Viral marketing is not just for high falutin’ internet marketers and techno-geeks any more. The continuing development of Web 2.0 with social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, and a hundred dozen others brings the power of conveying your message within reach of every human being with a burning desire to connect.

The term viral marketing is casually thrown around to describe web phenomenon, usually video, that catches the fancy of web surfers and spreads around the world like wildfire when they start passing it on to their friends. How does this help the budding internet entrepreneur? Well, imagine the onslaught of sales that could be headed your way if you manage to get your video (with marketing message slyly inserted) in front of a tsunami of surfers.

But it’s ever so difficult to have something you produce turn viral on purpose. Some of the stuff that catches on is straight out of left field but when it hits, wow, it hits big. Let’s take a look at an example. It’s a pretty sure bet that a few of you have heard of the website, book, or both called “Things White People Like.” Do you think Mr. Christian Lander planned on more than 72 million hits to his blog or a slot on the New York Times bestselling list when he began airing his hilarious take on white people culture?

And this isn’t the only example.

So, while there is no formula for creating your own viral marketing landslide, there is evidence that it can happen over the most odd idea imaginable. Your lesson today – never stop thinking about ways to take advantage of of the Internet’s power to connect one person with a few million others.

There’s apparently an old say that goes like this, “If you are what you do, and you don’t, then you AIN’T!” Many first responders facing the prospect of retirement from a fulfilling, adrenalized life’s work know what we’re talking about. After retirement, then what? Break out the fishing pole and count the day’s until you die? On the opposite side of that contemplation would be the prospect of having to serve another five years at a job you’re burned out on because the retirement fund is too pitiful to quit.

The point of this is you owe it to yourself and family to be able to determine your own retirement date outside of the pro or con influence of how your portfolio is doing. First responders are true American heroes and deserve the latitude to decide when they’re done.

But what do you do if the stock market isn’t cooperating?

In the first place, the stock market is not such a great place to be putting your money. These days it is largely driven by speculation, political events, and natural disasters. Not a tasty recipe for solid growth. Trust us, this ain’t your grandfather’s stock market, and that’s not a compliment. To build a sizable nest egg that allows YOU to decide when enough is enough requires the courage to step out of the box and say, “I’m going to be different. I’m going to succeed at investing.”

Here’s a hint – income property. Become a landlord and own an ever-growing collection of residential, single-family homes that you rent out. This is the best method we’ve ever found for motivated first responders to reach the land of financial independence. You can learn exactly how to do this for free via the podcasts and blogs on this website or head over to JasonHartman.com for even more resources.

And retire on your own terms.

Due to the incredibly stressful demands of the job, the average policeman, fireman, or emergency worker can expect to be eligible for retirement sooner than their peers in other lines of employment. This particular perk can sometimes turn into a Catch-22 situation for those who haven’t prepared themselves for financial independence and and a longer stay in the golden years.

What we hope you realize is that you can’t rely on the returns of a traditional pension plan to provide enough income to really enjoy that extra time in the sun. Come on, you made it through a perilous occupation in one piece and you assuredly deserve the comfort that a financial independence buys.

Not too many pension plans are talking financial independence these days. Most are lucky to be solvent at all, and the dirty little secret they don’t want to tell you is they’re throwing darts at the stock market hoping to make up for the crumbling value of a dollar and market that has been churning for a while.

You need to take responsibility for your own future. Don’t rely on “the system” to provide for you. Chances are, it’s broken. Luckily, there is another way that we’d like to introduce to you as Heroic Investing develops into a valuable resource for your future.

We’re talking about real estate. It’s no secret that property investing works works. Most people would take that on faith. The disconnect comes in when it comes time to finance an actual investment. Don’t you need a big chunk of cash to get started?

Turns out, maybe less than you think.

Interest rates for typical mortgages are hovering around 4 percent – but potential homebuyers aren’t biting. Overall, applications for both refinancing and home mortgages are down by 48 percent this year, according to a new CNBC report – and market watchers are wondering what that could mean for the health of the housing industry.

The Federal Reserve has now “tapered down’ its massive Qualitative Easing stimulus program for the third time, and more scalebacks are likely, depending on the health of economic indicators such as employment and retail activity. Because of that, financial experts worried that interest rates would shoot up, controlled only by natural market factors.

So far, that hasn’t happened. But along with those relatively low interest rates came more stringent mortgage standards – part of the Qualified Mortgage Rule that took effect in January 2014. And we can also add in rising home prices as the housing market continues to recover from the historic crash of 2008, as possible reasons for the slump.

Houses are still being bought and sold, but a growing number of those sales are skirting the mortgage market entirely and relying on all cash, especially in higher end markets – a strategy that shuts out many lower-end home buyers and investors.

For buyers who don’t have cash, the issue of creditworthiness stands as the major obstacle to taking out a mortgage. The Qualified Mortgage Rule sets minimum standards for qualifying loans – but even so, many borrowers don’t meet those standards.

To ease the credit roadblocks, many lenders are now setting their own minimal credit requirements, with acceptable scores lower than those set a year ago. And the Federal Housing Finance Agency, regulator for quasi-government mortgage servicers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has opted to create new lending standards along with a new program that would reduce insurance premiums for riskier borrowers who agree to go to credit counseling.

But some housing industry professionals argue that those measures aren’t enough – and they might just put more unqualified borrowers back into the housing market at a time when both the availability and price of properties make put home buying within reach of more borrowers.

For investors hoping to build wealth through income property as Jason Hartman recommends, movement on the mortgage front, combined with relatively low rates can still open the door to an investing career. 

Living the busy and often chaotic lifestyle of a first responder is a recipe for estate planning neglect. And to those without experience in this particular area of finance, it’s sometimes easier to turn a blind eye than get educated about exactly which documents you need to save your heirs a lot of heartache and potential squabbling. Bad idea. Don’t make them guess what you want. Tell them!

According to the AARP website, here are the four legal documents you should have in order for your estate to be disposed of efficiently upon death.

1. Will. This is the basic legal document that describes who gets your belongings, who is in charge of distribution and who will be guardian of any minor children or disabled family members. Die without a will and the state will make these decisions at considerable cost to survivors. Trust us – not what you want.

2. Durable Power of Attorney. Should you become disabled or incapacitated, it requires protracted legal proceedings for anyone else to be able to access your bank accounts, securities, property, or to take any action in your name – unless you have assigned a durable power of attorney to someone. Do it!

3. Advance Directive. An advanced directive describes what medical decisions should be made in the event you are unable to make them yourself. Falling into a coma is one example. This directive tells what steps should be taken to to keep you alive and/or designates who should make the decision to withdraw life support if you are physically or mentally unable to decide for yourself.

4. Letter of Instructions. Though not a binding legal document, consider writing an informal letter describing your personal and financial situation and expressing your specific estate planning wishes to survivors. Include special requests here, as well as a list of all financial resources. This keeps your heirs from having to go on a wild goose chase.

If you do nothing else towards estate planning for the day you are gone, at least tend to these four documents. Your heirs will thank you for it.