To become successful with your money, you have to make your money work for you. You sell your labor which in return makes you money. By making each individual dollar work for you, this in return makes you wealthy over time. There are a plethora of investing opportunities out there. The key is to figure out which one is the right one for your financial situation.Stocks
The most popular of all investing opportunities, are stocks. Stocks are probably the main thing you think of when you hear of investing. When you buy a stock, you buy partial ownership of a company. Stocks range anywhere from $2, to $12,000, which can appeal to a large variety of people. To be successful when trading stocks, you have to buy low and sell high. Of course this isn’t easy, considering the market is always fluctuating. You need to watch the history of the company, know the PE Ratio, the day range, the 52 week range, etc. Knowing this information can help you predict if the stock will go up or down. You can make a lot of money investing in stocks, which means you can also lose a lot of money. You want to keep in mind that most investments in stocks are long term investments. It is very risky investing, but if you do the proper research of the history of the company, you can get a very good return.Stock Investing Tips1.) Have the Right Expectations
When you are investing in stocks, you want to make sure you aren’t expecting to become Warren Buffet over night. It just wont happen. You want to make sure you do the proper amount of research, and make sure you know the history of the market as well as the company you are investing in. When investing in stocks, the return is around 10%-13%. You don’t want to make hasty decisions and buy and sell a lot just because you aren’t making the money you expected. Make sure you know how long you are keeping an investment, and then make a commitment. This will help you focus on the principles.2.) Don’t Listen to the Media
Don’t get caught up in what everyone is talking about and what is being said around you. It will take your decision from being based on research and history, to just “hear-say”. This will hurt your investments immensely. Most of the hype and other things that are being said are just the daily fluctuation of the market.3.) Stay Focused
You want to make sure you are putting all your effort and focus into your investments. Once you buy a stock, you own part of a company. Make sure you treat it the way it is and make sure you do the proper research of all aspects of what you’re investing in. Doing your research can change your investment of making a profit of $15,000, to losing $15,000. In the end, it’s always worth it to do the extra work.Mutual Funds
When you invest in Mutual Funds, you are pooling your money with a number of other investors. You then pay someone to professionally manage and choose each individual security for you. There are a variety of different mutual funds you can choose to invest in, which range to fit your investment strategy.
3 Types of Mutual Funds
1.) Open-Ended
2.) Unit Investment Trust
3.) Close-EndedMutual Fund Investing Tips1.) Look at the Fees
Always look at the fees involved when investing in Mutual Funds. When you pay more for something, this usually means that you are going to be getting a better product or service, right? Yes! Makes sure you find the best deal, but make sure you are investing the right amount of money in the right places. It can change the course of the whole investment in the long run.2.) Research the History
One thing you can do to prepare an investment is to check out the history of the Mutual Fund. Just like anything, the history shows how well it has performed, and can be a good indicator. This can directly tell you if it will be a good investment whether it be long term or short term. Another thing you want to look at, is the asset of the fund. If it’s doing good, and there is a community of people investing in it, it can tell you if its a smart idea to invest yourself. Always check the history of any investment before you decide to purchase.3.) Look at the Contract
You never know what is all involved until you take a detailed look at the prospectus provided by the fund. You want to make sure you don’t just know bits and pieces of what’s involved, but everything there is to know, and then some. Make sure you know all the fees involved with buying and selling funds, and if there are international fees required. Knowing this can help you determine if the company is a solid company where you can make money, or if you are getting into something you will regret in the future.Bank Investments
Bank accounts are one of the simplest form of investment. Most banks give you a very small percentage for opening a bank account and giving them your money. This percentage barely beats the rise of inflation, so unless you are keeping hundreds of thousands of dollars in the bank, you won’t be creating any wealth from this form of investment. Another way to invest in your bank is a CD, or Certificate of Deposit. A CD if very similar to a bank account, but they are usually for a fixed amount of time. They can be monthly, every six months, a year, etc. the CD is then held until its maturity date, and paid back with interest. A Certificate of Deposit usually earns more money than an account at which you can withdrawal the money at any time, like a bank account.Alternative Investments
Apart from the basic investments, there are other special securities. These investments include gold/silver, real estate, etc. These investments are speculative and can be very high profit, however; you need to have the knowledge.1.) Gold & Silver
The first thing you want to do before you invest in gold or silver, is to look at the market and decide if now is the best time to invest in precious metals. You can also talk to a professional and decide when the best time to buy and sell would be. You want to make sure you are familiar with the variety of ways to invest in silver. You can invest in silver mining companies, silver ETF’s, silver futures, silver bullion, and also silver coins. You want to make sure the Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) are backed by physical gold and silver. Another thing to remember, is to not just own a paper owning, but the actual precious metal as well.
Everything You Need to Know About Investing
10 Things You Need to Know Before Starting a Business
Having started 9 successful small business during my 11 year business career I am routinely asked, “How did you make the jump into self-employment?” and “What are the most important things you need to do before you start a business?” These questions are then usually followed up by a barrage of questions about the minutia that goes into small business ownership and development. Questions such as, “Where do I get a Tax I.D. number?” or “How do I get capital?” or “How do I register my website?” are often asked. Although these minutia-focused questions do have some validity and some credence to them, the real important stuff that every entrepreneur needs to know is more general. The important information that an entrepreneur needs to know is the winning-mindset stuff. The stuff that determines whether an entrepreneur succeeds or not is not in the minutia. I can teach a moron how to get a Tax I.D. number, but I can’t teach a moron how to fully embrace, and passionate implement the “10 Things That You Need To Know Before Starting A Business.” These 10 things, concepts and ideas have the power to alter your entire success trajectory or they have the potential to do nothing. How these 10 things impact your life is 100% up to you. And so without any further ado, here we go:1. A business is not a business until you are actually selling something.I know, I get it. Trust me. Buying furniture and phones is fun. I know that designing your own logo is cool and thrilling. I know that buying your very own custom-wrapped vehicle sounds appealing. I know that ordering letter-head with your name on it is awesome. I know that the new Voice-Over-The-Internet phone system is truly revolutionary. However none of those things matter at all until you make your first sale. If you can’t sale you do not have a business. If you have not made your first sale, all you have is a “justification to buy professional office gadgets.” If you have not yet been handed cash by a customer in exchange for a product or service that you have added value to or rendered then your business is bogus.2. The best way to market your new product or service is by harassing the power of deep discounts based on richly anchored prices.If you want to enter and potentially exit on top of a new market during your lifetime, the only way to do it effectively without using a huge amount of marketing capital and time is by offering deeply discounted prices based on richly anchored prices. Here is an example. If you wanted to enter into the landscaping business in your town the chances are that there is already a top dog in your market. There is probably already somebody in your town that has market share by a wide margin. This company probably already has an army of landscaping crews and probably already has a certain well known marketing strategy. So how do you enter the market victoriously? If you want to win. You need to offer your customers the trojan horse. Not that you are misleading them in anyway, but you want to give them a FREE GIFT SAMPLE or a DEEPLY DISCOUNTED TRIAL PERIOD of your product and service. Once they experience the magic of your product or service, your high-prices will soon no longer matter. Soon your prices will seem justified by the extremely high quality of your product and service. Think about the iPhone, how much are those things? How much does it actually cost to buy one of those phones without buying a phone plan? A lot. Why are Americans willing to buy a new iPhone? Because they got their first iPhone deeply discounted with their phone plan.3. At the end of the day, if you or your company can’t sell, then your business is going to hell.You might be a genius and your product might be the best. You might be the best author in American history, but if your cover stinks and Americans never buy your book then your contents will never be read and your ideas will never make it out to the marketplace. Is this fair? Yes. Americans do judge books by their covers and they do judge businesses based on their perceived value. If your website stinks, they think you stink. If your sales presentation stinks, they think your product stinks. My friend, if you can’t sell your product to the people then do not start a business. If you can’t convince people that you have added a significant amount of value to the product or service, then you need to stop with the process of starting a business before you start.4. Do not EVER build a business model that is not ultimately scalable and duplicatable without your direct participation in the business.Although there is nothing wrong with hard work, there is something very wrong about exchanging your time for more indefinitely. Short term, we all have to exchange our time for money. To start my first businesses I had to work nearly 80 hours per week on a concrete construction site by day while working as a home-health aid for the elderly at night. Did I have to exchange my time for money? Yes. But ultimately I was able to exchange this money for a business that I was able to create. At first this business was a part of me. It did not work without me. It had no pulse without me. Without me it did not breathe. When I took a week off, it took took a week off. When I lost focus, the people around me lost focus. However, over time and with the intense encouragement of my wife and the intense desire I had to achieve more in life I was able to overcome the mental obstacle block and belief that, “I had to do everything related to my business.” My friend as you build and grow your business make sure that you avoid getting yourself into a business trap. Do not build a business around the personality and drive of a single person. Although this business model will make you feel sexy and popular, it will limit your growth and your time freedom. As you grow your business, make sure it can expand with the infusion of extra capital, more real estate and more people, not just more and more of you (because your family needs you too).”The secret of success lies not in doing your own work, but in recognizing the right man to do it” – Andrew Carnegie5. Before you invest a dime into any business, determine exactly how much money you are willing to invest in its success or failure.As you get yourself mentally geared up to start any business, you are going to be the most positive of mindsets. Every new business is exciting on paper. When it is just an idea it is fun, ambitious and inspiring. However, once you give life to this idea by infusing it with your hard earned capital it is no longer so fun. It is now a job. And once it is a job, things get serious. As things get serious, more and more capital is needed to buy a few more of these things and those things. A little more marketing is needed, and a few more pieces of new technology are needed. Soon money is flowing out of your wallet, like its the final 2 weeks before Christmas. If you are not careful, you will lose your shirt during this time. Do not fall into this trap. Set a limit on the amount of cash you are willing to infuse into your business and do not exceed this amount no matter what. Do your planning. Build your proformas and then stick to it. Do not get excited. Stay focused on making a profit.6. Focus on becoming an expert and guru in your area of strength instead of focusing on improving your weaknesses.I don’t enjoy small talk. I hate minutia. I do not like long-winded conversations about nothing. I am irritated by those that provide general criticisms. Those who talk and are not doers annoy the hell out of me. I am able to be in the presence of mediocrity without confronting it. I cannot stand accounting minutia. Filling out forms causes me anxiety attacks. I can’t remember my address, or nearly any information that I don’t deem to be necessary for everyday function. These are my weaknesses. What are yours?I think and talk about the big picture. I love “big ideas.” I get lots of things done because I keep conversations short. I often arrive to work at 1:00 AM on Monday morning so that I can get everything done that I feel I need to get done. I have relentless followup with subordinates who would otherwise fail if left to their own, “I didn’t have time” alibis. I delegate the accounting minutia. I have my wife and coworkers fill out all forms for me. I have my address typed into a document that I can easily access from my computer. I refuse to attempt to memorize anything, so I make checklists for everything. These are my strengths.My friend, if you lived 3 life-times we would not have enough time to improve all of our weaknesses. So why even attempt to? Spend your time honing your God-given skills. God gave you skills. Use them to get paid. People will pay you to watch you pursue your passions. People will never pay to watch me make small talk at a birthday party. People will pay me for getting things done. People will never pay me for being good at filling out forms. People will pay us, if my assistant fills out the contractor identification form correctly. Spend your time improving your God given skills. Avoid what you are not good at and delegate what you cannot stand doing.7. Focus your effort on one thing and one problem until you solve it.So many entrepreneurs hop from one idea to the next. They love moving to greener pastures. You will never gain success in your industry or line of work until you have developed mastery in it. How many hours are needed to develop mastery of something? In Malcolm Gladwell’s book the Outliers, he delves into the factors that went into creating the highest levels of success on the planet. His thesis is essentially that those who spend a disproportionate amount of time doing one thing ultimately become the best masters at this one thing, thus they get paid the most for their mastery of this one thing. His study focuses on the lives of Bill Gates, Robert Oppenheimer (the genius who created the A-bomb), and numerous other top performers. Essentially he believes that the “10,000 Hour Rule” is the true key to top success in any field. However, regardless of how you feel about Gladwell’s research, the basic truth remains. You will never be good at something unless you stick with it until you master it.”Concentrate your energies, your thoughts and your capital. The wise man puts all his eggs in one basket and watches the basket.” – Andrew Carnegie”The men who have succeeded are men who have chosen one line and stuck to it.” – Andrew Carnegie8. Your opinion is not valid, but the customer’s is.In the world of entrepreneurship we can often get excited about our new idea. We have this new idea that we believe that everyone will love. However, after we explain to a group of guys a church camp and a group of people at work and then a few more people at the local gym, we begin to realize that this idea makes the concept of marketing “dehydrated water packets” to be a good one. The fact is, the more you explain the idea, the more people ask you, “What the hell are you talking about?” As you slowly become more and more frustrated with “the people that just don’t get your ideas” you have two options available.You can act like Colonel Sanders and spend your entire life trying to convince America that your idea is good (KFC did not become a reality until the last few years of the legendary Colonel Sanders’ life), or you can realize that its time to move on to another “great idea.” As for me, I do not want to be a life-time sacrificial martyr for a good idea. However, you might want to be.
As a general rule I would encourage you to keep this in mind. Humans are the ones that buy your products and services. If they don’t get it, they won’t buy it. Crystal Clear Pepsi was cool, but the people didn’t get it.9. Realize that 80% of your success will ultimately come from 20% of your efforts.If you want to Google “Pareto’s Principle” then you will quickly discover what I am talking about here. Essentially it all breaks down like this. As your company markets and markets, you will soon find that 80% of your business comes from 20% of the marketing sources. As you begin spending more and more time in the office, you will begin to see that 80% of your effectiveness comes from 20% of the activities that you do on a daily basis. So without getting too philosophical with you on this point, I will encourage you to periodically stop and ask yourself, “What 20% of activities am I personally doing to create 80% of my success?”10. Win-Win situations are the only sustainable business solutions.Everybody is always trying to pull a fast one on somebody else. He is always trying to take advantage of them. They are always trying to get what he has without him knowing. The two of them are always trying to plot to make a quick-buck from those guys. But at the end of the day, the only sustainable solution is creating an endless stream of “mutually beneficial relationships.” The late great Andrew Carnegie believed so much in this philosophy that he devoted nearly his entire post working-career to writing, and spreading this “Gospel of Wealth” as he called it. He believed that American business would thrive like never before if only the people would realize the power of working in harmony with our fellow man in a synergistic way that allows both parties to achieve their goals. Carnegie believed in this principle because it worked for him.
How To Avoid Mistakes On Your Credit Report
We have developed eight effective strategies for preventing mistakes on your credit report. We wish you much success.1) Beware Of Debts & Credit You Don’t UseJust as it is very easy to apply for a store credit card, it is also easy to forget you have it. It is important to remember that the account will remain on your report and affect your score as long as it is open. Don’t make the mistake of having credit lines and cards you don’t need. It makes you look more risky from a lenders point of view.Also, having many accounts you don’t use increases the odds that you will forget about an old account and stop making payments on it, resulting in a lowered credit score. Keep only the accounts you use regularly and consider closing your other accounts. Having fewer accounts will make it easier for you to keep track of your debts and will increase the chances of you having a good credit score.However, realize that when you close an account, the record of the closed account remains on your credit report and can affect your credit score for some time. In fact, closing unused credit accounts may actually cause your credit score to drop in the short-term, as you will have higher credit balances spread out over a smaller overall credit account base.For example, if your unused credit limits amount to $2,000, and your regularly used accounts also have a credit limit of $2,000, you have $4,000 of available credit. If you close your unused accounts and owe $1,000 on the accounts you use regularly, you have gone from using one-fourth of your credit ($1,000 owed on a possible $4,000) to using one-half of your credit ($1,000 from a possible $2,000). This will actually cause your credit risk rating to drop. In the long term, though, not having extra temptation to charge, and not having credit you don’t need will help you budget.2) Avoid Having Many Credit Report InquiriesAn inquiry is noted every time someone looks at your credit report. Don’t make the mistake of allowing too many inquiries on your credit report, as it may appear that you have been rejected by multiple lenders. This means that you should be careful about who looks at it. If you are shopping for a loan (finding the lowest interest rate based on your credit), shop around within a short period of time, as inquiries made within a few days of each other will generally be lumped together and counted as one inquiry.You can also cut down the number of inquiries on your account by approaching lenders you have already researched and are interested in doing business with. By researching first, and approaching second, you will likely have only a few lenders accessing your credit report at the same time, which can help save your credit score.3) Don’t Mistakenly Over-Use Online Loan Rate ComparisonsOnline loan rate quotes are easy to obtain. Just type in some personal information and within seconds you can receive a quote on your car loan, personal loan, student loan, or mortgage. This is free and convenient, leading many people to compare several companies at once in order to get the best possible loan rate. The problem is that since online quotes are a fairly recent phenomenon, credit bureaus count each quote as an inquiry. This means that if you compare too many companies online, your credit score will suffer.This does not mean you shouldn’t seek online quotes for loan. In fact, online loan quotes are a great resource that can help you get the very best rates on your next loan. It just means that you should carefully research companies and narrow down your choices to only a few lenders before making inquiries. This will help ensure that the number of inquires on your credit report is small, and your score will remain strong.4) Don’t Make The Mistake Of Thinking You Only Have One Credit ReportMost people mistakenly speak of having a “credit score” when in fact credit reports often include three or more credit scores. There are three major credit bureaus in the United States that develop credit reports and calculate credit scores, as well as a number of smaller credit bureau companies. In addition, some larger lenders calculate their own credit risk score based on information in your credit report. When improving your credit report, you should not focus on one number. You should contact the three major credit bureaus and work on improving all three credit scores.5) Don’t Close Multiple Credit AccountsMany people make the mistake of closing multiple credit accounts in an effort to improve their credit score. If you close an account you need (for example, if you close all your credit card accounts), then you may find yourself in the position where you need to reapply for credit. Not only is this inconvenient, but the inquiries from credit companies can actually hurt your credit report. Additionally, credit bureaus will actually look favorably upon your credit report if they can see that you have a (good) long-term credit history. For example, don’t make the mistake of closing a credit card account you have had for the past 10 years, as this may actually hurt your credit report.lf you have credit accounts that you don’t use, or if you have too many credit lines, then by all means pay off some and close them. Doing so may help your credit score, as long as you don’t close long-term accounts you need. In general, close your newest accounts first, and only when you are certain you will not need that credit in the near future.Closing your accounts is a bad idea if:A) You will be applying for a loan soon. The closing of your accounts will make your score drop in the short-term and will not allow you to qualify for good loan rates.B) Your debt to credit ratio increases. For example, you owe $10,000 now and have access to an extra $5,000. However, after closing some accounts you are only left with $1,000. This brings you closer to maxing out your credit and in turn hurts your report.6) Don’t Assume Only One Action Will Improve Your Credit ReportAn example of a common mistake that some debtors make is believing that paying off a credit card bill will boost their score by 50 points, while closing an unused credit account will result in 20 more points. Improving your credit report is certainly not this simple. How much any one action will affect your credit score is impossible to gauge. It will depend on multiple factors, including your current credit score, and which credit bureau is calculating it. In general, the higher your credit score, the more small factors – such as one unpaid bill – will affect you. When repairing the score on your credit report, you should not equate specific credit repair actions with numbers. The idea is to do as many things as you can to improve your credit report.7) Having No Loans & No Debt Will Not Improve Your Credit ReportSome people make the mistake of believing that owing no money, having no credit cards, and avoiding the whole world of credit will help improve the score on their credit report. In reality, the opposite is true. Lenders want to know about your past ability to handle credit, and the only way they can tell is by the score on your credit report. Having no credit at all can actually be worse for your credit score than having a few credit accounts that you pay off on time. If you currently have no credit accounts at all, opening a low balance credit card can actually boost your credit score.Think of your credit report like a basketball game. The player who scores many points in every game is considered to be a great player, and will receive higher financial rewards than those who only score a few points. Those who don’t even play basketball have no scores to “report” to the game officials. In the world of credit reports, the debtor who scores the most points is someone who pays off their credit accounts every month. They will receive financial rewards through easier access to loans and lower interest rates, while those who have no credit accounts have a very low credit score.8) Never Do Anything Illegal To Repair Your Credit ReportIt seems pretty obvious, but plenty of people make the mistake of lying about their credit score or even falsifying their loan applications because they are ashamed of a bad score. Not only is this illegal, but it is also completely ineffective at repairing your credit report. Your credit score is easy to check and, not only will you not fool lenders by lying on your credit report, but you may actually face legal action as a result of your dishonesty.