Today’s reader question comes from Melissa Petrey at WVReviews.com. She asks:

I actually found you on a site called howcast.com.  I would love to learn how to make money online without getting ripped off.  Is there any real way to make money without having to spend money and be able to do it all online?

First, I will echo the major point I wrote about in this post. That is, do not try to avoid paid, premium information products. The most successful people in this area will almost all attest to the fact that they invest continually in their education. They learn from others. Free content might be good, but rarely will you find a free report or a free site which will go as thorough as you may need or provide a solid, front-to-back, roadmap to follow.

You can either learn to re-invent fire, or you can buy somebody else’s lighter and get their a whole lot quicker.

As for avoiding getting ripped off, my advice is to look into the author’s reputation. When I evaluate an information product that I’m unfamiliar with it’s author, I generally look to see if they have actively applied what they know to a market OUTSIDE of the “make money online” market. If they have and found success at it, it is probably a pretty good indication they know what they’re talking about.

Feel free to comment and, as always, submit your own questions for a future video right here.