As a Cool:Poser Computer Contractor, you already of course own the fastest and thinnest computer, a hi-fi the size of a matchbox that goes up to 11, a camera-cum-video capable of reading the registration numbers of passing stealth bombers, and a mobile device so small that you have had it surgically implanted in your left nostril. Despite a number of legendary attempts to prove otherwise, there is a limit to how much you can drink and still retain your contract and, sadly, there is also a limit to how far you can fly for the weekend and still be back in the office on Monday. So, given that you already drive your dream car and live in a palace in the centre of town, what are you to do with all that money left over on pay day?

Go out and buy a sack full of your host country's equivalent of lotto or scratch cards, and then pay some street urchin to scrape all the silvery bits off. Alternatively, visit your local casino in the small hours of the morning, where, in return for an endless supply of thin cucumber sandwiches and watery drinks, you will be permitted to throw away obscene amounts of money on the turn of a friendly card. Indeed, by the miracle of modern technology you don't even need to leave your penthouse; you can simply dabble in an on-line casino or perhaps enter your lucky numbers in the USA lottery.
For most of us, however, gambling leads to faint feelings of guilt, and the suspicion that something should be saved for a rainy day, which leads us to...

Peculiar though it may seem, there are people out there who you can pay to look after your money for you.
Depending on your host country, there are a bewildering array of different schemes, going under such names as Mutual Funds, PEPs, Unit Trusts, Pensions, Gilts and Government Bonds. Professional and (presumably) competent money managers put together all their customers' investments and look after portfolios worth millions, with the sole aim of making more money and sharing it out again (naturally retaining a suitable percentage for themselves). There are hundreds of pages on the Internet that are useful for keeping details of your personal portfolio, or checking the latest daily prices.
Of course, the disadvantage here is that you're paying somebody whether they actually achieve any results for you or not. In some respects, it makes you wonder whether Cool:Poser Computer Contracting is the right business to be in after all.

This is very closely linked to Option 2 (Gambling), except you can pretend that you are making intelligent decisions rather than leaving it to Lady Luck. At least one CCCCC member is rumoured to have made his first million at this game, but it is obviously essential to be as informed as possible, so we suggest you read as much as you can about the subject. This is no mean feat as an entire sub-industry has grown up writing magazines and books telling you how to do it. A lot of people easily get overwhelmed and confused by the multitude of information and technical jargon when dealing with stocks and shares, but it's really very simple; you just have to remember to buy low and sell high. This is illustrated in the real-life example below which shows you how to make 300% profit in 3 months.

One of the nice things about living in a connected world is that you don't have to live in a country to invest there; all you need is the internet and a suitable bank account. Two of the most popular countries for investment are the UK and the US, possibly because both markets are friendly to small traders.

If you want to trade, cheapest on-line brokers that we know of are Datek who charge USD9.99 per trade on the NYSE or NASDAQ, and Fastrade, who charge GBP10 per trade and give you your very own CREST membership, which is nice.

It is of course well known that the only people who make more money than Cool:Gen contractors are the pimps that feed off them. To this end, many of our members have straddled the fence and have begun pimping on their own account, sometimes attempting to fool everybody by pretending that it's the wife's business really. However, this move, although financially invigorating, is quite boring when compared with some of the scams that other contractors have got up to.

One enterprising soul imports cargo-loads of "hardcore" (ie rubble for the construction industry). Customs officials have yet to notice that much of this tax-free hardcore is handily pre-formed into concrete shapes that, when assembled in the correct manner, instantly build a prefabricated hotel. Extra floors can then be added with each subsequent delivery.

Another guy, after a stint in the Arab states, realised that sheep were a lot cheaper in nearby Russia than locally. Somewhat enterprisingly he bribed some Russian Air Force pilots to freight in a flock or two, and was so successful that he bought their plane with the proceeds and was able to expand. Last we heard he had three cargo planes and had given up programming.

AllFusion:Gen, Advantage:Gen, Cool:Gen, Composer and IEF are registered trademarks of one or all of Texas Instruments, Sterling Software or Computer Associates, we're not sure. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or cartoon characters, events, or locales is more or less entirely coincidental. Please don't sue us.