Don’t Play the Lotto; Play the Game of Money

Lotto. Yes, Lotto. It is something that you love to take a shot at. But the Lotto is like a Leprechaun. Even if you finally win a lottery, you’ll probably lose all the money, in the coming years. The lottery is risky and the chances of you winning are so less that even being struck by lightning is more of a probability. Everyone starts with the small lotteries. They go for $1 lottery or $3 lottery, and soon they feel that they must go for the bigger ones. That is when the ‘Win it all or Lose it all’ is...

Small-Cap Stocks should be a part of Your Portfolio

The market is filled with “un-sprouted” small-cap stocks; these are companies that have a market cap of less than $500M. These investments are risky, but they can also offer returns of up to 1000 percent if you invest in them smartly. Many big time investors will overlook these small-cap investments because of their potential risk, but because of the huge return potential I really feel that they should be part of every investor’s portfolio. Small-cap stocks are from businesses with small market capitalization and if you invest wisely you can beat the big institution investors to the punch. When looking...

Importance of Identifying Market Trends

Do you know the difference between a bear and bull market? Before investing in a new stock it is imperative that you understand the differences between these two market trends, but that is just the beginning. Knowing how to read stock charts is crucial because they will show you when profits reach their peak and ultimately, when you should sell. Determining where the market is, and where a specific stock is, isn’t always easy, which is why people make their living attempting to predict something that is rather unpredictable, like the stock market. Luckily there are some tricks to helping...

Leveraging Your Investments Doesn’t Give You Much Leverage

Much of the conversation around our current economic mess has been around leveraging. This might sound like the buzz word of the week, but leveraging is a system of investing that is used by banks, financial firms, and independent investors. In the most basic sense it works by borrowing money to invest with. Businesses are ‘leveraging’ their debt against future investments and potential returns. When done right it can pay off – big time, but as the current economic situation shows, rarely is it done right. Leverage is false equity. Here is a way to break it down as simply...

Do You Have What It Takes?

As a financial investor, you know that you have to overcome fear or risk in order to hit it big with an investment. The same is true as a business owner. Think of your business venture as crossing an unstable bridge that’s connected to two huge cliffs. You are going to be pretty nervous to make your way to the other side, right? In order to be a successful business person you have to make it to the other side safe and sound. Millions of people all across the continent work at jobs that they hate every day because fear...

Diversifying Your Stock Investments

To have a happy, secure, and financially stable retirement it is important that you are smart with your money and diversify your investments now. If you haven’t already started diversifying then you need to be, your future depends on it. If you are already spreading your money out between stocks, index funds, and mutual funds you are off to a great start, but there are many more ways to diversify your portfolio if you want to truly be a smart investor. Small Cap Funds One of the lesser known ways for the average investor to diversify is with small cap...

What You Can Learn from the Professional Sports Business

When it comes to your investment portfolio, I want you to start thinking about in the same terms that you would for a professional sports team. A professional sports team is a business and the bottom line of that business is to make money, which is what your investments should be doing for you. That might sound weird, but it is really simple. Professional sports teams go through a draft process to pick new players. In that process each team gets the opportunity to pick the athletes that they feel will benefit their team the most. Professional sports teams have...

Self-Directed Investing: Use Available Information to Bring in Extra Income

When most people think about investing in stocks online, they imagine that only analysts and investment professionals can make money on stocks. But these days, online investing is easier than it has ever been before. More and more self-directed investors are learning how to use online investment brokers to supplement their income in both the short term and the long term. Online investment brokers are websites where you can buy and sell stocks in real time, and with minimal fees. The advantages are many for people who are unsure and starting out in the world of stocks buying and selling....

Your Investments for 2012

While it may not feel like it, the economy really is starting to improve. Things are looking up, and it’s the start of a new year, time to look at your investment portfolio and decide how you will gain when the economy gets better. In the past few years, the ups and downs in the stock market have been scary for some and devastating for others. Investors are still a bit panicky, and it shows in the way that the markets can’t seem to keep a steady pace. The good news is that in many other sectors, the numbers are...

A Rare Micro Cap Stock Investment Opportunity in Healthcare

Risk management is a commonly under-rated dimension of investing in micro-cap stocks. The race to make quick gains should not put accumulated wealth at risk. The few dollars or even cents that a stock is worth can be deceptive. Investors in micro caps should not ignore the additive effects of a series of risky purchases of individually cheap stocks. Fortunately, it does not take rocket science to discover micro stocks that can be trusted to build value of stock portfolios steadily over time. eResearch Technology (ERT on NASDAQ) is a case in point. ERT has been in business for over...

Basic Tips for Buying Shares

Buying shares can be an intimidating and scary experience for many people. Most cringe at the mere thought of all those numbers, pluses and minuses and so on. People really just want to know the bottom line: Am I making money or losing money? However, buying shares needn’t be a harrowing experience. It just takes a little bit of research, something that is very necessary, to get a concept of how it works and can benefit you. Like any other investment, it’s important to know all the risks ahead of time. Educate yourself. It’s your money, so why wouldn’t you...

Learning the Stock Market

Thousands of people lost millions of dollars in the Enron and Global Crossing stock fiascos back in the early 2000s. As an investor, you needn’t squander away your investments by making bad judgements or through trial-and-error. There are simply too many ways to learn about how the stock market works available to you online to read before you invest your hard-earned money! Stock Market 101 Learning the basics to the stock market is right at your fingertips and boy, is there a wealth of information available to you. Here are some well respected and very informative sites that not only...

Accredited Investing – Why it needs to be your Goal

The goal of every investor is to make investments that work for him or her. In an economy where even a small loss can have profound consequences, it is critical that the investor reaches a position where fluctuations in the market need not translate to a slump in the investor’s fluidity. One of the best ways to ensure that one gets the maximum returns out of investments is to be in a position to invest in some high risk investments. In the context of the economy today one has to be identified as an accredited investor to get the lion’s...

Don’t play it too safe with your Investments

If you have heard about the saying “No pain, no gain”, then the investment market is a ground which surely re-asserts the truth of it in numerous incidences. Investing your money always comes with its share of risks and along with it, chances of pain or GAIN. History shows that people who have always been very careful with their investments have had a decent income out of their outlays, more or less, but rarely have they been able to make grand profits in their ventures. This is because, in the investment market “Risks” and “Rewards” always go hand-in-hand and understanding...

Advantages and risks for oil and gas investments

There are advantages and disadvantages to any business investment that people make and it is the same with investing in oil and gas. Contrary to the popular belief that oil and gas investors are plain lucky, investing in such a business requires precise skills. To begin with, an investor must have his research in place and also have a keen sense of intuition to know where exactly to invest. It is true that this form of investment is lucrative and promises break-even points in less than a year; however the risks involved are as high as the promise that this...

Wisely Manage your Investments

With various investment options spreading out their wings in the market, investment today has got a complex infrastructure and proper investment management is not a mean feat that can be accomplished just like that. It needs careful progression as much as it needs meticulous planning and you cannot afford to go wrong in any way if you want to wisely manage your investments. An astute investor must speculate the whole process with an expert investment manager and think clearly in terms of profits and gains before taking a leap. At the end, the responsibility of your investment folder is 100%...

Ways to Protect your Investment Portfolio from a Market Crash

Uncertainty could pass of as the second name of the market today, in fact life itself has become so uncertain owing to the challenges that people are facing all over the globe in all aspects of life. That said, it is obvious that as a business person you are constantly looking for ways to protect your investment portfolio from a market crash; this article is dedicated to a help you in that quest. Market conditions have been most volatile in the beginning of the last decade; there are millions of companies and employees who’ve been affected by the fluctuations in...

Buying stocks on sale? Look before you leap!

Investing in stocks is perhaps one of the most popular ways to secure excess money earned by an individual. Though the world markets don’t seem to have coped up completely from the recent financial meltdown, buying stocks on sale still remains to be the number one idea to save good money. Most financial analysts who engage in this activity will tell you one thing and that is to buy cheap stocks. Why? Here is the thought behind it. It is a no brainer to buy stocks on sale of a company that is relatively well off than the others. Companies...

Finding the right Investing Broker

Finding a good stock broker or investment broker is like finding a good apple from a bunch of similar looking bad ones. Once you find the most suitable one, you need to work on building a professional relationship with the broker. You need your broker to advise you as to which stocks you should invest in. Internet provides many sites which advise you on where to find a broker who fulfills your investment needs and charges less. You need to research well and ask many questions to get yourself a professional broker. Brokers are basically needed to manage your accounts...

Make Profits by Investing into Domain Names

Domain name investing is fast becoming one of the most fruitful ways of making money online. Investors and entrepreneurs in the web world have come to know that spending money to buy premium domain names can transfer a big share of rewards to them as they can sell them for profits which are high and mighty. In the domain investing industry, this is more popularly known as domain flipping, in view of the fact that it entails the flipping of the purchased domain names to obtain returns which are profitable. The business of domain name investing is like running any...

Corporation Vs. Company – Gauging the advantages and disadvantages

If going by the risks involved in terms of holding liabilities, a corporation is a legal entity wherein the shareholders have limited liability. However, the scope of the risks or liabilities posed to the members holding the ownership will be affected with multiple risks. The major positives of owning a share in a corporation is the transparency that can be gained over a period of time. It is important to understand that the crucial decision making process is judged with consideration from the shareholders. However, without any fear of dissolving the company, corporations are meant for long term standing. The...

Some Important measures to be taken in decreasing risk in the Stock Market

The ever changing financial situation can boggle the minds of even the best financial analysts. Risk analysis of the stocks should be the prime agenda while investing in stocks. While there can be many lucrative stock options it is important to gauge the value of the stock with respect to the money invested on them. There are many ways to valuate shares. It is important to take the right approach that has been recommended by experts who have been into trading. With the market fluctuations getting affected badly with the global financial crisis, it is important to get the right...

Safe Investments during Inflation

Inflation can be explained in simple words as an economic situation where the price of food and commodity rises steadily. Rising inflation results in decline of money’s purchasing power. Finding ways to invest money safely during inflation concerns many people as the economy is unstable. Real estate is a good option to invest during inflation. This sector grows irrespective of what the economic situation is and guarantees higher returns. Investing in Real Estate Investment Funds is a good option as the fund in used to develop real estate properties and rentals. Investing in metals like gold and silver in another...

Stock Options Investment

Stock options investing provide several investment options to make better use of investment capital. This is especially so for the short to medium term investors. There are three main reasons why people invest in stock market options. These can be summarized as leverage, volatility trading and protection. The investor achieves leverage in that to control the same amount of equity all he needs to use is a small portion of the total amount of capital needed. This is mostly applicable when one wants to engage in speculative trading that will take a short time. Protection comes in that one has...

Is Gold a good Investment?

The turn of the millennium has seen unparalleled growth in business, which has worked to drive more and more people into investment. Gone are the days when business was left to those with ‘lucky genes’ as people from all classes of life now resort to alternative sources of income other than just employment. However, before you stick your nose into the very tricky investment sector, you need to evaluate the viability of your investment, especially if you are dealing with something as precious as gold. Before you even attempt to make money from gold, the question you need to ask...