investing,investment

Poverty in America: Over 35 million living below the poverty line

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:34:00 +0000

by: Ofer Shoshani
Copyright 2005 Ofer Shoshani

The problem of poverty in America comes as a surprise. How can a wealthy nation experience poverty? Though the rate of poverty is lower in a developed nation like America than in Africa, the problem of poverty is real. Inner-cities and rural communities in America are all affected by poverty.

In 2004 the American government defined poverty as a family of four living with an income below $18,810. However, consider the costs in America of housing, utilities, transportation, food, health care, and child care. Even this income seems too small.

The effects of poverty in America are many. Poor nutrition leads to poor health. Poor health makes study and work difficult. Poor education and an inability to work effects income. These problems must be considered alongside other issues: the problem of racism, discrimination against communities, and unequal access to education.

With over thirty-five million living below the poverty line in America, poverty looms as one of the nation's biggeset problems. It requires huge effort and imagination to begin solving the problem. At its heart, solving the problem of poverty is about the creative cultivation of the talents and dreams of all Americans.

Access to education must be equal for all. Those prospering must bear the burdens of those in need. Everyone must be helped to avoid despair and to hope for change. Everyone must recognize the offensiveness of poverty in a nation like America.

Some organizations have already begun work against poverty in America. The Catholic Campaign for Human Development seeks to transform America into a more caring nation where poverty is an offense against all. The Clemente Course is an education programme for the underpriveleged in America -- it offers a humanities education to those unable to attend University on their own.

These organizations can help you begin to explore the problem of poverty in America and to contribute to a solution.

More Articles on Poverty, globalization and Justice Articles can be found here: http://betotal.com/artman/publish/cat_index_58.shtml

About the author:
Ofer Shoshani has been working for the last 5 years as a professional journalist, writing from Spain, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, USA, Israel, India & Thailand. More of his work can be found at http://www.betotal.com(international child sponsorship programs), http://www.nzpassport.com(Immigration, Relocation and Investment in New Zealand) and http://www.bespanish.com(Immigration, Relocation and Investment in Spain).

Sales Process - How to Avoid Wasting Time on Prospects Who CAN'T or WON'T Pay

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:33:00 +0000

by: Alan Rigg
Do you have blind faith that, if you can somehow convince a prospect to engage in a sales cycle, you will eventually make a sale? If you do, watch out! This belief can waste your time, effort, and company resources.

Unfortunately, time and resource investments do not inevitably produce sales. How many of the opportunities in your pipeline have been stalled at the same step in the sales cycle for weeks...or months? In how many opportunities have you and your company invested enormous amounts of time, energy and resources (conducting product demonstrations, writing lengthy proposals, providing product evaluations, etc.), only to have the prospect decide they don't WANT to buy, or prove INCAPABLE of funding the purchase? Even when you make sales, how many turn out to be "nightmare" customers who are always dissatisfied and consume huge amounts of post-sale resources?

All Prospects Are NOT Created Equal

You DO need to help your prospects explore whether their business problems are substantial enough to justify investing time in a sales cycle. However, you also need to figure out whether each prospect is WORTHY of your time and resource investments! If a prospect is not a good fit, gracefully exit from the opportunity! (Why not refer them to a competitor and let the competitor burn some cycles?)

How can you determine whether a prospect is worthy of your time and resource investments? Many sales skills training courses teach an acronym, M-A-N, that stands for Money, Authority, and Need. The basic idea is to determine whether:

1. The prospect is willing to commit enough budget dollars (MONEY) to pay for the product or service

2. The key decision makers and influencers (AUTHORITY) have been identified; and

3. The prospect's pain (NEED) is severe enough to justify investing in a solution.

Unfortunately, even when you do a good job of M-A-N qualification, you can be "blindsided" by issues that delay sales cycles or destroy opportunities outright. For example:

* Some prospects prove incapable of securing financing. They may have a budget, but they are not "credit worthy", so they can't FUND the budget.

* Some decision makers need to have specific information provided in a specific format before they can authorize a buying decision.

* Sometimes you invest considerable time and effort in troubleshooting complex problems and designing solutions, only to be informed that the prospect must take the proposed solution OUT TO BID. This can lead to the opportunity being lost to a low bidder or the profitability of the opportunity being pummeled.

To avoid these issues, add additional questions to the M-A-N qualification process. The acronym that I have assigned to this revised process is M-A-I-N BP, which stands for MONEY, AUTHORITY, INFORMATION, NEED, and BUYING PROCESS. Here are sample M-A-I-N BP questions:

MONEY

* How will your prospect pay for the product or service?

* Has a budget been established?

* Are they credit worthy?

AUTHORITY

* Who (in the prospect's organization) needs to approve an acquisition of this nature?

INFORMATION

* What information do the decision makers require before they can make a decision?

* What format does this information need to be in?

NEED

* What are the prospect's business problems?

* How compelling are they? In other words, can you quantify (associate dollars, percentages, and time frames with) the pain the prospect is feeling?

* Are the quantified business impacts substantial enough to warrant investment by the prospect's organization (and YOUR company) in identifying and fixing the problem(s)?

BUYING PROCESS

* What is the prospect's buying (procurement) process?

* What impact might this process have on the profitability of the transaction?

* What competitive advantage will you receive if you invest your time and resources in designing a solution that goes out to bid?

If you decide to add M-A-I-N BP qualification to your sales opportunity qualification process, here are some final thoughts to keep in mind:

* If you don't know the answers to ALL of the M-A-I-N BP questions, it is highly likely you are wasting your time and resources!

* Opportunity qualification is NOT A ONE-TIME EVENT. As an opportunity advances through the sales cycle, you should frequently ask whether any of the answers to the qualification questions have changed. If an answer changes, it could impact the length of the sales cycle and even destroy the viability of the opportunity. At minimum, an answer change will probably require a change in focus and/or a reprioritization of planned activities.

* Never feel bad about disqualifying an "opportunity". The amount of opportunity in each territory is virtually unlimited. If you carefully qualify and re-qualify each opportunity, and only invest time and resources in qualified opportunities, you will maximize your return on time and resources invested.

About the author:
Sales performance expert Alan Rigg is the author of How to Beat the 80/20 Rule in Selling: Why Most Salespeople Don't Perform and What to Do About It. His company, 80/20 Sales Performance, helps business owners, executives, and managers DOUBLE sales by implementing The Right Formula(tm) for building top-performing sales teams. For more information and more FREE sales and sales management tips, visit http://www.8020salesperformance.com

Going Broke Committing To Your Job? A Home-Based Business Is The Answer

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:32:00 +0000

by: Eugene Byers
As the price of gas hovers around $3 per gallon in many states, people everywhere are starting to wonder about their future. It doesn't help that oil industry analysts are predicting gas prices will remain high for months and maybe for years.

Suddenly, commuting to your job is looking like a major investment that's already a big hit on your budget.

Maybe it's time for you to finally start a serious home-based business. Don't panic. Starting a business at home doesn't need to take a big investment. It can be done cheaply, basically coming out of the grocery money. And you don't need more training or education, because some firms offer very simple, well thought out, automated systems for you to use.

Expect to hear anywhere from a helpful part-time income of a few hundred dollars per month to an impressive full-time income that would rival the earnings of many corporate CEO's.

Here's what to look for when choosing a home-based business:

* Find something that really sounds exciting to you. Success in business is often based strictly on your enthusiasm for what you're selling. If you truly enjoy the product, you'll sell a whole lot more.

* Don't let anyone tell you Network Marketing (or MLM) is a bad thing. Big corporate media reports often portray MLM in a bad light, but that's only because most reporters have very little experience working outside the corporation. The truth is MLM has hit it's own pace since the advent of the Internet. Many top companies are earning hundreds of millions of dollars each year, with thousands of happy members. These companies enjoy unprecedented low overhead and little to no debt.

* Look for a home-based opportunity that comes with all the training and support you'll need to get started. Nothing can be more detrimental to your business than getting all set up, then finding out there is no one to help you figure out what to do next. Look for opportunities that have online assistance, telephone help, or get you connected with other more experienced members.

Finally, don't put off the business you can start today. As the months go by and prices get even higher, more and more people will be looking for their own home based business to supplement or replace their income. Get started now to be at the top of this exciting movement.

About the author:
Euguene Byers has studied many home-based business opportunities. He offers the best of the bunch at http://goldrushusa.com/5428euGet instant info on this business that lets you earn cash and 24K Gold Bullion: http://www.wealthinfo4u.com/5428euReach Eugene at high_impact4u@yahoo.com

An Untapped Resource For Finding Your Ideal Home Business

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:31:00 +0000

by: Chuck Huckaby
The pitch "Business For Sale!" may be your key to a Profitable Home Based Business!
In fact, your GOLDEN Opportunity may be just a FEW CLICKS AWAY!...

But most people NEVER even know that a profitable, proven, growing home based business that COULD be theirs might be right under their nose!

99% of the people seeking a home based business go to the news stand or the Internet.

They look at 100 "me too" operations selling nutrition, soap, or some digital product and HOPE it might work locally.

Wouldn't it be much simpler to find a viable, cash generating, home based business opportunity right in your own home town that is already proven to work?

You can!

And 99.5% of the other home business wannabe's in town will never bother you as competition either.

That's because they don't know how to tap into the nationwide network of business brokers.

Yes.

They even sell HOME BASED BUSINESSES!

I can hear you now.

"But I don't have money to BUY a business!"

Well, you don't necessarily have to buy anything.

But, you CAN look at "Business for Sale" listings from all over the country and you WILL find home businesses for sale.

Or ideas for businesses that can be operated from home that you can re-create in your neck of the woods.

For the price of some hours spent surfing the net at a key website I've discovered, you'll develop page after page of ideas for your home based business.

In fact, you may never have to go searching again for ideas once you know where to look and find out that the looking only involves the investment of your time.

Found a business you really like at a reasonable price? You might just want to buy it.

Or at least respond to the listing and see what other information you can glean about the enterprise!

Your time learning about businesses for sale may be the best investment you'll ever make in your home business career. It will expand your horizons as an entrepreneur, cure you of home business pipe dreams, and let you find out what works in the REAL world!

For information on how to find an indepth and NO COST listing of business brokers throughout the US, visit:

http://1sthowtoworkathome.com/business-for-sale.html

About the author:
Chuck Huckaby, Lawrenceburg,TN, USA
http://1stHowToWorkAtHome.com/business-for-sale.html
Chuck Huckaby publishes 1stHowToWorkAtHome.com, the Budding NetPreneur's "Escape The Rat Race Portal" with so much content, it's like getting a no cost ebook on every page!

Forex Trading Online - 7 Reasons You Should!

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:30:00 +0000

by: Keith Thompson
Copyright 2005 Keith Thompson

Forex trading online is a fast way to use your investment capital to it's fullest. The Forex markets offer distinct advantages to the small and large traders alike, making Forex currency trading in many ways preferable to other markets such as stocks, options or traditional futures. Here are seven reasons why you'll want to look into Forex Trading online.

1 - Forex is the largest market.
Forex trading volume of more than 1.9 billion, more than 3 times larger than the equities market and more than 5 times bigger than futures, give Forex traders nearly unlimited liquidity and flexibility.

2 - Forex never sleeps!
You can execute forex trading online 24/7, from 7AM New Zealand time on Monday morning, to 5PM New York time on Friday evening. No waiting for markets to open: they're open all night! This makes Forex trading online a very attractive component that fits easily into your day (or night!)

3 - No Bulls or Bears!
Because Forex trading online involves the buying of one currency while simultaneously selling another, you have an equal opportunity for profit no matter which direction the currency is headed. Another advantage is that there are only around 14 pairs of currencies to trade, as opposed to many thousands of stocks, options and futures.

4 - Forex Trading online offers great leverage!
You can make the most of your investment resources with Forex trading online. Some brokers offer 200:1 margin ratios in your trading accounts. Mini-FX accounts, which can typically be opened with only $200-300, offer 0.5% margin, meaning that $50 in trading capital can control a 10,000 unit currency position. This is why people are flocking to Forex trading online as a way to highly leverage their investments.

5 - Forex prices are predictable.
Currency prices, though volatile, tend to create and follow trends, allowing the technically trained Forex trader to spot and take advantage of many entry and exit points.

6 - Forex trading online is commission free!
That's right! No commissions, no exchange fees or any other hidden fees. This is a very transparent market, and you'll find it very easy to research the currencies and the countries involved. Forex brokers make a small percentage of the bid/ask spread, and that's it. No longer any need to compute commissions and fees when executing a trade.

7 - Forex trading online is instant!
The FX market is astoundingly fast! Your orders are executed, filled and confirmed usually within 1-2 seconds. Since this is all done electronically with no humans involved, there is little to slow it down!

Forex trading online can get you where you want to go quicker and more profitably than any other form of trading. Check it out and see what Forex trading online can do for you!

About the author:
Keith Thompson is the webmaster of http://www.forex-trading-today.com,a site focusing on the latest Forex news and resources.

Learning from Voom

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:29:00 +0000

by: Kaitlin Carruth
Voom was thought to be the company that would be able to compete with DirecTV and Echostar in satellite service. However, after a $650 million loss it became clear that the company needed more than technology. By looking inside the Voom Company, you can learn from their business mistakes to avoid the same problems in your own business.

You Need More Than a Good Product

The Voom channels definitely had something to offer to their customers. Never before was such a wide selection of HD channels available for television viewers. However, it takes more than just a good product to make a profit. Market research needs to be done to see if anyone will buy the product. The money you put into research will definitely pay off to find out whether or not you can sell your product or not. You need to find out if you can make a valuable return on your investment or not. In the Voom case, their investment obviously did not provide the company with a profit.

Do Not do Business with Your Family

The Voom battle became a family feud. Charles Dolan, founder of Cablevision, felt that Voom was worth saving while his son the CEO, Jimmy Dolan, wanted to pull the plug. Eventually, Charles Dolan tried to buy Voom with the help of his other son. This caused major conflicts within the Dolan Family. You should avoid mixing family and business. This may seem like a harsh rule but it is something that can save a lot of heartache in the long run.

Know Your Competitors and Your Industry

One of the problems with Voom is that they did not expect the technological advances that their competitors had after they launched Voom. Know your competitors and know what type of industry you are in. Be aware of the outside forces that can affect your business. Is your industry known to change rapidly? Voom did not take into account what their competitors had up their sleeve and this became very detrimental to the business.

The Pain of Sunk Costs

It is hard to walk away from a large investment that does not give any returns. One must remember that a sunk cost is exactly what it sounds like; it is sunk, gone, vanished, kiss it goodbye. So many times businesses fall into the mistake of trying to save fallen projects because they have already put so much time and money into it. This was definitely the case with Voom. With the lost of $650 million Charles Dolan was bound to want to save part of the investment. This is an important lesson to learn in business. You must say goodbye to sunk costs.

Listen!

Charles Dolan dreamed about creating a satellite company that could compete with DirecTV and Dish Network. However, almost no one was supporting to Charles Dolan in his cause at the end seeing that Voom was bound to fail. However, Charles Dolan would not listen to the other board of directors and continued in his efforts to save the dying business. It is important to sometimes swallow your pride and listen to the arguments of those around you to see if they possibly have some validity. Be open to what others are saying because they just might be right.

While it seemed that Voom had the capabilities to change the way viewers watch TV and to be very profitable, instead it failed shortly after its creation. This is because of a few business principles that were neglected. When working with your own new business, make sure that your business plan makes sense and that you pay particular attention to your team, the external factors that could affect your business, and know how to walk away when your great idea turns out to be a flop. If you are willing to do these things, you will avoid running into the same problems that Voom did.

About the author:
Kaitlin Carruth is a client account specialist with http://www.10xMarketing.com� More Visitors. More Buyers. More Revenue. To learn more about Voom, please visit http://www.dishnetworkproducts.com/articles/voom.php

Buying a Franchise

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:26:00 +0000

by: Matt Bacak
is not for everyone. This guide will help you evaluate whether buying a franchise is right for you. It will help you understand your obligations as a franchise owner. Many people dream of owning and running their own business but are often let down by the reality of doing so.
By purchasing a franchise, you often can sell goods and services that have instant name recognition and can obtain training and ongoing support to help you succeed. But be cautious. Like any investment, purchasing a franchise is not a guarantee of success.
A franchise typically enables you, the investor or "franchisee," to operate a business. By paying a franchise fee, which may cost several thousand pounds, you are given a format or system developed by the company ("franchisor"), the right to use the franchisor's name for a limited time, and assistance.
While buying a franchise may reduce your investment risk by enabling you to associate with an established company, it can be costly. You also may be required to relinquish significant control over your business, while taking on contractual obligations with the franchisor.
Outlined below are some of the main points you need to consider before buying a franchise:
- Franchise fee: Your initial franchise fee, which may be non-refundable, may cost several thousand to several hundred thousand pounds.
- Royalty payments: You may have to pay the franchisor royalties based on a percentage of your weekly or monthly gross income. You often must pay royalties even if your outlet has not earned significant income during that time. In addition, royalties usually are paid for the right to use the franchisor's name.
- Advertising fees: You may have to pay into an advertising fund. Some portion of the advertising fees may go for national advertising or to attract new franchise owners, but not necessarily to target your particular outlet.
- Controls: To ensure uniformity, franchisors typically control how franchisees conduct business. These controls may significantly restrict your ability to exercise your own business judgment.
- Terminations and Renewal: You can lose the right to your franchise if you breach the franchise contract. In addition, the franchise contract is for a limited time; there is no guarantee that you will be able to renew it. A franchisor can end your franchise agreement if, for example, you fail to pay royalties or abide by performance standards and sales restrictions. If your franchise is terminated, you may lose your investment. Franchise agreements typically run for 15 to 20 years. After that time, the franchisor may decline to renew your contract.
Before investing in a particular franchise system, carefully consider how much money you have to invest, your abilities, and your goals.

About the author:
Matt Bacak became "##1 Best Selling Author" in just a few short hours.
Recent Entrepreneur Magazine�s e-Biz radio show host is
turning Authors, Speakers, and Experts into Overnight Success Stories.
Discover The Secrets http://promotingtips.com

Buying Beach Houses in New Zealand: Real Estate and Investment opportunities

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:25:00 +0000

by: Ofer Shoshani
Copyright 2005 Ofer Shoshani

Buying a beach house in New Zealand offers many possibilities.

New Zealand is made up of two main islands, North Island and South Island, giving it miles of coastal lands and perfect beaches to live by. Each island offers its own unique climate conditions and way of life.

Make Money from the Real Estate investment

One aspect to consider when you think about buying a beach house in New Zealand is the possibility of earning money from it. There are several ways to do this. You could rent or lease your house to tourists. You could also live in it with an eye toward selling it for more than you paid for it in the not to distant future. The New Zealand real estate market is rapidly growing, and giving someone else a chance to buy a New Zealand beach house could earn you a lot of money.

Rules for Investment

If you are interested in buying a beach house in New Zealand as an investment property, visit www.landlords.co.nz. It will be important for you to know about taxes, mortgages in New Zealand, and learn if you have to be a New Zealand resident to be a New Zealand landlord, and find answers to the many other questions you�ll most likely have.

Coromandel

One popular area on North Island is the Coromandel Coast on the Coromandel Peninsula. The nearest town is stunning Cook�s Beach. It would be a spectacular place to buy your dream New Zealand beach house. For dramatic pictures and a full description, visit
prosale.co.nz.

Waiwera

If you prefer to buy a beach house in New Zealand close to a metropolitan area, think about Waiwera which is less than a thirty minute drive to Auckland. You would be unable to buy a piece of land where you could build a new home. The area is closed to more growth. However if you want to buy an existing beach house in New Zealand and live in a truly wondrous setting, this might be your perfect spot. You�ll live near thermal pools, a nature reserve, and be able to launch your boat right from the beach.

Virtual Tour

Whatever your reason for buying a beach house in New Zealand, you need to check out the many potential areas. It would be lovely to take a tour in person to see all the marvelous beaches where you might purchase your house or property. However, one of the great things about our high-tech society is that you can take virtual tours and see marvelous pictures of a number of unbelievably beautiful properties. Within minutes of going out on the Internet, you�ll be amazed you didn�t think of buying a beach house in New Zealand, long before now.

For more on Real Estate opportunities in New Zealand visit http://nzpassport.com/artman/publish/cat_index_48.shtml

About the author:
Ofer Shoshani has been working for the last 5 years as a professional journalist, writing about finance, economy, travel and lifestyle. During these years he lived and wrote from Spain, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, USA, Israel, India & Thailand. More of his work can be found at http://www.nzpassport.com(Immigration and Relocation to New Zealand), http://www.bespanish.com(Immigration and Relocation to Spain) and http://www.betotal.com(Intl. Charity organizations, Child Sponsorship programs, Donation, World Aid, Aids in Africa and Poverty).

Forex Trading: Great Opportunity or Scam?

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:20:00 +0000

by: Steve Pickering
A lot of interest has been generated recently in FOREX trading, hailed by some as the great new investment opportunity. There are even companies running TV infomercials, offering sure fire systems that will bring massive profits in an easy fashion.

So what is forex? Is it something new? The exchange of currencies is said by some to be the world's second oldest profession and as long as there have been two sovereign states that have issued their own currencies, there has been foreign exchange as a facilitator for trade.

Forex, as foreign exchange has been abbreviated to, has been conducted for centuries and has become a global market with a daily turnover according to a recent Bank for International Settlements survey of $1.9 trillion (billion, billion) per day. Essentially it is a global market place with no physical exchange building where all claims on foreign currencies are settled - between governments, corporations, investors and speculators among others. Banks have traditionally been the middlemen who provide the liquidity to this gigantic market, which incidentally is traded on an almost continuous 24-hour basis.

Then came the Internet and suddenly it became possible for everyone to get a piece of the speculative action. Brokers sprouted up with their electronic trading platforms and high 'leverage'. Essentially the brokers lend clients funds to speculate with, 100:1 or in some cases up to 400:1 ratio, or leverage. This means that $10,000 can 'control' up to $4,000,000 in the market. This is far higher than is possible in the stock market.

Many people have been attracted to the possibilities of earning fast profits from forex. There are often sharp movements that can turn your $10,000 to $20,000 in a matter of minutes. You can also get wiped out, but the lure of a fast buck has turned would-be speculators into out-and-out gamblers.
The Internet has also made it possible for the individual to obtain so-called 'charts', that allow them to do 'technical analysis' on their own PCs. The theory is that price movement patterns repeat themselves, so if you have a system of analysis, you can predict a future move in the market.

This may well be the case, but it does not address the problems of the psychology of trading - the fear and greed that drives many to irrational behaviour. People are often taken in by the seller of a system, often paying $5,000 for a piece of software that shows a green light to buy and a red light to sell. However, they don't tell you how to manage your money.

So speculators lose. It has been estimated that 90% of new investors in forex lose their capital in the first year - an appalling figure. What can one do to avoid being a victim? Well, forex is a business like any other business and planning is required. It is also a profession and as such, adequate training is necessary so that you understand fully what forex trading is all about.

Many are prepared to invest thousands in forex trading without really knowing what it is all about. Just think if franchises were offered in a major hamburger chain without the franchisees having a clue how to run a restaurant or even make the burgers. The failure rate would also probably be 90%!
As with all investing, it is all a matter of risk and reward. Investing in Government securities is considered low risk, therefore they carry the lowest return. Increase the risk (the probability of loss on the investment), the higher an investor is rewarded in terms of return. An individual trading forex decides his own level of risk, which should dictate the level of reward. However, in the hands of an inexperienced trader, the two factors are impossible to reconcile, meaning in stark terms that traders cannot control the risk or the reward levels.

People attracted to forex trading often have an unrealistic expectation of what can be earned. To start with an investment of $5,000 and expect to be making $100,000 a year after the first year is unrealistic. It is not impossible; then again, neither is winning the lottery.
If the parameters for trading are laid down and adhered to combined with knowledge of forex trading, success is possible. It does not take much in the way of 'enhanced' returns to be able to double an investment. 26% per annum is required to double your investment within 3 years.

Who is going to teach you? There are some very good courses available, but these will only give you the theory, in itself very important. The ideal way is to have a mentor, or guide to show you the way.
Getting mentored is a wise move because it makes it possible to draw on the experience of a veteran expert and avoid making the common mistakes that cause the unwary to suffer catastrophic losses. After a while under guidance, a forex trader will gain the experience

The bottom line is that forex is not in itself a scam. There are for sure scam artists who prey on individuals' greed as there are in any other business. If it is approached in a sensible and realistic manner and the trader is prepared to work hard, forex can provide a good living both financially and materially.

About the author:
Steve Pickering is founder and owner of Forex Trader Mentor and has been engaged in the forex markets since 1971.
www.forextradermentor.com

Sales Process - The Secret to Closing More Sales

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:17:00 +0000

by: Alan Rigg
Most sales training programs that teach salespeople how to sell specific products or services do not mention business problems. This is an unfortunate oversight, as qualifying and quantifying business problems is the secret to closing more sales!

What is a Business Problem?

A business problem is any activity or outcome that negatively impacts a business. Examples of negative impacts include reductions in revenue, profits, customer satisfaction, employee productivity, job satisfaction, etc.

Here is an example of a business problem description:

"Many mission-critical software applications (e-business, manufacturing, point-of-sale, etc.) need to access relational databases in order to function. If a database has problems (goes down or suffers data loss or corruption), application downtime can cost companies tens of thousands of dollars per minute in lost sales, lost customers, and lost opportunities."

In the above example, the business problem is a database that is not functioning properly. What is the relationship between this business problem and the features and benefits of a product or service?

FEATURES are what actually SOLVE business problems. BENEFITS are what customers enjoy when the business problem has been solved.

The only features prospects actually care about are the ones that will solve their own specific business problems. If we randomly spew long lists of features and benefits at prospects, in effect we are hoping they are already aware of their business problems, and they will somehow figure out which of our (product or service) features will solve their business problems. This is a very inefficient way to sell. Plus, we run the risk that our prospects will NOT figure out which features will solve their business problems. Or, they may become bored and "switch off" before we mention features that may actually be of interest to them!

If you are going to talk about features and benefits, discuss ONLY those features that will solve your prospect's SPECIFIC business problems! Of course, you need to IDENTIFY your prospect's business problems if you want to have this kind of highly targeted discussion.

If your employer's product or service training programs do not specifically address business problems, you will need to do some digging to uncover them. Ask the question, "What PROBLEMS does this product or service solve?" Another way to ask this question is, "What would motivate a prospect to make the investment required to buy this product/service?" Then, once you have made a list of the MOST IMPORTANT business problems, ask, "What questions can I ask that will help me figure out whether a prospect has any of these business problems?"

When you become an expert in business problems and related qualifying questions, your education will not be complete. You also need to learn the questions you can ask to QUANTIFY the IMPACT of each business problem.

What is a Quantified Impact?

Quantified impacts are DOLLAR VALUES or PERCENTAGES with associated TIME FRAMES that can be assigned to specific business problems. In the earlier business problem description, the quantified impact was "tens of thousands of dollars per minute".

Quantified impacts are an invaluable aid to closing sales. How? If the quantified impact of a business problem exceeds the investment required to fix the problem, a buying decision is easy to justify. The larger the difference between the quantified impact and the required investment, the easier it becomes to close the sale. If the quantified impact is a multiple of the required investment (for example, a quantified impact of MILLIONS of dollars versus a required investment of THOUSANDS of dollars), the buying decision becomes "a no-brainer".

IMPORTANT NOTE: In order for a quantified impact to add value to the sales process, your PROSPECT must be the source of the numbers. Why? In general, prospects don't trust salespeople. Many have dealt with salespeople who were more interested in making sales than they were in providing value. Plus, prospects recognize that salespeople have a vested interest in creating a compelling business case that can be used to support a buying decision. This causes prospects to DISCOUNT any quantified impact information that salespeople provide. However, if the prospect is the source of the quantified impact information, they perceive it as unquestioned truth. This makes learning how to ask quantifying questions a valuable skill indeed!

If you want to close more sales, invest some time and effort in identifying the BUSINESS PROBLEMS that can be solved by your products and services. If you become an expert in business problems and the questions you can ask to 1) determine whether a prospect has specific business problems, and 2) quantify the impact of those business problems, you will close MORE sales FASTER and with LESS EFFORT.

Buying Overseas Property

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 14:55:00 +0000

by: Hugh Griffin

Fourteen Top Tips for Overseas Property Investment:

1. Buy what you want to buy. The most important decision when buying a property is deciding exactly what you want the property to do for you. Is it purely for short term capital gain to provide a one-off profit over a particular period of time? Or is it to provide long term regular income? Or is it mainly for your own use as a holiday home?

2. Ignore the hard sell. Many people go to dedicated overseas property exhibitions or go on overseas trips or "inspection flights" to view properties. It is important to stay focused on what you originally had in mind. Do not be swayed by the hard sell of estate agents.

3. Be careful buying off-plan. Off-plan involves buying a property before it is built. You cannot see exactly what you are buying and it can be a long time before the property and surrounding development is completed. Problems can arise if the building is not constructed according to the original schedule.

4. Allow 10% extra for expenses. The cost of buying a property abroad (taxes, conveyancing, lawyers fees, agents fees, VAT, etc) can be much higher than in your own country. The total can add up to 10% to the cost of buying a property.

5. Buying in an up-and-coming area. This will increase your capital appreciation. Buying in the fashionable areas of Spain or France means that property prices are already expensive and may not increase much further, or increase at a slower pace than in the past. Buying in a less-fashionable area of Spain or France, or in the up-and-coming property markets of Bulgaria, Turkey, and Croatia where prices are still low will increase the chance of a rapid price increase. It is important to note that the less-fashionable and up-and-coming areas still need to have all the virtues of the more established destinations. What you are really looking for is an undiscovered property hotspot. Often such places are neighbouring the more fashionable and expensive areas.

6. Buy a property in a place that is popular with locals as well as tourists. You should always think of the exit route from your investment. The day will come when you want to sell your property and you will want to have the largest possible potential market. Ideally your investment property should be an attractive property for investors of different nationalities as well as a possible home for local residents.

7. Adequate shops, restaurants, and facilities. Most people who want to use a property as a holiday home will want to be near shops, restaurants, and other facilities. This is particularly important if you want a rental income from your investment.

8. Is there an airport nearby? Is there adequate public transport? People who rent property will want somewhere that is easy to get to and will often gravitate to those places with a nearby airport.

9. Consider the property off-season. The property and area might look lovely in summer when all the restaurants and bars are open. But what about winter? Do all the facilities close? Does the area become a "ghost town"?

10. A room with a view. A view is a major bonus from both the rental and the resale perspective. A sea view is top of most peoples list but rural or mountain views can be just as stunning. Nothing beats sitting on a balcony or roof terrace wathcing the setting sun. Beware though that views can change and your beautiful view could be replaced by a view of a new concrete apartment block. Check local planning regulations carefully!

11. Check the inheritance laws of the country where you are buying. You may need a separate will made in that country as well as a will made in your home country. In France for example your children automatically inherit your house; your estate does not pass to your spouse.

12. Get your own independent advice. Do not rely on a lawyer recommended by the property agent or developer.

13. Learn the language of the country you are buying in. You don't have to become fluent but you should learn as much as you can.

14. Above all, buy a property YOU like in a place YOU like. The chances are that if you love it and would enjoy staying there then others will too!

Why Your Internet Business Is Like The Stock Market

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 01:47:00 +0000

by: Patty Gale
As savvy stock market investors know, chasing after the one "hot stock" with the possibility of bringing instant riches is not a wise idea. You know the old saying, "Don't put your eggs in one basket". This type of thinking carries a high risk. If your stock goes up and you are smart enough to sell, then you've made money. However, if your stock falls, you just don't know when (or if) it will ever make a comeback.

With this idea of chasing after the "hot stock of the day", you might as well buy a lottery ticket. Diversifying your investment portfolio for long-term growth and stability is the wiser of the strategy. You invest your money over any number of stocks in different industries, thereby spreading your risk across the group.

The same principle should be applied to your internet business. Many of us first arrived online with the notion of building a really great website to reach the masses in hopes of making a lot of money. We later found out that the "build it and they will come" theory is just that, a theory. Oh sure, there are a few who have managed to create a nice income from just one or perhaps two websites, but even Amazon didn't turn a profit until 2001.

Unfortunately, most of us do not have unlimited financial resources. Many have given up, only to go back to either a corporate job or some other type of work in order to support their family. What they did not realize is that their internet business really should be treated like their investment portfolio.

Why do many of us still try to squeeze every single penny out of one website until it's bone dry? It's like wringing out the washcloth until there's no water left to drip. Why bank all of our risk in just one site?

There is a better way and it's called diversification and leverage. How? Instead of building one website and beating it to death in trying to get every last penny until it screams " no more!"... build more sites. In the past, building websites by hand took days and weeks, if not months. Today, there are tools to make this process much simpler and faster and in some cases, you don't even have to know any code at all.

Why diversify and leverage your business across a variety of websites? To reduce your risk and to leverage your efforts. Individually, they may not make a lot of money, but collectively, you could create a nice little internet empire of your very own. It will be well worth your time in creating a long-term internet "investment" portfolio.

To Your Success!

Residual Income -- Making Money while You Sleep

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 15:43:00 +0000

by: Frann Leach
What exactly is Residual Income?

"Residual income is the reason that MLM business opportunities can be so lucrative. It's the reason why as many as 10% of new millionaires made their money in MLM... and who knows how many settled for just half a million?"

You're looking into business opportunities on the net, and you keep coming across the term 'residual income'. At first, you ignore it, one more piece in the puzzle that constitutes trying to find ways of making money online. But residual income keeps popping up. It seems lots of people are making a big deal out of this. Probably, it would be a good idea to find out what it means.

Residual income, also known as royalty income, is income that you keep on getting for months or even years after the work you did to earn it is finished. So, for instance, a song writer will get royalties on his song every time it is played on the radio, even years afterwards. The royalty for songs and literature lasts throughout the author's lifetime, plus 50 years, paying a small amount for each airplay, which can add up to a LOT of money over the years. A big hit brings in a huge amount, which gradually fades down to a tiny trickle over the years, depending on the popularity of the artist.

How do you make Residual Income?

Not everybody is a pop singer, though! So why do people online go on about this so much? How can an ordinary bloke earn residual income? Oh, heck, I'm no good at writing stuff...

No, no. Chill. There's no need to worry. The way to earn residual income does not necessarily involve any writing skills at all. For example, you can make residual income as interest on shares. But you may prefer not to invest large amounts of cash in an institution that can drop through the floor and take all your hard-earned savings from you overnight.

Another possibility is investing in property. Buy a house, do it up, and rent it out or sell it on for a profit. A lot of work. A lot of up-front investment. And no guarantee the housing boom is going to continue long enough for you to even get your initial investment back.

But there is another way...

Looking for a Residual Income Opportunity

The way to earn residual income that you have been stumbling across all over the net is almost certainly a variation of the type of business opportunity known as MLM ('multi-level marketing'), relationship marketing, network marketing or referral marketing. There are many of these online, all offering different products, different pay plans, different startup costs and different trading zones.

At first glance, they all seem much of a muchness, but look again and you will find there are many pitfalls for the unwary. It's important to do your homework, and check out exactly what is on offer for your initial investment.

But it's definitely worth the effort. After all, residual income is the reason that MLM business opportunities can be so lucrative. It's the reason why as many as 10% of new millionaires made their money in MLM... and who knows how many settled for 'just' half a million?

Finding a network marketing business

Obviously, the level of investment is a factor for most of us, but in general, you will probably find the required investment is pretty minimal, far less than setting up your own business or buying a franchise. Once you've scraped together enough for your initial investment, it's time to find the MLM for you.

Is it legal?

The first thing you absolutely need to consider is: does this opportunity follow the rules governing network marketing businesses? You probably know that pyramid selling is illegal. Many people believe that MLM and pyramid selling are the same thing. This is not the case, as MLM is completely legal. So, how do you tell them apart?

As a swift rule of thumb: if you earn your money from SALES or from getting CUSTOMERS (or recruiting others who sell or get customers), then it is a legal MLM business; if money is paid out merely for recruiting other REPRESENTATIVES, with no customers or sales involved, then it is an illegal pyramid scam. Steer well clear!

- Pick a product you can be proud of, at a good price. It's much easier to sell something you consider to be worthwhile. How sincere can you be about a shoddy item, or one that is overpriced? Before you can convince customers to buy, you have to convince yourself.

- Pick a market you can sell to. If you're over 50, don't try to sell products aimed at kids under 20. You don't speak the same language or see things the same way. Similarly, if you're younger, products aimed at pensioners are probably not your area.

- Even if you are pitching to the right market, it's also important that you feel right about selling this product to your market. For example, if you have a product that is aimed at people over 60, but you feel bad about selling goods to pensioners for some reason, it would be better choose a different product with a different market.

Once you have eliminated products and services that you can't work with, you will probably find you have reduced your choices to a more manageable number. This is the time to compare the companies you are looking at.

Choosing like from like

Right, so you have a number of network marketing businesses to choose from, all within your investment budget, with products and markets you can deal with confidently. The next step is to check out:

- how much is the initial investment?
- how long does this cover you for? a year? a month?
- is the product a 'pre-sold' consumable? (eg. gas, water, telephone, broadband/DSL, electricity)
- do you need to keep stock? if so,
- do you have to pay for your initial stock ON TOP of your initial investment?
- how much space will you need for storage?
- is this a perishable product? if so, how long before you have to throw it away?
- what is the company's policy on returns?
- is a website included in the package, or do you have to pay extra for this?

In general, holding stock, dealing with deliveries and returns, is a nightmare and best avoided. No matter how wonderful your product, people will change their minds, send things back, and repeat business is not guaranteed.

The best product is what is called a pre-sold consumable; these are products your customer uses regularly, and is billed for monthly or quarterly. So long as your product is well priced and properly supported by the company, you will find the highest levels of residual income from these products. They have the added advantage that you never have to deliver electricity in the rain, or pay a refund for unwanted water and then wait for the company to reimburse you.

You may think a website is unnecessary. But, really, here YOU are trying to find an opportunity on the net. If you do set up in MLM, you will be trying to recruit others to work in your downline. Don't you think a website would be a good idea? Yes, I know you can set one up for yourself, but unless you are wealthy enough to pay someone, or skilled enough to write your own, it's not going to be a patch on what you would expect. You have to have something that can impress a potential prospect. It should both sell your product and act as an aid to recruitment. In the longer term, perhaps you will want to augment your free site with others, but when you first start, a good quality free website is a definite plus.

What about the residuals?

You should look at the potential residual income with care. The main rule to remember is: avoid 'forced matrices'. If you have a choice between one MLM with a forced matrix and one without, go for the one without. The forced matrix restricts your income.

The second rule is: choose the matrix (not forced) with the highest number of levels. The more levels, the higher your residual income will end up. It's a bit hard to explain briefly, so I won't try. All I will say is, you want to be able to go as WIDE and as DEEP as you can. In my opinion, the best opportunity available in the UK and Europe for residual income is Tiscali, which you can reach here: http://www.this1works.biz/index.html
This opportunity is expanding all the way across Europe, from the UK, across Germany and Spain and on via the Czech Republic - well, watch this space!

In the US, you might want to join the IAHBE: http://www.ezinfocenter.com/8568108/IAHBE

Finally, let me wish you as much success as you deserve in your new venture.

Main Points Of Investment Counseling

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 17:46:00 +0000

During the investment counseling process,investors are never informed with wrong,unreliable and exaggerated information.Investment counsels are based on trustworthy documents, supporting reports and real time analysis.

Counsels are given with considertion of investor's financial condition,investment purposes and risk preferences.There is never a guarantee given to the investors that they will earn a pre-determined amount of money.

In a conflict o interest situation between investor and counselor,priority will be investor's best interests.

The results of researches that can affect investing decisions of investor, can not be used for counselor's own benefits.

IS THE BEST RETIREMENT BUSINESS RIGHT FOR YOU?

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:32:00 +0000

by: Ann Evans
According to the Coin Laundry Association, laundry centers and coin laundries average a powerful 20 to 30% return on investment. A successful laundry owner offers 6 powerful insights on why you too can and should achieve great financial rewards with part- time effort. Are you ready to join the ranks of the many successful entrepreneurs like Dan King who are "cleaning-up" in today's commercial laundry industry?
With stock market fluctuations and an uncertain economy, many Americans have a difficult time finding investments that can survive recessions and economic downturns. However, the commercial laundry business with its 20 to 30% ROI is almost recession proof. In fact both Dun and Bradstreet and the SBA have cited it as one of the 10 top safest business investments one can make. Believe it or not, thats just one of the many powerful reasons so many retirees are looking to invest in their own laundry stores. The fact is that coin laundries and vended laundries are one of the most advantageous part-time and retirement businesses that exist.
AN OWNER LISTS THE BENEFITS
According to Dan King, owner of several coin laundries in Southern California, I highly recommend investing in this industry it has worked wonderfully well for me and it can for you. Before I invested I considered 6 major benefits that Laundry Center ownership offered and that no other investment provided."

1. First, I didnt have to give up my regular job. I found that Coin Laundries basically run themselves, which was great for me because I was looking for an absentee manager situation. The fact is they require just a couple of hours a week and are so easy to operate that basically anyone, anywhere can own one or more.

2. I also liked the fact that this is a turn-key business, where you dont need staff on the premises. You can set your laundry to stay open 24 hours a day, or you can have an automatic door-locking system on a timer set to open and close when you choose. I personally keep my laundry stores open full-time and that works well for my customers and for me.

3. Another benefit is that you can own a laundry near your home or further away. They thrive in every state of the union. Coin laundries can be placed in virtually all neighborhood shopping centers and perform exceptionally well in renter-occupied, densely populated, lower-income areas. Your average customer will be the estimated 89 million people who live in rental housing, which is the fastest-growing housing segment in the nation.

4. Even better, this is an All Cash business with no inventory and no accounts receivables. You can expect a high return on investment, liquidity, tax benefits, and fast growing equity. Whatever your cash down payment is at the time of purchase, you can typically expect to get back within seven years, or sooner. Like buying a house, equity builds and you ultimately can expect a substantial profit.

5. Once set up, I found that coin laundries paid off like a cash machine week in and week out. Lets face it: people will always need to wash their clothes, which is why laundry centers thrive in periods of both growth and recession. In fact, when times are slow and homeownership decreases, the self-service laundry market thrives as more people are unable to afford to repair, replace or purchase new washers and dryers, or as they move to apartment housing with poor or nonexistent laundry facilities.

6. Finally, I loved the fact that I could purchase an existing coin laundry to fit my budget, available investment dollars and personal requirements. Coin laundries generally require between 1,500 and 5,000 square feet of retail space, depending on the market size. Most laundries occupy retail space that is rented on a long-term lease of 10 years to 25 years, including option periods. The cost of buying a vended laundry can range from less than $50,000 to more than one million dollars, depending on size, age and net income.

Bottom line, Dan King is one of many successful entrepreneurs in our dynamic industry. In fact, there are over 35,000 coin- and card-operated laundries in the United States, generating more than $3.5 billion in annual revenue and these numbers are growing! Millions of families use laundries every day. But most people dot realize that those same laundries offer even better ways to clean up than wit water, soap and bleach. With the primary customer representing the fastest growing segment in the nation -- the laundry business is amazingly stable, and dependably profitable. After all, families need clean towels and sheets whether the stock market is up or down. They need clean clothes in summer and winter, on vacation or working, whether theyre newborns, teenagers or retired.

SAFELY PROTECT YOUR HOME BASED DREAM OF RETIRING WEALTHY!

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:32:00 +0000

by: Dr. Scott Brown, Ph.D.
The SIMPLE retirement account is awesome if you own your own business. Any family business applies such as a home based or brick and mortar real estate rental and investment business, car-wash, gas station, restaurant, etcetera, can sponsor the SIMPLE IRA. Like the SEP-IRA, the SIMPLE IRA is company-sponsored. As a small business owner, for 2003 for instance you could have matched each employee's pay up to 3 percent or $8,000, whichever is less.
That adds up to a lot of money when it is a profitable business and family members are employees. SIMPLE IRA contributions are fully deductible when you put the money in the account but you will have to pay taxes on any profits you make on the stock when you retire. In addition to a SIMPLE IRA accounts, individuals and home based small businesses have an additional option to sock away money toward future retirement educational needs through educational IRAs.
Small businesses, which cannot afford to sponsor a 401(k) or 403(b), can also offer employees basic retirement plans established for the benefit of their employees. Sole proprietors also now also can open individual 401(k) plans. Examine the options and pick the one that maximizes your long-range savings goal. And don't wait. Take advantage of compound earnings and start socking away cash now for tomorrow.

Venture Capital Negotiating Issues

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:31:00 +0000

by: Dave Lavinsky
When companies enter into negotiations with venture capital firms, there are several issues which need to be defined and agreed upon. This article describes the key issues.

Valuation. Valuation is the most prominent negotiating issues. Valuation is the price of the company in which the venture capitalist invests. Valuation determines what percent of the company the investor is buying for their capital.

Timing of the Investment. Many investors will commit a large amount of capital, but will contribute that capital to the companies in installments. Often, these installments are only made when pre-designated milestones are met.

Vesting of Founders' Stock. Like capital, investors often prefer that stock is given to company founders and key employees in installments. This is known as vesting.

Modifying the Management Team. Some investors insist that additional or substitute management employees be hired subsequent to their investment. This gives investors additional security that the company will execute on its business model. An important issue to negotiate with regards to modifying the management team is the amount of stock or options that will be issued to new management team members, as this will dilute the holdings of the founders.

Employment Agreements with Key Founders. Venture capitalists typically do not want companies to have employment agreements that limit the circumstances under which employees can be fired and/or set compensation and benefits levels that are too high. Other key employment agreement issues to be negotiated with venture capitalists include restrictions on post-employment activities and employee severance payments on termination.

Company Proprietary Rights. If the company has an important product with intellectual property (IP), investors will want to ensure that the company, and not a company employee, owns the IP. In addition, investors will want to ensure that new inventions be assigned to the company. To this end, investors may negotiate that all employees must sign Confidentiality and Inventions Assignment Agreements.

Exit Strategy. Investors are very focused on how they will cash out of their investment. In this regard, they will negotiate regarding registration rights (both demand and piggyback); rights to participate in any sale of stock by the founders (co-sale rights); and possibly a right to force the company to redeem their stock under certain conditions.

Lock-Up Rights. Venture capitalists may require a lock-up period at the term sheet stage. The lock-up period is typically a 30-60 day period where the investors have the exclusive right, but not the obligation, to make the investment. Investors typically conduct due diligence during this time without fear that other investors will pre-empt their opportunity to invest in the company.

Each of these issues are critical when raising venture capital, since the outcome can significantly impact the success of the venture and the wealth potential of the company founders and management team. Because venture capitalists are very knowledgeable regarding these issues, and have great skill in negotiating on them, companies who are raising venture capital should seek advisors who also have this experience and expertise.

RenewableEnergyStocks.com, Reports on Increasing Demand for Renewable Energy by Government, Military and Individuals as Oil Prices Remain High

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:30:00 +0000

by: dawn van zant
Nov 01, 2004

RenewableEnergyStocks.com, Reports on Increasing Demand for Renewable Energy by Government, Military and Individuals as Oil Prices Remain High

POINT ROBERTS, WA. Nov 01, 2004 - www.RenewableEnergyStocks.com, a global investor news portal, reports in an exclusive feature article Renewable Energy and Fuel Cells the drive is on, how governments, military and civilian users are increasing the demand for renewable energy products. Fuel cells, solar power, and other sources of green energy offer advantages to offset the on-going high cost of fossil fuels. RenewableEnergyStocks.com offers investors interested in the sector research resources to initiate due diligence.

The RenewableEnergyStocks.com website does not make recommendations, but offers a unique free information portal to investors to research news, articles, interviews and a growing list of participating public companies in the sector.

Current Featured RES Company:
Astris Energi Inc. (OTCBB: ASRNF) is a late-stage development company committed to becoming the leading provider of affordable fuel cells and fuel cell generators internationally. Over the past 21 years, more than $17 million has been spent on the development of Astris AFC. The company is commencing pilot production of its POWERSTACK MC 250 technology in 2004. Astris is the only publicly traded company in North America focused exclusively on the alkaline fuel cell. Corporate profile, news and info: www.InvestorIdeas.com/CO/ASRNF/Default.asp
Our current list of Renewable/Alternative Energy Stocks: www.RenewableEnergyStocks.com/Companies/RenewableEnergy/Stock_List.asp
(Featured company compensates InvestorIdeas as disclosed below).

Excerpt from: Renewable Energy and Fuel Cells the drive is on
By Allen R. Gibson
Oct 2004
Slowly, but surely, the infrastructure, research, and the evidence necessary to make alternative energy sources economical and practical is being put in place. Already, many states have discovered that renewable energy initiatives, despite initial fears of being too expensive, have in fact either paid for themselves or even generated savings to the utilities involved.
And the markets are noticing, particularly with the recent surge in oil prices. Suddenly, renewable energy stocks are hot. The new WilderHill Clean Energy Index has already jumped 12 percent since it starting trading on AMEX in August, which officials say is uncommon for a new index.
And while the high oil price has spurred investment in drilling, as Alan Greenspan recently suggested it would, it may also be spurring investment into alternative fuels that have a greater chance now of attracting customers and competing in the marketplace. In this article, well look at several examples of where those customers are coming from, and what technical innovations are beginning to make fuel cells a more viable energy source. Innovations that were fueled by the last big round of investor interest in the sector, which poured over a billion dollars into fuel cell companies in the late 90s, which resulted in lowering the price of fuel cells by fifty percent. Much more work, however, remains.

For the complete story, click here: www.RenewableEnergyStocks.com/Companies/RenewableEnergy/Articles/DrivingWorld.asp

RenewableEnergyStocks.com offers investors research, news and company links within the renewable energy sector. To complement this site, we also feature www.FuelCellCarNews.com to meet the interest in fuel cell technology and the participating public and private companies. InvestorIdeas.com sites do not give specific recommendations, and encourage investors to complete due diligence.

Investorideas.com free Investor Incite Newsletter consists of: company and industry updates, investment research and developing trends. It's an excellent way to keep updated on news, events and Investor Ideas in key areas such as Homeland Security, Renewable Energy, Nanotechnology and more...
To sign up click here: http://www.renewableenergystocks.com/Resources/Newsletter.asp

Live industry news feed provided by: www.alternate-energy.net/.

For more information contact:

Dawn Van Zant / Trevor Ruehs
Toll free: 800-665-0411
Email: dvanzant@investorideas.com or truehs@investorideas.com

ECON Investor Relations Inc., (ECON Corporate Services) is a privately owned corporate communications company specializing in investor relations, media relations and research in public companies and industry sectors for the investment community. Nothing on the site should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any specific products or securities. All investments involve risk. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investigate before you invest. Although we attempt to research thoroughly, there are no guarantees in accuracy.

Disclaimer: www.InvestorIdeas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp
Compensation Disclosure Specifics: Astris Energi Inc. (OTCBB: ASRNF) - $3000 plus $3000 in 144 shares: featured company on www.RenewableEnergyStocks.com and Environmental Stocks - http://investorideas.com/Enviro_Stocks/Default.asp

HomebuilderStocks.com Exclusive Industry Interview: John F. Kasprzak, Jr., Managing Director, BB&T Capital Markets

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:30:00 +0000

by: dawn van zant

HomebuilderStocks.com Exclusive Industry Interview: John F. Kasprzak, Jr., Managing Director, BB&T Capital Markets
POINT ROBERTS, WA. October 28, 2004 - www.HomebuilderStocks.com, a global investment news and research portal covering the homebuilder sector, is pleased to feature an exclusive interview with John F. Kasprzak, Jr., Managing Director, BB&T Capital Markets, who discusses the peril that investors face when basing investing decisions on a forecast of interest rates.
HomebuilderStocks.com provides investors with news, information, public company profiles, and developing trends in the homebuilder sector. The site does not make stock recommendations but offers a unique free information portal for investors to explore news, articles, and recent research. The site is currently compensated by featured company International Barrier Technology Inc. (IBTGF: OTCBB; IBH: TSXV).
Our current list of public companies in the sector includes: Beazer Homes USA, Inc., Brookfield Homes, Centex, Inc., Home Depot, Homestore, Inc., KB Home, Lennar Corporation, Lowes, Monterey Homes, Orleans Homebuilders, Inc., Pulte Homes and numerous others. For the complete list, click here: http://www.HomebuilderStocks.com/Companies/HomebuilderStocks/HomebuilderStockList.asp

Interview Excerpt:
HomebuilderStocks.com: Do you anticipate rising interest rates to affect the housing sector?
Mr. Kasprzak:
This is an interesting question because the consensus view has been that interest rates would rise this year, perhaps by a lot, and that housing would slow, perhaps by a lot. This has not occurred and underscores the peril that investors face when basing investing decisions, particularly on homebuilding stocks, on a forecast of interest rates. We believe interest rates would have to rise by 200-300 basis points to alter the housing market but the market would adjust. Housing demand is fundamentally driven by population growth and demographic trends, not interest rates, and these trends are unmistakably positive in our view.
HBS:
Is there any grouping within the sector that will outperform the rest?
Mr. Kasprzak:
While we have been generally bullish on the housing sector and homebuilding stocks due to their attractive valuations, we have liked the luxury sector quite a bit. Demographic trends really dovetail nicely with rising demand in the luxury sector. The baby boom generation is getting older and earning more money, and their is a huge intergenerational transfer of wealth occurring that bodes well for demand in the luxury area.
___________________________________________
ABOUT JOHN KASPRZAK:
John F. Kasprzak, Jr., managing director, BB&T Capital Markets, joined Equity Research in 1997. His industry focus includes companies engaged in building materials and home building. Kasprzak was named in the 2000 Wall Street Journal Best on the Street Analyst Survey (including number one in estimate accuracy) as well as the inaugural Street.com All-Star Analyst Survey. He has also been included in the Reuters Survey of Mid to Smaller Company Investment Research on three separate occasions.

Disclaimer:
BB&T Capital Markets has received compensation for investment banking services from WCI Communities, Inc. in the last 12 months.
BB&T Capital Markets expects to receive or intends to seek compensation for investment banking services from WCI Communities, Inc. in the next three months. An affiliate of BB&T Capital Markets received compensation from WCI Communities, Inc. for products or services other than investment banking services during the past 12 months.
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E-currency Exchange Trading

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:29:00 +0000

by: Tim Rohrer
I have searched high and low and tried MLM's such as Market America, Quixstar, Trek Alliance and Amway. The business idea works, however people need to sell products and build their downline to be successful. I hated the idea of trying to convince people that Market America, Quixstar and all the other MLM's worked. In fact, that was the hardest thing to do was to convince somebody that these MLM's worked!

I have finally found a system that involves no selling, no downline and and garunteed profits with a little learning involved. I thought this couldn't be true, I actually don't have to sell something and didn't have to build a downline!

Let me explain how it works. There are hundreds of companies on the internet that deal with electronnic funds, such as Netpay, PayPal and INTgold. Currency exchanging is relatively unknown but incredibly lucrative business opportunity. While Currencies are traded all over the world (like with Forex), there are both US-based and offshore trading houses that need your flow of dollars to facilitate their business operations.

This is where you,"The Merchant" comes in. By making funds temporarily avaliable to the Global Exchange Network creates float. The company we work with is able to borrow against this dollar amount and the commissions come back to us. The funds you lend to the network are typically returned in a 24 to 36 hour time frame. For example, by pushing $100 in INTGold to another person in exchange you recieve a fee of $3.50. This process takes about 30 seconds. When the funds come back into your account you make another $1. $4.50 isn't bad for something that takes 15 seconds to do. There are other ways to cycle this money back through the system and reinvest profits to your bottom line. On top of building float, your investment is compounded daily and you easily make gains of .35% off of your investment per day. How much is that? Well if you invested $100 that would be 35 cents per day profits. Now imagine when your investment grows to $1000 and $5000.... even $10,000 your daily profits are easily $35 per day. Remember the best part about this is that is compounded daily!

How much can you start with? You can start with as little as $25.00 I recommend a few hundred dollars until you get to know the system and become more comfortable with the exchange network.

I learned the e-currency exchange network through a group of friends online. It is extremely difficult trying to learn how to do this sitting in chat rooms and reading posts. I finally gave in and purchased a guide that literally enabled me to double my investment in under a month. I am very pleased with my results and I can now kiss those MLM's that require downline building and selling goodbye forever!

The Term Sheets Role in Raising Venture Capital

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:29:00 +0000

by: Dave Lavinsky
Entrepreneurs and companies who are seeking venture capital often negotiate with one or more venture capital firms on a number of important issues. These issues include the amount of capital to be raised, the investment terms, etc. The document which summarizes these terms is known as a "term sheet."

The term sheet is similar to a letter of intent, that is, it is a nonbinding summary of the key points of the transaction. These points are later covered in detail in the Stock Purchase Agreement and related agreements signed at the time of execution of the transaction.

The value of the abbreviated term sheet format is that it speeds up the process of consummating a transaction. Specifically, it allows the parties to agree on the general terms of the transaction rather than having to debate less important details. In addition, because it is not binding, it allows the parties to take their discussions to the next level without the danger of committing too much. Note, however, that some parts of a term sheet may be binding. Typically the binding aspects only refer to confidentiality and disclosure issues.

Venture capital firms, and not the companies seeking capital, typically prepare the term sheet to include the terms under which they are willing to invest their capital. Alternatively, when seeking capital from angel investors, firms typically create their own term sheets for the angels to review. This fact tells a bit about the balance of power in an investment transaction. Venture capital firms are often more sophisticated and have more power than the companies seeking capital. Alternatively, angel investors are typically less sophisticated and have less power, and are more prone to consider the investment terms as laid out by the company seeking capital.

Getting to a term sheet is a key milestone in the capital raising process. Although not all term sheets result in a transaction, the term sheet shows that both parties are legitimately interested in executing a transaction. It is then up to the investor and company to agree upon the details.

A Completely New Way To Get Rich Rapidly

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:22:00 +0000

by: Martin Thomas
This new way is catching on around the world. People are compounding money rapidly for themselves.

Its called "opportunity investment" and it has nothing to do with the traditional way to invest. Stocks, bonds, shares etc.

This is hands on. The entire premise is based on compounding and becoming the "investor source"

You see when we hand over our funds to "professionals" to invest our capital we dilute our returns dramatically. It makes sense if you think about it. They have no interest or incentive to manufacture returns any better then maybe 10% if you are lucky.

"Opportunity Investment" is a term that describes the process of taking responsibility for your own funds. Thereby becoming your own "investor source" What that means is that you determine by your daily actions and decisions, what your returns will be. I have managed over 2500% per year and it was easy. Starting with just $100 and on a whim, I compounded that in to $1 million dollars within 27 months

I discovered this 5 years ago. There is a book written by a guy who pioneered this formula and lives the results every day. Hayden Muller. The book is called "The inside trade secrets to an ethical opportunity investor"

The idea is to identify "investment objects" that are endowed with "excess intrinsic value" By recognising profit where others do not we put ourselves in the position to access this unseen stored portable value and transform it into profits which we pyramid and compound into a rapid fortune.

Its my opinion that this is not new at all. I believe, this is the narrow path that all "high net worth individuals" discovered for themselves. What is novel and new is the way its packaged as a book and disclosed freely to all who choose to recognise its worth.

I am so impressed with it, as were my associates, that we invested in an online resource to share with the many who already compound their wealth rapidly and certainly day by day. (Theres a link to the site below if you wish to learn more)

Theres revolution in the air. Ordinary people are daring to reach for their first million and taking it. Millions are not content to work their whole lives, then retire then die. They express it by their actions. They are living in large comfortable homes. They are sending their children to good schools, driving nice cars and living the life they choose today not tommorow.

We are part of that paradigm shift and we fan the flames with knowledge. Wealth education need not be complicated. Your wealth education could be alot simpler and direct if you choose it to be. Simpler is always better, and opportunity investment is the bare bones. The structure is robust and direct. Take it and earn like the many who already do.

Find Investment Properties - 10 Ways

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:22:00 +0000

by: Steve Gillman

If you really want the best deals in investment properties, you have to increase your odds by finding more deals. Who is more likely to get a cheap apartment building, an investor that looks through the MLS listings and calls it a day, or the one that uses ten resources? Here are the ten:

1. Talk. Let people know you are looking and sometimes the properties will come to you. There are a lot of owners out there who want to sell, but haven't yet listed their property.

2. Use the internet. Go to a search engine and enter the type of real estate you are looking for, along with the city you want to invest in. You never know what you might find.

3. Drive around looking for "For Sale By Owner" signs. Owners often don't want to pay to keep the ad in the paper every week, so you won't see all properties there.

4. Find abandoned properties. That's a pretty clear sign that the owner doesn't want to deal with the property. He might sell cheap.

5. Find old "For Rent" ads. Call if they are a few weeks old. Landlords are often ready to sell, especially if the haven't yet rented the units out.

6. Talk to bankers. You might get a foreclosed-on investment property cheaper if you buy it before they list it with a real estate agent.

7. Offer someone a finder's fee. There are people that always seem to hear about the good deals. Have such people coming to you.

8. Eviction notices. If your local papers publish eviction notices, or if you can get the information at the courthouse, it can be useful. A landlord who just went through the procees of evicting tenants is a likely seller.

9. Old FSBO ads. If you call on two-month-old "For sale By Owner" ads, and they haven't sold, they may be ready to deal. Owners often give up the effort, but still would love to sell. Help them out!

10. Put an ad in the paper. "Looking for investment properties to buy," might be sufficient to generate a few calls.

About the author:
Steve Gillman has invested in real estate for years. To learn more, and to see a photo of a beautiful house he and his wife bought for $17,500, visit http://www.HousesUnderFiftyThousand.com

Angel Investors: Who They Are & When Are They Appropriate

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:21:00 +0000

by: Dave Lavinsky
Angel investors are individuals who invest in emerging business ventures. Angels typically provide both capital and know-how to companies who are in either their start-up or expansion phases. To reflect the increased risk of investing in such firms, angels seek a higher rate of return versus traditional public stock investments.

Angel investors fulfill the financing need that exists between capital provided by friends and family and capital provided by venture capitalists. Individual angel investors often write checks from $25,000 to $100,000. Recently, angel investing has become more organized, and angel groups often invest from $250,000 to $500,000 at a time to deserving ventures.

Angel investors often have similar financing criteria as venture capitalists. They want to see proprietary intellectual property, a large market size, management team members with expertise and experience and a current valuation that allows for a good return on investment.

In identifying and attracting an angel investor, companies should seek angel groups that are located in their region. For instance, the Tech Coast Angels have funded over 85 Southern California-based companies since 1997. When seeking individual angel investors, it is critical to network in order to create a personal connection between yourself and the angel. Also, ideally the individual has experience within your specific field so he/she can provide industry contacts and operational expertise in addition to capital.

Investing the Profits from Your Home Based Business

noreply@blogger.com (onur) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:20:00 +0000

by: Rhiannon Williamson
Having made the bold and glorious decision to sack the boss and go it alone you are one of the few who have what it takes to succeed. You have an entrepreneurial spirit and a strong will and these are rare and valuable attributes that will guide you throughout your professional and personal life.

Now that your business is up and running and youre profiting from your efforts, its time to turn your attentions to investing the profits from your home based business wisely and for maximum gain.

One of the most consistently returning asset classes over the long term and the one that the majority of us can profit from is real estate.

Understanding market cycles

Now, youre most likely aware that property markets are cyclical this is because there is a direct correlation between the underlying price of real estate in relation to individual buying power. Simply explained: when property prices rise above what first time buyers can afford to pay the market slows down, stagnates and sometimes readjusts but as soon as purchasing power increases again, either with a drop in interest rates or an increase in GDP, so property prices begin rising again.

And there are even ways to make money from real estate during a market downturn!

Investing in real estate for income

Depending on the nature of your home based business your monthly income may be slightly erratic some months being better than others! If you invest in property assets in a buy-to-let or even jet-to-let capacity you can secure yourself a consistent monthly income which may afford you an added degree of financial security.

Buy-to-let is when you purchase property for rental purposes this make be an apartment you corporate let, it could be a house you student let or even a family home you rent out long term.

Jet-to-let is similar but it involves purchasing overseas property for short term weekly or fortnightly rental to tourists. This type of letting is usually very lucrative indeed during peak holiday periods but may mean you have a property that is empty for a few months out of season.

Both types of property investment return you a regular income and at the same time the physical real estate asset will grow in value over the long term and if ever you wish to release the profits from your investment you can sell on the property and take the gains you have accrued.

Investing in real estate for profit

The alternative to building up a property portfolio for income generation purposes is purchasing property and selling it on relatively quickly to realize the gains the asset has accrued.

You can do this in a number of ways firstly you can purchase run down property in need of renovation, tidy up the property and turn it into a home before selling it on at a higher price and reaping the profits gained.

Alternatively you could seek to beat the curve by buying into up and coming areas, waiting for prices to boom and then selling on for profit. This is quite a risky strategy for a first time investor as timing the market is hard!

An alternative to this is looking overseas for the latest emerging property markets worldwide and buying properties to renovate or properties off plan and then flipping them on for maximum gains in the short term.

Financing your investment

As a self-employed individual it can be tricky to get a mortgage unless you have audited accounts, bank references etc., etc. If you dont have all of these requisite documents there are other options available to you.

The main options are re-mortgaging your primary residence and releasing the equity that you have accrued already for reinvestment in another property project or taking out a self-certification mortgage where you make a large down payment and basically tell the lender how much you can afford to borrow!

A winning attitude

Youve already proved you have what it takes to succeed against the odds by establishing a profitable home based business, now apply the same steely determination to your real estate investments and you will succeed in making the maximum gains. Start small, begin gently, test the market and your understanding of it and slowly build up a profitable real estate portfolio from the profits of your home based business for maximum financial gain.

Good luck in achieving your goals.

About the author:
Rhiannon Williamson is a freelance writer whose articles about property investing and emerging real estate markets have appeared in publications around the world. She is currently working on a brand new property investment resource http://www.amberlamb.com/