Finance

Personnel Loan: Best Of Finances At The Best Of Terms

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Sat, 24 May 2008 13:50:00 +0000

Every individual has the right to fulfill their dreams and various wishes. These wishes and dreams depend a lot on the availability of finances. If you are a service personnel looking for finances to fulfill some of the needs and desires, you can opt for personnel loan. This loan is specially crafted to meet your very demands at the best possible terms and conditions.

The amount obtained under this loan can be used to meet expenses on home renovation, purchasing your dream bike or car, meeting wedding expenses, paying college admission fees, going for a vacation or paying off all the existing debts to improve the credit score. This loan offers the necessary finances to take care of all your needs and wishes.

To make it more convenient and easy, lenders offer this loan in secured and unsecured form. The secured from of the loan can be availed if the borrower is ready to attach any valuable property such as residence, real estate etc as collateral. Lenders approve the amount on the basis of equity value of collateral. It means if you are placing collateral of high equity, you will be able to obtain a bigger amount. This loan option has larger repayment duration. The interest rates too are low as the amount is secured against an asset.

On the other hand, unsecured option of personnel loan does not have the clause of attaching any collateral. Instead of collateral, the amount is advanced on the basis of your income proof, employment status, bank statements etc. The amount is very limited and has short repayment duration. Without any collateral, the interest rates offered are slightly higher.

Bad credit individuals can also apply for this loan. However the interest rate offered will be slightly higher.

This loan can is easily accessible and can be sourced from lenders like banks and financial institutions. However to avail this loan at the cheapest possible rates instantly, it is preferable to use the online mode.

Personnel loan offers the best of finances to borrowers with the best of terms. This loan helps you to fulfill the various dreams and wishes without any financial constraint.

Determining The Best Time For A Home Mortgage Refinance

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 17:06:00 +0000

If you are wondering when the right time to refinance is, you have come to the right page. Read further and find out more about home mortgage refinance.

A home mortgage refinance may just be the best financial decision you can make. However, refinancing is not for everyone. It is mostly a matter of right timing. This result to the unending question for homeowners everywhere: when is it exactly right to refinance?

There are many guidelines which can determine whether now the best time to get a home mortgage refinance is. However, despite all these guidelines, what actually determines "right timing" is dependent on your own financial situation. There are a number of signs which are indicative of ideal refinancing conditions. Here are some of them:

Refinancing to cut costs. When interest rates are dropping, it may be good to take on a new mortgage. The rule of thumb states that a difference of at least 2% should be followed for a home mortgage refinance to be worth it. Refinancing will result to either lower payments you need to pay monthly, or a shorter loan term to repay the entire money you owe. Either of these can save you money in the long term. However, take note that interest rates should never be the sole determining factor to influence your decision. Make sure you consider closing costs, fees and charges and find out if you will be end up paying more in the long run.

Home mortgage refinance for better loan terms. Many homeowners decide to refinance in order to get out of their current loan. If you have a pending balloon loan payment due soon but do not have the means to pay for it, or if you have an adjustable rate mortgage which is increasing, you may resort to refinancing to spare yourself of an even bigger trouble. You can choose to revert to a fixed rate mortgage to minimize risks.

The decision to take on a home mortgage refinance should also depend on how long you intend to stay in your home. If you expect to sell your home soon, refinancing may not make sense at all. Also, if you are already halfway through your existing loan, you will barely save anything with a new mortgage loan. However, if you plan to stay in your home for at least the next five years, you will probably have enough time to recoup the refinancing costs you have incurred and actually save you money.

Ultimately, finding the right time to refinance is mainly a matter of proper calculation and estimation based on your individual circumstances and parameters. It should depend on how long you will stay in your home, your financial goals, the current interest rates and good deals offered by lenders.

This is not to say that ideal conditions assure you of a risk-free decision. Refinancing does take some risk as all financial decisions do. However, as in all risks, you can minimize losses if you do your own research and make a wise assessment of how your home mortgage refinance will lead you to. Refinancing is indeed more than just a matter of timing.

HOW TO MANAGE THE PASSION OF TRADING

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 03:54:00 +0000

Being a trader is more than just a day job. Traders will often find themselves studying the numbers on unrelated events. After taking the plunge into the world of technical investing, you might find yourself looking for trends and chart patterns on things as simple as a weather chart.

Seeing Charts Everywhere

The professional trader will rarely leave work at work. Trading success with technical analysis will bring a trader to actively discuss key issues after hours, such as late day breakouts or momentum strategies. The markets are a bit of an obsession for the average day trader.

Traders who use technical analysis have the hardest time getting away from work. Everywhere you look there are patterns, specifically chart patterns. After years of looking for patterns on stock prices, it is hard to ignore the patterns in everyday life. Finding established chart patterns in a sea of data is easy for a professional trader. It is very likely that traders become obsessed with numbers and chart patterns.

24/7 Trading Makes Stepping Away Difficult

Because trading is such an up and down event, stepping away from the trading desk can be difficult. With the world markets open anywhere, anytime, 24/7, it is hard to ignore the computer screen in favor of a relaxing event. Even financial freedom is not enough for some traders to ignore the markets; buying and selling can be a lifestyle rather than a simple way to make money.

After years of successful trading, life-changing results, such as a ten-bagger in a retirement portfolio, is usually not enough to get away from the markets. Look at any of the most successful professional traders – even though they have financial prosperity, they are still on a quest for more. Financial freedom is just a status rather than a gateway to retirement.

Find Another Passion to Manage Your Trading One

Finding an activity to do each day is paramount to keeping a level head. Ignore your day trading strategies and the late day breakouts and focus on something you like to do. Many trading firms have game consoles, libraries, and even arcades that cater to their employees. Trader burnout is easy to achieve when you spend hours each day looking at candlestick chart patterns. The constant emotional rollercoaster of watching your positions go from the red to the black and back to red can be nerve-wracking. The best thing to do is find another passion to take you away from the day to day and to something you enjoy.

HOW TO ENJOY YOUR TRADING SUCCESS

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 03:52:00 +0000

Trading discipline is a fast track to trading success. Disciplined, working strategies will statistically win in the long run. But how should you celebrate your trading success and make the most of your wins?

Day Trading Mentality

Day traders who make a quick profit are the first to celebrate trading success. The small intraday movements in price are enough to keep day traders happy with their positions. The most important thing to remember is even with a comprehensive trading plan, losses are inevitable. Statistically, a win only brings more losses, but the biggest trading secret is that a few wins can easily strike out many small losses.

For day trading with a small account, trading success should send the trader to increase his or her stake. Your trading capital must grow over time to cover your own cost of living, as well as provide a “pay raise” over time. To obtain financial freedom, a day trader must have sufficient capital to both weather losses and collect big gains.

The Biggest Fallacy in Celebration

After a big win, the greatest fallacy a trader enacts is changing his or her trading structure. Too many times, an over-confident day trader makes trades based on “gut” feelings, rather than basic trading fundamentals. However, in this scenario, the trader eliminates strategy, instead entering the gray zone characteristic of gambling. Remember, the difference between gambling and day trading is proper money management. Proven techniques and strategies are profitable in the long run because they have set criteria for each trade, rather than just a stab in the dark based upon “gut” feelings.

The Greatest Gift of Success is Education

Learn from your successes. Indeed, the greatest gift of trading success is the education it presents you. Chances are that you placed the trade because of your own trading system and analysis; review the details surrounding your trade (ideally in the trade journal you keep) to develop a core of strategies that will produce winning trades.

Give Yourself a Brokerage “Present”

Boost your own trading profits by topping your account. Day trading with a small account is very limiting. After a big win, add some of your own personal funds to your account to keep your success. Undercapitalized accounts are the first to falter when the market turns. Investing in yourself can be the difference between profitability or simply getting by.

For large wins, you might even consider quitting your day job. Many people have found financial freedom through day trading. If the time is right and you have bankrolled a significant balance, making day trading or swing trading a career can be both profitable and rewarding. Quitting the 9-5 is the ultimate way to celebrate long-term trading success.

All about Silver Trading

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 03:48:00 +0000

It has become the trend of the time to trade in silver. This is due to the multitude of benefits silver has to offer. It is seen as one of the most fruitful investments of the present day business world. A large number of people consider silver to be a popular form of currency. Silver does not require you to spend a large sum of money. The market of silver trading is quite small in comparison to the stock market or forex exchange market. The profit margins, however, are quite high in the silver market unlike other commodity markets. Silver market is on its pinnacle these days and is enticing a large number of investors in the whole of the US.

Finding the Best Silver Trading Services

There are numerous silver trading brokers operating in the US market, however not all of them enjoy sound credibility in the industry. Brokers are now coming up with more and more advanced software to enable you to accurately predict the price of silver. You can keep a constant track of the movements going on in the silver market and take a conscious decision. In order to make correct predictions, it is vital to ensure that your software offers you real time data updates about the latest happenings in the silver trading market. The key to success in respect of any silver trading software lies in its ability to forecast moving averages. It refers to the ability to find out the movements that are likely to take place in times to come. Silver trading brokers enable you to carry out the requisite transactions over the Internet in the most hassle free manner.

Advanced Currency Markets (ACM) is a well known name in the market of silver trading. It is one of the largest service providers in the entire US. ACM strives for excellence and cater to the varying needs of its customers. It provides you the advantage of indulging in on the spot gold and silver trading. It is one of the exclusive features of ACM. When it comes to silver trading, the spreads and margins are the most competitive in the entire US. Silver trading is done on the lines of other currency pairs. There is indeed a difference in the denomination as silver is measured in terms of ounce. Its minimum trade size for silver is 10'000 oz and maximum is up to 100'000 oz. You can trade in silver at a margin of 1%. You can be rest assured that there will be no widening of the margin overnight.

Economical and Convenient Online Shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 03:44:00 +0000

With the high prices in the UK these days, you need to make sure you get the best value from your shopping. Fortunately the internet offers great opportunities for you to buy conveniently online at discount prices. One of the most exciting of these opportunities is the cashback system. The wonderful thing about this system is that not only do you get discount prices, but also get a cash refund after your purchase.

So how does it work?

First you sign up with a cashback company. This is generally free of charge. In fact the better ones give you a cash bonus for joining. Then you shop at your favourite stores via the links at your cashback company’s website. The company then pays you a cashback using the free services of Paypal or BACS. Cashbacks are usually calculated as a percentage of the sales price or sometimes as a fixed amount.

The cash back system allows you to make purchases at over 1200 leading UK online retailers. The list is a who's who of British major retailers and high street shopping outlets - Currys, Dixons, Tesco, Boots, HMV, Littlewoods and many, many more.

So how are the cashback companies able to do this? The fact is that when you shop at certain websites online and click a link to make a purchase, the referring website gets a commission. If you make your purchase through a cashback company, they'll share a major portion of this commission with you in the form of the cashback payment. It's a win-win situation. The retailer gets a sale, the cashback company receives a commission, and most importantly, you get the absolute best prices for your online shopping and then your cashback payment.

All purchases are tracked electronically through the links provided by the cashback company so there's no possibility of error. And the amount of cash back is clearly stated in each online retailer's description.

The amount of the discount varies from outlet to outlet. Here are some examples:
Avon 5%, Harrods 2.5%, HMV Up to 3%, PC World 1.25%, The Hut 2.5%, Thorntons 4%, WHSmith 3.5%, DELL Computers 1.5%, BBC Shop 3.5%, Butlins Holidays 2%, Carphone Warehouse £22.50, RAC breakdown cover £10.50.

You can check the amount of cashback you receive at the cashback company's website. Reporting from the merchant's site normally takes 24 hours to a week or two as each merchant has his own schedule for processing transactions and transferring commissions to the cashback company.

The cashback is then paid to you via BACS or Paypal on or around the 7th of the following month. Most companies apply a minimum amount before they release payment to you. This is usually a modest £25 or so.

But discount shopping and cashbacks are not all you get. The best cashback companies also provide money off vouchers, discount codes and coupons for most major
retailers like Tesco, Currys and Dixons to name just a few, and links
to a host of websites. In fact, some of these websites even pay you to visit them and register or take the free trials. This can be a lucrative bonus to your online shopping experience.

What’s more, even if you’re not interested in signing up for the cashback system, you can still get free access to the latest discount vouchers and money off vouchers. These include discount codes for Dixons, Tesco discount codes and Curry’s discount codes. Check back at the cashback company's website regularly for the latest voucher codes, discount vouchers and free vouchers.

So look into the cash system for great discounts on online shopping for everything from books to broadband, to CDs and DVDs, finance and flowers, health and beauty, lingerie and make up, mobiles phones and holidays and travel, and much, much more. You'll get the best prices for your shopping and a nice little cash bonus too.

Improve Your Financial

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 03:26:00 +0000

Your financial morning

Try applying this kind of brighten-your-morning thinking to improve your financial life.

Just as we end up with suboptimal results if we rush around in the morning, trying in vain to get everything done, our portfolios can suffer if we rush through or skip some necessary steps in portfolio management.

For example, set aside some time to review your portfolio regularly. If some holdings have grown significantly, you may want to pare them back a mite, so that they don't overshadow everything else. In my own investing, there was a time when my Time Warner stock had grown to dominate my portfolio.

While it can make sense to leave your winners alone to keep growing briskly, it's also often smart to pare them back, or even sell them entirely, if they've gotten way ahead of themselves. In retrospect, I wish I'd sold some or all of that holding before it tanked.

The idea of devoting at least 10 minutes per day to tidying up is a powerful one. You can get quite a bit done in a dedicated time period. It's the same with investing. If you rarely find time to keep up with your holdings, you might make doing so part of a regular routine. Maybe, for example, you'll research your holdings for 15 minutes each day when you get home from work. (Or do so at work, perhaps on your lunch hour.) Or, you can devote one or two hours for this, once a week.

Short cuts
Of course, all this is easier said than done. If you can't see yourself devoting time to reviewing your portfolio, you might choose to invest in mutual funds. There are some great ones out there, and they give you the benefit of smart people managing your money for you.

For example, the Vanguard Capital Opportunity (VHCOX) fund has a five-year average annual return of nearly 19%, and recently included the following among its top holdings: Novartis , Monsanto , FedEx , and Corning . Although it's closed to new investors, several funds have reopened recently -- or you may have access through your 401(k) at work.

A broad-market index fund will give you roughly the performance of the overall market -- which has been around 10% over long periods of history. That's the simplest way to go with mutual funds, and there's no shame in it. Still, many funds have long-term, market-beating results. Those are the funds I seek -- and you can, too. I've found a bunch of very promising ones via our Motley Fool Champion Funds newsletter. I invite you to check it out -- a free trial includes full access to all past issues, so you can read about each recommendation.

Start off right

Another way to think about mornings and finances is to see this month and this year as the first morning of the rest of your financial life. If you haven't yet opened an IRA, for example, consider doing so as soon as possible. You have until April 15 to make a contribution that counts for the 2007 tax year.

If you haven't yet opened a brokerage account or begun investing in mutual funds, smell the coffee and ask yourself this question: "What am I waiting for?" Your first investing years are your most important and effective ones. Money you invest today might have 20 years to grow, and money you invest 10 years from now will grow by a much smaller factor over the following 10 years.

Make the most of your financial morning.

Top-Earning Dead Celebrities - Albert Einstein

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 04:54:00 +0000

Earnings: $20 million
Occupation: Scientist
Died: April 18, 1955
Age: 76
Cause: Natural causes

Albert Einstein's genius continues to inspire thinkers of all stripes, while his visage makes marketers write big checks--image licensing shop Corbis says it gets more requests for Einstein than for any other person. Rights to Einstein's name belong to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which also earns a substantial cut from Walt Disney's Baby Einstein line of educational toys and videos.

Top-Earning Dead Celebrities - John Lennon

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 04:52:00 +0000

Earnings: $24 million
Occupation: Musician
Died: Dec. 8, 1980
Age: 40
Cause: Murder

Lennon's legacy was burnished again this year with the release of The U.S. Vs. John Lennon, a documentary by Lionsgate recounting the late Beatle's peace activism and his battles with the U.S. government. Meanwhile, the Beatles continue to sell more than a million discs a year in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. More money could be in the pipeline: In August, a New York state Supreme Court judge cleared the way for the Beatles, living and deceased, to sue EMI Group for at least $25 million in damages and unpaid royalties and for the rights to the band's master recordings. In October, Lennon's widow Yoko Ono sued EMI in October for $10 million in unpaid royalties on sales of Lennon's solo recordings.

Top-Earning Dead Celebrities - Charles M. Schulz

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 04:49:00 +0000

Earnings: $35 million
Occupation: Cartoonist
Died: Feb. 12, 2000
Age: 77
Cause: Colon cancer

The Peanuts gang gets play every day through syndication in 2,400 newspapers around the world. But the real money comes from licensing, a hefty piece of which goes to the Schulz estate. U.S. retailer Urban Outfitters, for instance, is pushing a line of T-shirts, a Christmas tree and--soon--replicas of Linus' security blanket. This summer, China introduced a set of stamps featuring Snoopy in different locations throughout the country.

Top-Earning Dead Celebrities - Elvis Presley

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 04:48:00 +0000

Earnings: $42 million
Occupation: Musician
Died: Aug. 16, 1977
Age: 42
Cause: Heart attack

Die-hard fans of the King continue to buy more product, such as another boxed set of his greatest hits and the umpteenth release of the King's legendary recordings for Sun Records. But Presley's estate, now managed by Robert Sillerman's CKX, has seen a slight falloff in the Elvis business in the last year. Presumably that will pick up again if CKX is able to pull off the Elvis-themed Las Vegas attraction it has in the works.

Top-Earning Dead Celebrities - Kurt Cobain

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 04:36:00 +0000

Earnings: $50 million
Occupation: Musician
Died: April 5, 1994
Age: 27
Cause: Suicide

Will Kurt Cobain sell cars? Perhaps. The Nirvana front man's music could start popping up in some unexpected places now that his widow Courtney Love has sold a 25% stake in his band's song catalog to Primary Wave, a New York music publishing company. Primary Wave, which paid a reported $50 million for its stake, has already struck a deal to feature Nirvana music in an episode of CSI: Miami. Now it is considering licensing the music to certain marketers. Meanwhile, Nirvana's recording catalog sold 1.1 million units in the U.S. in 2005 and is on track to come close to that total this year as well, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The World's Billionaires No 10 - Karl Albrecht

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 13:52:00 +0000

Age: 88

Fortune: self made

Source: Aldi

Net Worth: $27.0 bil

Country Of Citizenship: Germany

Residence: Mulheim an der Ruhr , Germany, Europe & Russia

Industry: Retailing

Marital Status: married, 2 children

Education: NA

Germany's richest man. After World War II Karl and his younger brother, Theo, developed their mother's corner grocery store into discount supermarket giant Aldi, which now has more than 8,000 stores and $67 billion in sales. They eventually split ownership and management of the chain into North and South regions. Now retired, Karl used to manage more profitable southern half of Aldi's business in Germany. Fiercely private: Little known about him other than that he apparently raises orchids and plays golf.

The World's Billionaires No 9 - Oleg Deripaska

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 13:51:00 +0000

Age: 40

Fortune: self made

Source: Russian Aluminum

Net Worth: $28.0 bil

Country Of Citizenship: Russia

Residence: Moscow , Russia, Europe & Russia

Industry: Diversified

Marital Status: married, 2 children

Education: NA

Former metals trader survived the gangster wars in the post-Soviet aluminum industry. His holding company, Basic Element, now owns Russian Aluminum (UC Rusal), automobile manufacturer GAZ, aircraft manufacturer Aviacor and insurance company Ingosstrakh. In 2006 Rusal, SUAL and Glencore International, of Switzerland, merged their aluminum assets into the United Company Rusal, the world's largest aluminum producer. Married to a relative of Yeltsin, Deripaska has been busy expanding UC Rusal's activities in Russia and abroad, moving it into aluminum production in Nigeria and China. To integrate vertically, has signed agreements to produce coal in Kazakhstan and invest in a nuclear power plant in eastern Russia. Attempting to get a stake in Norilsk Nickel, which co-owner (and fellow billionaire) Vladimir Potanin is fighting.

The World's Billionaires No 8 - KP Singh

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 13:49:00 +0000

Age: 76

Fortune: inherited and growing

Source: real estate

Net Worth: $30.0 bil

Country Of Citizenship: India

Residence: Delhi , India, Asia & Australia

Industry: Real Estate

Marital Status: married, 3 children

Education: NA

Singh is now the world's richest real estate baron after listing his real estate development company DLF in 2007. The offering helped triple his fortune to $30 billion this year, up from $10 billion. A former army officer, known as K.P., he joined his father-in-law's Delhi Land & Finance in 1961. Singh later built DLF City in Gurgaon, his showpiece township on the outskirts of Delhi, by acquiring land from farmers. Over time, he transformed it into one of India's biggest real estate developers. Group plans to raise another $1.5 billion by listing a subsidiary in Singapore. A keen golfer, he now leaves son Rajiv, daughter Pia to run operations.

The World's Billionaires No 7 - Ingvar Kamprad & Family

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 13:46:00 +0000

Age: 81

Fortune: self made

Source: Ikea

Net Worth: $31.0 bil

Country Of Citizenship: Sweden

Residence: Lausanne , Switzerland, Europe & Russia

Industry: Retailing

Marital Status: married, 4 children

Education: NA

Peddled matches, fish, pens, Christmas cards and other items by bicycle as a teenager. Started selling furniture in 1947. Now his company Ikea, which sells hip designs for the cost conscious, is one of the most beloved retailers in the world, with an almost cultlike following. Ikea now has stores in 40 countries, from Sunrise, Florida, to Guangzhou in China. As egalitarian as his brand, Kamprad avoids wearing suits, flies economy class and frequents cheap restaurants. Has been quoted as saying that his luxuries are the occasional nice cravat and Swedish fish roe. Says his home is furnished mostly with his own Ikea products. Last May was awarded the Global Economy Prize by the University of Kiel for his contributions to society.

The World's Billionaires No 6 - Anil Ambani

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 13:43:00 +0000

Age: 48

Fortune: inherited

Source: diversified

Net Worth: $42.0 bil

Country Of Citizenship: India

Residence: Mumbai , India, Asia & Australia

Industry: Diversified

Marital Status: married, 2 children

Education: University of Bombay, Bachelor of Arts / Science
University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, Master of Business Administratio
The year's biggest gainer, Anil Ambani, is up $23.8 billion in the past year, and is closing gap with estranged brother, Mukesh, who ranks one spot ahead of him in the world at number five. The sons inherited their fortune from their late father, renowned industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani. But they couldn't get along and in 2005 their mother brokered a peace settlement breaking up the family's assets. A marathon runner, his biggest asset is his 65% stake in telecom venture Reliance Communications. He recently raised $3 billion from the highly anticipated initial offering of his Reliance Power, the biggest in India's history. Despite the hype, the stock tumbled 17% immediately after its February listing. In a bid to appease investors, company's board recently approved the issue of bonus shares. Still feuding with brother Mukesh: battling him in court over a gas-supply agreement.

The World's Billionaires No. 5 - Mukesh Ambani

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 13:41:00 +0000

Age: 50

Fortune: inherited and growing

Source: petrochemicals

Net Worth: $43.0 bil

Country Of Citizenship: India

Residence: Mumbai , India, Asia & Australia

Industry: Manufacturing

Marital Status: married, 3 children

Education: University of Bombay, Bachelor of Chemical Engineering
Stanford University, Master of Business Administration
Asia's richest resident heads petrochemicals giant Reliance Industries, India's most valuable company by market cap. His fortune is up $22.9 billion since last year, making him the world's second biggest gainer in terms of dollars. The biggest gainer was his estranged brother Anil, who ranks 6th in the world just behind his older brother. The sons inherited their fortune from their late father, renowned industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani. But they couldn't get along and in 2005 their mother brokered a peace settlement breaking up the family's assets. Mukesh is using some of his money to build a 27-story home.

The World's Billionaires No 4 - Lakshmi Mithal

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 13:25:00 +0000

Age: 57

Fortune: inherited and growing

Source: steel

Net Worth: $45.0 bil

Country Of Citizenship: India

Residence: London , United Kingdom, Europe & Russia

Industry: Manufacturing

Marital Status: married, 2 children

Education: St Xavier's College Calcutta, Bachelor of Arts / Science

Heads world's largest steelmaker, $105 billion (sales) ArcelorMittal, which accounts for 10% of all crude steel production. Just delivered 580 tons to be used in construction of the World Trade Center memorial in New York. With 44% stake, is the company's largest shareholder. Longtime resident of London is Europe's richest resident.

Warren Buffett - White Mountains Insurance ???

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:24:00 +0000

Billionaire Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has agreed to trade its 16.3 percent stake in White Mountains Insurance Group for two subsidiaries and $751 million (€489 million).

Berkshire Hathaway has been an investor in White Mountains since 2001 and the Omaha, Nebraska-based company currently owns 1.7 million White Mountains shares.

In addition to the cash, Berkshire will get Commercial Casualty Insurance Co. and International American Group. Those two companies had gross assets of about $435 million (€283 million).

White Mountains CEO Ray Barrette said Berkshire's investment in White Mountains helped the company buy CGU/One Beacon in 2001. The purchase of CGU's property and casualty insurance business helped White Mountains expand beyond reinsurance.

"White Mountains is now a larger, more diversified business, competing actively in many areas with Berkshire Hathaway," Barrette said. "This is a graceful, value-enhancing way to go our separate ways."

Berkshire already owns several major insurance companies, including Geico and reinsurance giant General Re.

A Berkshire Hathaway spokeswoman said Monday that no company executive would be immediately available to comment.

The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2008. The terms of the deal value Berkshire's White Mountains stock at $836 million (€545 million), or $485 per share, based on the closing price when the deal was agreed to.

Berkshire paid $369 million (€240.55 million) for the stock in White Mountains, which sells car insurance through its Esurance division and offers reinsurance through White Mountains Re.

Shares of White Mountains stock fell $17, or 3.6 percent, to $461 in morning trading Monday. Berkshire Hathaway's Class A shares slipped $805, or less than 1 percent, to $133,000.

White Mountains will be left with about 8.8 million shares outstanding after the deal. White Mountains' corporate headquarters are in Hamilton, Bermuda, but its main executive office is in Hanover, New Hampshire.

The two companies structured the deal so that neither one expects to record a taxable gain on the transaction.

Besides insurance companies, Berkshire owns clothing, furniture, natural gas, corporate jet and candy companies. Berkshire also has major investments in such companies as Coca-Cola Co. and Wells Fargo & Co.

10 Richest Canadians

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:05:00 +0000

It has been an interesting year in the fortune-hunting business. With the U.S. dollar falling to a multi-year low and the booming economies overseas, India and South Africa have created a handful of new billionaires. This year’s list is made up of citizens of 54 countries, and here are the top 10 Canadians:

No.31 -- David Thomson & family
Worth: US$18.9-billion
Source of Wealth: Inheritance
Age: 50
Change in Wealth: Down

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No.132 -- Galen Weston, Sr. & Family
Worth: US$7-billion
Source of Wealth: Retail
Age: 67
Change in Wealth: Down

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No.140 -- James, John & Arthur Irving (in photo with Ken Irving)
Worth: US$6.7-billion
Source of Wealth: Oil
Change in Wealth: Up

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No.173 -- Edward (Ted) Rogers
Worth: US$5.7-billion
Source of Wealth: Media
Age: 74
Change in Wealth: Up

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No.178 -- Jim Pattison
Worth: US$5.5-billion
Source of Wealth: Diversified
Age: 79
Change in Wealth: Up

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No.222 -- Paul Desmarais
Worth: US$4.6-billion
Source of Wealth: Finance
Age: 81
Change in Wealth: Up

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No.296 -- Mike Lazaridis
Worth: US$3.6-billion
Source of Wealth: Technology
Age: 47
Change in Wealth: Up

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No.296 -- Jeffrey Skoll
Worth: US$3.6-billion
Source of Wealth: eBay
Age: 43
Change in Wealth: Down

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No.327 -- James Balsillie
Worth: US$3.4-billion
Source of Wealth: Technology
Age: 47
Change in Wealth: Up

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No.334 -- Bernard (Barry) Sherman
Worth: US$3.3-billion
Source of Wealth: Drugs
Age: 66
Change in Wealth: Down

Magazine ranks world's richest people

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:01:00 +0000

Financial PostFrom left to right: Jim Pattison, Carlos Slim Helu, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Liliane Bettencourt and Lakshmi Mittal.

The number 13 has long been considered unlucky by superstitious people around the globe. How fitting, then, that Bill Gates' reign as the world's richest person ends after his 13th year at the top.

Despite being worth C$57.2-billion, C$1.97-billion more than last year, Mr. Gates is now just the world's third-richest person, ceding the top spot ranking to his good friend and partner in philanthropy, Warren Buffett, whose net worth jumped C$9.86 billion to C$61.15-billion. (All stock prices and net worth valuations were locked in on Feb. 11.) Ranked No. 2 is Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim Helú, whose fortune has doubled in just two years to C$59.18-billion.

It is certainly a dawning of a new era. But not just because of Gates' fall. The 22nd annual rankings of the World's Billionaires reflects all sorts of upheavals in the list's makeup. Two years ago, half of the world's 20 richest were from the U.S. Now only four are. India wins bragging rights for having four among the top 10, more than any other country.

4 Indians in Forbes’ top 10 billionaires list

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:55:00 +0000

Anil Ambani ‘biggest gainer’ with $23.8 b increase

Our Bureau

An upheaval in the global billionaire’s club is marked not only with American investor Mr Warren Buffett overtaking Microsoft co-founder Mr Bill Gates and Mexican telecom honcho Mr Carlos Slim Helu, but with four Indians emerging in the top ten of the Forbes’ 2008 World’s Billionaires list.

With a combined net worth of $160 billion, Mr Lakshmi Mittal, Mr Mukesh Ambani, Mr Anil Ambani and Mr K.P. Singh are the only Asians to have muscled their way into this coveted list.

Mr Mittal, owner of the world’s largest steel maker ArcelorMittal, has become the richest Indian with a net worth of $45 billion, although globally he is ranked fourth in the list prepared by Forbes magazine, which was released on Thursday.

The Reliance Industries Chairman, Mr Mukesh Ambani, ($43 billion) is a notch below him at fifth rank, while younger brother Mr Anil Ambani ($42 billion) follows at sixth. The DLF Chairman, Mr Singh, ($30 billion) comes eight.

According to Forbes, Mr Anil Ambani is the biggest gainer with his wealth having increased by $23.8 billion since the last list. In fact, he is just $1 billion behind brother Mukesh, who is the second biggest gainer with a rise of $22.9 billion in his networth. In the 2007 list, the elder brother’s net worth stood at $20.1 billion making him the 14th richest man in the world, while Anil was the 18th richest at $18.2 billion.

In the case of Mr Singh, Forbes points out, “the world’s richest real estate baron moved an incredible 54 places to eighth place with his net worth trebling.”

With 19 newcomers, India now has 53 billionaires with a combined wealth of $340.9 billion. Interestingly, their wealth is more than 3.5 times of the 42 billionaires from China, which saw the highest number of newcomers at 28 in the past year.

In the list, the number of billionaires from Asia jumped by a third to 211, with a total net worth of $804 billion. There were 63 newcomers and 16 drop-outs. In the region, India and China are followed by Hong Kong (26), Japan (24) and Australia (14) in terms of number of billionaires. The top newcomer from Asia is also an Indian. Adani Enterprises’ promoter Mr Gautam Adani with $9.3 billion to his name entered the list this year.

For the first time, the number of billionaires Forbes identified crossed into four figures, at 1,125, up 179 from last year. “Their total net worth is $4.4 trillion, and two-thirds are self-made, having built their empires from scratch,” said Forbes.

World's Youngest Billionaire - Facebook founder ???

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:49:00 +0000

Mark Zuckerberg, the 23-year-old founder of social networking site Facebook, is the youngest ever self-made billionaire, according to an annual list published by Forbes magazine.

“He is the youngest billionaire in the world right now and we also believe he is the youngest self-made billionaire in history,” said the magazine’s Associate Editor Matthew Miller, unveiling this year’s super-rich list.

The magazine put the former Harvard student’s personal wealth at 1.5 billion dollars, based on what it said was a conservative valuation of five billion dollars for Facebook and Zuckerberg’s estimated 30 percent stake.

It played down speculation that the site could be worth as much as 15 billion dollars, which was based on Microsoft paying 240 million dollars for a 1.6 percent stake in the company last year.

“Would it really fetch that much today? Some analysts — and a few Facebook investors — doubt it,” the magazine said. It said it based its valuation on Facebook’s estimated annual sales of 150 million dollars.

Warrent Buffet - How to make money through The Buffet Way ???

noreply@blogger.com (Blukor) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:46:00 +0000

What if the bottom was falling out of the stock market, and your portfolio had plunged by 10 percent in a week?

And what if one stock, in particular, had seemed like a sure bet when you bought it last month. The company sells something everyone needs, is well managed, and has a consistent track record of growth—that is, until it missed Wall Street earnings expectations by a penny and got pounded down by 15 percent in a single day.

Would you:

a) Sell it and curse yourself for buying it in the first place?

b) Sit tight and do nothing until you recover your loss, then sell?

c) Smile and buy more, sure that everyone else is dead wrong?

d) Study and reconfirm your assessment of the company, then smile and buy more?

If you answered "d," you may have a future at Berkshire Hathaway, the financial juggernaut whose 76-year-old chief executive and godhead, Warren Buffett, is searching for a successor. That's because, in addition to the requisite financial smarts, you'll need the sort of temperament to do what the "Oracle of Omaha" has long done best: take advantage of the market's temporary insanity to stock up on sure things at bargain prices.

It's a strategy that has not only helped Buffett become the second-richest man in America, with a net worth of $52 billion, but has also made him the most watched—and copied—investor on Wall Street. Politicians from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Hillary Clinton seek to hobnob with him. And no wonder. Whether through Berkshire's spiraling stock price, mutual funds that mimic his strategy, or investors aping his stock picks, Buffett has probably made more money for more stock market investors than anyone else in history. Each year thousands of those winners and devotees make the pilgrimage to Berkshire Hathaway's shareholder meeting in Omaha, turning the event into a celebration of the man and his financial mastery.

Of course, if you're not one of those people (or you answered "a," "b," or "c" to the above question), fear not. In the following pages, we tell you what it takes to invest like Buffett, whose strategy goes far beyond the simplistic "buy and hold" approach for which he is famous. For example, although he has described derivatives as "financial weapons of mass destruction" and has bashed hedge funds, Buffett has invested in both over the short term and has made hundreds of millions of dollars in the process.

And while he is perhaps the world's leading expert on managing risk—a talent honed through his investments in insurance companies—he scoffs at the idea of spreading around your bets. "Diversification is a protection against ignorance," Buffett says of index funds that hold hundreds of stocks—a sharp contrast with Berkshire's portfolio, in which the top 10 stocks account for more than 90 percent of its assets. "It makes very little sense if you know what you're doing."

You'll better know "what you're doing" after digesting the following pages, in which we plumb not only Buffett's investing style but also those of fund managers who have learned to tweak it to their own—and their shareholders'—advantage. This investing guide marks half a century of Buffett investing and records the ideas of a man whose acumen seems undiminished. Yet even though Buffett says he's in excellent health ("It's amazing what Cherry Coke and hamburgers will do for a fellow," he jokes), Buffett of course admits that he isn't getting any younger. And with no obvious heir apparent in place as Berkshire's next investor-in-chief, it's clear that even longtime Berkshire stockholders will eventually need to start thinking for themselves.

Which, after all, is what made their beloved leader so successful in the first place. And learning to think the Buffett way might even help you land a new job.