Hello Underground Investors,

For those of you who know me, I normally don’t do things like this… but this is such a great laugh I had to share. Take a moment to watch the video below (its 3:30 long) and then read the rest of this post.

Being an all around, “help others out” type of guy, I thought I would use a video distribution service called TubeMogul to quickly distribute this video to a few (5) video hosting sites.

I have used them before for one other video; however, I generally use TrafficGeyser (even though they are a paid service and TubeMogul is free, you will find out why in a moment).

Let me back up for a moment and tell you how this all began…

Last night I was having a conversation with some folks at twitter.com and Scott Stratten’s name came up (twitter.com/unmarketing). Anyway, I didn’t know Scott so I went and checked out his site… www.un-marketing.com.

Scott is a video production specialist and I got inspired by watching some of the videos he produced. Being an impulsive perfectionist ( if you read MERCATO you know what I mean), I sat down and created the video you watched above.

No where near the quality of Scott’s work; however, I liked it.

Once the video was completed, I wanted to send it to Scott to get his professional opinion (Scott said, and I quote… “I like it :-)”. Yes, he actually put the smiley face in his response).

Normally for something like this I would have uploaded it to Google and kept it private.

Guess what? Google won’t let us upload videos anymore. So I knew I was going to have to go to Youtube. Since I have to upload it and make it public… why not “share the love” and upload it to other video-sharing sites as well?

Sounds like a plan, only I didn’t want to use TrafficGeyser for this (long story); I remembered a friend telling me about TubeMogul and I thought: Here is a chance to give them a try.

So I head over to TM, register a free account, plug in my account details for a few video-sharing sites, hit “submit”, and boom! Away the video goes.

A few minutes later I get an email saying… “Your TubeMogul Upload has Completed”. Well, that was painless… I kind of like this service… UNTIL…

I GET THIS EMAIL

Subject Line: Tubemogul Account Disabled

Body of Email:

Dear TubeMogul user,

Your account is suspended for violating our policy regarding “spam.” For reference, here is a link to our terms of service:

http://www.tubemogul.com/about/ts_and_cs.php

Think we made a mistake? Feel free to contact us by replying to this email.

Thanks,

The TubeMogul Team

Email End

I Got ACCUSED OF SPAM… SPAM… That is so freakin’ funny, I had to share. Yes, Dorothy, we are not in Kansas anymore. TubeMogul has suspended my account and basically tried to take away my 1st amendment right to free speech.

Needless to say I will not print my response to TubeMogul, but I will allow the folks who follow me (and the power of twitter) to spread the message…

I am no longer allowed to Use TUBEMOGUL to market my business because I am a “spammer”.

So here is my official plug for TrafficGeyser.com If you need a good video distribution program that won’t censor you or violate your 1st amendment right to free speech, go check them out.

See you underground,

Jimmy - The DartThrow Trader

“I need a list of REO companies”, that’s what he said. I replied, “Just having a list of REO companies is not going to make you any money, what do you intend to do with them once you have them? “That is a outstanding question”, he replied. “I was hoping you could assist me with that”

Acquiring a list of REO’s is an important step in investing in” Real Estate Owned”. Nevertheless, before we get too crazy lets talk about some important thoughts about the REO market.

One of the first steps in investing in REO’s is simply understanding what an REO is. REO is an acronym for Real Estate Owned. An REO is a property that has been previously foreclosed on and is now in possession of a bank or other lending institution.

Many investors choose to pursue the REO arena simply because of the abundance of properties available and the potentially hassle-free opportunity it provides. Each bank or lending institution has its own guidelines for purchasing an REO property and these guidelines will need to be followed in order to aquire the best property for your investing situation.

Obtaining a list of REO homes is the first step in the purchase of REO properties. Because of the current economic climate that we find ourselves in, it is becoming increasingly easier to obtain a list of REO inventory from most lenders.

Performing an inspection of the properties on your list will be the next course of action you will want to pursue. One of the most overlooked, yet, important points of REO investing is to remember that REO homes are sold “as is”.

Sometimes finding an investment quality REO property can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack because REO homes are sold “as is”. It is for this reason that the words “I need a list of REO companies” was said. It wasn’t that they wanted a list of REO companies but a list of REO homes that had been pre-screened for investment purposes.

Most REO investors believe that finding a list of this type will be quite difficult, Nevertheless, it may not be as difficult as you may think In Point Of Fact many banks are now providing these types of listings simply because of the overwhelming inventory they find themselves needing to dispose of.

Many banks are now grading their REO houses in order to sell them to various levels of investors. For instance, highest-valued “A”grade properties are typically sold at the local level by realtors at or near market value.The next “value level”, “B” grade properties, are typically sold to investors with more experience, usually at sealed bid or other special auctions. The “C” grade properties are sold as well: they get packaged in bulk for the sake of efficiency and sold to private individuals, groups of investors, hedge funds, etc.

Whether you are a beginning investor looking to break into a lucrative market or an accredited investor looking to expand your portofolio we would like to help narrow your search by providing a list of some of the best holders of REO properties in the U.S.

If you find yourself saying “I need a list of REO companies” we would invite you to simply scroll down this article where you will find a list of financial institutions and links to their REO property portfolios and information.

AmSouth Bank  

Bank Of America

Beal Bank

BB&T

Citibank

Compass Bank

Countrywide Home Loans

Downey Savings

Fannie Mae

FDIC

Fidelity National Financial

First National Bank of Alaska

First Preston

Freddie Mac

Fremont Investment & Loan

GMAC

GRP Financial (Sallie Mae)

HMB

Home Loan Bank

HSBC

HSBC Commercial

HUD

Indy Mac Bank

Integrated Asset Services

JP Morgan Chase Bank

Kennedy Funding

Kentucky Housing Corporation

Keystone Asset Management

Lenders Asset Management

Lexington State Bank

M&T Bank

Mortgage Lenders Network

National Bank of Arizona

New South Federal Savings Bank

Ocwen Financial

PNC Bank

People’s Bank

Premiere Asset Services

(Wells Fargo)

Private Financial Services (Bank of OK)

Regions Bank

REO Nationwide

REO Trans

Security National

Small Business Administration (SBA)

Texas State Bank

T R.E.O

U.S. Department of Agriculture

U.S. Government Home Sales

Unity Bank

US Bank

Virginia Housing Development

Wells Fargo Commercial

Western Bank

Wilshire Credit Corp.

Zions Bank

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Should I choose an LLC Registration or Corporate Registration for my Business?

According to the SBA, Office of Advocacy, there were an estimated 27 million businesses in the United States in 2007. Six million companies had workers and 20 million companies did not according to 2005 census data. According to the small business administration there were approximately 17,000 businesses employing more than 500 workers. This represents less than 1% of the calculated 27 million businesses in the US.

Starting out small is the beginning for most companies. In the beginning, data reveals that 82% of the small businesses are financed by individual loans or savings and loans from friends and relatives. Hence, when these businesses begin to grow and thrive, it is imperative that more financing becomes available from banks and public sector institutions. Moreover, the owners’ liabilities have to be reduced to decrease personal and business risk.

Before beginning a business one should consider a checklist that might look something like this: select a tax year (fiscal year), determine on an appropriate business structure and select an accounting method that works for your particular industry. incorporating your business becomes unavoidable if you choose a corporate or LLC Registration. Either of these requires mandatory filing with state agencies. If you select to structure your business as a sole proprietorship or partnership, registration may not be necessary and business activities could commence immediately. The more formal your corporate structure or LLC Registration is the more you must be prepared to invest in legal and accounting advice.

Incorporation is a fairly simple procedure, although each state calls for their own particular paperwork that must be filed with the secretary of state. One of the most frequent ways to start the incorporation process is to contract the services of an incorporating agency. Most of these incorporating agencies will handle the task of preparing and filing the unavoidable paperwork in whichever state you pick out to incorporate your business. Choosing a corporate friendly state, like Nevada or Delaware, may be a route you would choose to take, if your business is open to incorporate in a state in which you do not reside.

I know what some of you are thinking what does Kathy Ireland have to do with the UIN? To be honest, a lot more than you might think.

I met Kathy today and I can honestly say she is the epitome of grace. I have met many celebrities over the years, although Kathy will argue that she is not one, and most have at least tolerated the fans they interact with.

Kathy, however, engaged in a conversation with myself and others deep into the early morning today. It was this conversation that inspired me to write this post.

The UIN is all about relationships. It is about connections and authenticity. Kathy is all of these things plus she rang the closing bell on the NYSE on Thursday, April 09, 2009 (and if that doesn’t qualify her to get a mention at the UIN, nothing will).

So in honor of my new friend I would encourage each of you to support Kathy and her mission by purchasing her new book Real Solutions For Busy Moms.  (I just bought a copy for my wife, now the trick is to get Kathy to sign it for her.) This book will make a great mothers day gift… Dads, Step Up.

And Visit her site KathyIreland.com for more information about her and all the great work she does.

We need more people like her in this world.  Thank you Kathy and may God bless you beyond measure.