Creative Tax Strategies to Help Raise Funds for Your Deals

by Amanda Han

For those of you who are putting deals together to purchase apartments or other commercial real estate property, you know that investor relations is one of the most important components of success. Not only do your investors contribute to the overall success of the current project, but investors who are satisfied with their returns and your projects will come back to you over and over again offering to put money in your future deals. That's why it is very important to treat our investors as our "clients" and do all that we can to make sure they are receiving the maximum value from investing their money with us.
As CPAs who work extensively with both investors and syndicators, we have a unique advantage to understanding the needs and wants for both parties mentioned above. Syndicators put a lot into the deal process and should be compensated handsomely for their outstanding efforts. Investors put their trust and money in the deal team and generally get compensated nicely. But after you have done all that you can to maximize the profit on a transaction, what are some other ways that you can still increase your return on investment for both you and your investors? The answer: Look to the IRS! Keep in mind, it's not important how much money you make, rather, it's how much of it you actually get to keep. So let us share some creative tax strategies that will help you attract and retain your angel investors.
How would you like to use pre-tax money to invest in real estate deals AND not pay taxes when you receive your share of income from the deal? If you were an investor looking for a place to put your money, would you be interested in hearing more about this kind of a deal? We know from experience that a large portion of money raised for real estate deals comes from investors' retirement accounts. This strategy allows investors to invest money from their Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA's) or 401(k)'s by using pre-tax money (income which has not been taxed yet), and receive a portion of their investment tax free when they receive their return on investment. For the high net worth investors, this benefit alone could mean an additional return on their investment of up to 35% in tax savings! So consider setting up your syndications to allow for investments from people's retirement accounts.
Another way to create and develop a great relationship with your investors is to empower them with knowledge. If you are targeting a group of investors who are nearing retirement age, you should pay attention to the following advice. For individuals nearing retirement age, they will soon be required by law to begin taking money out of their retirement accounts (IRAs, Pensions, 401Ks). Those amounts, which are generally invested in stocks and mutual bonds, will be taxed - when withdrawn - at ordinary income rates, which are between 15%-35%, depending on their income levels. So for those investor clients who are nearing retirement age, let them know that it may be more beneficial for them to invest in your deals instead of making additional contributions to their retirement accounts. The income they receive from the investment may be treated as capital gains, which is generally taxed at 0-15%, depending on their income levels. So all else being equal, the investor is positioned to increase their return on investment by up to 20% in tax savings alone!
As all successful syndicators know, it always pays off to take good care of your investors. Just as you would do whatever it takes to have happy and satisfied customers, you must do the same for your investor clients. The best part of all is that these strategies require No Money out of Your Own pocket! Once investors know that you have their best interest in mind, they will come back to you over and over and will help you to create the life of your dreams! As always, work with your tax advisor to determine the proper ways to integrate these strategies to fit your transactional needs.

About the Author
Amanda Han is a Managing Director at Keystone CPA, Inc., a firm specializing in tax mitigation strategies for business owners and real estate investors. For complimentary top-notch tax mitigation strategies, visit www.KeystoneCPA.com and sign up for the Monthly Newsletter and Member's Library.

Currency Trading Tutorial: How Do You Make Money With Forex Trading?

by James Roshwood

Financial forex or foreign exchange trading is a way of making money that you may have seen advertised on TV, in magazines or online. Forex and FX are simply quick ways of referring to foreign exchange which involves buying and selling currencies on the world's fiscal markets. You can learn about them by reading any good currency trading tutorial online or offline.
Natutrally, exchanging currencies is something that people do all the time when they go on vacation or on a commercial trip overseas. You concurrently sell your own nation's currency and buy the currency of the nation that you are visiting. Businesses are also involved in forex transactions when they trade in imported or exported goods and services.
However, foreign currency trading is very different from this. It is a speculative investment, which means that the trader does not really want the currency that he is buying. He is simply investing in it with the hope that it will increase in price., he will trade it back later on.
Access to the international market is provided by forex brokers who allow the small time trader to find somebody to trade with. This is all done online and almost instantly. Just about anyone with a laptop and a broadband connection can get involved. The fx market is even open 24 hours a day Monday to Friday so you do not have to be online in the daytime if you have other commitments.
All forex transactions involve an exchange, for the reason that you have to give one currency in order to get another. This means that you are constantly dealing in two currencies. There are recognized currency pairs. Each currency has a three letter code, for instance USD for US dollar, AUDfor Australian dollar, YEN for Japanese Yen. The most traded pair is EUR/USD, the euro and US dollar.
Traders are able to control much more money than they essentially have themselves. This is called leverage or fx trading on margins. It works through a broker. You would invest a specified amount in your forex trading account with the broker. Let's say you invested $1,000 in a mini forex trading account. When you wanted to open a trade, you might put up $100 of that. If you used 100 times leverage, which is pretty low for the forex market, you may will control a trade of 100 x $100, i.e. $10,000.
The broker guarantees the outstanding $9,900 but he does not have to risk losing his money for the reason that he can close the trade if things go against you and you lose what is in your account. Of course, you would not choose to risk all of your money, so you would put in place what is called a stop loss that would close your trade automatically if you started to have a loss beyond a specific point. In this way you could limit yourr lot to $50 . You would not want to put up more than 5% of your funds on any one trade which would be $50 on a balance of $1,000.
Most skilled traders and any good currency trading tutorial will endorse risking less than this, say around 2%. This is a very important question for the reason that risk management done well or badly can make or break the forex trader. If you are thinking of getting into financial forex trading you will understand that it is risky and not all of your trades will be winners. You could have several losses in a row which would mean a gradually decreasing account balance. It is imperative that your exposure for each trade is low enough that a major part of your funds will continue intact through a losing position like that, this means that you can recover the balance later on if things start to go well again. It is also vital to be able to stay calm under pressure so that you do not make mistakes at critical moments.
The benefit of leverage is that it allows a winning trader to make a lot of money in a short time. However, it is critical to remember that money can be lost quickly too. Fortunately, nearly all brokers offer a demo account facility so that you can try out the technique and practice your financial forex trading skills without risking any real money. This no risk strategy combined with reading a good currency trading tutorial will have you trading in no time at all.

About the Author
Get yourself a free currency trading tutorial called Forex 101, visit http://www.greatforexworld.com/members/ and look in the right hand side bar today...

An Introduction To Stock Market Newsletters

by Adam Porter

Stock market newsletters are an indispensible source of information to the stock investor. Whether a newbie or an intermediate trader on the stock market, most everyone knows that current news is the most precious tool in making good investments. This means that there is a great amount of traders who are looking for information about the stock market and what stocks are the best to invest their money into. Stock trading newsletters are just one source of information about stock trading that can be both advantageous and damaging to those who would like to subscribe to them. The article that follows will discuss important information you need to learn before you subscribe to trading newsletters.
While perusing assorted financial magazines, newsletters, newspapers, forums, and blogs, a person will almost certainly notice a number of conflicting views within these sources of information. To a newcomer to the stock market, these many conflicting opinions would certainly be mystifying. After reading this mountain of opinions, it's very tough for many newcomers to make valid decisions on what to invest their money into. This is one of the major reasons that stock market newsletters are so tough to believe or follow. They can oftentimes be very misleading and confusing to most anyone that reads them. Those who plan to make good decisions regarding this information must ensure that it is accurate and should also help them focus on making decisions, not distract them. Thankfully, there truly are stock trading newsletters that are rational and are worth looking at. Newsletters that consist of a lot of personal points of view, and no details to back them up, should be avoided. Opinions are just that and are rarely subject to being correct. The occasional professional opinion is occasionally a good thing. In fact, the opinions of the true stock market gurus should probably be weighed more heavily, more so than others. However, those who are looking at getting a stock trading newsletter that will have accurate information should stick with the newsletters that contain a lot of solid facts. Afterall, hard data is much more powerful than even a professional's point of view.
While most, if not all, of the stock market newsletters that you subscribe to have trading recommendations in them, these tips are not always dependable. If the trading strategy you use works better with the advice that you get from a certain newsletter over another, then weigh each newsletter's value accordingly. Of course, you should never make a buy or trade in the stock market without personally doing your own due dilligence and research. Judge the validity of any stock advice as you would with any other stocks that you are currently researching. Of course, Check the company's price history and financial stability before investing any of your money. Before making any trading decisions for yourself, investigate the stock market newsletters' information.

About the Author
Adam W. Porter is a successful investor, and has been trading stocks for over a decade. Adam is the owner of PowerfulStockTips.com, where he provides trading tips through a free stock market newsletter. Learn more about Adam and sign up for his advice by visiting PowerfulStockTips.com today.

The basic strategy and doubling down

by Elizabeth Tudor

There's a sad fact about playing in a casino, whether real or virtual. The operators have worked out how to play the games on offer and set the odds to favor themselves. After all, if the majority did not lose, there would be no money to pay out all the money you win. Needless to say, the casinos have invested time and money into working out every possible variation on the rules and the ways to play under them. So, if you are going to take on the House edge, you have to become as big an expert on the rules as the operators. So let's start with one of the more interesting rules which decides when you are allowed to double down. This applies when you have received your two cards. If you decide you are going to draw only one more card, the casino rules can allow you to double your initial bet. The different possibilities are to double: * on any card combination; * only when the two cards total 9, 10 or 11; or * after splitting.
Why should you double your bet? The answer is deceptively simple. You double the bet when you think you are going to beat the Dealer. That really does make sense. But because you are suddenly investing more money in playing the game and have more to lose, you need to get on board with the math. You need to know the frequency with which the Dealer is likely to go bust based on the card you can see. If the Dealer's card suggests a bust is probable, i.e. the Dealer's hand is weak, you double the bet when you have a strong hand. You are maximizing the chance of making a good profit on the hand. If you build the doubling rule into your basic strategy, you reduce the House edge. If you refuse to play the doubling rule, the House edge actually increases. This is not to claim you will win every hand when you double down. If you are on a losing streak, you could lose every doubled bet for the session. But, in the long term, you will win more than you lose if you double. If you hesitate to double the bet, it suggests you are outside your comfort zone and already playing for higher stakes than you can afford.
At the blackjack table, the Dealer is weakest when showing a card in the range 2 through 6. With a 2, the bust percentage is 35%. It rises to a 42% chance of busting with a 5 or 6. Your hand is strongest if the two card total is less than 11. Do not be thrown off the basic strategy by the casinos that allow you to add less than the original bet. Blackjack is a game for winners. Never give up the chance to double and take the maximum win against the Dealer. Adding a few dollars to the original bet but not doubling is half-hearted and cowardly.

About the Author
Amazed by the professional approach with which Elizabeth Tudor explores the subject of the article? Visit http://www.blackjackencyclopedia.com/library/the-basic-strategy-and-doubling-down.html to read more articles from Elizabeth Tudor in which he shares his point of view on many other topics.

Web Marketing Solutions to Attract an Audience

by mark spenser

Strategies Such as SEO and Web 2.0 Participation Can Maximize Targeted Traffic to Your Site
The Internet has dramatically changed the face of business today. Enabling a broader reach than traditional advertising, the internet enables business to be conducted around the clock and all over the world. With lower costs and ease of distributing information globally, the internet is highly valuable for any organization. Effective website marketing is capable of establishing new enterprises, as well as dramatically increasing the sales of existing businesses. As organizations of all sizes formulate their marketing strategies, the internet must not be overlooked. A web marketing strategy is now an integral part of a successful business plan. Web marketing includes both creative and technical aspects of the Internet. Understanding the technologies that are available for internet marketing will help you maximize the potential of your website. Your website needs to reach your target audience in order to be successful, and this is where a web marketing service can play a key role. With web marketing, it is easier to reach consumers who are already looking for your type of product or service. An overview of the major web marketing solutions that you would discover from reading a web marketing forum include: * Search Engine Marketing (SEM) - Getting to the top of search engine listings increases your site's popularity, resulting in greater sales, leads and brand awareness. More than 90 percent of internet users go to Google, Yahoo or MSN first to find the products and services they are looking for. Most users don't look further than the first or second page of search results. There are a variety of SEM methods that your business can employ in order to drive traffic to your site, such as link building, directory submission and blog marketing.
* Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - Search engine optimization (SEO) is considered one of the best SEM methods of generating relevant traffic to your site. Other ways of attracting traffic can be more expensive and do not guarantee as high of a sales conversion rate as SEO. SEO has roughly 4 times higher conversion rate than online advertising (Pay Per Click). SEO is also proven to be effective in delivering relevant traffic, attracting your target audience. Making sure that your web architecture is search-friendly and uses an effective navigation system is part of this process, which is best achieved by an SEO expert with specialized knowledge.
* Banner Ads - Banner ads can be highly effective and bring fast results. They can be used for PPC campaigns and paid advertisements on Google, Yahoo, MSN and other sites. PPC ads appear on the search engine results page, usually both above and to the right of the organic or natural search engine results. Since they are keyword-driven, they are very effective at reaching your target audience.
* E-mail Marketing - With an e-mail sign-up list, you can send newsletters, announcements, promotions, coupons, contests and other offers via email that will keep subscribers returning to your site.
* Web 2.0 Participation - Web 2.0 strategies involve becoming a member of blog sites, social networking sites, social bookmarking sites, and forums. Web 2.0 strategies help promote your site by sending direct traffic, producing links to your site, and generating awareness. This word of mouth method is very lucrative.
* Electronic Customer Relations - Providing immediate response, customer information and other data, electronic customer relations is an aspect of internet marketing that is highly effective. The interactive and automatic nature of this type of web marketing creates trust and goodwill with the customer.
* Web Marketing Design - The design of your website is an important aspect of internet marketing. A website design that is consistent with your existing marketing collateral and communicates the professionalism of your business works best. Using professional graphic design tools and a custom layout that is striking and creative enables you to present your business in the most appealing way. Web marketing design created from the perspective of the target audience is always the most effective.
* Online Forums and Discussion Lists - The Internet offers thousands of targeted e-mail based discussion lists, online forums, and groups made up of people with specialized interests. This is an excellent way to network and reach potential consumers.
* Viral Marketing Techniques - Viral marketing uses videos and other communication networks to spread the word, creating interest and excitement. The best viral marketing fascinates viewers in some way, which in turn motivates them to forward your promotional piece to other internet users.
* Affiliate Programs - With affiliate programs, you can build a network of affiliates who will have a financial stake in promoting your site.
Investing in website marketing is key to the success of your website. A comprehensive web marketing strategy will incorporate all of the available web marketing resources. An experienced web marketing service will provide the most up to date technologies and resources available. Finding an expert web marketing consultant who can help you implement all of these methods and more will give you the best possible ROI for your website.

About the Author
I am Mark Spenser have written many articles on website marketing.

Real Estate: Tips for First Time Investors

by Dannie Jensen

You have probably read all the information on the market as it relates to real estate investing and are well aware that many of the world's millionaires made their fortunes in the real estate market. As a result I'm sure that you feel ready to throw your hat into the ring and begin your own real estate portfolio. There is certainly nothing wrong with this as an investment strategy though there are many wrong ways in which an investor can go about the process.
Flipping properties is my field of experience and a good deal of what will be discussed here will relate to flipping properties though some of the information can be crossed over into rental properties and other types of real estate investment. Even personal property can be a real estate investment. Real estate is one of the few forms of investment in today's society in which you can actually see the changes as they are occurring.
It is truly amazing to watch a property that was once neglected and in a state of disrepair suddenly spark back to life right before your very eyes. There is a lot of work involved in this process though and this is often overlooked. Much like labor in light of birth. The pains are quickly forgotten when looking into the face of the outcome.
Keep these things in mind for your first time and you should be well on your way to future success. You should also realize that the first few investments are learning experiences more than anything else. If you do not achieve the success you were hoping for (or success to a lesser degree than hoped) you should not give up on the dream all together simply learn from the mistakes you will make along the way as well as the mistakes that others have made.
Real estate investing is not an exact science. There is no formula in this business that guarantees success. Even seasoned professionals will find the occasional bump in the road even on a property for which they had high expectations. Stuff happens along the way that cost money, delay the project, or set the project back. These things are stumbling blocks no doubt but should not be allowed to derail the entire project. When these things happens go back to your original plan, reassess the situation and create a new plan with the necessary adjustments in mind. The key is in sticking to a plan the entire time and never throwing the plan out the window and flying by the seat of your pants.
Your plan will be your lifeline throughout the project. You need to have a plan and a budget in writing. One great rule of thumb is that you set aside double the amount of money you plan for in your budget. This gives you a bit of a safety net for the inevitable things that will go wrong. Things will go wrong on almost every flip you encounter. Even the seasoned professionals that have television shows about their flipping efforts encounter problems in almost every single flip, rehab, or renovation.
For your first few investment purchases it is recommended that you purchase properties that need little more than minor cosmetic repair rather than complete rehabs or renovations. This allows you to get your feet wet without the incredible risk of going off the deep end mentally, emotionally, and financially. These properties represent lower profits but also lower risk. They also allow you to gain valuable experience and raise a little capital in which to invest in properties requiring more extensive work in the future.
Keep your eye on the carrot at the end of the project. Far too many would be property investors give up just before they reach the point of true profitability. The goal is the profit at the end of the project.

About the Author
Information on puppy grooming can be found at the Small Breed Dogs site.

Alternative Investment In Film Can Provide High Yield Returns For Affluent Families,Investors,Hedge Funds, And Wealth Advisers

by Yuri Rutman

The term non-correlated asset classes covers a whole range of potential investments, including venture capital, real estate, private equity, and commodities, but also alternative investment strategies.
But in today's economy of crashing public equity markets, defaulting hedge funds, and non-existent real estate plays, one company believes investing in film slates, including theatrical distribution, offers a high yield alternative investment that can be leveraged with tax benefits and multiple sources of revenues including theatrical, DVD, video on demand, cable, and the foreign markets.
As a non correlated asset class, films and film finance has outperformed every non correlated asset class in the world if you look at the more than $6 billion dollars poured into motion picture finance deals in the last 3 years, the IRR across the spectrum for both studios and independents are resilient to global economic declines in other industries.
When defense contractor Honeywell, New York Hedge Fund Elliot Associates, and Dune Capital invested more than a combined total of more than a billion dollars towards several different film funds, many pension funds, private banks, hedge fund managers, private equity groups, and high net worth investors and family offices started to follow suit enter the movie business.
Investors from Wall Street to Silicon Valley to the Middle East to Russia have been parking their money into Hollywood.
Anil Ambani, Larry Ellison Of Oracle, Paul Allen Of Microsoft, Steven Rales, Fred Smith of Federal Express, Norman Waitt, the Co-Founder of Gateway Computers, Jeff Skoll Of Ebay, Marc Turtletaub of The Money Store, Roger Marino Of EMC Corp, Sidney Kimmel Of Jones Apparel Group, Minnesota Twins owner Bill Pohlad; Real Estate Developers Tom Rosenberg and Bob Yari, and, financiers Sheikh Waleed Al Ibrahim, Michel Litvak, and Philip Anschutz are all behind the finance of a lot of films that range from box office hits to Academy Award winners.
Institutional investors and hedge funds investing in films include Elliot Associate, Stark, Columbus Nova, Bain, Honeywell, and others.
Non-correlated investment strategies can be used by investors to neutralize, or counterbalance, the risk that one, or more, of the investments in a traditional portfolio of stocks and bonds falls in value. In order to do this, investors typically place between 5% and 20% of their total investment portfolio into alternative investments to protect the remainder of the portfolio from downside risk.
Among the spectrum of asset classes targeted by high net-worth individuals, institutional investors, pension funds or private banks, alternative investments are becoming popular offering more diversification to investors' portfolios. The benefits of such diversification have been demonstrated by Harry Max Markowitz ( 1990, Nobel Prize in Economics ) in the Modern Portfolio Theory. He proved mathematically that an investor can reduce portfolios' risks simply by holding instruments which are not perfectly correlated - a correlation coefficient not equal to one. By holding a diversified portfolio, investors should be able to reduce their exposure to individual asset risk.
If investors are attracted by alternative investments in their quest of alpha, it is because allocating to alternative investments offers advantages compared with traditional asset classes and diversification to a portfolio - though involving a certain level of risk.
As investors have become more concerned about their risk-adjusted returns, especially in bearish market environments, interest in alternative investment strategies gained momentum.
By investing in alternative investments, a portfolio manager or a given investor aims at obtaining performance from the relationships between securities. A non-correlated asset class behaves independently from other securities composing a portfolio. Such investment vehicles allow investors to hedge the risk that an asset falls in value and avoid any snowball effects. One of the main benefits of alternative investment strategies lies in the fact they minimize downside risk.
When educated about properly structuring leveraged film finance which may also include U.S. and international tax incentives to minimize the risk many private bankers, sovereign wealth funds, high net worth investors, family offices, and pension plans understand that they are not gambling on one film hoping to win a film festival. When a company is looking to finance 10, 20, 40,50, 75 films there is more than just upside on revenues from each one but a final exit strategy after 5-7 years that can bring 300-400% returns on capital invested.
Film, Entertainment, Media, And Hollywood in general seems to be thriving and immune from economic woes. If you look at the theatrical box office receipts and DVD growth of recent films, including 'Slumdog Millionaire' or "Twilight" which had zero movie stars, the ROI on these and numerous other films exceed the ROI and revenues of auto manufacturers, real estate, stocks, mutual funds, etc. Primarily because a well made film is not a local commodity that is just bough and sold once but a global one that has revenue potential from more than 50 countries and medias including theatrical, cable, tv, satellite, airline, DVD, and the huge explosion of Video on Demand.
While some private equity outfits may balk at the notion that Hollywood is safe this country was built based on blue chip industries and for the retail investors, Wall Street and Real Estate was the path to go. Well, when retail investors as well as institutional investors are transitioning from brick and mortar investments to the film business, the underlying factor is 'why'?"
Some U.S. investors and C corporations are looking for either a strict 100% deduction of their investment under IRS Section 181 or simply being in a portfolio of non correlates investment opportunities. Overseas investors simply want a high yield non-correlated asset class that has long term appreciation such as our hybrid film slate and 100% control over U.S. theatrical distribution.
And for smaller retail investors, not including affluent families or ultra high net worth investors, the bridge between film finance, film production, distribution, and technology are converging so that investors see their investment bring an immediate return from the monetization of state tax credits as part of the equity stream, an upside in a number of films vs. investing in a single picture, possible Section 181 benefits, as well as being involved with creating jobs and stimulating the economy since every film production creates 50-100 jobs.

About the Author
Yuri Rutman is involved with structuring tax advantaged private equity alternative investments in film for affluent families, wealth managers, swiss private banking, wealth advisers, private client services, hedge funds, portfolio managers, pension funds, ultra high net worth investors, family offices, corporations, tax attorneys, CPA's, private equity funds, tax planners.

Is Forex Free Trading Advice Any Good?

by Walter Madenford

Now that the internet is a huge force in our world, doing research has never been more simple. Simply head to a major search engine and you can literally learn anything. While you’ll be able to find basic information on most topics, Forex included, you’ll also find that detailed instructions or valuable secrets aren’t exposed for free too often. Since investing usually requires an up-front reserve of funds, it makes sense to do your research in finding a trading system that’s going to end up making you money. And if the system is proven to work, it makes sense to pay for it. But, what about forex free trading advice? Is it still worthwhile?
Well, to start, every beginner started somewhere. Without laying down the proper foundation of knowledge, it becomes nearly impossible to make intelligent choices. By committing yourself to learn and apply the free knowledge you do find out there, it’s the first critical step that empowers you towards financial freedom.
Knowledge
As you’re likely aware, investing requires a strategy, if you’d like to profit long-term. And the end-goal you have in mind, whatever it may be, will only be completed through an effective strategy. It’s imperative you have a trading strategy, and for now you’ll have to take my word on that, since trading systems is for another article entirely. But, the key is to understand why you need a trading system, and understand the different systems out there, so you can tailor it to your comfort level. You don’t want to be worried about your money every night. What’s the sense in trading then?
After your initial knowledge quest has begun, it almost becomes essential for you to start paying for quality information. You can find it everywhere, from books to trading DVD’s. As nice as most people seem to be online, I doubt you’ll find someone who will sincerely give away their trading secrets for pennies, which is especially true if the system is actually profitable. A small investment now means less headaches and mistakes down the road. The investment now to gain much bigger future investments is a wise choice.
Commitment and Time
The next step in analyzing the free advice is to apply it to your commitment level, and no, I don’t just mean from a monetary position. When you begin trading forex, you’ll quickly understand that it can be quite volatile, and in order to ensure your success, you must immerse yourself. Read the paper every day, stay up on recent trends, take an overview approach to your trades, and diversify your portfolio. All of these takes up your time and money, and your success is a relationship to how committed you are.
Discipline
Many traders start out with great intentions, but never make it to their goals. The key is to stay focused and focus on the long-term. Trading isn’t a one-time transaction, so be in it for the end-game. Sit down, map out your strategy and goals, and go on a quest to find the information that will make you successful. Find someone who’s successful and emulate them. No matter what your commitment or discipline level, there’s a trading system for you.
Also, don’t let emotions like fear, or greed encroach on your trading, as they can easily sneak in undetected. When you play the game by these rules, you often get emotional, make poor decisions and end up losing money. Don’t fall into the trap of losing your cool and letting your emotions get to you.
Patience
Lastly, let’s not forget patience. Trading requires investment money, and unless you’re starting with a few million, be prepared to wait while your investment nest-egg grows and matures. Once you begin down the trading road, understand that it’s a constant learning process and that you need to have discipline to follow your trading plan, as well as be patient enough to wait to see the results.
A quick tip for the not so patient: The investor willing to vary the timeframe in which they hold onto different investments can help to lessen the monotony of trading. By analyzing your various positions, you’ll avoid the common pitfall of holding too long onto your trades, which is a usual cause of losses. Overall, forex trading requires investment, and your knowledge requires an investment as well.

About the Author
If you want to learn even more about forex free trading, you need to learn the proven 4-step process that will teach you how to profit from forex... starting today!. It's yours for free and is delivered straight to your email. You can download it for free here: http://www.forextradingadvantage.net/

Solid Financial Planning Key to Prosperous Future

by Jeannette Jones

The law regards the job of an advisor as a position of trust and requires those with a fiduciary obligation to disclose any conflicts of interest and to act with a heightened sense of duty toward clients. Because The Asset Advisory Group is not affiliated with any bank, insurance company or brokerage firm, clients can be sure they are receiving unbiased advice tailored toward each financial situation.
To this point, The Asset Advisory Group believes in the notion that simple investing is best, so as never to mislead or confuse clients. Complexity can seem very alluring to investors, because it appeals to the belief that smart, sharp advisors have top secret ways of outperforming the market, which is almost never the case. The Asset Advisory Group's approach to investing does not include chasing the next best fund. Instead, the company focuses on building honest, solid portfolios designed to help preserve each client's existing wealth while keeping them up-to-date on new ideas, strategies and solutions to help improve their financial situations.
As leading Cincinnati wealth management advisors, The Asset Advisory Group offers a variety of key services, including examination of a client's current financial situation, addressing areas for improvement and assessing risk. From there, the investment strategy is simple: determine the appropriate mix of cash, bonds and stocks necessary to meet short and long-term financial goals.
The Asset Advisory Group also specializes in retirement financial planning and helping clients determine how and when they will be able to afford to stop working. During this process, the company assists clients in declaring a realistic financial goal - one that complements their current lifestyle, and that which they hope to live upon in retirement. Then, advisors map out a strategic outline designed to achieve these goals through careful planning and disciplined investment management.
The Asset Advisory Group can work in cooperation with each client's other advisors, like CPAs and attorneys. They then work together as a team to ensure that all investment management, tax and estate plans work together seamlessly.
With dozens of years of combined experience, the financial planners at The Asset Advisory Group have helped hundreds of clients achieve their financial objectives and reduce the stress of uncertainty.

About the Author
Jeannette Jones is the founder of The Asset Advisory Group, an independent Cincinnati financial advisory firm that manages investments for high net worth individuals and their families. A Cum Laude graduate of The Ohio State University, Jeannette has more than 25 years experience in the financial services industry.

How Domain Names Impact Your SEO

by Chris Beauchamp

Many website owners focus on techniques and tools, but there's one aspect that often goes unnoticed: the domain name. After link building, there are few things that can affect a site's ranking like the domain name does, and this article will explore a handful of ways that you can enhance your website's SEO rankings by making a smart choice with your domain name.
.Com ... .Net ... .Info? The TLD (which stands for Top Level Domain) is the .com, .net, .info, etc. If your website was yoursite.com, the TLD would be: .com. The TDL that you choose can play a major role in the ranking of your site, as many TLDs are seen as spammy and cheap. For example, .info domains can be purchased for $.99 and are traditionally used by spammers: the search engines recognize this and will be more hesitant about ranking this site. This isn't to say that the site will never get rankings, or doesn't have the opportunity to rank well for their terms; but it does mean that they will have a longer and often harder fight to win over the search engines' trust.
The question, then, is what TLDs are optimal? And the answer is that .com's are generally the #1 choice, followed by .org and .net, with all others coming in last. If possible, use .com for every site.
Registration Period This is a secret weapon for many seo experts. When a brand new website is first indexed by Google it is often put into what is called a "sandbox" for a few weeks to even a few months until it has had a chance to build a few trusted links and Google has seen that the site is trustworthy. Wouldn't it be great if you could virtually bypass the sandbox completely? Well, this strategy, along with the others in this article, can help you bypass the sandbox to get your new domain name ranked within days. I have done a test where a completely new site was indexed and ranking for my terms in less than a 24 hour period. I attribute much of that success to this technique. We are talking, of course, about the length of the domain registration period.
Most spammy sites will only order their domain name for one year, because they don't plan to investing for the long-term. Google recognizes this and if a site is registered 2 years or more, there's a much greater initial trust by Google to index and rank this site. It may cost an extra $7, but if you're serious about your site's SEO, this technique can't be ignored.
Using Keywords in the domain If there is one aspect of the domain name that has the biggest impact on search rankings it's the keyword. Go to your favorite search engine and do a search for any term: you'll find that many results in the top 10 often include at least part of the search term. It is imperative to your rankings to choose a domain name with your keywords before you ever build the site.
For example, if you're targeting "Black Tea", it would be best to find a domain like: BlackTeaHaven.com or BlackTeaOnline.com rather than something that doesn't include both of the words Black and Tea.
There are dozens of aspects of SEO, and I tend to think that the domain name is a lot like the foundation: other areas can be built on top of it, but if your domain isn't optimized for SEO, you'll be facing a difficult fight. Begin by using the three tips described above, then work at writing content and doing on-page SEO, and finally build trustworthy backlinks to your site and over time, your site will outrank all the competition!

About the Author
To find out about affordable seo marketing and link building packages that get results, visit http://MarketingTide.com »

What To Look For In MLM?

by James Booney

People have always had a bad impression on MLM. For the longest time, MLM has been recognized to bring empty promises to the people. There have been a lot of people who were tricked to invest money without really gaining anything at all. Here's the thing about MLM. People are easily swayed with the "promises" that these companies offer. Especially for first time investors, this would really seem as a good investment for most people.
People should always know where to invest their money. Here are some of the things to look for when it comes to MLM:
Real Product With MLM, people get the impression that they just have to expand their network in order to earn. Now, the best MLMs have relied on a better strategy to gain clients. By selling an actual product that people will be able to use, people will gain more interest in this business. Rather than just getting people to invest in thin air, it would be better to let people invest in something more useful.
Compensation Plan Here is the crucial part of an MLM. Only the best MLMs guarantee to pay out directly. This means that there are no conditions needed on order to earn money. Once a product is sold, a person must be guaranteed to earn at that instant. This is the only way that an MLM should work out.
People should be smarter now. In this time, there are a lot of scams which are coming out. People must be sure that they are investing in something that is worth it. Before paying for an MLM, you need to be sure that you know what you are getting into. When it comes to money, time should not be wasted in order for you to earn a lot of money.

About the Author
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Real Estate Investing Guide - Why Do You Need Them

by Gardner Wilkinson

A profitable form of investment, which will provide high returns at low risk, is something everyone is looking for. Once the stock market was the primary focus for such investors, but presently this market is quite volatile. As a result, the real estate market is becoming a better option for most of the investors. But before investing in a real estate market, you will need to be familiar with some terms and strategies. In fact, following a good real estate investing guide will help you to get high returns at a lower risk.
There are basically two types of properties where you can invest. These are the residential properties and business properties. The major differences between these two types of properties are the finances involved. In addition, there are some different guidelines and rules that you need to follow while obtaining such properties.
The following are some real estate investing guidelines that will help you in obtaining residential as well as business properties:
The location of the property: It is better to opt for properties that are located in the city center or are well connected to major business districts. For residential properties, look for one which is in proximity to supermarkets, schools or train stations.
The market value of the property: Do a proper research before purchasing any property. It is better to study the comparative rates of the neighboring properties. This will help you to identify the real value of your property.
The neighborhood of your property: You also need to consider the neighborhood of the property you are about to invest. Verify its safety from the local police station as well as from the local administrative figure.
Real Estate Investing Guide Books
You can also refer to some real estate investing guide books to learn the tricks of this trade. However, you need to look for certain factors which shopping for such books.
* Make sure that your real estate investing guide book outlines a clear business plan, which will help you to achieve the maximum profit. They must also show both the positive and negative aspects of such plans. Only such books will help you to understand the real life problem of this market that you are likely to face. This will help you to make strategic plans to overcome such problems.
* Look for books that include a list of common mistakes most of beginners make. Having this knowledge will enable you to avoid such mistakes and you can save your money in the long run. It is better to go for a real estate investing guide book that has a number of case study examples.
You also need to have a proper exit strategy. It will help you to get out of a deal if things go wrong, before it drains your resources.

About the Author
Realestateinvestingincanada.net is your most comprehensive real estate investing guide for creative real estate investors. Register now for free real estate investing class.

Writing Covered Calls - Understanding The Earnings Risk!

by James Thomas

Writing Covered Calls is an option trading strategy that has stood the test of time in providing shareholders with both a regular cash income and the same time a downside buffer.
However, one considerable risk that I see many amateurs taking is that they hold a stock over a company's earnings announcement.
Why is this risky you might be wondering?
Well all you need to do is to take a look at stocks in the lead up to their earnings announcements.
If investors believe that the numbers will be good, great or far better than expectations then they will bid the stock higher.
Though it can be great to be a stockholder during this lead up phase the 'risk' lies once the earnings announcement has been made, which can sometimes occur a couple of days either side of their scheduled date.
Have you ever seen a company's earnings come out and beat expectations only to see the stock then sell off?
This can be a real trap if you don't understand what is happening.
What is happening is investors who have made profits through the lead up phase to the earnings announcement are now taking their profits.
You might have heard of the saying, "Buy the rumor, sell the news"
This is exactly what happens during earnings, and a strong company will almost always bounce back quickly after profit taking.
The problem occurs when earnings numbers come in BELOW expectations, or if they come in WAY BELOW estimates.
At these times a virtual bloodbath can follow and quick downside losses of 30-50% or more can result.
As a covered call writer, your 3-6% premium for the month will do little to offset this.
I've experienced this first hand and as a result I now never hold stocks over earnings, EVER!
It's just not worth the risk. What I do is close out my positions a couple of days before the scheduled announcement, which often turns out to be the most profitable time to do so, then after the announcement comes out and the stock settles back down, I then re-enter the position if it still fits my covered call criteria.
Happy option trading and investing!

About the Author
James Thomas is an avid options trader and also likes to write on a variety of niche topics online including the best wood stove pipe to use for your wood stove. Read his double wall stove pipe review and get the optimum performance out of your wood stove this winter.

The Most Effective Credit Repair Strategy

by Jim Kemish

The Full Potential of Credit Repair
Credit repair can eliminate many of the bothersome errors on your credit report. This is an exciting and wonderful thing, but it is only half the benefit that a properly implemented strategy is capable of delivering, and to neglect the true potential of credit repair is to sell yourself short. Go the extra mile and you will see your scores reach unexpected heights and your credit report become so attractive to lenders that you will be able to secure the best, low cost financing available. Your credit is far too important to settle for anything less than the best.
The Power of New Credit
Everyone loves to watch negative items get deleted from their credit reports. It is liberating and exciting, but by itself it may not do much to raise your credit scores. Your credit scores do not have natural resilience. In other words, the absence of derogatory information on your report may eliminate the dead weight that was holding your scores down, but without positive credit to create loft, they will remain dormant like a deflated balloon awaiting inflation. You must have positive open accounts to provide this loft. Without positive credit your credit repair endeavor, and scores, are sure to disappoint.
The Right Type of Credit
If you do not have open accounts that are reporting in a positive manner you should remedy that state of affairs immediately. Building new credit is essential to your credit repair success, but not all forms of credit will benefit your scores, and some will be downright harmful. For the right outcome, stick with MasterCard and Visa. American Express and Discover are also fine, but harder to get and less widely accepted, so choose wisely. If you cannot get approved for standard cards, you should apply for secured cards. They are inexpensive, every bit as valuable and you will not get denied. Avoid store cards and consumer debt, like furniture store loans catalog credit lines. The FICO scoring model carries a bias against this type of debt and your scores will suffer.
The Importance of Balance Management
For the right credit repair results you must keep a close eye on your revolving balances. This cannot be stressed enough. Your scores will swing wildly based on your balances. Many people make the mistake of getting a couple of new secured credit cards and running them up to their limit. The intention in getting the card was right, but letting the balances run up can cost over 100 points. This is an easy error to make, especially if the limits on the secured cards are low. Credit repair requires diligence. Watch those balances!
Patience and Victory
Once you start your credit repair process you must be patient. The credit bureaus are required to process your disputes, but they do not do so willingly. The systems they have set up to manage the voluminous number of dispute letters they receive are designed to move the letters through the system with little emphasis on accuracy. Do not get flustered if your initial complaint gets ignored or denied. Remain calm and keep sending your request until you are satisfied. Statistically, the odds are that they will eventually process your credit repair request properly.
The Strength of Savings
In our experience those that start a credit repair program simultaneously with a small savings plan are most like to succeed. Unexpected events will arise. And with these events often come expenses. If your budget is too tight you will find that these occurrences stress your ability to make your payments on time, and suddenly you will find another new late payment on your credit report. Do not put your credit at risk. Find a way to start a savings plan. Budget for it. It will provide a buffer in hard times and insure that your credit repair results are safe.
Credit Repair Resources
Confused or overwhelmed by the prospects of investing the time needed to launch your credit repair effort properly? Do not be discouraged and do not give up. Nothing is more important. If you cannot handle it on your own, find a reputable credit repair service to take up the cause on your behalf. Do a little homework, check out the options, interview your top choices and make your decision. A professional credit repair company will insure that the job is done right. You will succeed!
Copyright © 2009 James W. Kemish. All Content. All Rights Reserved.


About the Author
Jim Kemish is the president and founder of Sky Blue Credit Repair, a leading credit repair service. Sky Blue Credit has been dedicated to providing intelligent customized credit solutions since 1989.

The Basics About Generating Leads with Network Marketing Articles

by Laura A Shapiro

The short answer to that question is a resounding "YES"!
Writing Network Marketing articles is one of the many strategies that can bring leads and profits into your business. And article marketing happens to play a big role in all types of online marketing.
Here are just a few suggestions that can help you master the art of using article marketing as part of your network marketing strategy.
Let me share a short story with you about how I started using articles as part of my Network Marketing business strategy. After my son was born, I realized pretty quickly that I didn't want to miss the precious years of his life while I was away at work in an office. So, I decided to figure out how to work from home and Network Marketing seemed to be my best option.
Like thousands of others, I spent lots of time, money and effort in training, e-books and other resources early on. After months of training and trying so many products and systems, reading books and watching videos, I sat down and took inventory to figure out what I was really good at.
Marketing your Network Marketing business can be done in a variety of ways. One key is to pick the one that works well with your personality and try to stick to it consistently. You can do other things along the way, but make sure you never leave out the activities that you like and excel at - as long as they are bringing you some results, of course. I actually like writing so one of my main strategies involves writing network marketing articles.
Now what you may not realize is. . . I just revealed one of the keys to successful article marketing. . . Did you catch that? Sure you did! I told you a true short story.
Your readers and potential business partners love true stories - and I emphasize the word "true". And you're going to have to trust me on this; people will be able to tell when you are stretching (or completely avoiding) the truth.
Make sure that your story is believable. That's not too hard to do - just be honest. In the online world, that sometimes seems hard to do because everything is so hyped up. But telling the truth is actually easier than trying to invent something and your readers / potential leads will appreciate this.
Now let's look at another fact about using network marketing articles as part of your strategy.
Christopher Knight, the owner and prolific article writer of EzineArticles.com, advocates that when you write articles you should keep the articles short and to the point. He recommends that your articles be between 250 - 1000 words in length. Mr. Knight explains that nowadays readers want their information as fast as possible. And he's absolutely right! However, I would say that 250 might be a little short - the general consensus is to have a minimum of 500 words. Of course you want to be quick and to the point - But your article needs to be long enough to contain the valuable information that readers are looking for.
Many people are intimidated by the thought of writing Network Marketing articles (or any articles for that mattter). If you happen to be one of them, remember this. . .you do not have to be a great writer.
Please don't write anything without first having some keywords in mind that you want to target in your article. Keywords are increasingly more important if you want your articles to be read. Use your keyword in your title and in the body of your article (in a natural, unforced way). And then, make sure that you submit your article to the sites that are favored by search engines.
If you don't feel comfortable writing Network Marketing articles yourself, you can outsource the work to someone else without investing too much money. Take a look at Elance.com for this - this is just one of the many service sites that you could use.
The Bum Marketing Method is a free resource that offers great instructions on article marketing. This is a general guide which doesn't only pertain to network marketing but a great place to start, especially if you are on a low budget. You also have to opt in - but the information you receive is free, detailed, and pretty straight-forward with some great tips and ways to take action immediately.
The most thorough training on article marketing that I've come across is in the Renegade Professional program - you literally follow along step-by-step in order to create your own articles. An additional plus is that the course was specifically designed for network marketers!

About the Author
Are you looking form more article marketing tips and resources? Or are you thinking "I just don't have the time to write network marketing articles or the money to outsource them to someone else!" Visit www.MLM-advantage.com today to find the strategy that works for you!

Forex Rebellion - Discover the System that Finds Trades With 80+% Accuracy!

by Scott T Walker

Thousands of traders are making money from the foreign exchange market everyday, either from trading by themselves after attending forex trading courses or by investing in automated forex trading systems to place and sell their trades automatically. This article explores the advantages and disadvantages for both options and introduces a powerful new system that has just been released to the market.
If you sign up for a forex trading course and apply their strategies accurately, you can stand to make a lot of money from the foreign exchange market. However, most beginners to currency trading are not able to absorb and apply the strategies precisely enough and end up with a loss. Another consideration is that most of us have a full time job and are not able to monitor the market continuously every day, thus losing out on many potentially profitable opportunities.
The other alternative would be to invest in an automated forex trading system that monitors the market and trades for you on autopilot. All you need to do is to download the software, leave your computer on 24/7 and check back once in a while to see the trades and your account increasing in size. However, what happens if the inventors of the trading robot no longer wants to provide updates for it? Because the source code is never revealed to you, you will never know about the strategies that make them run and will never be able to replicate it for yourself to trade manually.
Enter Forex Rebellion. Forex Rebellion is not your typical forex trading course, neither is it a software that trades for you automatically. Rather it is a system that teaches you a 3 phase easy to learn trading strategy and also comes with a Trade Advisor that you can leave on 24/7 and signals you whenever it finds a trading opportunity. It is then up to you if you want to participate in it, leaving you with the maximum flexibility.

About the Author
If you wish to find out more about Forex Rebellion, read our Forex Rebellion Review and discover how you can trade with 80+% accuracy in just 25 minutes. If you want to learn forex trading online, remember to sign up for our 6 part forex trading mini-course absolutely free for a limited time only.

Recipe For Starting Up a Successful Business

by Alvin Jay

Effective money management. This is essential for anyone who wants to ensure that their business idea has longevity in the market. You need to know where your money is going and how every dollar is spent. By gaining a sense of your measurables and distributables, you will understand the process of business growth much more effectively. Always have a stash of risk capital when you are starting your business, just in case an unforeseen comes along or something happens that causes you to overhaul your business plan. Never be stuck without a dime because you need to be able to pump in money as and when needed. Also, have a system of accounting for the money that you are spending, and you need to track every dollar down.
Measure effective spending versus liabilities in your corporate strategy and balance that with your projections. With this, you will be able to fill in some of the blanks in your business plan and ensure that nothing surprises you. Also, have a good business plan that projects for at least 3 - 5 years and make sure that you stick to it. A good business plan requires a careful amount of thought and planning, right down to the wire. Calculate prices versus expenditure, profits versus revenue and how long it should be taking for you to start to recover your cost and pay back any investors you might be having. In the end of the day, success of any plan requires careful diligence. It is just like investing on the stock market.
You would not allow the market to simply run its rounds without you carefully monitoring it on a daily basis. Same for your business. Never it run out of hand and in this case, knowledge really is power. Also, cutting costs whenever possible is an excellent way for anyone to ensure that their business has the longevity to stay in the market and watch itself flourish. One of the best ways to do so is to hire the services of a virtual office. Why? Business spend 5 figure sums on their physical offices and if you are established, its ok. But is you are starting up, then that is not the sort of capital you need to be spending on something as inconsequential as rent. Starting a business means you need to feel out the market and your strategies and whether you have the right equation for a resounding success. You need a test bed option and one that is low cost.
The good thing about a virtual office is that it gives you a premium office address and all the requirements for a basic office. Some are more advanced than others and are customisable to the type of business that you are conducting. The costs that you can save are tremendous and in the end of it all, the more money you have in the bank, the better your odds at either prolonging your strategy or making a new one.

About the Author
Cut your business rental costs and use a virtual-office instead. Sign up today at this singapore virtual office or compare virtual office space plans.