The best stock investment strategies are the ones that have been proven over a period of time, the longer the better. Few investment strategies have withstood the test of time. Great investors throughout history have used different approaches to investing according to their temperament and goals. The goal of every investor is to make money and compound their way to financial freedom while protecting their capital, whether the investor has a long term or short term view.The different approaches are Value investing, Growth Investing and Income Investing and or Dividend Reinvesting. Each of these approaches can be used by the long term or short term investor, whether he is a day trader, momentum trader, contrarian investor, turnaround situations, buy and hold investor. These approaches can be used singly or jointly. Remember, every investor wants value from his investment. Everybody wants a bargain. Bargains can be achieved by analyzing the fundamentals of the company or by technical analysis.Why is investing in dividend paying companies is the strategy to invest in the stock market when compared to other strategies? It is because once you have completed your analysis and you have decided to invest in the company, all you have to do is monitor the fundamental of the company including the payment of dividends.Analysis of dividend income investing, value investing or growth investing is basically the same. All styles take effort and time to complete. However, keeping of income dividend is the easiest as you do not have to monitor the share price movement on an daily basis. With income investing you only need to monitor the fundamentals and dividends on a monthly, quarterly, semi annually or yearly basis. This gives you time to enjoy life.All of the strategies study the Balance Sheet, Income Statement, and Cash Flow Statement to calculate the ratios such asset growth, rate of liability reduction, sales growth, earnings per share growth, and return on equity. Once a suitable company is found, then the investor studies the strength of the management. Finally, the investor calculates the intrinsic value. Intrinsic value is the value of a company based on an underlying perception calculated from different ratios of the business. If the market price is lower than the market price, then the investor has found a bargain.The difference of each strategy is minimal that is seems they are the same. However, it is important to realize that each strategy seeks a different end result. Dividend income investing primarily seeks income first, value second and growth third. Value investing seeks value first, income second and growth third. Growth investing seeks growth first, value second and income from dividend is not important for growth investors. In reality all are seeking value hoping to profit from their investment strategy.For each investor the value is different. The best strategy is dividend income investing because while waiting to get capital gains from growth you can still earn passive income along the way. Better still you can reinvest divined income to compound your net worth without having to sell the investment. You can hold the investment forever or sell when you think the full value as been achieved. With growth investing to only way to achieve income is to sell the investment. Why would you want to sell an investment that has grown in value? Therefore, income investing is always better. Remember, you must find value in every investment, you cannot pay too much for an investment otherwise you will never get value. As Warren Buffet says “price is what you pay, value is what you get”. What can be a better value than getting immediate passive income from dividend income investing?So, are you looking to be an active stock investor, yet do not want to monitor your investments the whole day. Do you want to invest solely for growth or do you want income which will lead you to financial freedom through compounding your income.All of these stock investment strategies can be used to achieve success. Do you want to choose the easy or the hard way? I am quite for the easy method will be your choice and that choice is Income Investing. In the long term income investing and reinvesting the dividends will help you achieve financial freedom. Remember to choose the strategy which is suitable to your temperament. Also, remember, the easier system will always be the better choice. Learn and become the master of income investing through dividends paying companies. Remember, the aim of investing is financial freedom.

Many people have argued that there are no great piano composers in the modern world. They say that this art died fifty to one hundred years ago. Here are the facts – there are still many unbelievable piano composers in the modern world today. However, whilst one cannot argue with their creative skills, they lack basic modern marketing skills. And the world is missing out on this distinguished talent.The most affordable and convenient way to market your music today is through the internet. It is used by billions every single year. So why do many piano players fail to market their music online? Why do they go down the traditional route of taking it to a publisher?Marketing Method Number One – Creating Your Own Website with A ListIf you make the decision to market your music online, it is almost criminal to do so without a website. Your website must be where you send all of your prospective customers. Your website must contain details on how to purchase your music, both online and offline. I would also recommend having a ‘sample’ piece of music for clientele to listen to for free and to be able to download the score.When you are building your website, you must include a list. What is a list? A list is a collection of email addresses of potential customers. Your list should be kept abreast on new pieces of music that you are creating. Also they should receive occasional incentives to remain on your list, eg. a free song or a discount.It is much easier to sell to people that know and trust you then to sell to a complete stranger. But so many people in all facets of marketing spend more time on getting more customers than selling to previous customers. Do not make this same mistake. By investing no more than $US200 per year, you could and should have a major increase in sales.Marketing Method Number Two – Piano Radio StationsPiano radio stations are a great way to market your music online. There are numerous radio stations on the World Wide Web that specialize in all sorts of areas, and piano is no exception. Whilst I could only speculate costs, you might be able to get your music played for free, or even better, you might be entitled to royalties from that particular radio station.The main difference between radio piano stations and normal piano stations is that online users are able to click on a link that will take them directly to your site. So make sure that the music that you submit to radio stations are some of your best pieces of work and fit the mould of the station.Marketing Method Number Three – Submitting Your Scores To DirectoriesThere are numerous cases where piano composers only market their actual music and neglect to market their sheet music. This is such a silly thing to do. If a piano player likes listening to your music, then naturally they would want to learn to play it. Web sites like Free Piano Sheet Music would be more than willing to put your compositions onto their web site for free. Also you would get valuable links from your sheet music to your website.Marketing Method Number Four – You TubeThis is the new way to market your music online. You Tube has simply taken the world by storm, not only from a viewers perspective but from a marketing perspective also. Similar to video clips that you see on MTV you are able to create your own video of your music. It does not have to be a complicated task. The easiest way to do it is to record yourself at the piano playing the score and this would be enough. However if you have a theme to your music i.e. the ocean, then you would cut to shot of the beach, i.e. waves crashing on the rocks. Whatever you decide your video clip to be, make sure you put a visible URL at the end of your video as credits, so the viewer can take action to buy your music.Marketing Method Number Five – Piano ForumsForums are an old and popular way to marketing your music, and it still works today. Not only can you specifically market your music in the forum, you can also market your music by just posting messages about anything related to the piano. For example, if there is a discussion about what is the best brand of piano, and you post your comments, you can put a link at the bottom of your post to your website. So not only do you market your music, you also marketing to the right group of people, piano players!In conclusion these are much more effective methods of marketing your music then taking it to a publisher. Not only do you have much more control of your music, it is also much cheaper.The world deserves to hear your music.

Tracey Bianchi is a married mother of three young children, living in Chicago. Her environmental concerns for both her family and future generations inspired her to write Green Mama: The Guilt-Free Guide to Helping You and Your Children Save the Planet.Bianchi earned a master of divinity degree and is a frequent speaker and writer on topics of Christianity. Regardless of your religious beliefs or denomination, and whether or not you have children, Green Mama will enlighten you to the earth’s dwindling natural resources; and how you can make a positive impact. Here, the topics of greening your travel and worship, along with advocacy for planting a tree are discussed.Greening Your Travel
Before traveling, ask yourself if you really need to get there at all. Monitoring your travel can reduce fuel consumption, carbon emissions and consumerism. U.S. residents are responsible for approximately 25 percent of the world’s carbon emissions even though we have only 5 percent of the population.Before jumping in the car, ask these potentially life-changing questions:Have I chosen a green place to live? Answers vary according to circumstances. For you, that might mean multiple acres in a rural area or easy access to public transportation.
Do I live close enough to the amenities I need or the places I frequently visit? Next time you move, consider not only housing costs and school district quality. Think too about the commute time to routine travel, including the grocery store, church and library.
Do I really need to do this today or can I do it another time as part of another errand?
Can I walk or bike there instead?
Who else can I bring with me (i.e. a neighbor who needs to go grocery shopping a the same time)?
Can I combine the trip with another errand?
Am I shopping locally? Are all of my errands as close to home as possible?Air TravelThe World Wide Institute states that one plane crossing the Atlantic Ocean uses16, 000 gallons of fuel. That’s enough to power one car for fifty years.Before flying, ask yourself if you can travel by car or train. Take public transportation to and from the airport whenever it’s possible. Bring your own snacks and decline drinks, napkins and plastic cups offered on the plane.Realize that you might be skiing at a resort that doesn’t monitor its carbon emissions. Long-term, the very commodity they’re selling (snowfall) could diminish with climate change. Eating at certain seafood restaurants, while enjoyable, may be purchasing their food from overfished waters. “Be an educated traveler and make a difference when you can,” says Bianchi.Green Your Hotel and Resort Stays.Bring home half-used bottles of shampoo and lotions. Use them up and recycle the containers. Look for water-saving tips from your hotel. Now, many offer water conservation programs that ask you to reuse your towels and bed linens the next day.Vacation with a Purpose.”Purposeful vacations take into account the social imprint of your vacation as well as the ecological practices of the places you visit,” says Bianchi.Consider an Eco-Vacation, a Mission Project or a Conservation Trip.Your local church or park district may offer trips and ecotourism vacations to destinations where you and your family can stay together. Cleaning up trails, helping to create a habitat for endangered wildlife and serving needy families worldwide are among the many vacation opportunities.Buy a Hybrid Car; They Make a Difference.The smaller and slower the car, the better the fuel efficiency.Greening Your WorshipYour place of worship (or any other community setting you experience, including work) may ignore promoting an eco-friendly atmosphere. “Turns out the very buildings that were designed to proclaim the wonders of the God of the universe are some of the least green places in the country,” says Bianchi.Styrofoam cups, individualized creamer packets and sugars, stir sticks, multi-page bulletins, and company newsletters printed with petroleum-based ink (instead of eco-friendly soy-based inks) are among the eco-savvy detractors.”Greening up the church is not a fad or some hippie luxury; it is good stewardship and it is our future,” she says. Bianchi suggests two levels to start greening your worship:1. Begin with your senior pastor, minister, rabbi, etc. A simple meeting with him or her can initiate the dialogue. Further talks can convene with committees, elders, trustees, and others leaders. Tap into your congregation’s professional talents, including architects, engineers and HVAC experts.Discuss who will lead the greening efforts. It may or may not be you. The green team will need to research recycling options, reasonable tweaks in lighting and energy and other common sense, eco-friendly adaptations.2. Use personal, covert greening efforts if you meet congregational resistance. This includes turning off lights in classrooms, and collecting and recycling church bulletins and newsletters on your own.A universal response from churches, nonprofits and other organizations that resist going green is cost. Today, many establishments are working with limited funds.Greening a place can appear to be pricey. Waste haulers may charge additional fees to remove recyclables. Recycling bins can be costly and purchasing fair-trade coffee and teas may sell for more, but, once done, long-term savings often result.In the church, some will question if a greener life is theologically supported. Going green will have its detractors in any setting.Planting a TreeNone of us can save the world on our own, but we can each make a difference. Bianchi mentions Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan activist who, in 2004, won the Nobel Peace Prize. Maathai says one thing we can do to fight environmental injustice, is plant a tree. It’s something we can all manage. Plant something green whether you live in a high rise, farm or anywhere else. Plunge your hands into the dirt and bring forth life.Greening your travel and worship offer a variety of ways to reduce your carbon footprint on earth. Consider planting a tree to promote perpetual life among nature.Green Mama offers a gallimaufry of websites to help you live more consciously and reduce consumerism. One of the best is the Center For A New American Dream. Visit them here: http://www.newdream.org/.