In a world where panic and fear have replaced common sense and rational reasoning… I’m here to tell you that everything is going to be alright. I’m referring to the craziness of the 2020 worldwide coronavirus pandemic. 99.9% of us are surviving the coronavirus scare and we still haven’t had to turn to cannibalism for sustenance.
Honestly – the whole economic shutdown thing has lasted longer than I thought (or hoped) it would. But, it appears that everything is going to be okay – eventually. The U.S. stock market crashed pretty hard in mid March, 2020 – but has since rebounded, part of the way back, quite nicely.
As a trucker, I haven’t missed a single day of work. I guess I’m one of the lucky ‘essential’ workers. I gotta say… it’s been an absolute joy out there on the roads during this whole pandemic. Most office people have been working from home – meaning they haven’t been commuting to work and clogging up the roads. Many businesses have been closed – so people have nothing to do – so they just stay home. Less traffic on the roads. I’m telling you – it’s been like a dream come true out there on the roads, these past 2 months or so.
Slowly but surely, businesses are starting to open again and more and more people are venturing away from their homes. I’m guessing their toilet paper supply is starting to run low so they’re out scavenging for more.
The Featured Image
The picture above was taken from inside my Ford F-150 as I was going through the carwash. This particular day was VERY exciting for me. You see… I am one of these people who is obsessed with keeping my truck sparkling clean (at least on the outside). I have one of those monthly subscription plans for unlimited carwashes and I take full advantage. But… on the day this picture was taken – this was my first time going through the carwash in about 5 or 6 weeks!
I live in Michigan and our state has seen some of the strictest (from what I hear) shutdown rules, as directed by our governor, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. When carwashes were finally allowed to open up – I was there as soon as I possibly could be! My truck actually survived the 5 or 6 weeks without a proper wash. Special shout out to mother nature for providing some free washes during the shutdown! 🙂
Matt’s Dumb Ass Weekend Update
What month is it now? May? Yeah… it’s starting to get uncomfortably warm outside – so it must be May.
My family owns a second home about an hour north of our main residence here in Michigan. We call our place, ‘the shack’. We’ve been spending nearly every single weekend, these past two months, at ‘the shack’. The home was in dire need of some improvements and so we’ve been taking it upon ourselves to do some DIY home improvement projects.
We replaced all of the windows, replaced deck boards on the deck out back, added soffit and fascia where there was originally hillbilly plywood instead, and we’re nailing up vinyl siding on top of the old wood siding. The place is starting to look quite nice!
The Words Written in Red
One day, Jesus cursed a fig tree because he was hungry and it didn’t have any fruit. The next day, his disciples noticed that the tree had completely withered from the roots up. They had heard Jesus curse the tree the day before. In his explanation to them – Jesus describes how powerful prayer can be when combined with true belief.
I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.
Mark 11:24 (NLT)
Well… This is a ‘Passive Income’ Blog
I like to Google various terms related to ‘passive income’ to spark ideas to write in this section. Today, I found a post about “how not to get super-rich: the passive income scam.” Within the post, the author revealed some eye-opening facts about the richest 1% of people in the U.S….and how they got there. According to a recent SmartMoney report of The Harrison Group’s latest wealth survey:
- The number of pentamillionaires, people worth more than $5 million dollars (excluding home value), in the U.S. has quadrupled in 10 years to 930,000.
- Only 10% inherited their wealth.
- 70% of big-family fortunes are less than 13 years old…it’s mostly new money created by entrepreneurs.
- 80% started their own businesses or worked for a small-business that exploded.
- Most did not accumulate the bulk of their fortunes over time, but rather in a fairly short burst after years of hard work.
- Most of this new money is generated by risk-takers for whom “wealth is a byproduct of pursuing their passion.”
- For most, money was not much of a motivator. Solving a problem or improving on something that existed was.
- Only 10% of their wealth was attributed to passive investments.
Note: these stats are likely outdated – as the original post was written in 2007 – but still very interesting and revealing.
Sorry, the link to the original post no longer exists so you can’t read it in full.
I can totally relate. I started this very ‘passive income’ blog almost exactly 8 years ago! It was May of 2012 when I originally purchased the domain and started blogging about my own passive income adventures. Well… 8 years later and I’m still not super-rich from my efforts.
Maybe it’s because I’m a dumbass. Yeah, I’m sure that’s it. But I’m also pretty sure that many (if not most) other people out there who strive for passive income wealth are just like me. We keep trying and trying and trying – but as it turns out, it’s not that easy!
I Can’t Stop Buying Stuff on Amazon
One of my ‘essential’ tools that I’ve been using while we work on DIY projects at ‘the shack’ – is my Bose Bluetooth speaker. This thing is AWESOME!! I actually purchased this via Amazon last summer because I wanted a good Bluetooth speaker to bring along on our family trips to the beach. When you’re doing home improvement projects – you gotta have your favorite music blaring in the background. We typically use the YouTube Music app along with this awesome Bose Bluetooth speaker.
[amalinkspro type=”showcase” asin=”B01HETFQKS” apilink=”https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HETFQKS?tag=&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1″ new-window=”true” addtocart=”false” nofollow=”true” sc-id=”4″ imgs=”LargeImage” link-imgs=”false” specs=”Innovative Bose technology packs bold sound into a small, water resistant speaker~~~Built-in mic for speakerphone to take clear conference or personal calls out loud with a wireless range of approximately 30 feet.~~~Rugged, with a soft touch silicone exterior that makes it easy to pick up and go~~~Voice prompts talk you through Bluetooth pairing so it’s easier than ever or even quick-pair with NFC devices~~~Lithium-ion battery lets you enjoy up to 8 hours of play time, rechargeable with USB power sources~~~Wireless Bluetooth pairing with voice prompts allows you to easily take calls and access your phone’s virtual assistant — hands free~~~Pair two SoundLink speakers together for party mode or stereo mode or use Bose SimpleSync technology to pair with a member of the Bose Smart Home Family to play in sync~~~” btn-color=”#ff9900″ btn-text=”Buy on Amazon” alignment=”aligncenter” hide-prime=”0″ hide-image=”0″ hide-reviews=”0″ hide-price=”0″ hide-button=”0″ width=”750″]Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II – Soft Black[/amalinkspro]
I love this Bose Bluetooth speaker! It has amazing sound and it’s built for rugged durability. This is easily one of my favorite Amazon purchases that I’ve made within the last year.
A Day In the Life of an Internet Marketer
Here is a typical day for me when it is the weekend and my family is up north at ‘the shack.’ In fact, this is the case at this very moment! I’m sitting at the kitchen table typing away on my laptop on this fine Saturday morning. Here is what my ‘office’ setup looks like at our little ole shack in up north Michigan…
We usually stay up kind of late on weekends. Kids are playing video games or board games or whatever. Adults are drinking adult beverages (I’m a beer guy) and maybe listening to music or possibly playing games with the kids. The rest of my family likes to sleep in on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Not me! This is my time to shine. This is when the magic happens.
Early mornings when everybody else is still asleep is when I get most of my internet marketing in. Sure, I stay up just as late or later than everybody else – I just don’t like to sleep! To me, sleep is a necessary evil. I’d rather be awake, getting things done. I typically get several hours, of internet marketing time, on mornings on the weekends.
After awhile, everybody else awakens and we have breakfast and then we go about our day. I might get on my laptop just briefly throughout the day if I need to check on anything – but, for the most part, I hardly touch it again until the next morning.
Products You Want but Probably Don’t Need
I’m talking about the Lightning Deals section on Amazon! I peruse this page from time to time. You just never know what you’re going to find. One deal that caught my eye today was this set of whiskey stones and glasses which was selling, at a lightning deal price, for 50% off the list price!
By the time you see this post – I’m sure it will be back to normal price. But I just wanted to show you one example of the kind of cool stuff you can find in the Lightning Deals section on Amazon. Some of the deals are REALLY good – but they are always for a limited-time only. Click the button below to check out the current Lightning Deals on Amazon.
[amalinkspro type=”cta-btn-css” ctabtn-id=”0″ asin=”1612680194″ apilink=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/ref=gbps_ftr_s-5_0f49_dlt_LD?gb_f_deals1=dealTypes:LIGHTNING_DEAL,sortOrder:BY_SCORE,dealStates:AVAILABLE%252CWAITLIST%252CWAITLISTFULL%252CEXPIRED%252CSOLDOUT%252CUPCOMING,includedAccessTypes:GIVEAWAY_DEAL&pf_rd_p=56beed47-26cb-401c-95f5-738a157f0f49&pf_rd_s=slot-5&pf_rd_t=701&pf_rd_i=gb_main&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=XMR426QYZSVJTFRTRY3C&ie=UTF8&_encoding=UTF8&tag=&linkCode=ur2&linkId=b70ce3200e54dc5a0c91b2044e4fd322&camp=1789&creative=9325″ addtocart=”false” new-window=”true” nofollow=”true” alignment=”aligncenter”]Lightning Deals on Amazon[/amalinkspro]
McDonald’s – I’m Lovin’ It!
In this section, I usually talk about my love for McDonald’s, stemming from the story of it’s founding – and maybe I detail one of my recent experiences at McDonald’s. Today, I’m going to try something a little bit different.
Since we’re in the middle of this coronavirus shutdown – and here in Michigan, restaurants are STILL closed up for dine-in experiences. I wondered how McDonald’s was affected, since a very large portion of their business in ‘normal’ times is serving food thru the drive-thru window, which is still allowed in Michigan and most other places.
I took a look at the McDonald’s Corporation stock chart for the past year. The stock plummeted in mid-March, just like most other stocks. But has since rebounded quite nicely! Check it out…
I Heard It on a Podcast
Believe it or not – I heard myself on a podcast! No – not just a mention of myself, but my actual voice. In this rare occasion, I sat down (virtually) with Doug Cunnington and we had a beer and we discussed my internet marketing ventures over the past many years and what I’ve been up to now.
CLICK HERE to access my interview on The Doug Show – or lookup The Doug Show (with Doug Cunnington) on your favorite podcast app and look for episode 129.
Products That Don’t Compare
Inspired by the random whiskey stone and glass set that I found in the Lightning Deals today – I quickly created this comparison table for products that don’t compare! Lol. I mean… there are all different types. Some people like different drinks – so, there’s something here for everyone! And now I kind of want those beer glasses that I found while creating this table. They’re freezable to keep your beer colder for longer.
Drinking Glasses
CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO LEARN MORE
[amalinkspro_table id=”8052″ aff-id=”undefined” new-window=”on” nofollow=”on” addtocart=”off” /]
If I Had a Billion Dollars
I would probably buy this Rolex watch just because… This is really quite an amazing story about how this guy acquired this Rolex watch and how much it is worth today!
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9Y4bmbh1KY[/embedyt]
CLICK HERE to watch this video on YouTube
Fortnite, Fortnite – Let’s Go!
I am EXTREMELY proud to report that I FINALLY got my first solo win in Fortnite!! It happened maybe a little over a month ago. I was playing on my son’s Nintendo Switch. I was having a pretty good night that night. My son, Ethan, witnessed my first ever win in Fortnite!
I had been playing a little bit, here and there, as a way to spend some quality time with my sons. But I’m an old guy – in my early 40’s – and I’m just not very good at the game. I like to stake the claim that I am probably one of the better ‘dads’ who play Fortnite. Meaning, I think I might be slightly better than most other dads. But I’ve never been close to good enough to actually get a win.
Normally, I run around in the game and collect loot and try to avoid other players so I don’t get killed too early. But on this night, I actually killed a few other players and got down to the end where it was just me against one other guy (1 v 1). I spotted him across the landscape and started firing away. Low and behold – I got the final kill! I yelled – LET’S GO!!!! – as loud as I could. Because, you know… that is what people yell when they get wins in Fortnite.
It was an epic night for me. I honestly thought that I would likely never get a win. Maybe it was luck. But it did happen and now I can forever say that I got an actual win in Fortnite.
AmaLinks Pro is Cool – Just Trust Me on This ????
All of the links in this post that lead to Amazon were created and inserted using AmaLinks Pro – a premium WordPress plugin for Amazon affiliates. Full disclosure… I am the co-founder of AmaLinks Pro.
If you like the elements on this page that link to Amazon and want to be able to create them super fast and easy on your own WordPress site – check out AmaLinks Pro.
The End
This concludes this weekend update from Matthew Allen on the Dumb Passive Income blog. Thanks for reading!
Matthew Allen
