Friday, May 2, 2008

Cut Your Mistakes And Learning Curve With These Simple Tips

So you want beginner investing advice to help you achieve wealth from the market? Many people today are looking for the best ways to invest their money to get rich and achieve financial freedom. Unfortunately, for the vast majority this will always be just a dream. Why is this?

Instead of taking the time to educate themselves, become financially knowledgeable, and learn from others who’ve invested successfully and made a lot of money, they try to find their own way, and end up killing themselves. If you want to make a lot of money from the market, the answer is obvious, but simple: find somebody else who’s already done it, and model their success.

Most investors will never do these seemingly obvious yet incredibly powerful step. While I can’t do your financial research for you, I can give you some tips on the best strategies to making a fortune on the market that many other top investors have used over the years.

Where should you begin looking for good stock investments? Narrow your investing search down to companies that have shown and proven they can turn a profit on a consistent basis. Most investors have the mistaken belief that the real money in the market is in the smaller companies that nobody’s ever heard of before, that can double their stocks literally overnight.

In reality, investing in these smaller, unheard of companies, more often than not, is financial suicide. Remember, when you are investing, you are buying a portion of the business itself-not just it’s stock price.

Most investors never make this critical distinction. If you were to buy a business, don’t you think you’d want to make sure it had been profitable and proven that it would bring you income on a consistent basis?

Unfortunately, the vast majority of investors don’t think this way. Instead, they always want to invest in the smaller, exciting stock that will make a killing overnight. While you can make some money with these smaller companies, you will almost for sure lose money in the long run.

However, don’t simply stop looking at how well the company is run. You also have to look at the stock price to determine if it’s a good time to buy. If the market is undervaluing the stock, then you should. How do you determine if the company is selling at a good price?

You need to figure out the companies’ intrinsic value, and then look at the companies’ market share. If the stock is selling at least a 25% (preferably higher) discount, it would probably be a good time to start investing

These are some simple beginner investing tips to get you started in your investing endeavors. Remember, investing is a long term game, and should be treated as such. Become financially educated, be patient, and you will make a killing on the market.

The First Step Towards A Comfortable Life

As a baby boomer, I was guilty of what many in my generation have also fallen victim to, not preparing adequately for the future by investing in the markets. Most of us never gave a thought to the fact that one day we wouldn't be young anymore and that there would come a time when we would either want to quit working or need to quit working.

But now as I think about it, I think that most people that are growing older now still aren't preparing themselves properly. In our country companies have been allowed to sack the retirement programs that had seemed stable for so many. And what about social security? Will that be around for most people?

It seems incredible to think that there is no universal retirement system for the citizens. You are basically on your own if you expect to have any money on which to retire. And the amount can be staggering and is going up all of the time. By all estimates, a standard middle class couple, like my wife and I, who retire at 65 will need approximately $1.5 million! It takes some time to get that squirreled away. How about you? Have you started investing yet? It's never to early to start, but it may be too late if you wait too long.

I know it's difficult to think about growing old and having to set aside money that we would rather have fun with. We all want to have fun, but the earlier you begin the better off you will be in the long run, and, the easier it is. So, no matter what your age, or experience, you need to begin investing. It's time to check out beginner investing online. It all starts with your home computer. You can't get any more convenient than that!

It's time to invest in yourself and how the process works so that you don't make any serious errors. After all, you certainly don't want to be one of those individuals who bets all they have, only to lose everything. Instead, you should always start out small.

With beginner investing online you are able to put your hard-earned money into small investments to see how they do. If this proves successful, you then may wish to up the ante and to try investing a little more. This may be the perfect way to start, or to supplement, your retirement plan. With access to the World-Wide-Web it' has never been easier to read up on a variety of helpful tips concerning investing.

It's all up to you. Will you be scraping by, working at McDonalds when you're in your late 60's, early 70's, and beyond. Or, will you take that first step and start your online investment journey?

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Tips for Beginner Investing

So you want beginner investing advice to help you achieve wealth from the market? Many people today are looking for the best ways to invest their money to get rich and achieve financial freedom. Unfortunately, for the vast majority this will always be just a dream. Why is this?

Instead of taking the time to educate themselves, become financially knowledgeable, and learn from others who’ve invested successfully and made a lot of money, they try to find their own way, and end up killing themselves. If you want to make a lot of money from the market, the answer is obvious, but simple: find somebody else who’s already done it, and model their success.

Most investors will never do these seemingly obvious yet incredibly powerful step. While I can’t do your financial research for you, I can give you some tips on the best strategies to making a fortune on the market that many other top investors have used over the years.

Where should you begin looking for good stock investments? Narrow your investing search down to companies that have shown and proven they can turn a profit on a consistent basis. Most investors have the mistaken belief that the real money in the market is in the smaller companies that nobody’s ever heard of before, that can double their stocks literally overnight.

In reality, investing in these smaller, unheard of companies, more often than not, is financial suicide. Remember, when you are investing, you are buying a portion of the business itself-not just it’s stock price.

Most investors never make this critical distinction. If you were to buy a business, don’t you think you’d want to make sure it had been profitable and proven that it would bring you income on a consistent basis?

Unfortunately, the vast majority of investors don’t think this way. Instead, they always want to invest in the smaller, exciting stock that will make a killing overnight. While you can make some money with these smaller companies, you will almost for sure lose money in the long run.

However, don’t simply stop looking at how well the company is run. You also have to look at the stock price to determine if it’s a good time to buy. If the market is undervaluing the stock, then you should. How do you determine if the company is selling at a good price?

You need to figure out the companies’ intrinsic value, and then look at the companies’ market share. If the stock is selling at least a 25% (preferably higher) discount, it would probably be a good time to start investing

These are some simple beginner investing tips to get you started in your investing endeavors. Remember, investing is a long term game, and should be treated as such. Become financially educated, be patient, and you will make a killing on the market.

For Beginner real estate investors

One of the first questions new real estate investors ask is where they can find great deals. It's only natural, since they've often been eagerly watching the various infomercials that crowd late-night television and they're eager to cash in on what seems to be the easy money available in real estate.

The bad news: it's not as easy as they make it sound of television. The good news: you can make some great money as a real estate investor if you know where to look and do your homework well. Here are a few ideas for finding deals.

The first is obvious. Check your local area, especially if you live in a smaller town. Your competition will be much less, and you may find sellers more willing to be flexible, since their options are also limited by the smaller population base. You can also advertise yourself as a real estate investor who is interested in buying property in your area. You'll probably get calls, which is often not the case when your ad has to compete against dozens of others in a big city newspaper.

If you see estate sales listed in your local paper, visit them and ask if the real estate will be for sale, as well. The same is true about garage sales. Though only some 20 percent of people holding garage sales are planning to move, you may be the only person who asks about their home during their garage sale. The key is to stand out from your competition.

As you drive around your target area, always be on the lookout for vacant houses, especially those that are somewhat rundown and have lawns that haven't been mowed in awhile. When you find one, stop and talk to the neighbors. Do they know what’s happening with the house? They can be a wealth of information, and you'll often find them happy to talk to you, because an unsightly, abandoned home in a neighborhood hurts all the other houses in the area. Leave your card on the front door. You just might get a call from a motivated seller.

Tell local lenders that you're interested in buying homes they're in the process of repossessing. If you get yourself preapproved for a loan, you may be the first person the bank will call when one of their properties is soon to become available. They might even walk you through the process of a short sale, which can save you a considerable amount of money. Many of these homes will also carry special financing or allowances for repairs, so they're worth looking into.

Put up flyers to let people know you buy homes. Offer a finder's fee for leads that turn into sales. It's worth paying someone a few hundred dollars to make thousands. Talk to folks who deal with people who are moving and offer them a finder's fee. Whether it's a property manager, your mailman, or your paper boy, you never know where your next lead will come from. Tell everyone you meet that you're in the market for investment homes.

Although it may not be as easy as the late-night gurus make it sound, make no mistake: the deals are out there, and when you find them, you really can make lots of money as a real estate investor.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Making Small Investments Through Beginner Online Invests

As a baby boomer, I was guilty of what many in my generation have also fallen victim to, not preparing adequately for the future by investing in the markets. Most of us never gave a thought to the fact that one day we wouldn't be young anymore and that there would come a time when we would either want to quit working or need to quit working.

But now as I think about it, I think that most people that are growing older now still aren't preparing themselves properly. In our country companies have been allowed to sack the retirement programs that had seemed stable for so many. And what about social security? Will that be around for most people?

It seems incredible to think that there is no universal retirement system for the citizens. You are basically on your own if you expect to have any money on which to retire. And the amount can be staggering and is going up all of the time. By all estimates, a standard middle class couple, like my wife and I, who retire at 65 will need approximately $1.5 million! It takes some time to get that squirreled away. How about you? Have you started investing yet? It's never to early to start, but it may be too late if you wait too long.

I know it's difficult to think about growing old and having to set aside money that we would rather have fun with. We all want to have fun, but the earlier you begin the better off you will be in the long run, and, the easier it is. So, no matter what your age, or experience, you need to begin investing. It's time to check out beginner investing online. It all starts with your home computer. You can't get any more convenient than that!

It's time to invest in yourself and how the process works so that you don't make any serious errors. After all, you certainly don't want to be one of those individuals who bets all they have, only to lose everything. Instead, you should always start out small.

With beginner investing online you are able to put your hard-earned money into small investments to see how they do. If this proves successful, you then may wish to up the ante and to try investing a little more. This may be the perfect way to start, or to supplement, your retirement plan. With access to the World-Wide-Web it' has never been easier to read up on a variety of helpful tips concerning investing.

It's all up to you. Will you be scraping by, working at McDonalds when you're in your late 60's, early 70's, and beyond. Or, will you take that first step and start your online investment journey?

New Real Estate Investment For Beginners

One of the first questions new real estate investors ask is where they can find great deals. It's only natural, since they've often been eagerly watching the various infomercials that crowd late-night television and they're eager to cash in on what seems to be the easy money available in real estate.

The bad news: it's not as easy as they make it sound of television. The good news: you can make some great money as a real estate investor if you know where to look and do your homework well. Here are a few ideas for finding deals.

The first is obvious. Check your local area, especially if you live in a smaller town. Your competition will be much less, and you may find sellers more willing to be flexible, since their options are also limited by the smaller population base. You can also advertise yourself as a real estate investor who is interested in buying property in your area. You'll probably get calls, which is often not the case when your ad has to compete against dozens of others in a big city newspaper.

If you see estate sales listed in your local paper, visit them and ask if the real estate will be for sale, as well. The same is true about garage sales. Though only some 20 percent of people holding garage sales are planning to move, you may be the only person who asks about their home during their garage sale. The key is to stand out from your competition.

As you drive around your target area, always be on the lookout for vacant houses, especially those that are somewhat rundown and have lawns that haven't been mowed in awhile. When you find one, stop and talk to the neighbors. Do they know what’s happening with the house? They can be a wealth of information, and you'll often find them happy to talk to you, because an unsightly, abandoned home in a neighborhood hurts all the other houses in the area. Leave your card on the front door. You just might get a call from a motivated seller.

Tell local lenders that you're interested in buying homes they're in the process of repossessing. If you get yourself preapproved for a loan, you may be the first person the bank will call when one of their properties is soon to become available. They might even walk you through the process of a short sale, which can save you a considerable amount of money. Many of these homes will also carry special financing or allowances for repairs, so they're worth looking into.

Put up flyers to let people know you buy homes. Offer a finder's fee for leads that turn into sales. It's worth paying someone a few hundred dollars to make thousands. Talk to folks who deal with people who are moving and offer them a finder's fee. Whether it's a property manager, your mailman, or your paper boy, you never know where your next lead will come from. Tell everyone you meet that you're in the market for investment homes.

Although it may not be as easy as the late-night gurus make it sound, make no mistake: the deals are out there, and when you find them, you really can make lots of money as a real estate investor.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Real Estate Investor Services

As a real estate broker, I often meet self-identified real estate investors. When I speak to these people, I usually find that they are either true investors or real estate “investors.” The difference is that the real estate “investor” often has never actually bought an investment property. They often downplay the difficulties of real estate investment, and they generally are very eager to peddle their “expert knowledge.” The true investor is usually experienced and is privy to a few basic facts:

1) It’s not TV “Flip This House” is great television – but is about as realistic as “Sponge Bob Square Pants.” “Flip This House” will show you a tidy $150,000 profit wrapped up in a 30 minute episode because viewers want to see the money and not the work involved. Real investing is very lucrative, but investors also spend years honing skills and market knowledge that lets them find properties under market value.

2) Walk before you run. Too many investors start with high-risk properties, which is a little like deciding to run a marathon when you’re a couch potato. In both cases, you’re likely to get hurt. New investors need to start small and learn to minimize risk while lowering variable costs. For example, new investors are better off buying a property that’s already rented out to credit-worthy, long-term tenants. For a first time rehab project, buy the house as your home or build in at least 6 months of carrying costs. Once you have made a few deals, you will have the experience for bigger investments.

3) Investment is Long Term Many new investors assume that they can make quick money by flipping houses, but unless you make 1031 exchange work for you, flipping results in short term capital gains only. Savvy investors focus on income producing properties. They purchase property in a market that seems likely to appreciate, hire a property management company, and let checks come in monthly for several years. The passive income lets them earn consistently while property value rises.

4) Use a Realtor Wisely. Research realtors until you find one who not only works with investors but makes good investments themselves. Don’t make the mistake that many new “investors” make by going after the agent’s commission. You want a realtor to be on your side.

5) Work With a Business Plan. All successful professionals and companies have business plans – and you should, too. Determine what properties you are interested in, how much money you can make, how much money a property will cost to buy and maintain and decide your business goals. Work on paper, coming up with every possible expense and writing down how to minimize risks or any problems that may crop up. Once you have a plan, don’t waver from it.

6) Take Action! You can’t make money if you don’t invest. Once you have your business plan and you see a property that looks like a good deal, take out an option period. In Texas, you can get a 10 day option period for $100 in many cases, which gives you plenty of time to research and snap up a great opportunity.

7) Talk Yourself Out of the Deal Once you have contracted a property that fits your business plan, play devil’s advocate. Working on paper, come up with everything that could go wrong and what you can do if something negative does happen. If there are negatives that you can’t mitigate, walk away. You want a property that will make you money no matter what, so that if the worst does happen you won’t be ruined.

Not everyone claiming to be a real estate “investor” actually is one. Following these simple steps and learning from successful investors can make you one of the few who do and not the many that merely talk.