Finance2007   Finance for personal business

Houses for sale by owner, also known as “FSBOs,” are a unique case in real estate investment. Buying from an uninformed seller who thought he knew enough to handle everything by himself can be frustrating. It can also be very profitable if you are prepared.

Why do people try to sell a house on their own? Only one primary reason comes to mind: To save the sales commission. Of course they usually underestimate the cost and complexity of going it alone. They end up frustrated and tired of the process, ready to drop the price and be done with it. Help them solve their problems, and your reward can be a good price on a good investment. Keep the following in mind:

1. An owner isn’t an agent. Don’t ask possibly offensive questions. Don’t make negative comments about the house. Whether you like it or not, the truth is that it’s difficult to get a good deal if the seller doesn’t like you.

2. Houses for sale by owner have often been on the market a long time. The seller is usually tired of the process, and wants it to be done. In other words, you’ll get a better price if you are willing to close quickly and easily.

3. FSBO sellers usually think they’re being smart. Encourage that belief and they’ll be more open to your offer. When they have a good idea, tell them so. It is not unethical to make people feel good about themselves when negotiating.

4. They usually don’t have a plan for where to close, where to buy a title policy, where to keep a good faith deposit, etc. Be ready with simple solutions to all these problems. Walk them through the process while letting them feel in control, and you’ll both be happier.

5. They have often spent more than they anticipated. Advertising and other costs have already eaten into their imagined extra FSBO profit. Be generous in negotiating any pre-close expenses – as long as you get your price and/or terms.

6. Pass over problems and return to them later. Once a seller has invested more time in a negotiation, he’ll be more inclined to give you what you want.

Professionals will tell you that most houses “for sale by owner” net less than those sold by an agent. It’s too late for the seller to recover his money and time spent, however, so he usually just wants to get the thing sold as easily and quickly as possible. Help him with that, and you can get a good real estate investment at a good price.

Planning to visit Las Vegas or any other vacational resort where casinos are a major portion of their business? I have just the thing for you. Here, I will show you how to pass off as a High Roller and collect many complimentary items and gifts.

What is the Secret?
The Secret is that you have to make them believe you are rich and love gambling. In short you have to impersonate a High Roller.

Why?
Hotels love high rollers because these players leave behind thousands of dollars each visit. And the real cool part about this is that if you act the role, casinos will lavish you with the same gifts and complimentary items that a real High Roller would receive.

How ?
It is not that difficult to fool the hotel and resorts with some finesse and true self-confidence. It can be done.

1) The Way you Dress:
Elegant and smart is the way to go. Opt out of the baseball cap, t-shirt and jeans. Try and wear a suit or at least a regular buttoned shirt with an elegant dark jacket. It was Shakespeare who said that the clothes maketh a man, and so too, when going to a hotel resort. They judge you according to how you dress, so dress according to the role.

2) A Large Pad of Notes:
Yes. Just like in the movies. Carry a large bundle of notes with you and keep them in plain sight. You do not have to really take with you that much. Instead, take a few notes and place them at the top and at the bottom of real note-size paper cuttings. Just remember to never expose this while you are in the casino. Use other notes youre your wallet instead. But do it nonchalantly so that none of the casino personnel will notice.

3) Always Flash Your Notes Around: No matter where you go, whether its to the hotel restaurant for lunch or for to the bar. They will be watching. From time to time, use that money to play at a range of table games or video game and bet some of that money. Remember you must use some of your money to play but just do not use all of it.

4) Play Complicated Games:
This is one of the more problematic things to do and requires some training at home. Learn on your own how to lay and how to bet on the high rolling games such as roulette, baccarat and craps. You could also play poker or Texas holdem in one of the larger ante tables, but in any case stick to your plan and you will soon reap the flowers.

Conclusion:
Above, I have outlined some of the more practical methods by which one can save money by receiving gifts from the casino. These gifts range from casino comps (free money to play), room deals that can get nearly free and many others such as free drinks, clothes, coupon to stores in Las Vegas and many more. Note that what you are doing here is completely legal provided you don’t take up a false name or falsify your passport card.

Introduction

Ever since I retired at the age of 28. I have been doing a lot of thinking into these Tough Cases of the investment world. What I present today hopes to unveil the most mysterious of them all, the Holy Grail of The Capital Markets and I will be giving you my argument as to why it truly exists and to help you find your personal Holy Grail of Trading and Investments by the time you finish reading this report.

So lets go treasure hunting

The Fabled HOLY GRAIL

We have heard it a thousand times; investors and trader, young and old have sought it for hundreds of years and countless more are attempting to create it everyday. It is the fabled, urban legend of the investment world the Holy Grail of the Capital Markets; A trading or investment system or strategy that will never fail.

Some believe in it, others dont and many maintained that such a strategy or system doesnt exist or simply impossible. Many have claimed to have perfected such a system but when tried by people other then themselves, it fell from Holy Grail to torn, leaking paper cup.

The Wrong Perception

There was once a warrior near the end of the dark ages whom heard of the power of a new weapon a weapon that can kill from ten paces away and can penetrate almost any known amour at that time a GUN. It was supposed to be an invincible weapon and he spent everything he had in order to acquire one of these weapons. Once he had that weapon, he wasted no time to duel the most powerful warrior known in that land. He fired many shots but missed and his life was taken under the blade of the veteran warrior.

Like the gun, we expect that the Holy Grail strategy to be invincible at all times. We imagine that we will never again lose money once we acquire that knowledge. We cant be more wrong. The question really is, are we suitable for this invincible weapon?

The Truth Behind The Holy Grail

We all think of the Holy Grail as a strategy that cant fail. However, we completely ignore the Human Factor! Study all the famous battles of any and all ages and we will see that many of the battles were lost not because of the strategy used but BECAUSE THEY ARE BADLY EXECUTED. Most of these strategies are good until screwed up by us HUMAN!

You are right. We, human, make and break every Holy Grail that ever existed. We are the Stand or the Base of the Cup.

Yes, we COMPLETE the Holy Grail through the effectiveness of our execution. We are truly the stand that completes the strategy and therefore we must all make sure we are the right stand for the right cup!

I am sure this sounds like you as much as it was me some time ago You purchased strategies that claimed to work wonders but no matter how hard you try, you bend some of its rules and end up hurt. Thats your prove that matching your psyche with the right strategy is so important. (Here is a free to download psychometric test to see what kind of trader you are and what kind of strategy you are suited for. Go now to http://www.mastersoequity.com/MOE_FREE_REPORT.htm )

You tried to stick to the rules, didnt you? But what did you do when your portfolio starts going into the red and the rules says STOP OUT NOW, AT THIS POINT!? That is why we need to understand what kind of stand we are BEFORE trying to understand the cup and eventually the market!

What Cup to What Stand?

Now that you have found your stand, it is time now to find the right cup to complete your personal Holy Grail. Unfortunately, not all strategies are worth the title Holy Grail. Many of these strategies are fundamentally unsound or that they have not been molded in the flames of real life trading. Therefore, a worthy cup to complete your personal Holy Grail needs to be:

1) Tested and True in real life trading with proven track record
2) Fundamentally sound
3) Logically sound
4) Tested and developed in your market of interest!

That last point got some of you baffled didnt it?

Yes, if you want to trade the US markets, your strategy needs to be developed and proven in the US markets and if you want to trade Asian equities, your strategy needs to be developed and proven in the Asian markets. Why is this so? Due to fundamental differences between the markets such as liquidity, investor sentiments and behavior, level of participation of institutional players and investor sophistication. Most strategies need to be optimized for the market it was developed for and therefore using it in other markets may result in a terrible loss due to different price behaviors that results in making your profit or loss taking point obsolete.

So why do I trade only the US markets? I trade the US markets due to the fact that it has the highest level of sophistication and its investors execute strategies which are little known in other markets. This makes sure that whatever you try to do in this market, It has the LIQUIDITY to ensure your profitability! It is akin to a huge departmental store whereas some other markets are small grocery stores at best.

And hey, we all know that there are more promotional and good value items in a department store than most grocery stores can afford to give, dont we?

Convinced why the US markets are our best choice yet? Good.

Where to Find YOUR Cup?

While there are a lot of good strategies out there, I wish to recommend that you go to www.mastersoequity.com/MOE_startradingsystem.htm (for aggressive traders) or www.mastersoequity.com/MOE_ridetheflow.htm (for long term traders). Both of these strategies are:

1) Tested and True with proven track records
2) Fundamentally sound
3) Logically sound and
4) Developed and tested in the US Markets!

CONGRATULATIONS, you have now in your possession, your personal Holy Grail of trading and investments!

Find me a person who doesnt want to make more money. Its nearly impossible to find! Everyone wants to make money and theres nothing wrong with that because money makes the world go round! But many people dont know that you can actually make money with a loan! Did you know that? Its true! One way that you can get more money is with a secured loan.

Wait a minute, youre saying. How can a loan give me more money? Doesnt a loan, by its very nature, reduce the amount of money I have?

Its true that it may seem like that, but a secured loan is an ideal way to make money. Heres how:

A secured loan is a loan that provides some kind of asset as a guarantee to a lending agency. So when you apply for a loan, you also suggest that if you cannot pay, you have some kind of asset that will cover the default amount. For some people, its their car. For others, it may be their jewelry or some stock certificates.

Whatever it is, lending institutes like secured loans because it reduces the risk they have when lending money. Unsecured loans are high risk endeavours for them because if someone defaults on the loan, there is little they can do to get their money back. On the other hand, secured loans have some kind of guarantee which makes them a risk-free investment for the lending agency. And because there is little risk to them, they are willing to pass some of that savings on to you in the form of reduced interest rates and longer repayment terms.

So heres how you can make money from it. First, collect all of your credit card bills together. Add up how much you own. Many people owe in the thousands and are shocked to discover that the interest rate is abysmally high. Second, find an asset that you can use to get a secured loan. Third, shop around and find a loan provider.

Collect those debts together and consolidate them under one secured loan. That way, youll reduce the amount of interest you pay on each debt because secured loans have lower interest rates than credit cards. And, youll stretch out your repayment period beyond the short term that credit cards give you. And, even better, youll have a fixed amount of money you know you have to pay each month, rather than get surprised every few days with another bill from a credit card company.

Since people often pay half as much above the purchase price in interest on credit cards, youll make money you would have spent by consolidating your loan into a UK secured credit card consolidation loan.

A look at different ways to afford retirement

Today’s seniors can expect a longer retirement than their parents. That means more years to finally do what you want to do, including travel and hobbies (not to mention spoiling the grandkids). But a longer retirement also means more years of money going out and no paycheck (or only a small one) coming in. That’s why seniors need to be smart about how they pay for their retirement years.

“You really need to have a strategy to make sure your savings last,” said Lee Bowman, National Coordinator of Community Affairs at the FDIC.

To help you set or adjust your own plans for affording retirement, FDIC Consumer News offers this look at some different sources of money, including some potential pitfalls to avoid. But first, remember that this is general guidance only. Your own need for retirement money will depend on factors such as your health-care costs or whether you plan to earn part-time income. As with any major financial decision, be sure to consult with financial advisors and loved ones to decide what strategies are best for you.

Social Security and Pension Benefits: Your first order of business: Determine when the best time is to start tapping this money. For example, if you start receiving your Social Security benefits before your “full” retirement age (which could be anywhere from 65 to 67 under current laws), your benefits will be reduced permanently, and perhaps significantly, from what they would be at your full retirement age. And if you receive Social Security benefits early, but you continue to work and your earnings exceed certain limits, your benefits will be reduced even more until you reach full retirement age. On the other hand, if you delay collecting Social Security until after your full retirement age, you can continue to work and still get your full retirement benefits, or even higher benefits, no matter how much you earn.

Here’s basic guidance from the Social Security Administration (SSA): “As a general rule, early retirement will give you about the same total Social Security benefits over your lifetime, but in smaller amounts to take into account the longer period you will receive them. There are advantages and disadvantages to taking your benefit before your full retirement age. The advantage is that you collect benefits for a longer period of time. The disadvantage is your benefit is permanently reduced.”

Employer pension plans usually have options somewhat similar to those of Social Security. Contact your employer’s personnel department for guidance.

No matter when you decide to start receiving your benefits, remember that it could take several weeks to receive your first payment. Also consider having your payments deposited directly into your bank account so you don’t have to worry about a check getting lost or stolen in the mail.

IRAs, 401(k)s and Other Retirement Savings Plans: As with your Social Security and pension benefits, you may want to delay tapping into your retirement accounts as long as possible so they can continue to grow to cover unexpected medical costs in the future or to protect the inheritance for your heirs. However, if you need to supplement your income, Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) and other retirement savings can be a good source.

Before you start withdrawing money from your retirement accounts, most financial planners suggest setting a target annual withdrawal rate. Make it low enough to avoid depleting these funds too quickly. You can fine tune your withdrawal strategy each year, preferably with the guidance of your financial or tax advisor. For example, if your personal situation changes, you can adjust how much you should withdraw.

Also review your retirement portfolio your mix among stocks, stock mutual funds, CDs (certificates of deposit), bonds and so on to be sure it’s well-diversified.

Another caveat: If you have retired, every year after age 70 be sure to take out at least the minimum required distribution from your tax-deferred retirement savings plans (except Roth IRAs) to avoid large IRS tax penalties. (If you are still working at 70 or later, you do not need to start taking minimum distributions from your employer’s plan until April 1 of the year following the year you finally retire.)

“Remember, you only have to withdraw the money, you don’t have to spend it,” said Heather Gratton, an FDIC Senior Financial Analyst. “If you don’t need the money you can reinvest it somewhere else, such as in a bank savings account.” She added that, because each person’s situation is different, it’s best to discuss your strategy with your tax or other advisor.