Nov 11

Welcome back!

I have been working in the oil and gas industry for a couple of years now. The pay is good but the job can be very dangerous. One day, I had an accident that almost took my life. It was then that I realized that I needed to do something about the money I earn. Working in an offshore oil field for the rest of my life is not something that I want long term, even if the pay is good. I know I have to do something with the money that I am earning now so that I can retire early and spend more time with my wife and my twins. Stock Market Newsletter

I am contemplating on investing in the stock market to achieve my goals But the thing is, I have no background on how the stock market works. I don’t watch the business-related TV shows nor read the business section of the newspapers. With that said, it prompted me to ask family members and friends if they can help me out with my problem. One of my cousins recommended that I start off with th einternet and look for investment newsletters or guides to assist me in learning more about the stock market.

I was not really Internet savvy so I asked my wife to teach me about the Internet and together we researched online for a possible investment strategy we could make. My wife and I stumbled upon My Strategic Forecast after days of research. We were presented with many options as there were a number of companies providing investment newsletters and stock market guides; however we decided to choose My Startegic Forecast because we were impressed with the technology they use in gathering data.

Although I am not familiar with investing, I am aware that movements in the price of oil are affected by a lot of things, such as political problems, environmental issues, and even demand and supply. I think that these factors are also taken into consideration in the stock market. In terms of innovation in the forecasting system, I am completely blown away by My Strategic Forecast’s technology. Other than the technical analysis, the company also incorporates political conditions, geopolitical factors, economic trends as well as solar-geophysical data.

What sealed the deal for me was the low monthly fee of My Strategic Forecast. Compared to bigger investment firms, the $99 a month subscription fee for My Strategic Forecast is really affordable. Aside from investment newsletters, I also get regular alerts on my e-mail about good stocks to invest on. In just six months of subscribing, I already made a lot of money. I am really ecstatic about reaching my financial goals earlier than planned; this will allow me to retire early and likewise, provide the needs of my family. Strategic Investing

Nov 10

What I like about the Internet is that it can be a great equalizer. Regardless of education,color, age, and occupation, it allows people to earn money and success. Actually, I have encountered stories of successful 14 and 15-year old children who just played around the World Wide Web. After serving in Iraq for two years, I really do not have any idea with the money I have earned. I am aware that I would just be spending it all in less than a year if I would not use it properly. Being from the Y generation, I am lucky to be open-minded about online business opportunities as well as online forex trading. Forex Trading System

There are so many business opportunities online, but many of these are either suspicious or are not really something that I would try. people working as medical trancriptionist, writers, or data encoders at home are some examples I know. Provided that these businesses are recognized as legitimate ones, I just cannot imagine myself reading and writing a lot of stuff so I do not want to put my money on these types of investment schemes. Since I know something about stocks, bonds, and currencies, my interest has been attracted by how much one can gain on a few thousand dollar investment. So what I did was I scoured the Internet for a viable opportunity. Fortunately, I found WG Forex.

I chose the managed forex account offered by WG Forex among the investment platforms available in the internet. One of my main reasons for this is that it allows me to have control of my account. Before I start to buy and sell currencies, I am informed of the risks of the position I am about to enter. In order to thrive my profits, the company provides experts offering assistance by providing advice of proper actions.

The experience provided by trading forex online is really an addicting and thrilling one. Each day, you will feel proud as you see your money progresses. In just a few months of participating in online forex trading, I have seen my $10,000 reached to $15,793. The slow and steady rise of my investment money is worth every cent although this may not be a fast scheme of getting rich. Even if I haven’t found a permanent job yet, I am assured that the money I got from my service in Iraq will continue to grow. Fx Managed Funds

Nov 10

I earn enough for a mother of three as a direct seller of beauty products but even I know that I really need to find an additional income to get my kids through school and retire. I was left with a small sum of money earlier this year when my grandmother passed away. I put the money in the bank where it earns a small interest; I know that I can beef up the funds some more by investing it in the stock market. I am aware that the market is fluctuating and volatile so I just cannot invest my money based on gut feel. Since this is all I have I really have to be picky with where I choose to put it. I feel pretty confident that with the investment newsletters from research companies I will have a better chane at being successful with my investments. Stock Newsletter

Most companies, I noticed, offer stock market analysis for a fee. With minimal money to invest I really did not want to spend a large portion of it on these paid services. I am a reluctant investor so I do not want to spend too much for such a service. I felt really fortunate to stumble accross MyStrategicForecast.com. Even if my intuition was saying that this company is the one for me, I still did not immediately subscribe to their financial newsletter because I first want to know more about them. I did notice right away how detailed this company seemed to be. They provided all the information I needed to understand what their company is all about and how they are gathering the data that I can use to make my decisions.

After doing my research and finding a friend who is also using the My Strategic Forecast financial newsletter, I decided to give it a try. I’ve reviewed the sample forecast in their site so I have an idea what to expect from their services. After all, the monthly service fee is only $99, an amount I can afford to lose in case I wasn’t satisfied with their service.

After I received my first financial newsletter and email notifications, I just ignored the recommendations of My Strategic Forecast because I wanted to verify first if their forecast is accurant to what is actually happening in the market floor. To bad I waited because I could have started profiting rigth off the bat with their suggestions. Now because of that I have been using My Strategic Forecasts invesment research to pick and choose which stocks I invest in. I haven’t invested it all since I am a very weary investor but even the amount that I choose to invest has grown substantailly. Investment Research

Nov 10

I became interested in investing when my granddaughter showed interest. Our favorite sunday tradition was reading the newspaper together. My granddaughter’s favorite newspaper section was the Financials, even though she was only 8 years old. Investment Research

As she grew older, her interest in investing never faded. My granddaughter always told me to keep paying attention to what she said about investing, as it would help me make sure my future was secure. I began to pay attention. Looking back, I could barely understand the Financial section when I first started to show an interest in the subject. Now I have an active role in investments, with several brokerage accounts, a financial mentor, and an accountant.

One of the biggest complaints I’ve made to my granddaughter is that market timing reports just seem like fortunetelling. Investment newsletters are light on the research and big on the gloss; or instead they are all just focused on the current market. One of the worst stock market newsletters did nothing but describe events from 6 months ago; it went into serious detail about huge market gains and losses that were old news.

After years of complaints, I was able to convince my granddaughter that we needed to find an investment research firm that provides accurate, timely, and data-driven information. Soon, my granddaughter began her search for the right investment research firm, and she examined their research methodologies. She found My Strategic Forecast online a week later.

The sound research provided by My Strategic Forecast is delivered to my email inbox in the form of financial newsletters, investment newsletters, and stock newsletters. By examining historical events, they put perspective on the various market forces that shape our economy. One example of this analysis was their examination of pre-World War II economic factors; due to this information they were able to shed light on the airline industry prior to the Iraq War.

Through their attention paid to historical trends, My Strategic Forecast has proved to be a wise investing tool. When their newletters arrive in my email inbox, I am excited about my next opportunity to review them. The company makes sure that they have carefully and efficiently analyzed all relevant data sources before expressing their opinion about what is happening in the world. I was impressed that they also take into account political information, geopolitical information, and weather trend data. I’m able to get the biggest picture possible about what is going on, what went on in the past, and how to gauge my bets on the future.

Now a Securities Account Manager for a large firm, my granddaughter still laughs with me about reading the Financials section of the newspaper. My granddaughter says that My Strategic Forecast’s methodology is unlike any other in the business; she is also a devoted subscriber. I am proud to have such a smart girl looking after me. Stock Market Newsletter

Oct 29
Annuity Scams- Part 1
icon1 Kay Huna | icon2 Investing | icon4 10 29th, 2009| icon3No Comments »

Despite what you may think, Annuities can be a good thing. But abusive or naïve agents certainly have given the industry a black eye.

single premium immediate annuity

If you’re considering using an annuity for your retirement, you have nothing to fear. Save the anxiety for the real life problems that you as a retiree will face such as the life of medicare and social security.

There’s an art to picking the right retirement annuity vehicle. First of all, suitability for the intended purchaser needs to be determined based on a wide variety of factors unique to each individual. You then have to select one. After you go through the suitability process, screening the various products can seem like an ominous task. It can often be difficult to screen products.

The process of selection is usually the part where the greedy salesperson will make their move. When you buy an annuity, someone will get commission for it, so reconcile the fact that people will be fighting over you to get your money. It’s a fact of business. If you just stick to what you need, you’re good. If you want to pick the best product for you, there are some things you should consider in your search.

Surrender Charges- Most deferred annuities have no upfront fees so the insurance company protects themselves by charging you for canceling your contract early. Longer surrender schedules indicate a higher cost to the company. Most of the time this is linked to upfront bonuses and higher than average agent commissions. Your best interests will not be represented. If the surrender schedule is seven years or longer, just skip it. You’ll be able to find good products with long schedules, but the longer contract should be justified. Do your research!

On a side note, try to ensure that you are 100% in the know about all additional restrictions that are placed on your surrender of a contract. Some contracts state that you can only surrender early if you take installments over a certain period. If you die before the schedule is done, any restrictions you had will be passed on to your heirs. Don’t entertain any sort of contract like this one. There isn’t any academic benefits with annuities like those. Keep your money as far within your realm of control as you can.

Interest Rates- An individual must learn to analyze the interest rate components of a contract. Some important rates that are good to know about are yield to surrender, guaranteed minimums, and premium bonuses.

safe investments

Premium Bonuses - A lot of upfront bonuses are meant to draw customers in. Bonuses like these most times don’t work out to your advantage. The company pays out more to draw you in, which it makes up for with longer surrender schedules. Do not let them lure you in. Just say no and move on to the next one.

Guaranteed Minimums- This rate tells you how much interest you will make in the worst-case scenario. 3% is the absolute minimum you should ask for. If a company pays less than that, it will indicate one of two things. They will either not know where their company is going to be a few years down the road, or want costs to go down. You want to look for a good strong company that survived 2008’s financial meltdown and expect business to run normally in the present and future. Don’t trust your money to anyone else.

Yield to Surrender- This number is the cumulative rate of return that you should expect once your contract expires. This is the part where the useless bonus rate is shown for what it is and your solid minimum guarantee will shine through. Don’t trust bonuses, as they don’t work for you later on, but good minimums can tell you what to expect.

Credit Ratings - There’s allegedly no safer investment than an annuity. It should go without saying that you want to place your money with the most stable company you can find. Turmoil in any atmosphere will weed out the weakest players and further strengthen the most stable. Find those companies. You can trust them with your money.

To keep things simple, we can stop right there. Those areas are exactly where you will run into trouble. Captive agents really have no choice but to sell you specific products and commission fueled agents will most times ignore various potential pitfalls. Understand the ground rules and learn the basics and you have nothing to worry about. Don’t be unnecessarily fearful of annuities, as they won’t hurt you.

If you want to learn more about Annuities, check out AnnuitiyStraightTalk.com to get the full scoop.

I want you to have all the tools and knowledge possible before making a big financial decision. Check out the resources at www.AnnuityStraightTalk.com - annuity scams

Oct 28

As a life-long investor, I have to share some information with you. I can’t stand most investment research – whether it’s a financial newsletter, stock newsletter, or investing newsletter. Investment Research

These newsletters arrive in my mailbox and email inbox in droves. These newsletters are awful. Another corporation’s research is always driven just by the market; they consistently fail to identify any other factors that may influence stocks and bonds. Another corporation’s research is always driven just by the market; they consistently fail to identify any other factors that may influence stocks and bonds.

One day I complained about these terrible investment research materials, and a friend recommended MyStrategicForecast.com. After visiting the website, I found myself spending hours reading their webpages; I re-read several parts over and over. I was incredibly impressed with their research; I went on and registered for a few sample strategic investing reports.

After I read their first investing newsletter, I felt like I was in shock. Through a sound methodology for predicting financial markets, My Strategic Forecast doesn’t simply engage in predictions. By using several many factors, including historical trends, political conditions, geopolitical considerations, and Solar-Geophysical data, they derive information that is well-considered and concise. I was impressed by the amount of data they managed to review prior to issuing their report, but yet, the report’s information was timely and current.

Through their focus on the “five pillars of global market influences”, My Strategic Forecast’s core strength lies in their superior market timing device. My Strategic Forecast doesn’t follow other brokerage firms’ pattern of tracking global indexes in order to determine a recognizable pattern. Instead, they incorporate the five other market influences into the historical charts, and determine what was occurring when the market shifted one way or another. My Strategic Forecast absolutely ignores “shoot from the hip” predictions; they instead rely on their carefully calculated methodology to understand what is happening.

The organization’s emails are incredibly impressive. Their e-newsletters are all clear, focused, and substantial alerts. I was thrilled that I don’t receive the same ad copy – rewritten every time – in my inbox every time I open it.

Due to his recommendation, I constantly thank my friend for providing me information regarding My Strategic Forecast. I am very pleased with the amount of work they have put in compared to the low cost I am spending each month. Today, it seems almost impossible to receive better service than what you pay for. Investing Newsletter

Oct 25

As time has passed, financial products have changed and gotten better. Financial institutions are constantly working to develop new products that will give them a competitive edge against other companies. The market nowadays is flooded with too many new, flashy products that are really untested in the long run. That brings us to fixed annuities, which unlike their newer counterparts are not very exciting and are often not considered by younger financial consultants. But if you are looking at investment vehicles, then you should not overlook a fixed annuity.

immediate annuities

Some very simple economic and physical laws govern how money works. In order to stay ahead of the competition and attract new customers, financial institutions hire mathematicians to adjust these laws using formulas and equations to make a product look new and interesting. Contracts that are too good to be true usually have fine print that accounts for any excess risk exposure.

The Warren Buffett quote, “Beware geeks bearing formulas,” says it all.

Much more can be accomplished if an investor sticks with simple products and a better strategy. In the long run, fixed annuities help to build a solid retirement plan just as well as any of the jazzy indexed and variable products. When you invest in a fixed annuity and add it to your portfolio, what you see is what you get. There are no surprises or unhappy outcomes.

As far as annuity products go, fixed annuities and immediate annuities have been around for a very long time. This is simply because they work effectively. Newer products may claim to make better returns, but because they do not have long term success rates, you don’t know that they will perform. I don’t know anyone who would want to head into retirement not knowing for sure the product they are using will work That’s kind of like trusting someone else to pack your parachute.

So what is so good about Fixed Annuities? I’ll list a few things.

1) Better Returns than Traditional Bank Certificates of Deposit. A fixed annuity will generally offer you a better return than a normal banking institution would if you were to invest with them. Most annuity products have actual guarantees as to how much your money will grow annually, no matter the economic outlook.

safe investments

Income Options - Fixed annuities come with free withdrawal provisions, allowing the owner to withdraw part of the money within the account and not have to pay a penalty. Fixed annuities can also be transformed into an account that will give you a guaranteed income for a certain amount of time or you can choose a lifetime withdrawal annuity option. New York Life and the Wharton Business School teamed up to do a study and immediate annuities were identified as the way to guarantee the highest level of retirement income.

3) A Safe Bet. This past year has proven to be one of the worst for the financial markets, both in the United States and around the world. A lot of insurance companies avoided the turmoil because of extremely conservative management strategies. Compared to the rest of the financial industry, these companies must hold higher levels of reserves. Because of this, many insurance companies are still very stable and profitable. As an added guarantee, each state has an insurance fund that will cover losses of up to one hundred thousand dollars, just like the FDIC does for banking institutions.

Now, after talking about all the great things a fixed annuity has to offer, is there anything an investor needs to be aware of? Sure there is. But we shouldn’t talk about if a fixed annuity has a good a or bad side. What we should discuss is if this is the right investment vehicle for you. Fixed annuities will make sense for some people and for others they are not the right solution to their retirement needs. Timing is a vital element. It is likely that almost everyone can benefit from using a fixed or immediate annuity at some point in retirement, but if the timing is screwed up, the investor might regret the purchase.

Most of the problems seen in the annuity market originate from salesmen who are not qualified enough. Plus, there are a lot of products that benefit the insurance company, but do not so as much for the investor. It takes a little work to be able to discern between a good contract and a not so good one.

If a fixed annuity appeals to you, it is imperative that you find a qualified advisor. The people at AnnuityStraightTalk.com completely understand fixed annuities and can explain how to use them in a way that you will benefit the most. That might take a little extra work, but your nest egg deserves no less.

Make an informed decision about annuities. Get the Free Annuity Report at www.AnnuityStraightTalk.com. - fixed annuities

Oct 17

Sharm el-Sheikh is situated at the southern tip of the Sinai desert and in an ideal location on the Peninsula right along the Red Sea.

Once a small fishing village Sharm el Sheikh has now evolved into one of the Top Ten resorts in the world and is renowned for its clean, sandy beaches and world class water sports, Sharm now attracts a very large amount of visitors every year.

The region has a nice warm climate with year round sunshine and temperatures from 15 to 35 degrees in the winter and 20 to 45 degrees during the summer making Sharm el Sheikh an all year round resort, therefore year round rental income opportunities for owners of Sharm el Sheikh apartments or villa.

As stated Sharm is very well known for it’s superb water sports and most popular is diving as the Red Sea is one of the most attractive places in the world to explore and discover a magical underwater world with many colourful coral reefs and over 1000 species of tropical fish with some species unique to the Red Sea.

As well as diving other popular water sport activates are, sailing, wind surfing, & kite surfing among others.

Sharm el Sheikh also offers a range of other leisure activities including, golf, camel and horse riding, desert safaris and superb restaurants and nightlife, a complete resort experience.

Also the cost of living in Sharm is very affordable as is the cost of property, although property prices have been steadily increasing year on year which suggests good capital growth for property investors.

Add these factors together and it is easy to see why Sharm el Sheikh Property is a very attractive investment for many people seeking and also enjoyment from [spin]their property investments.

Oct 16

David Jenyns, a successful trader in his own right like system trading, interviews long-term trader and friend Stuart McPhee about the need to learn stock trading if your time is limited, and how to start out as a trader.

Stuart: A questioner has asked what is the best to trade if you are time poor. There are methodologies you can use that really don’t demand a huge amount of your time and the obvious one is trading stocks using medium-term trends.

In fact you don’t even have to check things every day. You don’t need to scan every day. My medium term funds I scan once a week. Admittedly when I’m in a investment trading, I’ll monitor during the week. So far as scanning and identifying new opportunities, it’s a once a week thing. I think a lot of people scoff at oh, only a few hours a week or one hour per day or less than an hour per day.

Absolutely you can trade using a particular style that doesn’t demand a huge amount of your time. Trading stocks medium term trends is certainly one of those and is the most obvious and common one for people who are time poor.

David: In one of your videos, you recommended for beginners not to start with short term trading such as intra day trading. What type of trading, swing trading position trading and can you specify timeframes, medium term or longer term?

Stuart: There may be people out there who start trading foreign exchange straightaway and make a killing. I just know that’s going to be the exception rather than the rule, and it’s going to be a very rare exception. The groundwork for me is to learn stock trading for a period of time and just concentrate on trading stocks.

It’s just the easiest way to start, it’s a great grounding and then if you can’t trade stocks profitably consistently, then you’re certainly not going to be successful trading the others. That’s why I believe in starting with the basics in trade entry.

When you have a demanding job time wise and trading such a short term instrument as forex, it’s difficult. The beauty today is you can place conditional orders and place our stops physically as soon as we get in so we don’t have to watching the screen but I think so far as analysis is concerned and doing other things it can be demanding of our time.

David: He also asked regarding swing trading and position trading or a particular method of trading. If you were to put a label on it so he’s got somewhere to start.

Stuart: Yes I just say learn stock trading using medium term trends. Analyze peaks and troughs. Identify those and those stocks achieving higher peaks, higher troughs, that’s the sort of thing I’m interested in. Good solid conservative, medium term steady sort of movement stocks.

Oct 15

If you’re comfortable with and making better results in your trading portfolio why don’t you use the same method in your superannuation fund? Also do you calculate your stops differently in your superannuation fund than your trading fund? The two experienced traders discuss about the trading portfolio in detail.

Stuart: I appreciate where that person is coming from, but to me they are so different, two completely different aspects of investment trading. Probably the biggest difference between the two is the amount of money in both. I have a lot more money in my super fund than my day to day trading fund. The purpose of both those funds is so different.

My investment trading system, as much as I don’t want to, I could afford to lose it tomorrow. It wouldn’t ruin me. The last thing I want to do is lose all the money in my super fund. I am so conservative and so defensive and thinking much longer term in my super fund than I am in my day to day trading fund. So completely different purposes and to me they require completely different approaches. The size of a trading fund does affect your whole approach to trading. Whilst all the same rules of effective trading apply, most notable nipping losses in the bud and letting your profits run; you have adapt the way in which you apply those rules for maximum benefits and trading profits.

I want my super fund to grow and grow so when, by law, I’m able to tap into it, it’s all there and will set me up. The growth of the superannuation fund is very important.

The question was asked about setting stops differently and about trade entry. We all have the same rules of cutting losses and letting profits run, but the way we apply those rules across the different trading styles is very different. So of course I use very different stops in my super fund, and one wouldn’t work for the other.

David: Are you using the same method of calculation on your super fund as your CFD trading fund?

Stuart: The same method, no. I use a volatility base for my super fund and a technical stop for my short term trading. Investment trading often calls for different methods to be profitable and to avoid losss. We have to be able to adapt our trading style to match our individual circumstances and requirements.

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