top-10-misconceptions-on-asset-protection-planning
Top 10 Misconceptions on Asset Protection Planning
Writen by Carlos Lee
After many years of answering asset protection questions from the public, I’ve come across a number of common misconceptions on the subject. I’ve compiled a Top 10 List of these common misconceptions and I’d like to share them with you.
- I’ll wait until someone threatens me with a lawsuit - This is probably the most common mistake. When a lawsuit has been filed or is expected, it is too late. No asset protection plan will work. The judge will most likely rule that any structures created or assets transferred after the fact as fraudulent. An asset protection plan has to be put in place long before the threat of a lawsuit to be effective. It’s like life insurance. When you are lying in the intensive care unit in the hospital, you can’t buy a life insurance policy. You have to plan ahead.
- No one will sue me - You better think twice on your exposure. With over 19 million lawsuits filed each year in the U.S., just about everyone with assets is at risk of a lawsuit. According to the American Bar Association, there are close to 700,000 lawyers in practice in America. That’s one lawyer for every 400 men, women and children! Many of these lawyers make a living solely on suing others for part of the winnings. So, if you own a business or practice a profession you have a one in three chance of being named in a lawsuit THIS YEAR! Do you want to win or lose in this lawsuit lottery?
- I don’t have much to protect so I am not worried - Unless the equity you have in your home is lower than the homestead exemption provided in your state, a creditor can come after the equity in your house. Collection attorneys know that the best way to get you to pony up money is to threaten a foreclosure on your home. If you have a sizeable equity in your home, you are vulnerable. Just because your net worth is not in the millions doesn’t mean that you don’t need protection. Someone with a $3 million net worth can probably absorb $250,000 of loss from a lawsuit but someone with a $200,000 net worth can ill afford the same loss.
- Only a lawyer can help me do this - Lawyers are knowledgeable on a number of subjects but asset protection is not usually one of them. Asset protection is not taught in law schools and most lawyers have not even traveled overseas. Therefore, unless a lawyer has a great deal of experience in collection or offshore planning, he/she is almost as clueless as the general public on this subject. As a matter of fact, many attorneys, knowing their lack of experience in asset protection, actually refer clients to Asset Protection Consulting Group to take advantage of our expertise.
- A trust is what I need for asset protection - Many people have been told that trusts can provide all the asset protection necessary. Well, they are wrong. trusts are primarily estate planning tools. They do not provide asset protection in most cases. There have been too many cases where trusts were busted by lawsuits and assets were lost. So they are unreliable as asset protection tools.
- I will just transfer my assets to my spouse or relatives - This is probably the worst thing you can do. Any competent collection attorney will sue you as well as your family members to collect the debt. In addition, your relatives or friends could refuse to return your assets when you want them back. Worst yet, they can be sued for their own liabilities such as a car accident and your assets are therefore exposed to their lawsuits as well as yours. Transferring assets to relatives is no protection at all and increases your risks of losing them.
- It costs a lot of money to set up an asset protection plan - This is true when you talk to a high priced attorney and he recommends forming very complicated entity structures and asks for upwards of $25,000 to $50,0000. Affordable asset protection planning can be done with very experienced asset protection experts using simple but battle-tested strategies and entities that cost only a few thousand dollars.
- With an offshore corporation, I can avoid paying taxes on my income - Anyone thinking about evading taxes with an offshore corporation is in for a big surprise when the IRS knocks on the door. So many law-abiding people are sucked in by illegal tax schemes that they end up losing much more than they try to save. If there was any legal way of avoiding taxes, every one would be doing it! Therefore, if anyone tells you that you can avoid paying taxes with an offshore corporation or trust, etc. run the other way!
- Offshore planning is too risky - Offshore planning is not risky if you do it properly. Now there are many illegal schemes out there so you need to do your due diligence before you entrust your money to someone. Not everyone needs offshore planning. However, for those with high net worth, taking your assets out of the jurisdiction of the United States provides you with maximum protection from judgments handed down by U.S. courts. Most asset protection firms have no offshore planning experience, so using one that does is paramount to an effective asset protection plan.
- This can’t be legal. The government will go after me if I do this - The U.S. Constitution guarantees every citizen the rights of liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Setting up an asset protection plan is perfectly within these rights. We have never heard of anyone getting into trouble with the government for setting up an asset protection plan as long as it is not used to illegally evade taxes. Hiding gold bars in the ground is a form of asset protection even tough it might be a bit primitive. It is perfectly legal, isn’t it? So why wouldn’t an asset protection plan using Nevada or offshore corporations to make your assets invisible be legal?
Whatever you do to protect your assets, it must be done long before any legal problems surface. So get moving before your hard-earned assets are threatened.
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Carlos Lee, MBA, is the senior consultant for Asset Protection Consulting Group. Visit Asset Protection Consulting Group to learn more about how to bulletproof your assets against future lawsuits. |
how-to-evolve-a-financial-success-system
How to Evolve a Financial Success System
Writen by Roy Thomsitt
More often than not, people associate success with money and wealth. While that is a lopsided view of success, it is true that success often brings with it financial rewards; it is also true that many people who aspire to success are thinking of the financial rewards that will follow when they succeed. But what if your idea of success is purely financial? In that case, it could be that you are looking for a financial success system that will help you achieve your financial objective.
In two other articles I discussed the use of project management techniques in achieving personal success. In that case, we looked at “Project Success” and how we could plan for it. Why not apply more business techniques, this time to money, and develop a financial success system or plan?
In most respects, your personal finances are no different to a business’s finances. The underlying principles are the same. As a former professional management accountant, I can assure you that the way a company’s or organisation’s finances are, or should be, run is fundamentally similar to the way your own finances should be run.
Every company will have systems in place that are designed to further the success of the company, as well as protect its assets from misappropriation. In effect, they put in a financial success system that should enable them to run the business profitably and by so doing build assets.
The main elements of a company’s financial system can quite easily be recognised as good practice in your own personal financial system. The statutory requirements are quite different, but from a financial management point of view there are some helpful similarities an individual can learn from.
If you apply some of the following business finance fundamentals to your own approach to personal finance, then over time you will develop a finance success system that will grow your wealth for the rest of your life.
1. Budgeting
Setting and managing budgets is a routine part of any business; they are a key tool in financial control. A home budget is vitally important too. Get into the habit of setting and monitoring your personal budget of income and expenditure, and you will have the foundation of a financial success plan.
2. Investment Appraisal
Whenever a company decides to spend money on a large capital item or new product, for example, it may carry out an investment appraisal. You will not have such large spending decisions to make, but the important thing is to consciously assess the expenditure. Will it build your financial success or hinder it? For example, if you are buying a car, which will depreciate, there is a high risk it will diminish your personal assets significantly and set back your finance success plan. When it is time to indulge, be sure it is the right time.
3. Building Assets
A company builds assets by consistently being profitable, investing wisely, and developing the business at a sensible and sustainable pace. Being profitable is earning more revenue than you spend in expenditure. The same is true of you as an individual; always ensure you earn more each month than you spend. The balance (savings) goes into your spare assets, which can build over time, especially with sound investment.
4. Balance Sheet
Creating a balance sheet in a large business can be quite complex. A simplified version may help you keep an eye on your own asset status. Preparing a rough balance sheet once a year, showing your assets on one side and liabilities on the other, will give you an idea of your personal worth, in financial terms. By comparing year on year, you can ensure you are making progress.
If you use a home budget software program, it may have a balance sheet facility to help you.
5. Regular Financial Reporting
Companies have a legal obligation to produce accounts each financial year. Your legal requirements are for your personal tax purposes only.
However, a business does not rely just on annual accounts, and nor should you. It is likely they will have management accounts on at least a monthly basis, to allow management to keep track of the way business is progressing. You should also follow that example, and keep a close watch on your budget each month, and react accordingly.
6. Cash Flow Forecasting
Even a profitable company can have problems keeping going if it does not manage its cash flow properly. In fact, it is a common reason for companies to cease trading. As part of your budgeting, ensure you incorporate cash flow forecasting, that way you can allow for peaks and troughs in income and expenditure without hitting problems with paying bills on time.
Missing payments can prove expensive to your overall wealth, so is best avoided at all times.
7. Investment and Treasury
If all goes according to plan, you will have surplus cash. A company will have a treasurer for that, but in your case that treasurer is you. Take that role seriously, and over time you will be a financial success. If you have a partner, it makes sense to involve them in this, and other parts of your plan for financial security.
Investment is a fascinating subject, so if you can learn about it, you will be well placed to do better than an average investor. Investment is about balancing risk and return, and if you can master that without taking silly risks, you should do well financially.
On top of those purely financial aspects, there are other key areas to a business that will affect finances that you could learn from:
1. Marketing.
Keep an eye on the market place for the type of success you are seeking and your areas of expertise. Try to anticipate how that market may develop and prepare yourself ahead of everyone else. You are worth more if you are ahead of the game, whatever field you may be. For example, when I was 20 I decided it was a good idea, long term, to learn as much about computing and finance as possible, as eventually they would be key in every organisation. That was before pc’s existed, and it proved a sensible decision, even though my main aim was to be a writer.
2. Education and Training of Key Personnel
As an individual, the more you educate yourself about many aspects of life, both personal and commercial, the better placed you are to become wealthy. Never become complacent about your own knowledge; over time it will decline in importance, so you need to refresh it constantly. Train yourself, educate yourself, continuous.
Those are just a few ideas of how you may use business finance practices to build your own financial success over the long term. Follow those, and you should not go far wrong, and prepare yourself for a rebound should anything ever go wrong, such as redundancy or divorce, which can scupper even the best of financial plans.
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This financial success system article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner and part author of the Routes To Self Improvement website. Want to learn how to succeed? It is possible. Start your success journey here. |
is-banking-online-as-safe-as-the-vault
Is Banking Online As Safe As The Vault?
Writen by Michael Russell
With technology changing as fast as the weather, would it not be nice to know that your hard earned money is safe and secure. In order to properly insure your online banking accounts and protect it from any watching eye, you need to know how to protect yourself. None of these is difficult however; in time, you will know what to look for so you can sleep better at night. You do not need to do each one of these but the more the better.
The first is perhaps the most popular way to steal your information. Its called phishing and people fall for it all the time. It comes in the style of a convincing email trying to mislead you. They try to convince you that they are the bank or a financial institution. They use fear in most cases to get you to reveal precious information or even a link to a site that looks like your bank. They may ask for passwords of account numbers, anything that could prove useful as the phishers try to gain access to you accounts. The first rule is, never give your password out to anyone. The bank will not even ask you for it. If someone does, run. Stay away from emails or anyone who tries to get your passwords from you.
Speaking of passwords, they are one of the best tools to use to protect your account. Some people use popular passwords like God or password. If your password is PASSWORD, that is easy to guess. You are more protected if you use characters and numbers. Try not to have something easy, for example, the road you live on followed by the year you were born. Center1964 is predictable since anyone can search online to find that information. The most secure passwords are ones that contain numbers and characters as well as special characters. Is you use a @ symbol and a # sign these are almost impossible to break. You can further strengthen your password by capitalizing some characters. This could make it more difficult to remember but you will not have to worry about some person on the other side of the world trying to break in.
If you are about to enter your password or other sensitive information, get in the habit of looking at the website address. Most sites have an http in front of them. That stands for hypertext transfer protocol. A more secure protocol is https that is the secure hypertext transfer protocol. Even if you do not understand the jargon, it is much safer. However, your Internet browser could limit that safeguard if it is out of date. Most browsers use 128-bit encryption. If you update your browser, do your banking on https sites you will be on your way to safe guarding your personal information.
The last two points I want to commit on is where to do your banking and firewall/antivirus programs. If you install a firewall and an antivirus program, you be even safer from attacks. Buy a reputable program for each and make sure to look for updates on a monthly basis. Even if hackers get smarter and find a way around those safeguards, these programs will be updated to deter any future attack. Since your computer contains all of these updates, does it not make sense to do your banking with your own computer? Going to Internet cafes and using their computers is not nearly as safe. You could go for years completely disobeying any of these recommendations and be fine but you are taking a chance with no possibility of reward. If you use your own computer you KNOW the safeguards that are in place, why take a chance?
Of course, there are more ideas if you want to go even further. Most of the above ideas take upfront time but most programs will install updates automatically so you do not ever have to think about it again.
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Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Online Banking |
what-is-cash-flow-the-basic-concepts
What is Cash Flow? The Basic Concepts
Writen by John Mussi
Ever wondered what is cash flow? Understanding the basic concepts of cash flow will help you plan for the unforeseen eventualities that nearly every business faces. Although poor management is normally given as the main cause for business failure, poor cash management is running a close second as a common stumbling block.
Cash is ready money in the bank or in the business. It is not inventory, it is not accounts receivable (what you are owed), and it is not property. These can potentially be converted to cash, but can’t be used to pay suppliers, rent, or employees. Profit growth does not necessarily mean more cash on hand. Profit is the amount of money you expect to make over a given period of time. Cash is what you must have on hand to keep your business running.
Cash flow refers to the movement of cash into and out of a business. Watching the cash inflows and outflows is one of the most pressing management tasks for any business. The outflow of cash includes those cheques you write each month to pay salaries, suppliers, and creditors. The inflow includes the cash you receive from customers, lenders, and investors.
There are two types of cash flow, positive and negative. Positive cash flow means, if its cash inflow exceeds the outflow, a company has a positive cash flow.
Conversely, negative cash flow means, if its cash outflow exceeds the inflow, a company has a negative cash flow. Reasons for negative cash flow include too much or obsolete inventory and poor collections on accounts receivable.
Cash flow can be broken down into three sections:
Operating cash flow: often referred to as working capital, is the cash flow generated from internal operations. It comes from sales of the product or service of your business, and because it is generated internally, it is under your control.
Investing cash flow: is generated internally from non-operating activities. This includes investments in plant and equipment or other fixed assets, nonrecurring gains or losses, or other sources and uses of cash outside of normal operations.
Financing cash flow: is the cash to and from external sources, such as lenders, investors and shareholders. A new loan, the repayment of a loan, the issuance of stock, and the payment of dividend are some of the activities that would be included in this section of the cash flow statement.
Good cash management is simple. It involves:
Knowing when, where, and how your cash needs will occur
Knowing the best sources for meeting additional cash needs
Being prepared to meet these needs when they occur, by keeping good relationships with bankers and other creditors
The starting point for good cash flow management is developing a cash flow projection to help them develop the necessary capital strategy to meet their business needs.
You may freely reprint this article provided the author’s biography remains intact:
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John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help UK homeowners find the best available loans via the http://www.directonlineloans.co.uk website. |
what-is-bridging-finance
What is Bridging Finance?
Writen by Darren Yates
Once you understand what the term, “Bridging Finance” means, it’s easy to understand how it got its name. The purpose of a bridging or bridge loan is to provide short term cash for a real estate transaction until permanent financing is secured. Bridge loans are commonly used to “bridge the cash gap” when completing commercial real estate transactions.
Everyone knows it’s difficult to time the sale of one property to coincide with the purchase of another property. The slightest delay can wreak havoc on the transactions and create obstacles that are difficult to overcome. Having to pay two mortgages, whether for residential or commercial purposes, for any length of time can spell financial disaster. This is where bridging finance helps.
The goal of a bridge loan is to remove this financial obstacle so that a commercial transaction can proceed. In the majority of situations, “bridging finance” provides additional funding so a company can continue to pay the lease on its existing commercial property for as long as it remains on the market.
There is a process to go through before a bridge loan is approved. If you’ve already developed a relationship with an institution, that’s a good place to begin. If not, it’s time to start looking for a lender with which you feel comfortable. Go through the bridge loan pre-approval process to see how much of a loan you qualify for. With pre-approval in hand, you can act quickly once a desirable commercial property becomes available.
One general requirement for obtaining a bridging loan is collateral. Most applicants will be asked to secure the loan with some sort of significant collateral. Examples of collateral include heavy machinery, business equipment, inventory, other commercial or residential properties owned by or the applicant and even properties involved in the purchasing process.
Having a great credit history, for both your business and your private life, and a solid relationship with a lender always helps when applying for a bridging loan. There have even been situations where bridge loans were approved with only a signature - no collateral necessary!
Even with good credit, however, expect to pay a slightly higher rate of interest for this type of short-term bridge loan. One-half of a percent or more is typical. The maximum length of a bridge loan is usually twenty-four months. The lender has to make some money on the deal and the higher interest rate is where the opportunity lies. Other factors are also involved in determining the interest rate. The applicant’s calculated credit risk, the value of the items being used as collateral and the amount of time the loan is needed all factor into the equation, too.
If you think applying for a bridge loan makes sense for your situation, work with a US Commercial Lending organization that specializes in this type of loan. They’ll help with all the steps necessary and they’ll offer advice along the way. Don’t be afraid to shop around for better rates and terms! The commercial lending market is very competitive and it’s to your advantage to do business with a lender that will work with you and not against you.
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Commercial Lifeline are Commercial Mortgage and Bridging Finance specialists. Download our free Commercial Mortgage guides by visiting our Commercial Mortgage Guide page. This article comes with reprint rights. Feel free to reprint and distribute as you like. All that we ask is that you do not make any changes, that this resource text is include, and that the link above is intact. |
what-is-liquidation
What Is Liquidation
Writen by Neil Parnham
This involves the liquidator selling off all the assets of the company in order to raise some finance from the company, once the items have been sold the debt will be paid off and any remaining finance will go to the share holders of the company if applicable. When the process of liquidation has been completed the company ceases to exist and will be struck off the company register. There are three forms of liquidation
Compulsory Liquidation
This occurs when a company is wound up by an order of the court
Creditors Voluntary Liquidation
This is an arrangement where the directors ask the creditors to approve the winding up of the company because they have decided that the company cannot continue to trade and cannot pay its debts in full.
Members Voluntary Liquidation
This form of liquidation is used where the company is able to pay it’s debts in full, but the members wish to realise their investment. If you would like further assistance in financial matters please do not hesitate to call us, to find out more information please visit our website and we will be able to offer you a free initial assessment to see if we can help you in your situation.
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Neil Parnham - Webmaster |
the-increasing-value-of-alternative-fuel-sources
The Increasing Value of Alternative Fuel Sources
Writen by Morgan Hamilton
Although alternative fuel sources are not sufficient and still not ready to take over, they are still better than nothing. As people already start worrying about their future, which seems to be darker and colder with each passing day, alternative fuel sources will become more and more popular. Their importance is not overrated at all as humanity has already exhausted half of the world’s oil reserves and it will not only become more and more expensive to extract smaller and smaller amounts of oil, but it will definitely come to its end one day. Unfortunately our economy now seems to be so dependent on gasoline that even if we switch to alternative fuel sources, and the sooner we do that the better for everyone, it might still not be enough to save our lives.
Not being one of the major alternative fuel sources for cars, solar power is actually a very useful one and what’s more it will always be available for us to use. The main application of solar power is in our houses where with a few solar panels we can provide all the heating and the hot water we will need. Apart from that there are other ways also of getting an entire house powered and running only using alternative fuel sources, although it is still an expensive option.
A large step towards switching to alternative fuel sources were the Hybrid cars. Technically they don’t actually use alternative fuel sources, but they have found a way to optimize gas consumption to the unbelievable 50 miles per gallon or even more with the use of conventional gasoline. And thinking realistically this is way better than burning alternative, but still inefficient, fuels such as vegetable oils, Biodiesel, ethanol etc. of course those vehicles powered by alternative fuels free us from the dependence on oil, but they still pollute the environment with the smoke coming out of the exhausts. That is the main reason it doesn’t make any sense to me. Why should we switch from one thing to another if the second one is not going to be any better than the first?
Hydrogen and electricity seem to be the two most promising alternatives for fueling our future. They are very closely related as hydrogen is a highly efficient power storage option, and stored in the form of hydrogen in the car, the power is, when needed, being converted in electricity. In this way constructors avoid the need of huge and heavy batteries to store the energy. Losing the batteries on its turn, means that the car can be lighter and thus much more efficient and easier to run and maintain. These two alternative fuel sources might become the long awaited solution for the world’s fuel problems; however they need to be perfected first.
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Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning finance. Learn more at Alternative Fuel Sources |
give-your-business-a-boost
Give Your Business a Boost!
Writen by Kate Ross
Unless you can qualify for government finance, truth is that you’ll have to resort to private and rather expensive loans. There are however, several ways for improving your chances of getting approved and reducing the interest rate charged for your business loan by reducing the risk involved in the transaction.
Business Loans
Business loans can be either for starting businesses or for running businesses. The later come with lower rates and larger loan amounts because they base approval on the business equity. However, in order to get approved for this kind of loans, your business must have been running for at least 3 years.
Credit score requirements are not too harsh but too many delinquencies on your credit report will impede approval. Six months of uninterrupted payments will aid approval significantly. Some late payments may be overlooked if they don’t seem to show a pattern of credit behavior but rather isolated cash flow problems.
Business Lines of Credit
Business lines of credit are revolving accounts that once approved provide all the funds you need up to a certain limit. You can request money as many times as you need, as much funds as you want up to the corresponding limit. Moreover, you can repay the money in the same way. These financial products provide a lot of flexibility which is especially useful for businesses that need a constant cash flow.
The only drawback is that the interest rate charged is a bit higher and that it is variable. This implies that the interest rate will change according to market conditions which can turn these lines of credit too onerous if the reference interest rate rises too much.
Guaranteeing Approval
In order to make sure you get approved you need to provide the lender with enough confidence on your solvency. To show you’ll be able to repay the loan or line of credit, you have to show proof of an important income or there must be good reasons to believe it will increase, if possible, well documented reasons.
A good credit score will also boost your chances of getting approved. Recent credit history is the most important part of your credit report. As long as there are no mayor delinquencies in your past credit history (defaults, bankruptcies, etc.), past missed payments or late payments will be overlooked. Nevertheless, the last six months on your report should be impeccable.
Where To Apply
It is hard to tell which lender best suits your needs without knowing your financial situation, your credit stance and the type of business you are running. Thus, the best thing you can do is to search online for business loans and contact the many lenders you’ll find and request loan quotes from them. Just make sure to establish an informal contact with agents so you can discuss with them your needs.
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Kate Ross is a professional consultant with fifteen years in the financial field. She helps people in the process of securing personal loans, mortgage, refinance or consolidation loans and prevents consumers from falling into financial scams. Smart tips and interesting articles on this subject and other financial related topics can be found at her website: http://www.speedybadcreditloans.com |
financial-management
Financial Management
Writen by Jason Gluckman
Many people would expect starting a business to be very easy. With a product or service to sell and enough knowledge to market it properly, many people think that they are ready to go. Starting a business, however, takes more than just products or services and simple knowledge. It takes much more if you want to make your business grow.
At the very start of the business, owners or shareholders will instantly be faced with financial matters that require financial decisions. Questions such as what assets to invest in and where to get the cash needed for such investments would require financial know-how. And as the business venture thrives, shareholders have to manage daily finances and make long-term financial decisions. All of this definitely requires more than just a little knowledge in business. It requires knowledge in an entirely different area - the area of financial management.
Defined, financial management is the process of planning financial decisions with the ultimate goal of maximizing the stockholders’ wealth. In the world of finance, financial management is also known by other names like corporate finance, business finance, and managerial finance.
While the ultimate goal of financial management is clear “maximizing stockholder’s wealth,” the path leading to this ultimate goal is paved with other small goals. Goals like day-to-day profitability and properly managing daily finances are generally regarded as short-term goals, and achieving these goals belongs to the realm of short-term financial management. Aside from these, financial management also tackles other long-term goals, including business profitability and viability.
Achieving the goals of financial management, both long term and short term, involves a lot of processes and activities. These usually include cash management, financial risk management, financial accounting, managerial accounting, and others.
Now, these may sound like a multitude of tasks, especially for businessmen who are only managing small businesses. With the many financial management software products available, however, handling all of these tasks may become easier. Alternatively, businessmen may avail themselves of the services of a financial manager or seek the aid of companies providing financial management services.
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Financial Management provides detailed information on Financial Management, Financial Management Software, Financial Risk Management, Financial Management Services and more. Financial Management is affiliated with Financial Planning Software. |
investing-online-convenience-made-possible
Investing Online - Convenience Made Possible
Writen by Jeff Lakie
Whether you’re a pro at investing or just thinking that maybe it’s time to get started, you’ll be happy to know that you now have more options available than ever. And if you’re one of those “hands on” people who loves to keep control of your assets, you’ll love the potential for online stock trading.
To some people, stocks seem like a foreign world - a place where the rich multiply their millions and the rest of the world dare not tread. In actuality, stocks are a great place for even small and moderate investing. It can be as safe or as risky as you like. And you can get a really good return on your investment.
Making online trades is easy. For many people, the most difficult part will be working up the courage to make that first purchase. Take some time to do your research and start out with small or moderate investments. It’s okay to listen to advice, but evaluate the source. Many fortunes have been lost because the investor listened to bad advice.
Most online trades will be much less expensive than hiring a broker to make your deals, but remember that there’s still a cost. It’s easy to make ignore the cost of a single trade when it’s only $10 or less. But when you’ve made a dozen trades, the cost adds up. Consider your trades before you make them, and be sure to keep track of how many you’ve made so you’re not surprised with the expense.
One of the most convenient aspects of online investing is that you can research stocks and companies, make your decisions and even place buy and sell orders at your convenience. There’s no need to wait until your broker’s office is open and no need to arrange your schedule around your broker’s. If you work days, you can do your research and trades in the early morning or late at night, whatever’s convenient for you.
As you take off with your investing, keep in mind that risk and return are closely related. As is true of most things, the higher the risk for loss, the higher the potential return. If you want to be sure that your investment is safe, be prepared for only a moderate return.
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Jeff Lakie is the founder of Investing Resources a website providing information on Investing |
