By: Java L
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Filed under Investing by on Nov 21st, 2010. 
Picture yourself as clueless about the investment world looking for the best investment guide, a guide that could get you up to speed on investment basics and more with little effort on your part. If you don’t know stocks from bonds and mutual funds, I think you would agree that if you could find the right guide that it would be the best investment you could make. With so many books out there, how do you sort out the best guide, one that talks to YOU?
There is a world of difference between the best investment guide and a get-rich-quick book. Many popular publications on the subject of investing are timely in nature and are soon outdated or worse. For example, people who bought some of the popular real estate investment books written in the years leading up to the 2008 financial crisis were sorely mislead, and soon bankrupt if they followed the advice given. The best investment guide for most people focuses on investment basics and sound investment strategies that don’t change from year to year.
In sorting things out, a good way to get a handle on any non-fiction book is to leaf through the table of contents. Does the publication cover the subject areas of interest to you, in a sequence that seems to make sense and is easy to follow? Most people need an investment guide that starts at the beginning and assumes that the reader is a new student to the subject with little prior knowledge of the subject matter. Then it progresses step by step from the basics to investment strategies that work in any economic environment.
There is no reason in the world why learning needs to be boring or difficult. The best investment guide will keep the reader’s interest because it is written in a down-to-earth fashion in plain simple English that’s easy to understand. For example, bonds and the bond funds that invest in them are an investment alternative that most people should consider, but few understand. If this subject is introduced using a real-life example of one person lending money to another virtually anyone can relate to it and get the picture.
An investment guide written for people without a background in finance should first cover the basic financial characteristics common to all investments before getting into specific areas like stocks and bonds. Every investment in the world can be stripped down to its basics in terms of what it brings to the investor’s table. Deciding whether an opportunity is right for you is simple if you know how to compare its investment characteristics with your needs for liquidity, safety, profit potential, and other factors. With these basics covered, our best investment guide then turns its focus to the specific investment alternatives of interest to all average investors: like stocks, bonds and mutual funds.
At this point in the learning process the average person should have a handle on their investment options, and is ready to progress into investing concepts and investment strategies. After all, to succeed and make money as an investor you also need to know how to play the game. The world’s best investment guide, if you can sort it out from the others, is really a complete guide to investing for beginners that starts with investment basics and takes you all the way to the finish line.
By: James Leitz
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Filed under Investing by on Nov 21st, 2010.
By: zr
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Filed under Investing by on Nov 21st, 2010.
By: dutchbailey
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Read more on What does a bank need from me regarding my investment account?…
Filed under Investing by on Nov 19th, 2010.
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Filed under Investing by on Nov 17th, 2010.
If you are earning, always make it a rule to invest a part of your income. Make it a habit and think of it as ‘paying yourself’. Investing is your future. Because of the recession the amount of money you are able to invest may be limited and you may be wondering what investment options are available to you when money is tight.
There are a few steps to take like setting a budget. You may even find more money to invest than you think during the process! Note what you owe for your mortgage or rent, healthcare, car payments, insurances, your utilities, groceries, and any outstanding debts. Make an allocation of where your money is to be paid. And always make sure that your monthly commitments are covered.
Although the usual recommendation is to tuck away 10% of your income into a savings or retirement account this may not be possible, depending on your circumstances. But no matter how dire your financial situation seems it is necessary to start a retirement account. Saving for your retirement is a top priority. And if your employer offers retirement funds take full advantage of this.
Retirement Investment in the USA
In the USA there is the 401k fund for retirement. Investing through an employer’s plan has several advantages such as the tax benefit for doing so, this is because your contributions are deducted from your pre-tax income and taxes are deferred. Many employers match contributions made by their employees, so you effectively get free money. Most 401k plans have mutual fund (managed funds) options where investment minimums are waived.
If you are self employed there are other options available such as the special retirement investment options in the US of SEP-IRAs and Keogh plans which allow you to contribute a considerable amount of your pre-tax income.
Retirement Investment in New Zealand
In New Zealand there is KiwiSaver. The minimum requirement is to invest 2% of your income but your employer must also match this contribution so you are doubling your money and effectively getting a pay rise. There is also a one off kick start payment of $1,000 from the Government which is a nice start to your plan. Not only this but each year the Government matches your contribution up to $20 a week or a maximum of $1,042 a year. You can choose among a range of KiwiSaver providers to match your needs and risk profile. When you start a new job you need to opt-out of KiwiSaver otherwise you will automatically be enrolled, but if you have been working and not contributing you need to opt-in to start investing.
Once again in New Zealand KiwiSaver is available to the self employed however there is obviously no employer contribution. As your income may be erratic you can nominate the amount you want to contribute. The best is to at least deposit $20 a week to take advantage of the tax credit of $1,042 a year. This way you double your money.
Other Investment
Both in the US and in New Zealand you are able to invest as little as $50 or $100 a month into some managed fund (mutual funds). The advantage of these funds is that it gives you the opportunity to spread your investment into various areas even though you are only depositing a small sum each month.
Whatever your circumstances you owe it to yourself to find suitable investment options even when money is tight.
By: Lyn Bell
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Filed under Investing by on Nov 17th, 2010.
Several newly graduates of finance related courses are so interested to get started with their new career in our financial industry. But with the number of these companies, finding the right investment company can be a tedious task. Often, there are a number of these companies which do not have any good background about the work they offer. They result to closing down the business and some do not even pay their employees. For this reason, it is important to list down what the best companies to work for are.
UBS
UBS is among the leading providers of financial services throughout the globe. Despite the fact that their headquarters is based in Basel and Zurich, Switzerland, they have a dominant presence in the United States. They have offices that spread in more than 50 countries. In fact, they are among the largest banks in Europe. For those who work here, a tremendous growth opportunity awaits them!
Piper Jaffray
Even though Piper Jaffray & Co. is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, they are one of the leading firms that provide financial services throughout the world. This investment company sells asset management products, financial services, and many other investment products that can help both private individuals and big corporate clients.
Morgan Stanley
When you mention the name Morgan Stanley, they are instantaneously recognized by most people. This is because this company has been able to spread operations throughout 36 countries. Having been founded in 1935, they have indeed made a brand out of themselves.
Goldman Sachs
When it comes to the top investment and financial services offered by companies, Goldman Sachs is a name that does not go far from the bunch. This is because this global investment firm is being recognized as among the top players of the field. The best time to join this firm is as an intern as there are several ways to grow with the company.
But of course, identifying how well an investment company operates depends on the description of each individual who works for them. While there are others who base this decision on the pay package they receive, there are those who base this on the growth opportunities they get. Nevertheless, it is still best to think things through when choosing a specific company to work for.
By: Issa Ong
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Read more on Choosing An Investment Company to Have A Great Career With…
Filed under Investing by on Nov 17th, 2010.
God bless!
By: anonymous
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Read more on What will make a good investment for a student like me?…
Filed under Investing by on Nov 16th, 2010.
This is all new to my husband and I and we’re looking for feedback from people who have experience in this and are making money in this type of investment. Thank you!
By: lady_bella
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Filed under Investing by on Nov 16th, 2010.
In the early 2000’s, we had the technology bubble. More recently, we had the real estate bubble. Now, I see two new bubbles that may be developing – and may be putting your nest egg at risk. I’m talking about bonds and gold.
The reason I won’t be surprised if there ends up being a bubble in bonds is that I just saw a statistic stating that year to date close to $150 billion dollars has gone into bond mutual funds. And in the same time period, over $50 billion dollars have been taken out of stock-oriented mutual funds. If my math is correct, that’s about $100 billion dollars that has flown from money market accounts into bond mutual funds.
When you think about it, that’s the herd mentality in action. After all, the real estate bubble was at its peak when it seemed like everybody was jumping into real estate, with “flip this house” and “preconstruction condos” and “flip the contract” and all that craziness. When I see a huge migration of money into a particular area, to me, that means a bubble may be forming. This could be the case with bonds.
Interest rates are at historical lows. Bonds go down in market value when interest rates go up. So if you’ve got money in a bond mutual fund, you need to be very aware of any increase in interest rates, because a raise in interest rates will cause the value of your bond mutual fund to go down.
Note that I’m not talking about individual bonds. When you hold those until maturity, you get your money back even if the value goes down. You just need to be careful about bond mutual funds and all the money that’s flocking in to them. The question you want to ask yourself is “what’s my exit strategy? How will I know when it’s time to get out of my bond mutual fund?” Now is the time to develop your exit plan.
The other bubble that might be forming up is gold. If you haven’t heard, gold just hit an all-time high. It crossed over $1,300. And that makes me kind of nervous. I’m not worried that gold can’t or won’t go higher, and I’m certainly not suggesting that the floor is getting ready to fall out from under gold. I’m just talking about being careful. Right now, when the media is saturated with advertisements to buy gold and nationally syndicated radio talk show hosts are peddling gold, I’m reminded, again, of the real estate bubble.
Remember all that advertising for “make money in real estate seminars” and home study courses and workshops? They were all over the place. But I haven’t seen those kinds of advertisements lately, have you? That’s how I feel when I see “sell your gold”, and “we buy gold “and “get your gold coins” everywhere. When an investment is suddenly advertised all over the place, that suggests to me that maybe we’re closer to the top in the cycle — regardless of what the investment is.
My advice is simply to be careful and not put too much money in those areas. And if you’re already in… make sure you have an exit strategy – know when it’s time to get out and have a plan to do it.
By: Brian Fricke
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Filed under Investing by on Nov 16th, 2010.