Thursday, October 13, 2005
find your mix
Here is a great tool to finding a great mix.
Rather your looking 1 year or 10. This is a great way to show you how to spread yourself. What you should be looking at, or going for.
check it out here!
large cap stocks, foreign stocks, small cap stocks, and bonds. This great tool will show you how to spread your investments the best way to get the best out of your portfolio!
Rather your looking 1 year or 10. This is a great way to show you how to spread yourself. What you should be looking at, or going for.
check it out here!
large cap stocks, foreign stocks, small cap stocks, and bonds. This great tool will show you how to spread your investments the best way to get the best out of your portfolio!
hints, tips, and comments stock bond, stocks diversified, diversified portfolio
So your not doing what you want in the market. Well, maybe it's time to refocus, replan, regroup, and think of rediversified portfolio of stocks or stock funds.
That's right this is the new thing to be looking for. Depending on what your looking for a in goal terms will really help you focus your plan. Rather it's retirement, college, or just looking to play around with alittle extra cash. This will help get your goals down, your plan, and to mix it up.
Tips:
1. narrow it down to what you really want. Goals, plans, focus. Did we mention goals already, because this is really a key point. You really need to figure out what your finicial goals are to win in stock market game!
2. stock bond mix. This will help in whatever stage you are at. Where you get get some money fast if you need to while putting money away in the stocks and bonds. So go with a good mix of both.
3. lastly, Give it a good mix in terms of not getting stuck in just one investment way. Also think in terms of a basketball team or any team. You can not just have all guards playing basketball you need a big man, some good players coming off the bench. It's the same way in the stocks, you can not put every last cent into the stock market, you need to spread it around...and we suggest a good diversified portfolio of stocks or stock funds.
That's right this is the new thing to be looking for. Depending on what your looking for a in goal terms will really help you focus your plan. Rather it's retirement, college, or just looking to play around with alittle extra cash. This will help get your goals down, your plan, and to mix it up.
Tips:
1. narrow it down to what you really want. Goals, plans, focus. Did we mention goals already, because this is really a key point. You really need to figure out what your finicial goals are to win in stock market game!
2. stock bond mix. This will help in whatever stage you are at. Where you get get some money fast if you need to while putting money away in the stocks and bonds. So go with a good mix of both.
3. lastly, Give it a good mix in terms of not getting stuck in just one investment way. Also think in terms of a basketball team or any team. You can not just have all guards playing basketball you need a big man, some good players coming off the bench. It's the same way in the stocks, you can not put every last cent into the stock market, you need to spread it around...and we suggest a good diversified portfolio of stocks or stock funds.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
hurrican katrina
Here are some good ideas for long term investing.
If I were to enter into the stocks game today. I would be looking for long term investing by far. With today's market, crazy oil prices, and who knows what's next. Though the economy is somewhat safe...who knows where it could be tomorrow!
Though with all that said and done, and while everyone is looking, watching, and reading into the hurrican katrina! Before we go any farther we want to first say sorry to all the families, friends, and love ones down in the new orleans, and sorry that you have had to go through what you did with the hurrican katrina! We know that katrina left a lot of damage, and we are very very sorry!
Though, as we look at the world it has effected a lot of us in more ways then we could probably ever image! Wow, to think that hurrican katrina can do so much damage!
Well, with katrina doing so much damage...we can probably look at trends if we recall the other florida hurricanes. We will likely to see the mobile home Champion Enterprises Inc. (CHB), Fleetwood Enterprises Inc. (FLE), and other such stocks as these!
If I were to enter into the stocks game today. I would be looking for long term investing by far. With today's market, crazy oil prices, and who knows what's next. Though the economy is somewhat safe...who knows where it could be tomorrow!
Though with all that said and done, and while everyone is looking, watching, and reading into the hurrican katrina! Before we go any farther we want to first say sorry to all the families, friends, and love ones down in the new orleans, and sorry that you have had to go through what you did with the hurrican katrina! We know that katrina left a lot of damage, and we are very very sorry!
Though, as we look at the world it has effected a lot of us in more ways then we could probably ever image! Wow, to think that hurrican katrina can do so much damage!
Well, with katrina doing so much damage...we can probably look at trends if we recall the other florida hurricanes. We will likely to see the mobile home Champion Enterprises Inc. (CHB), Fleetwood Enterprises Inc. (FLE), and other such stocks as these!
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Waiting 20 Years Can Cost You Millions - Don't Wait Start Today
Many Young people live for Today. They really don't fully understand the power of compound interest. The Difference between investing as little as $20 a week at age 20 or waiting until age 50 can be over $3,000,000 (yes 3 Million). Don't wait start today!
Recently I was in a 7-11 and I watched as a young man Purchased $10 worth of Lottery Tickets. As he was walking away from the counter he started talking to me. He told me he just turned 21 and he was going to buy $10 worth of Lottery Tickets for every Pick six as long as he had a steady Job. In Missouri they have 2 Pick Six Drawings Weekly. I said to him Here is my card give me a call and I will show you a surefire way to become a Millionaire.
He looked at me and said sure sure. I looked back at him and Said I will meet you tomorrow across the street at the coffee shop and Coffee is on me would morning or afternoon be better. He Replied I get off work at 2pm So I can be here at 3pm. I said 3pm it is.
I went home and plugged some numbers in an Excel Spreadsheet. Remember I did promise to make this 21 Year old kid a Millionaire. I was going to do for him what no one ever did for me.
The Results are very telling. If my young friend were to invest his $20 a Week and receive a 10% Return on his investment
* In 20 Years when he is 41 he will have a little over $66,000
* In 30 Years when he is 51 he will have a little over $198,000
* In 40 Years when he is 61 he will have a little over $550,000.
* In 45 Years when he is 66 He would have a little over 920,000
* In 50 Years when he is 71 He would have over $1,500,000.
If my young friend were to be able to average a 12% return the numbers are even more staggering
* In 20 Years when he is 41 he will have a little over $86,000
* In 30 Years when he is 51 he will have a little over $307,000
* In 40 Years when he is 61 he will have a little over $1,000,000.
* In 50 Years when he is 71 He would have over $3,400,000
The Above numbers are very telling. Not only do they show my young friend the power of Compound interest but the Show my Young friend the Power of Waiting. As an Example if my young friend Continues to Buy lottery Tickets for 10 Years until he 31 and then decides to take my advice and invest the $20 instead of having $1,500,000 when he is 71 at 10% he would only have $550,000. Waiting 10 Years cost him almost $1,000,000.
At the 12% Return My Young Friend would loose over $2,400,000 the Difference between $3,400,00 and $1,000,000
Now if my Young Friend were to Play the Lotto for 30 Years and Wait until he is 51 to take my advice he would loose over 3,300,000 at 12% the Difference between $3,400,000 and $86,000.
About the Author
Mike Makler is a Financial Consultant in the St Louis Missouri Area Specializing in Real Estate Loans and Annuities. To Learn More Call Mike at 314 398-5547 or Visit
Get Mike's Newsletter Here http://ewguru.com/fin-news
Copyright © 2005-2006 Mike Makler
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
Recently I was in a 7-11 and I watched as a young man Purchased $10 worth of Lottery Tickets. As he was walking away from the counter he started talking to me. He told me he just turned 21 and he was going to buy $10 worth of Lottery Tickets for every Pick six as long as he had a steady Job. In Missouri they have 2 Pick Six Drawings Weekly. I said to him Here is my card give me a call and I will show you a surefire way to become a Millionaire.
He looked at me and said sure sure. I looked back at him and Said I will meet you tomorrow across the street at the coffee shop and Coffee is on me would morning or afternoon be better. He Replied I get off work at 2pm So I can be here at 3pm. I said 3pm it is.
I went home and plugged some numbers in an Excel Spreadsheet. Remember I did promise to make this 21 Year old kid a Millionaire. I was going to do for him what no one ever did for me.
The Results are very telling. If my young friend were to invest his $20 a Week and receive a 10% Return on his investment
* In 20 Years when he is 41 he will have a little over $66,000
* In 30 Years when he is 51 he will have a little over $198,000
* In 40 Years when he is 61 he will have a little over $550,000.
* In 45 Years when he is 66 He would have a little over 920,000
* In 50 Years when he is 71 He would have over $1,500,000.
If my young friend were to be able to average a 12% return the numbers are even more staggering
* In 20 Years when he is 41 he will have a little over $86,000
* In 30 Years when he is 51 he will have a little over $307,000
* In 40 Years when he is 61 he will have a little over $1,000,000.
* In 50 Years when he is 71 He would have over $3,400,000
The Above numbers are very telling. Not only do they show my young friend the power of Compound interest but the Show my Young friend the Power of Waiting. As an Example if my young friend Continues to Buy lottery Tickets for 10 Years until he 31 and then decides to take my advice and invest the $20 instead of having $1,500,000 when he is 71 at 10% he would only have $550,000. Waiting 10 Years cost him almost $1,000,000.
At the 12% Return My Young Friend would loose over $2,400,000 the Difference between $3,400,00 and $1,000,000
Now if my Young Friend were to Play the Lotto for 30 Years and Wait until he is 51 to take my advice he would loose over 3,300,000 at 12% the Difference between $3,400,000 and $86,000.
About the Author
Mike Makler is a Financial Consultant in the St Louis Missouri Area Specializing in Real Estate Loans and Annuities. To Learn More Call Mike at 314 398-5547 or Visit
Get Mike's Newsletter Here http://ewguru.com/fin-news
Copyright © 2005-2006 Mike Makler
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
Sunday, August 21, 2005
dividend dates
Ex-Dividend Dates:
When Are You Entitled to Stock and Cash Dividends
Have you ever bought a stock only to find out later that you were not entitled to the next cash or stock dividend paid by the company? To determine whether you should get cash and most stock dividends, you need to look at two important dates. They are the "record date" or "date of record" and the "ex-dividend date" or "ex-date."
When a company declares a dividend, it sets a record date when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. Companies also use this date to determine who is sent proxy statements, financial reports, and other information.
Once the company sets the record date, the stock exchanges or the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. fix the ex-dividend date. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks two business days before the record date. If you purchase a stock on its ex-dividend date or after, you will not receive the next dividend payment. Instead, the seller gets the dividend. If you purchase before the ex-dividend date, you get the dividend.
Here is an example:
Declaration Date Ex-Dividend Date Record Date Payable Date
7/27/2004 8/6/2004 8/10/2004 9/10/2004
On July 27, 2004, Company XYZ declares a dividend payable on September 10, 2004 to its shareholders. XYZ also announces that shareholders of record on the company's books on or before August 10, 2004 are entitled to the dividend. The stock would then go ex-dividend two business days before the record date.
In this example, the record date falls on a Tuesday. Excluding weekends and holidays, the ex-dividend is set two business days before the record date or the opening of the market – in this case on the preceding Friday. This means anyone who bought the stock on Friday or after would not get the dividend. At the same time, those who purchase before the ex-dividend date receive the dividend.
With a significant dividend, the price of a stock may move up by the dollar amount of the dividend as the ex-dividend date approaches and then fall by that amount after the ex-dividend date. A stock that has gone ex-dividend is marked with an "x" in newspapers on that day.
Sometimes a company pays a dividend in the form of stock rather than cash. The stock dividend may be additional shares in the company or in a subsidiary being spun off. The procedures for stock dividends may be different from cash dividends. The ex-dividend date is set the first business day after the stock dividend is paid (and is also after the record date).
If you sell your stock before the ex-dividend date, you also are selling away your right to the stock dividend. Your sale includes an obligation to deliver any shares acquired as a result of the dividend to the buyer of your shares, since the seller will receive an I.O.U. or "due bill" from his or her broker for the additional shares. Thus, it is important to remember that the day you can sell your shares without being obligated to deliver the additional shares is not the first business day after the record date, but usually is the first business day after the stock dividend is paid.
If you have questions about specific dividends, you should consult with your financial advisor. You can also get information by going to your library and reading Standard and Poor's Dividend Record Binder.
http://www.sec.gov/answers/dividen.htm
When Are You Entitled to Stock and Cash Dividends
Have you ever bought a stock only to find out later that you were not entitled to the next cash or stock dividend paid by the company? To determine whether you should get cash and most stock dividends, you need to look at two important dates. They are the "record date" or "date of record" and the "ex-dividend date" or "ex-date."
When a company declares a dividend, it sets a record date when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. Companies also use this date to determine who is sent proxy statements, financial reports, and other information.
Once the company sets the record date, the stock exchanges or the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. fix the ex-dividend date. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks two business days before the record date. If you purchase a stock on its ex-dividend date or after, you will not receive the next dividend payment. Instead, the seller gets the dividend. If you purchase before the ex-dividend date, you get the dividend.
Here is an example:
Declaration Date Ex-Dividend Date Record Date Payable Date
7/27/2004 8/6/2004 8/10/2004 9/10/2004
On July 27, 2004, Company XYZ declares a dividend payable on September 10, 2004 to its shareholders. XYZ also announces that shareholders of record on the company's books on or before August 10, 2004 are entitled to the dividend. The stock would then go ex-dividend two business days before the record date.
In this example, the record date falls on a Tuesday. Excluding weekends and holidays, the ex-dividend is set two business days before the record date or the opening of the market – in this case on the preceding Friday. This means anyone who bought the stock on Friday or after would not get the dividend. At the same time, those who purchase before the ex-dividend date receive the dividend.
With a significant dividend, the price of a stock may move up by the dollar amount of the dividend as the ex-dividend date approaches and then fall by that amount after the ex-dividend date. A stock that has gone ex-dividend is marked with an "x" in newspapers on that day.
Sometimes a company pays a dividend in the form of stock rather than cash. The stock dividend may be additional shares in the company or in a subsidiary being spun off. The procedures for stock dividends may be different from cash dividends. The ex-dividend date is set the first business day after the stock dividend is paid (and is also after the record date).
If you sell your stock before the ex-dividend date, you also are selling away your right to the stock dividend. Your sale includes an obligation to deliver any shares acquired as a result of the dividend to the buyer of your shares, since the seller will receive an I.O.U. or "due bill" from his or her broker for the additional shares. Thus, it is important to remember that the day you can sell your shares without being obligated to deliver the additional shares is not the first business day after the record date, but usually is the first business day after the stock dividend is paid.
If you have questions about specific dividends, you should consult with your financial advisor. You can also get information by going to your library and reading Standard and Poor's Dividend Record Binder.
http://www.sec.gov/answers/dividen.htm
Saturday, August 20, 2005
hot stocks today, todays stocks, today's hot stocks
Today, if I was going to put together a basket of stocks, I would be looking at the following symbols: GOOG, TASR, TZOO, AIRT, QLGC, SYMC, PLMO, KMRT, EBAY, SINA, RIMM, RMBS, PCLN, and DCLK as well as other NASDAQ stocks. I would not over look New York Stock Exchange stocks, although many do. I would be looking at: MO, PFE, CAT, GE, GM, TYC, MRK, MOT, and others as well. Keep in mind, I am not recommending any of these stocks specifically for you to buy or trade. I am merely trying to give you an example of what a basket may look like. You have to decide yourself what stocks you would add to you your basket based on your own knowledge gained through experience and research on each stock.
About the Author
Floyd Snyder has been trading and investing in the stock market for three decades. He was on the forefront of the day trading craze that swept the nation back in the late1990's both as a trader and as the moderator of one of the Internet's largest real time trading rooms. He is the owner of http://www.TraderAide.com , Strictly Business Magazine at http://www.sbmag.org www.FrameHouseGallery.com and www.EducationResourcesNetwork.com
About the Author
Floyd Snyder has been trading and investing in the stock market for three decades. He was on the forefront of the day trading craze that swept the nation back in the late1990's both as a trader and as the moderator of one of the Internet's largest real time trading rooms. He is the owner of http://www.TraderAide.com , Strictly Business Magazine at http://www.sbmag.org www.FrameHouseGallery.com and www.EducationResourcesNetwork.com
Do You Have a Case Against Your Stock Broker? Ten ways to Tell
Do You Have a Case Against Your Stock Broker? Ten ways to Tell
As an attorney who represents individual investors from around the Country in claims against their stock brokers, I hear a wide variety of complaints about brokers’ fraud and misconduct. If you believe that your broker has abused or harmed you, you may want to consider whether your complaint falls within any of the following typical complaint categories. If you fall into one of these categories, you may have a meritorious complaint against your broker.
Here are some guidelines to consider whether or not you have a case:
1- Unsuitable Investments – If you tell your broker that you are a “conservative” investor with a “low” risk tolerance and you are put into, for example, risky high technology stocks.
2- Unauthorized Trades –If you notice that buys and sells are occurring in your account without your prior permission or knowledge or any contact from your broker, these trades are “unauthorized”.
3- Risk Profile Change – If you notice that the ”investment objective” or “risk profile” (“aggressive” “moderate” or “conservative”) on your monthly account statements has changed, without your input, from, for example, “moderate” to “aggressive”. A “red flag” should go up if you receive documents from your broker which do not reflect your investment objective (aggressive, moderate, conservative).
4- Fraudulent Stock Research – If you bought stocks relying on stock research which was determined by the SEC and New York Attorney General to be “fraudulent” (Infospace, ICGE, WorldCom, etc).
5- Churning – If your broker is excessively trading or constantly turning over your account, for the purpose of generating sales commissions.
6- Fraudulent Statement of Risk – If you have suffered substantial losses in your account and your broker told you that you had a “low risk” portfolio.
7- Over-concentration- If your account is over-concentrated in stocks and equity mutual funds which are primarily high technology or telecommunications, you have an over-concentrated portfolio. If your broker has not allocated your assets into different classes (stocks, bonds, cash) or diversified your stocks and equity mutual funds into different industry “sectors”.
8- Excessive Use of “Margin” – If your broker buys stock with “margin” borrowings which you did not authorize.
9- “Activity” Letters – If your brokerage firm sends you an “activity” letter advising you of large losses, turnover, high commissions, high margin levels, etc. in your account and this is not consistent with your instructions to the broker.
10- Mutual Fund “Switching” – If your broker advises you to get out of one mutual fund or “variable annuity” and into another. Often brokers are “pushing” mutual funds which are “proprietary” and which may give the broker higher compensation and are not necessarily in the client’s best interest.
About The Author
Jacob H. Zamansky specializes in securities arbitration and has over twenty-six years of litigation experience at private law firms and as a federal prosecutor (FTC). He has been recognized by the press as a "big-time" litigator and legal strategist. As a frequent commentator and "source" on CNBC, CNN, National Network News and FOX Business News, He has been quoted for publication in virtually every financial and legal publication including The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Money Magazine, The New Yorker, Business Week and Fortune Magazine.
jake@zamansky.com
As an attorney who represents individual investors from around the Country in claims against their stock brokers, I hear a wide variety of complaints about brokers’ fraud and misconduct. If you believe that your broker has abused or harmed you, you may want to consider whether your complaint falls within any of the following typical complaint categories. If you fall into one of these categories, you may have a meritorious complaint against your broker.
Here are some guidelines to consider whether or not you have a case:
1- Unsuitable Investments – If you tell your broker that you are a “conservative” investor with a “low” risk tolerance and you are put into, for example, risky high technology stocks.
2- Unauthorized Trades –If you notice that buys and sells are occurring in your account without your prior permission or knowledge or any contact from your broker, these trades are “unauthorized”.
3- Risk Profile Change – If you notice that the ”investment objective” or “risk profile” (“aggressive” “moderate” or “conservative”) on your monthly account statements has changed, without your input, from, for example, “moderate” to “aggressive”. A “red flag” should go up if you receive documents from your broker which do not reflect your investment objective (aggressive, moderate, conservative).
4- Fraudulent Stock Research – If you bought stocks relying on stock research which was determined by the SEC and New York Attorney General to be “fraudulent” (Infospace, ICGE, WorldCom, etc).
5- Churning – If your broker is excessively trading or constantly turning over your account, for the purpose of generating sales commissions.
6- Fraudulent Statement of Risk – If you have suffered substantial losses in your account and your broker told you that you had a “low risk” portfolio.
7- Over-concentration- If your account is over-concentrated in stocks and equity mutual funds which are primarily high technology or telecommunications, you have an over-concentrated portfolio. If your broker has not allocated your assets into different classes (stocks, bonds, cash) or diversified your stocks and equity mutual funds into different industry “sectors”.
8- Excessive Use of “Margin” – If your broker buys stock with “margin” borrowings which you did not authorize.
9- “Activity” Letters – If your brokerage firm sends you an “activity” letter advising you of large losses, turnover, high commissions, high margin levels, etc. in your account and this is not consistent with your instructions to the broker.
10- Mutual Fund “Switching” – If your broker advises you to get out of one mutual fund or “variable annuity” and into another. Often brokers are “pushing” mutual funds which are “proprietary” and which may give the broker higher compensation and are not necessarily in the client’s best interest.
About The Author
Jacob H. Zamansky specializes in securities arbitration and has over twenty-six years of litigation experience at private law firms and as a federal prosecutor (FTC). He has been recognized by the press as a "big-time" litigator and legal strategist. As a frequent commentator and "source" on CNBC, CNN, National Network News and FOX Business News, He has been quoted for publication in virtually every financial and legal publication including The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Money Magazine, The New Yorker, Business Week and Fortune Magazine.
jake@zamansky.com
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Forex Made Easy for Everyone
Forex Made Easy for Everyone
Forex made easy is as simple as you would want it to be. The foreign exchange market is a worldwide market and according to some estimates is almost as big as thirty times the turnover of the US Equity markets. That is some figure to chew on. Forex is the commonly used term for foreign exchange. As a person who wants to invest in the forex market, one should understand the basics of how this currency market operates. Forex can be made easier for beginners to understand it and here's how.
Foreign exchange is the buying and the selling of foreign exchange in pairs of currencies. For example you buy US dollars and sell UK Sterling pounds or you sell German Marks and buy Japanese Yen. Why are currencies bought or sold? The answer is simple; Governments and Companies need foreign exchange for their purchase and payments for various commodities and services. This trade constitutes about 5% of all currency transactions, however the other 95% currency transactions are done for speculation and trade. In fact many companies will buy foreign currency when it is being traded at a lower rate to protect their financial investments. Another thing about foreign exchange market is that the rates are varying continuously and on daily basis. Therefore investors and financial managers track the forex rates and the forex market it on a daily basis.
Those who are involved in the forex trade know that almost 85% of the trading is done in only US Dollar, Japanese Yen, Euro, British Pound, Swiss Franc, Canadian Dollar and Australian Dollar. This is because they are the most liquid of foreign currencies (can be easily bought and sold. In fact the US Dollar is most recognizable foreign currency even in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam etc).
Being a truly 24/7 market, the currency trading markets opens in the financial centers of Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York in that sequence. Investors and speculators alike respond to the ever-changing situations and can buy and sell simultaneously the currencies. In fact many operate in two or more currency market using arbitrage to gain profits (buying in one market and selling in another market or vice versa to take advantage of the prices and book profits).
While dealing in forex, one should have a margin account. Quite simply put if you have US$ 1,000 and have a forex margin account which leverages 100:1 then you can buy US$ 100,000 since you only need 1% of the US$100,000 or US$1,000. Therefore it means that with margin account you have US$ 100,000 worth of real purchasing power in your hand.
Since the foreign currency market is fluctuating on a continuous basis, one should be able to understand the factors that affect this currency market. This is done through Technical Analysis and Fundamental Analysis. These two tools of trade are used in a variety of other markets such as equity markets, stock markets, mutual funds markets etc. Technical Analysis refers to reading, summarizing and analyzing data based on the data that is generated by the market. While fundamental Analysis refers to the factors, which influence the market economy, and in turn how it would affect the currency trading. Of course there are other economic and non economic factors which can suddenly affect the trading of the forex markets such as the 9/11 tragedy etc. One needs to have a shrewd acumen and a few number crunching abilities to strike gold in the forex market.
About the Author
Forex made easy with this amazing forex trading software. Real time signals sent to your desktop, email or mobile phone. Visit
Forex Made Easy
Forex made easy is as simple as you would want it to be. The foreign exchange market is a worldwide market and according to some estimates is almost as big as thirty times the turnover of the US Equity markets. That is some figure to chew on. Forex is the commonly used term for foreign exchange. As a person who wants to invest in the forex market, one should understand the basics of how this currency market operates. Forex can be made easier for beginners to understand it and here's how.
Foreign exchange is the buying and the selling of foreign exchange in pairs of currencies. For example you buy US dollars and sell UK Sterling pounds or you sell German Marks and buy Japanese Yen. Why are currencies bought or sold? The answer is simple; Governments and Companies need foreign exchange for their purchase and payments for various commodities and services. This trade constitutes about 5% of all currency transactions, however the other 95% currency transactions are done for speculation and trade. In fact many companies will buy foreign currency when it is being traded at a lower rate to protect their financial investments. Another thing about foreign exchange market is that the rates are varying continuously and on daily basis. Therefore investors and financial managers track the forex rates and the forex market it on a daily basis.
Those who are involved in the forex trade know that almost 85% of the trading is done in only US Dollar, Japanese Yen, Euro, British Pound, Swiss Franc, Canadian Dollar and Australian Dollar. This is because they are the most liquid of foreign currencies (can be easily bought and sold. In fact the US Dollar is most recognizable foreign currency even in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam etc).
Being a truly 24/7 market, the currency trading markets opens in the financial centers of Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York in that sequence. Investors and speculators alike respond to the ever-changing situations and can buy and sell simultaneously the currencies. In fact many operate in two or more currency market using arbitrage to gain profits (buying in one market and selling in another market or vice versa to take advantage of the prices and book profits).
While dealing in forex, one should have a margin account. Quite simply put if you have US$ 1,000 and have a forex margin account which leverages 100:1 then you can buy US$ 100,000 since you only need 1% of the US$100,000 or US$1,000. Therefore it means that with margin account you have US$ 100,000 worth of real purchasing power in your hand.
Since the foreign currency market is fluctuating on a continuous basis, one should be able to understand the factors that affect this currency market. This is done through Technical Analysis and Fundamental Analysis. These two tools of trade are used in a variety of other markets such as equity markets, stock markets, mutual funds markets etc. Technical Analysis refers to reading, summarizing and analyzing data based on the data that is generated by the market. While fundamental Analysis refers to the factors, which influence the market economy, and in turn how it would affect the currency trading. Of course there are other economic and non economic factors which can suddenly affect the trading of the forex markets such as the 9/11 tragedy etc. One needs to have a shrewd acumen and a few number crunching abilities to strike gold in the forex market.
About the Author
Forex made easy with this amazing forex trading software. Real time signals sent to your desktop, email or mobile phone. Visit
Forex Made Easy
A Roth IRA, Is It For You?
A Roth IRA, Is It For You?
Roth IRA’s are some of the most sought after investments. But, why? What are they? Why should you invest in them? For many people, the investment world is somewhat of a mystery. We just do not know what it is all about. But, we can easily learn by taking the time to understand all the various aspects of investing. We can start here with learning about Roth IRA and how it can benefit you.
First, Roth IRA was named after the man who helped push through legislation for it. His name was William Roth. He was a United States Senator. He was known as a conservative and helped to pass other tax cuts as well in the 1980’s. But, we want to know about his specific contribution to the Roth IRA.
The Roth IRA is an individual retirement account. It is used throughout the United States. This plan is meant to help individuals save money for retirement by giving them tax advantages for doing so. But, there are a number of different retirement accounts. Some of these retirement plans can be set up by the employer while others are sponsored through the individual investor. In the Roth IRA, money is taxed before it is deposited into the account. But, it accumulates tax free on its earnings until you withdraw it at retirement. The money is then taxed. But, here are a few other individual retirement accounts that you should consider as well:
The traditional IRA is the most commonly thought of retirement account because it was one of the firsts. In this case, money is deposited without being taxed. The money accumulates through time and is still tax free on earnings. Then, when the money is later withdrawn at retirement, it is taxed.
A Rollover IRA is basically the same as the traditional. The only difference is that in the rollover, funds or money is moved from one type of retirement plan to the rollover. This would happen when one account is closed but money is not withdrawn but moved. For example, if you have an employer based retirement plan and leave one company for the next, the money would move into a rollover account.
A Simple IRA is quite similar to a 401K. It is a simplified employee pension plan. In this case, you will have lower contribution limits and a simpler administration of the money.
Let’s get back to the Roth IRA in particular. In this type of retirement account, you get to contribute money that is “post tax” and earnings and withdrawals are then tax free. Another advantage of the Roth IRA is the fact that there are fewer penalties and restrictions on withdrawal than with the traditional IRA. Your limits, currently, on this IRA are based on age and the year:
In 2005, if you are under 49 years of age, your contributions are limited to $4,000 per year. Over 50 and you can invest up to $4500.
In 2006 and 2007, if you are under the age of 49, your contribution limit will be $4000, but if you are over 50, your limit will increase to $5000.
In 2008, limits change for both those age groups. Under age 49 will increase to $5000 while over age 50 will increase to $6000.
Anyone who is considering a Roth IRA for their retirement account is considering a very good quality investment account. It is wise, like with all other investments, to speak to a financial advisor to find the best course of action. They will help you to decide how much to put into the account. They will also help you to manage it. In a Roth IRA, there are a variety of options that you can invest in including stocks and mutual funds. It is important to consider the risk involved. It is also important to consider just where you need the money to be when you retire. A financial advisor can help you get to where you need to be without you having to worry about all the details.
All in all, a Roth IRA is an excellent choice. Its main benefits are its tax structure as well as its lower fees. You will see that they offer an excellent opportunity for almost anyone to invest for their retirement.
About the Author
Travis Lawrence
More Roth IRA information can be found at http://www.roth-ira.org
Roth IRA’s are some of the most sought after investments. But, why? What are they? Why should you invest in them? For many people, the investment world is somewhat of a mystery. We just do not know what it is all about. But, we can easily learn by taking the time to understand all the various aspects of investing. We can start here with learning about Roth IRA and how it can benefit you.
First, Roth IRA was named after the man who helped push through legislation for it. His name was William Roth. He was a United States Senator. He was known as a conservative and helped to pass other tax cuts as well in the 1980’s. But, we want to know about his specific contribution to the Roth IRA.
The Roth IRA is an individual retirement account. It is used throughout the United States. This plan is meant to help individuals save money for retirement by giving them tax advantages for doing so. But, there are a number of different retirement accounts. Some of these retirement plans can be set up by the employer while others are sponsored through the individual investor. In the Roth IRA, money is taxed before it is deposited into the account. But, it accumulates tax free on its earnings until you withdraw it at retirement. The money is then taxed. But, here are a few other individual retirement accounts that you should consider as well:
The traditional IRA is the most commonly thought of retirement account because it was one of the firsts. In this case, money is deposited without being taxed. The money accumulates through time and is still tax free on earnings. Then, when the money is later withdrawn at retirement, it is taxed.
A Rollover IRA is basically the same as the traditional. The only difference is that in the rollover, funds or money is moved from one type of retirement plan to the rollover. This would happen when one account is closed but money is not withdrawn but moved. For example, if you have an employer based retirement plan and leave one company for the next, the money would move into a rollover account.
A Simple IRA is quite similar to a 401K. It is a simplified employee pension plan. In this case, you will have lower contribution limits and a simpler administration of the money.
Let’s get back to the Roth IRA in particular. In this type of retirement account, you get to contribute money that is “post tax” and earnings and withdrawals are then tax free. Another advantage of the Roth IRA is the fact that there are fewer penalties and restrictions on withdrawal than with the traditional IRA. Your limits, currently, on this IRA are based on age and the year:
In 2005, if you are under 49 years of age, your contributions are limited to $4,000 per year. Over 50 and you can invest up to $4500.
In 2006 and 2007, if you are under the age of 49, your contribution limit will be $4000, but if you are over 50, your limit will increase to $5000.
In 2008, limits change for both those age groups. Under age 49 will increase to $5000 while over age 50 will increase to $6000.
Anyone who is considering a Roth IRA for their retirement account is considering a very good quality investment account. It is wise, like with all other investments, to speak to a financial advisor to find the best course of action. They will help you to decide how much to put into the account. They will also help you to manage it. In a Roth IRA, there are a variety of options that you can invest in including stocks and mutual funds. It is important to consider the risk involved. It is also important to consider just where you need the money to be when you retire. A financial advisor can help you get to where you need to be without you having to worry about all the details.
All in all, a Roth IRA is an excellent choice. Its main benefits are its tax structure as well as its lower fees. You will see that they offer an excellent opportunity for almost anyone to invest for their retirement.
About the Author
Travis Lawrence
More Roth IRA information can be found at http://www.roth-ira.org
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Rertire sooner on other people's money
RETIRE SOONER ON OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY
First Published in the Balanced Report Summer 1992
Today it is possible to have an investment portfolio without paying for it. In fact, the Government will buy it for you. Due to some innovations to the investment industry it is possible to use collateral to buy an investment portfolio. We then use the investment portfolio to service the debt and the tax refunds to pay off the loan. Sound too good to be true? Read on!
With interest rates now lower than they have been for many years it is now very attractive to borrow money to acquire an investment portfolio. Using other people's money has always been the best way to build wealth. By borrowing money at a fixed rate of interest to purchase an investment that will grow at a higher rate, this is simple enough to understand. It does beg the question though. If it is so easy, why doesn't everyone do it? The answer, not everyone has a good credit rating. They may not be credit worthy for many reasons, or perhaps they have no collateral to pledge as security for the loan. Also some people cannot handle risk of any kind and would therefore be uncomfortable with any debt. The old adage that you can't borrow from the bank, unless you can prove you don't need it, has a lot of truth in it. If you have your house paid for, or have a good equity in it, or other assets to use as collateral, this plan will work for you.
It is not too difficult for us to construct an investment portfolio for a client that will yield a compound rate of return of 12 percent or better per annum on a long-term basis. The other day I was playing on the computer using rates of return on some of the better mutual funds. 1 selected criteria of a compound rate of return over l2% for the last ten years. Then I put in an additional criteria of assets over 50 million dollars. We want funds with good diversification and that requires a good size to achieve. The next criterion is that they had to have management fees under 2.511% per annum. This is a figure the public does not usually see. We have to watch that we don't put a client into a fund with very high management expense charges. Sometimes the fund that appears to have no fees has exorbitant expenses, which cancel the other advantages. I then asked for the computer to print a list. There were over 36 funds on that list. The 12% percent figure is easily achieved.
If you took a mortgage on your house for 10% and the portfolio earned only 12%, the loan will be paid off within twelve years. Also, you would not have put a dime of your own money on the loan. How do we do that? We purchase a portfolio of 4‑6 different investments, mostly equity Mutual Funds. We set up an automatic withdrawal programme of 10% of the original investment. Each month the fund company transfers one twelfth of that amount electronically into your personal checking account at your bank. The Bank each month would debit your account for the interest cost of the loan or the monthly mortgage payment. So there should be no cost to you to service the loan. As the portfolio is growing at least by 12% per year and you are drawing down 10% per year, the portfolio grows on average by at least 2% per year. Remember this investment did not cost you anything.
Now, here comes the best part. At the end of the year the bank sends you a statement of the interest you paid on the loan or mortgage. The interest amount is fully tax deductible on that years Income Tax return, as it was an expense to purchase an investment. Suppose you took out a $100,000 loan at a rate of 10% for the year. The $10,000 interest paid would be your tax deduction. If you are in the 48.33% marginal tax rule, as many of our clients are, your tax refund will be $4,833. As this is found money we suggest that it be applied directly to the loan principal when the refund is received. When the portfolio is sufficient to pay off the entire loan plus leave a balance of $100,000 we pay off the loan. By doing this each year, with no money out of your own pocket, the loan is gone within 12 years. Remember you have not put any of your own money into this investment. At the end of the twelfth year the fund is worth $123,167.00 and the loan has been paid off. The fund can continue to grow until your retirement or the withdrawal plan can be continued as your immediate retirement income.
For those with no mortgage, or anyone having enough cash flow to support a monthly payment against the loan, you can get rid of the loan even faster. In the above example, by making a payment of $1,000 per month, the loan is paid off by the sixth year.
We feel the timing is perfect for this investment as the country is now coming out of its recession. Our stock market is setting near half the book value of the US market. There are also some very exciting opportunities in international funds that specialize in Emerging Markets. These economics are growing at over three times the growth in North America. The very low interest rates that we have now are why this works so well. We are recommending a five‑year mortgage to prevent against an unexpected rise in interest rates. You can secure a five‑year mortgage today for 8.875%. A demand loan might he cheaper, but the prudent approach is a five‑year term and the interest is calculated semiannually instead of monthly on a demand loan Most mortgages allow you to pay down an additional 15 or 20% per year, anytime you want and to increase the payments. So there is an ability to pay down the loan very quickly without a penalty. If you ever want out of the whole thing the portfolio is very liquid and the loan can be paid out with the proceeds from the portfolio. There is of course a risk that the portfolio will not do well. You can count on a bad year for sure, at least once about every five or six years. However, it is our experience that these funds will usually double in value about every five or six years, even with a bad year or so in there.
I have prepared a four‑page report illustrating the loan reduction, with or without payments on your part. There are also graphs and a list of those 36 funds that have done better than 12% compounded over the last 10 years. If you would like a copy of that report please phone us and we will mail you a copy.
We believe in practicing what we preach, so we took out a mortgage on our home last month to add to our investment portfolio. We are excited about the opportunities that are now available and would be pleased to arrange this for you also.
Copyright – www.money-software.com
About the Author
Peter F. Baigent CFP, CLU, CHFC, RFP. is a Past President of the Canadian Association of Financial Planners for British Columbia, a former Director of the Canadian Association of Financial Planners. He has spoken across Canada on financial planning matters and has taught courses for the Chartered Financial Consultants & Certified Financial Planners degrees. He is the founder of Money Minders Software which produces financial planning software.
First Published in the Balanced Report Summer 1992
Today it is possible to have an investment portfolio without paying for it. In fact, the Government will buy it for you. Due to some innovations to the investment industry it is possible to use collateral to buy an investment portfolio. We then use the investment portfolio to service the debt and the tax refunds to pay off the loan. Sound too good to be true? Read on!
With interest rates now lower than they have been for many years it is now very attractive to borrow money to acquire an investment portfolio. Using other people's money has always been the best way to build wealth. By borrowing money at a fixed rate of interest to purchase an investment that will grow at a higher rate, this is simple enough to understand. It does beg the question though. If it is so easy, why doesn't everyone do it? The answer, not everyone has a good credit rating. They may not be credit worthy for many reasons, or perhaps they have no collateral to pledge as security for the loan. Also some people cannot handle risk of any kind and would therefore be uncomfortable with any debt. The old adage that you can't borrow from the bank, unless you can prove you don't need it, has a lot of truth in it. If you have your house paid for, or have a good equity in it, or other assets to use as collateral, this plan will work for you.
It is not too difficult for us to construct an investment portfolio for a client that will yield a compound rate of return of 12 percent or better per annum on a long-term basis. The other day I was playing on the computer using rates of return on some of the better mutual funds. 1 selected criteria of a compound rate of return over l2% for the last ten years. Then I put in an additional criteria of assets over 50 million dollars. We want funds with good diversification and that requires a good size to achieve. The next criterion is that they had to have management fees under 2.511% per annum. This is a figure the public does not usually see. We have to watch that we don't put a client into a fund with very high management expense charges. Sometimes the fund that appears to have no fees has exorbitant expenses, which cancel the other advantages. I then asked for the computer to print a list. There were over 36 funds on that list. The 12% percent figure is easily achieved.
If you took a mortgage on your house for 10% and the portfolio earned only 12%, the loan will be paid off within twelve years. Also, you would not have put a dime of your own money on the loan. How do we do that? We purchase a portfolio of 4‑6 different investments, mostly equity Mutual Funds. We set up an automatic withdrawal programme of 10% of the original investment. Each month the fund company transfers one twelfth of that amount electronically into your personal checking account at your bank. The Bank each month would debit your account for the interest cost of the loan or the monthly mortgage payment. So there should be no cost to you to service the loan. As the portfolio is growing at least by 12% per year and you are drawing down 10% per year, the portfolio grows on average by at least 2% per year. Remember this investment did not cost you anything.
Now, here comes the best part. At the end of the year the bank sends you a statement of the interest you paid on the loan or mortgage. The interest amount is fully tax deductible on that years Income Tax return, as it was an expense to purchase an investment. Suppose you took out a $100,000 loan at a rate of 10% for the year. The $10,000 interest paid would be your tax deduction. If you are in the 48.33% marginal tax rule, as many of our clients are, your tax refund will be $4,833. As this is found money we suggest that it be applied directly to the loan principal when the refund is received. When the portfolio is sufficient to pay off the entire loan plus leave a balance of $100,000 we pay off the loan. By doing this each year, with no money out of your own pocket, the loan is gone within 12 years. Remember you have not put any of your own money into this investment. At the end of the twelfth year the fund is worth $123,167.00 and the loan has been paid off. The fund can continue to grow until your retirement or the withdrawal plan can be continued as your immediate retirement income.
For those with no mortgage, or anyone having enough cash flow to support a monthly payment against the loan, you can get rid of the loan even faster. In the above example, by making a payment of $1,000 per month, the loan is paid off by the sixth year.
We feel the timing is perfect for this investment as the country is now coming out of its recession. Our stock market is setting near half the book value of the US market. There are also some very exciting opportunities in international funds that specialize in Emerging Markets. These economics are growing at over three times the growth in North America. The very low interest rates that we have now are why this works so well. We are recommending a five‑year mortgage to prevent against an unexpected rise in interest rates. You can secure a five‑year mortgage today for 8.875%. A demand loan might he cheaper, but the prudent approach is a five‑year term and the interest is calculated semiannually instead of monthly on a demand loan Most mortgages allow you to pay down an additional 15 or 20% per year, anytime you want and to increase the payments. So there is an ability to pay down the loan very quickly without a penalty. If you ever want out of the whole thing the portfolio is very liquid and the loan can be paid out with the proceeds from the portfolio. There is of course a risk that the portfolio will not do well. You can count on a bad year for sure, at least once about every five or six years. However, it is our experience that these funds will usually double in value about every five or six years, even with a bad year or so in there.
I have prepared a four‑page report illustrating the loan reduction, with or without payments on your part. There are also graphs and a list of those 36 funds that have done better than 12% compounded over the last 10 years. If you would like a copy of that report please phone us and we will mail you a copy.
We believe in practicing what we preach, so we took out a mortgage on our home last month to add to our investment portfolio. We are excited about the opportunities that are now available and would be pleased to arrange this for you also.
Copyright – www.money-software.com
About the Author
Peter F. Baigent CFP, CLU, CHFC, RFP. is a Past President of the Canadian Association of Financial Planners for British Columbia, a former Director of the Canadian Association of Financial Planners. He has spoken across Canada on financial planning matters and has taught courses for the Chartered Financial Consultants & Certified Financial Planners degrees. He is the founder of Money Minders Software which produces financial planning software.
Secret to Corporate Success
Secret to Corporate Success
Can success in business be credited to only one person in a corporation? Or does everybody in a corporation hold a place of importance to the corporate success?
As an example, let us examine a hospital set-up. Who is more important - a doctor? or a janitor? Majority would perhaps respond that it is the doctor. Granting for example that the doctor is the only employee of a hospital, who will take a follow-up care of his patients if there are no nurses?
Will a doctor be able to survive without the presence of an accountant to manage his business accounts? Or will he be able to survive without having a secretary to handle the consultation appointments of his patients? In the emergency room, will the doctor have time to clean the blood on the floor from his wounded patients? Or does he have the time to discard of the trash if there are no janitors? Or will he have the time to cook for his admitted patients if there are no kitchen personnel?
On the otherhand, what good is a hospital without a doctor? Or how will a nurse function if there are no doctors to provide consultations and treatment?
What good can hospital administrative decisions make without marketing promotions? What is the importance of a marketer if there is nothing to promote?
Let us try to leave the hospital set-up for a moment. In basketball, which position is more important? The center or the guard? Who holds more importance, the coach or the player?
Well, what do you think is my point? TEAMWORK.
Teamwork is the only secret formula to create success in a corporate business. Without teamwork, failure is a sure thing to come. It is therefore essential that all members of a company or a corporation should be given an equal importance and respect. And it is also important that every employee - from the officials down to the ranks - should contribute their best for the success of the team.
Factors that can destroy teamwork include favoritism, unfairness, lies and deception. This factors generate loss of trust, hatred, and loss of cooperation. If you learned that one of your teammate was given more privilege than you do especially that both of you contributed equally to the team, don't you think you will not react negatively?
To the business owners, think of your corporation or company like it is a living human body. Can you ignore the heart and just take care of your brain? Will you give more importance to your eyes than your hands? What good will your body be if you have a sickly lung? Do you think you will last long?
So, in the entertainment world, who is more important - the cast or the crew? In business, who is more important - the CEO or the stockholders?
Always remember - TEAMWORK counts a lot.
About the Author
VMT Singuillo was a general manager of a healthcare company. He has written articles for www.grandfatherclock.biz, www.yourcheaphotels.com, www.lasvegashotelsreservation.org and more.
Can success in business be credited to only one person in a corporation? Or does everybody in a corporation hold a place of importance to the corporate success?
As an example, let us examine a hospital set-up. Who is more important - a doctor? or a janitor? Majority would perhaps respond that it is the doctor. Granting for example that the doctor is the only employee of a hospital, who will take a follow-up care of his patients if there are no nurses?
Will a doctor be able to survive without the presence of an accountant to manage his business accounts? Or will he be able to survive without having a secretary to handle the consultation appointments of his patients? In the emergency room, will the doctor have time to clean the blood on the floor from his wounded patients? Or does he have the time to discard of the trash if there are no janitors? Or will he have the time to cook for his admitted patients if there are no kitchen personnel?
On the otherhand, what good is a hospital without a doctor? Or how will a nurse function if there are no doctors to provide consultations and treatment?
What good can hospital administrative decisions make without marketing promotions? What is the importance of a marketer if there is nothing to promote?
Let us try to leave the hospital set-up for a moment. In basketball, which position is more important? The center or the guard? Who holds more importance, the coach or the player?
Well, what do you think is my point? TEAMWORK.
Teamwork is the only secret formula to create success in a corporate business. Without teamwork, failure is a sure thing to come. It is therefore essential that all members of a company or a corporation should be given an equal importance and respect. And it is also important that every employee - from the officials down to the ranks - should contribute their best for the success of the team.
Factors that can destroy teamwork include favoritism, unfairness, lies and deception. This factors generate loss of trust, hatred, and loss of cooperation. If you learned that one of your teammate was given more privilege than you do especially that both of you contributed equally to the team, don't you think you will not react negatively?
To the business owners, think of your corporation or company like it is a living human body. Can you ignore the heart and just take care of your brain? Will you give more importance to your eyes than your hands? What good will your body be if you have a sickly lung? Do you think you will last long?
So, in the entertainment world, who is more important - the cast or the crew? In business, who is more important - the CEO or the stockholders?
Always remember - TEAMWORK counts a lot.
About the Author
VMT Singuillo was a general manager of a healthcare company. He has written articles for www.grandfatherclock.biz, www.yourcheaphotels.com, www.lasvegashotelsreservation.org and more.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
High Yield Stocks
High Yield Stocks
GM General Motors 35.19 5.68%
SBC SBC Communications 24.61 5.24%
MRK Merck 30.66 4.96%
VZ Verizon 33.32 4.86%
MO Altria 66.33 4.40%
C Citigroup 43.63 4.03%
JPM JP Morgan Chase 35.25 3.86%
DD DuPont 42.71 3.47%
PFE Pfizer 26.25 2.90%
GE General Electric 33.81 2.60%
GM General Motors 35.19 5.68%
SBC SBC Communications 24.61 5.24%
MRK Merck 30.66 4.96%
VZ Verizon 33.32 4.86%
MO Altria 66.33 4.40%
C Citigroup 43.63 4.03%
JPM JP Morgan Chase 35.25 3.86%
DD DuPont 42.71 3.47%
PFE Pfizer 26.25 2.90%
GE General Electric 33.81 2.60%
Capitalization-Weighted Index
Capitalization-Weighted Index
Also referred to as a market-weighted index, a capitalization-weighted index is one in which a stock affects the index as a whole only in relation to its size (i.e. market capitalization).
The Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P 500) is a capitalization-weighted index of 500 widely held stocks selected to be representative of the stock market as a whole.
Also referred to as a market-weighted index, a capitalization-weighted index is one in which a stock affects the index as a whole only in relation to its size (i.e. market capitalization).
The Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P 500) is a capitalization-weighted index of 500 widely held stocks selected to be representative of the stock market as a whole.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Are You A Stockaholic?
Are You A Stockaholic?
Today's society gives special recognition to alcoholics, sexaholics, binge-aholics, shopaholics, chocaholics and other "-aholics". What about stockaholics? Stockaholics are people who are overly obsessive about their stock market investments.
As approximately 50% of U.S. households directly or indirectly invest in the stock market, it is likely that there already exists a goodly number of undiagnosed stockaholics.
Are you a stockaholic?
To find out if you are a stockaholic answer Yes or No to the 10 short questions below ...
1. do you check your stocks every day?
2. are you depressed on weekends, because the market is not open?
3. do you hate to go away on vacation because you will be out of touch with the market?
4. do you subscribe to more than 3 financial publications?
5. do you dream about stocks?
6. do you daydream about making a killing in the stock market?
7. do you think your stock broker is your best friend?
8. have you tried different stock market strategies, only to find out they didn't work?
9. do you wish you could consistently beat the market?
10. do you wish you could make more money in the stock market?
If you answered yes to all or most of the questions you are a stockaholic ... or a very good investor. If stocks are interfering with your ability to enjoy life ... or if you are not making enough money in the stock market ... get help.
About the Author
Alan Korber is a stockaholic and a very good investor. He is also the creator and publisher of the successful Korber Strategy, a simple easy-to-understand stock market investment strategy that can pinpoint stocks likely to go up 50%-100% in the next 12 months. His website is http://akorber.com
Today's society gives special recognition to alcoholics, sexaholics, binge-aholics, shopaholics, chocaholics and other "-aholics". What about stockaholics? Stockaholics are people who are overly obsessive about their stock market investments.
As approximately 50% of U.S. households directly or indirectly invest in the stock market, it is likely that there already exists a goodly number of undiagnosed stockaholics.
Are you a stockaholic?
To find out if you are a stockaholic answer Yes or No to the 10 short questions below ...
1. do you check your stocks every day?
2. are you depressed on weekends, because the market is not open?
3. do you hate to go away on vacation because you will be out of touch with the market?
4. do you subscribe to more than 3 financial publications?
5. do you dream about stocks?
6. do you daydream about making a killing in the stock market?
7. do you think your stock broker is your best friend?
8. have you tried different stock market strategies, only to find out they didn't work?
9. do you wish you could consistently beat the market?
10. do you wish you could make more money in the stock market?
If you answered yes to all or most of the questions you are a stockaholic ... or a very good investor. If stocks are interfering with your ability to enjoy life ... or if you are not making enough money in the stock market ... get help.
About the Author
Alan Korber is a stockaholic and a very good investor. He is also the creator and publisher of the successful Korber Strategy, a simple easy-to-understand stock market investment strategy that can pinpoint stocks likely to go up 50%-100% in the next 12 months. His website is http://akorber.com
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Looking To The So Called Specialist?
Looking To The So Called Specialist?
Looking to the so called specialist for your financial guidelines?
Perhaps you’ll desire to look again. At the commencement of the year, along with the New Year's resolution, came the new predictions for what will be a high-quality buy and what to avoid. This doesn’t give us enough information actually, so we also get cable news channels giving us information every twenty minutes. The financial information in the news is a proverbial fire hose aimed at a teacup trying to get information into our heads.
The large dilemma with this for any kind of investors is that most of the trusted sources are recommending diverse methods of investing. It seems that the experts in these fields do not have anything solid to support their claims on. If they did, They would probably all be giving similar advice.
But they don't and they aren't. They get lucky now and then, but it seems that they are usually random stocks picked out of a hat. Perhaps all of the experts are just getting paid off by these companies?
So what’s the answer?
The best thing to do is probably to do some extremely extensive and worthwhile research. In this way, when there are experts appearing on TV, all making completely different predictions about a company, you’ll know right where not to go. You’ll be able to make your own selection and be certain that you’ll be safe, or at least at ease.
From there, it is vital to keep tabs on your investment. Watching its day to day performance isn’t always suggested, since stocks will obviously vary. However, keeping current on the news involving the company is an obligation. This should ensure that if the company is expected to have a dramatic rise in stock prices, you’ll know to buy more. Conversely, if the stock is expected to drop like a brick, you’ll know to sell ahead of time.
After all is said and done, investing is an important practice to have. It guarantees that you can build wealth and have some money saved up. It is important to learn for yourself how the financial marketplace works, and not rely on so called investors to do the work for you. That way, you can be convinced in the investments you’ve made and can feel proud of a first-rate achievement. It is one of the ways you make money without working. Not to say you don’t work but I’m saying that you don’t need to go into the office 8 hours a day to check up on your stocks.
About The Author
Kelly Q Johnson is the Webmaster of http://www.ficainvesting.com.
Looking to the so called specialist for your financial guidelines?
Perhaps you’ll desire to look again. At the commencement of the year, along with the New Year's resolution, came the new predictions for what will be a high-quality buy and what to avoid. This doesn’t give us enough information actually, so we also get cable news channels giving us information every twenty minutes. The financial information in the news is a proverbial fire hose aimed at a teacup trying to get information into our heads.
The large dilemma with this for any kind of investors is that most of the trusted sources are recommending diverse methods of investing. It seems that the experts in these fields do not have anything solid to support their claims on. If they did, They would probably all be giving similar advice.
But they don't and they aren't. They get lucky now and then, but it seems that they are usually random stocks picked out of a hat. Perhaps all of the experts are just getting paid off by these companies?
So what’s the answer?
The best thing to do is probably to do some extremely extensive and worthwhile research. In this way, when there are experts appearing on TV, all making completely different predictions about a company, you’ll know right where not to go. You’ll be able to make your own selection and be certain that you’ll be safe, or at least at ease.
From there, it is vital to keep tabs on your investment. Watching its day to day performance isn’t always suggested, since stocks will obviously vary. However, keeping current on the news involving the company is an obligation. This should ensure that if the company is expected to have a dramatic rise in stock prices, you’ll know to buy more. Conversely, if the stock is expected to drop like a brick, you’ll know to sell ahead of time.
After all is said and done, investing is an important practice to have. It guarantees that you can build wealth and have some money saved up. It is important to learn for yourself how the financial marketplace works, and not rely on so called investors to do the work for you. That way, you can be convinced in the investments you’ve made and can feel proud of a first-rate achievement. It is one of the ways you make money without working. Not to say you don’t work but I’m saying that you don’t need to go into the office 8 hours a day to check up on your stocks.
About The Author
Kelly Q Johnson is the Webmaster of http://www.ficainvesting.com.
stock volume
When looking for that next homerun stock that's shooting for the big numbers. Keep in mind that stock volume is just as important. Remember some simple keys about stocks and business in general will take you a long way into the stock game.
Keep in mind. It's a number game, it's all about supply and demand, it's dollar for dollar, and it's about getting the most out of your buck!
Just like anything the volume of the stock can tell you alot more great information on the stock then you would or could imagine. Just think, if a stock is trading more then 400K daily volume, that's pretty heavy and the stock is pretty solid. Compared to a stock that is trading at the 100K or less of daily volume. Well, this stock is going to have a bigger volume spike say if just one buyer puts in a trade for say over 1,000 shares. Well, if I am you or say if I am the owner of the company owning a lot of that stock knowin if I could make money by selling and repurchasing my own stock while making a few and quick bucks! I will probably go for it as well, meaning I could sell or buy those 1,000 or more shares that I have of that stock to make the volume go up or down...when in return will effect a stock that has daily volume of the low 100K daily trading volume. Are you getting the picture now. Now, we are not saying stay completely away from these stocks, just take a very very good look!
Also, look for the stocks that are trading in the high volume to have a what is called a volume spike. If you can get one of those waves then you could be setting sort of pretty...just remeber whatever goes up must come down...and you if your surfing just like the net stocks you have to catch that wave just right and hit that wave while it's breaking or other wise your going to wipe out! That means get in fast and get out fast while...take your gains and run! Then hope to check the next one that's all we have for you today!
Come back and check out more great in stock and investing information here at
Stocks Online Blog
Keep in mind. It's a number game, it's all about supply and demand, it's dollar for dollar, and it's about getting the most out of your buck!
Just like anything the volume of the stock can tell you alot more great information on the stock then you would or could imagine. Just think, if a stock is trading more then 400K daily volume, that's pretty heavy and the stock is pretty solid. Compared to a stock that is trading at the 100K or less of daily volume. Well, this stock is going to have a bigger volume spike say if just one buyer puts in a trade for say over 1,000 shares. Well, if I am you or say if I am the owner of the company owning a lot of that stock knowin if I could make money by selling and repurchasing my own stock while making a few and quick bucks! I will probably go for it as well, meaning I could sell or buy those 1,000 or more shares that I have of that stock to make the volume go up or down...when in return will effect a stock that has daily volume of the low 100K daily trading volume. Are you getting the picture now. Now, we are not saying stay completely away from these stocks, just take a very very good look!
Also, look for the stocks that are trading in the high volume to have a what is called a volume spike. If you can get one of those waves then you could be setting sort of pretty...just remeber whatever goes up must come down...and you if your surfing just like the net stocks you have to catch that wave just right and hit that wave while it's breaking or other wise your going to wipe out! That means get in fast and get out fast while...take your gains and run! Then hope to check the next one that's all we have for you today!
Come back and check out more great in stock and investing information here at
Stocks Online Blog
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Introduction to Private Equity Investing
Introduction to Private Equity Investing
Private Equity Investing is investing into privately owned companies. A private investor can inject capital into a business that needs it. In return they will receive part-ownership in the company. The principle is the same as investing in the stock market, however, there is much more room for growth if the company you invest in takes off. Venture Capitalists are private equity investors on a large scale. They make big investments expecting massive returns. Even on a low budget you can be a private equity investor.
In this article you will discover:
* What is Private Equity Investing?
* How Private Equity Investing plays a part in your portfolio
What is Private Equity Investing?
Private Equity Investing covers investments in unlisted companies at various stages of development. Private Equity Investment is often in the form of funding but may include a combination of funding and debt. The major portion of the investment return is realised when the company or business is sold or listed on a stock exchange. This ‘sale’ date is normally determined before the capital is invested. The two main kinds of Private Equity Investing are Venture Capital and Expansion Capital.
Venture capital
Strong Venture Capital candidates are normally ‘start-up’ companies that have innovative products that could result in outstanding growth and superior returns for investors. ‘Start-up’ or ‘venture capital’ investment is generally in the form of equity into the business with no security.
Expansion capital
‘Expansion’ or ‘development’ capital candidates are established businesses that are capital constrained but have good growth prospects. Typically, these companies have a history of profitability but would benefit from additional finance to continue growing. Investment in companies at this stage of their growth is substantially less risky than that in start-up companies but prospects for growth are also far smaller.
Regardless of the kind of Private Equity Investing that takes place it is clear that the potential for large returns exists. A downside is also present, however, sound due diligence and understanding the company you are investing in will reduce the risk of losing your money.
How Private Equity Investing plays a part in your portfolio
Large institutional investors have always been drawn to the private equity investing. It has the potential to offer long-term returns that are superior to standard stock investing. Stock market investment cannot make the returns that Private Equity Investing can.
The Tech Boom that ended in 2001 was an example of Private Equity Investing occurring on a large scale. Venture Capitalist invested millions and received tens of millions in return for a successful floatation. This is why Private Equity Investment offers such great potential, especially is your invested company decides to become listed. You then get a share of the profit generated.
For the average investor to have private equity play a major part in their portfolio they would need to invest in a Private Equity Fund. This is good option to consider as traditionally Private Equity Investing has been the domain of the largest investors due to the size of investment required and long investment terms. Private Equity is highly illiquid and the scale needed to achieve an appropriate degree of diversification can be immense. A Private Equity Fund can offer you great diversification in a number of Private Equity investment with all the due diligence conducted for you.
About the Author
Written & published by Murray Priestley, Managing Partner of Portofino Asset Management, private investment managers and publishers of the Portofino Report. www.portofinoasset.com
Private Equity Investing is investing into privately owned companies. A private investor can inject capital into a business that needs it. In return they will receive part-ownership in the company. The principle is the same as investing in the stock market, however, there is much more room for growth if the company you invest in takes off. Venture Capitalists are private equity investors on a large scale. They make big investments expecting massive returns. Even on a low budget you can be a private equity investor.
In this article you will discover:
* What is Private Equity Investing?
* How Private Equity Investing plays a part in your portfolio
What is Private Equity Investing?
Private Equity Investing covers investments in unlisted companies at various stages of development. Private Equity Investment is often in the form of funding but may include a combination of funding and debt. The major portion of the investment return is realised when the company or business is sold or listed on a stock exchange. This ‘sale’ date is normally determined before the capital is invested. The two main kinds of Private Equity Investing are Venture Capital and Expansion Capital.
Venture capital
Strong Venture Capital candidates are normally ‘start-up’ companies that have innovative products that could result in outstanding growth and superior returns for investors. ‘Start-up’ or ‘venture capital’ investment is generally in the form of equity into the business with no security.
Expansion capital
‘Expansion’ or ‘development’ capital candidates are established businesses that are capital constrained but have good growth prospects. Typically, these companies have a history of profitability but would benefit from additional finance to continue growing. Investment in companies at this stage of their growth is substantially less risky than that in start-up companies but prospects for growth are also far smaller.
Regardless of the kind of Private Equity Investing that takes place it is clear that the potential for large returns exists. A downside is also present, however, sound due diligence and understanding the company you are investing in will reduce the risk of losing your money.
How Private Equity Investing plays a part in your portfolio
Large institutional investors have always been drawn to the private equity investing. It has the potential to offer long-term returns that are superior to standard stock investing. Stock market investment cannot make the returns that Private Equity Investing can.
The Tech Boom that ended in 2001 was an example of Private Equity Investing occurring on a large scale. Venture Capitalist invested millions and received tens of millions in return for a successful floatation. This is why Private Equity Investment offers such great potential, especially is your invested company decides to become listed. You then get a share of the profit generated.
For the average investor to have private equity play a major part in their portfolio they would need to invest in a Private Equity Fund. This is good option to consider as traditionally Private Equity Investing has been the domain of the largest investors due to the size of investment required and long investment terms. Private Equity is highly illiquid and the scale needed to achieve an appropriate degree of diversification can be immense. A Private Equity Fund can offer you great diversification in a number of Private Equity investment with all the due diligence conducted for you.
About the Author
Written & published by Murray Priestley, Managing Partner of Portofino Asset Management, private investment managers and publishers of the Portofino Report. www.portofinoasset.com
stocks online, stock reviews, and more about stocks
stocks online, stock reviews, and more about stocks
1. Blue Chips
Shares of large companies with a long record of profit growth, annual return over $4 billion, large capitalization and constancy in paying-off dividends are referred to as blue chips.
2. Growth Stocks
Shares of such company grow faster; its managers typically pursue the policy of reinvestment of revenue into further development and modernization of the company. These companies rarely pay dividends and in case they do the dividends are minimal as compared with other companies.
3. Income Stocks
Income stocks are the stocks of companies with high and stable earnings that pay high dividends to the shareholders. The shares of such companies usually use mutual funds in the plans for middle-aged and elderly people.
4. Defensive Stocks
These are the stocks whose prices stay stable when the market declines, do well during recessions and are able to minimize risks. They perform perfect when the market turns sour and are in requisition during economic boom.
1. Blue Chips
Shares of large companies with a long record of profit growth, annual return over $4 billion, large capitalization and constancy in paying-off dividends are referred to as blue chips.
2. Growth Stocks
Shares of such company grow faster; its managers typically pursue the policy of reinvestment of revenue into further development and modernization of the company. These companies rarely pay dividends and in case they do the dividends are minimal as compared with other companies.
3. Income Stocks
Income stocks are the stocks of companies with high and stable earnings that pay high dividends to the shareholders. The shares of such companies usually use mutual funds in the plans for middle-aged and elderly people.
4. Defensive Stocks
These are the stocks whose prices stay stable when the market declines, do well during recessions and are able to minimize risks. They perform perfect when the market turns sour and are in requisition during economic boom.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
How Can I Make Money Currency Trading?
How Can I Make Money Currency Trading?
Basically you can make money from trading money. If you have US dollars you can buy British pounds for a set rate and they trade the money back in the future at a different rate. This can make your gains immense. Much larger than gains made on the stock market. Just as the upside for currency trading is high, the downside is just as scary and can be immense also. There are currency trading brokers available on line that can provide strategies to limit your losses and maximise your gains.
If you are new to investing online, don't put your entire life savings into an online account. Start with a smaller sum, which will be easier to handle and keep track of. Once you feel confident, you can then decide to add more money to your investing online account.
Once online, many investors tend to concentrate on stocks, specifically large-cap domestic stocks. While these stocks should make up part of your portfolio, they shouldn't be ALL of it! Take into account your time horizon and risk tolerance to develop a well-balanced portfolio of stocks, bonds, and cash.
If you're new to investing online and are looking to open a brokerage account, there are some important facts you should know before choosing a broker. Each one has strengths and weaknesses, but not everyone sees a broker in the same way. For example, if you're comfortable finding your own research for investing online, then the deep discount brokers will work well for you.
Ask yourself…
What services are offered? Do they have research available? What is the cost to you for investing online? What are the real commission costs to do a trade, including any handling fees? How are confirmations sent to you -- by e-mail, by snail mail, by phone? Can you enter orders by phone, by e-mail, directly on-line? Does it cost extra to call and talk to a broker for help with your account?
In a low interest rate environment like the US, it can be a problem to invest in secure high-yielding fixed income investments. Most of these investments are around the base rate as set by the government. It would be difficult to get secure investments around the 3% mark. In New Zealand or Australia some fixed interest investments are worth 7.5% or 8%. An issue with making an investment abroad is that currency rates are so volatile that even though you make 5% on yield, that gain can be wiped out in currency rates.
Equally, currency rates can work in your favour and your investment will have an extremely high yield. To eliminate this uncertainty you can make a foreign investment today using a spot trade and also set up a forward trade at the time of investment maturity. This way you eliminate currency risk in your investment and can capitalise on foreign products. Setting up a forward trade costs money but in many instances the cost of the trade is minimal in comparison to the gains that can be made.
About The Author
Matt Clarkson is a specialist in both traditional and online business that has years of experience in borrowing money and investing for capital growth.
The Free Information Online website is designed to help people find unbiased advice and tips with out the worry of any high pressure selling.
For more free and unbiased advice go to… http://www.freeinformationonline.com
Basically you can make money from trading money. If you have US dollars you can buy British pounds for a set rate and they trade the money back in the future at a different rate. This can make your gains immense. Much larger than gains made on the stock market. Just as the upside for currency trading is high, the downside is just as scary and can be immense also. There are currency trading brokers available on line that can provide strategies to limit your losses and maximise your gains.
If you are new to investing online, don't put your entire life savings into an online account. Start with a smaller sum, which will be easier to handle and keep track of. Once you feel confident, you can then decide to add more money to your investing online account.
Once online, many investors tend to concentrate on stocks, specifically large-cap domestic stocks. While these stocks should make up part of your portfolio, they shouldn't be ALL of it! Take into account your time horizon and risk tolerance to develop a well-balanced portfolio of stocks, bonds, and cash.
If you're new to investing online and are looking to open a brokerage account, there are some important facts you should know before choosing a broker. Each one has strengths and weaknesses, but not everyone sees a broker in the same way. For example, if you're comfortable finding your own research for investing online, then the deep discount brokers will work well for you.
Ask yourself…
What services are offered? Do they have research available? What is the cost to you for investing online? What are the real commission costs to do a trade, including any handling fees? How are confirmations sent to you -- by e-mail, by snail mail, by phone? Can you enter orders by phone, by e-mail, directly on-line? Does it cost extra to call and talk to a broker for help with your account?
In a low interest rate environment like the US, it can be a problem to invest in secure high-yielding fixed income investments. Most of these investments are around the base rate as set by the government. It would be difficult to get secure investments around the 3% mark. In New Zealand or Australia some fixed interest investments are worth 7.5% or 8%. An issue with making an investment abroad is that currency rates are so volatile that even though you make 5% on yield, that gain can be wiped out in currency rates.
Equally, currency rates can work in your favour and your investment will have an extremely high yield. To eliminate this uncertainty you can make a foreign investment today using a spot trade and also set up a forward trade at the time of investment maturity. This way you eliminate currency risk in your investment and can capitalise on foreign products. Setting up a forward trade costs money but in many instances the cost of the trade is minimal in comparison to the gains that can be made.
About The Author
Matt Clarkson is a specialist in both traditional and online business that has years of experience in borrowing money and investing for capital growth.
The Free Information Online website is designed to help people find unbiased advice and tips with out the worry of any high pressure selling.
For more free and unbiased advice go to… http://www.freeinformationonline.com
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
SECRET FEES MAKE MUTUAL FUNDS BILLIONS AT YOUR EXPENSE!
SECRET FEES MAKE MUTUAL FUNDS BILLIONS AT YOUR EXPENSE! by Dr. Scott Brown, Ph.D.
Many investors think that investing in mutual funds is free. What nonsense! Funds collect more than $50 billion a year in fees from investors. That is truly a ton of money. The first way you get hosed in a mutual fund is due to high fees charged. These fees can dramatically reduce your returns over time!
The way that these fees are deducted automatically from a fund’s returns makes them invisible because you never see an invoice or have to write a check. If you invest $10,000.00 in a domestic stock mutual fund with an expense ratio of 2% and a sales load of 3%, and let’s imagine that you get annual returns of 7.5% for twenty years, your money would almost triple to $27,508.00.
The bad news is that you would have lost $14,970 in fees and foregone earnings over the twenty years. Yikes…that really hurts! Why not just bypass the system and buy your own stocks as I teach finance students and home study investors?
These funds are also sold and managed on pure hype, short term trading, and with key information withheld from the public. All of these factors I teach finance students and investors to avoid! The industry confuses investors by focusing on past performance, which should not be a factor to consider. Many mutual funds are able to cheat the public with excessive fees because investors don’t understand how these big costs destroy their profit. Mutual funds have no interest in educating investors because it is easier to hoodwink the ignorant!
Don’t put your trust in mutual funds unless they are fully indexed. Indexing means that the mutual fund simply uses a computer to buy and sell stocks in the mutual fund portfolio so as to mimic the composition of a major stock market index like the S&P 500. This means that there is no fund manager sucking out needless fees. A good example is the first fully indexed mutual fund called the Vanguard 500 (VFINX) which is also now the largest of its kind.
About the Author
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Scott Brown, Ph.D., the Wallet Doctor, is a successful investor. Dr. Brown holds a Ph.D. in finance. The Wallet Doctor is sought after for investment advice and coaching. For more information visit Dr. Brown’s site at www.BonanzaBase.com or sign up for his investment tips at www.WalletDoctor.com
Many investors think that investing in mutual funds is free. What nonsense! Funds collect more than $50 billion a year in fees from investors. That is truly a ton of money. The first way you get hosed in a mutual fund is due to high fees charged. These fees can dramatically reduce your returns over time!
The way that these fees are deducted automatically from a fund’s returns makes them invisible because you never see an invoice or have to write a check. If you invest $10,000.00 in a domestic stock mutual fund with an expense ratio of 2% and a sales load of 3%, and let’s imagine that you get annual returns of 7.5% for twenty years, your money would almost triple to $27,508.00.
The bad news is that you would have lost $14,970 in fees and foregone earnings over the twenty years. Yikes…that really hurts! Why not just bypass the system and buy your own stocks as I teach finance students and home study investors?
These funds are also sold and managed on pure hype, short term trading, and with key information withheld from the public. All of these factors I teach finance students and investors to avoid! The industry confuses investors by focusing on past performance, which should not be a factor to consider. Many mutual funds are able to cheat the public with excessive fees because investors don’t understand how these big costs destroy their profit. Mutual funds have no interest in educating investors because it is easier to hoodwink the ignorant!
Don’t put your trust in mutual funds unless they are fully indexed. Indexing means that the mutual fund simply uses a computer to buy and sell stocks in the mutual fund portfolio so as to mimic the composition of a major stock market index like the S&P 500. This means that there is no fund manager sucking out needless fees. A good example is the first fully indexed mutual fund called the Vanguard 500 (VFINX) which is also now the largest of its kind.
About the Author
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Scott Brown, Ph.D., the Wallet Doctor, is a successful investor. Dr. Brown holds a Ph.D. in finance. The Wallet Doctor is sought after for investment advice and coaching. For more information visit Dr. Brown’s site at www.BonanzaBase.com or sign up for his investment tips at www.WalletDoctor.com
Monday, July 25, 2005
Are You Really A Twenty First Century Investor?
Are You Really A Twenty First Century Investor?
Real Estate Investors that educate themselves about CURRENT MARKET TRENDS will reap huge returns NOW!!! Information concerning NEW TRENDS in financial resources will open new and more profitable real estate opportunities for your business.
Today’s residential real estate market for investors has become very competitive in most major markets. The vast majority of real estate investing seminars and clubs are encouraging you to search out desperate home owners or distressed properties to be rehabbed.
Not to mention the fact that today’s disillusioned stock investors have now realized that residential real estate investing offers better returns, with less capital risks. As you seek to identify your lucrative real estate opportunities, have you noticed that the good deals are getting harder to find? I am not here to discourage you from investing in real estate, but would like to share real estate investment opportunities and information with you…..opportunities that only a few people are aware of and regularly participate in. That’s right; I am referring to a niche investment market that has VERY LITTLE competition. This unique information is currently setting new trends within the commercial real estate investment community!
I know you are ready for me to tell you about this quiet niche investment market, so I will...... it is….……. ………..Commercial Real Estate. There are HUNDREDS, maybe THOUSANDS of niche market investment opportunities within Commercial Real Estate. And by the way........ the main reason why so few investors go after commercial real estate, and that might include yourself, is that you're not convinced that you would qualify for commercial financing ! ! Most investors are lead to believe that a 20% down payment is required to start the process for purchasing commercial properties. WELL, THIS IS NOT TRUE!
Let’s do the math now…… financing a property that cost $5 Million dollars with 20% down would require you to put down $1,000,000 and you would still have to add in legal fees and closing costs. Yes, I know that only a few investors or even investment groups are able to meet these down payment requirements. Your first mistake as an investor would be to go to your local bank to seek financing, or worse, go to private or hard money lenders. First, remember the banks are regulated by the federal government and they are required to underwrite conforming loans and second, bank loans tend to be very structured and are generally inflexible to your project needs. In most cases, THESE LOANS will require a 20% DOWN PAYMENT OR MORE! The only benefit of using private or hard money lenders is when" NO OTHER FINANCING OPTIONS EXIST FOR YOU!"
FINANCING is the key ingredient to identifying lucrative real estate investment opportunities, yet, so few people truly understand the power of knowing WHERE to find the right financing and HOW to get it! WHAT IF you had several lenders, today, that would only require you have 2 to 3% down payments (on certain qualified projects)… WOULD THIS BE OF INTEREST TO YOU? A $5,000,000 loan with 2- 3% down payment equates to putting down $100,000 to $150,000. As an individual investor, this down payment would still be pretty steep for you however, today, many residential investors are already joining and forming Investment clubs to increase and enhance their purchasing power. TO ALL residential real estate investors....... the REAL MESSAGE here is that you are closer to buying commercial real estate than you think! This example should make it clear to you that finding the right financing is the FIRST step and the key ingredient to your real estate investing…….. however, there is a PROBLEM.
The problem is that as an investor, you have been trained to shop for properties FIRST, and almost never for financing. Finding the right financing FIRST will save you and make you more money over time, than you purchasing the undervalued properties and selling them later at or above market prices. I will repeat this….. MOST REAL ESTATE INVESTORS DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF FINANCING within the investment equation. The ability to save on the amount of the interest rate you are being charged…. month after month….. year after year… 2 or 3 % or more is huge. You may also find out what I already know….. . by securing the financing first…..THIS OPENS UP NEW INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES!
Let’s review some of the BENEFITS that come with purchasing Commercial Real Estate:
1. Unlike residential real estate, commercial real estate’s only purpose is to make money for its investors. If there was a 7% cap rate on the $5,000,000 sample property, it would cash flow $350,000 annually.
2. Do you think you would enjoy having professional tenants with long term leases?
3. Would it excite you if your investment projects qualify for Non recourse financing?
4. You can totally eliminate the process of rehabbing properties.
5. How about this…… YOU no longer have to chase tenants down to collect rent.
6. You no longer have to pay penalties to lenders for not being in owner occupied properties.
7. Expand your investment search throughout all 50 states.
8. Last and probably the MOST BENEFICIAL of all of the perks….You can qualify to purchase these properties using your commercial tenant's credit rating, business cash flow and their long-term rental leases!
In an era where information rules, the small to medium sized real estate investor can NOW be a "Front Runner" AND a major player within the commercial real estate market!, says Steven Battle
We are searching for like -minded real estate investors and investment clubs that would like to join a Commercial Real Estate Investor Forum. We welcome that you come and ask your commercial financing questions and share your investment experiences with the group. Go to www.amoneybroker.com/ and click on "Join Our Investor Forum."
About The Author
Steven Battle, Commercial Financing Specialist with Amoneybroker.com, has over twenty years of experience in financing, property management, real estate investing, and direct sales.
www.amoneybroker.com/
Real Estate Investors that educate themselves about CURRENT MARKET TRENDS will reap huge returns NOW!!! Information concerning NEW TRENDS in financial resources will open new and more profitable real estate opportunities for your business.
Today’s residential real estate market for investors has become very competitive in most major markets. The vast majority of real estate investing seminars and clubs are encouraging you to search out desperate home owners or distressed properties to be rehabbed.
Not to mention the fact that today’s disillusioned stock investors have now realized that residential real estate investing offers better returns, with less capital risks. As you seek to identify your lucrative real estate opportunities, have you noticed that the good deals are getting harder to find? I am not here to discourage you from investing in real estate, but would like to share real estate investment opportunities and information with you…..opportunities that only a few people are aware of and regularly participate in. That’s right; I am referring to a niche investment market that has VERY LITTLE competition. This unique information is currently setting new trends within the commercial real estate investment community!
I know you are ready for me to tell you about this quiet niche investment market, so I will...... it is….……. ………..Commercial Real Estate. There are HUNDREDS, maybe THOUSANDS of niche market investment opportunities within Commercial Real Estate. And by the way........ the main reason why so few investors go after commercial real estate, and that might include yourself, is that you're not convinced that you would qualify for commercial financing ! ! Most investors are lead to believe that a 20% down payment is required to start the process for purchasing commercial properties. WELL, THIS IS NOT TRUE!
Let’s do the math now…… financing a property that cost $5 Million dollars with 20% down would require you to put down $1,000,000 and you would still have to add in legal fees and closing costs. Yes, I know that only a few investors or even investment groups are able to meet these down payment requirements. Your first mistake as an investor would be to go to your local bank to seek financing, or worse, go to private or hard money lenders. First, remember the banks are regulated by the federal government and they are required to underwrite conforming loans and second, bank loans tend to be very structured and are generally inflexible to your project needs. In most cases, THESE LOANS will require a 20% DOWN PAYMENT OR MORE! The only benefit of using private or hard money lenders is when" NO OTHER FINANCING OPTIONS EXIST FOR YOU!"
FINANCING is the key ingredient to identifying lucrative real estate investment opportunities, yet, so few people truly understand the power of knowing WHERE to find the right financing and HOW to get it! WHAT IF you had several lenders, today, that would only require you have 2 to 3% down payments (on certain qualified projects)… WOULD THIS BE OF INTEREST TO YOU? A $5,000,000 loan with 2- 3% down payment equates to putting down $100,000 to $150,000. As an individual investor, this down payment would still be pretty steep for you however, today, many residential investors are already joining and forming Investment clubs to increase and enhance their purchasing power. TO ALL residential real estate investors....... the REAL MESSAGE here is that you are closer to buying commercial real estate than you think! This example should make it clear to you that finding the right financing is the FIRST step and the key ingredient to your real estate investing…….. however, there is a PROBLEM.
The problem is that as an investor, you have been trained to shop for properties FIRST, and almost never for financing. Finding the right financing FIRST will save you and make you more money over time, than you purchasing the undervalued properties and selling them later at or above market prices. I will repeat this….. MOST REAL ESTATE INVESTORS DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF FINANCING within the investment equation. The ability to save on the amount of the interest rate you are being charged…. month after month….. year after year… 2 or 3 % or more is huge. You may also find out what I already know….. . by securing the financing first…..THIS OPENS UP NEW INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES!
Let’s review some of the BENEFITS that come with purchasing Commercial Real Estate:
1. Unlike residential real estate, commercial real estate’s only purpose is to make money for its investors. If there was a 7% cap rate on the $5,000,000 sample property, it would cash flow $350,000 annually.
2. Do you think you would enjoy having professional tenants with long term leases?
3. Would it excite you if your investment projects qualify for Non recourse financing?
4. You can totally eliminate the process of rehabbing properties.
5. How about this…… YOU no longer have to chase tenants down to collect rent.
6. You no longer have to pay penalties to lenders for not being in owner occupied properties.
7. Expand your investment search throughout all 50 states.
8. Last and probably the MOST BENEFICIAL of all of the perks….You can qualify to purchase these properties using your commercial tenant's credit rating, business cash flow and their long-term rental leases!
In an era where information rules, the small to medium sized real estate investor can NOW be a "Front Runner" AND a major player within the commercial real estate market!, says Steven Battle
We are searching for like -minded real estate investors and investment clubs that would like to join a Commercial Real Estate Investor Forum. We welcome that you come and ask your commercial financing questions and share your investment experiences with the group. Go to www.amoneybroker.com/ and click on "Join Our Investor Forum."
About The Author
Steven Battle, Commercial Financing Specialist with Amoneybroker.com, has over twenty years of experience in financing, property management, real estate investing, and direct sales.
www.amoneybroker.com/
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Real Estate Bankruptcy
Real Estate Bankruptcy
Although real estate bankruptcy cases no longer dominate the bankruptcy courts' dockets as they did in the early nineties, but they continue to be filed with great frequency in UK. At its essence, the real estate bankruptcy is a two party dispute between mortgagee and mortgagor. Real estate bankruptcy cases are typically filed after a foreclosure sale has been set. Upon learning of the bankruptcy filing, a secured creditor has a number of available options, all or some of which should be exercised, depending on the facts of the case, to maximize loan recovery.
A lender can ask the court to dismiss the bankruptcy case as a "bad faith" filing. A creditor asserting bad faith must prove the subjective bad faith of the debtor and that any reorganization by the debtor is objectively futile. For subjective bad faith, the court will examine whether the debtor invoked the protections of the Bankruptcy Code without either the intention or ability to reorganize its financial affairs. To determine objective futility, the court will examine whether there is indeed a "going concern" to preserve and whether there is any realistic chance for the debtor to reorganize. Most courts require a very strong showing to dismiss a case for bad faith at the outset of a case.
Under the Bankruptcy Code a motion for relief from stay will also be granted where the secured creditor can prove that there is no equity in the real property over and above the secured claims, and that the property is not necessary to the debtor's effective reorganization. This basis for relief is typically alleged as an alternative to bad faith, in the same motion. Almost all controversies surround the value of the real property, making the expert report and testimony of a licensed real estate appraiser essential to the successful prosecution of a motion for relief from the automatic stay on these grounds. The same factors relied upon to support objective futility in the bad faith filing analysis are used to establish that the property is not necessary to an effective reorganization.
An alternate ground for relief from the automatic stay is lack of adequate protection of the secured creditor's interest in the property. For example, if the real property is deteriorating in value and the lender is not receiving post-petition payments, the lender's security interest in the property is not adequately protected. A creditor holding a properly perfected assignment of rents has a lien on "cash collateral" under the Bankruptcy Code. If the assignment of rents was properly perfected pre-petition, it usually attaches to the post-petition rents generated by the debtor's real property. A debtor may not use cash collateral without either a court order or the consent of the secured creditor. While it is common in nonsingle asset realty cases for a debtor to negotiate a cash collateral agreement with the secured creditor before filing for bankruptcy, in single asset real estate cases, which are typically filed at the eleventh hour for the express purpose of stopping a foreclosure, such negotiations are virtually nonexistent.
Unless, within the first day or two of the case, the debtor requests a cash collateral agreement with the lender, or files a motion with the court to authorize the debtor's use of post-petition rents, a lender should immediately advise the debtor in writing that it may not use cash collateral absent an agreement. If an agreement is not reached, the debtor will usually petition the court for authorization on an emergency basis. The lender can also petition the court to deny authorization on the basis that the debtor lacks the ability to adequately protect its interests in the rents. In the final analysis, most secured creditors share the same objective when faced with a real estate case: to extract their collateral, including rents, from the bankruptcy as quickly and inexpensively as possible.
About The Author
Writer of this article is working as a webmaster of www.ukadvice.com. Also writes business related articles for different article sites. For further details and free bankruptcy advice:
Naylor Parkes Associates Ltd.
Lawford House, Lawford Close
Birmingham
B7 4HJ
West Midlands
United Kingdom.
http://www.ukadvice.com
Although real estate bankruptcy cases no longer dominate the bankruptcy courts' dockets as they did in the early nineties, but they continue to be filed with great frequency in UK. At its essence, the real estate bankruptcy is a two party dispute between mortgagee and mortgagor. Real estate bankruptcy cases are typically filed after a foreclosure sale has been set. Upon learning of the bankruptcy filing, a secured creditor has a number of available options, all or some of which should be exercised, depending on the facts of the case, to maximize loan recovery.
A lender can ask the court to dismiss the bankruptcy case as a "bad faith" filing. A creditor asserting bad faith must prove the subjective bad faith of the debtor and that any reorganization by the debtor is objectively futile. For subjective bad faith, the court will examine whether the debtor invoked the protections of the Bankruptcy Code without either the intention or ability to reorganize its financial affairs. To determine objective futility, the court will examine whether there is indeed a "going concern" to preserve and whether there is any realistic chance for the debtor to reorganize. Most courts require a very strong showing to dismiss a case for bad faith at the outset of a case.
Under the Bankruptcy Code a motion for relief from stay will also be granted where the secured creditor can prove that there is no equity in the real property over and above the secured claims, and that the property is not necessary to the debtor's effective reorganization. This basis for relief is typically alleged as an alternative to bad faith, in the same motion. Almost all controversies surround the value of the real property, making the expert report and testimony of a licensed real estate appraiser essential to the successful prosecution of a motion for relief from the automatic stay on these grounds. The same factors relied upon to support objective futility in the bad faith filing analysis are used to establish that the property is not necessary to an effective reorganization.
An alternate ground for relief from the automatic stay is lack of adequate protection of the secured creditor's interest in the property. For example, if the real property is deteriorating in value and the lender is not receiving post-petition payments, the lender's security interest in the property is not adequately protected. A creditor holding a properly perfected assignment of rents has a lien on "cash collateral" under the Bankruptcy Code. If the assignment of rents was properly perfected pre-petition, it usually attaches to the post-petition rents generated by the debtor's real property. A debtor may not use cash collateral without either a court order or the consent of the secured creditor. While it is common in nonsingle asset realty cases for a debtor to negotiate a cash collateral agreement with the secured creditor before filing for bankruptcy, in single asset real estate cases, which are typically filed at the eleventh hour for the express purpose of stopping a foreclosure, such negotiations are virtually nonexistent.
Unless, within the first day or two of the case, the debtor requests a cash collateral agreement with the lender, or files a motion with the court to authorize the debtor's use of post-petition rents, a lender should immediately advise the debtor in writing that it may not use cash collateral absent an agreement. If an agreement is not reached, the debtor will usually petition the court for authorization on an emergency basis. The lender can also petition the court to deny authorization on the basis that the debtor lacks the ability to adequately protect its interests in the rents. In the final analysis, most secured creditors share the same objective when faced with a real estate case: to extract their collateral, including rents, from the bankruptcy as quickly and inexpensively as possible.
About The Author
Writer of this article is working as a webmaster of www.ukadvice.com. Also writes business related articles for different article sites. For further details and free bankruptcy advice:
Naylor Parkes Associates Ltd.
Lawford House, Lawford Close
Birmingham
B7 4HJ
West Midlands
United Kingdom.
http://www.ukadvice.com
Retirement is never urgent until...
Retirement is never urgent until...
If you’re like many people, your retirement savings have not been growing consistently over the years. We’re not referring to the wild fluctuations in the stock market, but rather the fluctuations in our short-term needs. Every once in a while, it just seems like a good idea to yank ALL those retirement savings out and pay for something.
You might need to pay for a down payment. You might need to pay off some credit card debt that’s nagging at you. You might want to ‘bugger off to Europe’ as Rick did some years ago. You know it’s not a good idea financially, but you do it anyway. Retirement savings are not designed to bail us out when we need this kind of short-term cash infusion but if it’s there…
As financial advisors, we have our ideals. Ideally, you should put retirement funds away and ‘leave it there’. Ideally you should never touch it at all, even when you retire! Why? Because it is the ‘earnings’ from the nest egg that you should be using, never the principal. As we heard one person suggest recently, your principal is like your ‘goose’, and you never kill the goose, because then you’re eliminating all those future ‘golden eggs’ (interest/earnings) it will lay.
As financial advisors, one way we try to prevent people from yanking out their retirement savings is by ensuring there are other ‘short-term’ funds available for emergencies. These are meant to act as a buffer zone against the yankers. It helps, but it doesn’t always work.
One problem is that a distant retirement will never be more urgent than the current cash demands you have. It’s impossible. How can long-term demands be more urgent than a current crisis? So what stops you from yanking out those retirement funds? Their convictions? Simple arithmetic? A more viable alternative?
When a client is bent on yanking out their retirement savings to pay off, for example, some credit card debt, telling them how much they’re going to lose in retirement income in 25 years time doesn’t seem to work. Even telling them how much the tax bill is going to be next year can pale in comparison to the relief the person is seeking from the anxiety over their current debt crisis.
So, the question is how can we provide ‘relief’ and still keep the retirement funds intact? Look at a debt consolidation loan? Review the person’s cash flow and create a debt repayment program? Maybe this will work for a minority of people. In the real world, when people are looking for relief, however, they are looking for relief NOW!!! The easiest way is to yank to retirement funds and be done with it.
So, in the moment, when you are in a cash crunch and seemingly have no other place to go, you will yank your retirement savings. Unless you have anticipated the problem and ‘pre-decided’ that under no circumstances will you access your retirement savings. In this way, you will do a pre-emptive strike on bad financial moves. Further, you will be cognizant of putting yourself into situations where you might risk those long term savings.
The alternative is to invest long-term, make progress, encounter a short-term cash crunch, yank out your retirement funds, survive the problem, invest long-term again, make progress, encounter yet another short-term cash crunch, yank out your retirement funds to get relief…
If you’re locked into an investment cycle like this, your retirement savings have not been growing consistently over the years, and it’s not just the market.
About The Author
Rick Hoogendoorn has been in the financial services business since 1991. Cheri Crause is a certified financial planner in Victoria, BC. .
www.chericrause.com
If you’re like many people, your retirement savings have not been growing consistently over the years. We’re not referring to the wild fluctuations in the stock market, but rather the fluctuations in our short-term needs. Every once in a while, it just seems like a good idea to yank ALL those retirement savings out and pay for something.
You might need to pay for a down payment. You might need to pay off some credit card debt that’s nagging at you. You might want to ‘bugger off to Europe’ as Rick did some years ago. You know it’s not a good idea financially, but you do it anyway. Retirement savings are not designed to bail us out when we need this kind of short-term cash infusion but if it’s there…
As financial advisors, we have our ideals. Ideally, you should put retirement funds away and ‘leave it there’. Ideally you should never touch it at all, even when you retire! Why? Because it is the ‘earnings’ from the nest egg that you should be using, never the principal. As we heard one person suggest recently, your principal is like your ‘goose’, and you never kill the goose, because then you’re eliminating all those future ‘golden eggs’ (interest/earnings) it will lay.
As financial advisors, one way we try to prevent people from yanking out their retirement savings is by ensuring there are other ‘short-term’ funds available for emergencies. These are meant to act as a buffer zone against the yankers. It helps, but it doesn’t always work.
One problem is that a distant retirement will never be more urgent than the current cash demands you have. It’s impossible. How can long-term demands be more urgent than a current crisis? So what stops you from yanking out those retirement funds? Their convictions? Simple arithmetic? A more viable alternative?
When a client is bent on yanking out their retirement savings to pay off, for example, some credit card debt, telling them how much they’re going to lose in retirement income in 25 years time doesn’t seem to work. Even telling them how much the tax bill is going to be next year can pale in comparison to the relief the person is seeking from the anxiety over their current debt crisis.
So, the question is how can we provide ‘relief’ and still keep the retirement funds intact? Look at a debt consolidation loan? Review the person’s cash flow and create a debt repayment program? Maybe this will work for a minority of people. In the real world, when people are looking for relief, however, they are looking for relief NOW!!! The easiest way is to yank to retirement funds and be done with it.
So, in the moment, when you are in a cash crunch and seemingly have no other place to go, you will yank your retirement savings. Unless you have anticipated the problem and ‘pre-decided’ that under no circumstances will you access your retirement savings. In this way, you will do a pre-emptive strike on bad financial moves. Further, you will be cognizant of putting yourself into situations where you might risk those long term savings.
The alternative is to invest long-term, make progress, encounter a short-term cash crunch, yank out your retirement funds, survive the problem, invest long-term again, make progress, encounter yet another short-term cash crunch, yank out your retirement funds to get relief…
If you’re locked into an investment cycle like this, your retirement savings have not been growing consistently over the years, and it’s not just the market.
About The Author
Rick Hoogendoorn has been in the financial services business since 1991. Cheri Crause is a certified financial planner in Victoria, BC. .
www.chericrause.com
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Financial Goals
Setting Financial Goals
Setting goals is difficult enough without adding the word finance in the mix. Many people are reluctant to tackle the task of determining financial goals. Unfortunately failing to do so can have an adverse effect on achieving a comfortable lifestyle later on in life. This article helps to guide you in successfully determining financial goals that you can actually achieve.
Before setting your financial goals there are 3 simple rules that must be followed. You will first need to learn to how effectively control your day-to-day financial affairs. Consistently doing this will allow you to do the things in life that bring you satisfaction and enjoyment. This is commonly referred to as making a budget. The next requirement is to choose a course of action that you can follow to financial success. Finally you must build a financial safety net such as a personal savings account or retirement investment.
Simple Steps To Setting Financial Goals
Step 1 - Identify and write down your financial goals. This will help you visualize your dreams and desires in the form of goals. This can include saving to send your children to college, buying a new car, saving for a down payment on a house, going on vacation, paying off high interest credit card debt, or planning for your retirement.
Step 2 – Take the time to break down your financial goals into several smaller more manageable time driven steps. These include short-term (less than 1 year), medium-term (1 to 3 years) and long-term (5 years or more) goals. Doing this simple task will make your goal setting process easier and more attainable.
Step 3 – Educate, Educate, Educate – Spend some time doing your research on financial topics. Read magazines and books on finance related subjects such as investing. Surf the Internet's for investment web sites and don’t be afraid to learn about the stock market.
Step 4 – Periodically check your progress through a self-evaluation. You’ll want to check your progress monthly, quarterly, or at any other interval you feel comfortable with, but at least semi-annually, in order to confirm that your program is working. If you're not making a satisfactory amount of progress on a particular goal, re-evaluate your approach and make changes as necessary.
Remember there are no hard and fast rules for implementing a financial plan. It is okay to dare to dream about riches, just be realistic about what you can actually do. When you write your goals down for your visualization process you will identify any that seem unobtainable and quickly see the more realistic goals that will lead you to financial success. The important thing is to at least do something as opposed to nothing, and to start NOW.
Timothy Gorman is a successful webmaster and publisher of Best-Free-Insurance-Quotes.com. He provides insurance information and offers discount auto, life and home insurance that you can research in your pajamas on his website.
Other websites operated by Tim
Military-Loans-Online.com – Which provides free money saving loan quotes on all of your loan needs to include home equity loan information.
Setting goals is difficult enough without adding the word finance in the mix. Many people are reluctant to tackle the task of determining financial goals. Unfortunately failing to do so can have an adverse effect on achieving a comfortable lifestyle later on in life. This article helps to guide you in successfully determining financial goals that you can actually achieve.
Before setting your financial goals there are 3 simple rules that must be followed. You will first need to learn to how effectively control your day-to-day financial affairs. Consistently doing this will allow you to do the things in life that bring you satisfaction and enjoyment. This is commonly referred to as making a budget. The next requirement is to choose a course of action that you can follow to financial success. Finally you must build a financial safety net such as a personal savings account or retirement investment.
Simple Steps To Setting Financial Goals
Step 1 - Identify and write down your financial goals. This will help you visualize your dreams and desires in the form of goals. This can include saving to send your children to college, buying a new car, saving for a down payment on a house, going on vacation, paying off high interest credit card debt, or planning for your retirement.
Step 2 – Take the time to break down your financial goals into several smaller more manageable time driven steps. These include short-term (less than 1 year), medium-term (1 to 3 years) and long-term (5 years or more) goals. Doing this simple task will make your goal setting process easier and more attainable.
Step 3 – Educate, Educate, Educate – Spend some time doing your research on financial topics. Read magazines and books on finance related subjects such as investing. Surf the Internet's for investment web sites and don’t be afraid to learn about the stock market.
Step 4 – Periodically check your progress through a self-evaluation. You’ll want to check your progress monthly, quarterly, or at any other interval you feel comfortable with, but at least semi-annually, in order to confirm that your program is working. If you're not making a satisfactory amount of progress on a particular goal, re-evaluate your approach and make changes as necessary.
Remember there are no hard and fast rules for implementing a financial plan. It is okay to dare to dream about riches, just be realistic about what you can actually do. When you write your goals down for your visualization process you will identify any that seem unobtainable and quickly see the more realistic goals that will lead you to financial success. The important thing is to at least do something as opposed to nothing, and to start NOW.
Timothy Gorman is a successful webmaster and publisher of Best-Free-Insurance-Quotes.com. He provides insurance information and offers discount auto, life and home insurance that you can research in your pajamas on his website.
Other websites operated by Tim
Military-Loans-Online.com – Which provides free money saving loan quotes on all of your loan needs to include home equity loan information.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Does Your Life Include a RIPE Plan?—Planning Tips for Retirement, Investing, Protection, and Estate Planning
Does Your Life Include a RIPE Plan?—Planning Tips for Retirement, Investing, Protection, and Estate Planning – Part 2 (Investing)
Does Your Life Include a RIPE Plan?—Planning Tips
for Retirement, Investing, Protection, and Estate
Planning – Part 2 (Investing)
by: Janet L. Hall
After reviewing your retirement plan, or lack of one, you might have had a huge eye opener to the type of life you might have to endure after retirement. Did it become apparent that you HAVE to change your lifestyle NOW so you can enjoy your future? Did it become apparent that you better start learning about investing and start investing NOW?
TIP: Before you begin to invest you should also educate yourself into the vast arena of investing. You should have a game plan, know what your expectations are for investing, and your needs for now and the future.
The Internet has made it easier then every to start investing; at least you can sit in the privacy of your home or office and click away your money. BUT are you investing wisely? OR does the whole idea of investing have you so confused or scared that you don’t even think about it?
Let me tell you right up front, there are no PERFECT investments. Very few people (if any) get rich overnight by investing. Investing is more like a long-term savings plan, but hopefully with much better returns.
To make intelligent and wise investments, you should know and understand the economic conditions; not only of the US or country you live in, BUT the world economy as a whole. Stop, learn, and understand how inflation, interest rates, and taxes will affect your investments.
Once you have some understanding of economics and how it will affect your investments then you need to know and understand the different types of investment opportunities that are available and how your age and possibly even your health plays into those investments.
The 5 W’s of Investing:
~~ WHO do I use as my broker or do I go at it alone?
You can do most of your investing yourself but if you need or want advice, hire a planner or broker; you DO NOT have to be rich to hire a planner. Just remember, bottom line, it’s your money, not theirs, and it’s your life!
~~ WHAT type of investments should I make?
A lot of things come into play here – your age, income, available monies, your health, and your expectations. I’ve listed several types of investments for you. It’s your job to find out which is best suited for you.
Types of Investments:
For a small amount of money you can invest in many stocks by investing in MUTUAL FUNDS.
Under Mutual Funds you have:
Growth Funds, Income Funds, Bond Funds, Money Market Funds, Sector Funds, International Funds.
There are * open-ended * and * closed-ended * funds, * fund families *, and * big * funds and * small * funds (Isn’t this FUN!).
INDIVIDUAL STOCKS are publicly traded stocks that are over-the-counter and listed.
Under Stocks you have:
Common Stock, Preferred Stock, Cumulative Preferred, Stock Dividends, and Penny Stock.
IOU a BOND, which is what a bond is.
Under Bonds you have:
T-Bonds, T-Bills, Savings Bonds, Municipal Bonds, Corporate Bonds, and Stripped Bonds.
You can also invest in Real Estate, Art, Collectibles, Utilities, and Commodities.
There are Low Risk/Low Effort and High Effort, Medium Risk/Low Effort and High Effort, and High Risk/Low Effort and High Effort
~~ WHEN do I start investing?
If you’ve been doing your homework the last couple of months in OverHall IT! You should have a working budget in place, cut out needless or wasteful spending, and your financial area should be more in balance. The next suggested step before you begin investing is to build an emergency fund of three to six months’ salary. After all these tasks are completed, then and ONLY then should you think about investing.
TIP: You should only invest money that you can afford to * put away * for at least five years or longer. This means you must take a very close look at other things in your life, such as is your job secure, is your transportation reliable, are you in good health, is your business profitable and steady, and many, many other areas and things in your life before you start investing your hard earned money, because you want to make a profit, right?
~~ WHERE do I invest?
Only you can answer this AFTER you’ve done your homework!
~~ WHY do I want or need to invest?
Do you want to build an estate to leave to your loved ones or do you need extra money now? Are you investing to supplement your income or for your child’s future?
~~ HOW do I invest?
Invest the time in learning about investing your money, it’s your MONEY and your FUTURE. If you’ve already started investing, schedule a meeting with yourself or planner/broker and review your portfolio to make certain your investments are or will be meeting your needs. Make it a habit to review your portfolio at least yearly and especially when you have a * life * change.
As you can see, there is a lot more to investing then just * picking something * and laying out your hard earned cash!
How much time are you willing to invest in your investments?
The mantra for Investing is * Educate, Select, Monitor, and Review *!
TIP: Try playing * pretend investing * while you are learning. E-TRADE offers a * PLAY * area to do such a thing at http://www.etrade.virtualstockexchange.com
Here’s hoping you invest wisely and make the monies that you need or want!
Smiles, not Piles,
The Organizing Wizard, Janet L. Hall, is a Professional
Organizer, Speaker, and Author. She is the owner of
OverHall Consulting, and Organizing By Phone. Subscribe to
her FREE organizing newsletter at
http://www.overhall.com/newsletter.htm or visit
her web site at http://www.overhall.com
Copyright 2000 by OverHall Consulting
P.O. Box 263, Port Republic, MD 20676
All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce, copy, or distribute so long as article is kept intact, this copyright notice and full information about contacting the author is attached.
About the Author
The Organizing Wizard, Janet L. Hall, is a Professional
Organizer, Speaker, and Author. She is the owner of
OverHall Consulting, and Organizing By Phone. Subscribe to
her FREE organizing newsletter at
http://www.overhall.com/newsletter.htm
Does Your Life Include a RIPE Plan?—Planning Tips
for Retirement, Investing, Protection, and Estate
Planning – Part 2 (Investing)
by: Janet L. Hall
After reviewing your retirement plan, or lack of one, you might have had a huge eye opener to the type of life you might have to endure after retirement. Did it become apparent that you HAVE to change your lifestyle NOW so you can enjoy your future? Did it become apparent that you better start learning about investing and start investing NOW?
TIP: Before you begin to invest you should also educate yourself into the vast arena of investing. You should have a game plan, know what your expectations are for investing, and your needs for now and the future.
The Internet has made it easier then every to start investing; at least you can sit in the privacy of your home or office and click away your money. BUT are you investing wisely? OR does the whole idea of investing have you so confused or scared that you don’t even think about it?
Let me tell you right up front, there are no PERFECT investments. Very few people (if any) get rich overnight by investing. Investing is more like a long-term savings plan, but hopefully with much better returns.
To make intelligent and wise investments, you should know and understand the economic conditions; not only of the US or country you live in, BUT the world economy as a whole. Stop, learn, and understand how inflation, interest rates, and taxes will affect your investments.
Once you have some understanding of economics and how it will affect your investments then you need to know and understand the different types of investment opportunities that are available and how your age and possibly even your health plays into those investments.
The 5 W’s of Investing:
~~ WHO do I use as my broker or do I go at it alone?
You can do most of your investing yourself but if you need or want advice, hire a planner or broker; you DO NOT have to be rich to hire a planner. Just remember, bottom line, it’s your money, not theirs, and it’s your life!
~~ WHAT type of investments should I make?
A lot of things come into play here – your age, income, available monies, your health, and your expectations. I’ve listed several types of investments for you. It’s your job to find out which is best suited for you.
Types of Investments:
For a small amount of money you can invest in many stocks by investing in MUTUAL FUNDS.
Under Mutual Funds you have:
Growth Funds, Income Funds, Bond Funds, Money Market Funds, Sector Funds, International Funds.
There are * open-ended * and * closed-ended * funds, * fund families *, and * big * funds and * small * funds (Isn’t this FUN!).
INDIVIDUAL STOCKS are publicly traded stocks that are over-the-counter and listed.
Under Stocks you have:
Common Stock, Preferred Stock, Cumulative Preferred, Stock Dividends, and Penny Stock.
IOU a BOND, which is what a bond is.
Under Bonds you have:
T-Bonds, T-Bills, Savings Bonds, Municipal Bonds, Corporate Bonds, and Stripped Bonds.
You can also invest in Real Estate, Art, Collectibles, Utilities, and Commodities.
There are Low Risk/Low Effort and High Effort, Medium Risk/Low Effort and High Effort, and High Risk/Low Effort and High Effort
~~ WHEN do I start investing?
If you’ve been doing your homework the last couple of months in OverHall IT! You should have a working budget in place, cut out needless or wasteful spending, and your financial area should be more in balance. The next suggested step before you begin investing is to build an emergency fund of three to six months’ salary. After all these tasks are completed, then and ONLY then should you think about investing.
TIP: You should only invest money that you can afford to * put away * for at least five years or longer. This means you must take a very close look at other things in your life, such as is your job secure, is your transportation reliable, are you in good health, is your business profitable and steady, and many, many other areas and things in your life before you start investing your hard earned money, because you want to make a profit, right?
~~ WHERE do I invest?
Only you can answer this AFTER you’ve done your homework!
~~ WHY do I want or need to invest?
Do you want to build an estate to leave to your loved ones or do you need extra money now? Are you investing to supplement your income or for your child’s future?
~~ HOW do I invest?
Invest the time in learning about investing your money, it’s your MONEY and your FUTURE. If you’ve already started investing, schedule a meeting with yourself or planner/broker and review your portfolio to make certain your investments are or will be meeting your needs. Make it a habit to review your portfolio at least yearly and especially when you have a * life * change.
As you can see, there is a lot more to investing then just * picking something * and laying out your hard earned cash!
How much time are you willing to invest in your investments?
The mantra for Investing is * Educate, Select, Monitor, and Review *!
TIP: Try playing * pretend investing * while you are learning. E-TRADE offers a * PLAY * area to do such a thing at http://www.etrade.virtualstockexchange.com
Here’s hoping you invest wisely and make the monies that you need or want!
Smiles, not Piles,
The Organizing Wizard, Janet L. Hall, is a Professional
Organizer, Speaker, and Author. She is the owner of
OverHall Consulting, and Organizing By Phone. Subscribe to
her FREE organizing newsletter at
http://www.overhall.com/newsletter.htm or visit
her web site at http://www.overhall.com
Copyright 2000 by OverHall Consulting
P.O. Box 263, Port Republic, MD 20676
All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce, copy, or distribute so long as article is kept intact, this copyright notice and full information about contacting the author is attached.
About the Author
The Organizing Wizard, Janet L. Hall, is a Professional
Organizer, Speaker, and Author. She is the owner of
OverHall Consulting, and Organizing By Phone. Subscribe to
her FREE organizing newsletter at
http://www.overhall.com/newsletter.htm
Monday, July 18, 2005
How Can I Make Money Currency Trading?
How Can I Make Money Currency Trading?
Basically you can make money from trading money. If you have US dollars you can buy British pounds for a set rate and they trade the money back in the future at a different rate. This can make your gains immense. Much larger than gains made on the stock market. Just as the upside for currency trading is high, the downside is just as scary and can be immense also. There are currency trading brokers available on line that can provide strategies to limit your losses and maximise your gains.
If you are new to investing online, don't put your entire life savings into an online account. Start with a smaller sum, which will be easier to handle and keep track of. Once you feel confident, you can then decide to add more money to your investing online account.
Once online, many investors tend to concentrate on stocks, specifically large-cap domestic stocks. While these stocks should make up part of your portfolio, they shouldn't be ALL of it! Take into account your time horizon and risk tolerance to develop a well-balanced portfolio of stocks, bonds, and cash.
If you're new to investing online and are looking to open a brokerage account, there are some important facts you should know before choosing a broker. Each one has strengths and weaknesses, but not everyone sees a broker in the same way. For example, if you're comfortable finding your own research for investing online, then the deep discount brokers will work well for you.
Ask yourself…
What services are offered? Do they have research available? What is the cost to you for investing online? What are the real commission costs to do a trade, including any handling fees? How are confirmations sent to you -- by e-mail, by snail mail, by phone? Can you enter orders by phone, by e-mail, directly on-line? Does it cost extra to call and talk to a broker for help with your account?
In a low interest rate environment like the US, it can be a problem to invest in secure high-yielding fixed income investments. Most of these investments are around the base rate as set by the government. It would be difficult to get secure investments around the 3% mark. In New Zealand or Australia some fixed interest investments are worth 7.5% or 8%. An issue with making an investment abroad is that currency rates are so volatile that even though you make 5% on yield, that gain can be wiped out in currency rates.
Equally, currency rates can work in your favour and your investment will have an extremely high yield. To eliminate this uncertainty you can make a foreign investment today using a spot trade and also set up a forward trade at the time of investment maturity. This way you eliminate currency risk in your investment and can capitalise on foreign products. Setting up a forward trade costs money but in many instances the cost of the trade is minimal in comparison to the gains that can be made.
About The Author
Matt Clarkson is a specialist in both traditional and online business that has years of experience in borrowing money and investing for capital growth.
The Free Information Online website is designed to help people find unbiased advice and tips with out the worry of any high pressure selling.
For more free and unbiased advice go to… http://www.freeinformationonline.com
Basically you can make money from trading money. If you have US dollars you can buy British pounds for a set rate and they trade the money back in the future at a different rate. This can make your gains immense. Much larger than gains made on the stock market. Just as the upside for currency trading is high, the downside is just as scary and can be immense also. There are currency trading brokers available on line that can provide strategies to limit your losses and maximise your gains.
If you are new to investing online, don't put your entire life savings into an online account. Start with a smaller sum, which will be easier to handle and keep track of. Once you feel confident, you can then decide to add more money to your investing online account.
Once online, many investors tend to concentrate on stocks, specifically large-cap domestic stocks. While these stocks should make up part of your portfolio, they shouldn't be ALL of it! Take into account your time horizon and risk tolerance to develop a well-balanced portfolio of stocks, bonds, and cash.
If you're new to investing online and are looking to open a brokerage account, there are some important facts you should know before choosing a broker. Each one has strengths and weaknesses, but not everyone sees a broker in the same way. For example, if you're comfortable finding your own research for investing online, then the deep discount brokers will work well for you.
Ask yourself…
What services are offered? Do they have research available? What is the cost to you for investing online? What are the real commission costs to do a trade, including any handling fees? How are confirmations sent to you -- by e-mail, by snail mail, by phone? Can you enter orders by phone, by e-mail, directly on-line? Does it cost extra to call and talk to a broker for help with your account?
In a low interest rate environment like the US, it can be a problem to invest in secure high-yielding fixed income investments. Most of these investments are around the base rate as set by the government. It would be difficult to get secure investments around the 3% mark. In New Zealand or Australia some fixed interest investments are worth 7.5% or 8%. An issue with making an investment abroad is that currency rates are so volatile that even though you make 5% on yield, that gain can be wiped out in currency rates.
Equally, currency rates can work in your favour and your investment will have an extremely high yield. To eliminate this uncertainty you can make a foreign investment today using a spot trade and also set up a forward trade at the time of investment maturity. This way you eliminate currency risk in your investment and can capitalise on foreign products. Setting up a forward trade costs money but in many instances the cost of the trade is minimal in comparison to the gains that can be made.
About The Author
Matt Clarkson is a specialist in both traditional and online business that has years of experience in borrowing money and investing for capital growth.
The Free Information Online website is designed to help people find unbiased advice and tips with out the worry of any high pressure selling.
For more free and unbiased advice go to… http://www.freeinformationonline.com
Friday, July 15, 2005
The 5 Secrets to Getting Out of Debt Fast
The 5 Secrets to Getting Out of Debt Fast
As they stare down at a teetering pile of bills, so many consumers wonder how they racked up such a large debt. The answer boils down to simple mathematics.
“On a basic, fundamental level, the problem is created by spending more than you make,” says Brad Stroh, co-CEO of the San Mateo, California-based Freedom Financial Network, LLC, a company that specializes in debt resolution services.
The reasons for doing so, he notes, are varied:
* Spending addictions
* Lack of budgeting (mistaking the amount of money coming in and going out)
* Loss of income (reduced hours, layoffs, forced to leave the workforce)
* Increased costs (health-related expenses, fuel and other basic living expenses)
* A personal hardship (divorce, medical illness, loss of a loved one or other major changes in a person’s life)
You can, however, get out of debt—but it takes commitment. Here are 5 steps to accomplishing your goal.
1. Start Planning—and Saving
“The only way to guarantee solid financial footing is through proper planning—and that’s where most consumers go wrong,” Stroh says. “Proper planning means monthly budgeting of cash flow, combined with saving for long-term security.”
Stroh recommends saving at least 5% of your income to ensure long-term financial security.
“Of course, this percent will vary by age group and the individual’s financial goals and objectives,” he says. “Younger people can expect to spend their early years saving less of their income, paying off student loans and debts incurred during periods of lower income. Older individuals should be planning for retirement and saving a larger share of income.”
2. Seek Professional Help
If you are facing financial hardship, do not procrastinate when it comes to seeking professional advice.
“People often wait too long,” Stroh says. “If someone is living paycheck to paycheck, is behind on any revolving financial obligations (including credit cards), is using credit cards to pay for necessities, or is facing collection, he should consider getting immediate advice from a professional debt management firm or financial advisor.”
3. Stop Spending
If you continue to spend money, despite your ever-growing debt, you likely have a bona fide addiction that requires psychological intervention.
“Debt problems are frequently symptomatic of more fundamental personal issues, such as reticence to address difficult financial problems,” Stroh says. “Spending addictions can have many causes, including lack of personal confidence and fulfillment. Similar to many other addictions, a spending addiction can fill a void in an individual’s life—albeit with a fleeting source of satisfaction. People with spending addictions constantly strive for the ‘high’ that they receive from buying clothes, cars and other goods. This leads to a long-term problem when they cannot meet the consequent financial turmoil that comes when the bills arrive. For anyone who may think he has a serious spending addiction, we advise seeking professional counseling or therapy to resolve the fundamental sources of this addiction.”
4. Start Communicating
If you’re like many consumers with outstanding debts, the last person you think about speaking with is the creditor—the company you’ve been avoiding at all costs.
“Not contacting your debt creditors to discuss and develop a plan for paying, settling or reducing the principal amount and/or interest on the debt” is one of the worst mistakes you can make, says financial expert Ivan Gelfand, president and CEO of Pepper Pike, Ohio-based Ivan Gelfand, Inc., and author of “Your Money, Your Future” (to be published in April).
He also recommends contacting relatives or friends for temporary assistance in reducing debt and making payments, which will lower your outstanding debts’ interest rate.
5. Conquer Denial—Today!
Many consumers who recognize—and even accept the fact—that they have a spending addiction refuse to address their problems, according to Stroh.
“Budgeting is not fun,” he says, “but dealing with creditors is even less fun. Many people will therefore bury their heads in the sand, hoping their problems will go away. Unfortunately, outside of winning the lottery or getting a windfall inheritance from a long-lost uncle, budgeting and consulting with a professional counselor are the only ways to successfully resolve financial problems.”
About The Author
Fox Symes assists all Australians discover the truth about their debts and how they can rapidly reduce them. Visit http://www.foxsymes.com.au or contact them directly on 1300 361 204.
As they stare down at a teetering pile of bills, so many consumers wonder how they racked up such a large debt. The answer boils down to simple mathematics.
“On a basic, fundamental level, the problem is created by spending more than you make,” says Brad Stroh, co-CEO of the San Mateo, California-based Freedom Financial Network, LLC, a company that specializes in debt resolution services.
The reasons for doing so, he notes, are varied:
* Spending addictions
* Lack of budgeting (mistaking the amount of money coming in and going out)
* Loss of income (reduced hours, layoffs, forced to leave the workforce)
* Increased costs (health-related expenses, fuel and other basic living expenses)
* A personal hardship (divorce, medical illness, loss of a loved one or other major changes in a person’s life)
You can, however, get out of debt—but it takes commitment. Here are 5 steps to accomplishing your goal.
1. Start Planning—and Saving
“The only way to guarantee solid financial footing is through proper planning—and that’s where most consumers go wrong,” Stroh says. “Proper planning means monthly budgeting of cash flow, combined with saving for long-term security.”
Stroh recommends saving at least 5% of your income to ensure long-term financial security.
“Of course, this percent will vary by age group and the individual’s financial goals and objectives,” he says. “Younger people can expect to spend their early years saving less of their income, paying off student loans and debts incurred during periods of lower income. Older individuals should be planning for retirement and saving a larger share of income.”
2. Seek Professional Help
If you are facing financial hardship, do not procrastinate when it comes to seeking professional advice.
“People often wait too long,” Stroh says. “If someone is living paycheck to paycheck, is behind on any revolving financial obligations (including credit cards), is using credit cards to pay for necessities, or is facing collection, he should consider getting immediate advice from a professional debt management firm or financial advisor.”
3. Stop Spending
If you continue to spend money, despite your ever-growing debt, you likely have a bona fide addiction that requires psychological intervention.
“Debt problems are frequently symptomatic of more fundamental personal issues, such as reticence to address difficult financial problems,” Stroh says. “Spending addictions can have many causes, including lack of personal confidence and fulfillment. Similar to many other addictions, a spending addiction can fill a void in an individual’s life—albeit with a fleeting source of satisfaction. People with spending addictions constantly strive for the ‘high’ that they receive from buying clothes, cars and other goods. This leads to a long-term problem when they cannot meet the consequent financial turmoil that comes when the bills arrive. For anyone who may think he has a serious spending addiction, we advise seeking professional counseling or therapy to resolve the fundamental sources of this addiction.”
4. Start Communicating
If you’re like many consumers with outstanding debts, the last person you think about speaking with is the creditor—the company you’ve been avoiding at all costs.
“Not contacting your debt creditors to discuss and develop a plan for paying, settling or reducing the principal amount and/or interest on the debt” is one of the worst mistakes you can make, says financial expert Ivan Gelfand, president and CEO of Pepper Pike, Ohio-based Ivan Gelfand, Inc., and author of “Your Money, Your Future” (to be published in April).
He also recommends contacting relatives or friends for temporary assistance in reducing debt and making payments, which will lower your outstanding debts’ interest rate.
5. Conquer Denial—Today!
Many consumers who recognize—and even accept the fact—that they have a spending addiction refuse to address their problems, according to Stroh.
“Budgeting is not fun,” he says, “but dealing with creditors is even less fun. Many people will therefore bury their heads in the sand, hoping their problems will go away. Unfortunately, outside of winning the lottery or getting a windfall inheritance from a long-lost uncle, budgeting and consulting with a professional counselor are the only ways to successfully resolve financial problems.”
About The Author
Fox Symes assists all Australians discover the truth about their debts and how they can rapidly reduce them. Visit http://www.foxsymes.com.au or contact them directly on 1300 361 204.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Is There Any Way To Get Out Of Debt?
Is There Any Way To Get Out Of Debt?
In this era where we are bombarded daily with commercials on television, radio, billboards, through email, not to forget the flyers slipped under the car's wiper blades while shopping at the mall, it's no surprise that so many of us find ourselves endlessly in debt to the services and products offered by others. How can we refuse, when we're baited with the juicy orange carrot of '0% APR' up to a certain amount or for a specified time, or 'no money down' and 'easy installments' of just so much per month?
Before we know it, we're in debt. We have credit card payments, consumer loan payments, car payments, a home mortgage, and only enough money coming in to pay the minimum amounts each month. Then, we start noticing a different set of ads being directed at us from every marketing angle imaginable. Get a home equity loan and pay off your credit cards, some suggest. Start your own home business using our 'unique, proven' system, and all your financial problems will be gone before you know it. But, are these really the solutions that most of us so desperately need?
Far too many of us are as quickly bought by these financial rescue ads as we were bought by the ads that inspired us down the road to financial trouble. And, when we've tried more than one and found ourselves still dealing with monthly minimum payments or even possibly just finding ourselves deeper in debt for having tried so many systems, we end up asking ourselves what were doing wrong. Some who are financially struggling do take the route of taking a loan to pay off the loans already made with others, and get the instant gratification of available credit all over again. Or building a home business that does generate a positive return of some sort, giving them more financial freedom to spend freely on themselves and their loved ones. But, by doing this, are we really resolving the problem? And, what about those that don't have or want these options - regardless how many happy testimonials from clients are shared?
Not everyone owns a home or, for the ones that do, may be leery about the idea of taking out a massive loan to pay off many smaller loans. Not everyone wants to start a home based business, they just want the freedom that comes with not having a lot of debt every month. And, most importantly, the quick fix solutions to life's financial troubles doesn't give any insight into how we got ourselves into this financial situation in the first place, and how to avoid it now that we have the spending capital that comes with available credit again. So, for the many of us who are seeking a genuine solution to our financial woes, what is the answer we're looking for?
The answer may be a lot closer than we think. It first starts with developing awareness of where our paychecks are going and to whom. Yes, the ol' balance sheet thing, where we keep a detailed log of our spending activities. And, where we determine by simple addition just how much we presently owe to those who have loaned us money for life pleasures and necessities. Now that we know where we actually are, we can now determine just where we want to be. But, just doing this doesn't solve the problem. Rather, we've managed to illuminate it, so what do we do from here?
For starters, get the financial knowledge that we so desperately need to stop the growing cycle of debt building, and start eliminating the troublesome debts that consume our paychecks month after month. Fortunately, this knowledge is not that hard for us to find, if we know where to look. There are non-profit organizations advertising on television and radio that are devoted to helping people consolidate there debts, and this is a start. Other sources require a purchase of there educational media or encourage membership in their organization for a nominal fee, and the information provided can be more than worth the small investments if the teachings are taken seriously and applied to one's real life budget.
Maybe the solution is literally as simple as the way one teacher on the subject puts it: "If you don't want to make the hole that you've dug for yourself any bigger, then stop digging!" Sure, this may mean having to do without some of the latest technological gadgets, or having to discipline yourself into putting a small amount of the monthly paycheck into a savings account. But, any step that will allow us to keep more of the money we've worked so hard for is a step in the right direction. Then, comes the focus on eliminating the burdensome debts that are already weighing us down. And, it may take awhile. But, isn't the freedom to do what we want with our money worth the effort and time?
After freeing ourselves from the obligations to creditors and banks, the money once spent on debts needs to go somewhere. Maybe it's now time to consider investing this money into stocks or real estate or, possibly, even a business that in time will generate a positive return on our money. This, too, will require some education into the what and how of making wise investments. But, the information is as readily at hand for those who are ready as the solutions to relieving debt.
Then, comes the need to assure ourselves that we won't fall back into the monthly drag of giving away our money to the advertisers that so diligently entice our attention. Resisting the urge to buy into costly items is one way of dealing with this. But, in a land of prosperity such as ours, is it really necessary to live frugally? There may be yet another way. How about buying the assets that will generate an income that we can then spend on these desired possessions?
Not necessarily a novel or new concept, but.... How many of us struggling monthly with debts ever considered the possibility that we really have the opportunity to reach this point? Regardless our present status in life, what can we really achieve with just a little awareness, thoughtful planning, and the knowledge of what to do and when to do it? For those who are seriously looking, there is a way out of debt. And, though each person's situation may be slightly different, the steps that are outline above have been used and proven to be effective by countless individuals who live financially happy lives. Just check out their ads!
About the Author
Joseph T Farkasdi is the President of JtseF, Inc. and is a member of the Financial Freedom Society. He is an entrepreneur who is committed to helping others achieve the financial lifestyle they desire. For more information on eliminating debt, visit http://www.jtsef.com/financial.htm .
GettingOutOfDebt@jtsef.com
In this era where we are bombarded daily with commercials on television, radio, billboards, through email, not to forget the flyers slipped under the car's wiper blades while shopping at the mall, it's no surprise that so many of us find ourselves endlessly in debt to the services and products offered by others. How can we refuse, when we're baited with the juicy orange carrot of '0% APR' up to a certain amount or for a specified time, or 'no money down' and 'easy installments' of just so much per month?
Before we know it, we're in debt. We have credit card payments, consumer loan payments, car payments, a home mortgage, and only enough money coming in to pay the minimum amounts each month. Then, we start noticing a different set of ads being directed at us from every marketing angle imaginable. Get a home equity loan and pay off your credit cards, some suggest. Start your own home business using our 'unique, proven' system, and all your financial problems will be gone before you know it. But, are these really the solutions that most of us so desperately need?
Far too many of us are as quickly bought by these financial rescue ads as we were bought by the ads that inspired us down the road to financial trouble. And, when we've tried more than one and found ourselves still dealing with monthly minimum payments or even possibly just finding ourselves deeper in debt for having tried so many systems, we end up asking ourselves what were doing wrong. Some who are financially struggling do take the route of taking a loan to pay off the loans already made with others, and get the instant gratification of available credit all over again. Or building a home business that does generate a positive return of some sort, giving them more financial freedom to spend freely on themselves and their loved ones. But, by doing this, are we really resolving the problem? And, what about those that don't have or want these options - regardless how many happy testimonials from clients are shared?
Not everyone owns a home or, for the ones that do, may be leery about the idea of taking out a massive loan to pay off many smaller loans. Not everyone wants to start a home based business, they just want the freedom that comes with not having a lot of debt every month. And, most importantly, the quick fix solutions to life's financial troubles doesn't give any insight into how we got ourselves into this financial situation in the first place, and how to avoid it now that we have the spending capital that comes with available credit again. So, for the many of us who are seeking a genuine solution to our financial woes, what is the answer we're looking for?
The answer may be a lot closer than we think. It first starts with developing awareness of where our paychecks are going and to whom. Yes, the ol' balance sheet thing, where we keep a detailed log of our spending activities. And, where we determine by simple addition just how much we presently owe to those who have loaned us money for life pleasures and necessities. Now that we know where we actually are, we can now determine just where we want to be. But, just doing this doesn't solve the problem. Rather, we've managed to illuminate it, so what do we do from here?
For starters, get the financial knowledge that we so desperately need to stop the growing cycle of debt building, and start eliminating the troublesome debts that consume our paychecks month after month. Fortunately, this knowledge is not that hard for us to find, if we know where to look. There are non-profit organizations advertising on television and radio that are devoted to helping people consolidate there debts, and this is a start. Other sources require a purchase of there educational media or encourage membership in their organization for a nominal fee, and the information provided can be more than worth the small investments if the teachings are taken seriously and applied to one's real life budget.
Maybe the solution is literally as simple as the way one teacher on the subject puts it: "If you don't want to make the hole that you've dug for yourself any bigger, then stop digging!" Sure, this may mean having to do without some of the latest technological gadgets, or having to discipline yourself into putting a small amount of the monthly paycheck into a savings account. But, any step that will allow us to keep more of the money we've worked so hard for is a step in the right direction. Then, comes the focus on eliminating the burdensome debts that are already weighing us down. And, it may take awhile. But, isn't the freedom to do what we want with our money worth the effort and time?
After freeing ourselves from the obligations to creditors and banks, the money once spent on debts needs to go somewhere. Maybe it's now time to consider investing this money into stocks or real estate or, possibly, even a business that in time will generate a positive return on our money. This, too, will require some education into the what and how of making wise investments. But, the information is as readily at hand for those who are ready as the solutions to relieving debt.
Then, comes the need to assure ourselves that we won't fall back into the monthly drag of giving away our money to the advertisers that so diligently entice our attention. Resisting the urge to buy into costly items is one way of dealing with this. But, in a land of prosperity such as ours, is it really necessary to live frugally? There may be yet another way. How about buying the assets that will generate an income that we can then spend on these desired possessions?
Not necessarily a novel or new concept, but.... How many of us struggling monthly with debts ever considered the possibility that we really have the opportunity to reach this point? Regardless our present status in life, what can we really achieve with just a little awareness, thoughtful planning, and the knowledge of what to do and when to do it? For those who are seriously looking, there is a way out of debt. And, though each person's situation may be slightly different, the steps that are outline above have been used and proven to be effective by countless individuals who live financially happy lives. Just check out their ads!
About the Author
Joseph T Farkasdi is the President of JtseF, Inc. and is a member of the Financial Freedom Society. He is an entrepreneur who is committed to helping others achieve the financial lifestyle they desire. For more information on eliminating debt, visit http://www.jtsef.com/financial.htm .
GettingOutOfDebt@jtsef.com
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
How To Get Online Press Releases On Your Stocks Before Others Hear About Them
How To Get Online Press Releases On Your Stocks Before Others Hear About Them
by: Bill Peifer
It is a fact of life that press releases influence the current price of a stock. People react emotionally and buy stocks on good press releases, and sell stocks on bad ones, regardless of the validity of the press release. If you can get the news first, you can be in a favorable position to take advantage and gain financially. This article describes how to obtain online stock press releases when they are first announced.
One way to be the first to obtain online press releases on stocks would be to constantly watch one or more of the financial News web pages for a press release via Business Wire. Yahoo provides a popular and reliable financial news web page (http://biz.yahoo.com/bw). But manually watching web pages requires your full time attention. Unless you are some rich tycoon who sits by a Palm Springs swimming pool reading the financial news web pages as they update, this is probably not going to work for you. Like most people you probably have other things to do, such as working for a living.
A better way to accomplish the task of monitoring the financial news web pages would be to have someone or something else do it for you, and then notify you. For instance, you can use web page watching software on your computer or you can subscribe to a web page watching service on the Internet.
Running software on your computer to monitor a financial news web page, such as Yahoo's, is easy to do and gives you complete control over when and what you want to watch for. It can also give you faster notification on press release discoveries. There are many programs available on the web to do this. Easy Web Page Watcher by Patrick DiRienzo (http://www.patdirienzo.com) is an easy-to-use low cost program ($15) that does a very good job of monitoring Yahoo and other financial news web pages. To use the program simply enter the financial news web pages that you wish to monitor and the name of your stocks. When the name of your stock appears on the web page in a press release, your computer when notify you with an audible alarm and by email. You can also watch for keyword phrases such as "contract awarded" or "stock buyback" that would appear in any stock press release. If you have full time broadband Internet access such as cable or DSL you can leave the program running all day and night. The program runs in the background with no disturbance to your other computer tasks. You can set up the program to send you email alerts at work or anywhere else.
If you do not have full time Internet access, but have email, the next best method of obtaining press releases automatically is to subscribe to a web page watching service. Again there are many services that do this. WatchThatPage (http://www.watchthatpage.com) is a free web page watching service that will alert you by email when keywords you specify such as the names of your stocks appear in press releases on financial news pages you specify. The disadvantage is that you do not receive an instant audible alarm when the press release is first noticed on the financial news web page. You have to wait for the service to send you email before you hear about the press release.
Info on Author
Bill Peifer holds a degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering and has written several computer technology related articles.
bpeifer@numericnetwork.com
by: Bill Peifer
It is a fact of life that press releases influence the current price of a stock. People react emotionally and buy stocks on good press releases, and sell stocks on bad ones, regardless of the validity of the press release. If you can get the news first, you can be in a favorable position to take advantage and gain financially. This article describes how to obtain online stock press releases when they are first announced.
One way to be the first to obtain online press releases on stocks would be to constantly watch one or more of the financial News web pages for a press release via Business Wire. Yahoo provides a popular and reliable financial news web page (http://biz.yahoo.com/bw). But manually watching web pages requires your full time attention. Unless you are some rich tycoon who sits by a Palm Springs swimming pool reading the financial news web pages as they update, this is probably not going to work for you. Like most people you probably have other things to do, such as working for a living.
A better way to accomplish the task of monitoring the financial news web pages would be to have someone or something else do it for you, and then notify you. For instance, you can use web page watching software on your computer or you can subscribe to a web page watching service on the Internet.
Running software on your computer to monitor a financial news web page, such as Yahoo's, is easy to do and gives you complete control over when and what you want to watch for. It can also give you faster notification on press release discoveries. There are many programs available on the web to do this. Easy Web Page Watcher by Patrick DiRienzo (http://www.patdirienzo.com) is an easy-to-use low cost program ($15) that does a very good job of monitoring Yahoo and other financial news web pages. To use the program simply enter the financial news web pages that you wish to monitor and the name of your stocks. When the name of your stock appears on the web page in a press release, your computer when notify you with an audible alarm and by email. You can also watch for keyword phrases such as "contract awarded" or "stock buyback" that would appear in any stock press release. If you have full time broadband Internet access such as cable or DSL you can leave the program running all day and night. The program runs in the background with no disturbance to your other computer tasks. You can set up the program to send you email alerts at work or anywhere else.
If you do not have full time Internet access, but have email, the next best method of obtaining press releases automatically is to subscribe to a web page watching service. Again there are many services that do this. WatchThatPage (http://www.watchthatpage.com) is a free web page watching service that will alert you by email when keywords you specify such as the names of your stocks appear in press releases on financial news pages you specify. The disadvantage is that you do not receive an instant audible alarm when the press release is first noticed on the financial news web page. You have to wait for the service to send you email before you hear about the press release.
Info on Author
Bill Peifer holds a degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering and has written several computer technology related articles.
bpeifer@numericnetwork.com
Saturday, July 09, 2005
money market account
Is Your Money Keeping Up With Inflation, money market account?
In today's unpredictable global economy and money market account, you obviously never know what is going to happen next. Uncertainties and concerns regarding the Iraqi threat, North Korean crisis, and hidden terrorist cells and networks continue to loom in the back of the minds of consumers. Moreover, the stock markets, money market account, and industries around the world.
Price inflation is another major concern for everyone. The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) number released by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics states that prices, in all U.S. cities, are up 0.1% in the month of December for the calendar year of 2002. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a program that produces monthly data on changes in the prices paid by urban consumers for a representative basket of goods and services. Furthermore, the national unemployment rate continues to remain steady at 6.0% for the month of December 2002. Believe it or not, this may not be as bad as it sounds.
Economic theory suggests that an increase in the inflation rate will lead to a decrease in the national unemployment rate. But since the unemployment rate is currently 6.0%, this may also suggest that in order for this rate to eventually decrease, we should expect more inflation in the future. The recent upsurge in oil prices together with precious metals supports this theory and may also be a hint of what's to come.
Well, it seems that you probably can't avoid inflation, but there are definitely opportunities that you can take advantage of, in order to keep up with it. One option might be to consider depositing your money into a savings account rather than a money market account. Most major banks are currently yielding an Annual Percentage Yield (APY) that ranges from 0.5% to 0.75%. Even though this is pretty low, it is higher than what most money market account are currently offering.
One of the best rates that I have recently seen is ING Direct's offering of 2.25% APY for their Orange Savings Account. But if these rates are not what you are looking for, consider investing in the stock market. With the latest downturn in the economy, shares are pretty cheap and going fast. There are now many online brokerages that allow consumers to purchase stocks for a small fee. For instance, Sharebuilder lets consumers invest for as little as $4. However, please be wary, this investment option is a greater risk so you should consult with a financial advisor before taking this step.
Whether you choose to put your money in these investment opportunities or not, it is up to you. But just remember that if you don't, you are actually losing money because the "purchasing power" of your dollar is decreasing as the inflation rate is increasing.
About the Author
Carlos T. Fernandez is the business columnist for Dominican Times Magazine, a publication that focuses on the hispanic culture and the issues affecting its communities. He is also the publisher of a popular financial planning and management website entitled Building Wealth (http://buildingwealth.blogspot.com).
In today's unpredictable global economy and money market account, you obviously never know what is going to happen next. Uncertainties and concerns regarding the Iraqi threat, North Korean crisis, and hidden terrorist cells and networks continue to loom in the back of the minds of consumers. Moreover, the stock markets, money market account, and industries around the world.
Price inflation is another major concern for everyone. The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) number released by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics states that prices, in all U.S. cities, are up 0.1% in the month of December for the calendar year of 2002. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a program that produces monthly data on changes in the prices paid by urban consumers for a representative basket of goods and services. Furthermore, the national unemployment rate continues to remain steady at 6.0% for the month of December 2002. Believe it or not, this may not be as bad as it sounds.
Economic theory suggests that an increase in the inflation rate will lead to a decrease in the national unemployment rate. But since the unemployment rate is currently 6.0%, this may also suggest that in order for this rate to eventually decrease, we should expect more inflation in the future. The recent upsurge in oil prices together with precious metals supports this theory and may also be a hint of what's to come.
Well, it seems that you probably can't avoid inflation, but there are definitely opportunities that you can take advantage of, in order to keep up with it. One option might be to consider depositing your money into a savings account rather than a money market account. Most major banks are currently yielding an Annual Percentage Yield (APY) that ranges from 0.5% to 0.75%. Even though this is pretty low, it is higher than what most money market account are currently offering.
One of the best rates that I have recently seen is ING Direct's offering of 2.25% APY for their Orange Savings Account. But if these rates are not what you are looking for, consider investing in the stock market. With the latest downturn in the economy, shares are pretty cheap and going fast. There are now many online brokerages that allow consumers to purchase stocks for a small fee. For instance, Sharebuilder lets consumers invest for as little as $4. However, please be wary, this investment option is a greater risk so you should consult with a financial advisor before taking this step.
Whether you choose to put your money in these investment opportunities or not, it is up to you. But just remember that if you don't, you are actually losing money because the "purchasing power" of your dollar is decreasing as the inflation rate is increasing.
About the Author
Carlos T. Fernandez is the business columnist for Dominican Times Magazine, a publication that focuses on the hispanic culture and the issues affecting its communities. He is also the publisher of a popular financial planning and management website entitled Building Wealth (http://buildingwealth.blogspot.com).
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
ForexInterBank Forex Trading Course for Day Traders and Small Investors Focusing on Forex Pivot Point Trading
More and more day traders and small investors are turning to the foreign currency exchange market and for a number of good reasons. "The spot forex market provides them the means to invest without concern for liquidity or market manipulation," says John Keister, ForexInterBank’s CEO. "More importantly, forex pivot point trading provides conservative investors the means to turn a modest but consistent profit."
"Historically, the investment opportunities afforded by forex trading have gone largely unrealized because, up until a few years ago, the market had been the exclusive domain of governments, banks, institutional investors, and brokerage houses. Now, through ForexInterBank, investors can learn how to take advantage of those opportunities using a forex trading course designed to simplify the process and to accelerate the learning curve," say Keister, a medical doctor who first started trading forex while he was in medical school.
According to Keister, forex trading, while well known in the ‘inner circle’, is only now beginning to get the attention of both day traders and private investors. "Ten years ago, it was difficult to find a day trader or private investor who was familiar with the market. Now at least half of the people I talk with are at least mildly familiar with the market and half of those have actually dabbled in it," he says.
Keister attributes this increased interest level to a number of problems unique to equities and futures trading. "The biggest problem is that price fluctuations on the equities and futures markets are all too often a direct result of manipulation and/or the buying and selling habits of major investors. Prices are not driven as much by supply and demand as they are driven by market makers, media hype, and large institutional investors who have the financial means to literally make or break a stock overnight," he says.
The forex spot market, according to Keister, isn’t subject to that kind of manipulation. The average daily turnover in the forex spot market is approximately $1.3 trillion dollars, 30 times the turnover of all equity and futures markets combined. Unlike the equities and futures markets, forex market fluctuations are driven by pure supply and demand - the purchase and sale of foreign goods and services and, of course, speculation.
Experts estimate that 5% of the market’s turnover is actually driven by trade imbalances, the remaining 95% comes from speculation. "One doesn’t have to be an economist to understand that it is virtually impossible for any entity to manipulate a market of such an immense size," Keister says.
"What makes forex even more attractive is that one doesn’t have to waste time spending endless hours doing technical analysis and studying fundamentals that, as I mentioned before, can be totally invalidated by the actions of insiders and major investors," he says. "Forex trades, while certainly not without risk, can be profitably and predictably executed without endless and sometimes fruitless study."
A second drawback to equity and futures markets is that once made investments are not very liquid. "Investors can’t react immediately to fluctuations in the equity and futures markets because those markets are not ‘openly’ traded 24 hours a day. A lot can happen between the closing and opening bells, let alone over a long weekend, and if the investor sleeps late, he may wake up to find upon opening that he has suffered significant losses," he says.
"By contrast, the forex market never closes. Once a trade has been initiated, the investor has the ability to modify the parameters of that trade 24 hours a day."
Perhaps the biggest factor making forex trading attractive is that trades are not commission driven or heavily fee based and this is why Keister got involved in forex pivot point trading in the first place ten years ago. "Like most investors, when I started looking for ways to invest my money, I began the process working with stockbrokers who were more interested in churning my accounts than they were providing me with the information I needed to make ‘my’ cash register ring," he says.
"In search of a way to avoid costly brokerage fees, I looked into traditional day trading but found that the costs were prohibitive. First, one has to invest a great deal of money in an education which can, as I said earlier, be rendered irrelevant by players who can easily manipulate the market. Secondly, one has to ‘pay the piper’. By that I mean you have to buy or lease an extraordinarily expensive and exotic software program that will enable you to execute trades.
"Of course, one can always find ‘free’ software, but the annual software lease agreements and/or membership fees paid to the company offering it end up costing more over the long term than you would have paid had you purchased the software outright," he says.
Disappointed with the vagaries of the equity markets, hidden agendas of brokerage firms, and the sizable start up costs of equities day trading, Keister’s turned to forex. "Forex trading is excruciatingly affordable. One doesn’t have to invest a fortune in software and on-going membership fees to get started. Trading software is readily available on-line and the only fee one can anticipate is a modest transaction spread," Keister says.
"When I first started looking into forex trading, I discovered that the only way small investors could get in the market was to jump in the deep end, more often than not, without the knowledge they needed to keep themselves afloat. Like everyone else, I paid dearly for my lessons because I couldn’t find a mentor willing or able to provide the information I needed to succeed. Now that I look back on the experiences I had, I can understand why that information wasn’t readily available. The big boys were just too busy making money and had nothing to gain sharing their expertise with little guys like me," Keister says.
When Keister first entered the forex market, he was naturally frustrated by the fact that there was no single, reliable source he could rely on to get answers to even the simplest questions," he says. "There were a few insiders who assembled rudimentary training materials they would sell at an exaggerated cost, but I couldn’t find a central source of information about forex trading and, more importantly, couldn’t get clarification when the materials provided generated even more questions than they answered.
"Over the past ten years I’ve also read scores of books about forex trading and they, too, have a common problem. While providing an abundance of information, they unnecessarily complicate the process," he says. "Forex trading is a very simple process based on a mastery of a number of visual cues that normally occur above and below pivot points. You don’t need to understand why the market behaves the way it does. You only need to be able to recognize a few predicable patterns to generate a reasonable and consistent return on your investments."
Failing to find an adequate source of information, Keister decided to put together an education program of his own, one based on his own successes and failures. "It was clear to me that the forex education arena was lacking so I put together a forex trading course that simplifies the process, providing answers to basic questions the experts were too either too busy to answer or couldn’t answer in a language that can be easily understood," he says. In the end he believes he has developed a forex trading course that actually makes forex trading easy - a forex trading course for dummies.
Why would he use the term ‘dummies?’ "Not to 'dis' the younger generation, but I hired a number of high school and college students to test the program and the majority are now successfully trading on their own behalf. Those who are underage are using custodial accounts set up by their parents," he says. "If they can do it with as little knowledge as they have, anyone can do it."
Unlike so many online forex training programs that sell their clients training materials and then disappear, ForexInterBank’s program includes live, daily mentoring. Once students have completed the company’s interactive forex trading course, they have the means to actually watch and listen to ForexInterBank traders as they walk through their own trades. "We believe this follow-on, real world training is what really sets us apart," Keister says.
"Our clients can actually listen in on real time analysis and watch trades as they actually happen," he says. A few examples of these live mentoring sessions can be viewed in the live training room at the company’s web site. "Visitors can see and listen to eight of our past sessions," Keister points out.
Day traders and investors wanting more information about John Keister and ForexInterBank’s educational services are encouraged to visit www.Forexinterbank.com.
About the Author
The author, Ron Scott, is a seasoned internet publicist who provides affordable public relationsservices to local, regional, national and international businesses.
"Historically, the investment opportunities afforded by forex trading have gone largely unrealized because, up until a few years ago, the market had been the exclusive domain of governments, banks, institutional investors, and brokerage houses. Now, through ForexInterBank, investors can learn how to take advantage of those opportunities using a forex trading course designed to simplify the process and to accelerate the learning curve," say Keister, a medical doctor who first started trading forex while he was in medical school.
According to Keister, forex trading, while well known in the ‘inner circle’, is only now beginning to get the attention of both day traders and private investors. "Ten years ago, it was difficult to find a day trader or private investor who was familiar with the market. Now at least half of the people I talk with are at least mildly familiar with the market and half of those have actually dabbled in it," he says.
Keister attributes this increased interest level to a number of problems unique to equities and futures trading. "The biggest problem is that price fluctuations on the equities and futures markets are all too often a direct result of manipulation and/or the buying and selling habits of major investors. Prices are not driven as much by supply and demand as they are driven by market makers, media hype, and large institutional investors who have the financial means to literally make or break a stock overnight," he says.
The forex spot market, according to Keister, isn’t subject to that kind of manipulation. The average daily turnover in the forex spot market is approximately $1.3 trillion dollars, 30 times the turnover of all equity and futures markets combined. Unlike the equities and futures markets, forex market fluctuations are driven by pure supply and demand - the purchase and sale of foreign goods and services and, of course, speculation.
Experts estimate that 5% of the market’s turnover is actually driven by trade imbalances, the remaining 95% comes from speculation. "One doesn’t have to be an economist to understand that it is virtually impossible for any entity to manipulate a market of such an immense size," Keister says.
"What makes forex even more attractive is that one doesn’t have to waste time spending endless hours doing technical analysis and studying fundamentals that, as I mentioned before, can be totally invalidated by the actions of insiders and major investors," he says. "Forex trades, while certainly not without risk, can be profitably and predictably executed without endless and sometimes fruitless study."
A second drawback to equity and futures markets is that once made investments are not very liquid. "Investors can’t react immediately to fluctuations in the equity and futures markets because those markets are not ‘openly’ traded 24 hours a day. A lot can happen between the closing and opening bells, let alone over a long weekend, and if the investor sleeps late, he may wake up to find upon opening that he has suffered significant losses," he says.
"By contrast, the forex market never closes. Once a trade has been initiated, the investor has the ability to modify the parameters of that trade 24 hours a day."
Perhaps the biggest factor making forex trading attractive is that trades are not commission driven or heavily fee based and this is why Keister got involved in forex pivot point trading in the first place ten years ago. "Like most investors, when I started looking for ways to invest my money, I began the process working with stockbrokers who were more interested in churning my accounts than they were providing me with the information I needed to make ‘my’ cash register ring," he says.
"In search of a way to avoid costly brokerage fees, I looked into traditional day trading but found that the costs were prohibitive. First, one has to invest a great deal of money in an education which can, as I said earlier, be rendered irrelevant by players who can easily manipulate the market. Secondly, one has to ‘pay the piper’. By that I mean you have to buy or lease an extraordinarily expensive and exotic software program that will enable you to execute trades.
"Of course, one can always find ‘free’ software, but the annual software lease agreements and/or membership fees paid to the company offering it end up costing more over the long term than you would have paid had you purchased the software outright," he says.
Disappointed with the vagaries of the equity markets, hidden agendas of brokerage firms, and the sizable start up costs of equities day trading, Keister’s turned to forex. "Forex trading is excruciatingly affordable. One doesn’t have to invest a fortune in software and on-going membership fees to get started. Trading software is readily available on-line and the only fee one can anticipate is a modest transaction spread," Keister says.
"When I first started looking into forex trading, I discovered that the only way small investors could get in the market was to jump in the deep end, more often than not, without the knowledge they needed to keep themselves afloat. Like everyone else, I paid dearly for my lessons because I couldn’t find a mentor willing or able to provide the information I needed to succeed. Now that I look back on the experiences I had, I can understand why that information wasn’t readily available. The big boys were just too busy making money and had nothing to gain sharing their expertise with little guys like me," Keister says.
When Keister first entered the forex market, he was naturally frustrated by the fact that there was no single, reliable source he could rely on to get answers to even the simplest questions," he says. "There were a few insiders who assembled rudimentary training materials they would sell at an exaggerated cost, but I couldn’t find a central source of information about forex trading and, more importantly, couldn’t get clarification when the materials provided generated even more questions than they answered.
"Over the past ten years I’ve also read scores of books about forex trading and they, too, have a common problem. While providing an abundance of information, they unnecessarily complicate the process," he says. "Forex trading is a very simple process based on a mastery of a number of visual cues that normally occur above and below pivot points. You don’t need to understand why the market behaves the way it does. You only need to be able to recognize a few predicable patterns to generate a reasonable and consistent return on your investments."
Failing to find an adequate source of information, Keister decided to put together an education program of his own, one based on his own successes and failures. "It was clear to me that the forex education arena was lacking so I put together a forex trading course that simplifies the process, providing answers to basic questions the experts were too either too busy to answer or couldn’t answer in a language that can be easily understood," he says. In the end he believes he has developed a forex trading course that actually makes forex trading easy - a forex trading course for dummies.
Why would he use the term ‘dummies?’ "Not to 'dis' the younger generation, but I hired a number of high school and college students to test the program and the majority are now successfully trading on their own behalf. Those who are underage are using custodial accounts set up by their parents," he says. "If they can do it with as little knowledge as they have, anyone can do it."
Unlike so many online forex training programs that sell their clients training materials and then disappear, ForexInterBank’s program includes live, daily mentoring. Once students have completed the company’s interactive forex trading course, they have the means to actually watch and listen to ForexInterBank traders as they walk through their own trades. "We believe this follow-on, real world training is what really sets us apart," Keister says.
"Our clients can actually listen in on real time analysis and watch trades as they actually happen," he says. A few examples of these live mentoring sessions can be viewed in the live training room at the company’s web site. "Visitors can see and listen to eight of our past sessions," Keister points out.
Day traders and investors wanting more information about John Keister and ForexInterBank’s educational services are encouraged to visit www.Forexinterbank.com.
About the Author
The author, Ron Scott, is a seasoned internet publicist who provides affordable public relationsservices to local, regional, national and international businesses.
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