Retirement Planning: A Primary Source of Money

By Doeren Mayhew

Americans greatly depend on just two major sources with regards to retirement income namely the Social Security and the Employer Pensions. However, most of these people won't be able to depend on these alone to render them income since Social Security benefits are becoming less and the number of employers who provide pensions are becoming few.

This is why personal savings are essential for this might be the only viable solution when it comes to retirement income.

Social Security
To pass for the series of its benefits, you must be able to render contributions to the system for a total of ten years. The basis of your benefits would also be your earnings before you reach the age of retirement.

These benefits have two sides. The good side is that it is being regulated to increase with inflation. The negative side is that the savings used in determining the support is limited or restricted. Even if it is going to increase because of inflation, the cap will make the higher income-earning individuals get a lower proportion of the earnings prior to retirement than those people who are earning less.

When you reach the age of full retirement, which used to be 65 years old, you will be able to receive your benefits in full. However, people who were born in the year 1938 and later, the full age of retirement is increasing gradually until it arrives at age of 67 for those who are born later than 1959.

If you want to check out how much benefit you can get, go to the website of Social Security Administration at www.ssa.gov. You can also review the annual statement sent by SSA to your registered address, which they send to you three months before your birthday.

Getting your benefits at an earlier versus later year
You may choose to start getting your benefits at an early age of 62. The only catch is that of course the amount is going to be lesser than what you will be getting once you reach your full retirement age. For instance, you retired at age 62 but your full age of retirement is 66, you will just get 75% of your supposedly benefits once you reach that age. You will increase it by waiting.

On the other hand, if you decide to take the benefit years after your full retirement age, you will receive an increase in payment. Each year beyond your full retirement age equals an additional 8% per month. So, if your full retirement age is 66 and you choose to get your benefit at age 30, you will receive a monthly benefit of 132% of the amount you should have received had you starting getting the benefit at age 66.

Better take note that even if you will receive less payment monthly when you decide to take your benefit early, over your lifetime, it would have amounted more. Meantime, you might get more monthly benefit if you take it late in age, but over your lifetime, you will really receive less. The choose is really up to you and will depend greatly on how much longer you will live. If you want to know more about varying benefits at different age levels, visit the SSA website.

Spousal benefits is also available
Even if your spouse does not have any earnings with Social Security, he or she will still get the benefits because of your record. Your children will also be eligible but this will depend on their age.

For your spouse, he or she will get 50% of your benefits once you have reached your retirement age. You will also lessen your spouse's benefit if you will get your benefits earlier.

Always remember that your spouse may be entitled to his or her own set of benefits as well. If this is the case, then he or she will surely be paid higher. - 23305

About the Author:

This data is distributed for informational purposes only, with the understanding that Doeren Mayhew is not rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice or opinions and assumes no liability in connection with its use. Please contact Doeren Mayhew for more information.

Select an Online Options Broker, Learn More Option Trading Tips

By William Davies

There are a number of issues you need to consider when you are looking for an online options broker to provide you with effective access to forex options on the global markets. Firstly, ask what, if any, is their financial exposure to risky instruments like mortgage derivatives and credit default swaps (CDS). Does the online broker deal with other trade and investment instruments like futures, bonds and stocks, or is it focused solely on forex options?

You will want to have some idea about the size of the company and its operations, and asking about its daily trading volumes, whether it is a million or much more for example, will give you a good idea. A trader considering which online options broker to choose will want to know about how the margin requirements work, whether it operates in real time with the use of automatic limits or with the broker contacting traders at the end of the trading day with a margin call. As options are highly leveraged, what is the required minimum balance?

Make sure you find out exactly what type of option contracts the broker provides on their online trading platforms. With some contracts you can exit the option at any time within the expiry period, while others are set up so that you hold them to expiry or settlement. Look to see if the online options broker can offer discounts which would help you to reduce your trading costs, and find out when they would do this. It may be that a trader would have to open a special or premier account or have a higher maintenance margin to get this benefit.

It is possible for the options trader to gain exposure to different markets in the global options universe. You could approach a plain vanilla options broker who will enable you to enter markets with deeper liquidity and the contract is broadly a standard, uncomplicated vehicle most likely traded through the main clearinghouse system. If you are more adventurous you could use an exotic options broker and trade the niche sector of smaller, less liquid traded currencies.

An important consideration when looking the choice of an online options broker is the availability to clients of a quality educational support system and training program. The new trader will benefit greatly from a range of quality seminars and videos which explain the basics of options trading in a clear and concise way. See if these videos are interactive so that they let you see the results of decisions you take in the trial run as they affect your trading capital. Check out to see if they also offer trading tips via a newsletter as well as trade alerts.

You will also want to know what type of trading software the broker provides and how easy it is to use by a relatively inexperienced trader as well as by more seasoned professional traders. When you try out a paper account see how easy it is to follow your trades and to make a decisive decision and act on it through the platform. As for price, you may want to be confident that the online options broker can secure a better price for you than its competitors.

If you can see your trade risk and option price in real time this offers you a great advantage, so try to find software that achieves these capabilities and help you improve your trade performance. It may also pay to see whether the firm offers data covering volatility and other trading measures as well as macroeconomic data like interest rates. Finally, after taking all the above into account you may be in a much better position to choose an online options trader that is right for you. And remember that trading these derivative products means there is a risk of losing your capital. - 23305

About the Author:

William Davies writes articles for a Commodities Trading website, providing an informational guide for those wanting to learn more about commodities, futures and options. Find an appropriate online options broker for your trading style.

Forex Basics

By Thomas Gregory

So what exactly is forex? The forex market or foreign exchange market involves the buying and selling of major foreign currencies. This extremely dynamic market does over 2 trillion dollars a day so it's easy to see why it is so attractive.

Why are we buying and selling money? Isn't money used to pay for products and services? Why would we buy money? Well let's think about this a little bit. Let's say you are traveling to another country. When you arrive you realize they do not accept "your" money. So you go to the bank and exchange it for "their" money. You have a wonderful time and when returning home you must do the same thing. Exchange "their" money back to "your" local money. During each of these exchanges you may notice that you made a little extra or lost a little bit.

This is the exact principle taking place on the foreign exchange or forex market. The difference here is that it is happening on a large scale with more money and more frequency. The trader is not exchanging money from a trip but exchanging money in an attempt to profit off of the shifting exchange rates. When done right you can take and pocket a lot of money on an everyday basis.

For the internet trader this offers limitless and exciting possibilities. Now you can day trade forex from your living room and do it twenty four hours a day! This is because forex happens on a global scale. When one market closes the next opens. You can see very quickly the potential of this. Trading all hours of the day and night!

Day trading forex currency is easy for anyone to get started. You already have a computer, or you wouldn't be reading this but a high speed internet connection is recommended. Do a little research before opening an account. Most have a minimum deposit but they are pretty cheap considering the money you can make.

What's great about forex is even a newbie can get started today. There are hundreds of automated trading software to help you get going. These robots or expert advisors will log into your account and make trades any time you set it for. This protects you from big market swings even while you sleep.

While forex can be an extremely exciting way to make a lot of money, if you don't know what you're doing it can also get very expensive. Make sure you do some studying. There are a ton of books and courses out there that can help the newbie trader. Don't get discouraged, just risk what your comfortable losing and learn from the mistakes.

Foreign exchange used to be done only between governments, banks, and large companies. Thanks to the internet, we all have the ability to day trade forex. If day trading forex currency sounds exciting to you then don't be afraid to jump right in! It can be very rewarding and profitable, but we all need to start somewhere, so here is to your first step! - 23305

About the Author:

Looking for more info and reviews on day trading forex currency, then visit http://TradingForexBlog.com to find the best advice on how to day trade forex.

Keeping Your Property Up to Date with Building Maintenance

By Peter Kerr

When renting a building or other property, building maintenance is an important factor in maintaining a good quality of life for the occupants. This can be as easy as daily cleaning to keep the building looking nice, things like vacuuming, dusting, and mopping floors. It can also involve plumbing, maintenance on electrical wiring, installing air conditioning, and other technical tasks that could arise around a building.

Property maintenance is generally the responsibility of the person who owns or manages the building. In apartment situations, there is usually a management company that tenants can call if there are any issues with the building, including water leaks or power outages. The management company then assigns these tasks of repair to independent contractors that they have encompassed into their network.

Retail or business buildings normally require more regular property maintenance compared to residential complexes. In order to make a lasting impression on clients, the owners will want to make sure everything is in good working order, and is up to scratch with industry standards in terms of technology and cleaning products. As a result of this, many office buildings tend to keep maintenance personnel on staff, on-site and on-call in case any issues arise, eliminating the waiting around for a repairman to arrive.

Locksmiths are an important part of building maintenance, providing service to tenants in residential buildings, or to office workers in commercial buildings. Locks have been around for well over 4 millenniums, making the profession of locksmiths one of the oldest in the world, and one that is highly unlikely to go away any time soon. Plumbers are also professionals who are usually called, along with electricians. These are all examples of jobs that will always be in need.

Aside from general upkeep, building maintenance can also entail complete renovations, which is a more complex project. If a building is falling apart, professionals can be called in to refurbish the whole place, adding strength to the building's support and repairing structural wear and tear. This may be a necessity if the building is violating health codes or is otherwise unsafe for its occupants. This renovation can also be undertaken for aesthetic value, by contrast. Either way, building maintenance is all part of owning or renting any property, and should be considered an important expense when making a budget. - 23305

About the Author:

If you own a building or property and need Building Maintenance, then pay a visit to the group at Auckland Building Maintenance now!

Understanding Exchange Traded Funds

By Mike Swanson

As of June 2007, SPY ETF has become the largest exchange stock trading fund in the world. It is sponsored by PDR services LLC, which in itself is a subsidiary of American Stock Exchange LLC. It does, however, have some considerable competition on the market. The most formidable ETFs holding stock picks are listed on the New York Stock exchange as IVV, RSP, SH, RSU, SSO, RSW, SDS, UPRO and SPXU.

The ETF (exchange-traded fund) is a way of conducting business on the stock exchange. The value of an ETF is set at the value of the stocks or bonds it represents. This means the value of said assets over the course of the trading day. There are currently 680 active ETFs on the US markets, which are worth about $610 billion.

Many have criticized the ETF for several reasons. Many argue that they do not facilitate sufficient diversification, and that they only have short-term applications. The tax advantages gained o not apply to those who use tax deferred accounts. Corruption has also led many to manipulate market prices using ETFs. However, an ETF can still be a wise investment if used correctly.

Many critics have railed against ETFs for various reasons. Firstly, they do not provide sufficient flexibility. Secondly, they are short-term in their scope. Thirdly, any tax advantages are minimal to investors that usually use tax deferred accounts. Finally, it has been shown that they can often be used to manipulate market prices. However, many agree that an ETF can still be a wise investment.

The Index Participation Shares (IDSs) of the late 1980s is the precursor to the ETF. IDSs were traded on both the Philadelphia Stock Exchange (PSE) and the American Stock Exchange (ASE). The US courts put a stop to there use following a lawsuit from Chicago Mercantile Exchange in 1990.

Following this the Toronto Stock Exchange began trading its own version of Index Participation Shares. These were so popular that the American Stock exchange started looking for something similar that could pass US regulation. The result was the ETF. The Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts (SPDRs) became the first ETF in the United States. They are often referred to as "spiders" or "spyders". - 23305

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