Tips for Investing

One of the best action movies I remember seeing as a teen was Die Hard, the Bruce Willis starrer that wowed me back then and introduce to the world of blasts and general kickass-ery. Sure, Bruce Willis was the star of the film as the smooth-talking, always fighting John McClane but I was more taken in by Hans Gruber. Alan Rickman delivered what I still consider to be an absolute tour de force in the field of villainy and he was one of the most menacing, suave and twisted minds I have ever seen on the silver screen. The movie was a hit, and for me what I remember as clearly as some of Willis’ line are Gruber’s plans; to ransack a king’s ransom in bearer bonds. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I realized that Bearer Bonds were precious and seriously valuable. Just like my John McClane  [...] 

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No, we haven’t suddenly become avid avian enthusiasts and yes, last time we checked we were still a finance blog. Just to put things in perspective, a Black Swan is an event or circumstance that is almost impossible to predict since it is a wild deviation from the norm. Spotting these occurrences is not really a reasonable expectation, and while the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) had an article recently on how to profit from this possibility but it’s a terrible thing to suggest to a lay-person or even most professionals for that matter. The whole point of the discussion was to point out how you could stand to benefit if the market declined again, but it is worth noting that market regression on a large scale does not happen very often and we’ve already seen this happen twice in a decade. That  [...] 

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No matter the fact that the market seems choppy right about now, you’ve decided that it’s still a good time to invest in mutual funds. Your reasons could be one of several, such as planning for an early retirement or your kid’s education. In some cases, it could be as simple as just wanting extra money lying around so you can swim in it. Great, you’re ready to take that plunge. So why not invest in a mutual fund? There are lots of mistaken notion on what really makes a mutual fund and so let us put our definition out there for your benefit. “Mutual funds are an assorted bunch of investment options bundled together as one entity.” In a way, mutual funds are like supermarkets in that you get the best of everything out of it. Most investment gurus will tell you that you should never  [...] 

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Everyone wants to be a Warren Buffett and make millions of dollars by investing their money in stocks. But just as there is a road to the Promised Land, there are also roadblocks and obstacles on this road. Not everyone gets rich quick (or rich at all!) and there are several risks that you must be well aware of before you begin to dip your toes into the volatile world of the stock market. There are ways to go about making a profit even in a fluctuating market though, but it can be difficult even for the most experienced stockbroker to make the right moves at the right time. There is very little right and wrong in the stock market, it’s just a question of timing it right and not relying on the forecast someone has made. Make your own analysis based on future earnings and other indicators and  [...] 

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The emails I receive normally come through in torrents and a state of panic. Proclamations range from the more normal “I’ve only started to invest money, and I’m all at sea. Can you help me?” to the plain silly “I previously read that X is the best investment practice, but now I read that Y is the best way to be doing things. What do you suggest?” This state of confusion is entirely normal and very widespread but there is precious little we can do about it. Here’s the deal. Ours is a world constantly in flux and that is in a fiscal sense or otherwise. Human beings, however, are not comfortable with change. Not in the slightest. This is why I constantly advise anyone who does ask me what to do to stay calm and think rationally. We take several decisions in the heat of the moment,  [...] 

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Ah, retirement, what a wonderful time. But it can only be as good as it can possibly be if you’ve managed to save up properly for it. Keeping that nest egg safe and nurturing it into monstrous, Godzilla like proportions is what you need when you ride off into the sunset. But this is not entirely the case and it’s perplexing then to see that people who are about to hit retirement feel that they can just put their feet up and do nothing at all. While retirement can be leisurely, it is not all fun in the sun. Traditional work as you know it is history, but there’s still so much to do when it comes to life itself, such as managing your savings and controlling things so that you spend whatever you need, whenever you need it. Here’s how to go about doing that. Get a professional Mind you,  [...] 

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Everyone has plans for their future and a lot of it hinges on putting your money where your mouth is by investing sensibly yet somewhat aggressively. All of this is geared towards the long term and there are several different types of financial instruments and vehicles of investments you can hitch a ride on. After all, investments are not only meant for the fat cats plying their trade in the stock markets. Look, let’s be honest; you might be a workhorse and a huge asset to your company, but even the finest thoroughbreds are put out to pasture after some time. When your time comes, have you tucked away a little extra something for that rainy day? If you’re looking to the public healthcare system to take care of you, then even the good lord cannot help you. What if you have some serious medical  [...] 

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I look out through the French double doors installed on my gazebo and asked myself that question everyone does when they are staring out at a great view through double doors. “Why didn’t I install a screen door?” It’s that burning questions everyone doubtlessly asks of themselves while looking out at fog-blanketed mountains in the distance, and it’s the best of both worlds. I get the breeze slapping me oh, so lovingly across my face and the advantage of keeping the bugs out, they that like to compose orchestras of Brahm and Chopin in my ears. Try as I might, I could not get this question out of head, it kept on pulling itself out over and over on the ticker tape inside my head. And then, success, or something resembling it…I visited a dear friend with exactly the same setup I had  [...] 

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Certainly, after finishing this article, I will have more enemies than before. Therefore, before I start, I would like to apologize in advance because this post is going to offend many people being overpaid as compared to the amount of effort they put. Read this article and enjoy, if you are not among the ones listed below. If you are, try to keep profanity to the minimum. 10 – TV Weatherman Did you know, KNBC weatherman earned over $1,000,000 as inflation adjusted salary since 1997? They get more than $35,000 salary for simply parroting the data collected from National Weather Service. The best part about this job is TV weatherman are not held accountable even if they are completely wrong about the weather. 9 – Real Estate Agents For High-End Properties An average real estate agent earns  [...] 

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If you think your house, especially your primary residence, as an investment, you are wrong. Let’s us have a look why: For most people buying a house means making biggest investment of their lives. They think they have managed to secure their future by buying a new house within the age of 30 or 40 or whatever. However, what they don’t realize is saving for house keeps them from saving for more liquid and essential investments like retirement. Mortgage Most people are tempted to buy a new house because they don’t want to waste money paying rent. However, even if they have their own home, they pay a huge cost for this shelter. First, if you take mortgage to purchase a house, you will have to pay money on interest. Especially in the first few months, you pay more money towards interest.  [...] 

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