This is not a new concept, paying off your mortgage at an accelerated rate.
In fact, the concept of the Money Merge Account (MMA) http://www.squidoo.com/moneymergeaccounts/ has existed for decades and thrives around the globe, especially in England and as far as Australia.
What is this wide spread vehicle distant lands use in their banking systems?
It is the simple concept of using portions of the Banks money to cancel out your debts (in this case, your 1st mortgage), and dramatically reducing the interest you pay. After all, when you deposit your paychecks into your checking account, what do you think the Bank is doing with OUR money?
Many attempts to use and perfect this concept of paying off your mortgage in record time have been developed, from using credit cards and your first mortgage as a HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit)to pay down the princile, to using a bi-weekly payment plan, which can pay off your mortgage in about 23-24 years, rather than 30, by simply making one extra monthly payment a year.

However, the spotlight is being focused on two particular companies in this emerging money saving frenzy: U1st Financial (United First Financial) http://www.u1stfinancial.com/ and The Jubilee Project http://www.thejubileeproject.org/.

What makes these Companies different from the rest of the pack?
...the Banks are pounding down their doors to get their business.

United First Financial is the marketing arm for the fastest growing MMA phenomenon of our country, due to a special web-based software, and jaw dropping results. The clients using this MMA Software and website are able to utilize their money to the penny, and get the maximum savings and debt reduction in the quickest time possible, allowing clients to pay off their 30 year mortgage in as little as 8-10 years and save tens of thosands in interest.
The Jubilee Project, LLC was formed by satisfied clients, who focus on helping others to see the benifits the MMA Program, without any obligation whatsoever. By providing free materials, support and information to Americans through their website, those desiring to know more about MMA's, can recieve the information they need to make an educated decission on their own, on whether the Program is right for them. The Jubilee Project is quickly growing to become the biggest supporter of the MMA Program in the country.

It's nothing new, nothing magical, and it can be used by any Bank, anywhere in the country. The Money Merge Account is here to stay...as we now face the weight of our socially excepted spending habits, credit card addictions, and the ever present 30 year mortgage. We have simply excepted our fate when it comes to our mortgages and the use of our money by the Banks. To make matters worse, we refinance our homes, on average, every 5 years. We say we'll put the saved discretionary income into the mortgage to pay it off faster...but do we?

It's this never ending cycle of debt that makes this author asks himself:

What would my life be like,...if I didn't have a mortgage payment?

He claims to have the 'fastest growing eComic on the web'...starting with 14-16 visitors the first month of release, to over 750,000 total visitors for the first year. Not a bad run for an indie comic. However, Jaime Buckley doesn't stop there. He makes all he learns, available to any artist, wanting to succeed with their own creations--even if they compete with Buckley himself! Now he's making a series of podcasts, specifically designed to give indie comic creators the info they need to convert to a digital format and make money on the web. He's assisting artists everywhere...and possibly helping to save comics as we know it, at the same time.

So, what's this eComic Buckley created, that's grabbing people's attention? It's called WANTED:HERO http://www.wantedhero.com/.

Traditionally made with pen and ink, it is then scanned in and uploaded for purchase on the web--for less than the price of a pop from a vending machine (only .97 cents). It's not a "webcomic", but rather a traditional comic in PDF 'ebook' format (with live links), which can be viewed on screen, or printed in high quality, from your own home printer. Buckley's so confident people will love the story--he recently started giving away the first five issues for FREE, through Download.com http://www.download.com/3120-20_4-0.html?tg=dl-2001&qt=wanted%20hero&tag=srch. I purchased each issue, and have to say that I'm very impressed. I've become a fan---and I haven't collected comics since the early 90's. It has adventure, drama, humor without end...and a cast that has you addicted and begging for the next issue. No, it's not a Marvel-class creation. It's a solo job, done completely by Buckley himself...which makes this whole adventure more exciting to watch and read.

Started in Feb. 2005, WANTED:HERO is now in year two, has gone from bi-monthly to monthly, and has self-published a 208 pg. paperback novel http://www.lulu.com/content/220445. It get's better: it is appropriate for all ages...dramatically improves (in art form and storyline) each and every month,--and has recently received it's own place in Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanted_Hero .

But that's not what caught my attention here, or what made it a unique reading experience for me, personally. It was the basis for his characters.

If you look through the eComic site, you'll find that many (if not most) of Buckley's creations, happen to be based on his real life relationships with other people. "Well known" people. People like international writer Barry Eisler http://www.barryeisler.com/ , Martial Arts/Self Defense expert Marc "Animal" MacYoung http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/, or the former national coach of the Belgian Wushu fighting team, Wim Demeere http://www.grindingshop.com/. These people have become some of the coolest new heroes, and are enchanting children on the web. The fact is---if you look through each issue, you'll find it one of the best examples of 'product placement' and 'cross-promoting' around.

Has this family man found a new niche in a dying form of entertainment? Does this really work? Is there a new ray of hope for all the indie creators who couldn't get their dream job at Marvel, DC or Image? I'm interested in understanding this man's motivation--what drives him to help so many people and offer hope to kids, without asking for anything in return. With the money hungry comic corporations dominating the reader field of printed comics...I wonder if people will be willing to take a step to digital?

I don't know the answers, but I do know that Jaime Buckley and WANTED:HERO are two forces in motion to watch closely and learn from.