In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: A pyramid scheme is a  hierarchical investment scheme. It starts off with one person who recruits a few others to invest in a variety of different schemes. They in turn recruit other investors. The new investors are promised a high payout on their investments.  Check to see how the investment has done in the past. If they don't give you information, or the information you get can't be verified, that should tell you that the investment is no good. Ask if you can speak to other investors. If the answer is no, they are probably hiding something, and you should walk away from the investment. Be wary if you are approached with an opportunity to sell a product such as a mailing list or reports. They are only useful as products for other people who get recruited into the pyramid to buy in order to qualify to be a member. This is the hallmark of a multi-level marketing pyramid scheme.  The only true customers would be those people who are recruited to sell. As stated, they will most likely have to buy a certain amount of the product to get into the pyramid and to sell themselves. Make sure you don’t have to recruit anyone else to make a profit. You should be able to sell a product that many people will buy and use such as home goods, makeup or cleaners. Many pyramid schemes recruit people, and their investment is disguised as a gift. They are promised money from the gifts made by people they bring on board.  Giving a gift is not illegal and thus can be done at any time by anyone. This is why this scheme is so popular and you may become a victim of it. As with other pyramid schemes, gift giving eventually breaks down when not everyone can make a profit. There are people out there who will get you and others to hand over money promising to invest it for all of you. These people don't actually invest your money. They may pay you a little money to keep you happy, or they may not. If they do pay you or some of the investors money, it can come from any source. Usually they pay older investors with money from newer investors. This is called a Ponzi scheme. As an investor, you should not only know who will invest your money and how, but you should also keep track of how the investment is doing. You should ask for documentation of the investment. If they don't give it to you, it is a sure sign you probably won't be able to keep track of it and that it is probably a scam. If it seems to be, it probably is. A good question to ask yourself is, "If this is such a great opportunity, why are they spreading it around instead of keeping it to themselves?"  Ironically, in the case of a pyramid scheme, initial investors actually do stand a chance of making money. It's the later investors who are usually hurt. While there are legitimate opportunities to make high returns, you need to beware when you are guaranteed this. No one can accurately predict how an investment will perform.  Back away when you are being pressured to invest by this type of lure. There is an element of risk in all investments. A legitimate sales person will let you know how the investment has performed in the past. One who is trying to take your money will use any tactic to get you to invest. Steer clear of investments when the risks are severely downplayed. People want to create a sense of urgency to get people to invest. If you make someone believe they will miss out on something huge, if they don’t act quickly, you can get them to invest. When you are confronted with this type of sales technique, take a step back and ask yourself, “How often is something truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.” The answer is, almost never. Never invest when you are promised the investment is this rare. The SEC requires that all companies selling securities provide potential and existing clients with details of how and where the money will be invested. Prospectuses typically list historical returns of the investment.  Make sure those returns have been verified by a neutral third party. Check the information you get from a salesperson with a reputable accounting firm. They will able to recognize a pyramid scheme very quickly. Then you can avoid it. Many people become excited about the prospect of investing money. They hurry to get in so that they can lock in the "big returns" they're afraid they'll miss. However, every good investor knows not only how to get into an investment but how to get out.  If there are a lot of complicated rules regarding withdrawing your money that is a definite red flag. It's an indication the fraudster is desperate to hold on to your money, and you should ask yourself why. When you buy a stock or mutual fund you can usually sell your shares quickly and easily. Even smart investors get duped. To avoid a pyramid scheme meltdown of your assets, invest small in many different investments. This is called diversification, and it can help reduce the impact of fraud. This is because you will not have invested heavily in a pyramid scheme should you fall victim to one.  You should never place more than roughly five per cent of your savings in a single investment. Also, invest in a variety of industries and different forms of investments like stocks and bonds.
Summary: Look out for promises of high returns in a short period of time. Examine whether a genuine product or service is being sold. Ensure the emphasis isn’t on recruiting. Know where and how your money will be invested. Keep track of how the investment is doing. Determine if the investment seems too good to be true. Beware if you are promised high returns. Don't invest when you are told there is little or no risk. Be cautious when you are told it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Analyze the prospectus. Ask about the exit strategy before you invest. Make small investments.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: The base word in strategic thinking (or working) is “strategy.” This means that when you are creating your plan, you need to carefully consider all variables that could possibly affect your work.  Think about things like outside disturbances, financial setbacks, unexpected costs, etc. For the delivery truck example, you would need to consider the price of gasoline for the additional vehicles, the cost of insurance for the new drivers, what might happen if there is an accident in one of the delivery vehicles, the cost of additional advertising in the new market, etc. Once you identify, organize, and prioritize your goals, outline the strategic work steps you will take towards those goals in chronological format. Following a carefully constructed order of operations is necessary to working strategically. For each of your goals, you need to define a series of actionable steps that will lead to achieving that goal, taking all of the information you gathered into account. Create a plan in the following way: For example, if you want to expand your delivery service by purchasing new vehicles, you will need to craft a strategy to come up with the extra capital needed to purchase them and increase your number of employees. Write your plan down so that there is a physical record and you can easily keep track of where you’re at in your plan at all moments. You may do this by hand, or you may implement any of a number of computer-based planning/time-management applications.
Summary:
Consider all variables. Create a plan. Put your plan on paper.