MONEY FINANCE

Goldman Sachs charged with fraud by US regulators

2010-04-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

A US financial regulator charged Goldman Sachs Friday with defrauding investors in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis that derailed the global economy, the first civil charges brought in relation to Wall Street's near collapse.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) alleged that Goldman Sachs colluded with a hedge fund client, Paulson & Co, to make money out of the sub-prime housing market - a controversial sector in which banks offered loans with fast-rising interest rates to homebuyers with a poor credit history.

The SEC says Goldman helped Paulson bet against its own sub-prime mortgage-backed securities, which constituted a major chunk of the US housing market and the collapse of which led Wall Street to the brink of disaster in October 2008.

Goldman's stock plunged more than 15 percent on news of the civil suit, dragging down other financial firms and pulling the entire stock market down more than 1 percent in trading Friday morning.

Brought in district court in New York, the suit marks the first charges filed by the US government against Wall Street in relation to the collapse of the housing sector. Millions of homeowners have been forced into foreclosure over the last few years as a decade-long housing bubble burst, starting in mid-2006.

'Goldman wrongly permitted a client that was betting against the mortgage market to heavily influence which mortgage securities to include in an investment portfolio, while telling other investors that the securities were selected by an independent, objective third party,' said Robert Khuzami, director of the SEC's enforcement division.

'The product was new and complex but the deception and conflicts are old and simple,' Khuzami said.

How to Control a Big Spender Spouse

2010-03-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

Are you married to a free spending person? Do you get a big lump in your throat when you find out your partner has bought an expensive item amidst your agreement that you're going to save? Your situation can be a real big challenge but then again, you can find ways to tame your spouse.

Having a partner who loves to spend on expensive things can often make the other spouse regretful and unhappy. For people who are careful with spending the family's finances and at the same time are working hard to earn their much desired income, it can be a cause of stress to see their other half just spending for unnecessary things like there's no tomorrow.

Some will say that they're earning a livelihood and therefore should have the freedom to buy what they love. Yes, it may be a valid reason but when you have a family to support and children to send to school, managing the budget can be difficult especially if this task belongs to the wife.

It's absolutely normal for married couples to have different opinions and attitudes on budget management. What matters is that both of you face the real issues and then find ways to resolve them. Again, communication plays a vital role here.

Don't be complacent with your financial situation. For couples who are both earning big, you may have the tendency to spend here and there as you're banking on your high paying jobs all the time. But what if an emergency strikes and you are forced to spend a big part of your savings? Then your free spending attitude will be cut short and so goes your happiness. So always prepare for the unexpected by not spending too much too soon.

Attitude is another aspect that you should think about. Women are often the savers and the men, the spenders. But it's not a good attitude to put the blame on your husband and confront him straight away if you find out about the loans he's taken out and the high credit card balances that remain outstanding. The best thing to do in this situation is to sit down and discuss the issues. Point out how the debts should be paid and the steps you can take to make the repayments easy for you. There has to be some kind of compromise so the debt does not accumulate further.

Also if you're the wife in charge of the family budget, lay out to your spouse where your funds are going and how much is coming in each month. In this way, your partner will see the real picture which can even influence him to not spend on just whatever he wants to buy in the future.

Talking it out is the right way to do it. And while you're discussing your finances, you may also want to set a target. Share your goals in life such as going on vacations in different countries, buying a new car perhaps or sending your child to a scholarship abroad. This will help you save more and spend less.

How to "Get Rich Quick"

2010-02-04T07:15:00.000-08:00

There so many info product on the market that will teach you how to get rich quick. Most of them are making the person selling the product rich, while the rest of us are becoming more and more financially destitute while we continue to spend our money on these get rich quick opportunities.

Most people get getting rich, and getting a lot of money mixed up. Having a lot of money does not make you rich.

Your mindset and your habits make you rich. That means you can be rich before you get a lot of money. The quicker you realize this, the quicker you will get rich.

We all hear the redundant stories about athletes, entertainers, and lottery winners, who make or get a lot of money, but eventually end up broke. These people are not rich. These people just had a lot of money.

You can quickly become rich, by quickly changing your mindset, and your self-defeating financial habits that are making you broke.

You may already have a wealthy mindset. You may read all of the self development and "rich people" books.

You may be listening to the right audios, going to seminars, and you may have the mindset of a rich person, but what are your habits telling you?

Ask yourself these questions:

- Do habitually have a negative monthly personal cash flow? A person who regularly has more going out of than coming into his financial accounts will never be rich.

- Do you habitually try to do everything all by yourself? You need the help of good systems, and good people to get rich. If you continue to do it all by yourself, you probably will not get rich, but you will probably die trying.

- Do you habitually fall victim to greed and impatience by spending your money on the things that bring you immediate satisfaction in every area of your life? If you want to get rich quickly, you must learn the value of small sacrifices and delayed gratification.

You will not get rich by spending all of your money on magic pills and every get rich scheme that comes along. You may make some money. You may even make a lot of money, but you will not be rich. Instead look within yourself for the answer and realize that it is your own self-defeating financial habits that are keeping you poor or middle-class. You already have what it takes at your fingertips to "get rich quick".

Change your mindset and your money habits and you will quickly get rich. It will only be a matter of time before the money follows.

Modeling Tips - A Professional Career

2009-09-13T12:24:00.000-07:00

Modeling is a professional career that demands hard work and precious time in order to be able to produce commendable work. There are various modeling tips available and you should take the initiative to build up your knowledge in this field to succeed as a good model. Admittedly, it is a very competitive industry and requires emotional competence because you will be facing rejections often. You should be prepared to invest your time and energy if you have chosen this as your career path. Listed below are some modeling tips to help you start and build that career.

To start, you should first develop a modeling portfolio. It is a collection of your best shots and should include a variety of looks and poses to show that you have a wide range of modeling skills. Aim for versatility and avoid nude shots, if possible. If at any time you are uncomfortable with the way you are treated, back out. You should be proud of a picture taken. Engage the service of and help from various photographers. They each have a wide range of connection and should seek to promote your best interest.

It is important to develop a composite card. It is akin to your business card, and an agency frequently uses this to market you. Be prepared to invest some money to obtain highest quality photos. Engage help from a modeling agency. They represent models and will definitely represent you if you have potential to succeed. Communicate well to avoid dispute and misrepresentation of information later.

Besides the information above, there are some things that you have to master to qualify as a competent model. Manage your time well and always be punctual. This is crucial because clients and photographers appreciate models that can cooperate well. Always prepare yourself prior to a photo shoot. Sometimes client expects model to prepare the necessary change of clothes or do their makeup themselves. Find out and seek to fulfill your client's needs.

Remember that modeling is a business and you have to work hard to brand yourself successfully. These simple, yet essential modeling tips will serve as a guide to help you kick start this career

Real Estate Investing 101 - How to Start Flipping Foreclosures by Lionel Gilbert

2009-05-09T09:31:00.000-07:00

Something everyone would like to do is become their own boss. These days it might not seem as easy to break away from that 9-5 routine as it used to be.
There is a lot of information floating around out there about various work at home or get rich quick schemes, but one opportunity that stands out above all the rest is flipping foreclosures for profit.

Although a lot of people may think they don't have the money or the knowledge to do this, there are ways you can get started.

Flipping foreclosures has been proven to make more than enough money to live on. Any excess equity money can be invested into bigger projects and put into savings. It is the responsibility of each of us to try and figure out a way to create a long term financial security for ourselves. If we don't, we could find nearly half a nation relying on government funding to barely survive. An epidemic like that could literally put our government into poverty.

We have all felt the hit of the recent financial decline, just imagine if it were to get even worse. The best thing that could have ever come from it did. The price of real estate has come back to a level where the average person can afford to buy again. That should make all of us feel at ease. At least we now have a tool to help us one day stop working. Once you discover how you could actually make a good living, or even retire by flipping foreclosures, you will be doing your part to help the rest of the economy get back on track.
There is no question that the abundance of foreclosed properties has presented a unique opportunity for anyone interested in making money in the current real estate market.
If you learn how to do it, you can easily make a lot of money right now by flipping foreclosures.

A new course has been released that is designed to train anyone how to take advantage of this unique and lucrative opportunity. The course is designed by a well known real estate investor, Charrissa Cawley, and will equip you with all the knowledge and skills you need in order for you to become a successful property investor in your own right.

Business Checks - The Basics of Ordering

2009-03-09T08:59:00.000-07:00

All businesses conduct innumerable transactions each day. Imagine how risky it would be if one had to use cash for all these transactions! Business checks are financial instruments that enable the business organizations to make payments to their suppliers, employers and creditors. The function of these checks is very similar to personal checks used by individuals.

Individuals usually obtain personal ones from banks. The banks charge a fee for issuing them. Business checks too can be acquired from banks. However, enterprises require a large quantity for their use. Ordering from banks may not be financially viable due to the steep banking charges.

An alternative is to order them in bulk from companies providing this facility. These companies can provide customized ones. Business checks come in different styles such as three-per-page checks, fifty leafs booklet, laser checks, continuous computer stationary, and payroll ones amongst others. They can be designed to incorporate the business logo, colors and the corporate address. Such stationary serve as a means to portray the company's image. A customized check with contact information can help a prospective customer, for example, the accountant of the supplier, to get in touch with the company. Thus it also helps in the subtle advertisement of the company.

Business checks can be ordered from companies through fax, phone or online. There are certain aspects that you should consider while selecting such company. These are:

Select a company that is well established and has a good reputation. Established companies generally advise and help their clients in designing the checks.
Preferably choose a company known for ensuring customer satisfaction.
Ensuring the presence of security features will help protect you from any fraud.
Find out the delivery period and whether free shipping is provided.
If you are ordering computer checks, ensure that it is compatible with your accounting software.

More often than not, enterprises prefer to purchase business checks from check companies, as it is cheaper than obtaining them from banks. One can get customized checks and the delivery is usually fast. Check companies also keep a database of the specifications required by their frequent customers. This speeds up the process of re-order.

Free Government Grant Scam

2009-03-08T09:14:00.000-07:00

You may have been a victim of the government grant scam in the past. You rec

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eive promises of billions of dollars in free money being available from the government, and that a grant check is waiting for you with your name on it. Is this a complete scam, or is there really free grant money available for US citizens to claim?

The answer is yes and no. The government does in fact allocate billions, if not trillions, of dollars in grant money that is given away every year. Many of these grants are for research, community development, and to help small businesses. Students are also able to fairly easily receive free grant money from both the government and private foundations that offer these programs. Between the government and private foundation grants, there are thousands of programs that provide financial aid to people and organizations to help them achieve their goals. Typically a grant means the money does not need to be repaid, which makes them drastically different than loans.

Where the government grant scam does exist is when you receive a call from someone that says you were just awarded a grant for thousands of dollars. To claim your money, all you need to do is verify your identity by providing some personal information. This is most likely a scam. The government does not randomly call people to inform them they were awarded free money. In order to receive a grant, you have to apply for it, and the process is one that you would remember applying for. If you were to receive a grant, you would not be called up unexpectedly. You would be notified by mail and anticipating that approval letter, not surprised by a random caller. Don't fall for this government grant scam.

RBI Reference rate for US dollar and euro

2009-01-06T07:09:00.000-08:00

The Reserve Bank of India on Tuesday, fixed the reference rate for the US currency at Rs 48.68 per dollar and the single European unit at Rs 65.79 per euro from Rs 48.37 per dollar and Rs 67.32 per euro respectively, on Monday.

In a press note issued in Mumbai by the apex bank, the exchange rates of Great Britain's Pound and Japanese Yen against the Rupee have been given as Rs 71.0874 per pound and Rs 52.30 per 100 yen respectively, based on the reference rate for US dollar and middle rates of the cross currency quotes at noon.

The Reference rate is based on 12 noon rates of a few select banks in Mumbai and the SDR-Rupee rate will be based on this rate, the release added.

2009 to be weakest year since World War II: Report

2008-12-28T08:39:00.000-08:00

The year 2009 is likely to be the weakest year for the global economy since the second world war, largely because of the recessionary trend in advanced economies, media reports says.

"Forecasters say 2009 is shaping up to be the weakest year for the global economy for decades, and possibly since the second world war," the Sunday Times said.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has revised down its world forecasts twice since the summer, will shortly unveil new predictions that will show the global economy formally in recession, the report added.

According to Consensus Economics, on the basis of assessing economic growth using market exchange rates, global growth next year would be only 0.4 per cent, the weakest since 1945, dominated by the synchronised downturn in advanced economies.

The IMF has already said that 2009 would be the first year since the second world war when advanced countries would experience simultaneous recession, and emerging economies would contribute to the global economic growth.

Meanwhile, another British daily the Telegraph said, "HSBC has warned that global gross domestic product would contract in 2009, describing this as 'an extraordinary development in the modern era'. It predicts that next year will be the worst in peacetime both for rich countries and the wider global economy since the Great Depression."

HSBC is gloomy about Britain, and is predicting a 2.5 per cent drop in GDP in 2009, compared to 0.9 per cent in the US and 1.4 per cent in the Eurozone. The bank also predicts a rebound in world economic activity in 2010, led among advanced economies by America, the Sunday Times said.

However, HSBC predicts that "Britain will have a very subdued recovery."

In a separate report, the Sunday Times said that "this week the Oxford Economics consultancy is likely to disclose that the country (Britain) has suffered a sudden and savage slide down the global rankings".

According to Oxford Economics Managing Director Adrian Cooper, "The UK GDP per capita in 2009 will be 24 per cent lower than in America and will be over 15 per cent lower than in Japan, Germany and France."

As per Oxford Economics projections, worse is yet to come, because of the recession and the sliding pound". Cooper added, "Britons will no longer be among the richest people on the beach."

Bangalore to get Rs 100 crore nano-tech institute

2008-12-13T08:39:00.000-08:00

Bangalore would host a Rs 100 crore institute for nano science and technology on a 14-acre campus.

Speaking at the second 'Bangalore Nano 2008' conference, Prof C N R Rao, chairman of Scientific Advisory Council to the prime minister said, work on the institute would begin in a couple of months.

Officers said that the full-fledged institute would focus on research and training in the field of nanotechnology.

Karnataka's Home Minister V S Acharya, standing in for Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa who is away in the US, said Bangalore is one of the three places selected for such institutes; the other two being Kolkata and Mohali.

After strides in IT and bio-tech, Karnataka has "warmly hugged nano science and technology," Acharya said.

On the occasion of the nano conference, the Karnataka Government made a proclamation to declare Bangalore as the "Nanocity of India".

The Bangalore Nano Declaration, released on the occasion, said in this pursuit, Government of Karnataka would take every
possible measure to encourage the Research & Development of 'nano science and technology', and create opportunities for the
commercialisation of nanoscience and facilitate development of small, medium and large scale industry committed to
nanotechnology.

Meanwhile, professor D Chakravorty, Emeritus professor and Indian National Science Academy Honorary Scientist, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, was presented with the Bangalore Nano National Award by the Vice-President M
Hamid Ansari, for his contribution in the field.

Sensex sees lowest closing for 2008 on dismal global cues

2008-11-20T07:08:00.000-08:00

Sharp slump in the US as well as in Asian and European markets, due to cut in US economic growth forecast of 2008-2010 by Fed and weak housing data, has weighed on our markets. The Sensex closed below October 27, 2008 closing values. The benchmark indices remained under pressure throughout the session, despite showing a bit of recovery in the last 15 minutes of trade due to short covering. It was the seventh straight day that the markets shut shop in negative terrain.

Oil, private banking, metal, realty, auto, telecom, technology and capital goods stocks witnessed selling pressure. Reliance Industries, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communication, DLF, ICICI Bank, Infosys, HDFC Bank, HDFC, BHEL, Unitech, Cairn India, TCS, L&T, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Power and Sterlite Industries were major contributors to this fall.

The Sensex closed below October 27, 2008 closing value of 8509.56. The 30-share BSE Sensex shed 322.77 points or 3.68% to settle at 8,451.01, after hitting an intraday low of 8,316.39.

The 50-share NSE Nifty touched day's low of 2502.90, before slipping by 81.85 points or 3.11%, to close at 2553.15. However, both indices were way above their October 27 intraday lows of 7697.39 and 2252.75.

Volumes were tepid in today's trade. Total traded turnover stood at Rs 48,668.02 crore. This includes Rs 7,788.87 crore from NSE cash segment, Rs 37,983.83 crore from NSE F&O and the balance Rs 2,895.32 crore from BSE Cash segment.

The BSE Midcap Index shut the shop at 2,895.79, down 102.60 points or 3.42% over previous close. The Small cap Index fell 107.78 points or 3.09% to 3,385.34.

Inflation was the non-event today, as it was on the expected lines. It stood at 8.9% for the week ended November 8 as against 8.98% in the earlier week. CNBC-TV18 poll was seen inflation at 8.82%. Reacting to the cooling-off inflation numbers, Shubhda Rao, Chief Economist, Yes Bank, said, “The trend is clear that inflation is softening. I would think inflation would go down to anywhere between 8.8%–8.7% next week. Within the manufacturing space, we are clearly seeing some softening.”

Realty stocks took huge beating on the bourses. Unitech was down 9.87% and DLF fell 8.56%. BSE Realty Index plunged 151.88 points or 8.3% to 1,679.06.

Oil & Gas Index was down by 255.47 points or 4.64% at 5,252.01. Reliance Industries crashed 6.58% and ONGC tanked 0.33%. Oil marketing companies like HPCL, IOC and BPCL fell 0.95-2.47%. Crude was hovering at USD 53-54 to a barrel on the NYMEX.

Bankex closed at 4,398.29, down 198.66 points or 4.32% over previous close. ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank lost over 7%. However, SBI gained 1.2%.

Metal Index slipped 185.65 points or 4.18%, to settle at 4,250.49. Sterlite Industries, Jindal Steel and JSW Steel fell 7-8%. Tata Steel, SAIL and Hindalco lost 0.4-2.4%.

Selling was also seen in auto stocks like Bharat Forge, Maruti Suzuki and Hero Honda slipped 5-8%. BSE Auto Index fell 97.27 points or 4.14% to 2,252.97.

Telecom stocks like Reliance Communication, Idea Cellular, Tata Communication and Bharti Airtel tumbled 3%-8.3%.

Capital Goods stocks like BHEL and L&T fell nearly 3%. Index lost 187.38 points or 2.93% to 6,209.38.

IT Index was down by 66.80 points or 2.77% at 2,343.84. Tech Mahindra, Infosys, TCS, Wipro and Satyam were losers.

Power stocks like Reliance Infrastructure, Tata Power, CESC, Suzlon Energy and Torrent Power fell 3.2-6.7%. Power Index fell 34.22 points or 2.24% to 1,495.70.

Pharma stocks like Orchid Chemical, Ipca Labs, Opto Circuits, Matrix Lab and Dishman Pharma lost 5.5-9%. Sun Pharma was down 4.59%. Healthcare Index declined 40.38 points or 1.44% to 2,764.43.

FMCG Index also closed lower by 9.46 points or 0.51% at 1,856.56. Tata Tea, Dabur India, United Spirits, Godrej Consumer and GlaxoSmith Consumer lost 1.7-5.8.

Among the midcap stocks, Lakshmi Energy, Motilal Oswal, BGR Energy, Deccan Chronicle and Triveni Engg plunged 10.7-16.4%.

In the small cap space, Amtek India, NRB Bearings, Ansal Housing, English Ind Cla and Kewal Kiran lost 11-20%.

Market breadth was extremely weak; about 706 shares have advanced while 2071 shares have declined. Nearly 416 shares remained unchanged.

On the global front, European indices were trading weak. FTSE slipped 86.55 points to 3,919. CAC and DAX fell 104 points and 130 points to 2,983 and 4,224, respectively, at 3:49 hrs IST.

The Dow Jones Futures was down 107 points to 7,920 and the Nasdaq dropped 22.25 points to 1,070.25, at 3:49 hrs IST.

US Auto makers are in focus, as no bailout package is expected soon; Paulson hinted that TARP will not be used for automakers, foreclosures mitigations & no another capital program.

Asian markets ended sharply lower. Nikkei closed down by 6.89% and Kospi fell 6.7%. Hang Seng and Taiwan lost 4.04% and 4.53%, respectively. Shanghai, Straits Times and Jakarta fell 1.67%-3.10%.

Japan's Yen continues to appreciates and its October exports fell by the most in seven years.

Taiwan has broken October lows while other Asian markets were still 5-15% away from October lows.

Markets @ 2:14 pm : Sell-off continues in markets as European indices dip 2-3%

Selling pressure continues in the benchmark indices, despite showing a bit of rebound from the lows of the day. The Nifty is trying to move towards 2600 mark, but it is not happening. The Sensex is trading below 8500 level. Negative European and Asian markets weighed on the markets.

The Sensex plunged 361 points to 8,411 and the Nifty fell 90 points to 2,545, at 2:14 hrs IST. BSE Midcap and Small cap indices are still down over 3.4% each.

Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank, Bharti Airtel, Infosys, HDFC Bank, DLF, HDFC, TCS, BHEL, Sun Pharma, Maruti, L&T and SBI are still dragging the frontline indices lower.

Market breadth is in favour of declines on account of sell-off in broader indices. About 177 shares have advanced while 1,061 shares have declined.

Realty and Bankex tumbled 5-6%. Auto, Oil & Gas, TECK, Metal, IT and Capital Goods indices lost 2.8-4%.

Among the midcap stocks, BGR Energy, Educomp Solutions, Deccan Chronicle, Sadbhav Engg and Redington fell 10-12%.

In the small cap space, Amtek India, Temptation Food, Federal-Mogul, Murli and Subhash Project went down 13-20%.

On the global front, European markets are also trading weak. FTSE fell 77 points to 3,927. CAC and DAX lost 91 points and 136 points to 2,996 and 4,217, respectively.

The Dow Jones Futures went down 76 points to 7,951 and the Nasdaq Futures fell 14.5 points to 1,078.

Markets @ 1:04 pm : Mkts under pressure; Tata Power, ICICI Bank, HDFC lag

The markets are trading sharply lower despite showing a bit of recovery from the lows of the day. Slump in US and Asian markets are the main reasons for this fall. Rate sensitive, telecom, metal, technology, and oil stocks are reeling under pressure. The Sensex is trading above 8,400 and the Nifty is still holding above the 2,500 mark.

The Sensex plunged 321 points to 8,452 and the Nifty fell 82 points to 2,553, at 1:04 hrs IST. BSE Midcap and Small Cap indices lost at around 3.5% each.

Tata Power, ICICI Bank, HDFC and Reliance Communication are top losers. However, ACC, Siemens and Nalco are gainers.

Inflation is the non-event today, as it is on the expected lines. It stood at 8.95% for the week ended November 8 as against 8.98% in the earlier week. CNBC-TV18 poll was seen inflation at 8.82%. Reacting to the cooling-off inflation numbers, Shubhda Rao, Chief Economist, Yes Bank, said, “The trend is clear that inflation is softening. I would think inflation would go down to anywhere between 8.8%–8.7% next week. Within the manufacturing space, we are clearly seeing some softening.”

Market breadth is still dismal due to weakness in broader indices; about 584 shares have advanced while 2,177 shares have declined. Nearly 432 shares are unchanged.

BSE Realty Index fell 6.5%. Bankex, Auto and Metal lost 4-5%. TECk, IT, Power, Oil & Gas, and Capital Goods indices lost over 3%.

Turnover traded in the BSE Cash segment, so far, stood at Rs 1,467 crore. In the NSE Cash and F&O segment, turnover was at Rs 4,039 crore and Rs 21,706 crore, respectively.

Markets @ 11:49 am : Nifty slipping towards 2500, as Asian mkts extend losses

Continuous sell-off in realty, banking, oil, telecom, auto and metal stocks are putting pressure on the benchmark indices. The Nifty is trading below 2550 and the Sensex is hovering at 8300-8400 level. Asian markets extended losses further, as Nikkei and Kospi fell over 6.5% each.

The Sensex plummeted 447 points to 8,326 and the Nifty fell 128 points to 2,506, at 11:49 hrs IST. BSE Midcap and Small Cap indices lost 3.7% each. All indices are in red and not a single stock is trading in green on the Sensex and Nifty.

Unitech, Tata Power, Reliance Communication, Tata Communication, ICICI Bank, Reliance Infrastructure, DLF, HDFC and HDFC Bank tumbled 6-9%. Sun Pharma, Idea Cellular, Hero Honda, Maruti Suzuki, Wipro, PNB, Reliance Industries, Bharti Airtel and Sterlite Industries lost 5-6.8%.

BPCL, Ambuja Cements, GAIL, M&M, Cairn India, Grasim, Power Grid Corp, NALCO, Satyam and Cipla fell 4-4.8%. TCS, HCL Tech, Infosys, Hindalco, BHEL, Reliance Power, ONGC, Reliance Petro, Tata Motors, HUL, Tata Steel, SBI and Ranbaxy Labs lost 3-3.8%.

BSE Realty index cracked nearly 8%. Bankex plunged close to 6%. Oil & Gas, Metal, Teck, Auto, Power, and IT indices fell 4-5%. Capital Goods, Healthcare and FMCG lost 2-3.4%.

Market breadth is weak; about 604 shares have advanced while 2,136 shares have declined. Nearly 453 shares are unchanged.

On the global front, Asian markets are under pressure. Nikkei and Kospi lost over 6.5%. Hang Seng and Taiwan fell 4.5-5.5%. Shanghai, Straits Times and Jakarta tumbled 2.4-3.7%.

The Dow Jones Futures is down 105 points to 7,922 and the Nasdaq Futures fell 11 points to 1,081.

Markets @ 10:50 am : Nifty struggles @ 2550; realty, bank, oil, auto stocks dip

The benchmark indices continue to reel under selling pressure, as downtrend is seen in rate sensitives, oil & gas, infrastructure, metal and telecom sectors. Midcap and small cap stocks are following the same trend. On the global front, Asian markets are under pressure following big slump in the US markets.

Reliance Industries, Bharti Airtel, ONGC, ICICI Bank, DLF, BHEL, Reliance Communication, HDFC, HDFC Bank, Infosys, SBI, TCS, NTPC, L&T and Wipro are taking beating on the bourses.

The Sensex fell 341 points to 8,432 and the Nifty plunged 95 points to 2,540, at 10:50 hrs IST. BSE Midcap and Small cap indices lost 3.4% each.

Vibhav Kapoor, IL&FS, said global recession is getting severe now, and so Indian markets will suffer all the more. Most Indian participants were too optimistic about the Indian story over last one year, but now the harsh reality has hit and it’s seen that Indian market have been underperforming amongst the rest of Asian markets.

Kapoor said markets are showing weaker signs and the top looks closer to about 2,800 to 2,900 and market may test the October lows and would also go much lower than those lows.

Polaris Software crashed over 8%, as there are reports that Citi has put in 40% stake in the company on the block and is in talks with potential players.

However, the company is denying this report. Arun Jain, Chairman and CEO of Polaris said that there are no talks with Citi on any stake sale as of now. Don't believe Citi would sell stake at current valuations, he said.

Market breadth is in favour of declines; about 630 shares have advanced while 2,115 shares have declined. Nearly 448 shares are unchanged.

Crude is trading USD 50.3 to a barrel on the NYMEX. Indian Rupee is trading at 50.47 to a dollar, after hitting an all-time low of 50.58/$

On the global front, Asian markets are weak. Nikkei and Kospi dipped over 6%. Hang Seng lost 5.5%. Jakarta, Straits Times and Taiwan tumbled 3-4.4%. Shanghai lost 1.2%.

Markets @ 9:56 am : Mkts crash on weak global cues; Sensex below 8500

The markets crashed in early trade following big slump in Asian and US markets, due to Fed cuts economic growth forecast for 2008 and 2009 and weak housing data. This is the seventh day in a row that the benchmark indices have been falling towards October lows.

Selling is seen in banking, technology, capital goods, telecom, metal, real estate adn oil stocks.

At 9:56 am, the Sensex declined by 378 points to 8,395 and the Nifty fell 103 points to 2,531. CNX Midcap lost 103 points to 3,277.

HDFC Bank, Reliance Industries, L&T, BHEL, Hindalco, ICICI Bank, HDFC, Unitech, DLF, Reliance Infrastructure, Satyam, Sterlite, HCL Tech and Idea are major losers. ICICI Bank plunged over 10%.

The Indian rupee hit all-time low of 50.58 to a dollar.

Asian markets are trading extremely weak. Hang Seng, Nikkei and Kospi lost 5-6%. Taiwan, Jakarta, Straits Times and Shanghai tumbled 1-4%.

NYMEX December Crude slipped further on high inventories and decline in demand. It is trading at USD 53.3 to a barrel on the NYMEX. Crude inventories gained by 1.6 million barrels to 313.5 million barrels.

Aluminum is trading at 3-year lows and Copper at 4 year lows. Tin slipped to 3-week lows as inventories gained 27% this month.

US markets breached October lows on Wednesday and closed at 5-year lows, as Federal Reserve cut economic growth forecasts for 2008 and 2009 in FOMC minutes. There are concerns over the fate of auto makers and housing market data was weak. Dow Jones ended down 428 points or 5.1% at 7997 and Nasdaq ended down by 97 points or 6.5% at 1386.4. S&P 500 closed down by 52.5 points or 6.1% at 806.5.

Market cues:

US markets breach Oct lows; close at 5-year lows

Asian markets open weak after US markets plunge

Inflation data today; CNBC-TV18 poll sees it at 8.82% versus 8.98%

FIIs net sell USD 91.5 million in equity on November 18

MFs net sell Rs 45 crore in equity on November 18

NSE F&O Open Int up by Rs 702 crore at Rs 49,919 crore

F&O cues:

Stock Futures add 85 lakh shares in Open Int

Stock Futures start early rollovers, huge build-ups in Dec series

Futures Open Int up by Rs 230 crore, Options Open Int up by Rs 472 crore

Nifty Nov Futures add 1.5 lakh, Dec Futures add 9 lakh shares in Open Int

Nifty Nov at 8-point discount, Dec at 13-point discount

Nifty Open Int Put-Call ratio at 0.91 versus 0.94

Nifty Puts add 2 lakh, Calls add 14 lakh shares in Open Int

Nifty 2600 Put adds 3 lakh shares in Open Int

Nifty 2700 Call adds 8.2 lakh shares in Open Int

Nifty 2600 Call adds 4.3 lakh shares in Open Int

Chidambaram assures industry of cheaper bank loans

2008-11-03T06:04:00.000-08:00

The finance minister will ask state-run banks to lower lending rates to help revive sagging industrial growth, industry officials said on Monday.

Heads of three leading industry bodies -- CII, FICCI and ASSOCHAM -- met Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram to highlight the problems they were facing in the wake of slack domestic demand and a global credit crisis.

"The FM has assured us that the government will persuade the banks to reduce interest rates," Sajjan Jindal, the president of ASSOCHAM and managing director of JSW Steel, told reporters after the meeting.

On Saturday, the Reserve Bank of India unexpectedly cut its repo rate or main short-term lending rate by 50 basis points to 7.5 percent and banks' cash reserve (CRR) requirements by 100 basis points to 5.5 percent.

It also cut banks' bond reserve requirements (SLR) by 1 percentage point to 24 percent of their deposits.

"There is a global shift towards a soft interest rate and after the fall in oil and commodity prices, focus has shifted from inflation to growth," K V Kamath, ICICI Bank chief executive and president of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), said.

It's final countdown for Tatas on Singur

2008-08-30T17:24:00.000-07:00

Is it the end of the road for Tata Motors at Singur? Frustrated with unending turmoil over the company's upcoming Nano car plant, the company appears to have "run out of patience" and is making a "final assessment" of the situation, highly placed company sources told TOI.

The company, which has been made "more or less a hostage" in the state because of continued protests led by Mamata Banerjee's Trinamul Congress, is close to taking a final call over its continuation, sources said. "We are contemplating whether to walk the talk," the sources said, referring to the threat issued by Ratan Tata a few days back of withdrawing from the state if the tensions — giving a security threat to the company's employees — continue.

Tata Motors' frustration with the "out of control" situation can be gauged by the fact that the company decided not to send its workers to the factory site on Friday. "Our workers are not attending work today," a Tata Motors spokesperson said in a statement. Sources said the company might do the same on Saturday. However, no senior official came on record.

The sources said top officials of the company have taken a very grim view of the continued troubles. "It is as if we are under siege. While a majority of the casual workers have stopped coming to the plant, things have become worse, forcing the company to go for a shutdown today," the sources said.

However, no replies come on the crucial question of how long the company decides to stay put. "This is something which is being actively considered. Any final decision will be taken at the highest level, though no concrete timeframe can be given," the sources said. The decision would be taken only after Ratan Tata, currently abroad, returns to the country early next week. "We are still hopeful that some solution is arrived at and things are normalised," the sources added.

Tata Motors' 700-odd engineers; executives and technocrats have been coming in a police-protected cavalcade for the last few weeks. Not only that, the strength of the casual workers, so crucial to the development of the plant, has come down to only around 15%. Also, the blockade of the highway because of the protests has virtually made it impossible for trucks and other vehicles to enter the plant smoothly. "Workers cannot come in, trucks cannot ferry. The situation cannot be worse," the sources said.

While Tata Motors tries to resolve the tensions, it is understood to have asked vendors to gear up to produce a couple of thousand units monthly from its Pantnagar plant in Uttarakhand to meet the October launch deadline.

Sources said the company is planning to produce around 100 units daily from Uttarakhand, a state that gives lucrative tax breaks.

Trustees: Who Can You Trust?

2008-08-11T07:57:00.000-07:00

Early in my legal career I represented two young women in their
early 20s.

Their mother had been killed in a car accident when they were
infants. An out of court settlement had been reached and a
lump sum of cash had been awarded to each of them.

Since they were "minors" (too young to have legal capacity to
act for themselves) the money was given to their father "in trust"
to be held until they reached the age of 18.

The reason they had been referred to me was because they had
both reached 18 and had asked their father for their money.
He had ignored their requests.

I was hired to get their money.

Easier said then done. Their father hired a lawyer of questionable
repute who threw up every roadblock in the book, hoping to make
us go away.

We eventually learned why. Their money was gone.

Their father had spent the girls' money… some on personal living
expenses, some on vacations. He even had given some of the money
to a friend for a business that had failed.

Their father was broke. There was no bond (insurance on a trustee's
actions) and no money.

I sent the case to the DA's office for criminal prosecution and
last I heard there was a plea bargain that included a requirement
that he work to earn the money to pay them back.

The moral of the story? Who CAN you trust?

When you set up any kind of trust, a living trust, an irrevocable
trust, a charitable trust, any kind of trust, how will you be sure
they will perform in an honest an ethical way?

One way is to require a bond. However, often you will see in the
pre-prepared "forms" or "kits' that the requirement for a bond
is removed.

Often, it is wise to appoint two or sometimes three trustees so
they can keep an eye on the others. But then the drawback is that
you have a trust that is managed by committee.

There is no easy answer. The answer depends on your particular
circumstances.

How much are you worth?

What type of assets do you own?

How complicated will management be?

Will there be management during your life?

What other obligations does the person you've named have
(are they raising a young family?).

Even with the case of the two young women, the father had an
obligation to give accountings to the court showing what he had
done with the money. He never did and there was no one around
to make him.

So, don't take the appointment of a trustee too lightly. Talk it
over with your family and your lawyer. And be sure to review your
document every few years. Family circumstances may have changed
where someone no longer has the time to step in if they are
needed.

Good luck and until next time,

8 Tips for Keeping More of Your Hard Earned Money

2008-08-09T07:54:00.000-07:00

Masters degree not required...just a little common sense, a $5.00 calculator and a realistic plan is all you’ll need.

“There’s got to be a better way” resonates with many of us, when contemplating how frustrated we’ve become with our investment decisions. Too many Canadians are spending far too much on credit card debt, accept inflated mortgage rates from financial institutions they've been loyal to for years, and just don’t seem to have a realistic financial strategy in place.

With the myriad of savings, mortgage and investment options available today, rethinking your financial plan to make more efficient use of your money can be a daunting task. As a result sometimes the fear of making a costly mistake can lead to inaction, but inaction or procrastination will almost always cost you money in the end. So what is the correct course of action? The following column contains 8 valuable tips, which will provide a framework to help you earn more and save more of your hard earned money.

1. Pay yourself First -- rule numero uno. From each pay cheque set aside 15 to 20 percent of you’re after tax income through an automatic deposit into a savings account or investment program. After a brief "adjustment period" you won't even miss it. It's important to make sure you have enough money on hand before you can entertain any investment strategy.

2. Pay down your consumer debt before investing -- most investors would be ecstatic with an 18% + after tax return from their investment portfolio. Let me explain how paying off credit card debt actually translates into those kinds of returns. Let’s assume your carrying credit card balances of $3000.00 @ a simple annual interest rate of 18%. That’s $540.00 per year in interest charges…pay out the credit card debt and you're saving $540.00 a year. Can you see how that’s exactly the same as investing the $3000.00 into something that earns an 18% return after tax. In fact you would have to earn 36% return on your investments to emerge with the same $540.00 in your pocket if you were in say a 50% tax bracket. I suspect what you're saying right about now is that that’s all very interesting but where does one find the "extra money" to pay down those debts. Thank you for that excellent segway into my next tip, no# three.

The Straight Goods on Mortgages

3. Refinancing -- the truth is even though it's likely your home may have greatly appreciated in value, it’s also very likely that you may be paying more than necessary on your mortgage. Refinancing commonly referred to as Debt Consolidation leverages the equity you may have already accumulated in your home to pay down high interest credit cards, credit lines and other debts. In 2002 and 2003, one in two Canadian mortgage holders refinanced their loans with over all savings of $7 billion in interest payments.
A good rule of thumb to follow is -- consider refinancing if your rate is 1.5% or more, higher than current rates. Always check your mortgage documents or with your mortgage holder to determine the penalty for discharging your existing mortgage.

It's always a good strategy to exercise your full pre-payment privileges before refinancing which will dramatically decrease any penalties involved. If your mortgage was previously insured by CMHC it may also be possible to refinance to a high ratio mortgage (anything less than 25% down) and pay the CMHC insurance "top up" fee only on the new money advanced after discharge.

To determine if refinancing is a realistic option for you calculate your total monthly debt payments; including personal loans, your existing mortgage payment, lines of credit, credit cards etc. and divide that number by your gross total monthly income. If your total is above 0.49 it’s likely refinancing could bring real value to your situation.

4. Ladder or Step -- imagine registering a collateral charge against your property in consideration of its future value. Basically a "step" mortgage enables you to accomplish just that. With a step or ladder you can structure a mortgage combined with a credit line as well as overdraft protection etc. that will allow you to painlessly borrow money against the future value of your property as it appreciates.

Benefits of this plan include a hedge against risk, a lower rate if your current rate is higher than prime, as well as flexible payment terms -- from making interest only payments to making any sizable payment or completely paying down the debt against the credit line without incurring expensive penalties. Best of all with a step mortgage you have the unique ability to painlessly increase your line in the future for educational purposes, renovations etc. based on the appreciated value of your home. It's best to trust an Accredited Mortgage Professional to structure this complex but infinitely more flexible mortgage plan.

5. Floating or Variable Rate Mortgage -- York University Professor Moshe Arye Milevsky found in his study examining the last 50 years of mortgage rates that 88 percent of the time, home owners will find that the interest rate on their variable rate mortgage will be lower than the rate on a traditional five-year fixed rate mortgage. My advice is to definitely consider a variable rate but you must be able to tolerate the risk of your monthly payments possibly fluctuating. One way to offset this risk is to calculate payments based on a five year fixed rate against a mortgage calculated at a variable rate. You will likely not only save on interest charges but may pay off your mortgage considerably quicker.

Having the ability to lock into a "fully discounted" fixed term rate at some future date, without penalty is also an option worth exploring.
Bi weekly-accelerated payments are highly recommended as well. It's basically nothing more than taking 1/2 of your monthly payment and remitting it to your financial institution every two weeks. It translates into making roughly one additional monthly payment every year but it really serves to substantially reduce your interest charges and amortization, which will allow you to own your home outright, sooner.
Childs Education

6. Start early -- Considering a price tag of about $50,000 for four years of post secondary education for a child born today based on current tuitions of $5,000 and education inflation of 5%, a Registered Education Savings Plan is simply a must. The earnings aren't taxable as they grow within the plan and the Canada Education Savings Grant is an added bonus.
The CESG basically provides a guaranteed 20 percent return -- where can you beat that? - You'll receive $400.00 from the government on the first $2,000 of contributions per child per year.

Registered Retirement Savings Plan

7. Save as much as possible -- take full advantage of compounding while your account grows tax-deferred. Borrow if you must because in most cases deferring taxes and earning compound interest far outweigh the interest costs of borrowing to make an RRSP contribution. It’s also a prudent idea to apply your tax refund directly to the loan immediately reducing the payments. A "step" mortgage can also go a long way towards making this process more painless.

New home buyers -- The Home Buyers' Plan (HBP) allows you to withdraw up to $20,000 from RRSPs to buy or build a qualifying home for yourself (as a first-time home buyer) or for someone who is related to you and is disabled.

(http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tax/individuals/topics/rrsp/glossary-e.html#qualifying)You may still be considered a first-time homebuyer if you own a rental property or if you have not recently owned a home.

8. Spousal RRSP -- is recommended. Split income in retirement and reduce your overall tax burden by contributing to a spousal RRSP now. You will significantly reduce your taxes by having the higher income earner make as much of the RRSP contributions as his or her room will allow, then use a spousal account so that each spouse continues to build the same RRSP savings.

The message here is that a sound knowledge of financial basics combined with some careful financial planning goes a long way towards helping you hang on to more of your hard earned money. It's always wise to consult with a mortgage professional as well as a competent financial planner to formulate a financial plan, review your budget and help match your savings and investments to your overall goals.

I Don't Need A Financial Coach To Help Me!

2008-08-07T07:52:00.000-07:00

You’ve been thinking that your financial life could probably be better, right? Maybe you think, “If I could just stick to a budget everything will be fine…”, or how about “When I get that next raise or promotion, I’ll have enough money to pay off my debts and save some money…” You may even be thinking,“I can do this on my own!”
I hear these comments and more on a regular basis. I usually say, “Great! Can you think of any reasons your financial life isn’t perfect right now?”
It’s really your “little voice” which is prompting you to say all these things! Your little voice has a job to do and that is to protect you from any change because it “knows” that change will be hard or scary or cause more work and it’s just easier to keep things the way they’ve always been. Your current situation is something you already know and even if you don’t like it, you at least know what you already have.
Or maybe you feel it’s all up to you and it’s weak to have other people help you, especially when it comes to money. Besides, you might think, I’ll probably have to pay to get help!
People who challenge these thoughts and hire a financial coach find that their attitudes toward “getting help” changes dramatically within a couple of weeks. You’ll find someone you can tell everything to, literally. Your hopes, fears, dreams, problems - the whole lot and you can even drop the image that your life is perfect, that you know it all and that you can do it yourself.
The first thing you’ll notice is that your coach won’t judge you. You’ll be accepted as you are, even if there is room for improvement. You’ll find someone who will truly hear what you say and support you in your efforts to be an excellent money manager.
You’ll feel your dreams are something to be valued and you’ll encouraged to clarify them and move towards them. You’ll be asked challenging questions, you’ll think bigger, be clearer about the role of money in your life, and you’ll consider other possibilities!
Because coaching is a professional relationship, you’ll be working with someone who isn’t just going to say "yes" to you. You’ll know your coach has your best interests at heart when she challenges you. Your coach can help you see big picture when you get bogged down in the detail or run into difficulties. She’ll open up your thinking so you can see you are capable of more than you see for yourself. You’ll be encouraged to truly be your best, particularly when you are inclined to stop short of doing what’s possible for you.
Your little voice will be very happy to protect you from these wonderful experiences, especially if you’ve never experienced the opportunity to work with someone who is on the same playing field as you, open to brainstorming ideas and continually moving you forward. Your inner voice protects you from growing and being outside your comfort zone. Your little voice tries to stop you doing something, whether through fear or pretending you don't need to do it. Your little voice is useful when it protects you from danger such as putting your hand in fire.
And, remember your little voice is extremely clever and powerful; after all it's had a lot of practice! It will keep trying to find a way to stop you. You can be quick to identify your inner critic getting in the way, and it will find another way of stopping you. We've become so accustomed to letting our inner self rule our lives that we tend to see it as normal, never questioning whether it's healthy for us.
This inner critic can kick in when you think about getting the help you need and making changes that will improve your finances. “I don’t need 'help'; I can do it myself!” you’ll hear it say. Getting financial help may suggest that you aren’t capable, you have something missing, or you are just plain lazy or stupid.
You’ll quickly realize that a coach doesn't 'help' you. A coach sees you as a whole person who is capable of unbelievable things. They don't hold your hand like a child and they're normal human beings who aren't perfect. They act as a sounding board, an objective observer, offer a safe place to learn new information about money and answer questions you’ve never been able to ask anyone else. They see things clearer than you do because they step back and aren't caught up in your daily routine. You can take more responsibility when encouraged by a coach.
Coaching will give you the opportunity to stop and reflect, gather your thoughts, sort out your priorities and focus for the coming week. The dynamics of two people working together are greater than the sum of the individuals.
What is your little voice stopping you from doing, which could be extremely beneficial for you? Write down what your mind is saying, because seeing it in black and white allows you to see more clearly.
What could your life look like right now if you’d had this kind of help when you were just starting out? What will happen 20 years from now, if you keep listening to your little voice? What are you waiting for?!?!?

Financial Intelligence - Natural Marketing For Lone Rangers

2008-08-05T07:50:00.000-07:00

"Ooooooh," you may say, "I could NEVER be good at marketing, I'm just not that sort of person. I'm just not pushy enough".

Well, if that is your reaction to the title of this article, I would like to kick off by giving you permission to hate marketing (and its cousin, "sales"). I am not going to try to turn you into a marketeer or a salesperson - but will you open your mind (just a chink!) to the possibility that you CAN stay just as you are and STILL be more successful at what you do?

Marketing and sales are inextricably linked in most people's mind and everyone knows sales people are scuzz-bags - right? The very words "marketing" and "sales" conjures up images of people being brainwashed by ads and parted from their money, in exchange for something they don't want. By people in dodgy suits!

Well, the first concept to get your head around, is that people are generally very sophisticated and astute. You cannot generally sell people something they don't want, no matter how heavy handed your tactics. And generally, even by very clever marketing, you cannot persuade or brainwash people into wanting something, that they hadn't wanted before. You couldn't massage someone who didn't want it, could you?

How would it be if we started thinking of marketing as the art of letting people know about an idea, solution, product or service that they already want, but didn't know where to go or which one to choose. How would it be if we made our service so good, so excellent, that if WE were introduced to it, we would be DELIGHTED to be told about that service. How about thinking of marketing as simply making sure that our excellent service is not being kept a secret?

What about the sales part of the process? The dreaded "closing" that everyone seems to find so hard. What is a "close", anyway? It's actually just asking someone if - having been recommended, having voiced their needs, knowing your fees, reassured that you can help - you ask them if they would like to book an appointment. Offering an appointment on a Tuesday or a Thursday is an "alternative close". Technical stuff, eh?

So marketing is about not being a secret, and selling is about making an appointment. Easy - we can do that! But what if we could make it even easier? Have I got your interest?

How do we go about not being a secret? The traditional ways to market anything are by creating a brochure, business cards and letterhead, advertising, mailing out to prospective purchasers (or clients) and selling your services to them. An expensive and time consuming business. Does your heart sink when you read this? Well, I have some good news. None of that works - or only 2% of the time anyway! So what does work?

What you need to do is simply create a reservoir of people who know about you, who like what you do, and who ONE DAY might use your services. Oh boy! When my coach Chris Barrow, told me this, I breathed a big wonderful sigh of relief.

How big should your reservoir be? Chris Barrow's theory is that it should be in excess of 1000 to generate an almost effortless work flow, but that you start to attract clients at about 400-500 people.

How do you fill your reservoir and with whom? This is where you start to think about your ideal client - because who wants a reservoir of less than ideal clients? The first people on your list should be your existing clients - or at least those you want to keep. You see, this is one of the big secrets about marketing, it's as much about weeding out the clients you don't want, as attracting the clients you do want! Think about the qualities of your ideal client, what are they like (TIP: think about your existing clients and pick out the A-List). I'll share the qualities of my ideal client to give you an idea.

My ideal coaching client is bright, articulate, educated (by life, if not uni) fast on the uptake, action orientated, entrepreneurial (or would like to be), definitely has email, is successful by anyone else's standards but perhaps not achieving their potential yet. They may feel overwhelmed and take on too much. They probably talk too fast and walk as if they are in a hurry. They are serious about wanting to improve their business or their life and they are prepared to set aside some time to come to calls and to take some action. They don't cancel or re-arrange calls, they pay on time and they appreciate my coaching. They are not ashamed to say they have a coach and they recommend me to everyone they meet!

Grade your existing clients into A clients (love you, come regularly, pay happily, turn up, recommend you all the time), B clients (love you, come fairly regularly, pay happily, turn up, sometimes recommend you), C Clients (think you are ok, come occasionally, pay happily, turn up, never recommend you) and the D Clients (aka the BMW's - bitchers, moaners and whiners). What do we do right now with the D Clients? D is for Dump. Dumping the D's makes more time to give the A's and the B's more time, more service, more attention.

So how do we meet more A Clients and get them in our reservoir? Work out who the A's are and where they hang out. Are they business people? Mums At Home or Ladies Who Lunch? Sports players?

When you have established who they are, then think about the problems they have and the things they are interested in. Think about ways you could add value to those A List Clients. It might be sending out clippings from newspapers on articles of interest, it might be creating a simple A4 two sided newsletter, it might be a website with useful links and an email newsletter, it might be writing for specialist publications (the last two being my preferred methods, hence this article!). Just put yourself in their shoes for a moment.

But whichever method you choose, make sure you enjoy it. Say what? Yes, you have my permission to only choose marketing methods that you actually enjoy. Why? Because if you don't enjoy them, you won't do them - even if your business is falling down around your ears.

Do you remember Fiona, my Reiki Master and therapist client? She found that she was massaging a client or two in the morning, then nothing at all till the evening, when her working clients turned up. She wanted to build up her lunchtime and afternoon clientele and then limit her evenings to two per week. Who would be able to come at those times? The ladies who lunch and the self-employed. Where do the ladies hang out? At charity events and hairdressers and in nice restaurants. What are their challenges? To look after themselves to the n'th degree, be well groomed, relaxed and charming at all times. She joined her local ladies groups, talked to her hairdresser and beauty therapist about a joint marketing initiative, volunteered for the local large charity committee and attended a few lunches herself, and then, to reach the self-employed business person, joined the BNI (Business Networking International - for details see www.bni.com).

The self employed do not have enough time to look after themselves and often suffer from stress and bad backs. Fiona initially started talking about bad backs and sports injuries, and now her business has taken off in an amazing way. People went for their practical problems but now go for the Reiki and the other types of emotional healing. She was so nervous talking about her service for 60 seconds at first, but now is completely at home in that environment. She even demonstrated crystal therapy the other morning and it was a real treat to watch hard bitten businessmen handling rose quartz and feeling the warmth coming off the crystals.

This route is not for everyone, but one thing is for sure, there is a marketing method that will suit you. I like meeting people and writing, so I have a website (www.nicolacairncross.com), a monthly financial coaching newsletter, I write articles for magazines and I attend every networking lunch, breakfast and dinner that I can. (Plays havoc with the weight though!)

Remember, whatever you do, you are not selling, just collecting people for your reservoir. They may not use your service for ages, but if you keep in touch with them in a way that adds value without being too promotional, they will either buy spontaneously or recommend someone who will.

The sales part is this. While not being overly promotional, don't on the other hand make it difficult or even impossible for people to buy your services when they are ready to.

Make sure you have contact details and they work (unlike me, who, in the last article for this magazine put an incorrect newsletter link with no other contact details!). Make sure that people know your prices and don't have to ask (it's embarrassing for them). Educate them so that they know how to be your ideal client and feel privileged to be so. Let them know - and thank them - how wonderful it feels when they recommend you or refer someone into your reservoir (unlike my other hairdresser client who used to tell all her existing clients how busy she was, so they felt unable to recommend new clients to her).

Finally, write down your plan and evaluate it monthly. Keep doing what works and drop what doesn't - unless you enjoy it! Not everything works in obvious ways. Decide on your preferred marketing methods and become the best at those methods. Educate yourself on how to be most effective, or hire a coach who can help.

And remember, 50% of all money spend on advertising is wasted, it's just that no-one knows which half! Till the next time....

Financial Intelligence - Compounding (The Ninth Wonder of the World)

2008-08-03T07:47:00.000-07:00

Compounding is often described as the ninth wonder of the world. It is a concept that initially sounds quite dull, but when you understand how compounding just quietly works its magic - or conversely its naughtiness – it’s a very exciting concept to grasp indeed!

Compounding is the difference between linear and exponential growth, or put more simply, about earning (or incurring) interest on the interest on the interest, generated by your savings (or your debt). On an energy level, it's about making sure that every little bit of effort you expend, works on many different levels to bring a reward greater than the original effort required.

It’s a very powerful tool and can be likened to the wind under the wings of a jet. The plane creeps slowly, slowly along the approach runways, then moves into position, then starts down the runway slowly, but as it picks up speed, the power of the engines and the wind lifts its wings and it takes off, climbing very quickly and steeply into the sky.

Compounding can turn just one – just one - £1 or $1 into a million pounds or dollars within 20 years. If you took £1 or $1 and achieved a 100% return on your money each year (put another way, if you doubled your money each year) then you would most certainly be a millionaire in your lifetime. Imagine if you added another £1 or $1 each year – how much faster would that get you there?

And if compounding is that powerful when applied annually, how much powerful could it be when applied monthly or even daily?

On a personal finance level, most people ignore the potential of compounding, because the % interest rates we are quoted by the banks, other savings vehicles and financial institutions are so paltry. If you took your pound or dollar and increased it at the usual 3% or 4% per annum, then it would grow so slowly that we might as well not bother saving at all. You would be dead several times over before your personal wealth increased noticeably.

I know I used to feel like that! Why save now, I thought, especially when you are only saving to spend later, and when you can only earn 3-4% per year on your savings? I want to share with you, today, some of the exciting things that I learned about the power of compounding, things made a huge difference to my thinking about money. And changed me from a non-saver to an investor in one fell swoop!

There is a huge difference between saving and investing, and experienced Investors achieve returns on their money between 30% and 100% per annum – some even manage to achieve an infinity return on their investment, because they are able to pull their own money back out of the deal, which means that they are making money with no money! These are the supermodels of the investment world!

On a personal finance front, even looking at the returns generated by investing in property over the years (12% per annum) and the stockmarket (14% per annum) gets a little more exciting. The compounding effect means that, on average, property doubles in value every 7-10 years – that’s a thrilling thought! How would you plan your property investment differently if you knew that to be true?

There is a great example of the difference in what you can achieve in just two years, if you invest £60,000 (or dollars! I'm going to work in pounds now but the principle is the same!) by buying outright one small rental unit, versus what you would achieve if you invested the same £60,000 in deposits on several small rental units.

At the end of the two years, if you just bought the one unit, and assuming average rates of growth, you would be worth £6384 more than when you started. But if you invested in deposits on several units, you would be £56,304 better off. You choose. That’s compounding at work.

On a business level, compounding can work for you too. The difference between what you can earn if you are a solo self-employed person, and what you can earn if you build a business consisting of a team of “you’s” is quite amazing.

Still Using Federal Reserve Notes - How to Beat Inflation

2008-08-01T03:56:00.000-07:00

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."
Hosea 4:6
This short article will address the topic of
inflation, its causes, the effects thereof, and
how to safeguard against it.
Do not fall victim to inflation, i.e., the
government manipulation of your money. Let me
explain.
I. What Causes Inflation
Have you ever heard of the Federal Reserve? Well
then you know what causes inflation. The "Fed" is
the engine of inflation, by self-admission. But
how can that be?, you ask. The "Fed" is a branch
of the federal government, no?
It is not. It is neither federal, nor are there
any reserves - anywhere - to speak of. Time was,
when the American dollar was indeed as good as
gold, for it was actually backed by gold. These
days, the dollar is no more than a three cent
piece of paper(the three cents includes the price
of ink), worth anything only because our
government says it is. This is to say, that the
dollar has value due only to government's faith in
the people's ignorance, or, more accurately, the
people's ignorance of their government's lack of
faith.
The story of the Federal Reserve exemplefies this
infidelity, the greatest fraud ever perpetrated on
the American people. Even the most cursory
investigation will reveal that the "Fed" is a
private corporation, a "cabal" of bankers, if you
will. As with most corporations, it has
shareholders - mostly foreign, in this case. This
bears repeating: the controlling interest in the
company known as the Federal Reserve is European.
And I thought we won the Revolutionary War(!)
Let us pause here. My dear reader will agree
that the aforementioned facts are cause for
concern: of much import and gravitas, for you
academic types. For the rest of us, it is a matter
of everyday life, indeed, one of survival. Truth
be told, and at the risk of sounding like a
Democrat, it is getting harder. Let's clear the
air, and get down to brass tacks. Does your salary
double every ten years? It had better, because the
average price of a new car does. Clearly we are
dealing with inflation here, and clearly
government-given figures regarding inflation are,
well, underinflated. What is not as obvious is
that there need not be inflation.
But first, a question: What is in your pocket at
this moment? Is it a one dollar bill?
Congratulations! You are one dollar in debt! Do
you perhaps have a twenty? Then you are twenty
dollars in debt. For this is all that the dollar
is, no more than an instrument of debt. It is
simply the federal government's obligation to the
Federal Reserve, with you - the American people -
pledged as collateral.
Observe the back of a cancelled check from the
IRS: it will often state, "Pay any Federal Reserve
Bank, for debts incurred by the US Gov't."
It works like this: a)government needs money to
operate; b)government borrows money from private
bank(Federal Reserve); c)private bank prints money
"out of thin air"!(This is known as fractional
reserve banking, the discussion of which is beyond
the scope of this article. But I urge the reader
to conduct his own investigation.); d)since
government gets its money from the people,
government issues legal tender("dollar"), in
effect, "passing the buck"; e)ignorant American is
now forever enslaved by debt, owing Federal
Reserve what he thought was his own money.
How's that for representative government?
"The one aim of these financiers is world control
by the creation of inextinguishable debts."
--Henry Ford
Now you know what the dollar is.
This brings us to the underlying causes of
inflation. Let us remember that the dollar is an
instrument of debt, i.e., a loan. As such, it must
be repaid, and with interest. Where will the money
to the pay the interest come from,however, if the
principal itself never existed? Why, it must be
printed. The bankers are a clever lot, admittedly.
The most important factor causing inflation then,
is the interest charged by banks(the shareholders
of the "Fed"), the costs of which are then passed
along to consumers in the form of higher prices.
Inflation is, purely speaking, an inflation of the
money supply, as required simply to pay this
interest. The money supply, or number of dollars,
is inflated, or expanded, thereby reducing the
value of each and every individual dollar.
Know that it is not, generally speaking, that
commodities are rising in price, but rather that
the dollar is losing value. With every new dollar
that is printed, each pre-existing dollar loses
corresponding value. And when you have a dollar
that is worth less, naturally, it will take more
of them to make your purchase.
Worse yet, because all our "dollars" are debts
loaned into circulation, and with interest due,
the more of them there are, the greater the impact
on inflation. In other words, inflation is not
only here to stay, it must, by definition, only
get worse.
Thusly, and seemingly, prices rise. In reality,
you are wanting more of the devalued dollars for
the same amount of goods. In the absence of a gold
standard, this is not only entirely possible, but
encouraged.
"In the absence of a gold standard, there is no
way to protect savings from confiscation through
inflation. There is no safe store of value. If
there were, the goverment would have to make its
holding illegal, as was done in the case of
gold... The financial policy of the welfare state
require that there be now way for the owners of
wealth to protect themselves.
"This is the shabby secret of the welfare
statists' tirades against gold. Deficit spending
is simply a scheme for the 'hidden' confiscation
of wealth. Gold stands in the way of this
insidious process. It stands as a protector of
property rights."
--(a younger and much more honest)AlanGreenspan:
Gold and Economic Freedom
As we can see, inflation is a hidden tax, and
like the income tax itself, is the interest we are
paying to the Federal Reserve. It is no
coincidence that both the "Fed" and the IRS were
created in the same year, just as it is no secret
that prior to that year, 1913, the income
tax(along with property taxes, incidentally) were
nonexistant. The constitution, in fact, strictly
prohibits such a direct tax on income.(Where is
the ACLU on this?) The inescapable conclusion is
that the more government spends, the more the
Federal Reserve profits. It is for this reason
that we have the welfare state we find ourselves
oppressed by.
Did I mention that Alan Greenspan(titular head of
the private company known as the Federal Reserve)
visits the White House on a weekly basis?
Can you say conflict of interest?
II. The Effects
Meet John Public. John graduated from college in
1970, eager, prepared, ready and willing to enter
the workforce. John did so, worked hard, and
prospered. In accounting for his retirement, John
figured that 40 years hence, he would need
$100,000 in the bank. $100,000 in the bank, at %5
interest, John thinks to himself, will net me
$5,000 a year, a modest, yes, yet comfortable,
living. Fast-forward, if you will. It is now 2004.
Remember John? John has worked hard, has played by
the rules, has done all the right things. Our
not-so-fictitious friend has married, and raised
children. Six years 'til retirement, John thinks
to himself. And John continues working. John
retires, proud of the $100,000 he's saved. And
John is all set.
I will stop here. I wish to use this momentary
pause to enlist the help of the reader. Email me,
if you would, if you are receiving %5 interest on
any of your accounts. Likewise, email me please,
if you are subsisting on $5,000 a year. This would
be of the greatest interest to me, and my readers
alike, and I thank you in advance.
John Public... what happened here? J.P. worked
hard, did all the right things, and is now...
living below the poverty line?
Is it possible? How did this happen? Liberty and
justice for all?
What happened was that John was robbed. Inflation
is counterfitting, and counterfitting is cheating,
and it is the Federal Reserve itself that is
cheating, under the guise of a duly-elected
government.
Harry Browne defines inflation as, "an increase in
money substitutes above the stored stock of real
money; the counterfiting of money receipts."(p.
372, You Can Profit From a Monetary Crisis, and
How You Can Profit From the Coming Devaluation).
III. What You Can Do
"Give me control over a nation's currency and I
care not who makes its laws." --Baron M.A.
Rothschild
"Whoever controls the money in any country is
master of all its legislation and commerce."
--President James Garfield
Seems hopeless, I know.
What can you do?
When the people own the money, they control the
government. When the goverment owns the money, it
controls the people. Bernard's Law.
There was a time in this, God's country, when you
could visit your banker and exchange a 20 dollar
bill for a 20 dollar gold piece,a coin containing
nearly an ounce of gold.
When was the last time you saw a 20 dollar gold
piece?
Happily, the solution is simple, and as
American as apple pie. The answer is: good
old-fashioned competition. A nonprofit
orginization has introduced a competing currency,
%100 backed and redeemable in gold and silver, as
mandated by the Constitution. Below is their
Declaration of Monetary Liberty.
Sometimes in the course of events it becomes
necessary for men and women of strong moral
character to cast off the invisible economic
chains of debt and taxation which bind them, and
to form a more just monetary system. It is this
common situation which inspired the National
Organization for the Repeal of the Federal Reserve
Act and the Internal Revenue Code(Norfed). We hold
these truths as evident:
-The Federal Reserve and the Income Tax were both
created in the same year 1913. Neither are
constitutional.
-The Federal Reserve, by its own admission, is not
"federal" nor has any "reserves". It is actually a
private bank cartel that profits from enslaving
the people with debt.
-"A heavy preogressive or graduated income tax" is
the Second Plank in the Communist Manifesto.
-"Centralization of credit in the hands of the
State, by means of a national bank with State
capital and an exclusive monopoly" is the Sixth
Plank of the Communist Manifesto.
-The American Revolution was not fought about
taxes, but due to the oppressive British control
over the money supply. The colonies propsered
prior to losing that control.
-According to John M. Keynes, inflation is a
hidden tax that "only one man in a million is able
to diagnose." $1.00 today buys what four cents did
in 1913!
-According to Lenin, "There is no surer way of
overturning a society than to debauch the
currency." He was referring to unlimited,
un-backed government paper "money".
-According to our government's own Grace
Commission Report in 1984, "not one dime of your
income taxes goes to run the government or fund
any program."
-According to researcher and author G. Edwards
Griffin in his 1997 study of the Federal Reserve,
48% of our income taxes pays the interest on the
national debt.
-According to researcher and Peter Kershaw, the
day is coming when 100% taxation will not even
cover the interest payments. Beyond bankruptcy!
-Federal Reserve "Notes" are IOU's that can not be
nor ever will be paid.
From the beginning of time, some have always
sought to control others. Now "they" strive to
control us with their valueless fiat currency.
NORFED turns the tables on their modus operandi by
putting people at the head of the line, where
money is worth the most. Now we can privatize our
money and profit by inroducing the Liberty Dollar.
Now we can miraculously decentralize the monetary
system with the simple Norfed solution which
returns the ownership of the money to the people.
There is no fiat currency, such as our dollar,
that has ever survived, and not one that has not
collapsed. Please understand what eliminating the
"Fed" would accomplish:
a)The elimination of the national debt...
overnight.
b)The elimination of the income tax... there would
no longer be a need for it.
c)An end to inflation.
"I believe that if the people of this nation fully
understood what Congress has done to them over the
past 49 years, they would move on Washington, they
would not wait for an election. It adds up to a
preconceived plan to destroy the economic and
social independence of the United States." --
Senator George W. Malone, speaking before Congress
about the Federal Reserve Bank(1962)

Controversial Wealth Audit Reveals Over 90 Percent of Us Could End Up Working Forever...Are You One

2008-07-29T03:52:00.000-07:00

Results from a new tool developed by UK based
firm, Lean Marketing, confirm a worrying trend.

When it comes to making money,
most of us simply don't have a clue.

The Wealth Audit asks 10 simple questions
to help you ascertain your financial position
and provides instant tips for improving things.

Since launching the tool on 29th July
the response has been tremendous.

Out of a total score of 100 the average
is just 46.9 which suggests people still
need to do quite a lot to be truly free.

The Survey Suggests:

* Almost 90% of Respondents Will Be In Trouble
When It Comes To Retirement If They Don't
Dramatically Change Their Earning, Spending
& Saving Habits.

* 85.6% of Responses By Women Over 40
Indicate That Debt & Lack of Investments
Make Them A Slave To Their Job Or Business

* Women Seem To Be More Interested In Sorting
Out The Problem Than Men However, With 61.5%
Of People Taking The Test Being Female

* Of the People Completing The Survey Almost All
Are In A Position Where Without Earnings
From Their Job They'd Lose Everything They Own

After almost a decade running her own business
Lean Marketing boss, Debbie Jenkins has been searching
for the key to being able to spend her own time as she wishes.

Debbie says, "I'm convinced it boils down to sorting
out your money and so I developed this simple
tool called The Wealth Audit to help people
understand where they are now and where
they're heading with more clarity."

"The test isn't about how much you earn,
but how well you use your money to provide
an income. Freedom comes when you can live
the life you want and pay your way
even if you decided not to work."

The Wealth Audit, while bringing the problem
to light only supports what's already happening.

10 Million people in the UK aren't
saving enough money for their retirement.

In fact 80% of these 10 million aren't
saving anything at all!

There's a pensions crisis looming and the
advice we get from experts is mixed and
often confusing.

So the only constant we can be sure of is that
if we don't take care of our own wealth now
our future isn't going to be too bright.

The Wealth Audit is a Free tool and
nobody gets to see the answers but you.
See how you compare at http://www.wealthaudit.com

Your Wealth Cycle Foundation

2008-07-27T03:49:00.000-07:00

The four main steps in building a wealth cycle foundation are:

· Pay yourself first
· Understand the legal entities available to you and the tax implications of each
· Determine whether to be an active or passive investor and using the appropriate strategies
· Develop and commit to your money rules

PAYING YOURSELF FIRST

Paying yourself first is a money rule. Can you imagine how much you would be worth if, from an early age, you had been conditioned to pay yourself first by depositing a portion of your earnings in a wealth account? Even if you only put in $1 per week, today you would probably be sitting pretty.

LEGAL ENTITIES / TAX IMPLICATIONS

In the United States, a number of legal structures, vehicles or entities may be used to hold and protect your wealth. These structures are separate and distinct from the taxpayers who form and/or own them. When you create any of these entities, it is assigned its own Employee Identification Number (EIN) number, which is separate from your social security number. Your legal entities are also taxed separately from you personally.
The legal protections and responsibilities differ for each of these vehicles, as do the tax

implications. How you structure your investments, what legal entities you use, can have enormous tax and legal consequences.

Legal business entities are advantageous because they can:

· Protect your personal assets
· Protect you from being held personally liable for legal obligations
· Keep your finance and financial dealings private and
· Maximize your tax savings.

If you’re operating a business and you want that business to be treated as your asset and/or you’re continuing to grow that asset, the legal entity you select can:

· Protect the entity (i.e., your business)
· Protect your assets (i.e., your home and intellectual property such as trademarks, copyrights, patents and trade secrets).

The goal of asset protection is to minimize your risks and to help grow and maintain your asset base. The right legal entity will provide you with those benefits.

Under our U.S. tax laws, different structures exist for employees and corporations. Employees are taxed on the amounts they earn. Usually, taxes are withheld from employees’ paychecks. Under the corporate tax structure, corporations deduct appropriate business deductions and pay taxes on whatever is left. Discuss with a tax professional to determine what deductions you may be entitled to.

ACTIVE OR PASSIVE INVESTING

Before you decide on the investment strategies you plan to follow, determine whether you want to be an active or passive investor. Active investors get directly involved in the investment. They may become general partners or take a role in the management of a business or particular venture. In contrast, a passive investor essentially only puts up money, sits back, lets others do the work and waits for profits to roll in.

YOUR MONEY RULES

We all have money rules, everyone of us! They dictate how we use credit cards, balance our checkbooks, pay off our lifestyle debt or pay ourselves first. They determine how we handle money, think about wealth and run our finances. Most of us didn’t set our own money, we simply inherited or adopted them from others. Usually we integrated them without questioning because they came to us from people we loved and respected and because talking about money was taboo. If the concept of money rules is new to you, you may not have the requisite knowledge to make some of your rules non-negotiable at this time. However, you soon will if you continue to educate yourself on each of the investment strategies you’re considering. If you stay focused on your goals and are flexible, your money rules will clearly evolve.

Is Your Money Keeping Up With Inflation?

2008-07-21T06:44:00.000-07:00

In today’s unpredictable global economy, you obviously never know what is going to happen next. Uncertainties and concerns regarding the Iraqi threat, North Korean crisis, and hidden terrorist cells and networks continue to loom in the back of the minds of consumers. Moreover, the stock markets and industries around the world.
Price inflation is another major concern for everyone. The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) number released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics states that prices, in all U.S. cities, are up 0.1% in the month of December for the calendar year of 2002. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a program that produces monthly data on changes in the prices paid by urban consumers for a representative basket of goods and services. Furthermore, the national unemployment rate continues to remain steady at 6.0% for the month of December 2002. Believe it or not, this may not be as bad as it sounds.
Economic theory suggests that an increase in the inflation rate will lead to a decrease in the national unemployment rate. But since the unemployment rate is currently 6.0%, this may also suggest that in order for this rate to eventually decrease, we should expect more inflation in the future. The recent upsurge in oil prices together with precious metals supports this theory and may also be a hint of what’s to come.
Well, it seems that you probably can’t avoid inflation, but there are definitely opportunities that you can take advantage of, in order to keep up with it. One option might be to consider depositing your money into a savings account rather than a money market account. Most major banks are currently yielding an Annual Percentage Yield (APY) that ranges from 0.5% to 0.75%. Even though this is pretty low, it is higher than what most money market accounts are currently offering.
One of the best rates that I have recently seen is ING Direct’s offering of 2.25% APY for their Orange Savings Account. But if these rates are not what you are looking for, consider investing in the stock market. With the latest downturn in the economy, shares are pretty cheap and going fast. There are now many online brokerages that allow consumers to purchase stocks for a small fee. For instance, Sharebuilder lets consumers invest for as little as $4. However, please be wary, this investment option is a greater risk so you should consult with a financial advisor before taking this step.
Whether you choose to put your money in these investment opportunities or not, it is up to you. But just remember that if you don’t, you are actually losing money because the “purchasing power” of your dollar is decreasing as the inflation rate is increasing.

Simple Strategies to Making Financial Gain

2008-07-19T06:41:00.000-07:00

Now is a great time to make it a habit to manage your resources instead of your resources managing you. What is meant by that when we are stating that "Your money manages you"? Here is a well known example:
"There is more month than there is money so that new purchase, trip, or splurging will need to wait a month or two and maybe never. You've opted to instead delay and pay later making the problem much worst and your perceived lack of resources in control." Here are some proven techniques to making financial gains an achievable goal by repositioning and changing spending habits while gaining more control of your situation so that there are available resources and time to spend with friends, family or loved ones.
One of the most overstated, undervalued and available resource accessible to anyone is time. Effective time management when applied consistently is a key element toward making financial progress. Even spare time moments resourcefully used contribute toward steady progress when used in combination with any of the following:
1. Establish investments. Based on your risk assessment it is determined the best type of investment program suitable for your personality type and financial situation by either doing the research for yourself, by attending that appointment with a financial planner or by inquiring through a brokerage. Purchase examples, of course, are stocks, mutual funds, bonds, money market funds, annuities, etc. Because these figures will fluctuate, fit into your schedule a time to assess your portfolio periodically to check your progress. Your return on your investment can be substantial or relatively consistent with proper selection and combinations.
2. Purchase real estate. Buying property is another way to invest to create financial gain; and making improvements after the purchase increases the value of the property. Not only are you saving money by placing regular payments into your real estate; but if strategically paid ownership accumulation can happen at a faster rate and with very minimal increase to your payment. One such company offering this type of arrangement with no processing cost added is at http://www.eMortgageManager.net. With this service the mortgage payment is split into two parts. Each half is paid automatically every two weeks. It's very effective and easy to set up. This is a triple win for those who use this strategy with a single purchase.
3. Take classes, take up a hobby or acquire a skill. How do you spend most of your time? Do you waste valuable hours lamenting in self-pity, bad luck or a disadvantaged set of circumstances? Or will you take active control to resolve the situation?
If there is an interest there is a class for it. And now that there's the internet taking a class is just as easy as leisurely clicking a link. There are many available classes that are free, or via email and some that may cost a bill or two to enter a site. Or if you'd prefer, take a class at local colleges or universities which offer that immediate one on one support available through that type of arrangement. Your local library or museum may schedule classes or speakers covering a variety of subjects, too. Some locations even award certificates after completion if that is your requirement.
Increasing your knowledge or skills over the long term not only provides confidence and mastery of skills developed by use of what is called putting in your "sweat equity" by taking the necessary courses and steps, but it will also provide flexibility by creating for you a new source of income using your newly developed talent(s) or expertise.
You may offer for a fee a service, provide a product (or product line), to sell your knowledge or in any of the combinations listed through your choice of method at a profit giving you unlimited possibilities. When used separately or together the above suggestions work effectively over time giving to you the increase that you've longed desired. Use your spare time moments to work for you effortlessly and automatically...even with family, friends or loved ones.

hand,care,handcare,beauty,antiaging,spots,gloves,protect

2008-07-17T06:38:00.000-07:00

Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes -- Envision your life 10 or even 20 years from now. Where do you plan to be? What are you doing and with whom?

Most of us between the age of 35 and 50 years hope to be retired to some degree in 15 to 20 years or less. We see ourselves living on retirement funds enjoying life and family. I have never had a client tell me they see themselves penniless or sick. Yet, these same clients fail to have a full plan.

They may have a retirement fund at work and other investments but how are these performing? Did you plan a financial foundation? What does your Wellness Investment program look like?

Many people tell me they don’t have a financial foundation program or Wellness Investment program in place. Regardless of age and health it is never too late to start planning. It is better than no plan at all. In this article I will give you 2 of the 21 most important Wealth Connection Steps I offer in my online course.

Ask yourself, how does wealth connect to your health? Does it at all? Today most people would agree that finances play a part in how we feel. Lacking funds can add stress to one’s life and play a major part in your health. Ill-health can rapidly eat away at savings if you do not have a wellness plan other than health insurance.

In fact, I advise you rethink health insurance. What I mean by this is that it is what it says it is. Health insurance is for ill-health issues. Only a few “health insurance” programs are wellness insurance.

Health insurance also dictates the kind of care you can receive. Wellness insurance on the other hand is still an emerging system. A few companies do offer these types of plans and we do not endorse any insurance company as my job is to educate you a bit and you must look at what is right for your specific needs.

The wellness insurance programs I have seen work like this. The self employed or business can purchase these programs. They have major medical benefits for hospital and sometimes prescription drugs. They also have a “fund” where part of your premium goes that earns interest. That’s right interest. You can use this money for any type of care you desire including alternative medicine of your choice. Any funds you don’t use in a given year stays in your personal account earning interest year after year. At a certain age you can take this money out and use it. I have seen accounts that reach 30k and more. Why buy health insurance you do not use?

Step One

Look into Wellness Insurance programs. Only purchase from a known insurance company. One whose name you have heard of in the past that offers regular polices as well. It is buyers beware market so do your research.

Step Two

What amount do you personally put into your saving account each week? Most people say I have it drawn from my paycheck. This is not what I mean. Think about how much you spend each day on simple things like coffee or food. Can you spare $5.00 per week? I have only met one person who said they couldn’t even save this much. Six months later this person who didn’t become a client phoned me and said they had been doing it and it really worked. Here’s the plan short and sweet – I go into more detail in my online program. Contact my office for more details of how to receive a free 7-part on line e-course.

Each week whether you have your paycheck direct deposited or not; have as much as you can afford withdrawn from your account and placed in a savings plan at an investment firm like Charles Schwab. Use who you wish and make sure they have an automatic withdrawal program and that the funds go into a savings program.

Every quarter double the amount you are putting in. If you find you really aren’t missing this money from your daily life; double it every month. Don’t be surprised if you start looking forward to saving and adding more to how much you ‘put away’ each week.

Once this account is equal to 6 months income we move this money into a different type of account I go into future foundation steps in the online program. But we keep putting funds into the savings.

What happens is we have at the base a 6 to 9 month savings account earning a bit better than a bank savings account. Next level is a certain type of money market with the same amount of funds earning a slightly higher interest rate, and so on up through Our Wealth Mastery program.

Point in fact, recently “Today on MSN” offered a glance at the habit of millionaires. Simple foundational planning won hands down.

Bonus Tip

Invest in your wellness. Visit an alternative doctor like a NCCAOM licensed acupuncturist. This ensures you are seeing someone who has completed an accredited program at an Oriental Medical College. Many acupuncturists are licensed through medical doctor or chiropractic programs. These programs lack in training and number of hours to meet. Make sure your practitioner is an active member of The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Even if you love your doctor, choose a NCCAOM acupuncturist for this job – after all would you take your child to a gynecologist just because they deliver babies?

Or if you own a Porsche would you take it to a Honda dealership just because you also own a Honda. No, we take our loved ones and possessions to the experts. Do the same with your health.

Why do I suggest an acupuncturist? They are trained in wellness care and health care. Oriental Medicine practitioners know how to work with all types of illness and keep you well. Plan ahead even if you feel great get an evaluation now and follow a wellness program so that you continue to feel great into your golden years.

A wellness program may simply mean visiting your acupuncturist and massage therapist one time each month. Add up the dollars you save by not getting sick.
Invest this savings in your financial foundation.

If you have health issues, think how you will be in 10 years from now if you keep ignoring and minimizing your health, using drugs or having surgery without exploring other options. Acupuncture is virtually painless and offers greater relaxation than even massage.

Make Money Fast - If You Want to Build Wealth Quickly Use This Vehicle

2008-07-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

You can make money fast and build wealth quickly with this business and even better, you only need 30 minutes a day and some small seed capital to start. Anyone can learn this business it's a learned skill.
The business we are going to look at is becoming a currency trader from home and before you say I could never do that!
You can as everything about currency trading is learned before we show you how to do it lets take a look at the advantages and the one single advantage which makes the business the perfect opportunity to build wealth quickly.
- Anyone can learn to be a currency trader from home regardless of educational background
- You can learn this business in a couple of weeks and run it in about 30 minutes a day
- You only need a PC, an online connection and a few hundred dollars
- There are always chances to make a profit because as one currency rises another must fall
- You can leverage your investment by 200:1!
It's the last advantage that really sets this business apart. If you have $500.00 in your account, your broker will let you trade $100,000. Of course leverage can be dangerous, if you don't have strict money management - but if you can cut your loses and run your profits, you can make money fast.
How do You Trade?
All you need to understand is currencies trend (that is they move up or down for periods of weeks months or years) these trends can be locked into and traded for profit and you can see them on any forex chart.
Human nature is constant and it shows up in repetitive patterns on a forex chart and with a little practice, you will be able to spot them and trade them.
This is a learned skill and you can learn to trade with charts in about 2 weeks.
What makes this business hard is trading with discipline - it's a business where you MUST cut your losses quickly.
You can lose over 70% of the time but if you cut your losses and run your profits you can make triple digit gains. Most traders don't understand this and want to run losses and won't accept their wrong. Of course, with leverage you will lose if you hold losses to long, the trader who takes his losses cheerfully and looks at the bigger picture can pile up huge gains.
You only need a simple trading system which you can understand and have confidence in and if you trade it with discipline and look for long term trends you can lock into them and with leverage on your side pile up huge gains.
The Route to Financial Freedom is Open to You
Forex trading is the perfect vehicle to seek big gains, anyone can learn it and for a bit of study and 30 minutes per day in terms of work, what other business can offer you such fantastic rewards?
If you are prepared to work hard and have a burning desire to succeed, then this business can give you a great second or life changing income.
Its up to you, how well you do, you are in charge of your financial destiny, so if you want to make money fast and change your financial future, welcome to the world of global forex trading.