Due to this lack of time, we’ve committed “for now” to offering a post once or twice a month with very random thoughts, recommendations and info to try and help humanity push on through the Matrix.

Bare with us as we launch our first effort.

• If you have a Car you’re looking to TRADE-IN for a Newer Car or a car you’re just looking to sell to raise cash, you ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY MUST USE THIS TOOL.

• If you are continuing to abide by the “multiple small meals/feedings” per day rule espoused by countless diet gurus worldwide, you might want to read this article

• Listen to this fascinating audio interview about Stress.

• If you can afford it, buy a 4G Phone and utilize it’s Mobile Hotspot Functionality to eliminate your DSL, Cable or whatever you use as your home Internet Service provider.

• If you are a Droid Mobile Phone user, you should be carrying around a spare battery or two. And you’ll need a spare battery charger so you’re always powered up.

• Do you have your BUG OUT BAG packed and ready to roll?

• Are you familiar with Max Igan? You should be.  Watch his video’s and read this book if you want to truly unplug from The Matrix.

• Paying attention to Gerald Celente isn’t a bad idea either.

• He’s already linked on the front of our site, but if you’re not reading Crime and Federalism you’re missing out on a modern day Nietzsche.

• If you are serious about your physique and searching for ways to improve it (regardless of your training style), incorporate MAX CONTRACTION TRAINING into the mix.

• David Landau’s scathing assault on Reality TV is a must read.

• If you’re an NCAA Football or Basketball Fan, you have to be honest and just admit the NCAA is no better than Wall Street or Government.  A modern day 21st Century Criminal Empire and Slave Plantation.

• Look for an upcoming post, but the only “Nutritional Supplements” meaning anything to us these days are: Casein Protein Powder, EFA’s, Bone Up, Vitamin C/E and a High Quality Thermogenic when dieting.

• If any of our readers are vacationing in Las Vegas, we encourage and request you to reach out to us.  We would love to meet and speak with you.

As always, we highly encourage your commentary and/or criticisms.

Happy Weekends to All!

MIHWCS

We’ve also been known to pick a bracket or two in our time. With that in mind, here are our NCAA picks and a some general observations on the eve of the selections. (

The University of Kentucky got absolutely screwed as a #4 seed.  Once again proving the Conference Tournaments are meaningless.  How can UF who UK has beaten twice in the last 2 weeks get a #2 seed and UK a #4?Just a very poor job by the Selection Committee this year.  I think it also proves that nobody has any respect or concern for Calipari and they will job him every chance they get.

Again, the decisions made by the NCAA Selection Committee are mind boggling. This is the worst seeding ever.

Teams like WVU are a #5 seed?   LOL.

Alabama deserved to get in going 12-4 in a major BCS conference.  UAB and VCU were not even worthy of mentioning let alone gaining entry?  LOL!

The Georgia Bulldogs who got in by the skin of their teeth couldn’t have gotten a worse draw.  UDUB will baptize the Bulldogs.  The Huskies have lots of talent and good guard play. They will also give UNC in the 2nd Round a life or death struggle. The Tarheels are soft, have little outside shooting and hobbled through the ACC Tournament.  UDUB comes at you in waves.  I don’t think playing in Washington DC will hurt them as they played in Pittsburgh last year and were fine only folding late vs WVU.

Here is our call for some early upsets and also good games to bet on (for the gambling degenerates reading our site-

• Akron + whatever they get vs Notre Dame
• Wofford + whatever they get vs BYU
• Penn St in the 2nd Round vs San Diego State University + whatever.(This is a good team with good outside shooters and length)
• Mizzou on a Moneyline bet as an 11 Seed vs UC

Here is our Full March Madness Bracket:

The Southeast Region

Florida waltzes into the Final Four beating Kansas State who beats Pitt in New Orleans.  Pitt isn’t going on the road and beating anybody.  BYU(joke) and St John’s(tough but not going to New Orleans and winning) are the only competition vs Florida who is playing their first two games in Tampa.(LOL)  They then play the Regional in New Orleans where they also played on their 2007 championship run.  Very comfortable region for them.  Again we reiterate the  disaster for the Selection Committee in seeding this region so badly.

The East Region

Is stacked with incredible teams.  Xavier, University of Kentucky, UDub, UNC and Syracuse are all capable of winning the region.  Ohio State is totally overrated.  They have played nobody all season.  They start a white 6-1 frosh point guard who will be abused by athletic, faster better shooting guards (of which there are many in their region) They rely on a Frosh inside which usually spells doom in the Dance.  They appear to be in serious trouble in their second round game vs either George Mason or Villanova.  Villanova has stumbled greatly in the last month, but if they can get by George Mason, they have the kind of quick great shooting guards to give OSU fits.

We like UDub to beat UNC.  They are athletic and deep.  They have a dominant jitter bug PG in Isaiah Thomas JR and they are experienced coming off a Sweet 16 run last year.  They also have two frosh (Wilcox and Ross) who are 6-6, run the floor, jump out of the gym and hit the three.  They were both sensational yesterday in the PAC 10 Championship.  They are definitely coming on at the right time.

UDub vs Syracuse and UK vs OSU(if they win in the 2nd round) are easily the best Regional matchups in the tournament.

The Western Region

This is the 2nd toughest region with Duke, UT, UConn and Arizona all capable of getting to the Final Four.  Arizona is super tough and has 3 NBA ballers.  Texas is loaded with talent but has Rick Barnes as their coach which is a big detriment. UConn is absolutely loaded and is IMO the logical choice to come out of this region.  The one major question mark they’ll have are their legs from playing so much in the last 2 weeks.  7 games.  Watch out for Tennessee giving Duke all they can handle in the 2nd round.  If Duke gets their frosh PG Kyrie Irving back for the dance, they will waltz through this bracket.  Nobody knows if he will or won’t play.  If he plays he is a great equalizer as he’s predicted to be one of the top 5 picks in the upcoming NBA draft.

The Southwest Region

Kansas will absolutely roughshod the field in this region.  Their only tough game will be the winner of Vandy/UL in the Sweet 16.  We predict UL will beat Vandy but it’s a complete toss up.  The lower half of this region is the most embarrassing seed debacle ever out of the Selection committee.  ND and Purdue as 2 and 3 Seeds is a flat out joke.  ND will be in a life or death struggle vs the Zips of Akron.  Assuming they get by the Zips, the Aggies are too athletic and big and will beat them in Round #2.

We like UK(Huge Homers for the Wildcats) to beat Ohio State in the Sweet 16 assuming they can keep their slim 6-7 man rotation healthy.  We think Syracuse beats UK in the Elite 8 however as their size, length and vicious 2-3 zone is difficult to match up with little time to prepare.

We like UConn to beat Texas in the Western Regional Final.

Kansas waltzes to the Final Four beating Purdue in the Regional Final.

Florida beats Kansas State in the Southeast Regional Final.

We then like UConn beating Syracuse and Kansas beating Florida.  Kansas is the ultimate National Champion beating UConn is a supremely contested National Title game.

MIHWCS

2010 was a challenging year for TMC.

We’re fairly certain many of you also had similar issues both personal and professional.

As we look forward to making 2011 one of our best years yet, we offer all of you ideas which can positively impact your life from many  angles.

If you are able to use yourself or even pass on one of  our suggestions,  we will have given you the ulimate gift.

The gift of happiness and self improvement.

FINANCIAL & YOUR CAREER

• Understand your Credit Score-Things have changed in many valuation scenarios to adjust for the last two years of economic uncertainty.  Know how you stand by checking your current report and looking for any inconsistencies or errors.
• If you’re a Homeowner-appeal your Property Taxes-Again with the recessed real estate market, there is a good chance you can get your taxes reduced with a little bit of effort.
• Get an employee discount-For your cell phone, gym membership and various other products available to you. Ask your HR dept for more information.
• Maintain a professional resume updated monthly-You never know when you might be cut loose or your company goes under.  Be ready and fleet of foot should that day come.
• Reconsider buying a bigger and better house-Property (regardless of what real estate folks say) is no where near bottom. We are years away from stability.  Take advantage of cheap rents or stay put.
• Calendar a “Fiscal Health Week”. During an entire business week, spend 2.5 hours after work checking your insurance policies, filling systems, retirement accounts, wills, stocks, bank statements and credit card balances/award points
• Utilize Comparison and Coupon websites.  Always check the following sites before shopping retail or buying online: Pricegrabber, BradsDeals and Dealnews
• Bank with an institution that doesn’t charge ATM Fees and also offers efficient Mobile Banking-Self explanatory.  Imagine the yearly savings of having every ATM fee added back into your account every month.
• You should have or strive to have 3 Months living expenses saved. If you don’t, draw up a plan on how you’re going to make it happen.
• Develop a “I Lost My Job” backup plan.  Create a laundry list of steps you would take to be prepared in the worst case scenario.
• Sign up for Living Social and Groupon for your city.  You will receive select discounts and deals on all kinds of cool stuff.
• Pay Down Your Debt-Credit Cards and Unsecured Loans should be in your cross hairs.

PERSONAL/RELATIONSHIPS

• Read “The Age of Reason” by Thomas Paine-This is an absolutely sensational tome about Man coming to grips with his place inside the realms of religion.
• Learn more about nutrition-Know what  everything going into your mouth is comprised of-Protein-Fat or Carbohydrate
• Set aside specific time daily where work is not allowed-no work talk, calls or emails.  Turn off your computer and phone.
• Organize your vacations in January.  Travel will be cheaper, you’ll be organized and you’ll give your company adequate notice.
• Prioritize your relationships. Develop deep emotional connections with your spouse and children above all others.
• Read more and read often.  Videos, Music and TV don’t develop and keep your mind sharp as well as reading does.   Reading is the only proven way to raise your intellect and knowledge tank.
• For Married People-19 Must Read Blogs
• Forget 2010. Whether it was the best year on record or a complete disaster, learn from the experience and move on. Live in and focus on the present.
• Focus on the two most important components of your life: Your Health and Your Integrity.  Without one you have neither.
• Clean out your closets and donate to Goodwill.  Dedicate a Saturday in January with your spouse/significant other to get rid of clothing you don’t wear and to eliminate old technology/items collecting dust.

PHYSICAL, ATHLETIC & AESTHETIC IMPROVEMENT

• Take up Yoga-Amazing what kind of workout it is.  It will do wonders for your muscle elasticity and your flexibility.  Give it a try.
• Use a PDA application to track your Exercise and Diet progress-As we’ve said a hundred times over on this site, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.  You can’t get stronger, harder or better looking naked without tracking your progress and steadily trying to improve upon it.
• Monitor the growth of hair on your eyebrows, nose,ears and neck.  Regularly trim these unsightly hairs on an every other week basis to always appear “well groomed”.
• Start training in HIT Style or Incorporate HIT Principles into your workout program. Read more about HIT and the theories of Mike Mentzer, Arthur Jones and others.  Plenty of free information out there and not necessary to buy a book first.
• Learn to Meditate(HIT training will afford you this skill as well)-All of us need to learn how to unplug or disconnect from our overstimulated minds.
• Make sleeping 6 hours a night 6 days a week a priority.  Lack of sleep is a heart disease risk.  Fatigue also reduces your memory and reaction time.  And it ages you quickly.
• Learn to utilize the MED(Minimum Effective Dosage).  In all phases of your nutrition, exercise and supplement protocols.  More is never better regardless of what muscle magazines and ads say.
• Stop doing high rep sets of abdominal training.  To develop your abs, you must train with progressively higher weights and learn to contract your rectus.  If you can do sets with more than 15 reps, you’re training your hip flexors or not utilizing a heavy enough weight/resistance.
• Read Tim Ferris’s 4 Hour Body to gain a better understanding of cheats, tips and hacks to improve your body and your performance.
• Eliminate momentum from your training. Focus on your technique, cadence and maximal muscle fiber contraction and your physique will radically transform.
• Maintain a Modern Haircut. Even if you’re a Baby Boomer, you should invest in a good stylist who can make you appear hip and ‘in fashion’.  You’re never too old to look, feel and APPEAR younger.

TECHNOLOGY

• Buy a portable Hard Drive and back up your computer-The last thing you need is critical data to be lost.
• Download and install the following Apps on your PDA-”Beat the Traffic“, “Instagram/PicSayPro“(iPhone & Android), “Mint.com Personal Finance“, “Shazam“, “Urbanspoon“
• Get rid of your Blackberry, Palm or Windows Mobile Device and get with the Droid or iPhone program now before you are left in the dust.  Nothing else is as robust and dynamic.
• Resist buying an iPad or any PDA Phone until middle of this year.  Why?  4G Baby.  It’s like your first Prodigy/AOL dial up Modem compared to Fiber Optic interweb.  Soon many people will possess faster speed with their mobile devices than their hardwired box at their desks.
• Re-claim your Email Inbox and Snail Mail Box.  Unsubscribe from all the spammers, promotion companies, retailers, newsletters etc.  Go to 41pounds.org and end Junk Snail Mail forever.
• Create a Signature File for all of your email addresses.  For your professional email, consider using a small headshot and you’re Linkedin profile URL in addition to your business identifiers.  For your personal email, list your cell phone and Facebook URL.  Do not underestimate the power of indirectly connecting with social networks while at work or play.
• Read the following sites on a Weekly/Monthly basis to keep abreast of the newest and greatest technology.  Boy Genius, All Things Digital, Cnet, Wired, Crunch Gear, Lifehacker and Engadget
• Consider  Youmail or getting a Google Voice Number to have your voice messages transcribed and sent to your email address.
• Purchase Google TV-It’s one of the greatest technological leap forwards in the last 50 years.  Every day we learn something new when using it.  There is so much amazing material on the interweb.  Google TV allows you to find it and view it in grand style and splendor.
• Purchase an Extended Battery for your New PDA.-With all the new power and processing speed comes increase power demand.  Unfortunately most stock OEM batteries die by mid day for any power user.  Invest in a double capacity battery (found on Ebay and Amazon for cheap) and start enjoying your phone more without having to concern yourself with charging
• Organize your Email Address books-Clean up and eliminate bad or old email addresses still in the memory of Outlook, Google or MacMail.  Categorize family members, co-workers and clients for easy search and retrieval.

There you have it.

Feel free to respond telling us what you think.  If you have something else you believe we should add to the list, please reach out and if we find it worthy we’ll add it in.

We thank you all for continuing to read, view and support out site.  It’s amazing to think how far we’ve come in only two years.

From our Family to yours……….

We can only imagine how many other good people and families are suffering from all of the disinformation and chaos when trying to gain proper advice on what to do relative to your situation.

It’s eminently clear there has been outright and blatant fraud perpetrated by the Banksters and MERS.

We are compelled to link to this site so more people “potentially have another option” in lieu of foreclosure or short sale.

Where’s the Note

Whether you are facing foreclosure, have an underwater mortgage, or are just a concerned homeowner, it’s important that you contact your bank and demand to see the original note on your mortgage

We ask you to also spread the word by linking to this site on your Facebook page or just emailing to your friends, contacts and family.

Knowledge is power!

Good Luck!

MIHWCS

We felt compelled to specifically link to his article especially in light of the declining economy. (It was written close to a year ago)

Directions toward a career in fitness – part 1 | Alan Aragon\’s Blog.

Directions toward a career in fitness – part 2 | Alan Aragon\’s Blog.

Directions toward a career in fitness – part 3 | Alan Aragon\’s Blog.

If any of you are considering a career change or just want to make Health and Fitness more than a personal passion, you owe it to yourself to read these articles.

They are packed with information and wisdom.

Alan is gifted at not only telling you your options, but ornate with the details.

Enjoy!

MIHWCS

But we’re not just “niched” into the realms of HEALTH, FITNESS and FAMILY LIFE.

Our goal with LINKS HAPPEN is to give you some insight into our “minds eye”.

Every Thursday we’ll be offering you links to the most eye-opening, informative and sometimes esoteric bits of information we think are worthy of your attention.

Without further adieu, here is TMC’s first rendition.

Some really good info found in here:

The Newest Findings and Strategies for Fitness Enthusiasts from the 2010 ACSM Annual Meeting

Hell hath truly frozen over?

New TV Series marks advance for fat acceptance in Hollywood

From One of the top Five Most Recognized people on the planet, to the lowest rated Gov in CA History in 6 years?

Schwarzenegger Has Lowest Approval for Governor in 50 Years

For anybody interested in the real and ongoing cause of the “Financial Collapse” of 2008, this is the best analysis we’ve seen to date

The Financial Con Of The Decade Explained So Simply Even A Congressman Will Get It

A fascinating article and major shout out to habitual coffee and thermogenic users.

What Caffeine Actually Does to Your Brain.

We hope you enjoy!

MIHWCS

We’ve categorized everything by Topic on the front page of the site below the masthead to the right.

Just pull down the Drop Down Menu and search away.

Here are some links from postings earlier this year we thought offered “something else”.

“Living In The Moment”

What Matters In Life

Overcoming Economic Doldrums

Performance Enhancement in Sports and Society

Check em out!

MIHWCS

Should you Buy or Lease Your New Car?

Always Utilize the 12 Golden Rules When Buying a New Car!

It’s been debated ad infinitum by people from all walks of life.  There are many angles and even more differing points of view.  We’d like to discuss the best option relative to your own personal situation.  There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to deciding on how to acquire a new or used vehicle.  But there are some powerful guiding rules anyone can use in effectively negotiating the transaction.

The Muscle Couple is offering a “cheat-sheet” to  use whenever you enter into a car transaction over the course of your life.  We would hope you familiarize yourself with these “12 Rules” and allow them to be the basis of your negotiating strategy.

Rule 1-Buying a Brand New Car is a TERRIBLE INVESTMENT. If the goal of investing is ROI, purchasing a New Car is a dead loser.  Driving off the lot with a Brand New Car depreciates it’s value by more than 20% instantly.  In today’s economy where gas prices fluctuate dramatically, cars can depreciate by more than 50% in less than 18 months.  A car is a 24-7-365 Depreciating asset. Understand this always.

Rule 2-The Smartest Way to Buy a Car is to purchase less than a year old and avoid the Depreciation. Understanding rule #1, you will avoid 35% of the total depreciation on a car assuming a 5 year ownership life cycle.

Rule 3-The “Cheapest Way” to Acquire a New Car every 2-3 Years is to Lease.(Assuming you have Credit worthy of the Lease Program)-Many people are confused and brainwashed into believing Leasing is a bad idea due to lack of equity(Ownership)in the car.  It’s actually simple math.  Most New Cars today come with Free Maintenance and Warranties up to 60k.  Leasing a car over a normal 3 year term will give you anywhere from 36-45k miles per year of hassle and worry free maintenance.  The cost of the lease is only the Acquisition Fee+Monthly Payment x Term +Taxes. If you compare a 3 year lease versus a 3 year ownership program it will 9x out of 10 be cheaper “all in” to lease then it will be to own.  And most importantly should you take care of the car and return it in good condition, you can move right into a new car without the hassle of being stuck with the depreciation if you owned it.

Rule-4-NEVER-EVER Enter into a Car Negotiation without Doing Your Homework Online. Anybody with a computer can research their entire car transaction from start to finish online.  You can pick every option, and configure the financing-fees and monthly payment of the car of your dreams before ever setting foot in the place of transaction.  There should never be any reason that your trip to a dealership is painful.  There are a Hundred sites you can get valuable information from before starting your transaction.

Rule-5-Always Know Your Composite Credit Score before beginning any negotiation with a Dealer or Lender. If you don’t know your credit score/worthiness, you are a sucker and you are asking to be taken to the cleaner upon trying to negotiate.

Rule-6-Research the Financing Programs-Rebates and Discounts offered by the OEM/Seller.  More of Rule #4.  Due to the depressed Car Economy, there has never been a better time for incredible discounts and incentives from the car Manufacturers.

Rule-7-If you absolutely must Test Drive a Car due to an impulse moment like driving by a Dealership and seeing a new BAD ASS SLED, tell the Dealer/Sales Person exactly this: “I WANT YOU TO KNOW I’M NOT BUYING THE CAR TODAY, EVEN IF YOU GAVE IT TO ME FOR FREE”.

Rule-8-If you are planning on trading in your Car as a downpayment on a newer one, for Zod sakes, research your cars Trade In Value first on the following sites www.kbb.com, www.edmunds.com, www.nadaguides.com. Take the lowest “wholesale price” and subtract $2k from that number and realize that’s what the Dealer is likely to give you as the value for your vehicle. Use this cost as leverage in your transaction. <IMPORTANT NOTE>You will always get more money for your current car if you sell it to a PRIVATE PARTY than you ever would from a dealer/wholesaler.

Rule-9-ALWAYS KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOUR “ALL IN” OUT OF POCKET DOWNPAYMENT IS before considering any transaction.  Ex.  $3k is your Maximum Downpayment.  Have the Dealer/Lender quote you programs offered to you in writing(both Lease and Purchase) that shows your payment options with all the math and terms fully transparent.  Never spend more out of pocket than this number.

Rule-10-Never Lease a Car Longer than 36-39 Months. The math can get technical when trying to understand Bank Rates-Moneyfactors and Residual Values.  Just know that a normal Leased Car has about 45k miles of life expectancy before repair cost dramatically increases.

Rule-11-If You Do to Decide to BUY A NEW CAR and FINANCE IT OVER 5 YEARS, make sure you know you will drive the car for as long as it takes to put yourself into an equity position. This will vary based on a number of factors but remember depreciation is greatest in year one.  For most 5 year financing plans, you should be about equal to your remaining financed balance 4 years into the term.(assuming no accidents and the car is taken care of-It’s Our Opinion that you shouldn’t finance a car purchase for longer than 5 years due to Warranty Expiration and Repair Costs)

Rule-12-Contact Jay when in doubt over any of this and ask him for his professional opinion relative to your individual situation.

Acquiring a new car can be a very daunting and stressful task.  Don’t let it be.  Be informed and master these rules before starting your shopping.

If you use these rules as “guiding principles” when initiating and  negotiating your transaction -you will ensure the entire process is smooth and as stress free as possible.

Good luck!

MIHWCS

We don’t mess around when it comes to understanding and reading about Finance.  We’ve been BURNED recently and we want to make sure our loyal friends-family and followers don’t follow the same path.  

We’ve seen many people struggle in this Herculean Economic Disaster otherwise known as the 2008-2009 Recession. (It’s really a deepening depression but you won’t get that from the Filtered American Media)

The Muscle Couple is 99.99999999999% convinced if you do these 6 things, you will maintain your footing financially and very likely position yourself well if/when the Global economy recovers.

Without further adieu:

• Make sure you are on track to saving 15x your desired annual retirement income.   This can mean different things to different people.  The best way to estimate this is your highest earned income bracket(or imagined one based on your current/potential career earnings).  So if you make 100k at the peak of your earnings career, you’ll want 1.5 Million stowed away in an investment vehicle that beats inflation.
• Ensure only 30% of any of your Credit Lines is maximally owed at any one time.  So if your Amex has a 50k Credit line, you should never owe more than $15k on the card for more than a month.  Having credit cards and lines of credit is becoming a game.  Learn how to beat the Lenders and Creditors at their own game so they don’t cancel your card or dramatically reduce your credit line.
• Your primary residence housing cost is no more than 27% of your monthly gross income.  If your mortgage is more, you’re living above your means.  In the event you lose your primary source of income ie your job, you’ve got big problems.  If you are currently in this situation, look to refinance, downsize or both.
• Ensure only 9-13% of your gross income is spent on recurring non optional debt like Auto Loans.  If you are spending more, sell your car or trade down ASAP.
• If you have children, make sure you are on track thru a 529 Plan to save a 1/3rd of the total cost of college.  A good 529 plan should be able to net you a 5% to 10% annual return.  If you continue to invest regularly over their 18 years before they enter college, you should get you close enough to finance most of their college tuition.

There are plenty of other things you can do but we figured these were the least commonly understood and ultimately the most important in your Big Picture.

Call your Financial Advisor/Investment Guru and instruct them to begin developing a plan to ensure the above 5 steps are met.  And if you have none of those people, do it yourself pronto.

You will be happier and more secure for it.

Good luck!

MIHWCS

I haven’t seen anything better or in an easier to understand fashion explaining the current credit/financial crisis.  

This should be required viewing for the world.   Please pass this on to your friends and family.

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.788653&w=425&h=350&fv=clip_id%3D3261363%26server%3Dvimeo.com%26autoplay%3D0%26fullscreen%3D1%26md5%3D0%26show_portrait%3D0%26show_title%3D0%26show_byline%3D0%26context%3Duser%3A606565%26context_id%3D%26force_embed%3D0%26multimoog%3D%26color%3D00ADEF%26force_info%3Dundefined]