impairing long term viability.

The top national builders command a historically large percentage of closings. Consolidation strengthens operating leverage and long-term capital positioning.

Retracement following an abnormal expansion phase does not imply structural breakdown. It reflects repricing toward normalized earnings expectations.

Structural Supply and Federal Policy

Recent Federal Reserve commentary has acknowledged structural housing undersupply nationally. The core issue identified is insufficient production relative to household formation and demographic growth.

A structural shortage and systemic oversupply cannot coexist.

Short term cyclical softness does not eliminate long term supply constraints.

Florida Within the National Framework

Florida requires disciplined differentiation from select pandemic driven metros. Markets such as Austin and Phoenix experienced concentrated tech migration and accelerated overbuilding during peak stimulus conditions.

Florida’s growth profile differs. It is driven by:

• Demographic migration
• Tax advantages
• Retirement inflows
• International population growth
• Infrastructure expansion

Even as domestic migration moderates from peak stimulus years, total population growth remains positive. International migration continues to contribute meaningfully.

Single family supply in several Florida corridors remains constrained by entitlement timelines and infrastructure sequencing.

Condo inventory increases must be evaluated within the context of structural reserve legislation implemented after Surfside. Regulatory adjustments expanded listings, but this dynamic does not define single family supply conditions.

Infrastructure investment in key growth corridors continues to expand commuter range and unlock long term development potential. In these markets, land aligned with infrastructure progression represents structural positioning rather than speculative exposure.

In Central Florida specifically, growth corridors supported by toll road expansion and transportation investment create durable long term positioning advantages. Land located within established entitlement frameworks and aligned with infrastructure progression represents controlled exposure to structural growth rather than speculative inventory accumulation.

The Developer Variable

The most significant structural shift in this cycle is the transition toward finished lot acquisition and option-based land control.

Builders increasingly depend on:

• Entitled land
• Infrastructure ready finished lots
• Third party development execution

Entitlement, engineering, and infrastructure installation require eighteen to thirty-six months.

If absorption stabilizes or improves as rate conditions normalize, the supply constraint will not be theoretical land availability. It will be finished deliverable lots.

This creates a positioning window for disciplined developers operating in established growth corridors.

The housing market is not entering systemic crisis. It is moving through a period of recalibration following an extraordinary expansion phase.

Margins have returned to historic ranges. Starts have moderated with discipline. Inventory has expanded relative to artificial lows. Builder balance sheets remain strong. Credit quality remains healthy. Structural supply constraints remain unresolved.

For operators positioned in core growth markets, the current environment rewards preparation, entitlement advancement, infrastructure alignment, and disciplined capital deployment.

The Central Florida residential market stretching from Brevard County through the Orlando metropolitan statistical area and north into Citrus and Hernando Counties is transitioning out of a cyclical slowdown and into the early stages of a structural supply imbalance. Over the last three years, mortgage rates rose sharply, national uncertainty dampened housing starts, builders reduced speculative construction, and land acquisition models shifted toward controlled option positions rather than outright ownership. Despite these headwinds, population growth did not stop. Migration into Florida remains net positive, household formation continues, and the development pipeline was throttled while demand was merely deferred, not destroyed.

As rates stabilize and buyer confidence improves, Central Florida faces limited finished lot inventory in several submarkets, an aging resale housing stock that increasingly steers buyers toward new construction, strong national builder re-entry into emerging corridors, and affordability-driven product shifts toward smaller and more efficient lot configurations. The result is a tightening supply environment over the next twenty-four to forty-eight months, particularly in growth corridors connected to expanding infrastructure such as the Suncoast Parkway.

This outlook is supported by multiple independent data points. The Florida Housing Data Project, developed by economists from Florida State University and the Florida Policy Project, found that approximately 55,000 single-family homes and more than 66,000 rental units are structurally missing from the Florida market. The AEI Housing Center separately estimated Florida is short 486,000 homes, representing 4.7 percent of its overall housing stock. Lawrence Yun, chief economist at the National Association of Realtors, is forecasting a fourteen percent nationwide increase in home sales for 2026 and projects that home prices nationally are in no danger of declining. These are not speculative projections. They reflect a structural deficit that has been building for years.

Source: Florida Housing Data Project, Florida State University / Florida Policy Project / Reason Foundation, October 2025.

Source: AEI Housing Center, September 2025 Florida Housing Market Analysis.

Source: National Association of Realtors, NAR NXT Residential Economic Issues Forum, November 2025.

II. Macro Environment: Cyclical Pause Versus Structural Demand

The 2022 through 2025 period should be understood as a demand hesitation phase rather than a structural collapse. Population growth continued across Central Florida during this entire window. Household formation remained intact. Builder starts were intentionally reduced as publicly traded homebuilders pulled back on speculative inventory and recalibrated their balance sheets. Land acquisition slowed materially across the corridor.

This distinction matters because housing is fundamentally a pipeline-driven industry. Entitlements, infrastructure installation, and vertical delivery require multi-year lead times measured in eighteen to thirty-six months or longer depending on the complexity of the project. When new starts decline for twenty-four to thirty-six months, the supply impact does not appear immediately. It appears later, precisely when demand begins to recover. The market is now entering the phase where that period of underproduction becomes visible.

Robert Dietz, chief economist at the National Association of Home Builders, confirmed this dynamic in January 2026 when he acknowledged that 2025 was a disappointing year for newly built single-family homes, with single-family construction falling approximately seven percent nationally due to affordability challenges and supply-side constraints including persistent skilled labor shortages. Dietz noted, however, that the structural housing deficit has not been resolved. Nearly twenty percent of young adults now live with their parents, double the historical norm, a direct reflection of the housing shortage that underproduction has created.

The National Association of Realtors reported that first-time home buyers dropped to an all-time low of twenty-one percent of purchases in 2025, far below the historical forty percent norm. This suppressed demand represents a pool of future buyers who have been priced out temporarily by rate conditions but whose underlying housing need has not disappeared.

Source: NAHB / Robert Dietz, Chief Economist, January 2026 Outlook.

Source: NAR 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, November 2025.

III. Migration and Demographic Drivers

Florida continues to benefit from a combination of powerful migration drivers including the absence of a state income tax, a business-friendly policy environment, climate and lifestyle advantages, sustained retirement migration, and the ongoing flexibility of remote and hybrid work arrangements. These factors have made Florida one of the top two destination states for domestic migration consistently over the past several years.

Florida added approximately 467,000 new residents in the most recent annual period measured by the Census Bureau, representing a two percent population increase that significantly exceeds the average across all U.S. states. Florida was ranked the number two state for inbound moves in the 2025 U-Haul Growth Index, second only to Texas. Within Florida, the metros of Lakeland, Palm Bay, Jacksonville, Port St. Lucie, and Miami all ranked among the top twenty-five U.S. growth metros based on net inbound traffic.

Researchers from the University of Central Florida predict that Florida's population will swell to nearly twenty-seven million over the next fourteen years, averaging more than 200,000 new residents per year or roughly 650 new residents per day. This growth has propelled the state's GDP, which is now expected to exceed two trillion dollars by 2028.

The corridor from Brevard County west through the Orlando MSA and north along the Suncoast has emerged as a relative affordability band compared to coastal South Florida and Tampa Bay proper. Even if migration moderates from the extraordinary pandemic highs of 2021 and 2022, it does not need to be extreme to create imbalance. It only needs to exceed new housing completions, and current production rates suggest that threshold is not being met.

It should be noted that the most recent Census Bureau data for the July 2024 through June 2025 period showed Florida's net domestic migration dropping sharply to 22,517, down from 183,646 in 2023 and 310,892 in 2022. However, total population growth remained strong due to international migration of 178,674. This moderation in domestic migration is partly attributed to the mortgage rate lock-in effect, where homeowners in other states are reluctant to sell and take on higher rates. As rates stabilize, this pent-up relocation demand is expected to gradually unlock.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, January 2026.

Source: U-Haul Growth Index 2025, reported by Florida Realtors, January 2026.

Source: UCF Economist Sean Snaith, Florida Economic Forecast, November 2025.

Source: Florida Realtors, Florida Ranks High Among 2025 Movers, July 2025.

IV. Existing Home Market Constraints

The resale housing market across much of Central Florida faces structural friction that increasingly works in favor of new construction. A substantial portion of the housing stock in this corridor was built between 1985 and 2005, which means many homes now face roof age issues, insurance premium pressure tied to outdated systems, the need for electrical panel upgrades and plumbing repipes, HVAC replacements, and accumulated deferred maintenance. First-time and move-up buyers increasingly avoid properties requiring significant post-closing capital investment, particularly when insurance underwriting has simultaneously tightened and inspection-driven renegotiations have become more common.

At the same time, sellers remain resistant to meaningful price reductions. The Florida statewide median single-family home price in December 2025 was $415,000, and inventory stood at a 4.6-month supply, which is the lowest level in over a year and remains below the six-month threshold generally considered a balanced market. Insurance premiums in Florida have increased as much as 400 percent over the last five years according to some estimates, creating a significant headwind for the resale market in particular.

New construction remains highly competitive against this backdrop because it offers warranty coverage, modern energy efficiency standards, insurance advantages from current building codes, and builder rate buydown programs. In the first quarter of 2025, the premium on newly built homes dropped to 13.5 percent over existing homes, the lowest level since Realtor.com began tracking the metric. Builders' ability to offer mortgage rates approximately half a percentage point lower than those available on existing homes, translating to more than $160 in monthly savings on a median-priced home, has made new construction increasingly attractive. In June 2025, more than one-third of builders nationwide reported reducing home prices, the highest share on record, while sixty-two percent offered additional sales incentives such as closing cost credits and interest rate buydowns.

Source: Moving to Florida Guide, Florida Real Estate Market Outlook, February 2026.

Source: Realtor.com, New Construction Quarterly Report, Q1 2025.

Source: NAHB / Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, June 2025.

Source: Florida Realtors, Shift in Pricing Puts New Builds Within Reach, June 2025.

V. Builder Strategy Shift and Land Positioning

National builders have fundamentally adjusted their operating models since the last cycle. The shift has been from direct land ownership toward land control through option structures, with entitlement risk increasingly assigned to third-party developers while builders purchase finished lots on a takedown pace aligned with their sales absorption. This approach reduces balance sheet exposure but creates a critical dependency on external lot developers to maintain pipeline supply.

The scale of this concentration is significant. The top ten builders nationally accounted for a record 44.7 percent of all new single-family home closings in 2024, up from 42 percent the prior year. In the greater Tampa Bay area alone, D.R. Horton and Lennar together control approximately forty-five percent of the housing market. D.R. Horton, the nation's largest builder by volume, closed 23,368 homes in its fourth quarter of fiscal 2025. Lennar led all Florida builders with 1,111 new construction permits in May 2025 alone, followed by D.R. Horton at 690 and Pulte Homes at 379.

The challenge embedded in this model is that if absorption accelerates, builders operating under option and takedown structures cannot quickly replace pipeline supply. Entitlement, engineering, and infrastructure installation typically require eighteen to thirty-six months from initiation to first lot delivery. That lag creates meaningful opportunity for prepared developers who have advanced their positions during the slower cycle.

The strategic positioning is visible across the corridor. Landsea Homes appointed a new Vice President of Land Acquisition for its Central Florida division in early 2025, signaling active expansion intent. Metro Development Group confirmed D.R. Horton, Lennar, and DRB Homes as inaugural builders in its new Kissimmee Park community near Lake Tohopekaliga, where D.R. Horton has already secured over 900 lots in the adjacent Roan Bridge development. Homes by WestBay, a regional builder headquartered in Hillsborough County, has indicated it may grow twenty to thirty percent in 2026 through new urban infill divisions and expansion into higher price points. These are not speculative commitments. They represent strategic reallocation by operators who recognize the structural supply gap.

Source: NAHB, Top Ten Builder Market Share Report, 2024.

Source: HBWeekly, Top Home Builders in Florida, May 2025.

Source: The Builder's Daily, D.R. Horton Q4 2025 Earnings Analysis, November 2025.

Source: Builder and Developer Magazine, Landsea Homes VP Appointment, March 2025.

Source: Business Observer, Area's Biggest Homebuilders to Seize Opportunities in 2026, November 2025.

VI. Citrus and Hernando Counties: The Suncoast Growth Corridor

The northern expansion of growth from the Tampa and Orlando regions has followed infrastructure investment, and no project has been more transformative for this corridor than the Suncoast Parkway. The Suncoast Parkway, designated State Road 589, is a controlled-access toll road that now stretches more than sixty-seven miles from Interstate 275 in Tampa north through Hillsborough, Pasco, and Hernando Counties and into Citrus County. The extension of this highway has fundamentally altered development patterns by compressing travel times, expanding commuter range, increasing builder interest, improving retail feasibility, and attracting national homebuilders to markets that were previously considered too remote for large-scale residential development.

The infrastructure investment is accelerating. Phase Two of the Suncoast Parkway extension through Citrus County, connecting State Road 44 to County Road 486, was completed in August 2025, more than 500 days ahead of schedule. In a significant acceleration of the overall timeline, both Phase 3A and Phase 3B are now being constructed simultaneously. Phase 3A, a $244 million project extending the parkway 5.5 miles from County Road 486 to County Road 495, began construction in fall 2025 with contractor Superior Construction mobilizing the same team that delivered the prior phase ahead of schedule. Phase 3B, a $244.8 million project extending from County Road 495 to U.S. 19 at Red Level, began construction in early 2026. Both segments are expected to open together in late 2029, representing a combined infrastructure investment of nearly $490 million. When complete, motorists will be able to drive from Tampa to north of Crystal River without a single stoplight. This concurrent construction approach creates a multi-year runway of active infrastructure advancement that fundamentally supports land positioning along the entire corridor.

FDOT has also evaluated the possibility of further extending the Suncoast Parkway to create a seamless, limited access, tolled highway between Tampa and Jacksonville, which would represent a transformative infrastructure corridor for the entire western side of the Florida peninsula. A study is already underway to widen the four-lane stretch from Lutz to State Road 52 in Pasco County, where rush hour backups have become routine as traffic volume has exceeded original projections.

There are thousands of lots currently in entitlement pipelines across Citrus and Hernando Counties. However, several important realities must be recognized. Entitled does not equal finished. Infrastructure funding and phasing timelines create real delays between paper approvals and deliverable lots. Vertical construction lags approvals, and phasing structures delay lot release to the market. National builders are actively positioning to secure presence in this corridor, and their strategy reflects recognition of long-term migration flow, desire to capture affordability-driven demand, and anticipation of future price expansion radiating outward from Tampa and Orlando. This is not speculative entry. It is strategic reallocation by sophisticated operators with multi-year planning horizons.

Source: WUSF, Latest Addition to Suncoast Parkway Opens 500 Days Early, August 2025.

Source: Citrus County Chronicle, Final Two Suncoast Parkway Phases to Be Built Simultaneously, January 2025.

Source: Superior Construction, Phase 3A Contract Award, September 2025.

Source: FDOT / Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, Suncoast Parkway 2 Phase 3 Project Overview.

Source: Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, Suncoast Parkway Extension Land Use Study.

VII. Affordability and the Shift Toward Smaller Lots

Affordability is the defining theme for the next residential cycle. Larger estate-style lots increase the land basis per unit, increase infrastructure cost per home, and push final delivered price points beyond entry-level reach. As a result, market pressure increasingly favors smaller lot configurations, narrower product designs, attached and hybrid product types, and more efficient land utilization. This shift is already visible in entitlement applications, builder negotiations, and legislative action at the state level.

Ed Pinto, co-director of the AEI Housing Center, articulated this dynamic directly in October 2025 when he stated that the three most important factors in housing affordability are smaller lots. The AEI's analysis concluded that restrictive zoning that mandates large-lot, single-family-only development is a primary driver of Florida's housing shortage. In response, the Florida Legislature is actively advancing the Florida Starter Homes Act, which would create statewide standards for smaller homes on smaller lots and allow up to four units per eligible lot, opening the door to missing-middle housing types in areas currently restricted to single-family detached product.

Builders are responding to these market signals. In the first quarter of 2025, the median list price for newly built homes fell slightly year over year nationally to $448,393, and the price gap between new and existing homes narrowed to its lowest first-quarter level in five years. Builders are accomplishing this by designing smaller homes, pursuing construction farther from city centers in emerging corridors, and offering more affordable attached product such as townhomes. Neal Communities in Southwest Florida, for example, has developed a model home at 1,241 square feet with two bedrooms and a two-car garage listed at $292,199, demonstrating that disciplined product design on efficient lots can deliver attainable price points in the current market.

For developers, the strategic takeaway is clear. Disciplined density that aligns lot yield per acre with builder price targets and buyer affordability thresholds is the path to sustained absorption. The goal is not overreach but efficient design that expands the buyer pool while protecting per-lot economics.

Source: AEI Housing Center / Ed Pinto, University of Florida Housing Panel, October 2025.

Source: Florida Legislature, Florida Starter Homes Act (SB 948/HB 1143), 2026 Session.

Source: Realtor.com, New Construction Quarterly Report, Q1 2025.

Source: Business Observer, Neal Communities Product Pricing, November 2025.

VIII. The Emerging Supply Imbalance

The next twenty-four months are likely to produce a supply compression cycle in the Central Florida corridor. The conditions creating this compression are clear and measurable. New housing starts were suppressed for approximately three years. Land acquisition slowed materially as both builders and developers pulled back from the market. Builders reduced owned lot inventory in favor of option-based control structures. Migration into Florida remained net positive throughout the entire slowdown period. The resale housing stock is aging, increasingly expensive to insure, and costly to renovate. Infrastructure corridors, most notably the Suncoast Parkway, are expanding and opening new growth areas.

If absorption improves even modestly from the depressed levels of 2024 and 2025, the likely outcome is a tightening of finished lot inventory, increased builder competition for entitled and infrastructure-ready product, rising takedown velocity, and strengthening lot pricing. The faster absorption rises, the more visible the supply gap becomes, because the pipeline requires eighteen to thirty-six months to respond to changes in demand while lot consumption can accelerate within a single quarter.

The data supports this trajectory. Statewide single-family inventory fell to 4.6 months of supply in December 2025, the lowest level in over a year. In Jacksonville, supply dropped back to roughly 4.2 months after briefly exceeding six months in early 2025. NAR projects a fourteen percent increase in home sales nationally for 2026, and five of the top ten best-selling master-planned communities in the nation are already located in Florida. When sales activity accelerates, the bottleneck will not be demand. It will be finished lots.

Source: Moving to Florida Guide, Florida Inventory Data, December 2025.

Source: NAR, 2026 Housing Market Forecast, November 2025.

IX. Risks and Counterweights

A credible market outlook must acknowledge the risks that could disrupt the trajectory described in this report. Insurance cost volatility remains one of the most significant challenges facing the Florida residential market, with premiums having increased dramatically in recent years and underwriting standards continuing to tighten. Construction labor constraints are real, with builder wait times in Florida running nine to twelve months from contract to close versus the more typical seven to nine months due to workforce shortages. Regulatory and entitlement delays can extend development timelines beyond projections. Over-entitlement without corresponding infrastructure alignment creates the risk of paper lots that cannot be delivered to market on schedule. A broader national economic recession would slow absorption across the corridor.

Additionally, proposed tariffs on construction materials represent a meaningful headwind. Proposed increases in duties on Canadian lumber from fourteen percent to thirty-four percent, along with tariffs on drywall and other materials from Mexico and China, could raise builder costs and erode affordability gains. D.R. Horton's CEO has indicated that the company expects lot costs to rise by at least mid-single digits in fiscal 2026 and will need to achieve three to five percent reductions in construction costs to maintain margins.

However, the more significant structural risk in this corridor is underproduction relative to population growth. The cyclical risks described above may moderate the pace of recovery, but they do not eliminate the fundamental imbalance between housing demand and deliverable supply. Florida's population is projected to grow to nearly twenty-seven million over the next fourteen years. The pipeline of entitled, infrastructure-ready finished lots is not keeping pace with that trajectory.

Source: The Builder's Daily, D.R. Horton Q4 2025 Earnings, November 2025.

Source: Florida Realtors, New Builds Boosting Affordability, Tariff Risk Section, May 2025.

X. Strategic Implications for Land and Lot Developers

For disciplined developers operating in the Central Florida corridor, the current environment presents a clear strategic framework. The priority should be control of well-located entitled land with demonstrated infrastructure access or advancement. Developers who used the slower cycle to push entitlements forward, invest in infrastructure, and secure builder relationships are now positioned at the most advantageous point in the supply chain.

The operating principles for the next phase include advancing infrastructure during slower cycles when construction costs and contractor availability are more favorable, delivering phased lot inventory aligned with builder takedown pace rather than speculative overbuilding, maintaining flexibility for smaller-lot product configurations that meet affordability thresholds, and protecting pricing structures in takedown agreements to ensure that lot value is not eroded by market-timing pressure from buyers.

National builders have made clear through their actions that they need external lot supply. D.R. Horton's model of acquiring smaller regional builders to gain local entitlement and development expertise, combined with Lennar's expanded option-based land strategies, both confirm that the development community plays an essential role in maintaining pipeline flow. When absorption accelerates, the advantage belongs to developers who have prepared during the pause.

XI. Conclusion

The Central Florida corridor from Brevard County through the Orlando MSA and north into Citrus and Hernando Counties is not facing a demand crisis. It is exiting a supply pause. Infrastructure expansion, national builder re-entry, sustained demographic pressure, aging resale inventory, and legislative momentum toward more efficient land use collectively support a constructive outlook for well-positioned land and lot developers.

The next cycle will be defined less by speculation and more by structural imbalance. The data from multiple independent sources confirms that Florida is short hundreds of thousands of homes, that population growth continues to exceed new housing completions, that builders are actively repositioning to secure pipeline in emerging corridors, and that affordability pressures are driving product evolution toward exactly the kind of efficient, smaller-lot development that disciplined developers can deliver.

Prepared developers with entitled, infrastructure-ready product will be positioned at the narrowest point in the housing pipeline. That position historically commands pricing strength, builder urgency, and resilient demand. The window to prepare is now. The window to deliver is approaching.

Sources and References

AEI Housing Center, Florida Housing Market Analysis, September 2025.

Business Observer, Area's Biggest Homebuilders to Seize Opportunities in 2026, November 2025.

Builder and Developer Magazine, Landsea Homes VP of Land Acquisition Appointment, March 2025.

Florida Housing Data Project, Florida State University / Florida Policy Project / Reason Foundation, October 2025.

Florida Legislature, Florida Starter Homes Act (SB 948/HB 1143), 2026 Legislative Session.

Florida Realtors, Housing Market Set for 2026 Comeback, November 2025.

Florida Realtors, Florida Cities Lead 2025 U.S. Migration Rankings, January 2026.

Florida Realtors, Shift in Pricing Puts New Builds Within Reach, June 2025.

Florida Realtors, New Builds Boosting Affordability Nationwide, May 2025.

HBWeekly, Top Home Builders in Florida, May 2025.

HousingWire, Florida Lawmakers Muscle Up on Housing Reforms, January 2026.

Moving to Florida Guide, Florida Real Estate Market Outlook, February 2026.

NAHB / Robert Dietz, Chief Economist, 2026 New Home Market Outlook, January 2026.

NAHB / Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, June and November 2025.

National Association of Realtors, 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, November 2025.

National Association of Realtors, 2026 Housing Forecast, NAR NXT Conference, November 2025.

Realtor.com, New Construction Quarterly Report, Q1 2025.

Superior Construction, Suncoast Parkway Phase 3A Contract Award, September 2025.

Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, Suncoast Parkway Extension Land Use Study.

The Builder's Daily, D.R. Horton Q4 2025 Dominance Analysis, November 2025.

U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, January 2026.

UCF Economist Sean Snaith, Florida Economic Forecast, November 2025.

WUSF, Suncoast Parkway Phase 2 Opens 500 Days Early, August 2025.

Citrus County Chronicle, Final Two Suncoast Parkway Phases to Be Built Simultaneously, January 2025.

FDOT / Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, Suncoast Parkway 2 Phase 3 Project Overview and Construction Schedule.

Absorption rates are a critical metric often overlooked in discussions about development. They measure how many homes are sold per month by each builder in a community. For national builders operating in Citrus County and other parts of Central Florida, absorption rates can be as low as 5 homes per month per builder, depending on market demand, pricing, and other economic factors.

To put this in perspective, even if 20,000 units are approved for development, the build-out could take decades. With a conservative estimate of 5 sales per month per builder, the completion of 20,000 homes would take roughly 30 years. That’s assuming multiple builders are operating simultaneously and selling at consistent rates, which may not always be the case.

Understanding absorption rates is essential for anyone evaluating the real impact of large-scale development approvals. While the numbers of approved units may sound alarming, the reality is that the pace of construction and sales is often much slower than the public perceives.

By taking a closer look at these absorption rates, policymakers and residents alike can have a clearer picture of what to expect in terms of growth and community impact over the coming years.

Citrus County, Florida, renowned as the "Nature Coast," has made significant efforts to preserve its natural landscapes. Approximately 40% of the county's land is designated for public use, encompassing federal wildlife parks, state forests, historical landmarks, wildlife sanctuaries, wetlands, birding trails, springs, campgrounds, and recreation parks.

Key Protected Areas in Citrus County:

• Withlacoochee State Forest: Spanning approximately 50,000 acres within Citrus County, this forest offers diverse recreational activities, including hiking, biking, and horseback riding.
• Crystal River Preserve State Park: Encompassing over 27,000 acres, this park protects pristine coastal habitats, making it ideal for hiking, birdwatching, and exploring estuaries.
• Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge: Covering nearly 31,000 acres, this refuge is a sanctuary for various wildlife species, including the reintroduced eastern population of whooping cranes.
• Potts Preserve: This 8,500-acre property plays a crucial role in the Tsala Apopka Chain of Lakes and the Withlacoochee River systems, offering activities like biking, birdwatching, camping, and hiking.
• Flying Eagle Preserve: Located in Inverness, this 10,950-acre preserve is surrounded largely by the Tsala Apopka Chain of Lakes and provides settings for various aquatic and sporting activities.

City Parks and Recreational Areas:

• Inverness: Whispering Pines Park is a 290-acre natural area featuring walking trails, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, tennis courts, disc golf, baseball fields, and pavilions.
• Homosassa: Homosassa Area Recreation Park spans 20 acres and includes a baseball field, basketball court, multi-purpose fields, soccer fields, tennis courts, concession facilities, jogging trails, and more.
• Crystal River: Bicentennial Park is a 148-acre facility offering picnic tables, tennis courts, racquetball, baseball, basketball, playground equipment, and a pool.

These extensive conservation efforts ensure that, despite ongoing development, Citrus County will continue to uphold its identity as Florida's Nature Coast, preserving its natural beauty for future generations.

Citrus County residents frequently express the desire for higher-paying jobs to bolster the local economy. However, attracting large manufacturers or industrial companies presents challenges due to the county's current demographics and housing infrastructure.

Demographic Considerations

As of 2023, Citrus County's population is approximately 166,696, with a median age of 56.9 years, indicating a significant portion of residents are beyond traditional working age. This demographic trend contributes to a civilian labor force participation rate of 39.7%, substantially lower than the national average. Such a limited workforce can deter large-scale employers seeking a robust pool of potential employees.

Housing Infrastructure

The county's housing landscape is characterized by larger lots, often around one acre, which may not align with the needs of a diverse workforce, including essential professionals like teachers, first responders, and nurses. The availability of affordable housing options, such as apartments, townhomes, and smaller lot single-family homes, is limited. For instance, the Citrus County Housing Services administers programs to increase affordable housing, but the current supply may not meet potential demand.

Strategic Recommendations

To create an environment conducive to attracting higher-paying jobs, Citrus County should consider the following strategies:

• Expand Affordable Housing: Developing a broader range of housing options, including apartments, townhomes, and smaller single-family homes, can attract a more diverse workforce. Collaborations with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, which aims to eliminate substandard housing by providing affordable options, could be instrumental.
• Invest in Workforce Development: Enhancing training programs tailored to the needs of potential employers can make the local labor force more attractive. This includes partnerships with educational institutions to align curricula with industry requirements.
• Improve Infrastructure: Upgrading transportation, utilities, and communication networks can make the county more appealing to businesses considering relocation or expansion.
• Promote Economic Diversification: Encouraging the growth of sectors beyond healthcare and retail, such as technology or light manufacturing, can provide varied employment opportunities and reduce economic vulnerability.

By addressing these areas, Citrus County can enhance its appeal to higher-paying industries, ensuring sustainable economic growth while maintaining its unique community character.

Building Homes: Citrus County’s Hidden Industry and Its Potential to Attract Workers

While many residents of Citrus County focus on attracting large manufacturers or industrial companies, it’s possible that the county’s most significant industry is already in place: building homes. As development projects continue to be approved and construction begins, the demand for skilled labor will attract thousands of workers across various trades. This influx will drive economic growth and lay the foundation for future industries to establish themselves in the area.

The construction of homes isn’t limited to just builders. It involves a wide array of skilled trades, including roofers, electricians, plumbers, drywall installers, carpenters, HVAC specialists, and more. These are not minimum-wage positions; many of these trades are highly skilled and paid very well. As Citrus County’s housing market expands, these jobs will continue to grow and bring substantial economic benefits.

What’s currently happening is that workers from these trades are traveling from other counties to work on Citrus County’s housing projects. But as more lots come online and builders ramp up production, these tradespeople will begin to recognize the steady, long-term work available in the county. When they see years of work ahead, many will choose to relocate to Citrus County, bringing their families and spending their earnings within the local economy.

This natural progression of economic development—where homebuilding becomes the catalyst for population growth—creates the rooftops needed to support larger companies looking for a stable workforce with access to affordable housing. In other words, the building of homes is the very thing that will attract new industries to the county over time.

By embracing this industry and supporting the infrastructure needed to accommodate it—such as affordable housing, improved roads, and workforce training programs—Citrus County can ensure that its growth is both economically vibrant and sustainable.

In recent years, Citrus County, Florida, has experienced a significant shift in its real estate landscape. Once considered a tertiary market by national homebuilders, the county is now attracting attention from some of the largest construction companies in the United States. This transformation is poised to bring both opportunities and challenges to the local community.

National Builders Entering Citrus County

Major national homebuilders, including D.R. Horton, have recognized the potential of Citrus County and are making substantial investments in the area. D.R. Horton, for instance, boasts a market capitalization of approximately $50 billion as of March 2025. The company is actively constructing new homes throughout Citrus County, offering properties without homeowner’s association (HOA) or community development district (CDD) fees.

These builders are not merely acquiring a few plots; they are purchasing thousands of lots with plans to establish long-term operations. Their strategy includes setting up local divisions, with employees residing in the area for extended periods, signaling a commitment to the county's development.

Catalysts for Development

Several factors have contributed to this surge in interest:

• Improved Accessibility: The completion of the parkway has reduced travel time to Tampa to less than an hour, making Citrus County more attractive to both builders and potential homeowners.
• Affordable Land: Compared to neighboring regions, Citrus County offers relatively affordable land, providing builders with cost-effective opportunities for large-scale developments.

Implications for the Community

The influx of national builders brings a mix of benefits and considerations:

• Economic Growth: Increased construction activity can lead to job creation, boosting the local economy.
• Enhanced Tax Revenues: Development can broaden the tax base, potentially leading to improved public services and infrastructure.
• Infrastructure Demands: With growth comes the need for upgraded roads, utilities, and public facilities to accommodate the rising population.
• Traffic and Environmental Concerns: Residents may experience increased traffic and environmental changes, necessitating thoughtful planning and community engagement.

Looking Ahead

As Citrus County transitions from a quiet enclave to a burgeoning development hub, collaboration between builders, local government, and residents will be crucial. Balancing growth with the preservation of the county's unique character will ensure that development benefits the entire community while maintaining the qualities that make Citrus County special.

Re-marketing usually involves re-engaging customers in other medium, often using an email campaign. This method of brand promotion is often used on clients who have abandoned their shopping carts. It can also be used to up or cross sell similar items to those someone already purchased. Lifecycle marketing emails are another re-marketing option.

On the other hand, re-targeting usually refers to online ad placements, as well as display ads, that are shown based upon the activity a user performs while on your website. This information can be obtained from cookies or Facebook pixels, and once you have it, you can target ads to them when they visit other sites. This process takes place via networks like AdBrite and the Google display network, which can reach users on millions of websites other than your own.

Tracking pixels

Tracking pixels are a great way for advertisers to optimize for and keep track of certain specific actions. Conversion tracking focuses on actions leading to offsite conversions or to externally hosted Facebook tabs.

For example, the conversions that can be tracked via tracking pixels include the following:

• Registration
• Checkouts
• Add to Cart
• Key Page Views
• Leads
• Other website conversions

If you using a tracking pixel on the website to which your ads are directed, Facebook can track each of these offsite conversions to help you calculate the return on your investment in Facebook ads.

The Facebook pixel consists of a few rather simple lines of JavaScript that you can just copy from Facebook's website and then paste into the source code for each page of your own website. Once installed, you can verify that your Facebook pixel works by getting FB Pixel Helper installed on the toolbar of your Internet browser.

Once you have added the Facebook pixel to your website, the next step will be associating it with a Facebook Ad so that you can start using it for tracking purposes. Various events can then be tracked, and you can also use the pixel with other Facebook marketing products like Dynamic Product Ads, Website Custom Audiences and Conversion Tracking.

These products let you use desirable actions that have been tracked to retarget your audiences for marketing purposes, obtain new clients and even track Facebook ad conversions. You can also let Facebook automatically optimize your ads on the platform to produce more of these desirable actions.

I will admit that Facebook is so expansive and offers so much that I simply don't know it all and will probably never know it all. Facebook understands how important the functionally it offers is to business'. Because of that Facebook has really spent a lot of manpower and resources building the next generation of these business services available today. Their innovation will never stop in my opinion.

As I mentioned I might not know all of what Facebook has to offer, but I can assure you because of how much money I spent and spend advertising each month I have had the privilege of inside access to some of their programmer's and special business service's reserved for only the largest advertiser's. This access has allowed me to gain inside information that I enjoying sharing and know will help you create more successful marketing campaigns using Facebook. Over the months to come in the Thought Leader® magazine, I will be sharing these strategies with you, be sure not to miss an issue.

For this issue I want to talk about using Video on and with Facebook. I personally use this strategy to create more organic engagement between my Facebook business page and my audience: Video. Why video? Video displays motion, which tends to catch the attention of your audience and helps bring a marketing message to life.

Facebook wanted to become the leader in video views on Facebook, since before 2015; YouTube was still the leader of video views on Facebook with about a 5 billion views a day measured in 30 seconds vs. Facebook measurement of 3 seconds. Facebook set out to become the leader in that space. In an attempt to become a bigger player in this market, Facebook in early 2015 bought QuickFire Networks, a video transcoding service. They wanted to not only surpass YouTube, but they wanted to deliver high quality and high definition video without the hassle and frustration of buffering. It worked.

April 2016, Facebook had 4 billion daily views. In October, it had 8 billion daily views. Now Facebook is using a new metric and reporting that people watch 100 million hours of video a day, WOW! YouTube is still leading this category with more than 650 million hours of video watched daily.

The reason I like using video on my Facebook Business page is very simple and compelling for any businessperson using this marketing medium Facebook will automatically deliver your video content to more people that like my page! Whereas written posted content may only be delivered organically in this way to less than 1% of the people who like my page, Facebook will deliver my video content to upwards of 30% of the people that like my page. That creates far greater follower engagement with my posts and will ultimately foster more business sales and growth.

What type of things do I show in my videos and those I recommend for my clients? Pretty much anything really, but do remember that people buy from people. So that should give you the first clue to video marketing success, which is that either you want to be in the video or you want to have another company representative star in it instead. Make sure the videos are less than 30 seconds long, so a length of 20-25 seconds would be ideal. Also avoid putting text in the first three seconds of the video, but after that, you can include your website's address or a call to action written in text. Make sure that the first three seconds of the video are especially engaging to your intended audience.

The majority of Facebook video views receive are without sound. Videos on Facebook autoplay without sound, and the majority of users will not change the setting to hear sound automatically when the video plays. Facebook reports that captioning a video increases average video view time by 12%.

You may also want to consider using the closed caption feature for Facebook videos, which works quite well.

Adding captions to a video

To add captions to your video:

• Click Photo/Video at the top of your Timeline.
• Click Upload Photos/Video.
• Choose a video from your computer then click Post.
• We'll notify you when your video is ready to view. Click the notification or the gray date and time at the top of the post on your News Feed or Timeline.
• Hover over the video, click Options at the bottom and select Edit this video.
• Click Choose File below Upload SRT files and select a .srt file from your computer.
• Click Save.
• To add captions in other languages, repeat steps 4-7 for each additional language you want to add.

To remove captions from a video you've uploaded:

• Click your video to expand it
• Click Options at the bottom and select Edit This Video from the menu
• Click the X next to the file you want to remove
• Click Save

Some of my clients use a newer smart phone to take their videos in landscape with the camera pointing sideways for easy posting to Facebook. With respect to content, they might have customers talk about their experiences with the company, its products or services. You could also show off your business inside and out or talk with employees.

With today's smart phones, Samsung, iPhone 7 etc video quality has skyrocketed. I have an iPhone so let me simply cover what I do with my iPhone and the videos that I shoot. Facebook prefers that you directly upload your video to them so keep that in mind. Your iPhone has a great camera and pretty good mic. The native app that allows you to take videos is not necessarily the best out there. It will not maximize the functionality of your camera. I use a app that I have downloaded that really makes a tremendous difference in the video and audio quality of my videos. The settings are endless and nearly as good as shooting with a high-end digital camera.

No reason to go thru the many settings you better off just going online and then testing the settings that work for you. You will also want a tripod to help with the stability and in some cases you may want to go online for a higher end sound quality option. There are many ad on for your smart phone that can increase the sound quality including lavaliere mic's.

The most important thing you can do for your video quality is having good lighting. Find a place in your home or office that you can carve out and ad some lights to the setting. Lots of great options for LED lighting online you can find. There are some add-ons you can get for your smartphone as well.

Now that you have the equipment you just need to turn it on. For me it's all about short video content. 15-30 seconds. I always tell my clients just be your self. Shoot some video content that is relevant to your customers or prospect's. It's even okay to just shoot a selfie video on the spot. I find that those videos actually work better than some of the re planned produced videos.

Here is a perfect example; we recently worked on a local county government election campaign. The candidate was a late in announcing their run for office so we had to get out to the community uniquely and quickly. We focused in on micro targeting the voters that we know turn out and then we launched a relentless video content campaign. Posting several videos a day for 3 months. These videos were short, some as short as 15 seconds and some as long as 3-4 minutes. But all of them were off the cuff and not scripted. The candidate would literally just pull over and shoot a selfie video wherever he was or felt that his constituents would have an interest in.

When we started the campaign, none of the other 4 candidates were using video; with in 4 weeks all of the candidates had started using the strategy. The best thing to note from this is that all the videos were uploaded directly to Facebook and the engagement between content and video from an organic standpoint was ten fold. More than ten times the amount of people engaged in a video vs. the written content. That was no accident. Facebook wants to be a leader in video and they will push out your video content to far more people that follow you than they will for the written content for free.

Basically, the sky's the limit, and so is the engagement with potential customers, especially if you hit a home run and score a video post that "goes viral". This means that your video has become especially popular online and quickly spreads across the Internet, thereby providing your business with a huge amount of wonderful free publicity.

During the great recession 2008 time frame, my financial business was simply crippled by all the excessive financial regulatory oversight. I made a decision to stop doing business in the US, as growth in my industry was expanding double digit increases vs. low single digit in the US. So the decision was obvious, I had to expand my business overseas. At that time my database was extensive with tens of thousand's of people that have used my technology all from the US. I had virtually no international footprint to start growing my business, and needed to start marketing overseas.

I have done marketing overseas but in countries that my institutional memory worked. I have more than 30 years of marketing under my belt including spending well over a half a billion dollars in marketing for the firms that I worked with or for including, long form and short form television commercials, newsprint, radio, direct mail and magazine. One thing missing was digital media. I had done Google ads and had moderate success my biggest issues was always the scalability of Google ads. I learned long ago that to be successful in any marketing campaign you needed to spend to diminishing return.

If you have a budget and you get a return of let's say 3:1, well then there is no reason not spend everything you can until the 3:1 starts to go down. When that happens you pull back your spending. The problem is that there are very few marketing avenues that let you do that. Direct Mail, no, there are only so many address that you can buy. Radio a little more, magazines no, newspaper no, Televising, Yes. You can spend more money on more time, and better time slots getting more eyeballs watching your program. But today there are so many channels it is much harder to be cost effective and capture an intuitive audience.

I use Facebook, and one of the primary reasons is that it is saleable, there are over 1.84 billion people around the world on Facebook and I can micro target my audience deliver my message and collect the contact information without ever leaving my office. That is what I did; I took my business and my message over seas in 5 languages and built a database of over 24,000 new contacts in less than 12 month's using only Facebook.

As I shared those experiences with others, I started getting questions about how I did it and how they can do it. The next thing I know. Fast-forward to today; I have a thriving successful digital medial agency that focuses on Facebook advertising.

I was with a new prospective client the other day and their situation was similar to most reading this. Either you have never advertised on Facebook, but I have heard about it and are interested in doing some ads or like this perspective client I met with, you have been doing some Facebook ads and are struggling. I get two kinds of replies from this type of experience, first one is "James, I need your help, we have been advertising on Facebook and it is just too much for us". Or "we don't have the resources or the experience to be successful and would like you and your team to do it for us". The other type comment is "James we have been running our own ads on Facebook and quite frankly did really well. We were killing it and getting hundreds of leads, BUT for some reason we are not getting anything now"

Ah, that is the interesting one for many aspects. Facebook is not stupid; they are one of the biggest and most successful technology companies in the world. Yes they are a social media company but their ornate understanding of technology drives everything they do on social media, and how we use it in our everyday lives. That means they know how to make money, and the way they make money is from people and businesses advertising on Facebook. The secret to successfully advertising on Facebook is not necessarily complicated but it does take an understanding of the metrics and processes.

Facebook is always changing their algorithms so that they can deliver your ads more efficiently and get you the leads at the cost you want, however the same technology allows them to accomplish their own financial goals that of course they have to report to their shareholders. Did you ever think that maybe they know when a new business advertiser comes on board? What if they said "hey Johnny just started running ads for the first time today, lets open up the faucet and make sure he is getting leads at great cost no matter what". Now, what do you think you would do if all of a sudden you were spending $10.00 a day and get 20 leads for $.50 a lead? Yea you will increase your ad spend to $20.00 a day, why not? After all we want to spend our marketing dollars to diminishing return (Scalability) right?

Then all of a sudden you start to see your ad metrics getting worse. Facebook has got you sucked in and your spending more and they are making more. I am not saying that they do this, just asking you to think about it. Just like anything else in life you have to work at, Facebook is no different. I constantly hear that the only thing in life that is certain is Death and Taxes and Facebook changes. Facebook makes changes to their user interface and algorithms constantly sometimes many in a week. You have to stay on top of it. You have to understand things like ad fatigue or relevance scores, where to run ads to avoid competition with fortune 500 companies etc.

If you spend the time you will reap the rewards, Facebook ads work, your customer is on Facebook, it does not matter if they are B2B or B2C you can find them and you can micro target them to be very specific as the qualified lead you want. If you are getting too many leads you can increase some of the targeting filters such as income, net worth, own a home or rent a home and just about anything you can think of, each time you make those changes to your audience you will reduce the amount of leads that come thru and increase the quality of the lead. Facebook will work for any business so long as the business is not prohibited from running ads on Facebook. There are only a few and to find that out just go online and search Facebook terms and conditions, you can make sure your industry is not one of the prohibited.

I have yet to find a business that I could not drive leads to. That said I wanted to leave you with the number one thing that I find businesses struggle with that I have personally witnessed from just about all niches out there. When I walk into see a new client the theme is always the same, "I need Leads". That true, and you will get leads from Facebook, however it will not do you any good to get leads from Facebook if you don't know or have a viable product or service to sell.

You would be surprised at how many businesses are trying to get leads when they really don't have anything to sell. Seriously I have clients that have come on board asked me to get them leads but have absolutely nothing to sell. So make sure you have clearly defined your product or service and what the price point is or will be. From experience if you are selling a high ticket item, be prepared to make sure your sales process has a live phone call to the lead in it. Less than a few hundred and you can utilize an automated process.

The process is actually the other side of most business failures when working with the leads, you get the leads, you have something to sell, but you have no process in place to work the leads. I have had customers that I send leads to with a great cost per lead conversions and only to find out that they didn't contact the leads we sent them in anyway. You would be surprised at how often this happens. Leads start coming in and then and only then do the clients realize the inefficiencies of their sales process.

To help you do it yourself and be successful you can follow a few simple steps that I have outlined below for you:

Three steps to get started

Step 1- Identify your product or service and the price points that you want to charge for them. If you are going to have a high price point lets say $1,000 to $10,000 + you need to think about having a live sales call during the process. You can use qualifying communication thru automation and nurturing but ultimately you need a sales person on the phone building a relationship and asking for the sale.

Step 2- Your process, which is an extension of step one. What will happen to the lead, will they get a confirmation, when they enter your sales pipeline, do you have a sales pipeline? Will they get a welcome email? How will you notify your sales team that you have a new lead, will you have a follow up process or nurture sequence to keep your leads engaged?

Step 3- set up your ads on Facebook. Make sure that you have a well thought out landing page or lead ad, and be sure that all of the notifications in above steps are working to notify your sales team and or process of the new lead. Test all the links in the ad process before going live. Be sure to maintain a high relevance score of your ads by having your content on your landing page correlate to your content in your ad. You will get better deliverability by doing so.

Three easy steps to get started advertising on Facebook, I only had a small amount of space to share my passion, and excitement about Facebook and how advertising on Facebook can help make your business much more successful than you ever thought it could be. Here are a few things that you can take along with you for further research and that will help you become a better Facebook advertiser.

Test various price points, $10.0 a day may be better than $20.00 and $47.00 a day may be better than $20.00 but $50.00 may not be as good as $15.00. Point is that Facebook runs very complicated algorithms and every variable you make or change can affect the over all success of the ad.

Video typically does better than print, always look for engaging images that create conversation, make sure that your landing pages are mobile responsive, 84% of the 1.81 billion people are using a mobile operating system on Facebook, don't dismiss this audience group. Look for ad fatigue meaning if your ad stops performing then change it, BUT be careful changing ads as it takes about 10 days for Facebook to optimize an ad so that they can deliver the ad to the most likely person to engage with your ad, and as contradictory as this sounds don't change your ad if you don't need to, each time you change your ad Facebook will reapprove it and launch it with Facebook's most up to date algorithms which in the end serve Facebook over you.

I have tested thousand's of individual variables, I have a tremendous amount of institutional memory but I never become complacent because Facebook is always changing.

I was sitting at lunch the other day having a quick bite alone. Sitting at the table next to me, were two gentlemen having a conversation. Now, it was not like I was ease dropping, but the conversation was loud enough to hear. One of the gentleman was speaking rather loudly but passionately, which actually engaged me more, and will help one grow business inadvertently.

The topic of the conversation was actually something that I had an interest in and can relate to! As I got up to leave the restaurant, I stopped by the table and apologized for the interruption in addition I handed one of the gentlemen my card and asked him to contact me. Neither one of the two had any problem with me interrupting briefly. But as I walked away I heard the one man say that this encounter was typically how he got business.

So for you to grow business, whether it's outside exercising or having lunch in public places, speak loudly enough for others to possibly hear what your business does and speak passionately. You will definitely be able to grow your business. The Power of Curiosity to Grow Business.

A: I like using at minimum 2:1 risk to reward, thus I would use a 20 pips for my stop but when actively trading. This way a stop loss order can be set at -20 pips and money management would still give you a 2-to-1 risk to reward.

There are many way to trade some more successful than others. In the end it really depends on where you are in your financial life. What is your risk tolerance? You simply have to practice trade using a demo account until you are confident with your trading. Try to duplicate what you do and remove as many variables to your trading system as possible. The stick to it, remove emotions and focus on your system.

A: This is the biggest single mistake any new trader can make. First I can't give specific financial recommendations, so you know your mistake; let’s figure this one out. For me here’s what I would do and maybe take this as a bit of “next time” advice. If you find yourself down, you want to do things quickly. First do a sweep of the market, by viewing 15, 60, 180 min interval charts and daily (short). See what is actually taking place in the market. I would want to know if I was trading with the trend or if simply in a retracement or quiet time in the market. If so, I would ride it out. If I was clearly with the trend, it should sort itself out. It may also be wise to set a stop below the last low or above the last high, depending on the trade direction. Lastly, I would see if any major economic data is due out relating to that pair.

First thing you need to do is every time a collector calls you, put them on notice that you will no longer accept phone calls and that under the Fair Debt Collection Practice Act if they continue to do so they will be in violation of Federal Law. This will not stop all of them but it will certainly get some of them to take notice. Inform them that you will only accept communication about this possible debt in writing.

Now here is the secret step. You must get an address and reference number for your account, because you need to send them a cease and desist letter. This is very easy to write use the same language I just used a few lines above. Include your address, name, date and reference number. Make sure you send the letter certified return receipt, make a copy and file it for your records.

You will find that many of these collectors will be less than motivated to give you this information; they know what you are about to say. So you may have to ask them where you should send the payment to and what is the reference number to put on the check. I had someone tell me that they did exactly this and the collector got all defensive, saying, “Why are you sending payment? Why do you want my information, etc.” Seriously but after giving the information up and was told that they would be getting a C&D (cease and desist letter) they said, “I knew it.” Really come on, stop putting up with this garbage.

If they continue to call you there are literally hundreds of attorney out there now that will be glad to handle your case on a contingency basis. Many law firms now do nothing but Fair Debt Collection Practice Act (FDCPA) violations; its time to take back the control and stop fearing or having anxiety when your phone rings.

Finally if you are receiving calls on your cell phone from collectors using an auto dialer, notify the caller that they are calling your cell phone and you no longer wish them to call your cell phone ever. Send a certified return receipt letter similar to the above letter. This time if a collector continues to call your cell phone using the auto dialer the penalties are far more serious.
Under the Truth In Caller ID Act of 2009, Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) of 1991 penalties will apply. In addition, a “forfeiture penalty” of up to $10,000 per violation may be imposed. For a continuing violation, treble damages, or $30,000 per violation, may be assessed. The statute, however, caps the forfeiture penalty for continuing violations at $1,000,000 for a single act or a failure to act. Considering the volume of calls placed by third party debt collectors, the potential penalties are staggering.
The Truth In Caller ID Act also includes criminal fines of up to $10,000 for each violation, with the potential of treble damages for continuing violations. The statute also provides for imprisonment for violations.

Penalties for certain TCPA violations begin at $500 per call and can be tripled to $1,500 per call. In a purported class action lawsuit, such penalties could easily put a collection agency out of business. Considering most insurance companies are specifically excluding TCPA class action coverage, collection agencies will be digging deeply into their own pockets to defend and/or settle such claims.

Stopping collectors from calling you on the phone will make a substantial difference in the quality of life you have. It will give you a little breathing room to get things resolved, whether filing bankruptcy or negotiating with your creditors.

I don’t want to place any needless pressure on you, goodness knows you probably have enough to deal with but the economy’s health lies directly in your path. It’s consumer spending that has pushed our economy forward in the past and I don’t see how the dynamics of this economic effect has changed today. Some economists believe that up to 70 percent of our economic strength is based on how much the American consumer spends at the local mall. I know that’s difficult to believe but facts are facts. On top of that, consumer spending has been creeping higher as a segment of the total economy sporadically over the past few decades through the assistance by easy credit. Those days are gone but the need for consumer spending remains. That’s where we are today.

If Americans spend – business grows. It’s that simple. The problem is consumer confidence has been so weak because millions are out of work, prices at the pump and grocery stores are eating away at disposable income, the U.S. continues to struggle with debt, and the banks aren’t lending. I know I’m preaching to the choir but what’s it going to take to start moving forward again? Sadly, there are few options today.

Frankly, about the only thing that has supported our economy recently has been unemployment benefits, which places us in a very miserable state. A recent report from the Congressional Budget Office revealed that every dollar that is spent from unemployment benefits puts $1.90 back into the economy. But now Congress is considering cutting that back, as well, which can only exacerbate the situation. Makes no sense to me.

Cities and states are going through very difficult times in part because the crumbling housing market has wiped out a good portion of the property tax dollars they had counted on for support before the housing market imploded. Today, thousands of houses stand empty and do not generate the necessary dollars these government institutions had come to rely upon over the years. So, even the municipal and state governments are being forced to shrink their employment rolls and services which has added more pain to an already agonizing situation.

Other large industrialized nations don’t depend quite so much on consumer spending but rather on government subsidies to keep running. If things don’t change soon, that just may be what happens in the United States, which will no doubt lead to higher tax rates for all of us. As an entrepreneur, I am certainly not advocating that but when you examine the total economic package we are dealing with today, there may not be another answer.

The Internet has never been totally anonymous based on the IP address read by the sites you visit. But the ways in which you send emails to friends and associates or conduct business (online banking, bill pay, etc.) allows for some anonymity today to protect personal security and, as some advocate, freedom of speech.

Randi Zuckerburg, marketing director of Facebook (and sister of Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerburg) recently took part in a panel discussion on this topic and said she believes that Internet users should not be allowed to hide their identities when using the Internet. She told the panel, "I think anonymity on the Internet has to go away. I think people hide behind anonymity and they feel like they can say whatever they want behind closed doors."

Remember when you signed up for your first email account, you had to come up with a name you would use. Some people actually used their “real” names without thinking twice about it but, I think you’ll admit, most people developed some type of anonymous Internet pseudonyms (something like PapaBear44@InternetSite.com) to hide their personal identities to everyone but friends and families.

The former head of Google, Eric Schmidt, also believes Internet anonymity is a real threat and called it a “dangerous” problem and, in his view, something the government will eventually be forced to regulate. As a matter of fact, Google was criticized recently for a policy that insists that individuals use their “real names” on their new Google+ social media website. There is evidence that a number of Google+ users, who used a traditional anonymous Internet name rather than their “real name,” not only had their Google+ account cancelled, but all associated Google accounts closed for failure to maintain the policy of using actual names. Google apparently is taking this very seriously.

Those who advocate full disclosure on the Internet are insisting that more online abuses and illegal activities are definitely possible because people are currently able to conceal their identities behind these non-descriptive Internet monikers. Proponents of a full disclosure policy on the Internet believe that anonymity allows criminals and sexual predators to more easily stalk their potential victims. By hiding their identities they can easily and “innocently” gain access to chat groups that protect the identities of their members thus making it easier for criminals to target their victims over the Internet.

Privacy is an issue that we tend to guard with all of our might. So many personal records today (banking, medical, personnel) are transmitted over the Internet and, I believe, should be guarded and genuinely protected. Law enforcement and government agencies also must maintain a semblance of privacy to keep information away from the “bad guys” and secure local, state and national security.

Keep this in mind. If Internet anonymity is critical to you, there are ways to protect yourself. You might want to consider disabling the “cookies” settings on your computer. Cookies are text that is sent to the browser about the Internet sites you visit. This information is stored by the server and sent back to the site each time you enter the site. Cookies also contain important information like passwords and login information that are considered a privacy risk by most Internet users. There are a number of web browsers that will automatically delete all cookies when you close your browser. Might be a good idea to find one.

I am certain that Internet anonymity will be a topic of discussion for many years based on the massive growth of social and business Internet sites like Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn, which are specifically designed for the exchange of information; sometimes very personal information. Consider this, if you were walking through a “dangerous” part of town you would probably remain very aware of your surroundings. The same applies to the Internet; just be careful of the information you provide on the Internet to maintain as much personal security and privacy as possible.

But it’s more than that; although the idea of Internet anonymity may protect us from possible personal hazards, this idea will also diminish our personal freedoms guaranteed by our country’s most cherished documents (the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution) which have formed the values of the country we live in today. We are a country that prides itself on hundreds of years of freedom, among them freedom of speech. It’s a very hot topic to keep your eye on in the months and years ahead.

Look, just going to job fairs and sending your resume out over Internet probably isn’t going to be enough. You may have already discovered that hasn’t worked for you. So, what’s next?

I have spent many years developing a brand for myself and that has helped me develop my business and myself. There are a variety of ways to do this – some easy and some very difficult and expensive. You should start by creating a personal “commercial” that describes you and your skill sets. By commercial, I mean write a rundown of who you are, what you do, and how you can help any potential employer. It’s that easy but be brief and only state facts and specifics.

For instance, if you are a career sales professional be very specific about past employment and how you helped previous companies attain success. Tell them about how you increased sales 52 percent in your first year on the job. Mention how many individuals you supervised and how you were a mentor to the sales staff, which helped them develop their skills, thus adding to the company’s bottom line three years in a row. That’s about 30 seconds. And if you present yourself confidently, they’ll have no choice but listen to you.

Now that you’ve developed a personal brand, start building up your networking opportunities. Think about all the people you already know, do some homework, and find networking opportunities through business organizations or in your city’s chamber of commerce. You may even want to expand your job search to areas outside your town or your state. I know that leaving your current location may be a hardship, but it’s also important to find your next professional position. These are different times and you may have to do different things to find what you’re looking for. I always tell people that if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got. Believe me, it’s true. I’ve done it more times than I can count.

Don’t be shy about asking business associates and friends for personal recommendations for your online social networking sites or letters that you can use for reference purposes. The more people that know you and your current situation, the faster your current situation will change. Don’t be afraid to be bold. Ask…all they can say is no but most people will be glad to help you.

Back up your personal branding with an accurate resume and cover letter. The importance of your personal documents cannot be understated. Many companies today will not accept “walk-ins” and solely use your resume to make their hiring decisions; that includes private industry and government agencies.

I understand that you are going through an extremely difficult time right now. Emotions are running high and it’s probably difficult to maintain a positive attitude from day-to-day. But it has never been more important to do so. Do your homework everyday and remember that your job right now is finding a job. Get up every morning and get busy locating your next position. It will come but in the end, it’s all up to you. Remember, be aggressive and be positive. Today is the day to start making yourself the top candidate. Once you do that, the next job is sure to come.

Basically, a DIL allows the homeowner to voluntarily transfer the ownership of their property to the mortgage holder in exchange for a release from the mortgage loan and payments. This is becoming a popular tactic by the banks because there are just so many foreclosures across the nation. Plus, if the mortgage holder can avoid foreclosure hearings, they save tons of money in the legal process. So, the DIL has become an alternative to foreclosure and seems to be a win-win situation for all parties.

Homeowners who might be interested in this process versus foreclosure, must qualify prior to approval. You can qualify if you:

Are ineligible to refinance or modify your current mortgage,
Are currently behind in your mortgage payments,
Owe more than the home is actually worth,
Haven’t been able to sell your home,
Are going through a hardship (like the loss of job, divorce, or medical emergency)
Can no longer afford to live in your home and are prepared to leave, since the process must be completed within 90 days of initiation).

This is, by no means, the comprehensive listing of qualifying factors for a DIL, so you’ll need to talk to your mortgage holder to see if you qualify. A DIL is less harsh than a foreclosure on your credit report too. It all depends on your mortgage holder. There have been times where a mortgage holder has reported a borrower’s mortgage paid in full following the DIL process. That’s a question you would need to ask your mortgage holder prior to processing the DIL. Regardless, the DIL is less harmful, in many ways, than a foreclosure and you can expect, at least, a “grey” mark on your credit report versus the “black” mark a foreclosure is sure to cause.

And here’s something I bet you would have never thought of; a DIL, in some cases, qualifies you to receive a relocation allowance from the mortgage holder after the process is competed. It just happened to someone I know. There are some mortgage companies that are assisting homeowners after a DIL by providing them with $3,000 for relocation expenses. The homeowner can use this money to pay for moving expenses, make a deposit on a home or apartment rental, or just put it in the bank for that proverbial rainy day. All you have to do to find out if your mortgage company offers such a benefit is to ask them.

This is a program that is definitely an attractive alternative to foreclosure and troubled homeowners should immediately approach their mortgage holders to see if they qualify for this program. The one thing that hurts the homeowner is waiting too long. If you are days away from an auction where it would be easier for the bank to dispose of the liability in that manner, you’re probably out of luck. So before you get to that point, be proactive and approach your mortgage holder to find out whether or not you qualify for a deed in lieu of foreclosure. It just might be a better option for you.

There are many key forces that can help you design and build a business that is not only profitable but will also offer your specific customer base something it can use or want. Consider your personal interests before deciding on the eventual product. For me, it was trading and teaching people the intricacies of trading various financial markets, specifically the Foreign Exchange. It was something that interested me considerably and it allowed me to develop a business that people from around the world could use to increase their quality of life by becoming successful traders.

Planning will encompass a lot of things. Creating a business plan that maps out your company’s structure, financial assets and liabilities, the values and standards that your company will embrace, as well as your vision for the future. This is by no means a comprehensive list of what to include in a business plan. Study the methods of putting a successful plan together; perhaps find others who have already done so and personalize their methods by creating an exclusive corporate direction that would work best for you and your company. Business owners who can plan for short- and long-term events and goals are also more likely to succeed. Consider how you can make a distinction between your products and services from those being offered by your competitors. An effective entrepreneur must be proactive, inquisitive, and totally dedicated to the job at hand; traits that will offer a better shot for future success.

Having said that, remember it’s your personal interests and passions that will guide you when deciding what your entrepreneurial venture will look like. Maybe you’re an expert at bookkeeping or perhaps you love to cook. As long as you are passionate about your product or service, you will have a much better chance of success than you would if you were lukewarm about your business. You have probably heard it said that if you enjoy what you do, you will never work another day in your life. If you enjoy something, you’re more likely to stick to it and put in the hours necessary to make a real attempt to build a new and successful venture. Make no mistake about it, you will have your problems and you will experience ups and downs along the way but never give up. There is nothing more rewarding than doing something you enjoy, while helping others through your unique product or service.

Let me finish as I began – planning and passion are the keys to making sure you get your entrepreneurial efforts off to a positive start. Without those two traits you may as well not even begin. So, look deeply into your personal desires, goals, and abilities and start moving forward with your plan. Small business runs the economic engine of this country; your planning and passion has never been needed more than it is today. I wish you all the best at your future success.

In this time of war around the world, many of our military forces are on their fifth or sixth tours of duty overseas on very dangerous fields of battle. The sacrifices that our military families endure are enormous. These very special individuals must suffer long periods of separation, unspeakable danger, and, in most cases, inadequate pay. Today they are experiencing another hardship upon their return from overseas duty – the lack of employment.

Upon their return, many military members have been finding a higher-than-average unemployment rate and a tough time transferring their military skills to the private sector of American business. And as more military veterans look for employment jobs after returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the job market still doesn’t offer much hope. There is a positive side to all this since the military itself offers separating military access to programs that can help them transition into the civilian work force. But a slow job market and an overabundance of military talent trying to find jobs are over tasking these programs.

Those Reservists and National Guard members due have federal law on their side. Upon return from military service, The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) is designed to help Veterans regain the positions they were forced to leave in order to serve the nation’s military force. But sadly, with the downsizing of America’s business community, many vets are returning to find the company they left is now out of business and the job they once had no longer exists.

Employers have differing attitudes about hiring military veterans. Some businesses see veterans as the ideal candidate because of their proven leadership skills. But others are unenthusiastic to hire returning military members; concerned that former military may be too inflexible or that they might bring unwanted baggage with them, including mental or physical problems. I urge businesspeople across the country to seriously consider rewarding our returning military troops with honor, reverence, and jobs. You will never find better employees – people who are dedicated, responsible, drug-free, educated, and reliable. Hire the military and respect them every day for their selfless service to this nation.

I am writing this from personal experience because I was once a member of our country’s gallant force of the U.S. Armed Forces. I know first-hand the rigors that they and their precious families must live through in order to endure a military lifestyle for our sake. Now that I am no longer on active duty, I still feel an commitment to continue to serve this nation by helping these exceptional people in any way I can. I hope you will too.

For the first time since September 2008, oil prices rose to reach levels of over $ 110 a barrel, due to the continuing tensions in the Arab world and after a good indicator in the United States. On the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex), a barrel of light sweet crude for May delivery finished 110.30 dollars, which was up $ 1.47 from the previous day. Libya is the 16th largest global producer of oil in the world. This one nation that has been in unrest for weeks now, was responsible for about 2 percent of world oil production, which is about 1,600,000 barrels per day.

Other major oil producers are also in turmoil. Both Yemen and Bahrain are big oil producers -- but far smaller; Bahrain pumps approximately 45,000 barrels per day; and Yemen just 260,000.

And according to one gas price expert, Trilby Lundberg, gas prices at the pump could hit five dollars a gallon by Memorial Day. The Lundberg Survey, an independent research marketing group that focuses on the petroleum industry, reported on April 11th, that prices jumped 20 cents during a two week reporting period to a nationwide average of $3.76 a gallon.

Lundberg’s survey, showing gas prices on the increase and the harsh impact prices are having on American households from coast-to-coast, is concerning. Many are worried about how gas prices will influence the economic health of the country. If people pay more at the pump there will be less disposable income for them to share with the national retail community and that has them nervous about sustaining sales that will, in turn, push their earnings and the U.S. economy in a positive direction.

Then there’s the question of future inflation. A weak dollar will affect everything from our exports to how much we, as a population, will be able to spend. A recent report showed grocery prices increasing 6.5 percent in March from early January. In the report, Consumer Growth Partners said the increase in food prices was the “sharpest in a generation.” A 25 percent increase in gas prices this year has joined higher food prices, which pulled $18 billion out of the monthly household spending on discretionary items. If the consumer doesn’t spend, the economy goes nowhere.

On top of all this, claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly increased above the key 400,000 mark recently. Like I said at the beginning, times are still tough and because of a number of issues that are not being resolved, the current situation is likely to remain so for quite a long time. Even though the government announced a few years back that the recession officially ended, it’s evident that millions of people remain out of work and that’s a reality for them and their families. In order to fix the problem, people must directly reconnect themselves to the economy but as long as they continue to lose their homes and are unable to find suitable employment, the possibility of that happening is nearly impossible. Not because they don’t want to, but because they just don’t have the disposable income to do so.

I have spent a tremendous amount of time over the last few months researching the forex brokers. I want to share what I have learned and how to better combat some of the tactics that brokers take to help them insure a better bottom line.

Let me just say, that I still love trading the Forex market. I think it is a great place to build a profession. The Forex market is still the largest financial marketplace in the world. To help insure that you are one of the successful traders in this marketplace you will need to start considering some positive steps.

I would first start out by calling your Broker, ask them if you are on STP, Straight thru Processing. You want to make sure that your broker is not trading against you. I would send them an email to make sure that you have whatever they tell you in writing. What you will more than likely get from your broker is Bla Bla Bla-meaning “We don’t have a dealing desk” - Well all you have to do is call your broker tell them you would like to talk to the dealing desk to place a trade. Guess what? Bet you get the so called nonexistent dealing desk.

Just because they say they don’t have a dealing desk doesn’t mean they don’t have one. You just have to ask them to put it in writing that they have your account on STP, if they won’t find a new broker. When I Was introducing customers to the Forex Brokers I asked that my customers be put on STP, I even had the broker put in writing that my customers were on STP, Again not to beat this point to death, but you can only do what you can do, just get in writing that your broker is using STP for your account. You do not want to be associated with any sort of aggregated orders.

Also take special note when you are trading as to latency-How slow your order is filled, slippage, whether you get the price for your buy or sell that you executed the trade at, or error messages. Any and all of these and others could be an indication that something is wrong, that the broker could be trading against you. Even if they tell you that your account is on STP. Even if the Broker says they don’t have a dealing desk. They could have just simply removed the vocabulary word dealing desk and replaced it with a “server” automation of sorts.

To not sound so negative you can still trade this market and find good brokers, there are lots of traders that make money trading Forex. If you want to be one of those traders then you need to become aware and understand the Forex market place, recognize that the Forex brokers are in business to make money. Then arm yourself with all the knowledge tools and strategies you can to place solid trades.

Watch for my next blog on more strategies to help you place better trades and beat your broker.

Happy Investing-James Dicks

Here lies the issue at hand. If you have a new car, we all know that as soon as you drive it off the lot you will suffer 20-30% depreciation on the value of your new vehicle. Thus one of the reasons you will find the strategy to buy a two year old vehicle in several of my books. I like new cars and I have new cars, but I also use leases to my advantage, and I also buy used as well.

So back to my buddy, he was in an accident where someone hit his new truck. Insurance will cover the damages but what about the fact that his new truck now has a negative carfax, a history of repair and accident that will affect the long term value of the truck even after it is fixed. That is unfortunate and in most cases people just take it for what it is and move on. Later down the road a few years when they try to sell the vehicle the accident comes back to haunt them and the seller of the vehicle will suffer monetary loss because of the previous accident. The accident simply lowers the long term value. So what can you do?

Well you can buy Gap Insurance which will cover the difference in your new vehicle when you drive it off the lot and remain in effect until your car is worth the same or lower than your loan payoff thus the “GAP” or you can file a diminished value claim against your insurance company. I would suggest that if you buy a new vehicle that you look into gap insurance, some policies have it included and others you will need to add it on. Keep in mind that you can get Gap insurance at many places not just thru your insurance company and certainly don’t take the Gap offered by your dealership when you buy your new vehicle. There are also alternatives to Gap insurance such as new car payoff options etc, you can discuss with your auto insurance company.

Since my buddy is filing a diminished value claim let’s look at what and how the claim works.
Let’s say you are like my buddy and were in a recent accident with your vehicle. – The first thing you are going to do is file a claim with your insurance company for the damage to the vehicle – The initial claim will only cover your damages minus your deductable of course – But what about your Diminished Value, this is going to be what your new vehicle is worth if you sold it now with the repaired damage vs selling the same new vehicle now with no damage. You need to be familiar with the three (3) types of Diminished Value . . .

1.   Immediate Diminished Value is the difference in resale value of a vehicle immediately before damage has occurred and immediately after damage has occurred (prior to repair). Most jurisdictions (courts) will use this standard as the primary measure of damage when courts are employed to seek reimbursement for damage from a negligent party. As courts are rarely the chosen venue for recovery of property damage, the standard of “Immediate Diminished Value” is rarely employed in resolving Diminished Value Claims . . .

2.   Inherent Diminished Value assumes optimal repair quality has been achieved and is defined as the amount by which the resale value of a repaired vehicle has been reduced simply because the subject vehicle now has a significant damage history. “Inherent Diminished Value” is the most widely recognized and accepted form of Diminished Value. It is also the basis upon which any supplemental form of Diminished Value would be added. A common “Supplemental” form of Diminished Value is “Repair Related Diminished Value” . . .

3.   Repair Related Diminished Value includes any additional amounts by which the resale value of a subject vehicle may be further reduced because of less-than-optimal repairs. This could include anything from minor cosmetic imperfections to major structural defects.

Determining diminished value takes basic common sense, the newer your vehicle the more likely the value would be diminished if it were in an accident. If you find yourself in a position that you think you may be looking at a diminished value situation, you will need to find a D/V appraiser, this type of appraiser has really taken off recently but you will need to be careful as some of them are not as professional as others, you may just want to ask your insurance company for the name of one that they recommend.

Do not fall prey to contingency type diminished value companies. These companies will tout that they can get you money from the insurance company for the vehicles diminished value on a contingency basis, meaning that they take their money out of the claim when paid by your insurance company. There are numerous scams out their reported with this type of business activity so just avoid them.
If for some reason you have difficulty with trying to collect on a diminished value claim from your insurance company you may need to find an attorney to assist you with the claim, in most cases your attorney fees can also be incorporated into the claim.

If you don’t receive your diminished value claim or as much as you feel you should have you still can recoup some of the loss on your taxes, Please take note that in no way do I offer tax advice, nor am I a tax attorney, please seek professional tax advice when doing your taxes.

IF you itemize your deductions, you can use Line # 19 of Form 1040 - Schedule “A” to deduct your unrecovered Diminished Value. If you have an unrecovered Diminished Value of say $ 1,500 and a tax rate of 20%, you can Reduce Your Tax Obligation by almost $ 300.00.

Yet another financial strategy that can be used to help you and your family achieve the financial success you deserve.

Happy Investing!

James Dicks

Some people don’t seem to have this instinct at all, and this doesn’t bode well for the long-term health of the American economy. Just in the last two years people have started to really slow their spending down and foremost their spending on credit. It may have a negative effect on things for now, but in the long run we will be far better off.

(We have the lowest savings rate of any developed nation, which is a worrisome thing.) But the rest of us experience this self-protective instinct to put something aside for a rainy day. For some people, this means setting aside a small amount of money for less fortunate times. For still another group, the fear becomes extreme—even irrational—and leads to the unnecessary hoarding (and often counting) of money.

For me having to review this lesson is key; even writing it makes me think. My first time out I made lots of money, but I was over leveraged and in the end lost everything and had to start over again. The second time around I was not as over leveraged and saved money for a rainy day, problem is it seems as though it has been raining for a long time. However saving money for the rainy days has proven to be very wise. The next time around, I plan on having zero leverage, and living completely debt free. That is really the key to success, eliminate the credit and live on what you make and save, use a debit card instead of a credit card.

Let’s acknowledge first that saving money for the future is important. Having said that, the inevitable question that follows is, how much is enough? Setting aside a little money isn’t difficult, but since small amounts can seem so insignificant, it’s easy to lose the discipline to continue. But it is that very discipline that makes saving work. Well, discipline combined with the almost magical power of compound interest.

Compound interest is the key to building wealth. Simply put, it means investing some money, earning interest on your investment, and then leaving both the interest and the principal in place so that you begin to earn interest on your interest (as well as on your principal).

In other words, first your original money earns money, and then the money your money has earned earns more money. This goes on year after year. After years of compounded growth, the annual earnings reach an acceptable level. Eventually, if you’re original investment was large enough, if your rates of interest were competitive, and if you wait long enough, your nest egg will grow large enough to produce an acceptable outside income.

I can assure you that those of you that are a little older know exactly what I am talking about. There is a life time line where you got have more more more. I have had all the cars from a Cavalier to a convertible Murciélago Lamborghini, Bentley GT, big and fast boats etc. Now I am more focused on what counts most to me. How do you really know what is important to you? Simple, focus and take a few moments to work thru this and other mental exercises to help you laser in on those really important things. I can tell you this to accomplish your goals you must be willing to give up the not so important things, be willing to sacrifice to accomplish your truly important goals.

What 10 things would you do if you had unlimited time and money? Give yourself a few moments to come up with 10 answers, but not ones that are too long. Please write them down, either here or on a separate sheet of paper, seriously you need to do this, write it down, if you just do it on paper you won’t be able to burn the image in your subconscious which is the key to positive imaging, making the dreams become reality. Well, what did you find out about yourself? One thing many people discover, as a result of this exercise, is that listing 10 items is not as easy as they assumed it would be—even with unlimited time and money. If you found that to be true—if numbers 9 and 10 came hard— then you need to dream more. Have at it! You are now free to dream.

1. YOUR MISSION TO WEALTH TO-DO LIST 1. DEVISE A PLAN FIRST, AND THE STRATEGIES WILL FOLLOW. -You must come up with your plan first. Hildebrant’s principle applies here: “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” Wandering aimlessly will get you nowhere fast.

2. TRUST YOUR MENTORS.- To get the most out of this exercise, you must put your trust in people you don’t know. So I ask you to suspend disbelief. I ask you to think of me as someone you know and trust as you progress through my blogs. (There’s no downside and plenty of upside.)

3. CHANGE YOUR MINDSET.- Accumulating wealth is as much about mindset as it is about net worth. It may sound simple or even naive, but without the proper mindset, you almost certainly will not achieve your financial goals. If you do somehow achieve them, they’re likely to come undone quickly.

4. DARE TO DREAM. Dreaming is one of the first steps on the journey to financial independence. Think of Roger Bannister’s four-minute mile. Think of John F. Kennedy’s challenge to Americans to get to the moon before the end of the decade. You must first envision the future before it can become a reality. That may sound like another simplification (and indeed, it’s only part of the story), but that’s exactly what worked for me.

Don t skip this exercise. I actually sat down and did this when I was 15, as fate may have it; I found my list that I wrote some years back and realized that writing this down really helped and made the difference between success and failure. I actually wrote all my goals down, both short and long term, then I did the dreams as this exercise suggest. Over time my short term goals were all accomplished, my long term goals were really more short term and all accomplished, and my dreams became long term goals and then short term goals and then I achieved all the dreams that I had written down when I was 15. Two points here, one, do this, two update it yearly as your life’s values and what’s important changes and you want to be writing these changes down so that you can achieve them.

You need to be systematic and thorough in your approach to these eight principles. If you follow just some of them, you may still become financially free. (Yes, they are that powerful.) But your foundation for long-term success will be more solid if you internalize them all.

Let’s take another short step in your journey toward financial freedom. Yes, we’re going to do some more dreaming. If possible, you should find some quiet place where you can be by yourself and not have to worry about being self-conscious. But if you can’t, don’t worry about it. Just do the best you can. If you’re not happy about the results the first time, consider repeating the exercise again later in a more private place, and see if the results are the same.

So get comfortable and relaxed. Close your eyes for a moment, and allow yourself to dream. Let your mind roam as if you were a little kid in school, bored by some dull assignment. Give yourself permission to do what people have told you not to do your entire life: daydream.
Let your mind wander, and think happy thoughts—thoughts about things you would really like to do. Places where you’ve always wanted to travel. People you’d like to meet. Whatever comes to your mind, allow yourself to let go and dream, even if it is only for a few moments. Once you complete this brief exercise—and only after you have done this—continue on.

Did you do it? Great. I hope you enjoyed this moment with yourself. It’s a good start, and it’s something you should do more often. At first, your conscious brain—the scolding part, the part that Freud called the “superego”—will resist your attempts at daydreaming. And let’s face it, you’re out of practice. You haven’t done it since you were a kid, and even then, people were telling you it was a “waste of time.”

Nothing could be further from the truth. Dreaming puts you in touch with your inner self. It allows you to contemplate what is going on in your life, and what you want to do about it. It is a restful time—a time that allows you to recharge your batteries and rejuvenate yourself, mentally, physically, and spiritually. Entire civilizations in the East endorse meditation as a positive habit to develop.

I do, too—although I prefer to talk about dreaming, rather than meditating. I believe that a focused kind of meditation, a dreaming of your future, is critically important.

My Best
James Dicks

In order for life to work, we must all be different. We must have different dreams and different aspirations. But this very variety means that these dreams can all be fulfilled—assuming that each of us is honest with himself or herself and finds his or her true dream.
Not someone else’s dream—your dream.

Financial freedom is your dream. As long as you can dream, you can continue to succeed. Show me a person who has no dream, and I will show you someone who is poor. A millionaire dreams, and then sets out to make those dreams real. Once you stop dreaming, you stop the magic. That’s because you have created the world you wanted. You stop moving forward, because your dreams have ended. Either you are content to live with what you have or you are constantly frustrated because you don’t have enough—or you learn to dream again.

Think about this for a moment. Look around you at the people you know who, when measured in terms of financial prosperity, have a successful life. Inevitably, the ones who are the happiest are the ones who are still dreaming. Those who have stopped dreaming become overly concerned about the money they have. They begin to hoard their wealth in a way that restricts even their own pleasure.

It’s a sad predicament: to be snared by your failing or extinguished dreams. As my grandmother always said, “Be careful what you wish for, because you may get it.” In other words, be ready to handle the consequences of what you think you want, because you may indeed get it. Money without a plan is worthless. That is why the first step should be to create that plan.

You must be ready for your wealth before you get it. The plan you develop for financial success will be based on sound fundamentals, rather than on some pie-in-the-sky, get-richquick scheme. You can build the wealth you seek. It won’t come overnight, but once you master our method, you won’t care. You will be systematically working toward your long-term goal, while at the same time earning money and enjoying the journey. Isn’t that what you really want? Satisfaction today, and financial freedom tomorrow?

Don’t miss my next blog in which I will discuss the principles of wealth creation.

My Best
James Dicks

Follow up to previous blog post.

Once you have actually seen yourself spending and enjoying your newfound financial success, you can move on. Please don’t fudge—OK, let’s move on together. Let’s change your visual focus. Where do you live in your new life of prosperity? What does your house look like? How many bedrooms does it have? Can you see it? If you can see it, spend a few minutes creating details. If you can’t see it, spend a little more time with the exercise until you can.

Someone once said that what the mind can see, the body can achieve. I believe it. I go a step further. I believe that the mind must see it before the body is able to work for it. Look at another realm of human endeavor: sports. When Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile, he saw it long before he did it. Over and over in his mind, he later recalled, he visualized doing what had been deemed to be impossible. Interestingly enough, once Bannister did what no one else had ever done before, others quickly succeeded in doing it. Why? Because in minds all around the world, mental barriers had been broken. People understood that the impossible was now possible.

The same analogy applies to wealth creation. There is a process one must go through to achieve it. Bill Gates, in his best-selling book The Road Ahead, writes about his “play” with computers in high school. Even then, when computers were the size of large rooms and far less powerful than our miniature hand-held PDAs, he dreamed about what they would be able to achieve in the future.

His dream was so strong, in fact, that he feared missing out on the revolution he saw in his mind. He dropped out of Harvard University—dropped off the safe path he was on—to get a quicker start. There was simply no way that he was going to let the software revolution start without him.
Bill Gates saw the future of computers in his mind long before it became a reality. He saw a role for himself in that future. He dreamed the dream, developed plans to fulfill that dream, and then took action. This could be called the “science of success.”

It’s not restricted to Roger Bannister and Bill Gates. It’s something that each of you can participate in and benefit from. But before you can do it, you have to knock down the mental barriers to your financial success. You must learn to envision your achievements. Once you do, the achievements will follow. So far, so good? Are you beginning to see the mindset you need to have if you are to achieve financial freedom? Let’s go a little further.

What about a family? Will you have a spouse? Children? What will they be like? These are extremely important thoughts to consider and plan for. You must see it before it happens, but once you do; financial freedom will be more than one step closer.

All of the questions I have posed to you so far will become an important part of creating your dreams and ultimately achieving goals based on those dreams. Now that you see the process unfolding, you can also see how the end results will be different for everyone.

More to follow don’t miss reading the most important aspect of how this exercise can make such an impact on your financial life.

My Best
James Dicks

“These rules of the road will help protect the American public in the largest area of retail fraud that the CFTC oversees: retail foreign exchange,” CFTC Chairman Gary Gensler said. “All CFTC registrants involved in soliciting and selling retail forex contracts to consumers will now have to comply with rules to protect the investing public. This is also the first final rule that the Commission has published to implement the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. We look forward to publishing additional rules to protect the American public.”

Let me sum it up for you, As an American, a US citizen you are not allowed to open a Forex account offshore in another country to trade the FOREX. The Government has taken your rights and protected you. GIVE ME A BREAK. To late its law and you will have to choke it down. These people have lost their minds, I appeal to all Americans enough is enough vote these career politicians out of office, there are less than 600 people that as a whole, all Americans can simply send home, send them all home and let’s start fresh. Here is a novel idea, I bet that if we replaces all the US representatives and the US Senators good and bad, an entire new house and senate that they can’t do any worse ruining our country than the old timers. Let’s prove it.

Back to the problem at hand, first and foremost, as you read this just keep thinking that you are not allowed to do something because you are being protected, and you have no choice. The leverage for Forex on major currency pairs is now 50:1 and exotics 20:1, what a joke. You had choices you can trade in another country, BUT not anymore. I have included numerous places to voice your opinion; I would suggest you use the fax machines, if enough people do they will unplug them, and when they do start emailing, or calling, and when they turn all that off, start sending snail mail.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Three Lafayette Centre
1155 21st Street, NW
Washington, DC 20581
202-418-5000 or FAX 202-418-5521
Questions@cftc.gov.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, enacted on July 21, 2010, further modified the CEA in a number of ways. It requires that all off-exchange retail foreign currency transactions be done pursuant to the rules of a Federal regulatory agency. It also requires that unless Federal regulators prepare rules regarding off-exchange retail forex transactions within specified time periods, the transactions are prohibited. If any Federal regulatory agency had already proposed such rules prior to the enactment of the Dodd-Frank Act – as had the CFTC – the agency has 90 days following enactment to adopt final rules, or the same prohibition takes effect.

For the CFTC, the Dodd-Frank Act reconfirms the Commission’s authority to regulate off-exchange retail forex transactions and establishes a date – October 19, 2010 – by which final rules must be in place. For other Federal regulators whose regulatees are expressly permitted to serve as counterparties (such as United States financial institutions and broker dealers), it requires the preparation of similar rules or such transactions by their regulatees are prohibited.

The Dodd-Frank Act further modifies the list of eligible counterparties by eliminating insurance companies and investment bank holding companies. Moreover, where the list of eligible counterparties previously included “financial institutions,” the Dodd-Frank Act specifically provides that among financial institutions, only United States financial institutions are permitted to act as counterparties. That’s right you read it correctly, you can now only trade in the US where U.S. Senator Chris Dodd and Congressman Barney Frank Say so. Let’s contact them and tell them what we really think. Don’t be fooled. I wonder if they have any major contributors that will benefit from their invite wisdom to make us trade in the US.

Congressman Barney Frank
http://www.house.gov/frank/contact/index.html
202-225-5931

U.S. Senator Chris Dodd
448 Russell Building | Washington D.C., 20510
Tel: (202) 224-2823 (202) 224-2823 | Fax: (202) 224-1083

30 Lewis St Suite 101 | Hartford, CT 06103
Tel: (860) 258-6940/(800) 334-5341 —CT only
Fax: (860) 258-6958
Happy Investing!

Other people, deep down, don’t believe that they deserve wealth or success. But they’re wrong. Everyone deserves a better place in life, and the dream has to come first. And if you’ve never let your imagination run free in this way, there’s no time like the present.

Let’s try a little exercise. Find a quiet place where there are no distractions. Think about your future financial freedom for just a moment. Envision the future—not just when you reach some arbitrary financial milestone, but further into the future. Think about your life after you achieve the financial freedom that you want.

What will you do with the money? Visualize yourself actually spending money on things you have always wanted. Would you buy a new car if you had a lot more money? Can you see yourself actually driving your old car into that showroom and buying that dream car? Having trouble?

This process of visualization may be very hard for some of you, mainly because for so many years, you have blocked out the possibility of great things happening to you. You assumed that if you didn’t think too much about your financial worries, then that might make your frustrations a little easier to take. It’s an “out of sight, out of mind” approach.

But that type of attitude is precisely what you should move you away from. Dare to dream again! Get those creative juices flowing! Think back to the excitement that life held when you were a teenager, and everything seemed possible. (If you’re a teenager now, congratulations for worrying about these issues at such an early age; you’re almost guaranteed success.) If at first you don’t succeed in dreaming, try and try again.

If you achieved financial freedom, what would you buy for yourself? What would you buy for a member of your family? Can you see yourself spending your money, laughing, and having a good time? Giving a loved one something that he or she has always wanted? Good. You must start dreaming before this process can begin to work for you. Remember, mental rewards are just as good as physical ones.

All right, I’m willing to bet that at least some of you didn’t go through that exercise. Well, I am going to stop right here and give you another chance. (If you did it, do it again.) Pause for a moment. No one’s timing you. Let yourself go. (What’s the downside? There is none!) Give your mind a chance to create the kind of future you’ve always wanted. Try it now.

Next blog will pick back up after you have completed the exercise.

For me, I always wanted freedom. I saw that the lack of money bothered my father.

He felt trapped in a business he didn’t like, and he didn’t know how to break out. He didn’t have a money mentor. There was very little finance-related information or education available to people like him (particularly when you think about what is available today).

So what he did was do what he knew and learned from my grandfather, work hard, send their children to college, and set aside money for retirement by making small investments in real estate. That was his plan, and he followed it.

I wanted more. Why? Because, as I saw it money gives people freedom. With money, I thought, you can go where you want to go and do what you want to do, when you want to do it. What I had to discover—and in fact didn’t discover for many years—was that having the money wasn’t as important as knowing what to do with the money once I got it. In reality, as it turned out, money was only a tool. In order to use that tool properly, I needed to first control my mind. I needed to aim my thoughts in a direction that had meaning and importance.

In fact, I miscalculated in my early quests for financial freedom. With the benefit of hindsight, I can now see that not only do you have to plan for how you will achieve financial freedom, you also have to know how you will keep that freedom once you get it. With wealth comes responsibility—not only to yourself, but also to your family and others who mean the most to you.

Unfortunately, that lesson was a rather expensive one to learn. I sincerely hope that you won’t have to learn it the hard way, as I did.  Thus the pay it forward blogs. For now, suffice it to say that making it and keeping it are really two separate parts of the equation. If I can help you understand that, you’re likely to make more and keep more.

The next blog will tale about the first steps you need to take and how to set your mind on the right course for financial freedom.

Those millionaires next door were recognizable—in other words, in lots of ways, they weren’t all that different from you and me. But they were distinctive in the way they thought about the world, and about their wealth. Not that they were all the same—far from it. But they shared certain kinds of discipline in the way they dealt with the world.

My goal is to help you achieve that kind of discipline, so that you can move from where you are to where you want to be. That means slightly different things for different people—there’s no “one size fits all”—but that is the fun and beauty of financial independence.

Very few things that are of value come easily. But it will be fun—like learning a new sport, taking up a new instrument, or learning a new language—and that is the exciting part. Planning for your financial goals, and then getting there, can be among life’s most rewarding experiences.

The definition of financial independence is different for everyone. For some, it is a substantial net worth, consisting of reasonably liquid assets—say, a million bucks cash in the bank. (Liquid simply means that it’s available to you on short notice. Cash is liquid; real estate is not.) Others tie financial freedom to some level of annual income, like, a million dollars in cash, gross. Still others would raise the bar and say, “a million a year after taxes.” But everything’s relative, and people’s expectations vary widely.

To you and me, a million dollars (in any of these flavors) is a whole lot of money. But to Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, or Donald Trump, a million dollars probably wouldn’t mean all that much.

The moment you start trying to live by someone else’s standards, you’re likely to lose the war, even if you win some shorter battles.  Everyone has their own set of values and principles. Trying to use their financial plan and utilize their financial mind set will lead to disaster.  Build your financial mind set on your values and principals, create a plan that you will want to work.  After all you are planning for your future.

What I learned from my experiences was that financial freedom is as much a mindset as it is net worth. You have to think about financial freedom as a process—not just a goal to achieve, but an activity that you continue, and expand upon, once you have reached your goal. You have to develop a plan, implement specific strategies to make that plan a reality, and then come up with a revised plan.

I have written about this in the past, and it never changes. To create a plan, one that works you must write it down, on paper. This allows you to for a mental process that will embed your plan in your subconscious. By having a plan you can help create the proper mind set to achieve financial success.

I am going to create a few blogs that will add to this as lessons so to speak so make sure you check back during my financial mindset series.

So here’s your first lesson: your mindset is critically important. Yes, making money and achieving financial freedom is important—but getting into the right frame of mind is at least as important. Without the proper mindset, you probably won’t keep the money you make—and even if you do, you probably won’t enjoy it as much as you thought you would, and, after all, enjoying your financial freedom is what makes that freedom worth pursuing in the first place.

I am not writing something that I don’t understand, you can believe me, if there is anything I understand it’s making money and then loosing it, and not because I don’t know what I am doing, but because of unforeseen circumstances. The most recent is our terrible economy. I had a thriving business that took it on the chin hard like most other business have over the last few years. BUT that’s okay, I have the right mental mindset to create and build financial freedom.

Each time you have a setback in your financial plan simply write down your mistakes and avoid them the next time, I know this sounds obvious but in reality if we did this since the beginning we would not be making the same mistakes. I fared much better the second time around with my finances than the first time around when I lost everything. This time around I still made some mistakes but won’t make the same ones again. Will you ever get it right? Great question, no, because you can never predict everything that can happen in your financial life, you just have to learn from your mistakes and build on that. Update your plan and modify it to work within your most recent circumstances.

What do you do if you are upside down on your property and the bank is running you around and around? You know...asking you to send in the same documents over and over again. Well you can do a Strategic Foreclosure.

What is a Strategic Foreclosure? Another word for tell the bank come get my property and you are tired of their crap. You have to take a step back first and decide where your moral compass sits. What is the right thing to do, make your payments, as promised? Sure financial responsibility is admirable, but it is hard to maintain that kind of thinking when the very financial institutions you owe money have little to NO financial responsibility. What happened to lead by example?

Hire an attorney and it will take one to three years for a foreclosure to happen.
Now think for a moment about your situation. If you do what all the big corporations do, you put business first. If that is the case, you may want to consider a business decision on your biggest investment, your home. I can better explain this with an example, which happens to be a real life example from someone I know.

Okay, you buy a modest home in 2006, 4 bedrooms two baths, two-car garage about 1600 square feet, relatively new. You pay $225,000.00 put in about $30,000.00 in upgrades. All of a sudden the market starts to pull back, and it did. Next thing you know you are paying way more than you can rent the property for, the house across the street just sold for $112,000 and there are ten more on the street for the same price. What do you do?

Well, you first try and call the bank to see if you can get approved for one of the many home mortgage modification plans. But you are not so lucky since you don't meet any of the requirements, and it wasn't from a lack of trying. You were told "sorry" so many times you quit counting. Now all of a sudden your job has reduced your hours and pay. You are lucky enough to still have a job but nonetheless, you are now struggling to make your mortgage payment. You decide enough is enough and can't make your current mortgage payment. One month turns into three and so on. You are still trying hard to get a modification but to no avail.

Finally you are making headway with the bank and you believe you can see a light is at the end of the tunnel you think, the bank says "no problem, we will lower your payment and you can keep making payments on your original note." WOW, thanks but no thanks, don't do me any favors! But why say that?
Let's look at why.

Even if they lowered your principal you are wasting your time as far as a business decision is concerned. The house is only worth what someone is willing to pay, and right now that's $112,000.

So you walk away from this house, the one you owe $260,000 on. You live in it for say 3 years total before it is foreclosed on. Yes, your credit will be affected, you will have a foreclosure, along with about 50 percent of the other Americans out there that owned a home and experienced a foreclosure. But you are better off saving your money and renting at a price you can afford for the next few years. Get your feet back under you and then buy when the job and the housing market has improved a bit.

If you end up buying a home similar to yours, let's say the one next door, for say $112,000 in the next five to seven year, it will probably be back to the levels you currently owe - $260,000.

So, a sound business decision encourages you to walk away, make a deal with bank, turn over the house and owe nothing. Save a little money, put down 20% on a new house in two years. Even if your credit is affected you can do a rent to own or a lease purchase. After 12 months of good payments, you can refinance it as your primary residence.

The $112,000 house you will buy for $120,000. You put down $10,000.00 and owe $110,000 over the next six years. Your house goes up in value to say $200,000 and your mortgage goes down to say $95,000.00 and you have $105,000.00 in equity. Meaning if you stayed in the old house that you owed $260,000, it is now worth $200,000.00 and your mortgage is down to $230,000.00 give or take. Which scenario, as a business decision, seems better, upside down or positive?

You have to weigh the pros and cons the decision to be moral and ethical make your payments or make a sound business decision and be ahead financially. Only you can make that decision. I will tell you that the banks and big companies make these decisions every day and they always choose the business decision. That's not a reason to condone it, but a reason to seriously sit down and consider your choices.

One thing is for sure, the real estate market will come back, until then look for the opportunities they are always present.

I believe that one of the most important qualities that any of us can possess is integrity. Without an honest approach to life and to everyone we come into contact with, our lives are meaningless. Honesty and a sense of duty should be the number one issue in our daily lives and always remember to stand up for what you believe is the right thing, even if it’s not the popular thing to do.

You must always place other’s needs ahead of your own with a sense of unselfishness. Make certain that you, as the manager; never take advantage of any situation because you’re in charge. Never take credit for something that a subordinate has accomplished but always give credit where the credit is due. Those you are in charge of leading should never take a back seat based on your status as a manager/supervisor. As the Marine Corps states, be considerate of others.

Make sure that you get up every morning with a fair amount of enthusiasm and share it with the team. This can be translated as a positive attitude that creates a sincere interest in the performance of all your duties. If you show enthusiasm, others will soon do the same in accepting their own challenges within the organization. Smile, be understanding of others, enthusiastic about the job and willing to accept anything that is required of you and the team.

Also be as dependable as you possibly can to yourself and to others. If you are late to work, how can you expect others to make it there on time? Dependability also fosters a degree of trust among the staff members and develops an effort to try and attain the highest standards possible. Being dependable also means standing up for your actions and never making excuses. Get into the habit of successfully accomplishing a task whether you like it or agree with it. If required by the organization, do it to the best of your abilities.

The courage to do what isn’t popular or might be hazardous is something you’ll have to develop. It’s a very personal trait. Any bravery “under fire” (whether on the battlefield or in the boardroom) allows you to stay calm in situations that require you to remain under control. Your moral courage is also something that must never be neglected in order for you to develop the necessary strength to stand up for what is morally right. Your moral courage also forces you to accept fault when you are to blame. This is something that our drill instructor tried to instill in us right from the start by answering with the statement “No excuse, sir” when asked about our involvement in certain situations. Take the responsibility and the blame when required. It’s all about honor and making sure the team is never placed in jeopardy. Admit your mistake and move forward. It is that important.

Endurance is the final trait I want to share with you because it’s an extremely important quality to have, especially in today’s business world. When you feel like quitting, tell yourself to keep going. Understand internally that you have the ability to withstand the pain involved (whether physical, emotional, or financial), and can handle the stress, exhaustion and the hardships you’ll most likely endure.

If you simply decide to quit, then you will have achieved nothing. But if you hang in there and get the job done, even when you don’t think you can travel one step further, you will have succeeded.

It’s not easy but it is necessary, even expected, of today’s business leader. Your confidence will be observed by those around you and will become quite contagious. If the team moves in a positive direction, the entire organization will have a better chance of succeeding. That’s important in today’s challenging business environment.

In corporate America today, there is a desperate need to do more with less. The stress of trying to create a positive cash flow when sales are down might force you to develop an approach that has never been tried before. Don’t say it can’t be done - try it. You may be surprised at how innovative thinking suddenly develops when a positive attitude is created.

Another personality trait attained when you’re in a positive mental zone is confidence. Without the will and desire to accomplish even the smallest task, there’s really no point in getting up in the morning. Your optimistic approach to the job at hand will take you to the next level of accomplishment. Part of building a respectable level of confidence is developing and attaining a set of goals that you set out for yourself and your organization. Accomplish each goal, step by step, and your confidence will flourish. You’ll start believing you can do whatever you set your mind and heart to do.

Oh, and one other thing - love what you do. That’s extremely important because once you find that your life’s work is actually something you enjoy doing, you’ll want to do it more often. You’ll want to make sure it’s done competently and those around you will also start feeling the same way. It’s often been said that if you love what you do, you’ll never work another day in your life.

But many of us are trapped in positions and in companies that we don’t enjoy because of the current shape of the economy. What can you do if you find yourself in that situation? Maybe it’s time to get out and start searching for that one thing that you are passionate about. Time to start enjoying the day from sunrise to sunset. Let your passion drive you forward and find what it is that will create a solid, confident, and positive attitude within you. It’s in you right now; you just need to do some soul searching to find it.

Your attitude and the way you think are entirely under your personal control. A positive attitude will help you lead your team to victory. So, when you think about it, your future success, even your very health is something that you can control if you literally put your mind to it. Think positively.

Remember, you may be down but you’re certainly not out by a long shot. Time to start the rebuilding process and the sooner the better. The faster you start, the more time you’ll have to put away the cash, the assets, the peace of mind before you really need it. But what to do first?
You might look back and try to remember where you started when you first left home or when you first got married. Chances are you began by putting away what you could in a bank savings account. That is probably a good place to start now.

Recently an economist said that average U.S. household wealth is down almost 20 percent from its pre-recessionary financial crest three years ago. There has been no reduction of U.S. household wealth in the last 50 years that has even come close to touching this loss. Many of those who supposedly know (government officials, economists and the like) are starting to believe that the “Great Recession” has probably seen its worse and investors are beginning to get restless about standing on the sidelines. But, many more are not yet interested in getting back in yet. There are fears that they might run into a second phase of this recession period and take another big hit. And others are getting nervous about the possibility of losing out on something big when things do begin to look clearer economically.

So what should we do? The answer to that question is very personal – it’s your money and that means its entirely your decision. But let me just throw out a few facts that may help you make some very important decisions.

Many people I talk to are ready to jump back into stocks. The negative or positive activity experienced by the stock market is normally guided by the strength or the weakness of the U.S. economy. When our economy begins to expand and the chances of inflation are relatively slim, the stock markets tend to thrive. Today, I don’t think we know the answer to either of those questions because growth and inflationary questions remain persistent today.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been hearing lots of advertisements about investing in commodities these days, specifically gold. During periods of inflationary pressure, the commodity sector has been where many people go to find a financial refuge. Although gold has been showing some considerable strength, it has also shown itself to be rather stagnant over the last few months – not gain or losing much in the process. The Fed has stated this year that if inflation begins to show itself while our national economy continues to be on the mend, they will pull back some of the liquidity they’ve put out there in order to slow it down. This will indeed have a great impact on commodity pricing.

So where to go? Back to that savings account at the bank that hardly pays anything as far as interest is concerned. Or maybe its time to remain on the sidelines and get involved in CD’s or other interest rate vehicles. While these types of investments aren’t very lucrative, you can be sure of one thing…you’re probably not going to lose in the process either.

Are you in a mood to take a chance or are you in preservation mode right now? Remember the old adage – “You pay your money and you take your chances.” But the chances we are experiencing today are not like anything this generation has ever seen. Getting back in or staying on the sidelines is a decision that each one of us must make independently and not by the flipping of a coin. Get educated and make sure the decision you ultimately make is one you can personally live whether your investments go up or whether they go down.

There’s an organization that I’d like to introduce you to whose mission it is to support American business’ challenge of coping with the current mission of our National Guard and Reserve forces. It’s called the Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) and as their mission statement says, they are charged with developing and promoting “employer support for Guard and Reserve service by advocating relevant initiatives, recognizing outstanding support, increasing awareness of applicable laws, and resolving conflict between employers and service members.” In other words, ESGR helps American business to understand how to best support these gallant military members while on active duty while making sure they understand the laws protecting their jobs once they return.

ESGR is a Department of Defense organization and is a staff group within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, which is in itself a part of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In our current economic and wartime environment, the Department of Defense recognizes that civilian employers play a critical role in the defense of the nation by complying with existing employment laws protecting the rights of workers who serve in the Reserve component.

ESGR does this through the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA), which is a federal law that is intended to ensure that persons who serve in the Guard or Reserve are not deprived in their civilian careers because of their service and are quickly reemployed in their civilian jobs upon their return from duty without discrimination. If there is a problem or dispute, ESGR is there to help at the business or service member’s request. ESGR has trained ombudsmen who can help negotiate a solution between the parties concerned.

Many business have voluntarily signed ESGR Statements of Support to help ESGR in promoting understanding of the Guard and Reserve members who work for these companies, to develop human resources policies that support employer participation in Guard and Reserve programs, and to voluntarily comply with USERRA which enforces the rights of those called to active duty in time of war or emergency.

It’s tough for everyone – the military service member, the family that is left behind when their loved ones are deployed but it’s also tough for a business that must keep producing with less manpower. ESGR is there to help.
ESGR was established in 1972 and today, operates through a network of thousands of volunteers throughout the United States and Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. If your business would like more information about ESGR, call 800-336-4590 or email USERRA@osd.mil.

A while back I wrote an article that explained how I use a method to compartmentalize my own personal situations. In other words, I know that there are problems and situations that I must deal with at some point in my life, but that time might not come for another day or another month. I’ve taught myself to put those issues in the back of my mind – in a mental “compartment,” if you will – which allows me to deal with the most immediate situations first. Those issues that I have to concern myself with next week won’t be interfering with my current daily routine until the time comes to deal with them appropriately.

It’s not that I’m ignoring the problem; it’s more about postponing action until action is required. It takes time to master the knack of doing this but once you can control your thoughts a little better, you’ll notice that life won’t seem like an insurmountable task. Taking little chunks and handling each thing in a priority order certainly will help you develop a more positive attitude about your life.

Even before you get out of bed, stretch your body and your mind and prepare for the day ahead. Quote to yourself some positive affirmations knowing that if you think it, it will likely happen. If you get up in the morning with a negative mindset, your whole day will reflect that attitude. I guarantee it! Instead, get up with a positive thought, before a random life event takes hold of your daily routine. Things happen and most of how these events affect you is entirely the result of how you mentally handle and accept each situation that comes into your life.

It’s really very easy – if you think you CAN’T you will never accomplish anything. You remember as a child when you were first read the story of the “little engine that could.” The little train was chugging up the hill just saying to itself over and over – “I think I can, I think I can.” Well, it didn’t make any progress until it started telling itself– “I KNOW I CAN!” The moment you know you can you will help you begin to see how your mental state of being will always assist you in attaining the next goal, your next life objective.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had plenty of rough spots in my life and there were times when I felt the only thing to do was to give up. But someone gave me this same advice and I decided to try it. Once I could rearrange my thoughts from mostly negative to mostly positive, amazing things started happening to me. Those issues that I once thought were “mountains” that I could never climb suddenly flattened out and I could now run rather than limp through my life. I also found that there were quite a few people out there who were willing to help me overcome some of my challenges. In short, my life started changing for the best and I’ve never looked back.

Unexpected things in life will occur, anther great and logical reason to get your mind set on a more positive course now. If you have a stable mental process, when you hit one of life’s snags, you’ll be more likely to handle it more productively. Kind of like saving up financially for the proverbial “rainy day.” By preparing, whether mentally or financially, you’re ready for anything that might throw some problems your way.

So from this day forward, begin each new day by first taking positive control of your thought process. Don’t dwell on the bad stuff; instead think about the good things in your life a little more than you have been. Be thankful for your family and friends, your health, your experiences, and your dreams and you will soon find that your dreams will soon become the reality you’ve always hoped for. It happens – it’s happened to me.

With all of the frustrating economic events going on in the world today, starting a home based business could possibly be the only way to solidify your financial future. If legitimate home business opportunities were straightforward and simple to deal with, everyone would succeed. I have to be honest – many new businesses fail. It’s going to take a lot of hard work and long hours to get your new venture off the ground. If you are willing to do the work and learn a few things, you can truly excel at it.

Lots of people have started working for themselves simply because they didn’t have a choice. The traditional methods of making a living have all but disappeared in today’s fragile economy. While I’m sure this has caused a lot of anxiety, many people have found working for themselves very liberating. You set your own hours, you set the limits on how much (or how little) you make, and most people have found that for the first time in their lives, they are enjoying the day- to-day routine. They have found that they are now doing something they want to do….not something they have to do.

Once you get all the preliminaries out of the way (determining what it is exactly you want to do, legally developing your company, creating a website), you just might find that you were made for entrepreneurship. Hey, it’s not easy and takes a lot of work. And remember, have a plan. No matter how large or small a company is - a business plan to a must. It’s your map to success and a requirement.

There are plenty of resources that you can tap in to help you through the beginning year of your new venture. The U.S. Small Business Administration is a must. Visit an SBA office or just go to their website. There is so much information available online to help guide you through many of the questions you will probably have in the beginning.

Make sure you spend some time networking with other entrepreneurs in your local community. There are always other people out there who have gone through the very same things you’re trying to accomplish. These individuals will offer you valuable information that will no doubt save you time and money. Pick their brains and get all the information you can before going one step further.

Networking can be accomplished online through various social media sites, going to physical training classes, or finding local business gatherings. Sales are frequently developed through these personal sessions by creating personal relationships with others. You must make this a priority. If you don’t feel comfortable socializing, it’s time to try and develop your skills in interpersonal communications. Effectively talking to people can make or break the effectiveness of your new business. Sales is about touching people’s needs and desires at a very personal level so it’s important to develop your sales skills to a point where you are comfortable interacting with potential customers.

You’ll probably find that you’ll be putting on more than the 40 hours you’re used to, at least at first. But I think you’ll also find that you will be enjoying the time spent. This new business belongs to you and you’ll be surprised at how fast you’ll catch the entrepreneurial “fever.”

Start using your personal and professional skills to your benefit…who knows, you might enjoy it.

Sure, foreclosures seemed to have relaxed a bit but there’s probably a very good reason for that – stalling tactics by homeowners. When the economy crumbed, people started losing their jobs, and the payments stopped on homes around the nation and the population had to think fast. Many decided the best way to temporarily weather the mortgage storm was to stall as long as possible. So, although they were unaccustomed to doing so, many Americans “lawyered up” and put their faith in legal stalling tactics. Up to now it’s worked like a charm. It’s helped people remain in their homes while they desperately search for employment to support their families. It’s also helped the government economic figures. But don’t let the fewer number of foreclosures around the nation fool you. They are not gone; they’ve just been postponed for a few months.

Unemployment continues to rise or remain at constant levels in many states and that just isn’t helping those in need of finding ways to start paying for their homes again. In Nevada, for instance, unemployment hit 14 percent. Those figures have put Nevada 4.3 percentage points above the national unemployment rate of 9.7 percent, and 0.4 point above Michigan's 13.6 percent rate. By the way, Nevada also leads the country in foreclosures, bankruptcy filings and credit card delinquency. This is just one state’s economic situation; you can find basically the same kind of miserable numbers in Michigan, California and Florida.

There are tons of people out there grabbing up foreclosure deals like mad but the sales are rather slow for a number of reasons. Few people have the money, the credit rating or the desire to be purchasing their next dream home. Banks aren’t lending either and that’s a problem. There is an excess of worry and concern about where families will be in 6 months or a year. Empty homes are fostering vandalism and neighborhoods that were thriving a couple years ago are now quickly falling into ruin and even the homes that are occupied are losing value almost daily.

The government recently reported that new home sales in the United States plunged 33 percent in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 300,000 units. And it was also released that more than half of all homeowners with modified mortgages fell at least two months behind in their payments just a year after the adjustment was made.

In recent months, the possibility of foreclosures continued to fester and that might be a good indication why the media hasn’t reported on it as effectively as they once did. Maybe they’re bored with this persistent problem. Glancing over the headlines on a major news reporting source this morning shows stories about a Sarah Palin public appearance, the problems with the new iPhone, a union that is apparently angry at the governor of Arizona, and the one year anniversary of the deaths of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. Not one story about the current problems with the banking industry and the housing sector.

So, it’s on to the daily accounts of the Gulf of Mexico BP oil spill (at least for now), but be advised that the housing predicament still exists and is about to grab the American economy by the throat (again). And I’m just referring to the residential side of the Real Estate market; I haven’t even addressed the commercial side yet.

So, where did the mortgage problem go? It didn’t go anywhere, my friend. As a matter of fact just look next door or across the street and I’m sure you’ll find it. Wonder if your representative in Washington sees the same thing in their neighborhood? Maybe it’s time to write them and find out.

So, what’s the answer? One phrase, “spend less – save more.” It’s time to design a very positive approach to actually changing your habits and develop individual goals. This kind of action will better secure your success in obtaining meaningful returns through an actual meaningful reorganization of your financial life. A recent government report showed that Americans cut their spending and saved more for a sixth straight month as more and more people were either worried about finding a job or keeping a job.

Goal setting is another top priority. Determine specific and attainable goals, short and long term, and make sure you write them down. Physically writing them down gives them power. The act of writing and visualizing your goals makes it much more likely that you will actually achieve them.

You must also understand your current financial situation to know where to make your changes. Add up your assets and your liabilities. Find out how much you owe on your home, your cars and your credit cards and conclude how best to shape and maybe cut those liabilities down a bit during the year ahead. It's always a good idea to get rid of debt, especially high interest debt. You might also consider establishing new insurance needs. Examine the validity of your current life, disability, home, health or auto policies and decide whether changes are required. If you’re like the rest of us, you probably haven’t looked at your policies in quite some time.

Again, the best way to establish a solid financial plan is to save, save, save. The general rule is to put away 5 percent to 10 percent of your take-home pay, if you can. Remember to pay yourself first and don't wait for what's left over after you pay your bills. If that's your strategy, you'll find it difficult to save anything. You should also be sure to set aside your savings in an interest-bearing account, such as a money market account, or in a tax-deferred account like an individual retirement plan (IRA). If your company offers a 401(k) plan, start contributing as soon as you possibly can, especially if the company matches your contributions. Once you've finished the basics, then you can start examining your portfolio and other investment opportunities.

Something else to pay close attention to, especially during this time of the year, is your tax strategy. When you receive your annual W-2s, make sure your monthly tax payments are being deducted at the proper level. The trick is to come as close to breaking even as possible on your federal tax returns. You should keep and invest your money throughout the year rather than allow the government to use your hard-earned cash.

Remember, it doesn't matter how old or young you are, or how much money you’re making; now is the time to start improving your financial situation. There are a lot of important events in our lives that rely on our financial health - education, weddings, vacations, security, and retirement just to name a few. These times are tough, there’s no doubt about it, but we all must start to rebuild what we have lost and set goals to get back to where we want to be. It’s important and the sooner you start the sooner things will start to improve for you and your family.

The topic of money never remains fixed. Tax laws are always changing, and as we’ve seen recently, the laws pertaining to credit changed and were updated, plus there are always new and different investment opportunities that are developed and must be considered. These are just a few examples; I could list many more, but you get the point. Your financial education on the subject of money will never be finished so just adjust your thinking accordingly. One of the things I suggest is to spend some time researching financial papers and periodicals. So congratulations, if you are reading this, you have already started. Keep it up.

Additionally, there are lots of other methods in becoming a student of money. Many local community colleges offer courses in basic money management, which are normally taught by Certified Financial Planners and other similarly credentialed financial professionals. These classes can be an excellent resource for you. The only caution I’ll offer you about these courses is that sometimes the instructor may use the class as a platform to give out his opinions on how to invest, or even as a means of adding clients to his list of customers. So, you’ll want to pay close attention to the information, and be sure to “weed out” those bits of information that seem to be less than standardized financial knowledge and more financial propaganda or a sales pitch. Something to consider as your wealth builds, you will actually have to spend more time, not less, watching your money. Hey, this is a good problem to have, but it is an issue nevertheless.

You probably spent a lot of time and effort gathering the money you have available to you. So it goes without saying that you must watch out for the scam artists. We're all familiar with these folks; people who just seem to represent the lowest echelon of human existence. And I’m not only speaking of hardened criminals, but people who live in such a way that their lives are centered on the acquisition of negative energy using risky tactics. Behavioral science has shown us that when honorable people are brought together with those who are less than admirable for an extended period of time, it is very likely that the decent folks will more than likely drop to the level of their counterparts than the other way around. There are a variety of theories as to why this is the case, but chief among them is that it simply requires less effort to fall down than to rise up. The activities in which the less honorable folks are frequently engaged are admittedly very appealing at an instinctive level. So just remember what you were told as a kid – “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Be careful!

One thing is for sure, it’s going to take a lot of hard work and self-control to build a solid financial future for you and your family. There’s not just one method of doing so but there are certain constants that apply to all of us. One of them is that you will have to commit yourself to getting the education you need and then taking the time to do so. Once you realize that there are hundreds of factors that must be studied, considered and applied every day, you will be well on your way. Start your research today. If there’s one thing that we all should have learned in the past couple of years, the financial stature of our lives depends on the decisions we make today. Poor choices create unfortunate situations when times get tough. Start creating an economically sound plan that will guide you to a more solid financial life for your future.

When AIG first went to the "well" for money from the federal goverment, the Associated Press reported that the Obama administration's pay czar, Kenneth Fienberg, said bonus payments totaling $100 million to AIG employees from the same unit that prompted a massive taxpayer bailout are "outrageous" but they were allowed under the law. He said the retention bonuses were contractual obligations agreed upon years ago, before American International Group Inc. received a $180 billion federal rescue at the height of the financial crisis in late 2008. In an interview on ABC, Feinberg said, "These are the old grandfathered payments. I do not for a minute ignore the outrage out there, which I share. But the fact of the matter is we've got to abide by the law." Feinberg said he's working to get back as much of the bonus money as possible. He said AIG employees have agreed to repay $39 million out of $45 million in previous bonuses to the U.S. Treasury.

Well now it's too late to ask. If AIG employees got a bonus and the company still can't get on their feet it's time to eliminate the problem, just like everyone else and every other business in the world.

How about all the small businesses out there that are also having tough times. For the last year these small businesses have been eliminating overhead and cutting costs across the board, most small business owners tht are struggling have stopped paying their own paychecks in order to keep as many of their most loyal employees still on the books. No government support is in sight for them. Worse yet, it takes months and sometimes years to eliminate some of the most weighing liabilities only to wait even longer before the cash flow catches up.

As far as I am concerned, AIG had their chance. Yes, we will suffer for the downfall of AIG but it will get better and in the end we will be better. But we will have make some difficult decisions first. AIG is not the only insurance company out there. AIG has enough subsidiaries, and they can do what we all do, focus on the ones that are profitable and cut the ones that aren’t and that means if you can't sell it -- close it.

I think you’ll agree that filing your taxes is probably the most important personal and/or professional administrative function that you are tasked to complete each year. It’s very important that the finished product is as accurate and as honest as possible, so keep this in mind when selecting the person you’ll be trusting with your annual tax return. There is absolutely no guarantee that the tax professional you ultimately select will do everything he/she can to save you as much money as possible. So you need to follow a definite process when considering the choice of a preparer.

First, your tax expert will be handling your most personal financial information. You should be able to develop an open relationship relatively quickly where you feel comfortable asking and answering important financial questions. You should feel secure enough to ask the preparer how much he/she personally paid in taxes last year. If the answer is anything but virtually nothing, you will want to be cautious of this particular person. If this kind of candid discussion bothers you, at least ask for some solid references of satisfied clients. Another way to locate a skilled tax preparer is to just ask your friends and family; especially those you know make a considerable income. I’m certain they will be more than happy to recommend someone who has served them well in the past. Never lose sight of the actual reason you decided to use a professional tax preparer in the first place; to legally obtain a greater tax savings than you could on your own. The keyword there is legally.

When I talk to others around the country about their personal financial issues, I seem to end up disappointing them because I consistently come down against the use of any and all illegal tactics that might be used to reduce someone’s tax burden. In fact, I surprise most people because I normally take it one step further by avoiding even the use of what are commonly referred to as tax “loopholes,” the use of which are not, technically, illegal. The only type of tax reduction plans I support are those that use completely legal tax strategies. These strategies are primarily focused on maximizing the use of all available deductions which a U.S. taxpayer can use. Flat-out tax cheating, which normally comes in the form of absolute tax evasion or the claiming of false deductions, in addition to being wrong, is illegal, and will probably send you to jail, give you the opportunity to pay huge fines - or both.

So, I believe the use of permissible tax reduction strategies is the only way to go. There are many of them to take advantage of and they range from standard deductions for which nearly all taxpayers can qualify, to deductions for which small business owners can qualify. Discuss these deductable areas with your tax preparer and develop a solid tax plan that will legally qualify you to use these deductions. You must take the time to learn which deductions are potentially available to you and maintain the required records for every deduction so you can support their use should you be challenged by the IRS. If you do it correctly, you will soon see just how valuable the use of these eligible deductions can be. When it relates to your taxes, always take the “high road” and always be completely honest. Believe me, the effort is worth it.

First, I urge everyone to use the long form when filing your return. One of the key errors made by people who pay too much in their annual tax bill is that they ultimately decide that the amount of time spent each year preparing their tax returns is more important than saving money for themselves and their families. They may not be consciously doing so but that is exactly what is happening. Our American society always seems to believe that faster is always better and for many events, that’s true. But, that may not be true when it comes to your tax strategy. The IRS gives precise guidance to those who are considering using the “EZ” form and the IRS website gives strict guidance to those who are considering using this form (www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc352.html).

It’s very common for those using the “EZ” form to leave money “on the table,” whether directly or indirectly. When the IRS developed the short forms (1040A and 1040EZ), they did so as a method of making it easier for you to easily complete what most people consider a complicated task. Now I’m not a conspiracy theorist but I’m also not totally convinced that this was the real reason for creating these short forms. Rather I believe it was a masterful method of cutting back on the number of deductions that could be claimed each year against the government’s balance sheet.

I can’t deny that these forms are much easier to complete for those who fit the profile; but by doing so they end up paying the maximum amount of tax possible at particular income level. When an individual fills out the 1040 long form, they also open up all possible deductions that are available. The first time an individual fills out a long form, they usually quickly see the various deductions that they can’t take and this lesson will give them an opportunity to see where their tax planning might be lacking. One thing is for sure, you never pay more in taxes by using the long form. Once you become familiar with deductions that might be available to you, you will always pay less.

I would always recommend you take advantage of the knowledge of a tax professional, whenever possible. I’ll discuss that in my next article. But a professional will probably not miss the possible deductions that fit your personal situation. The IRS keeps track of the deductions that are most frequently overlooked by taxpayers and if you are a novice in developing an effective tax reduction strategy, then you’re probably completely unfamiliar with the numerous deductable opportunities that actually exist. A tax professional is constantly learning about the most current changes to the tax code and is, no doubt, up-to-date when it comes to the ever-changing tax laws.

By the way, the tax laws are still being developed for the 2009 reporting year because so many things have changed along with the new government in power in Washington DC. The stimulus package, the housing market, the Haitian disaster, and the rules of what is taxable and nontaxable as it pertains to unemployment benefits, have all contributed to creating questions in this year’s tax law. The estate-tax law is still out, and there have been reports that things have changed so much, so fast, that some of the forms needed aren’t even ready yet. This is going to be a very interesting tax season. Just make sure you’re prepared, learn all you can and make sure you are within the standards set forth by the tax code. Do it right the first time and meet all the deadlines on time but also make sure that you take advantage of every deduction you are qualified to take.