Aaronz WebWorkz Weekly Newsletter

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Aaronz WebWorkz Weekly E-Zine
A Weekly Newsletter of Hints, Ideas, and Resources for
Friends and Customers of www.AaronzWebWorkz.com
Issue #117 Feb. 27, 2004
Aaron Turpen, Editor, aaron@aaronzwebworkz.com
------------------------------------------------------------
By subscription only! Welcome to your next issue of the
Aaronz WebWorkz E-Zine. You are receiving this newsletter
because you requested a subscription. Unsubscribe instruct-
ions are at the end of this newsletter. Back-issues are
available online at: http://www.AaronzWebWorkz.com
------------------------------------------------------------
IN THIS ISSUE
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=> Feature Article:
Tell a Story ... Make a Sale
=> From The Webmaster
=> Readers Talk Back!
=> Guest Column:
How To Turn Your Bookkeeping Nightmare Into A
Money-Maker
=> How to Be Featured as our Guest Columnist
=> Copyright and Reprint information
=> Subscribe/Unsubscribe information


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Tell a Story ... Make a Sale
by Jerry Lock
Jerry Lock is the author of "Tell a Story ... Make a Sale."
He helps individuals, families, and businesses protect their
legal rights thru prepaid legal plans. Visit his site to
find out about the benefits and protections associated with
a prepaid legal plan at
http:/www.prepaidlegal.com/info/lockj or
pplegalservices-maps@findfreedom.com. Phone: 1-877-375-7012

Editor's Comments: A great article on the art of selling.
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We live in an age of change. That change seems to be focused
in part on making everything happen faster. We eat fast
food, drive fast cars, and consume information at a record
pace.

Nowhere are these changes more evident than the Internet. In
the time it would take to make one phone call, we can dash
off an email to a thousand (or 100,000) prospects.

But when it comes to selling, is faster better? I submit
that it is NOT better. In fact, I submit that it hurts our
selling efforts. Here's why.

We've known for a very long time that people buy based on
emotion and justify their purchase with logic. That being
true, it follows that we must spend enough TIME with the
prospect for he or she to develop and feel those emotions
before they buy, right?

Yet our websites (and other communications) far too often
fall into a "just the facts" status. We tell the prospect
what we offer, we write concise bulleted lists, we lay out
what we do with surgical precision. No fact left unstated.

But in so doing we forget to included the romance. We forget
the emotion that will cause prospects to become clients and
clients to become advocates.

We forget the manager who landed that key account by sending
a unique gift. The father who saved time by using our
services and used that time to attend a Little League game.
The realtor who became #1 by using what we do to stand out
in a crowded field.

We forget to tell them what they really want to hear...
what's in it for THEM!

Today I'm going to give you a secret formula to inject your
selling materials with the emotions that will stir people to
action. When you finish this article, review your selling
materials to see how they stack up. Then inject them with
the words that cause people to buy AND the power stories
that illustrate your point.

-----

Here's what I believe about people. People don't buy things,
they buy what the things will do for them.

I BELIEVE in power stories. Want to know why I believe in
them? They work.

Let's put them to work for you by looking at three key
factors.


=======> Why Tell A Story?

People love to hear a story. They love to imagine themselves
in different situations. Look at car ads on TV. Ever notice
how ads for Lexus show people going out to dinner, or
enjoying a Sunday afternoon drive? Ah, the good life.

Ever see an ad for a Lexus going off road or climbing a
mountain? No. The reason is that Lexus knows their audience
and what their audience wants... luxury. They tell the story
of people enjoying that luxury knowing that people will
insert themselves in the story if they want luxury too.

HOT TIP: Here's an inside tip about why stories work.
Generally, people HATE to be the first to do
anything. That's why it's so hard for a new
business to get customers.

When you use a 'power story' you take the risk out of the
equation for the prospect. They can see that others in
similar situations bought from you and it turned out well.
They relax and can buy from you with confidence.

Now for the key questions.

What do YOUR prospects want?

What story are you telling them?


=======> Where Do I Get Stories To Tell?

Getting stories is easy. People love to help others and are
flattered when we ask. Here are three quick steps that will
help.

1. Make a list of your top twenty customers. Contact them,
let them know you need their help, and ask how your
product or service has made their life better.

2. Categorize their responses. Some will have saved money,
others time, maybe they landed a big account or won
over a hard to convince buyer. Try to stay with five
categories or less.

3. Write out a story about each person who gives you
material with a strong emphasis on the benefit the
customer is receiving. Type them out as if it was an
interview. Now you have material for your newsletter,
web site ... anywhere you use power stories.


=======> When Do I Use a Story?

Power stories can be used in every step of the sale, but
their real power is in overcoming objections. When people
read your web copy, your newsletter or even listen to you
speak, they are asking themselves "will it work for me?"
Answer that question *before* it's asked by including power
stories.

A great place to use power stories is on your web site.
After you finish making an important point about a product
and it's benefit, finish with a power story of someone who
actually received that benefit.


=======> Now It's Your Turn

Now paint a compelling word picture that causes your
prospect to see themselves enjoying the benefit of what you
have to offer.

Remember, people buy benefits, they buy what's in it for
them. Gather your power stories, re-arrange your selling
materials as needed and ignite the fire that compels people
to buy.

When you do THIS, the world will beat a path to your site!

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From The Webmaster
by Aaron Turpen, Editor
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Well, we're back! Sorry about the missing newsletter last
week, but as most of you no doubt know, we had some severe
problems. Things seem to be working A-OK now and all is
well (knock on wood).

For those of you who are new to this newsletter, welcome! I
know there have been a lot of new signups (thanks in part to
the problems we had with list integrity).

As promised, I have several things for you all this week!
Since we missed last week, I decided to have a BIG drawing
this week to make up for it. All who read this newsletter
are eligible to win! Just follow this link for details:
http://www.AaronzWebWorkz.com/contest/

For those of you who were affected by our server outage and
have current hosting plans with us, please go to this link
to sign up for a special deal. It's my attempt to make it
up to you and thank you for sticking around.
http://www.AaronzWebWorkz.com/thanks/

Well, that's about it! The Aaronz WebWorkz main site will
be up in the next few days featuring a new design, some new
features, and a return of the newsletter back-issues!

Also, the eBooks area is back online with some great FREE
downloads! I especially recommend Wayne Davies' (appearing
below) tax reports, which you can download for free:
http://www.AaronzWebWorkz.com/ebooks/

Thanks and have a great weekend!

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Readers Talk Back!
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"Hey, Aaron, glad to see things are back up! I was worried
there for a little while."
--Bob K.

"Awesome issue last week [issue #116], Aaron. I find Wayne
Davies's tax advice to be superb. Maybe you can help me
with this one, though. What tax prep software do you
recommend for someone like me who is running a small biz
part-time from a home office and still has a regular job?"
--Trent O.

Editor: Hi, Trent. While individual needs obviously vary, I
highly recommend the TurboTax line of products from Intuit.
I personally use their "Home and Business" version. You can
get them at any office supply store or online at Amazon.com.

------------------------------------------------------------
If you would like to send a comment or letter to the editor
for inclusion in this newsletter, please address it to:
mailto:newsletter@aaronzwebworkz.com?subject=TalkBack!.
All are welcome to give their opinion, criticism, or kudos!

------------------------------------------------------------
How To Turn Your Bookkeeping Nightmare Into A Money-Maker
by Wayne M. Davies
Copyright 2004 Wayne M. Davies Inc.
Wayne M. Davies is author of 3 tax-slashing eBooks for
the self-employed, available separately or as a 3-volume
set, "The Ultimate Small Business Tax Reduction Guide".
http://hop.clickbank.net/?aaronicus/wmdctp

Editor's Comments: Another great tax preparation article
from our resident tax expert, Wayne!
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For most self-employed people, bookkeeping is about as much
fun as a root canal. But like it or not, it must be done,
otherwise you'll end up overpaying your taxes big time.

Perhaps this article will help you see this tedious task
in a new light. Follow along with me and I can turn
your bookkeeping nightmare into the best paying part-time
job you ever had.

How much money do you make right now -- per hour -- at your
"regular" daytime job or in your business?

Is it $15 per hour? $25 per hour? $50 per hour? Make a
mental note of that amount, ok?

Now, let's say by "keeping the books" this month, you
are able to find $1,000 worth of deductible expenses.

Let's also assume you are in the 35% tax bracket (15%
federal income tax plus 15% self-employment tax plus
5% state tax).

So, for every $1,000 of deductions, you save yourself about
$350 in taxes ($1,000 x 35% tax rate).

One more assumption: it takes you about 2 hours to properly
record and document that $1,000 of deductions.

Hmmm. You spend 2 hours and save $350 bucks.

How much money did you just make for yourself -- per hour?

$175 per hour! Whoa -- now, compare that to how much you
make per hour working in your business or at an
employee job. Which "job" paid you more?

Even if it takes you 4 hours -- it's like having a job that
pays you $87.50 per hour. Still a pretty good hourly wage,
don't you think?

How does that make you feel about bookkeeping? Not such a
bad deal after all, is it?

With the end of the year just around the holiday corner,
here's a simple six-step bookkeeping system that will put
thousands of dollars of tax savings in your pocket and keep
the IRS out of your life.

1. Maintain a separate bank account for your business.
Never use your personal bank account for business expenses.
Having a separate bank account automatically creates the
"shell" for the perfect documentation system.

If you don't have a separate business bank account, now
is the time to get one.

2. Maintain a separate credit card account for your
business. Same deal as the bank account -- pick one credit
card that you use exclusively for business expenses.

3. These 2 accounts (one bank account and one credit card
account) should only be used for business! Never "co-mingle"
business and personal financial information.

The only income that goes into your business bank account
is business income. The only expenses that are paid from
the business bank account and business credit card account
are business expenses.

4. For each major income and expense category, create a
simple filing system each calendar year -- one file folder
for each major category. Every time you write a
check or use the credit card for a business expense,
you assign that expense to the appropriate expense category
and file the supporting documentation (receipt, invoice,
cancelled check, or whatever) into the corresponding file
folder.

5. Keep a separate file folder for all monthly bank account
statements and credit card statements.

6. Use a simple bookkeeping software program like
InternetTaxHelper to record all deposits, checks, and credit
card charges. Once a week or once a month,
input all transactions into InternetTaxHelper and assign
each transaction to the appropriate income or expense
category.

The importance of this "categorization" process cannot
be stressed enough -- it's the key to the whole system!

There are any number of software programs out there
for this purpose. I've used them all: Quicken, Quickbooks,
Money, etc. Spreadsheet programs like Excel can also be used
to automate business record-keeping.

But my favorite bookkeeping program for the Small Business
Owner or Self-Employed Person is InternetTaxHelper -- it is
by far the easiest to learn and simplest to use. If your
business grows, you can always invest in a more
sophisticated program later. For any small business owner,
especially if you're just starting out, this is the best
program I've ever seen.

Using a software program like InternetTaxHelper is a
tremendous time-saver. Once you've input all your
individual income and expense transactions, and assuming
you've assigned each transaction to the appropriate category
and filed the paperwork, you've already completed all
the work necessary to audit-proof your income tax return!

For more information on InternetTaxHelper, go to:
http://www.internettaxhelper.com/g.o/wmdctp

One final comment: If you aren't "computer-savvy", that's
OK. You can still use good ole pencil and paper to
categorize your business expenses.

I have clients who use nothing more sophisticated than a
spiral notebook. Each year they buy a new notebook and
label each page with a particular income or expense
category.

Every transaction gets written down in the notebook on
the appropriate page. At the end of the year, they add
up the totals for each page, and presto, they give me an
annual recap of all major income and expense categories.
Get the picture? It doesn't have to be fancy. It just has
to be in writing, accurate, and supported by actual
paper documents.

Whether you use your computer or not, the end result is the
same: Every single transaction has been assigned to the
appropriate category, and every transaction has the
corresponding "paper trail" -- every receipt, invoice,
cancelled check and credit card charge has been
filed into the appropriate file folder. Should the
IRS question any income or expense amount on your return,
you'll be ready!

------------------------------------------------------------
If you wish to send your own articles to be reviewed for
inclusion in this publication, please send them to:
mailto:newsletter@aaronzwebworkz.com.
------------------------------------------------------------
Except where noted, this publication and all of its
contents are copyright (C)2004 by Aaronz WebWorkz, all
rights are reserved. To reprint an article, send an email
to mailto:newsletter@aaronzwebworkz.com for permission.
------------------------------------------------------------
List Maintenance:
To subscribe
[http://www.aaronzwebworkz.com]

To unsubscribe
[{UNSUBSCRIBE_LINK}]

This newsletter is produced by Aaronz WebWorkz, a complete
online services provider. To view information or to see
back issues of this publication, please go online to:
www.AaronzWebWorkz.com. Please direct all comments or
questions to the editor
(mailto:newsletter@aaronzwebworkz.com).

------------------------------------------------------------
Aaronz WebWorkz Weekly E-Zine
A Weekly Newsletter of Hints, Ideas, and Resources for
Friends and Customers of www.AaronzWebWorkz.com
Issue #116 Feb. 13, 2004
Aaron Turpen, Editor, aaron@aaronzwebworkz.com
------------------------------------------------------------
By subscription only! Welcome to your next issue of the
Aaronz WebWorkz E-Zine. You are receiving this newsletter
because you requested a subscription. Unsubscribe instruct-
ions are at the end of this newsletter. Back-issues are
available online at: http://www.AaronzWebWorkz.com
------------------------------------------------------------
IN THIS ISSUE
------------------------------------------------------------

=> Feature Article:
Images as Searchable Content?
=> From The Webmaster
=> Readers Talk Back!
=> Guest Column:
A Big Tax Loophole Just Got Bigger: How To Turn
Taxable Income Into Non-Taxable Income -- Legally!
=> How to Be Featured as our Guest Columnist
=> Copyright and Reprint information
=> Subscribe/Unsubscribe information


------------------------------------------------------------
Images as Searchable Content?
by Aaron Turpen of Aaronz WebWorkz

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I have been studying, applying, and giving advice on
Internet marketing for quite some time now (years, even).
I'm amazed at how much there is to know and how often this
technology changes! Lately, I've been wondering about
images and their role in search engine marketing.

The images you have on your website have long been known to
be useful for keyword positioning on many search engines:
many engines will include file names and ALT tags in their
rankings. Filenames are the names of the files themselves
(i.e. "/images/lobsterphoto.jpg") and the ALT tag is a
portion of the "img src" tag (i.e. "img src='/images/
lobsterphoto.jpg' alt='Lobster Photo'") that gives alternate
information for the image should the image not appear on the
page for one reason or another.

If you aren't using file names as keywords and if your
images don't have "alt" tags included…GO TO YOUR SITE NOW
AND FIX THAT! Do it now, I'll wait…

OK, now that you're up to speed with images as searchable
content, let's get into the new and nifty stuff I mentioned
before. The technology of the Internet is always changing,
as I said, but sometimes these changes create "back doors"
that were probably unintentional.

Images as searchable content are, in a way, one of these
back doors. Let me explain.

While we know that the content of the images themselves is
not indexed by search engines, we do know that the file
names and alt tags are indexed by many of the engines. Now
think about this: have you ever noticed the tabs on Google
when you go there to search? See the second tab (right next
to the default "Web" just above the search bar)? It says
"Images."

That's a tool to search images ONLY so you can find
graphics, pictures, etc., etc. that have to do with your
search terms. Guess what?

When someone clicks on those images, the site related to
them is displayed along with that image. Those of you who
are enterprising 'Net marketers are probably now having all
kinds of bright lights and whistles going off in your head…
Rightly so.

This is a GREAT alternative way to market your website! As
a secondary source of traffic, this can be tremendous if you
use it correctly.

I first got this idea while searching for a specific image
to use on a non-profit website I was working on a few months
ago. It occurred to me that these images were being queued
according to the keywords and the image's ranking by name
and alt tag with those keywords. I also saw that the
website the image appeared on was coming up when I clicked
the thumbnails in the results…

I started thinking about this and so I did some research.

One of my clients is a good friend of mine, Jeff, who owns
Lobster Pot Direct ( http://www.lobsterpotdirect.com ).
I've worked with Jeff for a couple of years now and have
watched his business grow into something great.

Well, Jeff does a lot of work on his site optimizing for
keywords to get good search engine rankings. One of his
keyphrases is "online lobster dinner." So I decided to try
something.

Jeff has never optimized his site to show up in Google's
"images" area. I know because I just asked him today before
writing this article. So I loaded up his website and opened
another browser with Google Image Search.

I then hovered my mouse over the image of the big lobster on
the index page of his site. The alt tag causes the words
"Lobster Pot Direct" to come up. The name of this image
(right-click, save as to find it) is "dinner.jpg" and the
picture itself links to a page called "onlinelobster.html"
(hover your mouse over the picture and look at the bottom of
your browser, in the tool bar). So…

I went to Google Image Search and I typed in the following
to start: "online lobster dinner" and did a search. Guess
what? Jeff's site comes up as the eleventh result (so it's
on the first pag)! The picture isn't the one I was after,
but is his header instead. Close enough.

That's without even trying!

So I tried it on a few other sites (some of mine, some
random ones from the 'Net, etc.) and found that those sites
which have good file names and good alt tags tend to have
high rankings in the Google Images area.

This morning, Jeff forwarded me an article from another
newsletter and I was amazed to see someone talking about
this very thing. So I guess others are catching on to the
idea.

If you want a great, alternative way to promote your web-
site, consider raising your rankings in Google Images
instead of the more hotly contested Google Web Search.
Maybe it will pay off!

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From The Webmaster
by Aaron Turpen, Editor
------------------------------------------------------------

Well, I didn't get to any of the newsletter list stuff I
expected to do this week. Blame Canada. :)

The Aaronz WebWorkz site ebooks area hasn't been updated yet
so Wayne Davies' free reports haven't been posted. You can
still find them in the Contest area, however:
http://www.AaronzWebWorkz.com/contest/

If you haven't downloaded and read those, I highly suggest
you do it!

Since I didn't get to a contest this week, I'll post some-
thing great next week...I promise! Like maybe a million
dollar giveaway or something. ;)

Speaking of a million bucks, have you checked out our Web
store at http://www.AWWStore.com lately? We've got some
great stuff! Plus a new newsletter now in its fourth week
of publishing. Go check it out!

See you all next week!

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Readers Talk Back!
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"Hey you charge less pre hour to do taxes than the pepole I
take my taxes to. Next year I'll hire you. : )"
--Hank F.

Editor: HA! No thanks, Hank!

"Do you know what a link exchange is and whether it is any
good?"
--Martha L.

Editor: Hi, Martha. I see you're new around here. Welcome!
Yes, I know what link exchanges are and...well...generally
they aren't any good, according to common marketing wisdom.
However, in the past few days I've managed to get two
affiliate sales using a traffic exchange system as my
primary traffic driver... so I guess they have their place.
I'm doing research now for a future article on the subject.

"Thanks for the great tax articles you are always sending!
That joke this week about billing the IRS was great!"
--James K.

"Good one! I wonder if you can really get away with billing
the IRS like that?"
--Bob L.

"i dont think the IRS would let you bill them like that.
i will give you fifty bucks to try though!"
--Edward C.

Editor: Really? OK! I'll do it! Send me the money.

"Thanks for introducing me to Wayne's books. Awesome!"
--W.K.

Editor: Thanks, WK and everyone who wrote in this week!

------------------------------------------------------------
If you would like to send a comment or letter to the editor
for inclusion in this newsletter, please address it to:
mailto:newsletter@aaronzwebworkz.com?subject=TalkBack!.
All are welcome to give their opinion, criticism, or kudos!

------------------------------------------------------------
A Big Tax Loophole Just Got Bigger: How To Turn Taxable
Income Into Non-Taxable Income -- Legally!
by Wayne M. Davies
Copyright 2002 Wayne M. Davies Inc.
Wayne M. Davies is author of the new eBook, "The Tax
Reduction Toolkit: 29 Little-Known Legal Loopholes That Will
Reduce Your Taxes By Thousands (For Small Business Owners
and Self-Employed People Only!) Don't file another tax
return until you visit:
http://hop.clickbank.net/?aaronicus/wmdctp

Editor's Comments: More great stuff from Wayne!
------------------------------------------------------------

Believe it or not, there are ways to convert taxable income
into non-taxable income, without any fear of an IRS audit.

Here's one of my favorites. It's been part of our beloved
tax code for over 30 years, yet many still don't take
advantage of it.

What am I talking about?

The IRA -- Individual Retirement Account.

Now, before you say, "Oh, I know all about that one; what's
so great about an IRA?", give me 10 minutes to explain 3 new
benefits to the IRA rules that you may not realize.


BENEFIT #1: How To Avoid Tax Rather Than Postpone Tax

First, did you know that there are now 2 kinds of IRA's
available?

The so-called "Traditional IRA" is the one that first came
out way back in the 1970's.

But there's a newer incarnation of the IRA that's only a few
years old -- it's called the "Roth IRA".

What's the difference between a Traditional IRA and a Roth
IRA? There's a HUGE difference!

"Traditional" IRA contributions are tax-deductible, and the
growth of those contributions is also "tax-sheltered" while
the funds remain in the account.

But eventually all tax-deductible "Traditional" IRA
contributions, as well as the growth of those contributions,
will be subject to income tax when the money is withdrawn
from the account.

In other words, Traditional IRA's offer the opportunity to
POSTPONE taxes. Traditional IRA's enable you to save taxes
--- but these tax savings are only TEMPORARY!

This is the big difference between Traditional IRA's and
Roth IRA's: Traditional IRA's allow you to temporarily
POSTPONE taxes. The Roth IRA offers the opportunity to
permanently AVOID taxes.

With a Roth IRA, you don't take a deduction for your
contributions; instead, you make a contribution with "after-
tax" dollars.

But whatever you put in not only grows tax-free, but can
also be withdrawn tax-free.

Here's an example to illustrate:

If you invest $2,000 per year for 20 years into a Roth IRA,
you will have invested a total of $40,000. Now if that Roth
IRA earns an average of 10% per year, that $40,000 will
grow into $126,005.

Now comes the fun part: Assuming the IRA has existed for at
least 5 years and you are at least 59 ½ years old, you can
withdraw the entire $126,005 TAX-FREE!

In contrast, if this money had been invested in a
Traditional IRA, the entire $126,005 would be subject to
income tax as it is withdrawn.

The $86,005 of growth is magically converted from taxable
income to non-taxable income. Assuming you are in the 15%
federal tax bracket, that's a savings of $12,901. Add any
state income tax, and you could save well over $15,000 in
taxes.

And $15,000 buys a lot of pizza in my house!


BENEFIT #2: Take An Extra 3 ½ Months To Fund Your IRA

The deadline for contributing to your IRA is April 15 of the
year AFTER the year for which the contribution made. (Boy,
I'm starting to sound like a lawyer now, aren't I?)

In other words, for Year 2002, you have until April 15, 2003
to put money into your IRA.

If you've already invested the maximum (more about that in a
moment) by December 31, 2002, then you're done. No more
money can go into the IRA for 2002.

But when January 1 rolls around, if you haven't mixed out
your IRA, you have until April 15 to do so.

Which brings me to . . .


BENEFIT #3: The Maximum Contribution Amounts Have Increased

For many years, the most you could put into an IRA was
$2,000. Now, the maximum is $3,000 (assuming you have at
least that much earned income from wages or self-employment
income).

And if you are over 49, you can put in another $500,
bringing the total maximum to $3,500.

A married couple, both age 50 or older, can put a whopping
$7,000 per year into a Roth IRA. Not too shabby, eh?

One final note about these Roth IRA rules: For married
people, you can only contribute the maximum of $3,000 or
$3,500 if your combined income is less than $150,000.

If you are single or head of household, you can contribute
the maximum if your income is less than $95,000.

(I hate rules like that, don't you!)

For most middle-class folks looking for a perfectly legal
way to permanently avoid tax (rather then merely temporarily
postpone tax), the Roth IRA fits the bill!

Now comes the hard part -- how to actually implement this
tax avoidance strategy.

"Wayne", you say, "I'm getting close to retirement and so my
wife and I are trying to save as much as we can for our
golden years. But $7,000 a year? It's hard to put aside
that kind of money. We need every dollar we make just to
pay the bills."

If that's your situation, I'm not going to get up on my
"what-do-you-mean-you-can't-save-any-money-for-retirement"
soapbox and start preaching at you.

I will say this: You've got to start somewhere, and you've
got to start saving something -- right now!

Don't put off saving for retirement. The longer you wait,
the harder it gets to get started.

People who have a problem saving for retirement usually have
a budgeting problem. And budgeting is beyond the scope of
this article.

For an excellent resource on budgeting, I highly recommend
the Budget Stretcher web site: http://www.homemoneyhelp.com.

This site offers a free budget system complete with simple
forms and worksheets to help you figure out how to put some
money aside for a Roth IRA or other savings plan.

Take advantage of this free resource!

------------------------------------------------------------
If you wish to send your own articles to be reviewed for
inclusion in this publication, please send them to:
mailto:newsletter@aaronzwebworkz.com.
------------------------------------------------------------
Except where noted, this publication and all of its
contents are copyright (C)2004 by Aaronz WebWorkz, all
rights are reserved. To reprint an article, send an email
to mailto:newsletter@aaronzwebworkz.com for permission.
------------------------------------------------------------
List Maintenance:
To subscribe
[http://aww.aaronzwebworkz.com/contact/index.shtml?newsletter]

To unsubscribe
[{UNSUBSCRIBE_LINK}]

This newsletter is produced by Aaronz WebWorkz, a complete
online services provider. To view information or to see
back issues of this publication, please go online to:
www.AaronzWebWorkz.com. Please direct all comments or
questions to the editor
(mailto:newsletter@aaronzwebworkz.com).

------------------------------------------------------------
Aaronz WebWorkz Weekly E-Zine
A Weekly Newsletter of Hints, Ideas, and Resources for
Friends and Customers of www.AaronzWebWorkz.com
Issue #115 Feb. 06, 2004
Aaron Turpen, Editor, aaron@aaronzwebworkz.com
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By subscription only! Welcome to your next issue of the
Aaronz WebWorkz E-Zine. You are receiving this newsletter
because you requested a subscription. Unsubscribe instruct-
ions are at the end of this newsletter. Back-issues are
available online at: http://www.AaronzWebWorkz.com
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IN THIS ISSUE
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=> Feature Article:
Letter to the IRS, accompanying tax forms.
=> From The Webmaster
=> Readers Talk Back!
=> Guest Column:
4 Simple Steps to Reduce Your Taxes
=> How to Be Featured as our Guest Columnist
=> Copyright and Reprint information
=> Subscribe/Unsubscribe information


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Letter to the IRS, accompanying tax forms.
by Aaron Turpen of Aaronz WebWorkz

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Internal Revenue Service
Fresno, CA 93888-0102

Dear IRS,

Enclosed you will find my form 1040, my Schedule C "Profit
or Loss from Business," and my Schedule SE "Self-Employment
Tax." As per your requirements, I have filled out these
forms after having painstakingly checked my business books
for errors and accounting totals.

Enclosed you will also find an invoice from my business for
the time spent compiling all of this information for your
benefit. As a self-employed contractor, I charge $45 an
hour as stipulated on my website for all work not under
prior contract agreement. As I have no agreement of
contract with the IRS, I am billing at my hourly rate. A
time sheet is below for your reference when reviewing the
enclosed invoice, payable without penalty by April 15, 2004.

Accounting and bookwork to comply with IRS forms: 16.75
hours @ $45/hour: $753.75
Accounting/Tax Preparation software: $79.99 (not deducted
from forms within)
Filling in of Tax Preparation Software forms: 7.25 hours @
$45/hour: $326.25
1/2 gallon of mid-priced Rum, Coca-Cola, ice, etc. to keep
blood pressure down during vexing tax preparation process:
$39.95
Visit to emergency room for possible heart attack symptoms:
$873
Hotel room for wife who tired of listening to my lengthy
screams of agony and various colorful phrases to describe
tax code: $79.99
Money put into basket while attending church to atone for my
sins (above): $50
Phone calls (long distance) to my Uncle Leonard, a CPA:
$45.92
Lost contract with client who was unable to reach me due to
my repeated use of the phone to call Uncle Leonard: $4,875
(estimated)
Visit to emergency room after finding out the above: $936

Total of above: $8,063.13.
Deducted from my debt to you of $3,027, I show a deficit of
$5,036.13. This is redeemable by check, money order, or
cash and is due on or before April 15, 2004. As per my
attached invoice. Please be reminded that failure to pay by
the date due will result in penalties and interest.
Thank you.

Sincerely,

Aaron Turpen
Holladay, Utah

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From The Webmaster
by Aaron Turpen, Editor
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Hey, everyone! Hope you had a great week. If you remember,
last week's contest was a drawing to win a set of Wayne
Davies' books ($97 value). Well, we have a winner!
Congratulations to Edward! Wayne will be sending you some
information very soon.

Don't be sad if you didn't win. There's still some great,
free stuff to be had! Go to the contest page and check out
how you can download FREE white papers on your taxes and,
if you'd like, purchase the books you didn't win! Go now!

http://www.AaronzWebWorkz.com/contest/

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Readers Talk Back!
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"If you haven't seen the "Dancing Hillary" animation which
AOL is blocking from its subscribers due to "a high volume
of complaints," try going to:
http://tinyurl.com/252rk "
-- James T.

Editor: Hilarious! Thanks, James!

"Aaron,
My subscription to Symantec anti-virus has expired and it is
$19.95 to renew for the year. Is there a better option? Are
the virus updates available anywhere for free? Should I just
go to ebay and buy a whole new program? Is there other anti-
virus stuff available from Tucows that is just as good?"
--Fran Tully ( http://www.lputah.org )

Editor: If it were me, I'd stick with Symantec/Norton. This
is what I use. I go to the store and buy a new version
every year (I'm running Systemworks 2004 now), which
includes a one year license for updates. You can usually
send in your old CD or some other proof of purchase and get
$20-$30 in rebates for upgrading.

There are a ton of anti-virus software suites available, but
only a few have a good, reputable name to back them up:
Norton/Symantec, McAffee, and maybe the newer offerings from
MS and Red Hat. I'd stick with one of the first two. You
can buy any of these online, but it's usually just as cheap
to go to the store and sometimes cheaper if they happen to
have a sale or something going on.

"Aaron I checked out this site to look into it for myself to
find out this, so count this one out:

Due to IRS policy changes that adversely compromise the
privacy of taxpayers participating in the program, TaxBrain
has chosen to withdraw from the Free File Program and pursue
alternative means of serving taxpayers needing assistance in
the preparation and filing of their federal income tax
returns."
--Ron H. ( http://www.aaronzwebworkz.com/oaa/ )

Editor: Thanks, Ron!

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If you would like to send a comment or letter to the editor
for inclusion in this newsletter, please address it to:
mailto:newsletter@aaronzwebworkz.com?subject=TalkBack!.
All are welcome to give their opinion, criticism, or kudos!

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4 Simple Steps to Reduce Your Taxes
by Wayne M. Davies
Copyright 2002 Wayne M. Davies Inc.
Wayne M. Davies is author of the new eBook, "The Tax
Reduction Toolkit: 29 Little-Known Legal Loopholes That Will
Reduce Your Taxes By Thousands (For Small Business Owners
and Self-Employed People Only!) Don't file another tax
return until you visit:
http://hop.clickbank.net/?aaronicus/wmdctp

Editor's Comments: Another great article from Wayne, our tax
guy! I highly suggest his books and recommend that you go
download his free white papers here:
http://www.AaronzWebWorkz.com/contest/
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With Tax Season upon us, here are 4 simple steps to lower
your tax bill this year.


STEP #1: Understand How Serious Your Tax Problem Is

Are you aware of just how much in taxes you are paying?

Here's how much the average family spends on various
consumer categories -- as a percentage of income.

You must realize that it's not how much you spend on taxes
that is important, it's how much you spend on taxes as
compared to all other major categories of spending!

Consumer Spending:
How Do You Spend Your Hard-Earned Dollars?

Taxes ---------------------- 32.0%
Housing -------------------- 16.7%
Medical Care --------------- 11.5%
Food ----------------------- 8.2%
Transportation ------------- 7.9%
Recreation ----------------- 5.7%
Clothing ------------------- 4.1%
Savings -------------------- 1.4%
Other Miscellaneous -------- 12.5%
TOTAL --------------------- 100.0%

So, if you think you are being "nailed" by the government,
you are absolutely right. You spend more on taxes than any
other category of consumer spending.

In fact, you spend more on taxes than on food, clothing, and
housing combined!

And it's not just federal income taxes we're talking about
here. There's also state and local income tax, payroll tax
(Social Security and Medicare), sales tax, excise tax and
property tax.

Maybe you already knew "intuitively" that your tax bill is
outrageously high. If not, the picture I've just painted
should thoroughly convince you that you pay too much tax,
period.


STEP #2: Get The Right Attitude About Your Taxes

What do I mean by this? Well, you simply must have a
certain "mental attitude" toward this whole idea of paying
taxes. I'll get right to the point -- you must have an
attitude about taxes that says, "Enough is enough. I'm
paying way too much tax and I don't like it! And it's about
time I did something about it -- TODAY!"

After reading those numbers above, how do you feel? Doesn't
that just make you furious? If so, great, then you are on
your way to solving this problem. (Remember the old cliche
-- "You can't solve a problem until you admit you have
one!")

If you saw those numbers above and said, "Big deal. So I
pay 32% in taxes. So what? So does everybody else in this
country" -- well, I'm sorry, but you might as well just stop
reading this article right now. You will continue to pay
too much tax because you really don't care about it.

To reduce your taxes, you must have a passion for paying
less tax. You must get angry about it.

Before today is over, go get last year's personal income tax
return (Form 1040) and look at how much tax you paid.

When you have Form 1040 in front of you, do you realize
where the most important number is on this form?

NO, it's not Line 67 -- which tells you how much of a refund
you got (if any!).

NO, it's not Line 70 -- which tells you how much you still
owed, the balance due with the return.

The most important number on Form 1040 is Line 58.

It says: This is your TOTAL TAX. That is how much federal
income tax you paid for all of last year. When it comes to
reducing your taxes, it doesn't matter whether you got a
refund or whether you had a balance due.

What matters is -- what was your total tax liability for the
year. That's the "magic number" that should just make your
blood boil and your heart beat so fast that you can hardly
stand it.

Now that I've got you all "riled up" about paying so much
tax, let's move on to Step #3.


STEP #3: Realize That Reducing Taxes Is The Easiest Path
Possible To Creating Wealth

Consider this simple fact: Reducing your taxes by just
$4,000 per year is the easiest way possible to becoming a
millionaire.

Let me elaborate.

Let's say you implement some new tax-saving strategies that
reduce your taxes by $4,000 each year. Now, if you take
that $4,000 per year in tax savings and invest it over the
next 30 years, assuming you earn 11.5% on your investment,
you end up with $1,048,745.98 at the end of the 30 years!

And here's the best part about this scenario: Where did you
get the $4,000/year to invest? Well, you got it from money
that would have gone to Uncle Sam! It's money that you used
to spend on taxes, part of the 32% of your income that goes
to taxes each year.

In effect, it's free money! It's money that was always
there -- you just didn't realize it.

Is this a good deal or what? By simply reducing your taxes,
the government will finance your million-dollar retirement.

And let's say your tax situation is such that you save
$2,000/year instead of $4,000/year. Same assumptions: you
invest the $2,000 each year at 11.5% for 30 years. End
result: $524,372.99. Not too shabby, eh?

So all you have to do is come up with the tax-saving
strategies that will put $2,000 or $4,000 in your pocket
each and every year. Which brings us to Step #4.


STEP #4: Get Hold Of The Tax-Saving Strategies That Will
Make You A Millionaire!

You know, it doesn't really take much information to save a
bundle in taxes. It is true: Just A Little Bit Of Tax
Knowledge Can Save You Thousands Of Dollars Every Year!

Useful tax information is freely available. On the Internet,
at your local library, and through your local tax
professional.

The question is: Are you willing to spend some time this
year learning about effective tax strategies that can save
you literally thousands of dollars?

Here's a simple goal to set for yourself: Over the next 10
weeks, set aside just an hour a week to read up on tax-
reduction strategies. That's all, just 10 hours.

Chances are you'll find 2 or 3 strategies that reduce your
tax bill by $1,000 this year.

So you spend 10 hours and, in effect, pay yourself an extra
$1,000 for your time. Not a bad hourly rate, eh?

Many times, that's all it takes to pay less tax.

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If you wish to send your own articles to be reviewed for
inclusion in this publication, please send them to:
mailto:newsletter@aaronzwebworkz.com.
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Except where noted, this publication and all of its
contents are copyright (C)2004 by Aaronz WebWorkz, all
rights are reserved. To reprint an article, send an email
to mailto:newsletter@aaronzwebworkz.com for permission.
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