This marks the first income report of the new year. As such, I will also be providing the total income (gross) that I earned last year (2011) from my online business ventures.

If this is your first time here on my blog, first of all, welcome. Every month I do a detailed income report, showing you exactly where my income comes from. This gives you an idea of the various income streams that are available, as I strongly believe you shouldn’t place all of your eggs in one basket.

This is also a way for me to measure my success (or failure) from month-to-month. Each month will vary in income, and that’s all part of working from home as an affiliate and internet marketer. This acts as a motivator for me to keep pushing forward to reach my goals.

I hope you find these income reports helpful and give you encouragement that it is possible to make money on the internet.

Let’s see how I did last month…

Income from ReplaceYourSalary.com

• PayDotCom – $56.34
• Google Adsense: $131.03
• Project Payday: $51.75 (commissions earned from promoting the program, not actually using it)
• AdFish – $107.20
• Advertising Sold – $150
• ResponsiveData – $48
  
• Paul’s Backlink Service Affiliate Program – $156

Total = $700.32

Google Adsense Record

I yet again hit a new Adsense record, bringing in $131.03 last month. So far, halfway through January, I’m already past $80, so it looks like I may surpass this record again. We’ll see!

Income from Proofreading/Editing Services

It’s an honor for me to be able to provide a high quality and much needed service, and it’s been an honor serving my clients. You can learn more by visiting the link below.

• Professional Proofreading Services

Total = $130

Income from My Micro Niche Adsense Site

Google Adsense earnings for this month from the site totaled $4.16. This amount is included in my total Adsense income as reported above.

Total Online Income

Total online income IS…

$830.32

GetBackYourExAdvice.com Niche Site Update

My goal for this year is to branch out into video marketing, as well as continue my content marketing strategy. I will convert all articles written for the site into videos and distribute them via a newly made YouTube Channel. I will have more on this later on in a separate post.

Total Gross Earnings for Year 2011

This section is new and will be continued every January, highlighting the previous year’s earnings. Last year saw a lot of growth, and I look forward to see how this year improves and moves upwards even more.

My online business as a whole brought in a total of: $7,273.24. That’s gross, non-taxed income all earned completely online in 2011. My goal for this new year is to double that amount, at the least. Let’s see if I can do it!

How well did you do last month, or last year?

Let us know by leaving a comment below…

2012 is here, and this year I’m going to start a tradition… a recap of the previous year, highlighting popular posts, and posts I feel are important to visit (or revisit).

2011 brought many challenges and changes, positives and negatives, and ups and downs, for me both personally and professionally.

My online business, including this blog, has seen steady growth. Slight changes were made here and there as needed, and are still being made… not enough to probably notice, though. Income sources have come and gone, as is common with this type of business.

Overall, I am very pleased in the direction my business is headed, and I’m looking forward to growing it even more.

With that said, I once again want to thank you, my readers, for your support and encouragement over the past year(s) and for your continued support. It would be very difficult to be here without any of you, and I know I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for your active participation here on the blog.

Your comments, “likes”, +1′s and Re-Tweets are extremely appreciated. It’s because of you that I’m able to showcase some of the most popular posts of 2011.

I also decided, at my discretion, to include other notable posts from the past year that I feel are worth mentioning. These include guest posts from esteemed authors in related fields.

I’ve broken up the posts into categories to make them easier to sift through. Oh, and the posts are in no particular order whatsoever.

I hope you find the “best” posts from 2011 inspirational and helpful as you embark on your journey through 2012.

Without further ado, here they are…

Blogging

Utilize Your Blog’s RSS Feed

What I’m Grateful for as a Blogger

Akismet Alternative

Should You Pay for a WordPress Theme?

Threaded Comments WordPress Plugin

Finance

5 Tips for Financial Planning

5 Ways to Fund Your Retirement

6 Ways to Save Money at Home

5 Tips to Save Money

SEO

Is Google Counting Your Backlinks?

How to Get Your Site Indexed by Google

Google +1 Button is Live

Internet Business

One Online Business Is Not Enough

Google Adsense: Record-High Monthly Income

June 2011 Google PR Update

Entrepreneurship

What You Should Know About Working from Home

Protect Yourself When Working from Home

Funny Entrepreneur Music Video Parodies

Stay Motivated While Working from Home

Recognize Work from Home Scams

This completes the list of the best (based on your comments and my bias) blog posts from 2011 on ReplaceYourSalary.com.

Which post(s) do YOU consider the “Best?”

I’m curious to know which post you liked the most from last year, so scroll down to the comment area and let me know.

Did I leave something out?

For obvious reasons, I couldn’t include every single post. They don’t make computer screens big enough, or attention spans long enough, for that. If you’ve enjoyed a particular post that I didn’t mention, or enjoy reading my monthly blog post roundups or Income Reports, let me know.

Wishing you a prosperous 2012!

The following is a guest post by Nancy Parker. If you would like to write for this blog, please check out the guidelines here.

Working from home is a luxury that most people who work in a regular office setting lust after. What you don’t take into account when you’re working the regular desk job is that your desk, chair, and general office space are provided for you with no cost to you. If you are working from home you undoubtedly realize how much easier it is to get things done when you have your own space carved out for your work, but creating that space can be expensive.

However, with a few thrifty tricks, you can craft a home office space that is both inexpensive and functional.

Here are 5 tips to help you do just that…

1. Shop Craig’s List

Craig’s List is a gem of a website for locating pieces of furniture at majorly discounted prices. Since the listings are tailored to your specific area you can usually find furniture relatively close by and most people selling are trying to get rid of it as quickly as possible and are willing to bargain with you on the price. If you look around enough you can frequently find pieces that are almost brand new with little to no wear and tear.

2. Stock Up During Sales

To get the necessary office supplies like staplers, pencils and notebooks shop places like Target and Walmart after school starts or whenever school lets out for the summer. Stores like this usually start putting these items on clearance around that time and you can stock up on these supplies for pretty cheap prices if you’re smart about when you buy them. Not to mention after colleges start you can usually find things like filing cabinets and office organizers making their way to the clearance racks as well.

3. Utilize Your Computer

Instead of wasting money on unnecessary paper products, use your computer to leave yourself notes and maintain calendars. There are a number of programs you can download for free on from the internet that are designed to help keep your organized and on track, and you can usually find something to set reminders for yourself on your computer also so that you never forget about an important to-do item or task.

4. Reuse Things You Already Own

Instead of rushing out to buy all new items for your office look around your house and see what you already have that can be repurposed to fit your needs. It’s more than likely that you have plenty of things packed away in closets collecting dust that will fit perfectly in your office.

5. Build Slowly

Don’t rush to get a complete home office put together all in one weekend. Take your time setting it up that way you can search around for the best deals on supplies and furniture. Get the things that are absolutely necessary and then take your time filling in with other things like decorative pieces that aren’t “must-have” items for your office, just pieces you want to spruce up the space.

If you aren’t careful it can be easy to get caught up purchasing items and setting up a home office can end up costing you a fortune. However if you take the time to set up slowly and purposefully and to shop around for good deals, you’ll find that there are more inexpensive alternatives out there than you probably ever imagined. Buying clearance items doesn’t have to mean that they are cheap or in bad condition, it just takes time to pick out the hidden gems lurking in the sale sections – and every store, both retail and online, have those buried treasures waiting to be uncovered and brought to your home!

About the Author:

Nancy Parker was a professional nanny and she loves to write about a wide range of subjects, like health, parenting, child care, babysitting, nanny background check tips, etc. You can reach her at nancy.parker015 @ gmail.com.

The following is a guest post by Amy Young. If you would like to write for this blog, please check out the guidelines here.

If you work from home, then you already know that you are one of the lucky ones. You don’t have to commute, you decide when you will work, and you can manage your time around your family’s activities. However, you may feel a little less motivated when you don’t have someone to answer to everyday, which could lead to serious problems with your business.

Staying motivated is critical when working from home, so here are a few tips that have worked for me and my home office.

Start Your Day Right

Think positive thoughts from the moment you wake up. Give yourself something to look forward to during your day and think of it the moment you open your eyes.

Get ready for your day as if you were going into an office. Take a shower, put on some nice cloths, and have a good breakfast. Working in your pajamas will only hurt your motivation, and a lack of food could affect your focus.

Before you even start to think about work, give yourself some time to prepare for your day. Take that time to sit, relax, and think positive thoughts about the work day ahead of you. Try not to start working with an “I don’t want to work today” attitude. Have a cup of coffee or tea, and give yourself some “me time” before you have to start working.

Find Your Work Space

Set aside one room or space where you will do your work and nothing else. If you use your couch or the dinner table, you could be more distracted. If you have a specific desk for your computer and always work from there, your mind will know that when you sit down it will be time to get to work.

Whatever you do, don’t lie in bed while working from home. Your bed should only be used for sleeping. Otherwise, you could have trouble falling asleep because your mind thinks the bed is a place to think about work.

Finally, keep your work space neat. A cluttered desk usually means a cluttered mind, which is very bad for focus and motivation. Decorate the room so it is aesthetically pleasing to you, but beware of decorations that may be distracting. Motivation will come when you keep your work space neat and simple.

Close the Door

This may seem like a small difference, but a closed door has a very specific meaning to you and your family. If your door is open, it could say that you don’t really want to work today, and you will consequently be less motivated. An open door will also tell your family that you are available to talk or play, when you really should be focusing on your work. Close your door and you will probably find you are less distracted.

Take a Break

Set a specific schedule and take frequent breaks during your work day. You may be able to stay on task for hours, but taking a break every now and then may help you with efficiency. You could even try taking a walk or doing some housework to break up your long work day.

If you stress about the amount of work you have to get done, try breaking up large projects into smaller tasks. These goals will seem more attainable, and it will be easier to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Know When to Stop

Start and stop working at the same time every day. People who work in an office all tend to end their day together, so they are able to feel the day wind down and find a time to stop and go home. When you work at home, you may find yourself answering one more email or making one more phone call until suddenly you realize that it’s almost time for bed and you didn’t get anything else accomplished that day. When you have a set schedule, you can tell yourself to focus and work really hard until your specific end time, and then you can be done for the day.

About the Author:

Amy Young is the author of articles like this one relating to business, marketing, and working from home. Her company’s mission is to educate others about credit resources and personal finance.

Every month I do a detailed income report, showing you exactly where my income comes from. This gives you an idea of the various income streams that are available, as I strongly believe you shouldn’t place all of your eggs in one basket.

This is also a way for me to measure my success (or failure) from month-to-month. Each month will vary in income, and that’s all part of working from home as an affiliate and internet marketer. This acts as a motivator for me to keep pushing forward to reach my goals.

I hope you find these income reports helpful and give you encouragement that it is possible to make money on the internet.

Let’s see how I did last month…

Income from ReplaceYourSalary.com

• ClickBank: $63.84
• PayDotCom – $122.09
• Google Adsense: $37.59
• Project Payday: $33.75 (commissions earned from promoting the program, not actually using it)
• AdFish – $120.60
• Ads – $505
• AshMax – $10 (Total monthly commissions from GDI and FTS)

Total = $855.28

Income from Proofreading/Editing Services

It’s an honor for me to be able to provide a high quality and much needed service, and it’s been an honor serving my clients. You can learn more by visiting the link below.

• Professional Proofreading Services

Total = $95

Income from My Micro Niche Adsense Site

My micro niche site keeps improving each month. Google Adsense earnings for this month from the site totaled $7.77. This amount is included in my total Adsense income as reported above. I finally was able to add another page to my site, providing more related content for those searching for that topic. I believe adding more related pages will bring in more targeted visitors and produce more Adsense clicks. That’s the goal, anyway.

Total Online Income

Total online income IS…

$950.28

A decent improvement from last month.

GetBackYourExAdvice.com Niche Site Update

So far, no Adsense or Clickbank income yet for the site. I have been focusing on building links and getting content posted to the site, but it’s been a slow process as I’ve been on time constraints. Regardless, this should help elevate the amount of visitors the site is getting to a decent enough level to start generating some clicks, and hopefully a few sales.

As always, I welcome your comments below…

The following is a guest post by Laura Backes. If you would like to write for this blog, please check out the guidelines here.

Sometimes we get so caught up in how great an opportunity sounds that we don’t take a second to look at the bigger picture. Who wouldn’t want to make $1,000 a month for a mindless, menial task like stuffing envelopes or forwarding emails? But, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, right? So, how do you spot the scams from the legitimate money making opportunities?

1. Google It!

Whenever you type a company into Google, and it shows up on sites like ripoffreport.com or hotscams.com, that’s a pretty good indicator that it could be a scam. For instance, if you start to type in “Company Name” and the first results in Google are the sites just mentioned with that company name attached, you would be wise to check it out. Read reviews and find out what people are talking about and why they label it as a scam. Some are legitimate claims and are completely obvious, while others aren’t. Make your best judgment call.

2. Required to Pay a Start-up Fee

You shouldn’t have to pay to be a part of a company – they’re supposed to be paying you, not the other way around. Anything that requests that you pay a nominal fee to sign up as an affiliate should raise a red flag. Likewise, anything that requests that you send your banking information via email to verify your credit history and such (especially before you’ve even interviewed or spoken with a real person) should be an indicator that it probably isn’t a legitimate business.

Note: Some websites do require a one-time fee to join. These are membership sites that provide information on real work at home jobs, such as data entry or surveys. A small fee is required as it took the website owner/s a large amount of time to compile the information and resources that they’re providing. You’re paying for their time and instant access to the information that they collected in order to help you find an online job. Don’t mistake these as scams.

3. Job Posting is Vague

Any job listing that has a lot of grammatical and spelling errors, and doesn’t clearly state what you’ll be doing, should make you turn your head in the other direction. An authentic opportunity will care about the message they are sending out to potential employees. You should expect the same high level of professionalism from a potential employer as they expect from you as a potential employee.

4. Guaranteed Thousands of Dollars Immediately

Unless you were born with the Midas touch, get-rich-quick schemes rarely work. It’s unlikely that you’ll be making as much as salaried employees at a big firm just from stuffing envelopes, distributing flyers or allowing someone to put graphics on your car while promising that all you have to do is drive your regular routes (if that were the case, wouldn’t we all work from home and have cars with other people’s businesses on them? I know I would!).

5. “Asked” Not to Leave

Anytime you go to click out of a website of a potential employer and a pop-up comes up asking if you’re sure you want to leave or telling you that they’ll discount the start-up cost for you if you sign up now, should make you question the ethics of the company. While it’s usually not a scam, do you really want to be involved with a company that is obviously desperate? Take time to consider whether you want to work with them or not.

Obviously, not all work at home opportunities are scams. Obviously you can be quite successful at working from home, but you also have to be willing to put in the time, and anything guaranteeing little to no work on your part with massive financial rewards should set off warning bells in your head. It’s easy to get caught up in dollar signs and the idea of getting rich quick, but it also isn’t realistic. So, be smart, do your due diligence by researching the company, and always keep in mind that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. It may be a cliché, but it’s a cliché for a reason.

Author Bio:

This is a guest post from Laura Backes, who enjoys writing about all kinds of subjects and also topics related to internet providers in my area. You can reach her at: laurabackes8 @ gmail.com.

Every month I do a detailed income report, showing you exactly where my income comes from. This gives you an idea of the various income streams that are available, as I strongly believe you shouldn’t place all of your eggs in one basket, as discussed in this post.

This is also a way for me to measure my success (or failure) from month-to-month. Each month will vary in income, and that’s all part of working from home as an affiliate marketer. This acts as a motivator for me to keep pushing forward to reach my goals.

I hope you find these income reports helpful and give you encouragement that it is possible to make money on the internet.

Let’s see how I did last month…

Income from ReplaceYourSalary.com

• ClickBank: $20.02
• PayDotCom – $112.68
• Google Adsense: $12.57
• Project Payday: $15 (commissions earned from promoting the program, not actually using it)
• AdFish – $69.20
• Ads – $358.33
• AshMax – $10.50 (Total monthly commissions from GDI and FTS)
• TBTrack – $1.65

Total = $599.95

Income from Proofreading/Editing Services

It’s an honor for me to be able to provide a high quality and much needed service, and it’s been an honor serving my clients. You can learn more by visiting the link below.

• Professional Proofreading Services

Total = $86.49

Income from My Micro Niche Adsense Site

My micro niche site keeps improving each month. Google Adsense earnings for this month from the site totaled $3.04. This amount is included in my total Adsense income as reported above. I finally was able to add another page to my site, providing more related content for those searching for that topic. I believe adding more related pages will bring in more targeted visitors and produce more Adsense clicks. That’s the goal, anyway.

Total Online Income

Total online income IS…

$686.44

A slight improvement from last month.

GetBackYourExAdvice.com Niche Site Update

So far, no Adsense income yet for the site. I’ve gotten some impressions, but no clicks yet. I have a link building strategy in place, and my goal is to move the site up in the rankings, while posting new, fresh content to the site. Combined, this should elevate the amount of visitors the site is getting to a decent enough level to start generating some clicks, and hopefully a few sales.

I’ll keep you updated as things progress. Believe it or not (I can’t), the site is almost a year old. I JUST renewed the domain for another year as it expires in November. I’m hopeful that I can start pumping some income out of this site, and I look forward to sharing my experiences about the site with you all.

As always, I welcome your comments below…

At the beginning of every month I do a recap of last month’s blog posts. I also include a few of my favorite blog posts from other bloggers I follow. This gives you a chance to catch up on any posts you may have missed here, and you also get to check out some awesome bloggers that provide valuable content that’s worth reading.

I always recommend leaving a comment on any posts you find helpful. Comments are also great if you have a question you’d like to ask. Either way, they let the blog owner know you appreciate their time and that there are people who actually read their content.

With that said, let’s take a look at last month’s post on this blog…

September 2011 Blog Posts on ReplaceYourSalary.com

Most of these are guest posts, so be sure to show the authors some love by leaving a comment.

How to Get Health Insurance When Working From Home

4 Skills That Will Help You Land More Freelance Writing Jobs

5 Things About Working From Home I Wish I Knew When I Started

3 Things I’m Grateful for as a Blogger

Top Tips: Increasing Your Web Traffic Through Unique Online Partnerships

Is Google Counting All of Your Hard-Earned Backlinks?

Blog Posts Around the Web

Here are some blog posts I’ve found from other bloggers I follow that I hope you will find helpful. Take some time to read these as well.

TechChunks gives us 5 really good reasons to have a blog for your business. I can’t imagine running a business these days without a blog. It is an integral part of online communication that cannot be ignored.

Andrew Walsh details 3 very common Google Keyword Tool mistakes that a lot of people make. Avoiding these mistakes can be the difference between making money online and making nothing online.

If you use Google Adsense at all, you may be interested to know that comment spam can get you banned from Adsense. I didn’t know about this, so thanks to Dennis for pointing this out.

That’s all for now. This month I’ll be discussing tips for WordPress bloggers, so stay tuned for that. You’ll also get to read content from more awesome guest authors as they just keep lining up!

I’ve been blogging for roughly three years now. I can still remember my first official post on this blog (back in October 2008). Brings back memories. Mainly how little I really knew at that time about blogging, and marketing an online business. Things sure have changed since then.

I spent a lot of time learning and mastering various strategies, some of which have changed during the past few years. That’s what happens when the internet evolves – we must change with the times.

Reflecting back, there is a lot for me to be thankful for, both as a blogger and internet business owner, and as a person. I’d like to think I’ve matured and improved my personal development a bit, and I have. Running an online business and blog has improved my professionalism greatly. It doesn’t hurt to place other like-minded professionals in my life, either.

But honestly, I’m still a kid at heart. I like to joke around a lot (ask any of my close friends). It’s just who I am. I know when to be serious, though.

I’m a “glass half full” kind of guy and am always keeping a positive outlook on life, no matter what obstacles get in the way. Life is just better that way.

I wouldn’t have gotten where I am today if it wasn’t for my friends, colleagues and mentors.

Friends, Colleagues and Mentors

I think we would all agree that life is a lot easier when we have friends by our side to get us through the hard times. They’re also great to have around for the fun times, too. A true friend can never be replaced, and I’m very thankful for the friends I have in my life. They may not all understand what I do with this whole internet business thing, but they at least think it’s cool and support it.

During my time online, I’ve met some awesome people, whether through various forums, membership sites, or social sites like Facebook or Twitter. Some I have partnered with on various projects and endeavors, and others I collaborate with and get input from. Even though we may not have met in person, I do consider you all my friends and a great colleague.

Learning all of this online marketing stuff wouldn’t be possible if I didn’t have a few mentors in my life. It’s been an honor being a student of some great minds and highly successful entrepreneurs and internet business owners. The wealth of knowledge I have gained over the years has proven to pay off, and I can’t wait for the next 5 to 10 years ahead.

Free Exposure

If I said I didn’t like free exposure and publicity, I’d be lying. I’m very thankful for it!

I’m honored when people link to my blog posts or my website’s home page. It’s nice to know people find value in what I have to say and share.

I especially love it when people come to me and want to do an interview or share my story within their circle of influence.

I remember my live radio interview with Lynn Johnson I did last summer. I was ecstatic (and nervous, for sure) about the opportunity to share a little about myself and what I do to a whole new medium that I normally don’t reach.

Then there was my video interview with Allan Galang. That was a whole new experience as well, and I’m grateful to Allan for being willing to take the time and do that for me. He set everything up for me, edited the video, converted the video, and even blasted the video to video sites, including YouTube. What a great guy.

And, just recently I was mentioned on Northwest Indiana Times in an article about working from home. I’m guessing they found an article or video I did (maybe even a press release) to get the information and quotes. Either way, I think that’s really cool. Thanks, Patricia, I appreciate it.

Readers and Subscribers

Last, but certainly not least, I’m highly grateful to my blog readers and newsletter subscribers, which some of you may be both. I honestly could not make this all possible if I didn’t have your support and words of encouragement. I’m truly touched whenever I have a reader comment on a post, or when a subscriber emails me to tell me that they enjoy the free content I send them because they find it helpful. I think that’s awesome, so thank you, everyone!

These are just a few examples of the things I’m thankful for as I progress on my blogging and internet business journey.

What are you thankful for?

The following is a guest post by Shaun Connell. If you would like to write for this blog, please checkout the guidelines here.

I’ve been working from home for three years now. It’s been a bumpy ride, lot’s of stress, lot’s of fun, and lot’s of work — and it’s been worth it. But like most work-from-homers, looking back, I see many things I didn’t know when I first got started that I desperately wish I did know.

That’s what this post is about — the stuff I wish I knew when I first started.

1. How Much Work It Takes

When I first started, I was convinced that within 6 months I’d be in the Bahamas. I was bitten by the “get-rich-easy” bug. After all, how much effort can clicking and typing be? A heck of a lot — and more mental work than actual physical work. The mental work of studying, creating original strategies, and being a trailblazer for my own business is more than I originally was prepared for. Not that it’s a bad thing — it’s extremely good. But knowing what to expect would have made the first year a much better experience.

2. How Important Copywriting Is

Few things are as important to someone with a home business as copywriting. Every time I send an email, I now know how lucrative it can be — regardless of how few people read the email. Converting 1% of the readers to purchase a product might not seem like much, but understanding copywriting makes it all but inevitable. This, mixed with a strong email marketing campaign, is an extremely important income tool. I didn’t realize this until about a year ago — now over 75% of my income comes from copywriting and email marketing. I wish I knew sooner.

3. How Important Personal Branding Is

For the first year of blogging, I essentially played it by ear. I had no personal brand in mind, no coherent point, and no underlying “message” or “story” behind any of my websites. It wasn’t until late 2009 and early 2010 I realize that trust is built through narratives — that is, people trust you when they understand your brand, or your story. I started building a personal brand based on cautious investing and anti-inflation, and my conversions started to pick way up. Personal branding isn’t just classy — it’s extremely effective at increasing conversion rates for sales and signups. I wish I knew this when first starting.

4. How Fleeting Google Rankings Can Be

I’m a reformed gray-hat SEO marketer. I did everything under the book several years ago, and had achieved top 3 results for everything from dividend investing to debt consolidation. And I’ve seen those same rankings disappear after just a few months. Focusing on search engines isn’t safe. It’s volatile, and engineers in a cubicle somewhere determine the future of my business. Here today, gone tomorrow type business models aren’t good for the long haul. Personal branding and newsletter writing are great for the long haul. I’d give just about anything to have understood this back then.

5. Why Long-Term Business Is All That Matters

The short-run is soon over. The long-run is here to stay. That’s an obvious point, but if I’d known this when first starting it would have saved me a lot of sweat, blood, and stress.

Pretty much nothing is as important as building a long-term personal brand, writing quality content, and managing a strong newsletter. When it comes to working from home with an info-publishing model, everything else comes second.

About the Author:

Shaun Connell is a writer and investor who works from home. He writes and edits Live Gold Prices and Stock Pick Review, where he discusses investing in gold and picking high-yield stocks.