Investor Hub

Posted by Winford Tillman (Guest Blogger)

My family spends very little time together so last year I instituted a family movie night. I thought it would be good for all of us to have to come together at least once a week to watch something as a family and it’s actually been a lot of fun. I make dinner and we get the Direct tv going and one or the other of the kids gets to pick the movie, that way they don’t fight. I don’t really care what we watch, it’s much more to me about just getting to spend time together and generally just loving on each other. Family’s really important and I feel like somewhere along the way we’ve all lost sight of being close to one another. My kids spend so much time at school, doing sports or with friends I feel like I barely know them anymore and that’s just not okay with me! I’m going to do my all to keep us close for as long as possible before they leave for college. [...] Read more!

Everyone of us wants to be rich. Let's accept the fact that money is something we all crave for, whether we accept it or not. There is a very short percentage of population who can achieve their desires of becoming rich. Those who are in this league know the art of making money.

Ramit Sethi, the author of "I Will Teach You To Be Rich" gives you a plethora of tips and tricks to master this art. In his book, he a 6-week week program to learn how to be rich. He covers a lot of interesting topics which will help you in your endeavor to make more money. He has an extraordinary section on how to Manage Your Finances which goes in great depth to explain this concept.

His personal blog covers a lot of articles and interesting tips on the subject. There are a plethora of ways to become rich. The 6-week step by step program helps you realize your dreams. It is definitely not like one of those dull and boring personal finance books which your aunt gifted you on your birthday. It delivers more involved and practical concepts which are easy to incorporate in your daily life.

It is not always necessary to cut down your expenses for becoming rich. Frugality might help you save a bit more money - but it usually comes at a cost of a lifestyle degrade. Thing about making more money from other sources than to focus on cutting down $10 from your weekly grocery bill. Think of the bigger picture and focus on the good things of life which you would be able to enjoy with more money.

Good luck in your pursuit to become rich! [...] Read more!

Today, we experience recession in our economy so most of our businessmen are thinking of ways on how to safeguard their investments as the idea of low risk investment are becoming popular. But there is no such thing as safe investment; all of these investments carry some risk. Some investments are way safer than the other. So what are the ways to preserve our investments?

Invest on Fast Moving Consumer Goods(FMCG). These items include toothpaste, canned goods, soap and other products that people buy for everyday living. As we all know that these products are basic to everyday life and bought in good times or bad. So this way your investment will keep growing at a stable pace.

Certificates of Deposit have also low risk and always have a low return investment. Just like the Bond that are issued by corporate and the government the offer a certain amount of money and interest in as span of time. The downside to this strategy is the returns are low, but the effects will be felt in the long run.

It is also safe to invest on gold; it possesses a certain solid value and can be also a reliable source of income. Gold can also be cashed in with much looser tax standards.

These things are some ways on how to safeguard your investment while keeping a constant flow of income without risking too much of your money. Just remember that there are no investments that are perfectly safe. All we need to do is plan and analyse the risk that comes with every investment. And constant monitoring of our economic state is needed because these factors are not constant and keeps changing all of the time. Awareness and good research of the matter is definitely the key in order to have or safeguard your investments. [...] Read more!

How many of us would want to live a life with just a four hour work week and earn more than what we earn in forty hours? Given a chance to do so, everyone would like to live that life. Do you think it's possible? What if you come to know that there are many people who do that. Yes, it is possible to achieve a four hour work week. The secret behind this lies in effectively managing your resources.

If you are really interested in learning more about how to manage a four-hour work week, there is an awesome book which will help you achieve it. The book "The 4-Hour Workweek" is a complete guide for achieving your dreams and is written by a popular guest lecturer in entrepreneurship at Princeton University. Read more about Timothy Ferriss, the author who has been nominated as one of Fast Company’s "Most Innovative Business People of 2007".

The book is a really good read if you want to achieve a better lifestyle. Spend all the time you want on your vacations, enjoy with your family, stop worrying about the work pressure at your job and basically live your life to the fullest. You have one life, enjoy it to the fullest - don't just spend all your time making money when you can enjoy a better lifestyle and make more money by working a lot less. It's like have a clone work for you for the rest of the time while your enjoying your life and doing what you always wanted to do.

Make this book a part of your reading list today and there would be no turning back. You'll get all that have always wanted and invigorate your life. Read this book and look forward to your new life :) [...] Read more!

Futures and options can be classified under the derivatives classification for financial instruments. The derivatives were in operation for many hundreds of years and have become significantly more popular during recent years.

This is despite the realization they carry on face a great deal of critique, with accusations that they cause the markets to be vulnerable to lack of stability as a consequence of insufficient transparency.

One of the chief benefits of investing in futures and options would be that the risks management is improved and while doing so liquidity levels will be increased. Values for futures and options will depend on a surplus asset and this is known as the underlying. Generally, this could be a stock or possibly the market index.

The alternative will be a derivative which gives a person the right to trade or purchase the underlying investment. There will be no accountability. There are a couple off forms of options, the put alternative and the call alternative. Call options will give an investor the authority to buy the investment, while the put option will be vested along with the right to trade this underlying asset.

A mutual agreement is involved and this called the alternative contract, which shows the amount for selling and buying the underlying asset. This option contract likewise provides the expiration date when the agreement won't be valid.

It is workable to exercise options in the European and American styles. For the American style, an option is oftentimes exercised before the expiry of the agreement while with the European style options might be exercised all through the expiration date.

Futures make reference to a tradable and standardized contract which will take settlement at specific rates and on specific date ranges. Futures are likely to be more risky when equated with options as it carries a responsibility to purchase. It is also possible to use commodities such as gas and gold as a way to settle a transaction.

Buying and selling in futures maybe carried out in several ways. There is the squaring off approach, meaning taking the reverse option of the contract. Delivery alternative is when the asset will be delivered physically. For example, if your guide involved selling a certain amount of gold, the real gold will be provided to the buyer on the agreed date.

Cash settlement will involve paying the main difference of the spot price and futures founded on cash terms.
The futures trading guide will be extremely important to anyone since it will assist with the understanding of the trading rules, because when looking at futures trading it is achievable to get a profit according to the speculation of price movements. [...] Read more!

Investing in the stock market can be one of the best ways to earn return on your hard earned money. The decision to invest in the stock market may be a difficult one for you to make as there is so much risk involved.

There is the risk that the market will disintegrate. If this happened, it is likely that you would end up losing money.

There is the risk that you choose the wrong market to invest in. If this happened, your particular stock would cause you to lose money.

There is also the risk that you will be taken advantage of by a fraudster parading as a stock market expert. This can also cause you to lose a lot of money.

However, there are many things you can do to lower the risk you are taking when you invest in the stock market. These things may lower the risk enough that the investing will be worth it to you.

The first thing you should definitely do is some research on various companies that you are thinking about giving your money to in order to have them invest it for you. These companies generally will have more experience than you will in investing in the stock market and they can help you make wiser decisions that will result in more returns on your money.

However, the trick is in deciding that you can trust them as there are some companies that are pure scams. Most of the companies who can legally help you and who are trust worthy will be registered properly.

Go online and look up their history, policy, customer service promise, and whether or not they are properly registered. If you feel uncomfortable about anything you see or read, find another company to work with.

When you find a company you feel you can trust from everything you have discovered online, stop by to visit with the head manager or call and talk with him or her. However, before you call, make sure that you are prepared to say no if something comes up that you are uncomfortable with.

In addition, be prepared to deal with a sales man and his high-pressure tactics. If the company you call tries to force you into an immediate decision to invest with them, run away.

A salesman with ethics will understand that you need time to make a decision. Companies who try to force immediate decisions are trying to take advantage of you and they will not serve you, they will try to take your money.

If you do not have very much financial experience, it is particularly important to be cautious. Companies who work with finances everyday will be able to recognize potential customers who do not have any experience whatsoever.

As you do not have very much experience, you may feel talking to them is intimidating and overwhelming. However, ask questions and pursue understanding until you actually know what is going on with your money.

It can be very tempting to simply let the people you perceive to be financial professionals take care of it for you. This way you will protect your money and you will be more informed about what is going on with it.

Sometimes it can also be tempting to automatically trust someone with good manners. However, good manners do not mean that a person is honest.

Try to keep these two qualities completely separated in your mind. The best fraudsters are very polite and seem to be considerate.

Another thing you should watch out for is if the salesman is trying to scare you into investing. Fear is one of the most motivating factors when it comes to making a decision.

A very common thread of reasoning that they throw at you is that investing is a way to have a secure financial future. You already know this is not true, but if you begin to feel scared or greedy in relation to your investment, you may not make the best decision.

Another age group that should also be particularly cautious is the older generations. In particular, elderly women are the main target of fraudsters.

The best way to protect yourself is to talk to someone who is completely neutral to both your side and the company's side of the story. They will be able to take a step back with no emotions clouding their judgment and give you an honest idea of whether investing in this particular company is a good idea or not. [...] Read more!

There are specific things you must understand regarding bonds before you start buying them. Not understanding these things may cause you to purchase the drastically wrong bonds, at the drastically wrong maturity date.

The three most important things that must be considered when purchasing a bond include the component value, the maturity date, and the promotion rate. The component value of a relationship refers to the amount of money you'll receive when the bond reaches its readiness date. In other words, you'll receive your energy production back when the bond gets to maturity.

The maturity date is of course the date the bond will attain its full benefit. On this date, you can receive your initial investment, plus the interest that your money has received. Corporate and State and also Local Government bonds can be called before they attain their maturity, from which time the corporation as well as issuing Government will return your energy production, along with the interest it has earned so far. Federal bonds cannot be called.

The coupon rates are the interest that you will receive when the bond grows to maturity. This number will be written as a portion, and you must utilize other information to find out what are the interest will be. A bond that has a par value of $2000, with a discount rate of 5% would certainly earn $100 per year until it reaches maturity.

Buying bonds is very risk-free, and the returns are usually very good. There are 4 basic types of ties available and they are sold through the Government, through corporations, state and local governments, as well as foreign governments.

The greatest thing about ties is that you will get your initial investment back. This makes bonds the perfect expenditure vehicle for those who are a new comer to investing, or for individuals who have a low risk tolerance.

Because bonds aren't issued by banks, lots of people don't understand how to go about purchasing one. There are two ways you can do this. You can use a broker as well as brokerage firm to generate the purchase for you or else you can go directly to government entities. If you use a broker, you will more than likely always be charged a fee. If you want to make use of a broker, shop around for those lowest commissions!

Acquiring directly through the Govt isn't nearly as tough as it once was. There's a program called Treasury one on one which will allow you to invest in bonds and all of your own bonds will be located in one account, you will probably have easy access to. This can allow you to avoid using an agent or brokerage company. [...] Read more!

Everyone today has heard about horrific stories about identity theft. This new age robbery has repercussions for many-many years. A number of individuals and families have been destroyed by this. Identity theft can happen with anyone - all a thief needs is some sort of your personal information. Just knowing about your social security number and address a thief can totally destroy your finances and your financial credibility.

Identity theft can happen to anyone at anytime. Whether you have little money or you are a millionaire - you are equally likely to be targeted. From getting personal information from stolen wallets to getting your details from the information in your laptop which you just dropped at the repair shop - these identity thieves are continuously evolving newer methods to target your money.

A naive solution to identity theft protection is to monitor your accounts regularly for any unusual activity and follow-up with your financial provider as soon as you find any discrepancies. Though, this will work for some of you - in many identity theft cases people don't even realize their identity has been stolen until a big damage has been done. Solving the problems caused by this is not at all easy and often times very cumbersome and time-consuming.

In today's age, with all these blue collar thieves looking for your identity information, it is imperative to have a professional service on your side which consistently monitors your profile and detects fraudulent activities before they effect you. IdentityHawk is one of these great services who offer an excellent solution to assist you in protecting your identities from the plethora of these thieve who are waiting to find their next target. Take action today and prevent yourself from this evil identity theft. [...] Read more!

There are dozens of investment opportunities today. Some are tactile and some are not. Many investors today enjoy the look and feel of palpable investments like silver and gold. During unstable economic times, the price of silver and gold tend to go up.

As you might have guessed, the prices of both of these precious metals are on the rise right now. You can get your hands on your gold investment today before prices go through the ceiling. Why buy gold? There are many reasons, each of which will be explored here.

Gold is one of the most solid investments you can make today. The price of one ounce tends to flit around the $1,000 mark. While it is impossible to predict the price of gold 100% accurately, it can be stated with almost complete certainty that prices will continue to rise from where they are currently at.

That is the reason that the question why buy gold should be answered as quickly as possible. The longer you delay making your purchase, the more likely gold is to become even more expensive.

An investment in gold is something you can literally hold in your hand. Instead of having some intangible object as your investment, or something you never see like a piece of real estate in a far away location, you can see why buy gold when you have the chance to hold it in your hand and feel the weight of your investment in your hand. As for storing your gold, you can do so easily with a safe in your home or a safety deposit box in the bank.

The United State's financial situation is not something you can ignore. Instead of putting your money in something that relies on the value of a dollar to be worth anything, you can choose to buy gold and rely on its intrinsic value to protect you against inflation. The stability of gold is something that makes it an excellent investment for many people today.

It does not matter whether you only have a thousand or a little more to put into your investment. Even one ounce of gold can result in a solid return on your investment. If you have $10,000 or $20,000 to invest in something, now you know the answer to why buy gold. Imagine getting five-times your investment back! With the decision to buy gold, this is a definite possibility... [...] Read more!

A penny stock is a common stock trading at $1.00 or less. Penny stocks are sold at such low prices that they entice many investors, particularly first-time investors. These low prices allow novices to explore the markets, without risking an extensive amount of money. Furthermore, if the stock were to dip in price, the investor will not have lost excessive amounts of money.

Here are some ways to start investing in penny stocks:

1. Scroll through stocks

Scroll with the day's "most active" and also the day's "biggest gainers" on the NASDAQ and DOW. Links are provided within the Resource Portion of this article. Discover the stocks which are currently trading around the one dollar range $1.00.

2. Research companies

Investigate the companies with penny stock investing offerings that you like. This can be done by hitting the stock symbol and viewing charts or going directly towards the company website.

3. Start investing

Start an account by having an online brokerage firm; these are usually less expensive for trades than a local broker. You can also choose only to purchase stocks from companies with direct purchase options. This option can help you avoid brokerage fees. Navigate to the website and print a regular purchase form or request one to be mailed. Read the requirements such as minimum purchases, fill it out, attach a check, and mail it. Never invest a lot more than you can afford to get rid of think of this like a state lottery where 1 in a million win.

4. Disseminate your investments

Purchase small cap stocks from the 3 companies. You never know if these businesses will succeed or fail, so do not invest your eggs into one basket, diversify. Enjoy investing in penny stocks, sort of like playing "Life" or "Monopoly." [...] Read more!