Rethinking The Concept Of Investment

Do you invest your money? Most of us have probably heard about the concept of investment or investing money but a good number of us shy away from it. Lots of people all over the world get intimidated by this financial concept. They think it’s just for the wealthy and the rich. Truth be told, investing is for everyone. It is actually ideal for all people to start an investment of their own in order to become more financially stable and even help manage their finances. What do we need to know about investing? What are some types of investments?

Investing And The Type Of Investments

According to the dictionary, investing is “the act of committing money or capital to an endeavor with the expectation of obtaining an additional income or profit.” It is a technique that allows you to grow or increase your money without actually doing anything. Some people think that investing is gambling. This is not true. Gambling is spending your money on bets that may or may not give you returns. Investing is placing your money on different investment deals that gives you an opportunity to derive earnings and interest. Here are some of the different types of investments that are ideal to engage in nowadays:

1. Stocks
Buying stocks gives you the chance to become a part owner of a certain business. You are entitled to receive profits or more appropriately called dividends that the business or company apportions to the owners. They can provide a steady stream of income but they are also volatile, meaning their values fluctuate daily. However, they give huge prospective returns. Just be ready for the risk of loosing some of your investment during some occasions or instances.

2. Bonds

Bonds are classified under the category of fixed-income securities or as Investopedia define it, “an investment that provides a return in the form of fixed periodic payments and the eventual return of principal at maturity.” The good thing about fixed-income securities is that the payments are announced or provided in advance. The essence of buying bonds is basically to lend money to either the government or a private business. They guarantee you an interest in return and pay back the amount you let them borrow. Buying bonds is comparatively more risk-free than other investment forms. The trick is to choose stable organizations or businesses.

3. Mutual Funds

Mutual bonds are essentially a compilation or collection of bonds and stocks. In buying or investing your money in mutual funds, you are adding your resources with other investor’s money that allows all of you to hire and pay a manager, which will recommend and choose the ideal securities for you. Mutual funds are ideal for first-time investors who do not yet have the experience that some investment tools require. Just make sure to inquire about potential risks first before investing your money in a specific mutual fund.

4. Other Investment Options

These are alternative investment tools like real estate, gold, FOREX, and a lot more. There are lots of opportunities for financial growth in these investment instruments but you also need expertise and experience to back you up. Thus, it would be advisable to get them from financial authorities and experts.

Would you like to try investing your money now? Whatever type you choose, make sure to find out everything you can about the option you are availing of. Let your money grow for you. Best of investment luck to you!

Niña Angeli Pilapil, a bookworm by heart, is an expert in promotional products used for both marketing and personal reasons. She is employed by Promopeddler.com as their official blogger to write about topics like cheap coin purses. This dark chocolate fanatic enjoys her spare time reading books, watching movies, and honing her blogging craft. If you want to connect with her, follow her at http://twitter.com/ninsbonita.

State and Municipal Bonds & Financing

Investing can be a serious endeavor and it helps to have a qualified corporate law firm at the ready to help you make wise decisions. As the world of financing becomes ever more complicated and complex, it becomes more difficult for the average person to understand what’s happening financially in their locality. This article aims to show how municipal bonds work in relation to the investor.
Because of the economic meltdown of 2009, many investors are playing it safe by protecting their money in low risk bonds and employing the assistance of corporate law fims. Essentially, a bond is an investment in a company that’s looking to expand, or in terms of the government, to pay for public services like roads, or bridges. Bonds are designed to be a win-win for both the investor and the investee. Here’s how it works.
Let’s say that Company X wants to expand and needs capital to do so. Rather than going to a bank for a standard loan, Company X can sell bonds to investors to acquire the money needed to move forward. The amount of money being loaned is known as its “face value” and in case of Company X, it’s $2,000. After the investor has received sound advice from a corporate law firm, he/she provides the $2,000, and receives what’s known as a “coupon” which is the interest rate on the loan. Let’s assume that the interest rate in this scenario is 6%. Lastly, bonds have a finite amount of time to be paid back to the investor, known as the bond’s “maturity time” which could be any number of years. For this case, let’s say that the maturity time is 5 years.
So an investor loans $2,000 to help Company X expand with a 6% coupon that lasts for 5 years. After some quick math, this is what we come up with. After 5 years, the original $2,000 is paid back with an additional $600 (6% x $2,000 = 120, 120 x 5 years = $600). This is how the bonding process works and is considered, in the investment world, to be conservative.
A state, or municipal, bond works the same way only instead of a private business, like Company X, asking for a loan from investors, it’s the municipality instead. Municipalities, or any entity within the state level such as a city, county, seaport, airport, etc., sell bonds to investors to improve upon or develop projects. These finances are generally secured through revenues and may be tax exempt and traded publically without limit.
Bonds are seen as low risk investments meaning that there isn’t a large amount of money to be made but you will make money. Rather than investing $2,000 and risk losing it entirely or gaining a return of $4,000 like you could in the higher risk stock market, a bond will yield a return closer to the $600 noted in the previous example. But the advantage to this is that you’re much more likely to receive $2,600 in the bond market rather than $4,000 in the stock market. In Las Vegas terms, bonds are like nickel slots (low risk, low return) and stock market investing is more like black jack (high risk, high return). Even though bonds are considered conservative it always help to acquire sound legal advice from a corporate law firm to ensure that you’re making the right decision.

This article was written by Roger Brent Hatcher, a corporate finance lawyer at Smith, Gilliam, Williams & Miles, a leading Atlanta Law Firm since 1928.

How to Fight Fraud on Your Ecommerce Site

Making money online is pretty easy, and getting conned is equally as easy too. If you own an ecommerce site, you need to be extra cautious in dealing with customers. The following are some helpful suggestions on how you can fight fraud on your ecommerce site:

> Be sure to put up fraud notices on your website.

Clearly state that necessary action will be taken against all violators. By doing so, you will be sending out an open message to scammers to keep off. Most importantly, this will tell scammers that you can track them through their email and IP addresses. The thought of this will be enough to keep them off.

> Analyze all your orders carefully.

Instincts always work best in business. Always trust your instincts whenever you come across suspicious orders. Check them out thoroughly to put your doubts to rest. Look out for signs like:

* Orders that don?t seem to be keen on the features of the specific product in question.

* If several orders are being placed for the same expensive item.

* Large orders that are requesting urgent overnight shipping or delivery.

These are some red flags you should always keep in mind. Most importantly, make sure that the customers fill out all the compulsory fields on the order information forms.

> Perform AVS (Address Verification Services) on every transaction.

This will help you make sure that the information provided by the customer matches that of the information on the file of the card or payment issuing bank. However, this service doesn?t work for countries outside the US. This means that you cannot exclude all orders that have different addresses, unless you?re running a business locally within the US.

> Get the card verification numbers and expiry dates.

Credit cards, master cards and visa cards generally have 3-digit security numbers at their back sides, and expiry dates at their front sides. Make sure you verify these codes and dates before authenticating any delivery. Make sure that each and every digit matches. If customers are providing account numbers to make payments, make sure that the account number is correct.

> Be extremely cautious when handling orders from abroad.

Most fraudulent cases originate from overseas countries. The most fraudulent activities are usually reported to originate from African and Asian countries. Always be extra cautious about accepting orders from such countries.

> Be sure to use software that help prevent fraud.

There are several fraud prevention software out there in the market, which help track any fraudulent activities automatically. Make sure you get authentic software. Master card and visa card also provide free tools that help in fraud detection. You can also use those as alternatives.

Over the last 3 years, Richard has been working on the Magento Enterprise platform developing large ecommerce sites. Aside from work, Richard is a regular blog contributor for several sites.

Cash Loans for Car Troubles

One of the major conveniences (or inconveniences) of modern life is the car. It gets us from A to B with minimal effort. It allows us to carry our groceries, children and virtually any other thing we want to a certain destination, and at times it can be a lifesaver. On the other hand, it can be the bane of our existences. If we use our car regularly we have regular petrol costs, higher and constant servicing, and annual registration fees. So what do you do if it's time for the regular service and registration – but your cash flow has stalled, you're too far from public transport and you don't have a bike? Apply for a cash loan.

Don't let this be a hurdle that leads to bigger problems. In this day and age, time is money, and nothing is more important than getting back on the road fast, back at your job and back to making that cash. If you need a fast loan in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne or anywhere around Australia – Cash at Call is your number 1 choice.

While it's almost certain that you're stressing and worrying about whether you'll make it through, if your credit rating is good enough, and how quickly will the loan be improved...relax, take a deep breath and read on.

If you're currently employed and earn a salary of $25 000 per annum (or about $500 a week after tax), have Australian permanent residency, are not an undischarged bankrupt, and have a responsible borrowing history, then you will almost certainly qualify for a cash loan in Sydney. If you have a credit default – don't worry, Cash at Call analyse each applicants circumstance individually and understand that the past is the past.

So, if you're after a fast loan in Sydney between $1000 and $5000, visit www.cashatcall.com.au. Get your car back on the road and your life back on track. For more information call 1300 72 67 87.

Be Well Equipped for your Catering Business

Food and cookery has never been more popular, with the ubiquity of cookery programs and celebrity chefs. As a result, in relation to food, our standards have rose considerably, and now people know more about food, what constitutes great cuisine and the importance of quality ingredients.

With the above in mind, there has never been a better time to establish a catering business. In these tougher economic times, catering is one sector that is thriving, and represents a great business model for anyone with a passion for food.

As the people that you serve will have more knowledge of food, it is key that your catering business cuts the cake but doesn't cut corners. A key aspect of this is ensuring that your business has the right catering equipment, and thankfully you can look on-line for anything that you need, such as catering cutlery sets.

Catering is an extremely equipment heavy business, and often you will be required to serve hundreds of customers. This necessarily requires not only manpower, but equipment power: so you will need larger refrigerators, disposable items and uniforms for your employees.

Scrimping on this kind of gear is not a good idea, and if you do you could end up flouting legislation, pertaining to food safety. As a result, when establishing a food-based business like a catering business a key aspect is ensuring that you source the right catering supplies.

Bio: This guest blog post is written by Webmaster of 3663cateringequipment.co.uk, offering catering equipment and cheap catering equipment services!

Investing Your Money Wisely

You’re more than well aware of the usual ideas for getting the cost side of your money house in order – manage your credit cards wisely, pay off the highest interest credit cards first, avoid taking on more debt than you can afford, etc. How about investing on the income side? If you’re spending every dollar that comes in each month on essentials like food and shelter, then advice on where to invest is not relevant. But if you have extra cash sitting stranded in your checking account or at your home, what do you do?

Naturally, there are plenty of companies and people wanting to hold your money. Unfortunately, in this volatile economy, the risk/reward ratio has been turned on its head.

The majority of banks currently pay you almost nothing on savings accounts and CD’s. If you leave your cash with them, you could actually lose money if inflation grows faster than your returns. Occasionally, there are ways to increase the interest rate that you’re getting. For example, a local credit union pays 2.5% if you do a minimum number of debit transactions each month.

Because of the sour economy and global instability, the stock market feels more like speculating than investing in these times. If you are able to choose a solid stock play, it can be volatile due to seemingly unrelated activities like a debt crisis in Europe or quantitative easing programs by the Federal Reserve. Avoid listening too much to stockbrokers or finance writers who have a vested interest in how you manage your money.

There have always been alternative investments like art, collectibles, and precious metals such as gold and silver, though these tend to be even more volatile than stocks. I happen to believe that gold and silver will rise in value as our government continues to rack up debt, but even I wouldn’t bet all of my savings here.

My personal portfolio is loaded with real estate notes, both in my regular accounts and in my Roth IRA. A real estate note, also called a mortgage note, is used to promise payment when owner financing is offered to buy or sell a property. If you want more information on this, please visit my website. Suffice it to say that I’m a mortgage note buyer as a profession and so know what I am doing, but would never recommend that you buy a real estate note unless you’re experienced in this area and are financially astute.

Before deciding where to invest your money, be certain that you understand how much risk that you (and your spouse) are willing to take. If you’re at retirement age or want to invest conservatively, then putting your money in bank accounts and low-yield bonds may make the most sense in the short term. A slightly risker approach would be to invest in blue chip stocks, mutual funds, and bond funds. And finally, those who are younger and/or can afford to take extra risks should consider gold, real estate, and higher yielding stocks as possible answers. Whatever you choose, make your decision now, create budgets and retirement plans, and move forward with your implementation.

Alan Noblitt is the owner of Seascape Capital Inc., which buys real estate notes from individuals and provides commercial invoice factoring and medical factoring to businesses. Seascape Capital is an accredited member of the Better Business Bureau, with the highest score possible of A+. Mr. Noblitt may be reached at (858) 672-4678 or toll-free at 1-800-634-4697. If you would like to learn more about these topics and read informational articles, visit www.seascapecapital.com.

Checking Annuity Quotes Online is Easy & Effortless

Looking for the right annuity schemes is not a hectic job. There are so many websites available that can let you get in touch with annuity professionals. Any of them can certainly help you know the best policy catering your needs and wants. However, the most important thing is getting the best annuity quotes. If you do not get the best one, you will certainly be the sufferer. So, without delaying further, why don’t you take online assistance and make your job easy?

Today, when you face problems in searching information or buying products from the market, the next option you tend to go for is the internet. This brilliant technology not only helps you gather information from home but makes you research effortlessly. So, let’s take a look at the following steps which an annuitant must keep in mind while searching annuity quotes online:

• Lawful website – Once you start exploring the online world, you will come across numerous websites. Therefore, it’s obvious for anyone to get perplexed and recognize an authentic site. Remember, it’s only an insurance company from where an annuity policy can be accessed. Therefore, you need to ensure that the website you are accessing is maintained by a legitimate insurance company. If you have doubts, you can check your state insurance departments.

• Financially stable company - It’s true that the majority of the insurance companies have monetary stability. However, there are companies that are poor in ratings but financially strong and stable. Therefore, you should make proper researches by visiting the official site of the insurance company and thereafter check the quotes offered by the company.

• Check several companies – There are several companies that provide annuity quotes online. It’s always advisable to check the quotes of all those companies and compare them to judge the best one in the market.

The author, Aalina Jones here provides smart suggestions on annuity quotes. This article will certainly help people gather plenty of information regarding annuities.

Avoid Negative Returns

For some reason the majority of Americans have been desensitized enough to accept the fact that your nest egg will have to 'ride the market roller coaster' if you want it to grow. What most people don't realize is that the downswings of the market have a much bigger affect than the upswings. Here is an example.

Lets say you invested $100,000 into a mutual fund and it had a 20% gain one year and a 20% loss the next year. Most likely you would assume that a positive 20% and a negative 20% puts you back at 0 and you broke even. But lets see what really happens:

Year 1 - $100,000 - +20% = $120,000
Year 2 - $120,000 - -20% = $96,000

Lets see what happens if we carry this same pattern out for 2 more years with the same +20% and -20%:

Year 3 - $96,000 - +20% = $115,200
Year 4 - $115,200 - -20% = $92,160

So even though it seems as though the market is staying even over those 4 years, your $100,000 investment is slowly disappearing.

It's become clear in the last few years that having your savings in a vehicle the is susceptible to the ups and downs of the market can have a catastrophic effect on your retirement income. As I said, most Americans have become accustomed to the fact that their savings are at risk and could, one day, dwindle to nothing.
That is because most people have made poor choices when it comes to the locations of their savings.

This is where systems such as You Be The Bank stem from. Systems like these offer a way to truly save your money in a safe, predictable environment where you won’t have to worry about your nest egg being cut in half if the market goes down.

Our economic times have changed the financial world we live in and if you are not willing to change with it you will never get ahead of the status quo. As illustrated above, understanding what negative returns do to your balance is a valuable tool in anyone’s quest to wealth.