Christine Emmick

This is a great article by my business partner, Mary Smith, about a local real estate investor in the Pittsburgh area...Enjoy!

Mary B. Smith - Pittsburgh, PA -January 19, 2009

In today's unstable economic climate, it is more important than ever to take hold of one's own future. With unemployment rates rising and investment in the stock market producing less than favorable results, real estate continues to be a sound investment for the future. It opens opportunities for financial success to anyone with the right knowledge and a small amount of determination.

Jim Toner knows this fact well, going from rags to riches while building his own success through real estate investments. Twenty years ago, Toner lived in a one-room apartment furnished with plastic lawn furniture. Today, he resides in a beautiful home with his wife and two children and can easily afford luxury cars and vacations. Even more important than the luxury comforts is the peace of mind that comes with financial stability, a peace of mind that everyone strives to achieve.

Toner helps others gain that kind of personal freedom and financial security by helping those less fortunate through his involvement in community assistance programs and sharing his knowledge and experience in real estate. Toner, who was born and raised in Pittsburgh, feels a strong sense of responsibility to give back to the community. "It is my opinion that any part of a successful life must include helping others," says Toner, "this is why we make it a point to stay actively involved in community, national and international outreach services." Toner achieves this goal by donating his time as head of the advisory board for the McKeesport branch Salvation Army. In addition, Toner acts as a board member of Frank McKinney's Caring House Project Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps the poor all over the world by providing shelter, food, water and even medical support. Toner and the team at Wealth Builders decided to go the extra mile to help people in need within their own community by founding the Hope Lives Foundation. This non-profit organization focuses on providing hope and basic needs to people that have slipped through the cracks of other charitable organizations and have nowhere else to go. The Hope Lives Foundation provides housing, food, clothing and monetary help with utility bills and security deposits. Hope Lives attempts to help anyone who has a desperate need that no one else can help.

Besides helping those in need, Toner also strives to help fellow community members achieve their financial goals by offering the benefits of his 20 years of experience in real estate. He shares these useful tools and insight through seminars and workshops. He also has the assistance of a complete team of local people who know how to avoid the risks and pitfalls when making a real estate investment. The Wealth Builders team is made up of local investors, familiar with the Pittsburgh real estate market, that assist and support local investors as they launch their own real estate investment business.

The Wealth Builders team is sponsoring a free seminar, complete with free beverages and appetizers. The seminar will cover all the basics of "flip" investing, rental real estate and more. This event will be held at Dave & Buster's Restaurant at the Waterfront in Homestead, PA on Saturday, January 31 at 12 noon. To register for this free event, call 412-673-9800 or go to the website, www.jimtonerswealthbuilders.com. Registration is required as space is limited.

Mary Smith is a freelance writer and aspiring author.

Everyone loves free food, right? How about if you got great real estate investing advice to boot? :)
This is the copy for an event happening on Saturday the 31st. I've been to one of these seminars and it is definitely worth the time invested. Here are the details...

Wealth Builders is sponsoring a free seminar, complete with free beverages and appetizers. The Wealth Builders team is made up of local investors that assist and support local investors as they launch their own real estate investment business. The seminar will cover all the basics of "flip" investing, rental real estate and more. This event will be held at Dave & Buster's Restaurant at the Waterfront in Homestead, PA on Saturday, January 31 at 12 noon. To register for this free event, call 412-673-9800 or go to the website, www.jimtonerswealthbuilders.com. Registration is required as space is limited.

Who says there is no such thing as a free lunch. :) Hope to see you there!

By Christine Emmick

Poor Twinkie snack cake, you've been given a bad wrap

Your contents has made Whole Foods gasp

Preservatives and transfats galore

No wonder you've been left lonely in the store

It's time to renew our health

Leave your box of cellophane covered treats on the shelf

The clock is spinning, there's not much time

Here's to your demise in 2009!

Copyright 2009 Christine Emmick May only be reprinted with copyright statement and authorship intact.

Christine Emmick - Pittsburgh, PA -January 5, 2009

Although the economic storm of recent months has many investors holding tight to their stocks praying the DJIA recovers, some are taking this financial tornado and riding it out in the housing market. While real estate investments have taken a dive in other parts of the country, Pittsburgh continues to be an attractive place to purchase real estate. The Pittsburgh Business Times even reported a global interest in the Pittsburgh region with the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance hosting a group of international investors touring Pittsburgh looking for investment opportunities. "That kind of investment is very good for our region because it creates business activity and jobs here," says Allegheny Conference CEO Mike Langley. (Ref: http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2008/04/07/daily5.html)

These opportunities aren't limited to the large overseas investor. Small business investors can take advantage of the Pittsburgh real estate market with a little know how. A quick look through the real estate property listings will reveal hundreds of attractive investment opportunities for those searching for the right prospect. Jim Toner, real estate investor and owner of Wealth Builders, helps people get started. He says that the local investor may have the edge when it comes to the local market because if you live and work in a community, you'll simply know the climate better. "I believe that only local people, real investors, can know and understand what makes local real estate investing work," says Toner.

To that end, Toner and his group of experienced real estate investors have created a free seminar to help local investors own some of the community in which they live. This seminar will be held in three area locations in January. They will cover real estate investing basics, property value tips, case studies and business strategies to help the beginning investor start their real estate investing career.

These seminars will be in Greensburg at the Four Points Sheraton, January 13, 2009 at 7:00 p.m., in Greentree at the Radisson, January 14, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. and in Cranberry at the Pittsburgh Marriott North, January 15, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. If you have any questions, or want to register for any of these upcoming business seminars, please call 412-673-9800, or visit the Wealth Builders' website at www.jimtonerswealthbuilders.com. Registration is required, as seating is limited.

Christine Emmick is a freelance business writer and Pittsburgh area native.

Christine Emmick - Pittsburgh, PA -January 2, 2009

It's no secret that life is tough on single Moms. Single Mothers have the least amount of resources and because of their financial status, and many would never consider starting their own business. According to three decades of research conducted by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics "Single mothers have the lowest level of adjusted income and consumption of any households examined." (Ref:http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2005/may/wk3/art02.htm)

Connie Valadares, owner of Vita Hair for Life in Sewickley, shattered that statistic by joining forces with Melanie Ansell. Ansell's company, Business Builders, specializes in helping would-be entrepreneurs become successful business owners. "I didn't have a retirement plan, unless I was going to braid hair on the beach when I was eighty," says Valadares.

She was an unemployed single mother of two when Business Builders founder Melanie Ansell helped her see the opportunity. It's not as simple as printing up some business cards and placing an ad in the business yellow pages. For any entrepreneur to be successful a comprehensive business plan is required. Without the right plan, a business would never get a business loan, and most single mothers are too busy working to dedicate the time to develop that plan. Ansell helped Valadares develop a plan that would work for her. "She showed me (the numbers) and I was like, ‘Wow, I think I can do this!'"

Some female entrepreneurs will find special women business grants and other types of small business grants, as well as the traditional SBA loans, but it helps to have a banking expert in your network to navigate the financial waters. Ansell developed Business Builders to just that, help entrepreneurs make their dream a reality with the necessary business plan, financial strategy and marketing approach for their vision.

Business Builders is providing pertinent financial information, credit history improvement tips and marketing strategies to help business owners get the financing they need in an upcoming free seminar. January 8, 2009, from 7 to 10 p.m., Business Builders will be at Dave and Busters Restaurant at the Waterfront in Homestead. Appetizers will be provided and seating is limited and registration is required. For more information or to register for the free seminar, call Derek Banas at 412-848-3229 or just visit the Business Builders website at www.mybusinessbuilders.net.

Christine Emmick is a freelance business writer and a Pittsburgh area native.