With all the wild income claims made by Internet marketers, it’s a reminder that my tried-and-true formula for reducing inflated income figures down to realistic size is as valid today as it was in prehistoric times (i.e., prior to the advent of the Internet). My formula is remarkably simple:

> Take the income figure being touted in the ad and divide it by four.

> Multiply the quotient by two.

> Divide the product by three.

> Then, call time out, wad the paper up in a ball, throw it against the wall, jump up and down on it four times, straighten it out again, and put it back on the kitchen table.

> Continue by adding three.

> Subtract eight from the sum.

> Multiply the difference by two.

> Divide the product by five.

> Finally, just to be on the safe side, subtract seven more from the quotient.

Bingo! Just like that, you’ve arrived at a far more realistic income figure than the one being touted in the ad. In fact, a cynic might argue that the closer you come to zero, the closer you are to being right.