Why Gold? Why Now?The Case for Investing in Gold TodayNOW IS THE TIME to take your financial future back and keep it safely in your control, the only way to do this is by turning towards gold investment; find out where to buy gold coins.The careful investors of the world know that gold is the only way to stay safe during the difficult crashes because it lasts forever and is always hoarded carefully.If debt had a kryptonite analogue, it would be this great precious metal.Gold doesn’t canker or tarnish, and it’s relatively useless to industry. It’s been about 4,000 years since major gold mining has begun and almost of of it is unused for any major industrial purpose. Preserving wealth is the main purpose for this heavy material.The world’s total store of gold now stands near 160,000 tons. However, since it is so dense, if you melted all that down to a cube it would only span 66 feet on one of its edges. That wouldn’t even cover a ball court!Gold vs. Paper-Money InflationThe world stores are still increasing at a nice pace of 2600 tons/year. That’s a modest increase of 1.6% per year to the above-ground supply. The best part is that the bankers don’t control the amount of gold in this world like they control the value of currency.The carefully controlled Euro is inflating at a whopping rate of 11.5 percent every year.But our friend gold kept it’s buying power all throughout the Carter years. When Reaganomics took over, our little dense friend soared as an asset by increasing 23 times itself.The Great Depression saw gold remaining strong as a purchaser of financial assets.It does not need to be stated as to the condition of our currencies today. Gold has already risen three-fold against the New York stock market since early 2000. It outperforms real estate without even breaking a sweat.Time to Buy Gold?The old boy network’s game of currency has no effect on the metal. Check the stats folks, the real players stay safe with the yellow metal, not with currency.But that doesn’t make gold a “forever” investment. Gold will always lose value during stable periods of strong economic growth. You could hold your breath for that to occur.Before 9-11 and during the happy days of Clinton, gold was very cheap. During that time, you couldn’t get an investor worth his weight to advise their clients in gold.After the tech bubble burst, and Britain dumped its reserves, the prices started to climb.There does not seem to be a glass ceiling on this latest climb. Perspective shows that the current trends are only the beginning. It’s also been limited by Western governments persuading their citizens that “core” inflation in the cost of living is running at just 2% per year or below.The black hat markets of the banker cannot sustain blissful ignorance forever.New Investment in Gold.The smart analysts know that gold will continue to grow.The only way out of the Fed’s treachery, is to hyperinflate the currencies which will have this price driving effect on gold. Trends like these are only stopped when the bankers have choke collars put on them.The Fed raised interest rates in the 80′s which helped usher in that positive growth we once saw in the 90′s.Will that happen again? Anyone in the room think Ben Bernanke gives a crap what happens to our savings and our futures?People who live in such a dream world should not invest with the rest of us then.Stop believing that you can’t get into the gold market, it’s just as open to you as it is to the Rothschilds.You may be saying that you don’t know where to buy gold coins or bullion. Or maybe you know where to buy gold coins but don’t think anyone will use them as money.Click here to find out more about where to buy gold coins.
February 28th, 2010
posted in Gold Investment
Slovenia property investment may not be as popular as many other well known property investment locations, but savvy investors are buying and making great capital gains, in one of the top markets for capital growth in the world.
With prices starting at just $50,000 and capital growth in excess of 30% per annum combined with the potential for significant rental income, it no wonder more investors than ever are looking at Slovenia property investment.
Capital growth potential
Investors in Slovenian property are currently enjoying capital gains of up to 30% per annum and this growth looks set to continue.
In the next decade capital growth was forecast at 278% by property specialist program “A place in the Sun” which has increased interest from property investors around the world.
Why Slovenia is hot
Since attaining independence from Yugoslavia and joining the EU, Slovenia has seen strong economic growth.
Tourism has been the fastest-growing sector of the economy and this has enabled it to produce the highest GDP of the new EU members.
Slovenia has become popular due to its variety of scenery; good infrastructure and a variety of airlines now offer cheap, frequent flights – making it easy and inexpensive to get to.
Natural Beauty
Slovenia is located between Austria, Italy, Hungary and Croatia and while a small country, it is beautiful and has something for everyone.
Slovenia features forests, vineyards, snow capped mountains, a beautiful stretch of Mediterranean coastline and some great baroque architecture.
Slovenia has a beautiful capital – Ljubljana.
The city has been described as a smaller and less crowed Prague and comes with stunning architecture.
A booming economy
Slovenia’s accession to the EU saw big changes in the economy, as Slovenia opened its doors to overseas property buyers.
Strong growth in GDP has been mirrored by growth in Slovenian property prices.
The capital Ljubljana offers the best returns on investment, with prices predicted to continue rising by around 30% per annum for many years to come.
The limited supply of housing and restrictions on land development are the main driving forces behind this growth.
The economic expansion in the capital which will see rentals soar – giving “buy to let” investors significant income, as well as capital growth potential.
Primorska on the Adriatic coast and the mountain district of Gorenjska are the next most expensive places to buy in Slovenia.
If you are interested in Slovenian property and cant afford these areas there are plenty more to choose from, as this is a market in its early stages of development and offers better risk to reward than the more mature markets that surround it.
Slovenia has a wide range of property investments to suit all tastes and budgets.
Property for sale in Slovenia with good capital growth potential can be bought from under $50,000 in many areas.
You can invest in ski apartments in areas such as the Julian Mountains, or in traditional country houses near the vineyards or finally, in the expanding urban areas.
In Conclusion, Slovenia Offers property investors:
A great opportunity to invest in a stable and growing EU member.
Slovenian property investment offers above average capital growth potential combined with significant rental income from “the buy to let” areas and finally, being an emerging market it’s highly affordable.
In part 2 of this article you will find some of the best new emerging destinations to buy in and also an in-depth look at the buying process.
Discover more about Slovenia and Slovenian property investment and see how it could change your financial future.
February 28th, 2010
posted in Property Investment
Investing can be defined as the resources with the expectation of some satisfaction or profit in return by putting forth an effort. By Investing we will invest more into our future, not just as a state but also as a society.
Investing money is different from saving money, as in that money that is invested is committed for a period of time with a sure risk for the purpose of earning a financial return. The concept of saving money merely means to put it aside as a store or reserve.
Your goal in Investing could be to make the greatest return possible resource within the shortest period of time without losing any of the principle amounts you have originally invested.
Many people are afraid in Investing their hard earned money because one of the most leading reasons for this fear is ignorance. People should understand that the more they learn and understand the better equipped they will become to make wise decisions as a money manager for Investing.
Why Investing can be Important?
While Investing one of your key responsibilities is not only to provide for yourself and your family, but resource within the short term but also to trait within the long term. Unlike saving money, Investing will always be associated with a risk factor.
The degree of risk is dependent on the Investing option you choose and is typically proportional to the potential return of the investment. The old saying, “If it sounds too good to be true…” it typically is. Each person has a different tolerance for risk. You would never be Investing in things that make you lose sleep at night.
Mainly due to the negative effects of inflation, it is the opinion of many people that making the choice not to invest is the greatest risk you can most defiantly make with your savings. Inflation is the single greatest threat to your future financial well being in Investing. It results trait within the constant, steady erosion of money’s value.
When to start Investing?
To start Investing, time is your greatest asset element within the accumulation of wealth. You could begin to invest as soon as possible but not until you have built a solid financial foundation for yourself. Investing requires a long-term commitment.
The money you allocate to would not be money that will be required for many years. To trait within the event of a major depressing financial situation, you definitely wouldn’t want to be forced to withdraw money that has been allocated in a long-term investment to meet the requirements of a short term need.
Thus, it is imperative that, no matter what may come, your financial foundation must be strong. As a minimum, you would eliminate all of your consumer debts like the credit cards, student loans, furniture loans, auto payments, etc and build an adequate cash emergency account.
In many cases, for Investing if you or someone that understands and has the expert knowledge to start your investment program while you still have existing consumer debts then it is similar in effect as to borrowing money to make your investments. The greatest risk free return will always be to pay off the existing consumer debts before committing your money to Investing needs.
Where can Investing be done?
Usually, there are an unlimited number of Investing opportunities. The investment selections would include a moderate level of risk in exchange for a reasonable rate of return keeping in mind the maximum degree of diversification. It is most important to understand if you are ready to begin Investing, then your first plan could be one that is qualified by the IRS.
The Qualified savings plans are those that are designed by the IRS (government) with sure tax advantages to encourage citizens to participate in a long-term savings program. The basic qualified plan that is available to all the people that have earned income is the Individual Retirement Arrangement (IRA).
An IRA can consist of many numerous styles of Investing plans. It can either be a mutual fund, a certificate of deposit (CD) at a local bank, or a number of other options. An IRA comes in three different forms:
1. Long-established Deductible IRA
2. Most common Nondeductible IRA
3. Roth IRA
Investing today, has given a wide range of choices like the stocks, bonds, mutual funds, treasury securities which include savings bonds, options, commodities, commodity futures, real estate investment trusts, also known as the REITs, variable annuities and many more.
Those who have thought to invest must investigate before and remember that every single investment involves some degree of risk. These securities are not insured by the federal government if they fail, even in general speaking, if you or someone that understands and has expert knowledge purchase them through a bank or credit union that offers federally insured savings accounts, then make sure you have answers to all of these questions before you actually start Investing.
February 28th, 2010
posted in Investment News
Defined within the realm of the statistical Bell Curve, the long tail would reside in the skinny tail at the borders. The long tail, in regards to goods and services, refers to the evolution away from mainstream offerings towards more niche products and services. With the internet drastically reducing the costs of establishing distribution channels, the ability of entrepreneurs to focus more on the longtail sector to fit their customized needs is gaining increasing appeal.
However, almost no one speaks of the longtail of investing. To me, longtail investment strategies are the strategies that do not heavily rely on fundamental or technical analysis, but exploit other strongly predictive factors to produce not only superior returns to traditional investment strategies but also investment opportunities with far better risk-reward paradigms than those produced by traditional investment strategies. Here are 10 reasons why the longtail of investing is the only way to build wealth.(1)You will never achieve the level of wealth you desire by handing your money over to a large investment firm.
The vast majority of private investors hand their money to large institutions and allow them to invest their money for them. If this were truly the best way to achieve financial freedom, then almost every one you know would be ecstatic with their financial consultant. Think of how many people you know that absolutely rave about their financial consultant.
The fact that 90% of people you know do not rave about their financial consultant should tell you that niche investment strategies, or longtail investment strategies, are far superior. The ones that are happy with the large investment houses already were independently wealthy before they sought out their help. Think about how many people you know that have ever told you, “I wasn’t wealthy before, but thanks to my investment firm, I am wealthy beyond my dreams now.”(2)Thanks to evolving information technology, there are many better and more highly predictive means of making investment decisions than just utilizing fundamental and technical analysis.
Though people have been really slow to grasp this, once they do, longtail investment strategies, like those invented by SmartKnowledgeU, will boom. There is no doubt that the level of top-notch financial, political and corporate information available to the average investor has increased by leaps and bounds within the past decade.
There is a virtual treasure map that was created by the flattening of the world over the past decade to selecting stocks that are poised to explode. However, because the largest, most powerful investment institutions in the world have kept the masses of investors fixated on traditional investment techniques such as value and fundamental analysis, the longtail of investment strategies is currently much further behind in its developmental phases than it should be.
The best analogy I can use when explaining why people have ignored the long tail of investment strategies is to compare it to the incredibly slow adoption of Internet Protocol Version 6 (Ipv6) by the United States. When China started preparing its country for Ipv6 a decade ago, the benefits in increased security and its added value properties in e-commerce were evident even back then. However, people in the U.S. were comfortable with the lesser Ipv4 so did not take any action until the progress and superior internet and business capabilities of China, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong finally embarrassed the U.S. enough to move forward and catch up with Asia.
I see the same thing happening in the educational realm of investing. Everyone is comfortable with the traditional investment strategies that have been propagated for the last several decades so nobody sees a need to move forward even though much better strategies exist today. Just as with Ipv6, the world will eventually realize that the safest and best means of investing money reside in the longtail, and they will eventually adopt these strategies.(3)With so much investor skepticism of corporate integrity sparked by past accounting scandals at Enron, WorldCom, General Motors and the like, and the current, ongoing backdating option scandals, investors will increasingly seek alternate means of making investment decisions other than crunching numbers that they feel are untrustworthy.
Furthermore, technical analysis often yields false positives as well. A chart will show indexes that appear bullish having just broken through a ceiling of resistance only to have the index turn back downward for a prolonged period of time, or a chart will appear bearish having just broken through a floor of resistance only to turn around and begin another bullish ascent.
In fact, you have seen some of these turnaround trends with some of the technical posts that I’ve placed on my blog in previous months. In fact, that is why I always state that I never rely solely on technical indicators to make my decisions. I rely only on technical indicators to confirm or dispel what my long tail investment strategies tell me. Of the three types of analysis, fundamental, technical and long tail, long tail investment strategies yield by far the least amount of false negatives and false positives. That’s why I rely on them so heavily.
This sentiment will lead to an evolution of longtail investment strategies, and the discovery of more efficient and better predictive means of making investment decisions than even those that already exist. Even current longtail investment strategies, such as those utilized at SmartKnowledgeU are constantly evolving as access to reliable information increases every year. Making decisions as if you were a fly on the wall of boardrooms is no longer a fantasy. It is possible, thanks to the evolution of the information landscape.(4)With the growth of blogs and pure information sites on the web, the stranglehold of global investment myths, including the Modern Portfolio Theory of diversification, will soon be exposed for what they are – cleverly disguised sales strategies posing as investment strategies.
Once people realize this, longtail investment strategies will gain wider acceptance, much like acupuncture and herbal medicine eventually gained credibility as healing regimens in the schools of Western medicine.
The new information age has stripped many accepted investment strategies such as diversification of much utility when attempting to build wealth. Furthermore, it has also rendered such beliefs as an inability to time the market and the efficient market model as mere myths. This has been proven time and time again by investment sites such as SmartKnowledgeU that have called for steep market corrections in certain global markets and in asset classes like gold with consistent accuracy.(5)Wider acceptance of alternative, longtail investment strategies that far outperform those utilized by global investment firms will happen as word of successes via these strategies spread throughout the world via the internet.
The internet distribution channel can and will be used to change the mindset of investors.(6)The Do-It-Yourselfers are Growing – With the success of books such as Stephen Covey’s “The Eight Habit” that emphasize personal accountability to achieve excellence versus handing control over to someone else, cultural shifts will happen whereby people will seek to seize control over their own financial future versus just handing their money to a firm to manage.
As this cultural shift happens, multitudes of people will realize that they are shorting their returns significantly every single year by handing their money to global investment houses.(7)The flattening of the world and accessibility to previously inaccessible investment information will undoubtedly yield an increasing amount of investment strategies that reside in the longtail.
People will realize the foolishness of believing in the one investment strategy thrust upon them by global investment houses for the past half of century as “the only viable and safe way to invest.” If the younger generation takes an interest in investing, adding their creativity to the investment arena will result in explosive growth in the longtail of investment strategies. However, since the odds of this occurrence are quite low, a more gradual shift towards niche investment strategies is much more likely.(8)The explosion of social networking sites like YouTube, MySpace, Friendster, Squidoo, Digg, and so forth, will amplify the viral marketing of longtail investment concepts.
Again, ignorance of longtail investment strategies causes fear and hesitancy to use them. Viral marketing of longtail investment concepts will increase millions of investors’ comfort level with these different and unique concepts.(9)People are ultimately interested in returns, no matter how much global investment firms try to separate themselves from their competitors with smoke and mirror service claims.
All the gratitude for luxury box suites at Los Angeles Lakers games, suites at the Four Seasons Hotel, conferences at world-class golf courses and resorts will quickly wither once people realize how much more money they are earning with longtail investment strategies.(10)Again, because people will readily abandon all the perks they get as a preferred client at a large investment firm for far superior returns on their portfolios, longtail investing will eventually reach a critical mass.
Eventually the longtail of investing will migrate towards the center and become the mainstream methods of investing, though this may take several decades to occur.
February 27th, 2010
posted in Investment News
Smart investors know that overseas property investments can yield 25-100 % returns if properly managed. One intelligent measurement to lower risks is to lock in the the value of the investment property with the help of third parties so that if the value goes down you will be able to sell the property to them and not loose a penny.
An example would be buying a international property, if you pay 80K and the market value falls to 50K, having locked it’s value through a third party you can still sell it for the original 80K, now if on the other hand the property appraises at a value much higher than what it was originally purchased for, all you loose is a small lock in payment but made a substantial profit.
This is a different way of investing compared to other markets, as you may be able to deduct the advantage is that you are able to lock in “the risk” at a set level in exchange for a small payment which represents the maximum loss you are willing to take. This way overseas property investors have a high leverage when investing in foreign real estate.
The best way to invest in foreign real estate listings is to select an established or “currently in development” market, as well as making sure that the laws in such places are favorable to foreign investors. Good investment markets which fulfill these conditions are Dubai and Cyprus.
Cyprus property can be obtained after completing a “permission to purchase” application with the Council of Ministers. This is a step every foreign investor must complete, in order to purchase property in Cyprus which is not very restrictive. An investor can purchase up to four thousand square meters of land and an additional house or apartment.
Similarly, buying Dubai property offers many advantages due to the fact that real estate prices keep increasing because of the high demand these properties have. The demand increased radically back in 2002 when the crown Prince made an announcement which allowed foreign investors to purchase property. Due to local tax and business advantages this particular market blossomed and it’s now a great place to develop any business idea.
Real estate investments in foreign countries offer great ROI “if and only if” the investor verifies local laws pertaining to properties and business. Always remember to diversify your investments, even if you are investing in a relatively stable market.
February 25th, 2010
posted in Property Investment
Most people don’t think they can own gold bullion, but they would be wrong. With the tough economy that everyone is facing today, investing in gold seems like a good idea. But how do you get started? Can anyone do it?
The answer is YES! Gold is a great investment when the economy is doing poorly. Gold prices tend to increase when the economy is unstable. Just remember that gold bullion is a long-term investment. Gold has an intrinsic value that most paper currencies cannot compete with over the long run. Currencies are subject to inflation more than gold bullion. The best way to protect your money is to keep money in gold.
Now that you have decided to do some gold investing, you should understand that gold is a physical commodity and unlike paper money has value even if the stock market collapses. You can buy gold bullion coins and/or bars. The bullion usually comes in one oz increments and is usually approaching 100% pure. Many companies on the Internet can help you to choose which type of gold bullion to buy and can do it for you for a very nominal charge.
Different countries offer different gold bullion coins that you can invest in. In the US, the American Gold Eagle coin is very popular. Canada has a Maple Gold Coin, China has the Panda Coin, and other countries offer different choices as well. Some countries have tariffs on the import or export of certain types of gold so be sure to check out the restrictions. Depending on where you live, you may be able to take advantage of certain laws that allow 22 carat or higher gold coins to be Value Added Tax (VAT) free!
Conduct research to ensure you are purchasing gold from a good company. Use common sense and never invest more than you can afford to lose. Gold Bullion is a great investment if you plan for the long-term. Anyone can buy gold bullion, not just the extremely wealthy!
February 25th, 2010
posted in Gold Investment
Property investment in the UK has witnessed massive growth over the last decade.
A house bought 10 years ago, would be worth around 300% more today. If you were to look at house price growth over a longer period, youd be amazed by the results. For example, if you had bought a house in 1952, today it would be worth around 90 times more!
At an average growth of 8% per year, a house bought today for 215,000 pounds would be worth in excess of 1 million pounds in 20 yrs! 10 houses bought today for 215,000 pounds each would be worth an unimaginable amount!
Even today, as the market shows some evidence of slowdown, there are pockets of above average growth in certain towns and villages across the country. Its the job of the property investor to hunt out these areas and milk them for all they are worth.
When looking for property to buy in the UK, it is always advisable to do some research before commencing any viewings. Recent statistics on house values in any one particular area, historical data and local trends can help you to build a clear picture of the suitability of any one location for investment purposes.
A common misconception among novice property investors is that you can only really make money in property when house prices are going up in value. In this scenario, you would buy a property for x amount and resell shortly after for x+growth amount, pocketing the difference in value. If the market was flat, your property would still be worth x several months later, i.e. exactly how much you bought it for. When house prices are going down, your property would be worth less several months later, e.g. x-growth.
However, any experienced investor will tell you that you can make money from property investment regardless of whether house prices are increasing, decreasing or whether the market is flat. By buying well below market value, you would safeguard your investment from any short term economic trends that would normally affect your propertys value. You would also gain immediate equity in your property investment.
When deciding to embark on a career in property investment, as with anything else, you need to educate yourself. You can do this by attending seminars, attending courses and meeting others in the same field. Talk to real estate agents, brokers and lenders to gain a good basic understanding of current and future trends in property investments. Furthermore, take advantage of free online courses and material to learn the ins and outs of property investment.
Property investment is not rocket science. By learning and applying just a handful of basic principles, theres no reason why anyone cant benefit from the UK property investment market.
February 24th, 2010
posted in Property Investment
In the world of investing there are many different investment vehicles and strategies but they can be split into three broad categories. The advantage of thinking from this point of view is that it makes it easier to decide which form of investing or which combination of investing will best suit you.
Let’s have a look at the three broad categories of investing and look at the advantages and disadvantages of each.Passive Investing
Passive investing is when you put the investment decision making into the hands of someone else, ideally an expert investment manager.
The advantages of passive investment are that you are not required to have any investment expertise and you don’t have to invest your time, only your money. The disadvantages are that firstly you have relinquished your control over your money and secondly the returns for these types of investment are usually uninspiring.
Common examples of passive investing are savings accounts, government bonds, property trusts and mutual funds. Most people invest for their retirement under some form of passive investment that usually has special tax concessions which vary from country to country.Active Investing
With active investing you take an active role in managing the investment. This form of investing could have a long term focus such as a buy and hold share portfolio or it could be a short term focus such as futures trading.
To do well in active investing you need to have considerable knowledge of the investment vehicle or vehicles that you are using. You also need to understand the basic principles such as when to collect profits, when to cut losses and how to analyze the market. You also need the emotional strength to apply these strategies as required (this is often the most difficult aspect of active investing).
The advantages of active investing are that you have greater control over your investment than you do with passive investing and the potential for profit is theoretically higher. The disadvantages are that you need to invest time in acquiring knowledge and skills and in managing your investments and also that the potential for loss is also generally far greater than in passive investing.
Common examples of active investments are share, options, futures, and currency trading, buy and hold share portfolio building, buy and hold residential or commercial property, and property trading.Creative Investing
With creative investing you actually change the investment in some way that is designed to manufacture profit. This form of investment requires a lot of skill and experience but if you have that skill and experience then you can create huge profits by being able to visualize what your investment could be once you have applied your imagination to it. For this reason creative investing is often described as turning thought into money.
For example if you are a property developer there is a huge variety of possible developments that you could design and build on a particular piece of land. Amongst that huge set of possibilities there are also a huge range of potential outcomes ranging from high profit to huge loss and including all the points in between.
The advantages of creative investing are that it has the highest profit potential and the highest degree of control and flexibility. The disadvantages are that it requires the highest degree of knowledge, usually involves borrowing large sums of money and also has a huge potential for large losses if you get it wrong.
Common examples of creative investments are property development, property renovation, business renovation and new product development and marketing.
When you are deciding which of these three broad categories best suits you need to consider your knowledge and experience, your strengths and weaknesses, your access to resources, including time and money, and in particular you need to consider your personality including your time management skills, decision making skills, tolerance for risk and your self discipline.
There are of course many expert consultants to help you in each field and many sources of knowledge and experience to tap into.
I hope that this article was useful in helping you see where the various types of investments fit into the scheme of things.
February 23rd, 2010
posted in Investment News
If soaring gold prices makes you feel good and you are thinking of cashing in on this trend in 2010, then read this article to know about another investment that can rocket faster than gold in 2010 and give you 3 times more ROI as compared to gold.
Investing in gold right now can be a good decision but this other investment that also luckily happens to be a metal can be three times more profitable. Guess the name of this metal! Yes, silver, you are right!
What’s so special about gold and silver. Gold has been ingrained in the human psychy as the thing of beauty as the ultimate wealth. Throughout human history, people have been hoarding gold. The same phenomenon has not taken hold of different countries. Dollar has become weak due to the recent financial crisis that the world experienced. Countries like China, Russia and India want to hedge their international currency reserves most of them being in US Dollar. So, they want the ultimate currency, “gold.” This way these countries think they would be safe in case of a major Dollar devaluation that might take place in the unforseen future. Silver is also being bought as both gold and silver have been used to mint coins from times immemorial. This trend of buying huge quantities of gold and silver is driving their prices sky high. Remember the time in 19th century when the world was on the gold standard. Countries would keep gold and silver as international reserves. We might be headed back to that time!You never know. No one knows the future. No one could predict the birth of the present currency markets that took place in 1973. No one knows the future of currency markets! Now, gold and silver respond to almost the same fundamentals. When gold prices go up, silver prices will invariably follow.
Silver or the while metal is experiencing many other forces that can force the prices of this white metal to rocket even faster than gold even beyond those driving megatrends the while metal shares with gold.
Silver is widely used in coin minting, electronics, photography, plastics, soldering (joining two metal pipes), computers particularly notebooks and laptops, refregerators and even dishwashers. So, as you can see, the demand for silver is on a much higher level as compared to gold. Without silver, many industries will come to a grinding halt!
What this shows is the supply of silver is even more limited as compared to gold. The best way to profit from investing in this gold and silver rush that is going to happen in 2010 and beyond is to purchase gold and silver calls or trade gold and silver futures.
Now, if you have never traded futures contracts, you might think about learning how to trade futures contracts especially gold and silver futures contracts. This way, you can profit from the volatility in the gold and silver markets. Futures trading is risky no doubt but for those who don’t want to get good training before they start trading futures. What you need is to open a practice account and start paper trading gold and silver futures. This way, you will be in position when the great gold and silver rush starts again1
Now, as I have said earlier, you can also invest in gold and silver mining companies by buying their stocks. This is exactly what many people did in early 1970s when the last boom in the gold and silver markets took place. Many became rich in a few years. The same gold and silver boom is coming in this decade that started a few days back.
In 1970s, silver went from $1.29 in 1970 to it’s zenith $49.45 in 1980. This was a percentage gain of 3,733%, something astounding! Many of you might be thinking that 1970s is a great story but now distant memory and just a daydream now. The wealth building power of gold and silver might be beyond us.
Now, I give you the example of Lion Mines. You could purchase it’s share for jut 7 cents in 1976. By early 1980s, it was worth a staggering $380 per share. By just purchasing $184 worth of it’s stocks in 1976, you could have easily made a million in just under four and a half years. History is going to repeat again with silver in the new decade!
February 22nd, 2010
posted in Gold Investment
Recently, there was an article on CNNMoney that spoke about the “secrets” of the elite rich in the United States. In turn, several articles were written about this article, including one that stated that the richest of Americans “built their wealth with diversification, wealth preservation and strategic growth.” That is a ridiculous statement in itself because two of those strategies, diversification and preservation don’t help build wealth. Perhaps the richest of Americans use these two strategies to maintain an even keel AFTER they have accumulated great wealth, but certainly they didn’t use them during the accumulation phase. According to this article, a survey of Northern Trust uncovered that the “richest Americans do not heavily rely on high-risk investment vehicles like hedge funds to make money, but are moderate risk takers who put more than half of their asset allocation into U.S. stocks and cash.”
Again, just as former hedge fund manager and multi-millionaire Jim Cramer said that he used certain financial journalists, including ones employed by the Wall Street Journal, as pawns to spread misinformation far and wide to benefit himself, again this is an example of investment institutions using the media as pawns to spread their myths to keep the masses of retail investors ignorant. The CNNMoney article made it appear that the richest of Americans built their wealth by being conservative and slowly growing their money over time. That’s an oxymoron right there. To state that the rich became rich by slowly growing their money over time. Well, if they are slowly growing their money and becoming even richer, then this implies that they were rich to begin with. So how did they accumulate wealth? Surely not by “slowly growing” their money.Sure, some of the “richest Americans do not heavily rely on high-risk investments” because they ARE ALREADY EXTREMELY RICH. The majority of ultra-rich do NOT build their fortunes by speculating on high-risk investments as is commonly believed. Often they build fortunes utilizing volatile assets and investments but that does NOT mean they were engaging in risky behavior. Many times, investing in a hedge fund can be much riskier than investing in some of the assets that your investment firm will tell you is “risky”. But investment firms will gladly place a portion of your money in hedge funds because the fees they earn from hedge funds are so high even as they advise you not to put your money in a much less risky investment with much greater earning potential. And THIS IS THE SECRET that investment firms never tell you.Volatile assets that often can be used to build great wealth are NOT RISKY if they are purchased at entry points that are extremely favorable and provide a low-risk point of entry. 99% of investors don’t understand what high-risk investments truly are because they have been misinformed by their advisors and their firms for the past half of a century. Purchasing volatile assets at low risk-high reward entry points greatly mitigates and neutralizes the great majority of risk of volatile assets. If you don’t understand this concept then you need to.
Many millionaires that are wealthy but that could be extremely wealthy fail to build enormous wealth because investment and financial institutions mislead them about certain investment opportunities and describe them as complex and risky and are able to convince their clients of this belief because they never properly explain risk-reward scenarios to their clients. However, those investors that are extremely wealthy are the rare breed that understand this concept. If investors had a choice between allocating $1,000,000 in a historically volatile Investment A that has a 78% chance of returning a 250% gain versus an Investment B that has a 95% chance of earning 9%, most investors would choose Investment A.
However, because Investment A may exhibit 50% more volatility than Investment B, the great majority of advisors would steer their client away from the former investment into the latter one. In fact, this is exactly what even “prestigious” firms that cater to ultra high net-worth clients do because they allow misinformed, uneducated investors dictate the rules of engagement to them, and they would much rather appease such powerful, important people with slow,minimal gains rather than empower and enlighten them and boost their returns like never before. They would choose to steer them away because they present the investment opportunities incorrectly, merely telling their client that while they could earn 350% from Investment A there was also a very realistic probability that they could lose $300,000, and that shooting for the slow but steady $90,000 a year is much better for them.
If you are thinking to yourself, “That makes absolutely no sense?” Why would firms not earn 20% a year for their clients if they could instead of 8% a year? The answer is because the overwhelming majority of investment firms, no matter how prestigious their brand, are merely highly glorified sales machines. They fail to convince clients to invest in phenomenal investment opportunities that sometimes arise like Investment A because in order for Investment A to be a moderate risk, very high reward investment, it must be entered at a low risk entry point so that the probability of being down $300,000 at any give time would be reduced from perhaps 50% to 20%.
And that even if their timing is not optimal, then a firm must educate the client that as long as they don’t panic when they are down, the odds are still extremely high that they will earn a 250% or better gain. However, the greatest factor that determines why firms will not seek this strategy is time. Engaging in much better strategies such as these for their clients would take massive amounts of time in client education and enough time in research that the amount of assets gathered would take a serious hit.
So because it is not in a firm’s interest to engage in activities that maximize portfolio returns (unless it is their own institutional portfolio), instead, we have Chief Investment Officers at top investment firms making statements like, “”Generally they [the richest of Americans] want to see prudently managed growth without a lot of surprises, which is why we emphasize diversification.” Again, this is a sales & marketing campaign statement, not an aboveboard statement about how to make money for clients.If clients are uncomfortable with strategies that would actually built great wealth for them instead of producing mediocre or subpar returns, their discomfort only originates from the fact that the largest investment firms have been deceiving their clients, just as Jim Cramer had deceived the thundering sheep herd for years, about the realities of building wealth. This discomfort originates solely from the fact that he or she has been kept in the dark for so long. Thus, we have a misinformation-driven cauldron of investors making bad investment decisions that exists today. In 2007, you’ll still find Chief Investment Officers of very well known firms making ridiculous statement that investors need to invest at least 50% of their stock portfolio in U.S. stocks if they wish to grow their portfolios exponentially.
How are they going to grow their portfolios exponentially with more than half of their stocks in a stock market (the U.S.) that has NEVER been the best performing market in the past 25 years (even among developed stock markets)? How will they grow their portfolios exponentially by buying stocks in market that trades in what is quite possibly the worst currency on earth among developed markets (the U.S. dollar)? Yes I know that when the U.S. dollar shows a brief spike in strength as is likely to happen soon (I’m writing this article in April, 2007), that many people will question what I am saying, but this is only again because they are victims to the mass deception mind-games of the investment industry. I suppose if planning to earn better than subpar returns in your stock portfolio is engaging in risky behavior as Chief Investment Officers of various firms claim, then yes, I whole-heartedly endorse engaging in risky behavior.
And because so many people, yes, even those considered quite wealthy, fall victim to the preaching of investment industry demagogues, there is a second mistake that many rich investors will soon make.
Another survey of wealthy U.S. investors uncovered that a large percentage of investors with investment assets of over a million do not employ any type of investment advisor but plan to do so soon giving the increasingly gloomy nature of the U.S. stock markets. To that, this is what I have to say. Making money in difficult markets is ten times more difficult than making money in bull markets. If investors believe that it will be increasingly more difficult to make money in U.S. stock markets, but yet top investment firms in the U.S. continue to preach that more than half of your portfolio should be in U.S. stocks (mostly to cover their respective firm’s inadequate coverage of emerging markets), how is the hiring one of these men possibly going to improve these investors’ future performance outlook?But there is an EXTREMELY important distinction to be made here. What I’ve written above applies to the behavior and mindset of some of the richest people in America, but not THE very richest people in America. The very richest people in America, those you might categorize as the world’s ultra-rich, possess a very different mindset and behavior set than those that are just rich. The ultra-rich have positioned their portfolios extremely differently from how the rich people discussed above have positioned their portfolios. The reason why articles regarding their behavior and investment decisions are virtually non-existent is because they don’t grant interviews and they don’t want people to know what they are doing. But I’ve investigated what they are doing, and trust me, it is nothing remotely similar to the behavior of wealthy investors described by Northern Trust and other investment firms.
If you would like to find out why the ultra-rich always manage their own money or able to find the 1 in a million consultant truly capable of providing them the returns they desire, consult our resource of “101 Reasons Why Managing Your Own Money is the Only Way to Build Wealth.” Even if the ultra-wealthy have someone managing their money for them, the only way they were capable of finding this 1 in a million financial consultant was due to the fact that if they had to, they could manage their own money successfully as well. Only be first fully understanding the most successful investment strategies themselves could they identify an advisor capable of employing such strategies. However, a great majority of ultra-wealthy continue to handle and make their own investment decisions.
February 21st, 2010
posted in Investment News
If you want to invest in property, but are nervous about the housing market in the United Kingdom, then a Brazil property investment could be the answer for you.
But why purchase a Brazil property investment? There are many reasons:
Beautiful Brazil
Brazil is the land of beauty with pristine beaches, steamy jungles, exciting cities and year round sunshine. It is a country where people love to party, love to dance, and love to enjoy themselves.
Tourism is booming as more people want to experience the vibrancy of Brazilian life. In north-east Brazil, between 2002 and 2005, there was a 150% rise in tourism. For 2008, 9,000,000 visitors are expected in north-east Brazil, placing it in the top 20 most popular tourism destinations in the world. Consequently, Brazil’s tourism success is creating a huge demand for accommodation, and property investors are acting early; purchasing bargain properties that will yield a good rental income.
Bountiful Brazil
Brazil is the tenth largest economy in the world and is one of the four largest developing economies in the world. Agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors are well developed, and their mineral wealth is vast. The leading manufacturing industries produce textiles, shoes, chemicals, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts. Exports include soybeans, concentrated orange juice and beef. It is estimated Brazil will be the world’s fifth biggest economy by 2050.
Brazil’s new administration took office in 2003. Since then, the government has succeeded in creating an economy ideal for foreign investment through successful policies that has created a strong economy, reduced inflation and a strong export market. Brazil’s President Lula is a progressive leader and he understands the need of increased domestic investment for the country’s continued growth.
The currency in Brazil is the Real (the code is BRL and the symbol is R$.) Currency rates are favourable with the Real, which makes property investment an attractive option to foreign investors as they avoid losing money in their exchange transactions. In recent years the Real has stabilised and become more competitive with other international currencies, such as the US Dollar; in turn this has increased purchasing power for overseas property investors in Brazil.
The cost of living remains very low, about 20 – 30% of prices in the UK; the cost of running a home and paying for a caretaker is about £50 per month.
Brazil’s Building Boom
The north-east coast of Bahia, as well as Rio and Sao Paulo are experiencing a wave of new development which should offer some excellent returns on investment. An improved infrastructure in Brazil has increased the building boom in Brazil, for example: a bridge is being constructed to connect north Maceio to the city of Recife. The bridge will greatly improve access to the north and property prices are predicted to rise in the area.
Brazil is now connected by direct flights to the UK and the rest of Europe, and this will significantly open up the market to both business and holiday travellers from the UK. In turn this leads to a greater demand for temporary accommodation for both groups.
The 2014 football World Cup, also known as the FIFA World Cup, will be held in Brazil. This will put the country on the international stage and highlight many of country’s major cities; boosting interest from both holiday makers and overseas property investors. Meanwhile people, who already have a commercial Brazil property investment by 2014, may see a huge demand for their rental/hotel accommodation due to the influx of football fans.
In conclusion, Brazil is an exciting country for many reasons: diverse scenery, fantastic lifestyle, and a reduced cost of living. Last but not least, a Brazil property investment offers excellent returns for investors.
February 21st, 2010
posted in Property Investment
Copyright (c) 2010 Jonah Myers
Today the economic world is reeling in a state of shell shock and un-surety. Global markets made up of every big hitter like the USA, Germany, Britain, Japan and even China on its path of world domination have all fallen victim to what’s known as the 2008-2009 world economy crash. We can’t but wonder where the path of quantitative easing will bring us and what the future cost will actually be.
During the turmoil that came from the economic crash, for fear of losing their wealth, the majority of investors drove their funds into gold bullion if they could as a safe haven for their wealth; it appears they did the right thing. Panic stalked the news papers and gold bullion shone like it never shone before as the price per ounce reached over the $1,000 marks and into places never seen before. In recent months the gold price in all major currencies has driven back higher, toppling past values and potentially has room to grow much higher.
You may be wondering how to get gold working the same way for you, increasing in value and protecting your wealth. The good news is that you’re probably beginning to realize how great a security gold bullion investing really is compared to fiat currency and stock markets which have failed millions of people worldwide, these past 16 months.
There are a few main ways to invest in gold bullion and a learning curve to take on to know when is best to jump in. Generally like stocks you can watch the market and read up on the topic through expert bullion investing company’s web sites. All of these web sites are great places to find out more about gold bullion investment which has proved its worth these past months and years.
The most popular ways to invest in gold bullion are by purchasing individual fine gold bars in weights such as gram bars ranging from one to one hundred being most popular and also as coins such as the American gold eagles or Canadian Maple coins and are measured in Troy ounces (31.12 grams).These types can be stored at home in a safe or in a local bank. There is good and bad either way, storing at home poses security risks and choosing a bank may incur high annual charges.
However, a new trend has been investing in gold bars that always remain in a vault and are never actually handled by the owners. Bars keep what is known as integrity if they remain from the day of their creation within a secure Vault which enables them to fetch much higher prices on the market rather than a gold bar of the same quantity that has changed hands through several owners. Without a doubt, online methods of investing in gold bullion are the cheapest way and easiest way of having secure and great value gold investment property.
Finally, gold can be bought and used as a very liquid asset in the form of e-gold which acts as a store for your cash and is accessed through a credit card. You are given a card that is backed 100% by gold in storage and monitored safely. Ownership of the gold bullion can be changed almost instantly, you are therefore trading purely in gold bullion.
February 21st, 2010
posted in Gold Investment
Over the past couple of months I have done quite a bit of reading up about Argentina as a great place for property investment. Situated with the Andes to the West and the Atlantic to the East, this incredible country has a lot to offer anyone looking to invest in property abroad.Argentina and other areas of Latin America have been experiencing rapid growth and an increase in economic stability and with it the country is seeing a new and fresh prosperity.Argentina has been sheltered from the credit crunch, by the fact that most property is bought in cash. MoneyWeek.com commented that because the country is not made up by ‘easy credit and excessive leverage’ that the foundations of the property market are pretty secure and ‘bubble proof’. Property Investment in Argentina has other benefits too. It is cheap. In the London you could expect to pay £3 for a coffee. Go to the States and you could pay $3. Go to Buenos Aires and will pay around 3 Pesos. The dollar is barely worth half a pound and an Argentinean Pesos is only worth a third of the dollar. Breaking it down like this, it is clear to see that property investment in Argentina is affordable and is becoming more of a hot spot for property investment.Property investment in Argentina is not without its pit falls or gambles though. You have to keep your wits about you. Be careful who you trust and make sure that you are talking to reputable sources. Speak to other people who have invested abroad in Argentina and local estate agents. Build a rapport.There are some great buys to be had in property investment especially in Argentina, but you have to be sensible and enjoy it for what it is. One property investment hotspot is Caballito, which is an area of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. Caballito is great for property investment and is even a home from home with the ‘English District’ with its British style architecture.Where ever you decide to invest in property abroad, Argentina has charm and a beautiful way of life that you cannot fail to fall in love with.
February 20th, 2010
posted in Property Investment
Commercial real estate investing is a kind of investing which is used for business purpose. The commercial real estate investing property is different from other real estate investing like agriculture, residential and other industrial purpose. Commercial real estate investing property provides reasonable price consideration from the investment property and also provides income for long period. In real estate investing, real estate investors make investment on commercial real estate investing. Commercial real estate investing is made by most of the real estate investors, because it fetches more profit for the seller at the time of sale of real estate investment property.
The main purpose why people prefer to make their real estate investing is that commercial real estate investing provides stability and high return in the market. The other advantage we obtained from commercial real estate investing is that it provides investment securities for the real estate investment property purchased from the real market. Real estate investing market is said to be the stable market and it also carries high returns on investment for the property purchased. It is the obligation of the real estate investor to see that the real estate investing property fetch more profit among the customer and it realize more profit. Some of the standard features of commercial real estate investing are
High return
The main advantage of commercial real estate investing property is that it carries high return on investment. More number of people procures real estate property because of its returns provided. Real estate investor enjoys the benefits provided by the real estate property with high return and turnover during the period of sale of real estate investment property. Real estate sector is the wide sector where it carries huge number of properties required with desire prices.
Stability
The other unique feature of commercial real estate investing property is that its stability and consistency with the world market. When though more number of real properties are available in real estate investing market, still commercial estate investment obtains more demand among the customers for reasonable price consideration. Real estate investing benefits are provided more in real estate investing and it is due to the stability provided in the real market.
Commercial estate investment provides long term security of cash flow for the real estate investors who had made their real estate investing. Commercial real estate obtains more demand among the customer and they provides more return on investment with principal and interest. This kind of investment obtains more demand, growth, return and stability compared to other real estate investment property in the real estate market.
February 17th, 2010
posted in Investment News
Gold has been a very strong and reliable currency throughout the human history. Irrespective of the different emperors and nations, gold was able to maintain its supremacy over other commodities. It is usually referred to as a global currency and still remains as one of the most trusted commodity for transaction. Realizing the huge potentials of investing in the gold market, many people have directly and indirectly invested in this venture. This has also paved the path for the rise of a huge number of companies and websites offering their assistance to such investors.
One of the primary reasons for the wide spread popularity of the gold market is due to the fact that the gold prices are not controlled by a single government or nation. As such, the frequently changing world scenario has little effect on the gold market. It is also being used as a currency for international trade. It has maintained its value all these years and therefore considering it as an investment is definitely a wise choice.
All these factors ensure that the gold market is a very prospective investment option, but it does not mean that it is devoid of all risks. Like all investment options, the gold market also has its own risks. If you are not careful with your selection, this might well turn out to be a very bitter experience. The primary requirement before making any sort of investment is to ensure that you have adequate knowledge about the working of that scheme. Similarly, one should also be aware of the uniqueness of the gold market before investing on the same.
There are various companies offering expert assistance when it comes to investment in the gold market. Companies like Gold101.com possesses extensive experience in this field and is among the top players in precious metals IRA rollovers. They will help you make the right investment and also keep you updated on the latest trends in the gold market. Since this is a highly volatile investment sector, being up-to-date with all the latest throbs is quite essential. Gold investments are considered to be more stable than stock market investments and other similar ventures. The gold price has witnessed a whopping rise of more than 40% in the last few years. This is a clear indication of the growth in this sector.
It is also important to make sure that you purchase the gold from a reputed dealer. There are lots of metals which resemble gold, but are inferior in value. Therefore, it is important to ensure the credibility of the dealer before proceeding with the purchase. Seeking the assistance of experts will ensure the legitimacy of the gold that you purchase. Such companies can provide you with all the information necessary to conduct a successful gold market investment business.
February 17th, 2010
posted in Gold Investment
Gold breached Rs 18,000 per gram level on November 25th. The reasons for this spurt in price are:
1. A weakening dollar
2. Buying by stockists for marriage season
3. Reports that the Central Banks may buy more gold from International Monetary Fund
4. Rising inflation and doubts about economic recovery
The current price level is unprecedented and it’s making many people realize the importance of diversifying your asset allocation and looking at Gold as an investment. Don’t get carried away by the rising prices as it may prove to be foolhardy.Let us see why you should invest in Gold for reasons other than capital appreciation:
Investment Avenues:
Jewellery: It is one of the oldest forms of investment which also has some amount of pride and honour attached in Indian families. It is something you can use and enjoy but at the same time it keeps appreciating in value. But the price of jewellery is usually marked by anywhere between 20 to 200% depending on the complexity of design. This makes it unattractive as an investment.
Gold bars and coins: Gold coins and bars are increasingly becoming popular not only as investments but also as gifts. But they have to be physically stored which can be a security nightmare. You might have to incur extra cost in renting a bank locker or insuring your possession. Moreover you have to be careful about adulterated and fake ones. There can be a substantial difference between buy and sell rate of gold coins and bars.
Electronically traded Funds: More popularly known as ETFs are open-ended mutual fund schemes that invest the money collected from investors in standard gold bullion (0.995 purity). The investor’s holding is denoted in units, which is listed on the stock exchange just like a share. It is expressed as NAV (Net Asset Value) which represents the price of one unit (equivalent to 1 gram gold) on that particular day.
These are many advantages of ETFs vis-à-vis physical gold when seen from an investment perspective:
ETF options:
Gold ETFs are offered by Benchmark, Kotak, SBI, UTI , Quantum and Reliance. Among these, the ETF offered by Benchmark AMC (Gold Bees) is the most preferred among investors. It has the lowest expense ratio of 1% and can be bought and sold at the click of a button using your demat account. It’s listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE).
Name Expense Ratio Price per unit Inception Date
Benchmark (GoldBees) 1% March08,2007
UTI Gold ETF 2.5% Jan03, 2007
Kotak 2.5% June21, 2007
Reliance 1% Nov01,2007
SBI 2.5% March30,2009
Quantum 1.25% Feb27,2008
How to invest?
There is no SIP facility in any of these funds. If you want to build a credible portfolio of Gold then invest in a staggered manner, certain amount at every fall in price or at regular intervals. Timing the market is rarely possible.
Look at your investments as a portfolio and it should include gold among other asset classes like equity, Fixed Income, Debt, Real Estate etc. In this way your investments give good return during times of boom and protect you during recession. You should also look at holistic Financial Planning to achieve this task.
For more information on gold/investments go to investmentyogi.com
February 16th, 2010
posted in Gold Investment
Gold Investment Coins are an excellent place to start. Though they are expensive when starting out, the investment value of gold itself makes it a very attractive option. Gold is bought and sold routinely on the commodities market, it becomes easy for to stay on top of the price of gold, making it easy to follow the price of your gold coins. Which makes gold coins the equivalent of stocks or bonds for the coin collector.
It is not always easy to get into the market for gold coins. After all, gold is expensive, so coins made from gold are going to be pretty expensive. There are usually several weights available, so you will be able to find something that will fit your price range. Whenever you are looking for gold coins, it is usually fairly easy to find a dealer. Various coin dealers are attached to the gold coin market and, if they cannot sell them to you directly, they will be able to connect you with someone who can.
There are also several internet merchants who offer gold coins, but it is a good idea to be careful while shopping online. There are a lot of merchants out there, but there are also a lot of shady folks looking to make some quick money. Before purchasing online, keep in mind to do some research and check the vendors out thoroughly. Be careful of anyone selling coins for prices that are lower than the market value for gold. This is a case where everything that seems too good to be true absolutely is too good to be true, because nobody is going to sell you anything at a loss – especially not at all commodity like gold.
Gold is a commonly bought and sold commodity; the value of your gold coins can be tracked easily. The price of Gold Investment Coins can be found online, in the newspapers, and on the evening news. The prices of Gold Investment Coins are tied to the price of the gold that it contains; you don’t have to worry about the coin market itself. While collectible coins may have upswings and downswings, gold not only increases in value, but it also tends to keep its value very well which also means that gold coins are a way to stabilize your investments as you place your money into a very tangible resource.
When looking for a solid investment that does not require a great deal of knowledge and research, Gold Investment Coins are a very good place to start. They are easy to find, their value is easy to determine, and they are steady, reliable to invest that will hold their value better than almost anything else. So, let’s face it, gold coins are just plain neat to look at and if you are looking for a tangible, sturdy investment that is not only valuable, but attractive as well, gold coins will make you happy every time.
February 14th, 2010
posted in Gold Investment
Why should you invest in gold today? Because of the uncertaing economic times, with banks exposed for their tardy lending practices and wasting capital, gold is the commodity you want to have. Yes, as far as the security of your investment is concerned, nothing beats gold. Buying and selling gold can also bring you serious profits, and you don’t have to be a jeweler or a gold trader, to do just that.
There are many reasons as to why people would sell gold at the moment. More and more people sell their jewelry, to pay the bills, as the credit crunch bites. As a result gold dealers are thriving. However, selling gold coins and jewelry is a world away from using the precious metal to make gold investments. When you buy and sell gold in that capacity then you will find it much more exhilarating and profitable.
To buy and sell gold now, would be a very shrewd investment move. This might seem a little like stating the obvious but it is a fact worth pointing out given that property, businesses and stocks have lost an awful lot in terms of their value in the recent past. In unstable economic and political situation, gold tends to hold its value better than any other forms of investment. Of course, the price when you sell gold always mirrors demand but it might be just the thing to put your mind at rest in the era of bank corruption and tumbling stocks and shares. So what exactly is gold investing and how could you buy and sell gold? Well, it is not as hard as most people believe it to be and certainly is not as complicated as it would be if you chose to invest in the stock market!
If you want to buy and sell gold for gold investment purposes then you should start by looking into the institutions and companies that can help you to do just that. For those who want to go big, investing in gold bars will be easy, with banks providing the credit needed. You might also be offered the choice to make an investment in a gold mining company by institutions that sell gold company shares as well. Stocks are not as resilient as gold. As with any company, if there are changes in management or problems within the company itself then the share price will go down. The gold price will not. Stick to actual gold if you can.
Yes, gold coins are much more popular amongst small investors than gold bullion and bars. Coins are my favorite form of gold investment, as they are easy to trade. Similarly, you will find it easier to sell gold in precise amounts rather than trying to sell gold bars that are big and might not be what buyers are looking for at that moment! If you are looking to buy and sell gold then make sure that your investment is secure at all times. A safe deposit box at your investing institution might be a good idea, as might employing a really reputable company to manage your investment. Never do anything that you do not feel comfortable with though if you want to maximize your return.
February 12th, 2010
posted in Gold Investment
Investing !! What’s that?
Judging by the fact that you’ve taken the trouble to navigate to the Learning Center of website, our guess is that you don’t need much convincing about the wisdom of investing. However, we hope that your quest for knowledge/information about the art/science of investing ends here. Sink in. Knowledge is power. It is common knowledge that money has to be invested wisely. If you are a novice at investing, terms such as stocks, bonds, badla, undha badla, yield, P/E ratio may sound Greek and Latin. Relax. It takes years to understand the art of investing. You’re not alone in the quest to crack the jargon.
To start with, take your investment decisions with as many facts as you can assimilate. But, understand that you can never know everything. Learning to live with the anxiety of the unknown is part of investing. Being enthusiastic about getting started is the first step, though daunting at the first instance. That’s why our investment course begins with a dose of encouragement: With enough time and a little discipline, you are all but guaranteed to make the right moves in the market.
Patience and the willingness to pepper your savings across a portfolio of securities tailored to suit your age and risk profile will propel your revenues at the same time cushion you against any major losses. Investing is not about putting all your money into the “Next Infosys,” hoping to make a killing. Investing isn’t gambling or speculation; it’s about taking reasonable risks to reap steady rewards. Investing is a method of purchasing assets in order to gain profit in the form of reasonably predictable income (dividends, interest, or rentals) and appreciation over the long term.
Why should you invest?
Simply put, you should invest so that your money grows and shields you against rising inflation. The rate of return on investments should be greater than the rate of inflation, leaving you with a nice surplus over a period of time. Whether your money is invested in stocks, bonds, mutual funds or certificates of deposit (CD), the end result is to create wealth for retirement, marriage, college fees, vacations, better standard of living or to just pass on the money to the next generation. Also, it’s exciting to review your investment returns and to see how they are accumulating at a faster rate than your salary.
When to Invest?
The sooner the better. By investing into the market right away you allow your investments more time to grow, whereby the concept of compounding interest swells your income by accumulating your earnings and dividends. Considering the unpredictability of the markets, research and history indicates these three golden rules for all investors 1. Invest early 2. Invest regularly 3. Invest for long term and not short term While it’s tempting to wait for the “best time” to invest, especially in a rising market, remember that the risk of waiting may be much greater than the potential rewards of participating.
Trust in the power of compounding Compounding is growth via reinvestment of returns earned on your savings. Compounding has a snowballing effect because you earn income not only on the original investment but also on the reinvestment of dividend/interest accumulated over the years. The power of compounding is one of the most compelling reasons for investing as soon as possible. The earlier you start investing and continue to do so consistently the more money you will make.
The longer you leave your money invested and the higher the interest rates, the faster your money will grow. That’s why stocks are the best long-term investment tool. The general upward momentum of the economy mitigates the stock market volatility and the risk of losses. That’s the reasoning behind investing for long term rather than short term.
How much money do I need to invest?
There is no statutory amount that an investor needs to invest inorder to generate adequate returns from his savings. The amount that you invest will eventually depend on factors such as:
Your risk profile
Your Time horizon
Savings made
What can you invest in?
The investing options are many, to name a few
Stocks
Bonds
Mutual funds
Fixed deposits
Others
Whether you are new to investing or have been investing for a while, our online courses can help you learn how to invest better and smartly. The courses are comprehensive yet simple and easy to understand. It has been our endeavor to empower our customers and the learning module is a step in this direction.
The courses include modules on:
Equities
Futures
Options
Mutual Funds
Tax
ULIP Vs Mutual Funds
So start now… Becoming a smarter investor has never been easier!
February 11th, 2010
posted in Investment News
The credit crunch has forced many people in the UK to divest themselves of some of their assets. This is a normal reaction to a declining market. But what about those property investing entrepreneurs who have chosen to hold on to their investments, are adding to their portfolio and are even taking advantage of the credit crunch? Why are these investors acting differently from the many others in the midst of a so-called gloomy outlook?
Holding on to your property
It isn’t surprising that many property investors have wisely opted to hang on to their properties in spite of a slowdown. Property is regarded as the best option for long-term capital growth and it provides an opportunity to earn long-term profits especially for those who buy in the right place at the right time. Over the long term, property prices have the tendency to move in cycles with property doubling in value generally every seven to ten years. This means that an investment property such as a buy to let investment property can be a prudent choice as long as it’s selected carefully and with expert guidance.
Also, the present buyers market has resulted in less confident banks and fewer suitable mortgage products for borrowers. Due to this, the number of potential buyers has considerably declined. This means that a property may not sell unless the owner prices it way below market value. Selling in the current market also poses a few disadvantages such as agents’ fees, solicitor’s fees and capital gains tax for those who own the property as a 2nd home or investment property.
Adding to your portfolio
Many investors have found that the present market is a good time to add to their portfolio. This is because of the glut of affordable properties being put up for sale in the market. Auctions in particular are good sources of cheap properties such as repossessed homes that can be acquired for as low as 30% below market value. As part of a smart property investing strategy, the key to making a good investment is to acquire properties at BMV prices. It doesn’t only provide enormous profits. It’s also the secret to obtaining little or no money down financing – an excellent strategy for investors looking to expand their portfolio.
A buy to let property is considered a good addition to a property portfolio. Buy to let has been viewed by many as a stable and resilient market because of the considerable returns it has generated. One important aspect about the buy to let industry is that the rental market is predicted to remain strong due to robust demand from tenants and from young professionals who have decided to forgo making a property purchase until a later phase in their lives as a result of the scarcity of mortgage products available for them.
Taking advantage of the credit crunch
While a credit crunch is extremely unfavourable for many, benefiting from it isn’t an improbability. As bad as it may sound, the economic downturn still poses a number of opportunities for the property investor. One is that you can take advantage of the competitive rates being offered by pursuing alteration plans for your property. The slowdown in the economy means that people will consider remaining in their current homes for a longer period which means that owners will be inclined to implement improvements on their properties.
Therefore a decline in the property market doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. As long as you know how to play your cards right and implement effective property investing techniques, you’ll be able to survive the current property market.
February 11th, 2010
posted in Property Investment
Over 90% of the richest people in the World have become wealthy through investing in property. As well as this, a large portion of the people that didn’t become wealthy through property, now use property as their preferred investment vehicle to either create more wealth or to protect the wealth they already have.
This article will teach you 5 steps to property investing success. After reading it you should have a better understanding of what it takes to become wealthy through property and what sort of sacrifices you will have to make to get there.
1. Make better use of your time. What do you currently spend most of your time doing? Most people spend the majority of their time indulging in two activities. They are either at work or they are sleeping. In fact, including the commute to work, many people spend about 18 hours of every working day doing these activities. However, what they do with the other 6 hours and what they do with their days off (assuming they have that luxury) is what holds the key to their property investing success.
You might do vital things like get time with your family, but what about things like watching T.V. or playing video games, or even going down the pub. If you sat down with a pen and paper and wrote down how much time you spend on these, none essential activities, you might be surprised at how much time you are wasting that could be spent doing other things, such as learning about money making or actively investing in property. Including the weekends, many people spend about 18 hours a week, watching T.V. If you could cut this down to about 5 hours a week, it could have a massive impact on your life.
Successful people generally don’t spend every afternoon, sat glued to watching Eastenders. Do you really think that this is how Richard Branson or Philip Green spends their time?
Cut down on the amount of time you spend doing things that have no real benefit to your future happiness, and instead invest this time on more productive activities, such as learning how to achieve property investing success.
2. Make your money work for you. If you are used to getting paid an hourly or a daily rate, then the chances are you are probably not very wealthy. The wealthiest people in the World do not generally get paid an hourly rate. They master how to get their money to work for them so that even while they are sleeping they are accumulating wealth. This maybe the single most important thing you should learn to you help get you out of the rat race.
3. Set goals. Learning how to set goals correctly is crucial to your property investing success. You need to set clear goals otherwise you will lack focus and purpose in your plans. There is a small chance you might be successful, but if you set goals you are much more likely to be even more successful. You need to plan where you want to go and what you want to do. On top of this you need to understand why you want to achieve what you want to achieve.
4. Strategy. Setting you goals will set out what you want to achieve, but planning your strategy will tell you exactly, HOW you are going to achieve it. Goals are virtually useless unless you have a clear strategy and plan of how you are going to achieve them. When you are writing down your strategy you need to think of everything that might crop up and put a spanner in the Works, then you need to plan how you will overcome it.
5. Mix with the right people. This can be online through property forums or in person at property networking events or any other way you can think of. It is vital to your investing success that you mix with people that have similar goals to you and/or that have already achieved what you want to achieve. You might all of a sudden find that all your friends and relatives are telling you that now is not the time to get into property and that you have already missed your chance of making serious money from investing. The only way you are going to be able to continue to believe in the face of negativity from those who care for you is if you have proof around you of those that have succeeded and continue to do so.
It still is, and perhaps always will be, possible to achieve property investing success. This success is available to anyone who is prepared to follow the steps and make the sacrifices today that will insure their future tomorrow.
February 10th, 2010
posted in Property Investment
Investment clubs are a great way to learn how to invest in stock or real estate. They are becoming increasingly popular. It is wise, however, to follow some simple guidelines before joining an investment club to be sure that you know what you’re getting into.
1 Local vs. online investment clubs
If you enjoy socializing or face-to-face interactions, then joining a local investment club may be the best option for you. Members typically meet once a month. Local investment clubs often invite investing professionals or experts to speak at meetings. These talks are excellent opportunity for members to learn from others’ investing experience and to ask questions.
You can easily find local investment clubs through word of mouth. Ask colleagues, neighbors, friends and relatives for recommendation. Chances are they may belong to a local club or know of someone who is a member of a local club.
Online investment clubs offer convenience. They usually have virtual chat rooms or forums where people can post questions and answers. If you don’t have as much time to mingle with others or attend local meetings, then you may be suited to joining an online investment club.
2 Investment capital
Determine how much you can afford to invest. Some clubs have set minimums that must be met for investments. The beauty of investment clubs is that members pool their money to invest jointly. So, you don’t need to have massive capital to begin investing.
3 Investment period
Make sure that you find out how long your money will be tied up before making any investments. Some clubs have set rules on the minimum length of time for an investment. Don’t get stuck paying a penalty that will negate any potential profits from your investment.
4 Beware of scams
Get rich quick schemes are abound, especially on the Internet. If something looks too good to be true it probably is. Most legitimate clubs don’t charge joining fees. Before joining an online investment club, check out its reviews by other members. Determine how long the club has been running and its investment performance.
5 Read the fine print
Before signing anything, read everything over thoroughly. Be sure that you understand your commitment and are comfortable with the terms and conditions of the investment club. Check for any hidden fees or penalties for early withdrawals.
Investment clubs can be an interesting and fun way to learn and invest. As long as you make wise decisions and keep a diverse portfolio you will likely be able to make some decent profits through your investment club.
February 8th, 2010
posted in Investment News
Mark Twain’s oft heard adage – ‘buy land, they’re not making it anymore’ has been indirectly taken to heart by investors in the UK scouring the markets for the best investment. That is to say that in relation to the boom in the buy-to-let property market it is not the bricks and mortar which rises in value, but the underlying UK land on which the development sits. Indeed, the value of bricks and mortar deteriorates over time, so in some senses a UK property market investment is actually a UK land investment more than anything else.
In this article we will look not at the relative merits of a land investment vis-à-vis a property market investment but at whether the two (ie direct land investment versus indirect land investment) complement each other in an investment portfolio. The former subject is too extensive to discuss here and, at any rate, since many people already have property market assets the pertinent question for them is this: ‘does investment land complement property market holdings or is each investment opportunity best pursued in isolation?’.
Of course much depends on what type of investment land is being considered. For instance, self-build land investment is a natural bed-fellow of buy-to-let property market investment since it is common for investors to develop small plots of UK land and then retain ownership in order to earn rent from the resulting property. However, if your idea of the best investment is not one which involves buying land with planning permission or buying land without planning permission and then developing it out, there are land investment alternatives.
One such is buying land on a professional property and development project. This is sometimes known as Site Assembly land investment and often appeals to the investor for whom self-build land investment is not suitable. The growing market for investment land is being in large part serviced by Site Assembly investment land because, relatively speaking, the number of people investing in land is growing but only a small proportion have the necessary skills and/or appetite for self-build land investment.
With this in mind, we can refine the original question thus: ‘does Site Assembly land investment complement buy-to-let property market investment or is each investment opportunity best pursued in isolation?’ (since Site Assembly land investment is becoming more common).
The key considerations in land investment, and in fact any investment, are threefold:
-Risk (what is the chance of gaining/losing)
-Term (how long is the investment for?)
-Liquidity (how easy is it to exit the investment?)
These criteria will help elucidate whether buy-to-let property market investments and investment land on a Site Assembly project are complementary. In investment terms (ie land investment and otherwise), ‘complementary assets’ are those that provide diversity, so the Risk, Term and Liquidity should be different in each case.
Let’s see:
Buy-to-let property market investment
-Risk: Low
-Term: Long
-Liquidity: High
Site Assembly land investment
-Risk: Medium
-Term: Medium
-Liquidity Low
Although these are generalisations, the above broadly reflect the true nature of buy-to-let property market investment and Site Assembly land investment. Naturally, some buy-to-let property market investments can be medium term just as some Site Assembly land investment projects offer moderate or even high liquidity but generally speaking the information above holds true.
It is therefore reasonable to conclude, working from the premise that complementary investment assets display different profiles (Risk, Term and Liquidity), that Site Assembly land investment and buy-to-let property market investment do complement one another in a portfolio.
This article has not attempted to assess the extent to which investment land is superior to property market investments (or vice-versa). What it has attempted is to consider the growing popularity of investing in land (especially on an existing development projects) and whether such a venture is compatible with a buy-to-let property market investment portfolio.
Rational analysis, as set-out above, suggests that Site Assembly land investment and buy-to-let property market investment are complementary.
February 8th, 2010
posted in Investment News
These countries are often less regulated than the host country and are hence preferred by offshore investors. Offshore investment gives greater freedom to the investor and has the potential for much greater return on investments. Since there is a wide portfolio of investments on offer offshore investment companies play a vital role in conducting these affairs.
Offshore investments can be made in the form of hedge funds, offshore investment funds, overseas mutual funds, offshore investment bonds, offshore unit trusts, offshore property funds etc.
An offshore investment offers a high level of privacy and is sometimes is looked at suspiciously as offering a channel for investing illegally acquired wealth. However offshore investments shield legitimate, affluent individuals from the financial pressures and constraints faced by them in their home country.
In fact offshore investments managed by offshore investment companies are completely legal and are regulated by the jurisdictions of those countries where investments are made.
Investors who live away from their home country, those who want to maintain their financial privacy and those who want to protect their assets legally usually opt for offshore investments.
Other reasons for offshore investments are benefits from a reduction in taxes, opportunity to remain discrete in financial affairs (due to family arrangements), and to expand investments beyond the investor’s current jurisdiction, to achieve a better return on investment.
Offshore investment companies with their years of investment experience gained by working in offshore jurisdictions help both corporate and individual investors to protect their assets through market savvy investments, thereby enabling investors to attain maximum return on their overseas investments.
Offshore investments shields investments from capital gain taxation and augments assets through a confidential and secure investment that is not governed by the rules and regulations of the home country.
It is very essential to choose the right offshore investment service provider to ensure that good advice is being obtained and more crucially an excellent ROI is achieved. Offshore investment companies work closely with their clients so as to get a detailed understanding about their investment and financial objectives, which enables them to give the best possible offshore advice.
Offshore investment companies prepare well constructed balanced portfolio of investments for their investors so as to ensure success. They update the investment portfolio because financial markets adjust according to world economies and are prone to internal and currency fluctuations. They make assessments on investments after every six months along with a full financial analysis once every 12 months. This is essential to maintain the growth of the investment portfolio.
Investing offshore can be a very attractive option to an investor who wants to explore and invest in markets outside the home country by acquiring overseas private investments. The common perception that offshore investments can be very risky does not hold any truth. In fact offshore financial centers rely heavily on offshore capital and as such are very concerned about maintaining their reputations.
February 8th, 2010
posted in Investment News
More people than ever are looking at overseas property investment as a way to make money.
Properties are cheaper and there are some big gains to be made, but a large amount of investors when buying overseas property investment fail to balance the risk reward correctly and lose.
Here we will outline some basic overseas property guidelines to ensure that you have the best chance possible of making a solid gain on your investment.
Track record
Would you buy any investment without a track record? Probably not, but many investors do this when they buy overseas property investment.
They simply want cheap property and the biggest gain possible but this more often than not ends up in big losses.
They are tempted to buy new markets that could take off.
The big variable here is “could” Sure, if it takes off then big gains could be made but why take the risk?
1. Buy a property market with a track record
You want to know the overseas property market you are buying has a track record of solid gains and low downside risk. Property trends go on for a long time and the fact you missed the start doesn’t matter.
Buying into the trend will mean you are buying a POPULAR area and chances are it will get more popular.
2. Looking for future potential
When buying an overseas property as an investment look for solid reasons why the investment will rise in the coming years, so look for:
1. Rising foreign capital and migration to the country
2. A general consensus that the country is accepted as safe and a good location
3. There is a solid reason for the trend to continue
For example, the baby boomer generation in the US has its eyes on Central America it’s close, safe and encourages foreign investment. With high prices in the US and the baby boomer generation looking to get a better lifestyle at lower cost, the trend will likely continue.
4. An established foreign community
Gives others confidence to invest, so more tend to follow as a result. People like to be around people from their own country and a large well established foreign community will do this.
5. Getting the right location
When buying an overseas property investment look for the up and coming areas. As a market develops so do new areas and these are the ones to buy chances are they will become established areas and yield similar gains
When looking at your overseas property investment look for the above and try and buy near new significant changes in the infrastructure such as marinas, hotels, roads etc.
6. Property trends last for years!
A popular market can take a long time to run out of steam. As it develops there will always be opportunities for profit and you have the comfort of having a track record of gains and these are a guide for what future gains will be.
If we look at Central America again the Costa Rica property boom is now over 10 years old, yet savvy investors are still making triple digit gains in just a few years by buying into the rising trend.
7. Balancing the risk – reward
With the above strategy you won’t buy the cheapest overseas investment property, but you will buy competitively priced property and have the best upside potential, to lowest downside risk and that’s what most investors want.
8. Be a pioneer if you wish
If you want to buy overseas property investments and be the first in fair enough, but keep in mind the risk. Your market may never take off, or you could wait a long time.
The pioneers made big money but most fell to arrows!
If you want a solid return with low risk on your investment, then buy an established market, which is rising in popularity.
Pick your locations in up and coming areas and you will have low risk and the potential for solid or spectacular gains ahead.
February 5th, 2010
posted in Property Investment
It has been very interesting to see the different reactions from investors to the credit crunch and subsequent reduction in available finance available to property buyers – which has had a knock on effect on house prices.We are seeing investors generally falling into two camps – those that see this very positively – the Can do-ers, and those that have decided it is a good time to sit back and do very little – the Can’t do-ers.The investors with clear goals and “Can Do” attitudes are getting on with it and seeing things in a very positive light. It is well acknowledged that in the UK it is a buyers’ market – and this is offering some terrific opportunities. The key is understanding what makes a good deal – whether it is offering a high rental yield, low money down, undervalue, or in area showing strong capital growth – and what fits in with your personal strategy.It is important to remember not all property deals will suit all investors ie one may be most interested in rental return, whereas someone else may be more interested in low money down. However all investors will want to buy a property that over the mid term is going to go up in value – and so it is important to choose property that has a good chance of doing this.While some investors have seen their local areas slow down – they have then realised there are some fantastic opportunities worldwide – and some economies such as Czech Republic or Albania growing far quicker, and property markets at a completely different stage of the cycle offering huge returns. I am pretty clear on my thoughts on the UK market – based on current interest rates, and current salaries in the UK – with an average salary of around £21,000 – house prices up to £100,000 have a very good chance of rising in value over the next 5 years – as they are very affordable – so for me these are the logical markets to target – and they have done very well over the last 5 years, and will do over the next 5 years. With the average house price in the UK being over £190,000, then I would have thought most of the UK is over valued – and so the average property may well drop or at least be fairly flat for the next few years – which is why it is important not to target the average property!The key though is my viewpoint hasn’t changed all of a sudden – and has been based on the same economic principles that have done me well over the last 7 years. This is apparent with most investors who continue to do very well – they have not varied their viewpoints too much, but have been able to adapt with the times and changes. For instance when borrowing rates went up recently, and more than expected – you had to adapt accordingly either by increasing rents, which has happened in many areas of the country – or by looking for higher yielding properties in the first place when buying, or putting in a lower bid to cover increased borrowing costs.What has been very good for investors in the right areas is that the sellers, who may well have a very good value property in the first place ie under £80,000 also read the same papers, watch the same news and listen to estate agents – and have felt under pressure to also reduce their asking prices! This has been very good for buyers – as even though these properties are already undervalued – the sellers have been influenced by the media and are willing to take reductions in price – this can be used to our advantage! As I have said in the past – securing a £200,000 property at 15% below the asking price is hugely different to securing a £80,000 property 15% below the asking price – as with the lower priced property you will see a far stronger %age return on investment over the next 5 years. So there are so many good reasons to ramp up your investments at this stage – and many investors are. It will depend on your own personal belief levels, and confidence. It is no surprise when we do our workshops that those with clear, written goals are the ones who are achieving the most. At our most recent one in Manchester, was a lady who has bought 30 properties this year – she has a strong Can Do attitude and has gone out there and done it. Most investors are naturally Can Do people – which is what separates them from everyone else in the first place – but beware you do not become a Can’t Do-er if you want to achieve your goals!Cant do-ersWhat makes a Can’t do-er? Usually it will be someone who has got into investing as it sounded good at the time – but probably was not mentally prepared, or had all the skills and knowledge required initially to invest successfully, or has a poor peer group, who are very negative.At the first sign of trouble, they have used this as an excuse to get out of property, or scale back their initial plans. Unfortunately most people have a lot of negative influences around them – family and friends are usually the worst! Partly they want to protect you (although they are unclear what they are protecting you from), and partly they are scared you are going to go and do something outside the norm and be successful – and leave them behind.Many potential investors, or actual investors, go into investing without a clear focus, mindset and strategy – and then get put off immediately something goes wrong, or something unexpected happens.It is like running any business, you must be prepared to deal with different consequences – both good and bad. In buy to let, you will at times have an issue with a tenant, or a managing agent – and you will see some properties perform less well as expected, just as you will see some properties perform brilliantly – this is no different to every day life and business.It is always frustrating to see people give up in life too easily when they set goals eg getting fit, losing weight, or buying 10 investment properties – but then again for the rest of us it means there is more opportunity! In life to get the rewards of success it will always take hard work but it will be well worth it – it amuses to me to see resentment of film or sports stars earning a lot of money – why resent that? These talented individuals are at the top of their game and bring pleasure to millions – and so are worth every penny. Likewise in property – those that are doing the best will be the investors working the hardest on their strategy, and staying focussed to hit their investing goals.Fortunately the vast majority of property investors are Can do’ers, and this has always been a big attraction for me – ie investors can bounce off each other, and encourage each other. Generally investors know why they are investing and why property investing is the best way to build up mid term wealth for almost all individuals. That is why every year in the Sunday Times rich list in the UK – the biggest %age of people in there will have made their money in property and this will continue year on year – as investors will continue to look for new opportunities.Yes at times, you need to tweak your strategy ie look outside your home town, and consider Overseas, fast moving property markets – but the key is to remember whatever the newspapers tell you this year successful property investors will again do very well – and property markets around the world will continue to rise in value with double digit growth – which when leveraged will give phenomenal returns.If you would like to discuss your strategy, or need to re-focus on what are trying to achieve, why not have a chat with one of our Portfolio Development Managers – and see how they have helped investors go from 0-10 properties in a very short space of time, or helped investors re-align their strategy with the current market conditions.
February 4th, 2010
posted in Property Investment
If your like most Americans you have thought about investing in gold, but all the clouded information has made the process very confusing. The recent pricing run up of precious metals has made gold investing a solid choice for a portion of many investors portfolio. Once you decide you do want to the invest in gold the next decision is how you want to invest in gold. I feel it makes the most sense to invest in the gold producers which is the mining companies that locate the gold and gold ore and bring the gold material to market. This investment can be easily completed by taking a look at gold mining stocks that can be purchased via your trading account.
The reason I find the gold mining companies attractive is the the revenue they receive for the gold material should continue to increase while they are still investing the same amount of company revenue that they have in the past. This means the productivity and profits can increase while expenses remain the same or constant. Look for gold mining stocks that are already producing gold as many of them are still prospecting and are not producing any gold at all and may never produce gold, which makes them a much higher risk. Some of the gold mining stocks are listed below for your review should provide some good opportunities. Please make sure to fully review all gold stocks with your advisor before making any investments. I must also state that I own some of these gold stocks and could make an increase return in my investment if the stocks increase in value.
At the top of my list in terms of having the greatest opportunity for growth is Sierra Gold Corp, symbol SGCP, pink sheets. This is one of the only gold mining stocks I have seen in the penny stock category that is already producing gold and has secured very productive land for continued gold production in Sierra Leone on the West Coast of Africa. They have recently secured financing that should allow production to increase dramatically in 2010. If this occurs this could be a penny stock that goes to 1 or 2 dollars per share. Again, this is a high risk for high return investment. Some other gold mining stocks to look at as less risk than SGCP would be Goldcorp (NYSE:GG), IAMGOLD Corp, (NYSE: IAG), Bema Gold Corp. (NYSE: BGO), and Metallica Resources (AMEX: MRB).
I expect gold prices to continue to increase over the next 6 to 12 months which should result in good returns for gold mining stocks. Picking the right gold stock to invest in will be the hardest part of the gold stock investment decision. Make sure to consult your investment advisor before making any final decisions on gold mining stocks. Investing in gold mining stocks one of many ways to invest in gold.
February 2nd, 2010
posted in Gold Investment
Gold Investment Coins are an excellent place to start. Though they are expensive when starting out, the investment value of gold itself makes it a very attractive option. Gold is bought and sold routinely on the commodities market, it becomes easy for to stay on top of the price of gold, making it easy to follow the price of your gold coins. Which makes gold coins the equivalent of stocks or bonds for the coin collector.
It is not always easy to get into the market for gold coins. After all, gold is expensive, so coins made from gold are going to be pretty expensive. There are usually several weights available, so you will be able to find something that will fit your price range. Whenever you are looking for gold coins, it is usually fairly easy to find a dealer. Various coin dealers are attached to the gold coin market and, if they cannot sell them to you directly, they will be able to connect you with someone who can.
There are also several internet merchants who offer gold coins, but it is a good idea to be careful while shopping online. There are a lot of merchants out there, but there are also a lot of shady folks looking to make some quick money. Before purchasing online, keep in mind to do some research and check the vendors out thoroughly. Be careful of anyone selling coins for prices that are lower than the market value for gold. This is a case where everything that seems too good to be true absolutely is too good to be true, because nobody is going to sell you anything at a loss – especially not at all commodity like gold.
Gold is a commonly bought and sold commodity; the value of your gold coins can be tracked easily. The price of Gold Investment Coins can be found online, in the newspapers, and on the evening news. The prices of Gold Investment Coins are tied to the price of the gold that it contains; you don’t have to worry about the coin market itself. While collectible coins may have upswings and downswings, gold not only increases in value, but it also tends to keep its value very well which also means that gold coins are a way to stabilize your investments as you place your money into a very tangible resource.
When looking for a solid investment that does not require a great deal of knowledge and research, Gold Investment Coins are a very good place to start. They are easy to find, their value is easy to determine, and they are steady, reliable to invest that will hold their value better than almost anything else. So, let’s face it, gold coins are just plain neat to look at and if you are looking for a tangible, sturdy investment that is not only valuable, but attractive as well, gold coins will make you happy every time.
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February 2nd, 2010
posted in Gold Investment
This is a good exercise in building wealth in the unstable world of stock investing. It’s throwing in the towel, and you don’t want to get involved with stock investing with companies that have that attitude. Online stock investing can be a great way for anyone to get involved in the market.
Contrary to the short term perspective of most investors today, all the big money is made by catching large market moves – not by day trading or short term stock investing. Fraudsters don’t think twice before developing stock investing, commodity or option trading courses to make a little extra money for themselves regardless of whether or not what they teach helps their students. If penny stock investing is a junior level course then day trading is a senior level course that most seniors will fail.
We are looking for titbits of information, what we call the scuttlebutt method of stock investing. Now stock investing can be a crap shoot at best. In 1998 he was shouting out to the world to ‘get out’ of the stock market but now he is shouting to everyone that it is time to ‘get in’. The Wallet Doctor is not only sought after for investment advice and coaching in stock investing but also in futures trading and real estate investing.
They don’t know anything about stock investing and they often lose a few thousand dollars very quickly. The second richest man in the world, Warren Buffett, has made his millions from stock investing. This way of stock investing or trading is called the Darvas strategy.
In our investment work when we get involved in stock investing, we do hands on stock research. What any ‘vexed’ shareholders are forgetting and he is not, is that Rule 1 in stock investing is, Don’t lose money. As mentioned earlier, stock investing is not only knowing the companies but also knowing the timing of investment.
Since I am an advocate of stock investing, let me make the case for stock investing. Penny stock investing can be profitable. Also, online stock investing has opened the door wide for overseas stock trading, giving you more investment opportunities than ever.
Well, one of the oddities of stock investing is that stocks do not necessarily behave according to the company’s condition. The new book, ‘Sensible Stock Investing’, describes in detail the relatively simple techniques that the individual investor can use to sidestep large losses such as not using margin, not selling short, and controlling losses with sensible sell-stops. Penny stock investing is a junior level course at least.
Combined, the return on your investment here is massive compared to regular stock investing. I want to emphasize that CAPM is based on the notion that the stock market efficiently translates all information known about the stock market into stock prices for stock investing purposes. What do I need do stock investing.
Even the stock investing pro needs tips now and again and is on a path of continuous daily learning. Beyond that, however, online stock investing does have a lot of perks that make it accessible to virtually anyone. So if you are new to investing in the stock market take some time and learn how to by taking a stock investing course.
Nowadays, stock investing can already be done by the man on the street. Everyone from retirees to school children, have managed to get involved in online stock investing for a whole host of reasons.
February 2nd, 2010
posted in Investment News
