Articles about Investing

Speaking of Stock Market Rallies
This morning's classic E-mail question wondered: "Is this the real thing?" The reference was to the Media applauded five month spurt in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), an advance to the highest levels in about four years, but still miles from an All Time High (ATH). The meaning inside was much, much greater --- speaking as it does to some basic misconceptions many people have in their approach to stock market investing…
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Mutual Funds Mythbuster
A new fund offer is not likely to generate amazing returns as can be the case with an initial public offering from a company. This is because the NAV reflects the market value of the stocks held by the fund on any day…
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List of countries by credit rating
This is a list of countries by credit rating, showing long-term sovereign credit ratings as reported by the three major credit rating agencies: Standard & Poor's, Fitch and Moody's…
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Investment Costs - Are You Aware of Them?
We have visited this subject many times, but make no apology for doing so again. If you currently have investments in Unit Trusts, Stocks & Shares ISAs or Pensions, or are planning to do so, then reading this article could save you a small fortune over, say, 10 - 20 years. Let's take a look at the typical costs you are faced with when you invest your money…
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A Ponzi Scam?
Everyone knows what a scam is, and everyone is probably familiar with the version known as a Ponzi scheme. What most people don't know is that it's likely their own government is running the biggest Ponzi scam of all time…
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Are banks recovering?
The conspiracy theorists of the world believe the U.S. government faked the landing of Apollo 11 on the moon. They also believe 9/11 was an inside job, ordered by operatives within the government. The rationale of these acts was to distract the masses from the disastrous Vietnam War and the plummeting stock market, while escalating their control over the American people…
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No Patentable Intellectual Property? Maybe No Funding...
I was recently a presenter at a conference on raising investment capital for early stage and emerging companies. One of my co-presenters, John Ason, is an angel investor and the other presenter, Jonas Wang, Ph.D., is a partner in Sycamore Ventures, a venture capital fund. In their presentations, both John and Jonas described their funding criteria, which was fairly textbook for an angel investor and venture capitalist…
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How to Raise Investment in Your Company
If you want to grow your company then one of the best options is to raise more finance to support that growth. However, raising finance doesn't come without risks. The biggest challenge most business owners face is how to even get started on raising finance. So here are 5 top tips for raising investment in your company…
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Coy about Corn Commodities
Corn grown in the USA has traditionally been used to feed livestock or has been converted into corn syrup and used as a sweetener. No longer solely for eating, corn is increasingly being used in the production of ethanol and it is now considered an “energy commodity.”…
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Why the Lottery is a Better Investment than Mutual Funds
Even though I am not an investment advisor and never hold myself out as one, clients continue to ask me what to do to prepare for retirement. Should I max out my 401(k) contribution? Should I do an IRA? Should I put more in my profit sharing plan or pension plan? My response - putting your money into the lottery may be a better investment…
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Calculating Your Investment IQ
Stocks, bonds, index funds; averages, recessions, market rallies and corrections; mutual funds, technical analysis, financial statements; commissions, taxes, and discount brokers. Just how much do you know about investing, or perhaps a better question…
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The Real Scoop on Annuities - Part One
Insurance companies have always been big time financial institutions, and they could probably have claimed possession of the largest and safest investment portfolios on the planet. At one time, their role vis-а-vis Wall Street was clearly that of a giant customer for the securities the investment banks brought to market and which the securities firms distributed. Their real estate holdings were religious in size and quality…
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Asset Allocation: Investing by the Numbers
Uno. Asset Allocation is an investment planning tool, not an investment strategy... few investment professionals understand the distinction. Investment strategies are used to implement the asset allocation formula that investment planning produces. Many investors incorrectly believe that investment planning and financial planning are one and the same…
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Market Transition and Perceived Nervousness
Financial markets showed high levels of nervousness in May – June 2006, with many individual investors wondering whether the market drops were an opportunity to invest, or if it was time to pull out and look for safe havens…
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Safest Ways to Invest in Uranium Companies
Now that the spot uranium price has sustained above $40/pound, after a 20-year drought and a bottom of $6.40/pound at the end of December 2000, hundreds of junior exploration companies have thrown their hat into the ring. Both Canadian and Australian junior uranium companies hope to raise the big money required to bring a uranium property into production…
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Rising Commodity Prices Causing New Turmoil Through The Mining Sector
The Gold and Silver Index (XAU) is holding steady above 120, having reached a high above 156 in January, a level it had not seen since September 18, 1987. The spot uranium price is higher than it’s been since January 1980. Crude oil? Filling up your gas tank should remind you that oil prices are still painfully high…
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Ten Common Investment Errors: Stocks, Bonds, & Management
Investment mistakes happen for a multitude of reasons, including the fact that decisions are made under conditions of uncertainty that are irresponsibly downplayed by market gurus and institutional spokespersons. Losing money on an investment may not be the result of a mistake, and not all mistakes result in monetary losses. But errors occur when judgment is unduly influenced by emotions, when the basic principles of investing are misunderstood, and when misconceptions exist about how securities react to varying economic, political, and hysterical circumstances. Avoid these ten common errors to improve your performance…
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How To Dissect Mutual Fund Returns
While total and compound annual returns are useful, savvy investors will look deeper, using a variety of metrics, to get a more complete picture on mutual fund performance.
On January 1, 2006, a leading financial daily reported the trailing 1-year and 5-year returns of Fidelity Contrafund (Nasdaq: FCNTX), a no-load mutual fund, as 16.23% and 6.21% respectively. While the financial daily's return information is useful, there is more to mutual fund returns…
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How To Invest Wisely And Make Your Money Grow
Wise investments of your spare funds can be a great way to grow rich. These days, savings accounts offer very low interest and it is a waste to allow your money to lie in them. Based on your appetite for risk and your financial needs, you have various other investment schemes and options to choose from…
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Ishares and ETFs: Indexed Investment Illusions
How many of you remember the immortal words of P. T. Barnum? Of Yogi Berra? On Wall Street, the incubation period for new product scams may be measured in years instead of minutes, but the end result is always a lopsided, greed-driven, gold rush toward financial disaster. The dot.com melt down spawned the index mutual funds, and their dismal failure gave life to "enhanced" index funds, a wide variety of speculative hedge funds, and finally, a rapidly growing number of Index ETFs. Deja Vu all over again, with the popular ishare variety of ETF leading the lemmings to the cliffs. How far will we allow Wall Street to move us away from the basic building blocks of investing?…
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The 10 Rules for Successful Tax-Free Income Investing
Do you sometimes question the performance of your investment portfolio? If you are like most investors you have your income producing assets thrown in together with your equity portfolio. You look at the total mix of dividend paying stocks, bonds, mutual funds and equities, and you’re confused as to why they’re not producing enough income or growing your portfolio value sufficiently…
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Investment Advisors 101. Ask These Questions.
Investment Advisors (IAs) come in all different intellectual, professional, and alphabetical varieties. They range in educational qualifications from High School dropout to PhD, and can be professional Accountants, Insurance Salesmen, Stock Brokers, Investment Managers, Dentists, Lawyers, TV personalities, and Gourmet Chefs. Anyone can be an Investment Advisor!…
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Mutual Fund Dividends and Gains
Many Mutual Funds declare dividends and gains from time to time. It is important to understand how these activities affect the investor and the Mutual Fund price. Over time, the investments made within a Mutual Fund declare dividends, short-term gains/losses and long-term gains/losses…
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Financial Investor, Strategic Investor
In the not so distant past, there was little difference between financial and strategic investors. Investors of all colors sought to safeguard their investment by taking over as many management functions as they could. Additionally, investments were small and shareholders few…
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Real Estate – The Boom Is Over!
Sales of existing homes fell a bigger-than-expected 2.7 percent in October, a fresh sign that the red-hot housing market is cooling. The decline would have been worse without increased demand from displaced hurricane victims…
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Investing Offshore, Could it Be for You
Is offshore investing only for the rich and famous? Probably not, although most of us don’t know a lot about offshore investing. Here is a simple primer for the fledgling offshore investor.
Offshore investing is simply placing your investment dollars in an account with a bank that is not in the United States. There are several advantages to investing offshore…
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Income Investing: Selecting the Right Stuff
When is 3 percent better than 6 percent? Yeah, we all know the answer, but only until the prices of the securities we already own begin to fall. Then, logic and mathematical acumen disappear and we become susceptible to all kinds of special cures for the periodic onset of higher interest rates. We’ll be told to sit in cash until rates stop rising, or to sell the securities we own now, before they lose even more of their precious Market Value…
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Alpha and Beta: The Romulus and Remus Investment Twins
Romulus and Remus are the eponym of Rome as Alpha and Beta are the eponym of investing. Romulus and Remus are the mythical twins of Rome; Alpha and Beta are the non-fictional twins of asset management. Story tellers tell us that Romulus and Remus were suckled by a wolf. Analysts tell us that investors get chased by a bull (a lot of "bull") and a bear…
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What Makes A Business Worth Investing In?
You have always been interested in investing in a business, however you always hold back because you are scared of making a bad choice and losing your investment. However, there are some ways to evaluate businesses to reduce the risk you are taking when you invest. Of course, risk is never eliminated, but when you properly evaluate what makes a business worth investing in then you will more than likely have your answer whether the company will be a success or failure before you invest your dollars…
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More Return On Equity For Your Investment Property Dollar
Few would deny that real estate is a solid investment. It provides an attractive combination of stability, reliable cash flow, preservation of principal and capital appreciation. However, many investment property owners nearing retirement find themselves in a quandary. They are equity rich, but cash poor, with increases in the value of their property far outpacing income growth…
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Getting Started With Online Investing
As with everything else these days, the stock market has gone online. If you can shop, pay bills, and do your banking online, why not invest too? Investing online is not as big of an ordeal as some people make it out to be. The key is to know what you want before you start…
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Asset Allocation Lessons:The 70% Inflation Solution
For investors only… and for speculators who need to invest their winnings. Yes Virginia, it’s true. You don’t need all of your money in the stock market to beat inflation!
Lesson One: Asset Allocation is an Investment Planning Tool, not an Investment Strategy...few investment professionals understand the distinction, because most think that Investment Planning and Financial Planning are the same thing…
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Surviving Without Mutual Funds
STOP! Do not read another word! Advance mouse to an Investment Dictionary and look up advance/decline line. Do not pass GO. Do not collect another prospectus.
The NYSE advance-decline line has been positive for nearly six years! (Contact the Author for the Spreadsheet.) What is wrong with the averages? How sick are the Mutual Funds? Here are some questions you should be asking…
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Old Europe's New Shine
As European Union leaders meet in London to wrangle over European Union budgets and the Anglo-Saxon versus the French model, global investors have already voted and have been handsomely rewarded.
Many American investors seem to have written off Europe as a quaint low-growth low-return destination…
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Is Wholesaling Better Than Rehabbing Real Estate
I look at real estate like a triangle. On one side of the triangle we have rehabs, on the next side we have rentals and on the last side we have wholesaling. I think wholesaling is the bottom side of the triangle, the foundation. That foundation is what keeps everything strong. Wholesaling is the foundation of all real estate investing in my world. It was the easiest way for me to make quick cash. It didn’t take me long to start making $10,000.00 to $15,000.00 a month every single month doing wholesaling, and I was investing less than 20 hours a week…
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Contrarian Investing
When the stock market starts going up, most people are, initially, scared to step aboard. It's not until stocks have gone up a long way for a long time that most investors become interested and start buying. On the other hand, when stocks start dropping, most investors are not afraid. Their courage has been strengthening by the steadily rising price. Only because the market has risen a long way, investors believe it will keep going up. It is almost a gold-rush mentality…
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"Subject To" Real Estate Deals Explained
"Subject To" real estate financing is fairly new on the real estate investing scene, mainly because many investors don't know what it is.
"Subject To" financing actually can be a win-win situation for both the seller and the buyer/investor if both parties understand their obligations to one anothe…
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Property Investment – How To Calculate Rental Returns
Before purchasing an investment property for rental purposes it’s always a good idea to calculate whether it will be cash flow positive or cash flow negative. That is, will the property generate an income (positive) or will it require a monthly cash injection (negative)?
This article will outline and briefly describe many of the main Purchasing and Annual Holding Costs incurred when buying a rental property…
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The Role Of Gold Bullion Coins In Your Portfolio
Today's world offers investors plenty of avenues for their money. Which ones are worth it and which ones just bring unnecessary risks with very low chances of profit?
Many people have turned to buying gold bullion in order to improve their financial situations. We know gold has been around ever since man first started living in a society. Gold has grown together with mankind, or vice-versa, depending on how you want to look at it. Let’s have a look at the process of investing in gold bullion coins and at some of the factors related to such a financial placement…
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