There Was Never A Better Time To Invest In Real Estate

By Trudy Mandelson

The current economic crisis and the fear of an coming recession has driven the average real estate market, which was built on speculation and gambling to a virtual standstill. The credit that typically sustained it has vanished as savings associations have started to all at once recall their loans and to bring foreclosures down upon those who have defaulted.

A direct side effect has been the chiseling of house prices to their lowest point in many years as debt weary owners desiring to get rid of their real estate before they are foreclosed are selling their houses for far below their market value. This means that the opportunity to claim investment properties is here.

There is always a market for reasonably priced good homes even in the middle of a potentially stormy financial climate. Also, housing markets tend to be cyclical and prices will eventually resume normally so their current nadir, as long as it lasts, may be the last opportunity to purchase investment properties at such bargain prices. The amount of property anxiously on sale at more than reasonable prices borders on the incredible.

Investors who are educated enough in real estate, are aware of market tendencies and are willing to run the risk which can be as high or low as the investor feels ok with stand to make a killing in the middle and long term.

Whether an investor is looking to buy a property to flip it immediately or to renovate before selling, this is a fantastic time. As long as the investor is disciplined, evenhanded, methodical and not hoping to make a quick and easy buck there has not been as a good of time to obtain valuable properties on the cheap in many a year. This is no time for people on the fence or unskilled investors who depend upon luck and the gift of gab. For serious businessmen, however, the opportunities are yours for the taking. - 23305

About the Author:

If you're interested in real estate investing or if you want to become a real estate investor right away be sure to visit these two websites of mine you'll find a great deal of useful resources on them.

Test Out Generics to Save More Without Sacrifice

By Robert Jackson

Want to save more money without sacrificing? Then think of alternatives. Many people find that the products or services they switch to are actually very similar.

Gym memberships are important for those diehard muscle builders but if you are just looking to get fit, you can probably safely cancel the monthly subscription. All you have to do is jog every morning and I bet that you will be just as healthy.

Cable TV is so expensive these days that everyone should seriously think about canceling. With services like Netflix and iTunes, watching your favorite shows and movies are easy.

Do you still have your land line? Could you just use your cell phone to communicate? Unless you have heavy fax usage, you probably can get by using those wireless devices.

Restaurants usually give you so much sauce that you can just add more meat to the dish and have it still taste the same. This works especially well for Chinese food, so even if you don't know how to cook, you can eat at home for less now.

Do you pay for unlimited cell phone minutes? Even if you aren't, you are probably paying for more minutes than you need. Consider downgrading and keeping more money in your pocket.

Many people use air miles for upgrades but the best way to use them is obviously to redeem for flight tickets. I actually never get why it's such an unpopular choice but most people just say no to free stuff.

If you like magazines, it's probably easier if you just bite the bullet and pay for a year's worth. This one is a little backwards but when it cost $5 at the stand and $10 for a year's worth, getting the year is probably worth the cost assuming you actually like the content.

Most of the stuff that you own is probably better rented. Not only is the upfront cost lower, you probably realize that you don't need the product a few weeks after you take it home anyway. If it's rented, you can easily return it without paying full price.

Sometimes, generic brands are as good, if not better than name brands. The best part is that since they don't do any marketing, the product is usually much cheaper and that translates directly to savings for us. - 23305

About the Author:

Newegg promotional code always give me a ton of savings because they translate into real dollars.

ABC'S OF Forex - Interpreting Foreign Exchange News

By Brad Morgan

Knowing the ABC's of forex is a prerequisite to making money in the foreign exchange market. Knowledge of the basics of technical analysis is insufficient because the foreign exchange markets are operating on more than the mathematical components. Failure to do so could mean making a wrong call at a critical point.

Local and foreign news reports have a strong reflex on the foreign exchange market. It happens not only for business news but also for significant news in other sectors. This news may have been out of the blue or anticipated .

A volcanic eruption or a major pandemic are illustrative of such unforeseen events that impact the currency market. Stop-losses are just about the only remedy in these cases.

A good example of projected events would be choosing the host country for the Miss Universe Pageant. The chosen countries economy would feel an increase in investor trust which can lead to an appreciation in its currency value.

In the same breath, the losing competitors could possibly bear an inverse effect on their currency. Thus knowing the timeline for such events and the entities concerned is imperative .

Daily finance reports that are circulated in quite a number of countries are related circumstances. Data on the nation's economy while few and far between , are pretty much anticipated.

It must be kept in mind that forex trading involves two countries. While checking reports in your home country is easy, it sometimes leads one to forget to verify events in other countries.

The US is an example due to the avalanche of data on the dollar coming through the foreign exchange wire. Trading the greenback to a relatively smaller currency further boost this effect. Committing to memory that fact will ensure that your market data is always two sided.

Taking to heart these key aspects of basic study on the currency market is essential to a promising trader. For such upstarts, anticipating key events and departing the market before they materialize is the prudent thing to do.

In time, when the budding trader becomes a veteran, he may formulate a trading model based on these kinds of fundamentals. But a prerequisite to this would be familiarizaton with forex essentials. - 23305

About the Author:

Learn how to understand japanese candlesticks when trading forex. Find out about forex trading software to be fully informed with your forex trading.

Do Annuities Help Plan for a Retirement Income

By Mari Cates

How can annuities build up income or savings?

Who sells annuities? Insurers market them because they combine investment and insurance features. Two common reasons people purchase them is to save for a long term goal, or to assure income later. So even though people tend to associate them with retirement income, they can also be used for other reasons.

So how does the cash account get funded? An annuity will need to have a cash value in order to generate growth or income.

An immediate annuity is funded by one large sum at the start. Consider a retiree with a lump sum payout or a person who has inherited cash from a family member. This product, as the name implies, begins to make income for the owner right away.

A deferred annuity, on the other hand, must be kept intact for a period of time that is agreed to when it is applied for. If money is withdrawn before this, except for specified reasons, the owner must pay a penalty. So these are meant to reach longer term goals, and for people who do not need the money right away. They could be funded with a lump sum or with a series of payments made over a period of years.

How do you get paid? There are a variety of different options for getting money back. A lifetime payout may guarantee income for life. But some people accept payouts for less time, like 10 years, or for the lifetime of either spouse (joint survivorship). They payout that you would choose would depend upon your needs and the cash value of the account.

Some have flexible payout options, and people use them to save money for an emergency.

Many people like annuities because of the favorable way that the IRS tax code treats them. They can grow in a tax deferred manner. They may be qualified or unqualified, which will affect the tax treatment of income payments.

Many people consider fixed annuities because of their safety. Risk is minimized if they pay at a contract rate, or even if they are tied to a market index.

Consider one common market like the S&P 500. In good years, when the index goes up, the cash account will grow at a rate that is pegged to that market index. In down years, when the index is down, the cash account will be guaranteed not to lose money. It may either be set to remain stable, or even to earn a set rate like 2%.

Of course, most people want to know how long their annuity will pay out, and how much money they will get. This will depend upon how much money is in the fund, the rate of return, and the type of annuity. It is important to be able to compare different annuity products on the market, and see how they will help you reach your goals. - 23305

About the Author:

For more information, visit us - Explain Annuities. Find defereed or Immediate Annuity Quotes.

The Three Hidden Traps of Getting a Debt Reduction Loan (and How You Can Avoid Them)

By Sean Payne

If you've got a large amount of debt, then you've probably received a lot of phone calls from telemarketers offering you a debt reduction loan. At first glance, this type of loan sounds great. After all, who wouldn't want to consolidate all of their debts into one loan with a lower interest rate?

Any wise man will tell you that you can't get something for nothing. This is absolutely true when it comes to debt consolidation loans. Although they look good, these loans can be full of traps to snare the unsuspecting person, getting you in more trouble than you already were in. Here are the worst of the traps of getting a debt reduction loan:

Trap #1: You're putting a band-aid on the symptom, not solving the problem.

The worst aspect of debt reduction loans is that they don't fix the problems that caused you to be in debt. Instead, they treat the "symptom" of having debt. When you get one of these loans, you just end up with a large loan that you have to make payments on...but you will also acquire new debts when you eventually start to, once again, spend more money than you have.

Statistics will tell you that people who use these loans to pay off their debts will likely end up with the same level of debt, and probably more, in two years or less. This is on top of the consolidation loan that they're making payments on.

Trap #2: Turning an unsecured debt into a secured debt.

Credit card debt is commonly known as "unsecured debt". What this means is that the loan is not "secured", or backed up by collateral (i.e. your home). Most debt reduction loans are "secured debt", meaning debt that is backed up by collateral. Most often, this means the house that you live in.

The problem with this is that if you fail to pay off your debt reduction loan, the creditor can now foreclose on your home. With the original debt, the only recourse the creditor had was to sue you in court. They couldn't come after your home.

What you've done to yourself by taking out a secured loan (also known as a "home equity loan") is to make your home vulnerable to foreclosure. Not too smart of you, was it?

Trap #3: Trading lower interest rates for higher interest rates.

Even if you choose not to take out a secured loan, and get an unsecured loan instead, you're probably still going to get smacked, this time with higher interest rates. Your high debt load, coupled with the fact that you're having trouble paying off your debts, means that you're a credit risk. This means that anybody who will give you credit is going to offset their additional risk by charging you a higher interest rate.

The use of tricky math, including a longer loan repayment term, can make these loans seem like a deal, since they may offer you a lower monthly payment than you're currently paying. But what this really means is that you will end up paying a lot more over the long run. People who are already in debt can't afford this.

So, what's the number one way to avoid these insidious traps?

You can avoid each of these traps by taking the bold step of managing your own debt. Unless you're on the brink of bankruptcy, you do have the ability to get out of debt without the assistance of some lender or credit counselor. It may take some radical changes in your lifestyle, but once you make those changes you'll be curing the behaviors that got you into debt in the first place. - 23305

About the Author:

Sean Payne has been studying personal finance and how to pay off debt for over 10 years. To get more information about how to pay off debt without a consolidation loan, check out Sean's excellent free course on getting rid of your debt.