How To Win McDonald’s Monopoly Game

MacDonald’s Monopoly game for 2010 has started!

McDonald’s announced that this year’s Monopoly game will start on October 5, 2010 and end on November 1, 2010 (official rules)

Every year McDonald’s runs its very popular Monopoly game where you get a Monopoly property sticker/game piece with selected items. If you get all the properties in a color group, you get to win that cash prize. In addition to these properties, you can get instant win stickers as well for free Wi-Fi time, Wal-Mart gift cards, McDonald’s food, and even a 2011 Shelby. The cash prizes range from $5 up to $1 million!

The secret to winning a prize in the McDonald’s Monopoly Game is to understand how the game works. McDonald’s is pretty savvy about how they setup the game. You win prizes when you collect all the properties in a particular color group. They control the number of prizes by limiting one of the properties, usually the last property listed alphabetically, and the key is to find those “rare” pieces.

For 2010, the rare pieces are:

Mediterranean Avenue ($50 prize, 5000 prizes)Vermont Avenue ($100 prize, 1500 prizes)Virginia Avenue ($200 SpaWish® Gift Certificate, 250 prizes)Tennessee Avenue ($1,000 prize, 250 prizes)Kentucky Avenue (Beaches Resorts – The Luxury Included® 4 Day/3 Night Family Vacation for two adults & two children 15 years or under, 122 prizes)Short Line Railroad (EA SPORTS Trip, 8 prizes)Ventnor Avenue ($25,000 prize, 5 prizes)Pennsylvania Avenue ($50,000 prize, 4 prizes)Boardwalk ($1 million dollar prize, 2 prizes)

If you’re curious, the $1 million top prize isn’t lump sum. It’s a $50,000 annual payment for 20 years.

The pieces (which include two “stamps”) are included on the following products: Medium Fountain Drinks; Medium and Large Hot McCafés; Medium and Large Cold McCafé including Smoothies and Frappés (excludes McCafé Shakes); Hash Browns; Big Mac; 10-piece Chicken McNuggets®, McGriddles, and Filet-O-Fish. Individuals who purchase 20-piece Chicken McNuggets® or Large Fries specially-marked packaging will receive two (2) Game Pieces (4 stamps).

As always, you can always do a little horsetrading to get the pieces that you need. Remember, if you get a rare piece, you’re pretty much set. People will try to negotiate using common pieces (Park Place is pretty much worthless, since you need the uber-rare Boardwalk piece… if you have that, you can easily negotiate down someone with Park Place since it’s worthless without you). If you need a place to trade, I’ve always suggested a place like Fatwallet Forums.

The cheapest item on the menu that offers game pieces are the hash browns. For an average of a dollar, you get two game pieces and it is slightly cheaper, and faster, than mailing in a self-addressed, stamped envelope ($0.88 for two stamps). Some people have had success just buying the game pieces without the food… since you probably don’t want to be eating a stack of has browns as a breakfast.

As for the healthiest option, I’d go with a cup of coffee or any one of their other coffee-like products.

As I alluded to before, you can always get game pieces for free. Send a “legibly handwritten, self-addressed, stamped envelope with your address (first and last name, street address, city, state, and zip or postal code) to:

2010 MONOPOLY Game at McDonald’s Game Piece Request
P.O. Box 49229
Strongsville, OH 44149-0229

In addition to the awesome property prizes, there are a number of instant win prizes. Some of these I wasn’t really a big fan of, they seem more like trial subscriptions than a “prize” that you’ve won. I’ll let you decide:

Food Prizes – Medium French Fries, any Large Beef Sandwich, any Breakfast Extra Value Meal®, Small McFlurry® or Fruit ‘N Yogurt Parfait, Small Soft Drink or Small Hot Premium Roast Coffee (excluding McCafe®), and any Breakfast Sandwich.Three (3)-Month Pogo.com™ Subscription – EA SPORTS™ video gameTwenty Snapfish® Photo Prints – With 4,000,000 of these prizes, this prize is the second most common prize.Wal-Mart Gift Card – Several prizes are Wal-Mart gift cards ranging in value from $5 (966k winners) to $5,000 (10 winners).Free RedBox Rental – There are 1,350,000 of these and this is the third most common instant win prize, with your chances at 1 in 405.Fifty Dollars – There are 4,000 of these prizes available, you get a check for $50.Five hundred Dollars – There are 500 of these prizes available, you get a check for $500.EA SPORTS Ultimate Game RoomXbox 360 Game System – There are 3,000 of these prizes available, but you will only get these off an order of large fries or Angus burger.$10,000 Dollars – Four $10,000 prizes available.$25,000 Dollars – Four $25,000 prizes available.2011 Shelby GT500 – Last but not least, there are two cars.

It doesn’t hurt to try and I don’t know how likely it is that you’ll snag a Shelby through the mail… but good luck!

(Photo: sundazed)

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Your Take: Who Should I Talk To At Finovate Fall 2010?

On Monday I’ll be attending Finovate Fall 2010 to see the latest and greatest in financial technology in the great city of New York. There are a ton of presenters there, many I’ve heard of and many I’ve not. Some of the companies I’ve heard of before include Billshrink, Bundle, Smarty Pig, Credit Sesame, and Yodlee. There are, however, plenty I haven’t like Hidden Levers, Matchfund, oFlows, and Wonga (I’m just looking at the logos of demoing companies and pulling the names I do and don’t recognize).

I’ll probably check out many of the consumer direct demos (for example, Jack Henry Banking seems like a B2B solution, so I probably won’t be talking to them) but I wanted you to tell me who I should talk to and what you want me to ask them! I’ll probably stop by the companies I’m very familiar with just to see the new stuff they’re doing and then branch out from there, but let me know what interests you so I know what I should cover!

Also, if you’re going to be there, let me know and we can meet up at the conference.

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Commission Denies Postage Rate Hike Request by Post Office

News alert: The United States Post Office is hemorrhaging money.

It’s estimated that the USPS will lose a staggering $7 billion in 2010 after losing nearly $4 billion last year. If you’re wondering why you get so much junk mail, it’s because “business mail” is one of the few profitable parts of the existing mail volume. According to Postmaster General John E. Potter, 90% of the revenue comes from business mail. Media mail, which I’m a big fan of, is unprofitable. Magazines are unprofitable.

When the Postal Regulatory Commission decided last week that the Post Office couldn’t raise the price of postage, I thought it was a great idea. This forces the USPS to address it’s structural problems… unfortunately everything they do requires Congressional approval, which takes forever. The USPS had requested an increase of 5.6% (averaged across all mailing methods). Normally, rate hikes are capped at inflation but with the recession, retiree benefits, and other demands, they are permitted to request an increase.

Postal Service denied rate hike [CNN Money]

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Beware Investing Gimmicks

I was reading USA Today a couple weeks ago when I saw John Waggoner’s column about the Dogs of the Dow investing strategy. It’s a pretty easy strategy and one that I find really appealing. All you do is buy equal amounts of the ten highest dividend yielding components of the Dow each year and swap them out each year.

The strategy relies on the idea that each of the thirty components of the Dow is a stable company that will be here for decades to come. The ones with the highest yields are simply the companies that have had their share price beaten down by Mr. Market. By buying into the companies with the highest yields, you’re assuming you’re buying good companies at a discount and that they will eventually revert to the mean.

One problem… and Waggoner, to his credit, states it right off the bat, there are problems with “formulaic investing,” or what I consider gimmicky investing, and the fact that the Dogs of the Dow have performed terribly until this year is an example of that. (I don’t like the term formulaic because isn’t all analysis in some way formulaic?)
There are a lot of little gimmicks like Dogs of the Dow and many of them are popular to talk about when they work and popular to ignore when they don’t. “Sell in May And Go Away” is another popular one of these investing gimmicks that says you should sell all of your stocks in May, buy bonds, then shift back into stocks in November. While you may scoff at the idea, since 1950 the Dow, on average, has gained 7.4% from November through April while only 0.4% from May through October (Huffington Post).

Another popular one is the January Effect, first observed by Donald Keim at the University of CHicago. It says that stocks tend to increase in the month of January because investors have been selling stocks into the end of the year for tax purposes, so you should buy them in January as investors re-enter positions after the 30 day wash rule period.

In the end, there is no “get rich quick” system for the stock market for the individual investor. It’s a random walk and you can only “win” by buying for the long term and waiting.

As an aside, let’s say one of these gimmicky investing schemes does actually work. Eventually, and usually very quickly, it’ll fail under its own popularity. If some strategy were to work, everyone would pile into it and the strategy wouldn’t work anymore. Dogs of the Dow looks great on paper: buy stable blue chip companies when they’re down and out, recycle each year, book the profits. The problem with that strategy is that blue chip companies can go kaput just as easily as “unstable” startups. When that happens, this strategy takes a huge hit as 10% of it goes to zero.

In the end, there’s no shortcut to investing in the stock. You have to do your homework, diversify, and reduce your costs… which is why index funds are so appealing (but also so boring).

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What’s Bullion?

So a few weeks ago I wrote about bearer bonds because I’d heard of them in movies and thought they were, besides insanely protected works of art, the thing to steal if you were going to steal anything. Another term I’d heard in the movies a lot was “bullion” and I knew it was related to gold and other precious metals but I wasn’t 100% sure what it meant.

Bullion actually refers to any previous metal whose value is tied to the metal itself and not some fiat money designation assigned by a government. So the bullion coins produced by the United States Mint have no value designation, they are valued at it’s actual metal value. You can buy 1 oz., 1/2 oz., 1/4 oz., and 1/10 oz. of American Eagle Gold and Platinum Bullion coins.

Determining the value of a bullion coin requires three pieces of information – the precious metal, its weight, and the purity. You get the weight of the coin in troy ounces, multiply it by its purity, and then again by the value per troy ounce. American Eagle Gold Coins use 22 karat gold with a 91.67% gold (2% silver, 5.33% copper) and it’s actually quite funny to see the “face value” up against the actual value.

1/10 oz – Face value of $51/4 oz – Face value of $101/2 oz – Face value of $251 oz – Face value of $50

Gold at over $1,200 a troy ounce, its value as bullion is far greater than its face value.

(Photo: sirqitous)

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"A Better You" Your 7 days program to self-improvement

Is your self-esteem ,on the rocky side.Here is some helpful hints to improve,the better you in seven days.

I've lost count of how many times I've read and heard of celebrity marriages failing almost before the ice sculpture melts. Not that I care, (and personally I don't), it is unfortunate that we often see movie and TV stars as flawless people, living the fairytale life of riches and glamor. I suppose we all have to stop sticking our heads in the clouds and face reality or you will have a guardian appointed. This idol worship seems to get more serious with every generation. Too bad! It will probably not serve the worshipers well.

There are many ways to lose your sense of self-esteem or self-worth despite how trivial it could get. But whatever happens, we should all try not to lose our own sense of self. You must first love yourself before you can truly love anyone. Compare yourself to yourself and not some fake politician, drug snorting star, drunk gang leader, etc. There are many bad examples to be seen every day on television or on the streets. What's with this 'pants on the ground.' Why is it good to have "street cred?" It is easier to fall in with the negative crowd and take shots at those who are trying to make a positive difference in our life today. You need to plan on your future self, not just what is happening now.

So what does it take to be a cut above the rest? Here are some of the things you can think and improve on that should be enough for a week.

1. Know your purpose
Are you wandering through life with little direction - hoping that happiness, joy, health and prosperity by chance will come to you? Identify your life purpose or mission statement and you will have your own unique compass that will lead you to your true north every time.

This may seem tricky at first when you see self to be in a tight or even dead end. But there's always that little loophole to turn things around and you can make a big difference to yourself.

2. Know your values
What do you value most? Make a list of your top 5 values. Some examples are security, freedom, family, spiritual development, learning. As you set your goals for 2011 - check your goals against your values. If the goal doesn't align with any of your top five values - you may want to reconsider it or revise it. Set your goals which are reachable and bring you satisfaction.

The number shouldn't discourage you, instead it should motivate you to do more than you can ever dreamed of.

3. Know your needs
Unmet needs can keep you from living authentically. Take care of yourself. Do you have a need to be acknowledged, to be right, to be in control, to be loved? There are so many people who lived their lives without realizing their dreams and most of them end up being stressed or even depressed for that matter. List your top four needs and get them met before it's too late! Make every effort to avoid reaching your zen without pills or drugs. That is what I call self help and not depend on other people to look after you.

4. Know your passions
You know who you are and what you truly enjoy in life. Obstacles like doubt and lack of enthusiasm will only hinder you, but will not derail your chance to become the person you ought to be. Doubt and a lack of enthusiasm will also cause you to develop a very bitter attitude. Express yourself and honor the people who have inspired you to become the very person you wanted to be and be happy about it. Fake it until you make it.

5. Live from the inside out
Increase your awareness of your inner wisdom by regularly reflecting in silence. Commune with nature. Breathe deeply to quiet your distracted mind. For most of us city slickers it's hard to even find the peace and quiet we want even in our own home. In my case I often just sit in a dimly lit room and play some classical music. There's sound, yes, but music does soothe the savage beast.

6. Honor your strengths
What are your positive traits? What special talents do you have? List three - if you get stuck, ask those closest to you to help identify these. Are you imaginative, witty, good with your hands? Find ways to express your authentic self through your strengths. You can increase your self-confidence when you can share what you know to others. If you discover that you are lacking in traits which you can share, there are many self-improvement courses or books which might give you the direction you seek.

7. Serve others
When you live authentically, you may find that you develop an interconnected sense of being. When you are true to who you are, living your purpose and giving of your talents to the world around you, you give back in service what you came to share with others -your spirit - your essence. The rewards for sharing your gift with those close to you is indeed rewarding, much more if it were to be the eyes of a stranger who can appreciate what you have done to them.

Self-improvement is indeed one type of work that is worth it. It shouldn't always be within the confines of an office building, or maybe in the four corners of your own room. The difference lies within ourselves and how much we want to change for the better.

Plan ahead and cause joy.
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Cordorba House! A Good Or Evil Concept?

Here are two opposing points of view and I believe that both sides should be known and heard. I personally thought it was very strange that Mayor Bloomberg and the NYC zoning board as well as the Historical Agency would unanimously approve this new building unless there was more to the plan than we have been getting in the media. Food for thought?


Many of us are supporters of Newt Gingrich and we will campaign for him should he decide to run as the next president of the United States. On July 21, 2k10, Newt wrote the following:

"There should be no mosque near Ground Zero in New York so long as there are no churches or synagogues in Saudi Arabia. The time for double standards that allow Islamists to behave aggressively toward us while they demand our weakness and submission is over. The proposed "Cordoba House" overlooking the World Trade Center site – where a group of jihadists killed over 3000 Americans and destroyed one of our most famous landmarks - is a test of the timidity, passivity and historic ignorance of American elites. For example, most of them don’t understand that “Cordoba House” is a deliberately insulting term. It refers to Cordoba, Spain – the capital of Muslim conquerors who symbolized their victory over the Christian Spaniards by transforming a church there into the world’s third-largest mosque complex. “Cordoba,” in Islamic symbolic terms, means Islamic rule in the West. Today, some of the Mosque’s backers insist this term is being used to "symbolize interfaith cooperation" when, in fact, every Islamist in the world recognizes Cordoba as a symbol of Islamic conquest. It is a sign of their contempt for Americans and their confidence in our historic ignorance that they would deliberately insult us this way. Those Islamists and their apologists who argue for "religious toleration" are arrogantly dishonest. They ignore the fact that more than 100 mosques already exist in New York City. Meanwhile, there are no churches or synagogues in all of Saudi Arabia. In fact no Christian or Jew can even enter Mecca. And they lecture us about tolerance. If the people behind the Cordoba House were serious about religious toleration, they would be imploring the Saudis, as fellow Muslims, to immediately open up Mecca to all and immediately announce their intention to allow non-Muslim houses of worship in the Kingdom. They should be asked by the news media if they would be willing to lead such a campaign. We have not been able to rebuild the World Trade Center in nine years. Now we are being told a 13 story, $100 million megamosque will be built within a year overlooking the site of the most devastating surprise attack in American history. Finally where is the money coming from? The people behind the Cordoba House refuse to reveal all their funding sources. America is experiencing an Islamist cultural-political offensive designed to undermine and destroy our civilization. Sadly, too many of our elites are the willing apologists for those who would destroy them if they could. No mosque. No self deception. No surrender. The time to take a stand is now - at this site on this issue." The above comment was sent out by e-mail and I forwarded it to a friend of mine who lives in Buckhead, Atlanta, Georgia. He had the following critique on Newt's statement: "Frank, I am disappointed that you forwarded this to me and disappointed with Newt that he wrote it. I am a little closer to this situation than most people. The airplane that hit the second tower went into the building about 10 stories below my daughter’s desk. Fortunately, she was running 15 minutes late that morning and wasn’t in or below the tower when it was hit. She knew people who died. She watched people she didn’t know jump to their deaths rather than die in the fire. She and her husband had to leave their apartment 3 blocks from the WTC for ten days because the health department forced them out of the health hazard area. They knew some orthodox Jews who lived in northern Manhattan and they walked to their home and were graciously taken in. They have a daughter now and they live three blocks from Ground Zero and five blocks from the site of the new community center/mosque. My daughter and her husband strongly support the community center/mosque project. (No, they are not Muslims but they are good Americans.) The organizers of this community center/mosque are not fearsome jihadists, they are Sufi Muslims – if you don’t know what Sufis are like, think “whirling dervishes” or look up Sufi. I talked to my daughter last night. (We call her every September 11 to let her know that we are so grateful that she is still alive.) She told me the Muslim planners of the community center plan a small prayer room* among a lot of other things like meeting rooms and a swimming pool. Having little experience with urban community centers, the Muslim planners worked with local Jews who already operate community centers in the area so they could plan their new center to be as useful as possible to the greater community. The facility will apparently serve the same basic function that Peachtree Pres. serves for our area – my wife goes there to use their gym; I go there to attend civic meetings – like many who go there, we are not Presbyterians. Likewise, the Manhattan center won’t cater only to Muslims – the area around Ground Zero is very multicultural, so a mosque will fit right in with everything else. In fact, I think there is already a real mosque five blocks from Ground Zero. And, incidentally, there were Islamic prayer rooms in the WTC which were destroyed by the terrorists. I believe that if some Americans intimidate the organizers of this community center/mosque and force them to relocate it elsewhere, little else could make the terrorists happier because America will be tarnishing its own ideals. If we turn against our Constitution (or bend the protections it guarantees just a little), that would be a far greater insult to the memory of the 911 victims than any building. We need to stay strong and honorable in spite of what the terrorists do to us. If Saudi Arabia denies some citizens their basic human rights, that is hardly a justification for us to do likewise to some of our citizens. We are America. We stand for something that hopefully the Saudis will understand sooner rather than later." “a neighbor in Atlanta’s Buckhead community” I added the picture. franklively.124online.com