1. Keep your checking account at your local bank but not your extra savings, such as what you keep in bank savings accounts - or worse - in your checking account. Money market funds, which are a type of mutual fund (other common funds focus on bonds or stocks), are a great place to keep your extra savings. Money market funds are a higher yielding alternative to bank savings and bank money market deposit accounts.
2. Money market funds are unique among mutual funds because they do not fluctuate in value and maintain a fixed $1 per share price. As with a bank savings account, your principal investment in a money market fund does not change in value while you're earning dividends (same as the interest on a bank account). However, money market mutual funds offer several significant benefits over bank savings accounts. The biggest advantage is higher yields.
3. Money market mutual funds are able to pay higher yields because they don't have the high overhead that banks do. The most efficient mutual fund companies, such as Vanguard, T. Rowe Price, and USAA, don't have scads of branch offices on every street corner. Another reason that banks pay lower yields is that they know that many depositors, perhaps including you, believe that the FDIC insurance that comes with a bank savings account makes it safer than a money market mutual fund.
4. Another advantage of money funds over bank accounts is that money funds come in a variety of tax-free versions. So if you're in a high tax bracket, tax-free money funds offer something bank accounts don't.
5. Another useful feature that comes with money market mutual funds is the ability to write checks, without charge, against your account. Most mutual fund companies require that the checks that you write be for larger amounts - typically at least $250. They don't want you using these accounts to pay all your small household bills because checks cost money to process.
6. Money market funds are a good place to keep your emergency cash reserve of at least three to six months' living expenses. They're also a great place to keep money awaiting investment elsewhere in the near future. If you're saving money for a home that you expect to purchase soon (next year or so), a money fund can be a safe place to accumulate and grow the down payment. You wouldn't want to risk placing such money in the stock market, which can get clobbered in a relatively short period of time.
7. Just as you can use a money market fund for your personal purposes, you can open a money market fund for your business. This account can be used for depositing checks received from customers and holding excess funds as well as for paying bills via the check-writing feature.
This free article is provided by the FreeArticles.com Free Articles Directory for educational purposes ONLY! It cannot be reprinted or redistributed under any circumstances.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Mutual Funds Investment Tips
Pick a diversified domestic growth fund that performed in the top quartile of all mutual funds over the last three to five years. It will probably have averaged an annual rate of return of about 20%. The fund should also have a better-than-average record in the latest 12 months when compared to other domestic growth stock funds.
Steer away from funds that concentrate in only one industry or one area like energy, electronics, or gold. The investment company you pick does not have to be in the top three or four in performance each year to give you an excellent profit over 10 to 15 years.
The fund can be either a no-load, with no commission, or load, or one where a sales commission is charged. If you buy a fund with a sales charge, discounts are offered according to the amount you invest and some funds have back-end loads which you may want to check. The commission paid is substantially less than the mark-up you pay to buy insurance, a new car, a suit of clothes, or your groceries. You can also sign a letter of intent, which will allow a lower sales charge to apply to any quantity purchase made over the following 13 months.
When you purchase a mutual fund, you are hiring professional management to make decisions for you in the stock market. Most diversified funds should be treated differently from individual stocks. A stock may decline and never come back in price. That's why the loss-cutting policy is necessary.
However, a well-selected fund run by an established management organization will, in time, almost always recover from the steep corrections that naturally occur during numerous bear markets. This is because mutual funds are broadly diversified and should participate in each recovery cycle in the American economy.
Therefore, an extraordinarily different strategy should be employed with mutual funds. Each time you get into the thick of an economic recession and the newspapers and TV tell you how terrible things are, why not add to your fund when it is off 25% to 30% from its peak price. It might even be a possible time to borrow a little money and buy more shares. If you are patient, within two or three years the shares should be up sharply in price.
Remember, you're going to hold through many economic cycles, so why not be smart and add to your investment during each bear market? You can also reinvest your dividends and capital gains distributions and benefit from compounding over the years. When you buy your growth mutual fund, you should make up your mind at the outset that you are positively going to sit through the next three or four bear markets or economic recessions. This will give you the maximum opportunity to make really big money.
This free article is provided by the FreeArticles.com Free Articles Directory for educational purposes ONLY! It cannot be reprinted or redistributed under any circumstances.
Steer away from funds that concentrate in only one industry or one area like energy, electronics, or gold. The investment company you pick does not have to be in the top three or four in performance each year to give you an excellent profit over 10 to 15 years.
The fund can be either a no-load, with no commission, or load, or one where a sales commission is charged. If you buy a fund with a sales charge, discounts are offered according to the amount you invest and some funds have back-end loads which you may want to check. The commission paid is substantially less than the mark-up you pay to buy insurance, a new car, a suit of clothes, or your groceries. You can also sign a letter of intent, which will allow a lower sales charge to apply to any quantity purchase made over the following 13 months.
When you purchase a mutual fund, you are hiring professional management to make decisions for you in the stock market. Most diversified funds should be treated differently from individual stocks. A stock may decline and never come back in price. That's why the loss-cutting policy is necessary.
However, a well-selected fund run by an established management organization will, in time, almost always recover from the steep corrections that naturally occur during numerous bear markets. This is because mutual funds are broadly diversified and should participate in each recovery cycle in the American economy.
Therefore, an extraordinarily different strategy should be employed with mutual funds. Each time you get into the thick of an economic recession and the newspapers and TV tell you how terrible things are, why not add to your fund when it is off 25% to 30% from its peak price. It might even be a possible time to borrow a little money and buy more shares. If you are patient, within two or three years the shares should be up sharply in price.
Remember, you're going to hold through many economic cycles, so why not be smart and add to your investment during each bear market? You can also reinvest your dividends and capital gains distributions and benefit from compounding over the years. When you buy your growth mutual fund, you should make up your mind at the outset that you are positively going to sit through the next three or four bear markets or economic recessions. This will give you the maximum opportunity to make really big money.
This free article is provided by the FreeArticles.com Free Articles Directory for educational purposes ONLY! It cannot be reprinted or redistributed under any circumstances.
10 Hot Business to Start in 2011
Are you ready to start a business but can’t figure out what to do? While there are lots of factors that will determine your success, it sometimes helps to start with a “hot” idea. Here are 10 of our best picks — and most won’t cost you a fortune to start.
1. Children’s enrichment services
Since school budgets have been severely cut, worried parents have turned to tutoring services to make sure their kids don’t lose ground academically. Your biggest startup cost will be marketing — word-of-mouth is the primary business driver. Work through local school systems and parent-teacher organizations. Try giving discounts to customers who direct other parents to your business.
In some regions, specialization is key. Focus on specific subjects or grades. SAT tutors are in especially high demand these days.
2. Senior transition/relocation services
As our population continues to age, these businesses — which provide various services to seniors and their families — will continue to thrive. The services are geared toward helping seniors move out of their homes and can provide assistance in any number of ways: finding a new home (assisted living, nursing home, etc.), packing and selling belongings, setting up a new home, and more.
You’ll likely find customers in your neighborhood, but also try approaching “family advisers” like financial planners, attorneys specializing in senior issues, and clergy.
3. Green consultant
Green consultants usually concentrate on helping either consumers or businesses become more environmentally friendly. Industry-wide revenues currently top $18 billion.
As for demand, consumers are thinking with their wallets and hoping to save money (and get possible tax breaks) by making their homes more energy efficient. Businesses are also looking for savings, as well as instructions on how to be a green company. Many consumers are demanding it but companies often lack the internal know-how or infrastructure to go green.
4. Translation services
Translation services are in high demand, with revenues rising 18 percent industry-wide in the past year. Prime customers include the federal government, health care professionals and businesses interested in importing and exporting.
Don’t worry if you only speak one or two languages. You can hire people to do the translations — either employees or independent contractors (even better).
5. Meals on wheelsDon’t think roach coach, TV dinners or a hot dog cart. We’re talking food fit for a gourmand, like crème brȗlée and Kobe beef burgers, or fancy versions of the stuff Mom used to make, like cupcakes and grilled cheese.
Buying a new vehicle will likely cost you, so look for a used one you can “trick out” instead. Once you’re operating, your costs are minimal (except for the food). Marketing through Twitter will create attention and bring customers, and your labor costs are almost nonexistent.
An even lower-cost option is operating a food cart. Good food + right location (heavy foot traffic) = big profits.
6. Weddings
The millennial generation is growing up and getting married. Starting in 1987, there were approximately 4 million kids born each year in the U.S. In 2011, those “kids” turn 24, and the average age women get married is 25. Do the math and you’ll see there’s going to be a surge in businesses that cater to the wedding industry.
There are many businesses that will benefit from the coming wedding boom, including:
- Retailers (clothing the bridal party)
- Gift stores (gifts, invitations, stationery)
- Restaurants, caterers and bakeries
- Wedding planners
- Travel agencies (planning destination weddings and honeymoons)
- Flower shops
- Videographers, photographers
- Jewelry designers, jewelers
7. Handyman services
It might seem old-fashioned, but handymen and -women are in demand as cash-strapped homeowners try to tackle small home improvement projects. You can even specialize: The senior market is promising, with elderly clients desiring to make homes (theirs or their kids’) safer and more accessible. Or, you can target new homeowners. In 2009, nearly 25 percent of first-time homebuyers were single women.
8. Kids’ beauty products and services
Unbelievably, by 2012, tweens and teens are expected to spend more than $8.5 billion on grooming and beauty products. Already, just among 6- to 9-year-old girls (per Experian market research):
- 43 percent use lip gloss/lipstick
- 38 percent use hairstyling products
- 12 percent use “other” cosmetics
Other ways to fill the demands of this market include starting kids’ hair salons, teen spas and gyms.
9. College consultants
With incoming freshman classes breaking enrollment records (Pew Research says about 2.6 million kids enroll every year), it’s increasingly competitive to get into college. College consultants can be generalists or specialize in fields like college prep, applications, financial solutions and scholarships. In 2009, 26 percent of “high-achieving seniors” hired a private college counselor.
10. Cupcakes
Don’t believe the naysayers who say cupcakes are dead; they’re still mega hot — and profitable. Cupcakes costing about 60 cents to produce can easily sell for $3 to $5. You can open a “cupcakery,” sell them in (or to) restaurants and bakeries, or even start a cart or mobile cupcake-mobile.
As with every year, the name of the game is reading consumers’ feelings about the economy and spotting trends that tap into these sentiments.
© Business on Main
1. Children’s enrichment services
Since school budgets have been severely cut, worried parents have turned to tutoring services to make sure their kids don’t lose ground academically. Your biggest startup cost will be marketing — word-of-mouth is the primary business driver. Work through local school systems and parent-teacher organizations. Try giving discounts to customers who direct other parents to your business.
In some regions, specialization is key. Focus on specific subjects or grades. SAT tutors are in especially high demand these days.
2. Senior transition/relocation services
As our population continues to age, these businesses — which provide various services to seniors and their families — will continue to thrive. The services are geared toward helping seniors move out of their homes and can provide assistance in any number of ways: finding a new home (assisted living, nursing home, etc.), packing and selling belongings, setting up a new home, and more.
You’ll likely find customers in your neighborhood, but also try approaching “family advisers” like financial planners, attorneys specializing in senior issues, and clergy.
3. Green consultant
Green consultants usually concentrate on helping either consumers or businesses become more environmentally friendly. Industry-wide revenues currently top $18 billion.
As for demand, consumers are thinking with their wallets and hoping to save money (and get possible tax breaks) by making their homes more energy efficient. Businesses are also looking for savings, as well as instructions on how to be a green company. Many consumers are demanding it but companies often lack the internal know-how or infrastructure to go green.
4. Translation services
Translation services are in high demand, with revenues rising 18 percent industry-wide in the past year. Prime customers include the federal government, health care professionals and businesses interested in importing and exporting.
Don’t worry if you only speak one or two languages. You can hire people to do the translations — either employees or independent contractors (even better).
5. Meals on wheelsDon’t think roach coach, TV dinners or a hot dog cart. We’re talking food fit for a gourmand, like crème brȗlée and Kobe beef burgers, or fancy versions of the stuff Mom used to make, like cupcakes and grilled cheese.
Buying a new vehicle will likely cost you, so look for a used one you can “trick out” instead. Once you’re operating, your costs are minimal (except for the food). Marketing through Twitter will create attention and bring customers, and your labor costs are almost nonexistent.
An even lower-cost option is operating a food cart. Good food + right location (heavy foot traffic) = big profits.
6. Weddings
The millennial generation is growing up and getting married. Starting in 1987, there were approximately 4 million kids born each year in the U.S. In 2011, those “kids” turn 24, and the average age women get married is 25. Do the math and you’ll see there’s going to be a surge in businesses that cater to the wedding industry.
There are many businesses that will benefit from the coming wedding boom, including:
- Retailers (clothing the bridal party)
- Gift stores (gifts, invitations, stationery)
- Restaurants, caterers and bakeries
- Wedding planners
- Travel agencies (planning destination weddings and honeymoons)
- Flower shops
- Videographers, photographers
- Jewelry designers, jewelers
7. Handyman services
It might seem old-fashioned, but handymen and -women are in demand as cash-strapped homeowners try to tackle small home improvement projects. You can even specialize: The senior market is promising, with elderly clients desiring to make homes (theirs or their kids’) safer and more accessible. Or, you can target new homeowners. In 2009, nearly 25 percent of first-time homebuyers were single women.
8. Kids’ beauty products and services
Unbelievably, by 2012, tweens and teens are expected to spend more than $8.5 billion on grooming and beauty products. Already, just among 6- to 9-year-old girls (per Experian market research):
- 43 percent use lip gloss/lipstick
- 38 percent use hairstyling products
- 12 percent use “other” cosmetics
Other ways to fill the demands of this market include starting kids’ hair salons, teen spas and gyms.
9. College consultants
With incoming freshman classes breaking enrollment records (Pew Research says about 2.6 million kids enroll every year), it’s increasingly competitive to get into college. College consultants can be generalists or specialize in fields like college prep, applications, financial solutions and scholarships. In 2009, 26 percent of “high-achieving seniors” hired a private college counselor.
10. Cupcakes
Don’t believe the naysayers who say cupcakes are dead; they’re still mega hot — and profitable. Cupcakes costing about 60 cents to produce can easily sell for $3 to $5. You can open a “cupcakery,” sell them in (or to) restaurants and bakeries, or even start a cart or mobile cupcake-mobile.
As with every year, the name of the game is reading consumers’ feelings about the economy and spotting trends that tap into these sentiments.
© Business on Main
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Best Finance Tips
1: Accept Your Orders With the Help Of Merchant Services
2: Merchant Services Process Payments through the Credit Cards
3: Credit Card Processing - Why It Is Important?
4: Credit Card Processing Equipments
5: Forex Online Trading: Gain Profits with the Right Forex Trading Systems
6: Avoiding Traps of Sub Prime Personal Loan Lenders
7: How to Obtain an Unsecured Personal Loan
8: Exploring Better Alternatives for Personal Loans
9: How to Become Eligible for Home Improvement Loan
10: Benefits of Home Equity Loans
To boost the sales of your online business you need to select a suitable Merchant Services provider. Merchant-accounts.com is a credit card processing company that offers you full value for your money.
2: Merchant Services Process Payments through the Credit Cards
For processing payments through Merchant Services, the AMS Merchant Account Services is considered among the leaders in the market. It is one of the most significant Credit card processing agencies that have a huge customer base.
3: Credit Card Processing - Why It Is Important?
Credit card processing is highly essential for all businesses owing to numerous reasons. Our merchant account services offer you numerous benefits on credit card processing.
4: Credit Card Processing Equipments
For processing credit cards, credit card processing equipments are required. These equipments quicken the process of a credit transaction. In comparison to the earlier equipments, the modern credit card processing equipments ensures that the payments are made quicker.
5: Forex Online Trading: Gain Profits with the Right Forex Trading Systems
Forex trading is all about currencies exchange from one person to another with a certain price.
6: Avoiding Traps of Sub Prime Personal Loan Lenders
Since there is no standard rate charged by sub prime lenders, they treat each application for sub prime personal loan individually and often charge high interest rates. This article has very useful suggestions to avoid falling prey to the tricks of some lenders.
7: How to Obtain an Unsecured Personal Loan
When a person wants to have the money and the assets also without the risk of pledging with the lender, money can still be borrowed through unsecured personal loan. This article discusses various aspects of unsecured personal loans and helps individuals in need of money to get one.
8: Exploring Better Alternatives for Personal Loans
There are better alternatives to personal financing that can save money if a person in need of financial assistance explores different options. This article discusses some of the workable options to tide over the financial crisis.
9: How to Become Eligible for Home Improvement Loan
Home improvement loans differ from person to person and it suits all individual needs and it differs from individual's financial status. This article discusses various aspects of home improvement loan in detail.
10: Benefits of Home Equity Loans
Home Equity loan can be classified into two different types as, Traditional Home Equity Loan and Home Equity Line of Credit and these are also known as second mortgages, as they are safe by the security of property. Read on to learn the key advantages of going for a home equity loan.
Make Money by Starting a Website
Websites have become an increasingly popular way to make money. There are two key positive factors that coincide with your own website and that is, first that anyone can make and run one and, second, you can do anything with it! You just need a strong sense of what your website will consist of. It is easy to divert your time to sidetracking projects and creating a very confusing or jumbled web space.
Once you have a solid idea of the content you will be producing, whether it be selling, blogging, advertising, and so on, you can start it up. Finding a host to support your website is relatively easy with so many that are offered. For a beginner, it can be very confusing finding the right one. Some things you should look for in a host are price, and what they have to offer you. You can also find reviews on other various websites (there are websites for everything!) to see if you are getting the best deal and the best service. Try to snag a good domain name. A domain name is the address people type in to get to your website. People do actually just type in a phrase and follow it with a ".com" to see what pulls up—that could be your website. Just make sure it is appropriate and fitting.
Create an original and attractive design. Something that is appealing to visitors and that would make them consider returning. There are competitors out there in the field of design that are ever changing, but you can still keep your website simple—or hire someone to fix it up for you. If it is done right, this may only cost you one charge, one time.
Next, find a target audience. Start spreading the word about your new website to neighbors, relatives, and friends, social networking sites that you are a part of, or communities and forums. These are all great ways to keep the budget on "marketing" down, and they are simple enough that you would just need to add a link to an email or a forum tag. You can also see what services the major search engines offer and how much it would cost to create supplement ad campaigns directly through them. This helps you in the long run to make money from your website. The more visitors to your website, the more likely your chances are of selling your product or making a name for yourself.
With over a billion websites on the internet, what determines whose will stand out? Search engines remain, as they always have been, the primary source of visitors to your website. It is important to create Search Engine Optimized content and implement that into your websites coding as well. This establishes a "ranking" that will determine how close, or how far back, your website will be when the search engine results are generated. In addition to this, you can also work with the search engines as far as marketing and advertising. You can participate in their pay-per-click applications which place advertisements (discreetly and non-discreetly) onto your make money website for visitors to browse.
You will no doubt be proud of your end result. But don't stop short, you made a website to make money and that is what you should focus on. Work on ways to create more visitors, and more returning visitors. Provide them with content or a product they like. If you are selling a product, market it. If you are creating content that you hope others will be entertained by, advertise.
Once you have a solid idea of the content you will be producing, whether it be selling, blogging, advertising, and so on, you can start it up. Finding a host to support your website is relatively easy with so many that are offered. For a beginner, it can be very confusing finding the right one. Some things you should look for in a host are price, and what they have to offer you. You can also find reviews on other various websites (there are websites for everything!) to see if you are getting the best deal and the best service. Try to snag a good domain name. A domain name is the address people type in to get to your website. People do actually just type in a phrase and follow it with a ".com" to see what pulls up—that could be your website. Just make sure it is appropriate and fitting.
Create an original and attractive design. Something that is appealing to visitors and that would make them consider returning. There are competitors out there in the field of design that are ever changing, but you can still keep your website simple—or hire someone to fix it up for you. If it is done right, this may only cost you one charge, one time.
Next, find a target audience. Start spreading the word about your new website to neighbors, relatives, and friends, social networking sites that you are a part of, or communities and forums. These are all great ways to keep the budget on "marketing" down, and they are simple enough that you would just need to add a link to an email or a forum tag. You can also see what services the major search engines offer and how much it would cost to create supplement ad campaigns directly through them. This helps you in the long run to make money from your website. The more visitors to your website, the more likely your chances are of selling your product or making a name for yourself.
With over a billion websites on the internet, what determines whose will stand out? Search engines remain, as they always have been, the primary source of visitors to your website. It is important to create Search Engine Optimized content and implement that into your websites coding as well. This establishes a "ranking" that will determine how close, or how far back, your website will be when the search engine results are generated. In addition to this, you can also work with the search engines as far as marketing and advertising. You can participate in their pay-per-click applications which place advertisements (discreetly and non-discreetly) onto your make money website for visitors to browse.
You will no doubt be proud of your end result. But don't stop short, you made a website to make money and that is what you should focus on. Work on ways to create more visitors, and more returning visitors. Provide them with content or a product they like. If you are selling a product, market it. If you are creating content that you hope others will be entertained by, advertise.
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Saturday, May 21, 2011
Need A Valuable Gold Advice From Experts?
Back in 2002 the editors of Profit Confidential started telling their readers it was time to jump into gold related investments. This gold advice proved to be extremely timely. Yes, back in 2002 we started offering gold advice to our readers and we still do it today. We have been recognized as one of the first investment letters to tell its audience to jump into gold stocks, very early in the gold bull market. The gold advice we provided resulted in many stocks we follow rising in price 100% or more in short periods of time. Today, you can regularly find gold advice in Profit Confidential. Each time gold prices moved higher, we told our readers to buy more gold related investments. See what we have to say about gold's future dally in Profit Confidential.
My stock market advice now is not to take too much action. While the market is not overvalued by any means, it is fairly valued and a good portion of the broader market is trading right at the 52-week high. So, if you like to buy low and sell high like I do, this makes that investment strategy more difficult. You have to have a lot of patience and a lot of self control to wait for only the most attractive opportunities to bet on.
One area of the stock market that continues to be the most attractive for speculators in micro-cap stocks is mining. I keep harping on the subject. There are great opportunities in junior mining stocks right now, even with the spot price of gold and silver trading at record highs. Like I've written before, the key drivers of mining shares are new discoveries and the underlying spot price of the precious metal. It's a tough business to be a speculator in this industry, but, then again, it isn't easy making money in other sectors either.
When you're in a rising commodity price cycle, not surprisingly it pays to allocate more of your portfolio to this area. A lot of individual investors have traditionally focused on the technology sector to find growth, but this isn't necessary in the current environment. With gold and silver prices trading where they are now, even the fastest growing micro-cap technology company can't generate the same kind of earnings growth compared to a mining company with increasing production. The business model is just that good in the resource sector right now.
History suggests that commodity price cycles always end, so, in a sense, speculators have to milk the cow while it lasts. But, I find it difficult to imagine a big retreat in precious metal prices in the near and medium terms. Developed economies are still in recovery mode and, with the huge increase in global money supply, the argument against inflation is pretty thin.
Even oil and gas stocks are seeing a marked improvement in their trading action, and natural gas is still in the doldrums. With declining production on a global basis, I also find it difficult to imagine WTI oil any lower than $85.00 a barrel.
The action in the broader market is stronger than most people think. Investors want to be buyers of stocks because there is no other place to invest with the same kind of near-term upside. To me, 1,500 on the S&P 500 seems very reasonable.
This is the best gold advice I can give.
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