6/30/2007

Three Simple Steps to Be as Rich as You Want

Do you want to be rich? Most of us will not deny the wealth that we see others enjoy. We sometime wonder how these people can get into such a pleasurable level of status that we do not even dream of. We wonder how come we work hard all our life and we have not achieved much no matter either materialistically or spiritually. How can we know those methods the rich people use and apply them into our life? Will we be rich after we use them? What price do we have to pay or do in order to get what we want like the other rich people do? In this article, we will find the secret that makes thousands if not million of people get as much wealth as they want. It was proven to be the effective method and we can also be the ones to utilize and enjoy the result of it.

The three steps that you can practice here will help to get you want include:

1. You visualize what you want. You see yourself as you already own it. If you want money, make a cheque that has the exact number of the amount you want. Carry it around and pick it up to take a look every time you have a chance. If you want a big house, take a picture of your dream house and put it on the wall in front of your working desk. Visualize yourself and your family live in this lovely house. See you and your family plan have a picnic party at the backyard of your house. What are you going to do in the pool that you have beside it? See it as it is happening now.

If you want a car, take a picture of the model you want. Choose the color that you like most. Keep the picture to see every time you have the opportunity. Visualize yourself drive this car around. How far you are going to drive this car? Feel the power of the engine. Feel the comfort you have while driving. See it and feel it as it is happening right now in front of you. When you visualize, your subconscious mind will response to it. The more intense your feeling have toward it, the more result you will get. The subconscious mind will believe that the situation is real. As the result, it will attract more favorable situation and opportunity into your life. You can be rich faster and accomplish more than you have ever dreamed of by right visualization.

2. You believe that what you want can happen. Apart from boosting your subconscious mind by visualization, you need to also stimulate your conscious mind. How are we going to do that? You need to have faith on yourself. You need to believe that you can be qualified to have and get what you want. The conscious mind communicates through words. Practice affirmation that you can do and achieve all you want. You need to eliminate all dis-empowering beliefs that you may have or use to have. Now you are totally convinced that all the assets, wealth and money you want can be yours and they will be.

3. You take constant and unwavering actions to achieve the wealth you want. Results come from actions. Do not expect anything happens without you do anything. Plan yourself around what you want to happen. What you will need to do in order to get them? How long is it going to take to the next level of income you want? What are you going to do? Make your action plan and incessantly pursue it. Rich will come when you take actions toward it.

The process of visualization can be enhanced by using Attraction Accelerator. It is background music which will help enhancing the power of your visualization. The process of having faith on oneself can be boosted by positive affirmation very often. To take effective actions will require proper goal setting and right planning to help the process.

Rich can be achieved by a lot of people and by you too. Once you can master the simple three steps explained in this article, you can go as far as you want.

Cash Flow - Life Blood for Every Business

Introduction

The purpose of this article is to familiarize business owners with a kind of financing that is unfamiliar to many people, Factoring. I will explain, in a simple yet comprehensive way, how to improve your company’s cash flow. You may then decide if using the Factoring approach is a sound business decision for your particular situation and needs.

The Life Blood of Every Business

If we were in a room full of small business owners and asked them all, “What is the one thing your business needs the most in order to survive and grow?” we would probably get a variety of answers: “a needed product or service,” “a solid base of loyal customers,” “a well-prepared business plan to chart your course,” “a good location,” or “effective marketing.” All true answers. But in addition to these, there is one need central to every business – that is the need for available CASH. This is where factoring or accounts receivable financing comes into play.

Cash to business is like fuel to a car. You need to have enough in the tank to start the engine and you need to maintain enough in the tank to keep it running. Now the car (your business) will take you where you want to go. If you run out of gas – cash on hand – at any point along the way, well…we all know what will happen.

Where can a business owner obtain the cash he or she needs? Banks, venture capital, private funds of the owner, friends, and relatives are the most common places in turn. However, banks usually want a minimum of two or three years’ worth of business financials before they’ll give a loan. Venture capitalists want part ownership of the business. Not being in business long enough or not being profitable enough to satisfy the banks; and not wanting to give up any ownership; and with private resources already tapped, the business owner may be stuck. “Where can I find that cash to grow my company? I have a good business with loyal customers, I’m profitable or would be with enough cash to fuel the engine; I just need to get over this hump of not enough cash flow. What can I do?”

The answer to this question may be right under your nose and you don’t even know it. If you have accounts receivable with good, solid customers who are credit-worthy, you have something with intrinsic value that other business owners are interested in buying. The cash that can be obtained for your good receivables can be exactly what you need to get over a cash flow crisis.

By selling something you own – your receivables – you’re not generating any debt that must be paid back; and you’re improving your credit stature because you’re converting assets (invoices) into immediate cash. That cash can enable you to save further by getting volume purchase discounts, discounts for cash, create market opportunities, or hire needed staff. And most of all, you can start new and expanded production without waiting for earlier invoices (sales) to be paid.

Setting accounts receivable at a discount is a means of financing called “factoring” or "accounts receivable financing." It’s been around for centuries and is a billion-dollar industry for large businesses today. And it is growing rapidly in popularity with small and medium sized companies. Factoring not only has saved countless businesses from going under, it has provided many more businesses exactly what they need to grow: cash to fuel the engine.

Further Benefits of Factoring

Selling accounts receivable puts you in control of your business like no other form of financing. You control the discount by specifying when the advance is to be made. You can space the advances to create a steady flow of cash. If you don’t need cash now, you can wait to receive the advance and save on the discount (waiting on an advance creates a line of credit).

What’s more important to realize is no debt is created, you have no loans to pay off, you create and keep a cleaner financial statement, your access to cash grows with your business sales, and there is no need to re-apply. Finally, you can stop factoring at any time. There are no long contracts and you only factor the invoices you want. YOU are in control.

Conclusion

Invoice factoring is filling a tremendous void that banks have created. Companies accelerate their profit and thrive whether you are a start up or established business.

Factoring requires, less paperwork than loans and no credit or reference checks of your business and is also faster than tradition bank loans..

Invoice factoring offers businesses tremendous growth opportunities to assist in the management of cash flow and delivers working capital for your business needs.

If you are seeking an invoice factoring company, then Diversified Financial Services is the smart choice. Our Financial Consultants are ready to answer any factoring questions. Call today 800-954-0012.

Thomas McCarthy has designed, developed & implemented financial systems for many years. Thomas was a Factoring customer for over 7 years prior becoming a business owner and webmaster.

Download our FREE EBook "Growing Your Company Without Debt" learn how Invoice Factoring may be right for your company at: http://www.dfsfactoring.com

Debt Management Program - Manage Your Debts Efficiently

If you have taken debts which you are unable to payoff due to any reason, then debt management program can be a great help to you. Debt management program is nothing but ways through which you can manage your debts and pay them off.

There are many banks, financial institutions and lending firms that offer debt management programs at nominal rates. Debt management program helps you to merge all your existing debts into a single debt at low interest arte that can be easily paid. Debt management program is actually a broader term used for various services like debt consolidation, credit counseling, negotiation with previous lenders etc.

1. Debt consolidation – debt management experts generally suggest you to opt for debt consolidation to get rid of your debts. Debt consolidation is a type of loan that can be availed to pay off all the previous debts. Debt consolidation loans generally carry lower interest rate compared to other loans. There are basically two types of debt consolidation loans. Secured debt consolidation loans and unsecured debt consolidation loans. If you need larger amount of money then secured debt consolidation loans are best for you. To avail it you will have to place one of your properties as collateral against the lender. This can be any of your personal properties like home, car, jewelry etc. with secured debt consolidation loans you can avail large amount of money to the tune of £ 75000. The repayment duration is also very flexible ranging from 5 – 25 years. Secured debt consolidation loans carry very low interest rate because collateral is involved. On the other hand unsecured debt consolidation loans can be availed without placing any collateral against the loan amount. The loan amount is smaller and ranges from £ 1000 - £25000. The repayment duration of unsecured debt consolidation loans ranges from 1 – 10 years.

2. Negotiation with the lender – the lender who offers you debt consolidation loans holds talk with your previous lenders in order to reduce the interest rate of your debts on your behalf.

3. Credit counseling - financial experts on behalf of lenders suggest you ways to manage your expenditures and savings. Also they suggest you ways through which you can stay from debt traps in future.

Debt management programs are open to bad credit borrowers also. People suffering from arrears, defaults, CCJ, IVA, bankruptcy etc can also avail all the benefits of debt management programs. With debt management programs you can easily mange all your debts and pay them off.

Alec Reece has a way with dealing with loans for a long time. Writing articles is just a way to extend this to consumers and provide empowerment through information. All you have to do is read. To know more visithttp://www.ezdebtmanagement.co.uk

Key Secrets to Money making- Easier than ever

Everyone has a goal in life but to be honest with you most of our goals revolve around money. It always comes down to money at the end. Almost every person out there thrives to earn more money each day. Some want a bigger house, some flashy cars others want to travel the world. So why is it that only a few earn the big bucks and others are stuck in the daily race for making money? Read on to discover and learn some of the key secrets to money making.

Never spend more than you earn- This is one of the hardest things to understand. In the modern age due to easy availability of credit and finance people prefer spending the money they never earned. They do not know that they are digging a financial hole for themselves and they would never be able to recover from it once they get stuck.

Let your money bring in more for you- Now when I say let your money bring in more for you I mean do wise investments which would bring constant recurring returns to your investment. The key to investing your money is to invest 25% of it every single time. This way your money would multiply and before you know it you would have more than you could ever expect.

Don't be lazy- I've heard people saying this several time that I do not have enough to invest. You can start with as little as $10 a month. That's a start at least. And with time when you discover how powerful it is you can save and invest more. Think about it this way if you have not invested the money you already have than its being wasted. What's wrong with investing the amount you have right now and getting some money in return to doing nothing?

Get on a plan- Every successful or rich person has a proper plan or a goal when it comes to money. If you do not have a plan than you are definitely putting yourself at risk with your finances. Write it down on a piece of paper what your expenses are, how much you wish to save and invest, how much money do you expect in your bank by a specified time frame.

Get more sources of income- People find it hard to find more sources of making money other than their day job. Well there are millions of ways to make money you only need to discover which would work the best for you.

The best and the fastest way to make some money is online using your computer. Read on to discover one of the best way to make money online- Click here to get started

Best Forex Trading System

Venturing oneself in any kind of investments is not easy. Though most people consider capital as the major element, still many failed to find success. Perhaps you have heard about forex trading as a business venture, but you don’t understand what it’s all about. This article will give you a little overview, before you can examine the benefits it can provide you.

Trading of foreign currencies through brokers is known as forex market. Movement of currency is the basis of forex exchange depending on market conditions. Process of dealing with the forex market to investors is called forex trading. Objective of every investor here is to profit. Opportunities of becoming rich or bankrupt via forex trading are speculative, because changes in forex rate are unexpected.

As time goes by, the impact of engaging in forex trading business is becoming more and more powerful especially to those who focused and risk their lives in this kind of gamble. Thus, every business individual or company at the back of this venture must not only be knowledgeable and responsive. There are so many qualities to own, ideas to adapt, and techniques or approach to apply in order to include your self in the series of successful forex trading investors.

Recently, many forex trading companies are providing best forex trading systems for their million clients. These systems can be accessed online, even without using your phone or going out somewhere else. In short, everybody deserves an effortless way of gaining profits at home. Online systems like these, provides historical display where you can back-check previous market exchange conditions. Having this is so simple. They can be downloaded directly to your PC, providing you a tutorial training based on video that will enhance your skills step by step. After this, why not imagine yourself profiting more in the biggest currency market in the world.

In fact, best forex trading system can be successfully achieved by examining first what is applicable or ideal for you. In choosing the best, you need to examine what is the difference between two kinds of forex systems – discretionary and mechanical forex trading systems.

Discretionary systems uses good or bad experiences, direct perception or immediate apprehension on input and outputs while programs coming out directly from mechanical systems following systematic procedures and technical studies are categorized under mechanical systems. Which of the two can fulfill your preference? It’s your duty to find out.

Know your personality first. If you think you can accomplish something based on the given standards of your systems, fearing yourself to be placed in risky situations, then it is recommended that you’ll use a system that belongs mechanically. On the other hand, if you’re flexible enough to adapt in any kind of forex trading conditions, then discretionary type of system is ideal for you. With this kind of set up, you need to plan what to execute next.

The ways you choose the best forex trading system actually do matter. At the end, you still need to consider several significant points before having one. Determine the compatibility between the system and your personality; otherwise you will end up waiting for nothing. Have one for trial and two as a second option is possible.

Discover the best forex trading system recommended by Ricky that enable him to earn $545 per day working only 2 hours a day.

Lessons From Long-Term Capital Management

Background

Long Term Capital Management(LTCM) was a hedge fund established in 1994 by John Meriwether, a very successful bond trader at Salomon Brothers. At Salomon, Meriwether was one of the first on wall street to hire top academics and professors. Meriwether established a team of academics who applied models based on financial theories to trading. At Salomon, Meriwether's group of geniuses generated amazing returns and demonstrated an unparalleled ability to precisely calculate risk and other market factors.

In 1994, Meriwether left Salomon and established LTCM. The partners included two Nobel Price-winning economists, a former vice chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, a professor from Harvard University, and other successful bond traders. This elite group of traders and academics attracted initial investment of about $1.3 billion from many large institutional clients.

Strategy

The strategy of LTCM was simple in concept but difficult to implement. LTCM utilized computer models to find arbitrage opportunities between markets. LTCM's central strategy was convergence trades where securities were incorrectly priced relative to one another. LTCM would take long positions on the under priced security and short positions on the overpriced security.

LTCM engaged in this strategy in international bond markets, emerging markets, US Government bonds, and other markets. LTCM would make money when these spreads shrunk and returned to the fair value. Later, when LTCM's capital base increased the fund engaged in strategies outside their expertise such as merger arbitrage and S&P 500 volatility.

These strategies, however, focused on tiny price differences. Myron Scholes, one of the partners, stated that "LTCM would function like a giant vacuum cleaner sucking up nickels that everyone else had overlooked." To make a significant profit on small differences in value, the hedge fund took high-leveraged positions. At the start of 1998, the fund had assets of about $5 billion and had borrowed about $125 billion.

Results

LTCM achieved outstanding returns initially. Before fees, the fund earned 28% in 1994, 59% in 1995, 57% in 1996, and 27% in 1997. LTCM earned these returns with surprisingly little downside volatility. Through April 1998, the value of one dollar initially invested increased to $4.11.

However, in mid 1998 the fund began to experience losses. These losses were further compounded when Salomon Brothers exited the arbitrage business. Later in the year, Russia defaulted on government bonds, a LTCM holding. Investors panicked and sold Japanese and European bonds and bought U.S. treasury bonds. Thus, spreads between LTCM's holding increased, causing the arbitrage trades to lose huge amounts. LTCM lost $1.85 billion in capital by the end of August 1998.

Spreads between LTCM's arbitrage trades continued to widen and the fund experienced a flight to liquidity causing assets to shrink in the first 3 weeks of September from $2.3 billion to $600 million. Although assets decreased, because of the use of leverage the portfolio value did not shrink. However, the decrease in assets elevated the the fund's leverage. Ultimately, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York catalyzed a $3.625 billion bail-out by the major institutional creditors in order to avoid a wider collapse in the financial markets caused LTCM's dramatic leverage and huge derivatives positions. At the end of September 1998, the value of one dollar initially invested decreased to $.33 before fees.

Lessons from LTCM's Failure

1.Limitation of Excess Leverage Use
When engaging in investment strategies based on securities converging from market price to an estimated fair price, managers must be able to have a long term time frame and be able to withstand unfavorable price changes. When using dramatic leverage, the ability of capital to be invested long term during unfavorable price changes is limited by the patience of the creditors. Normally, lenders lose patience during market crisis, when borrowers need the capital. If forced to securities during an illiquid market crisis, the fund will fail.

LTCM's use of leverage also highlighted the lack of regulation in the over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives market. Many of the lending and reporting requirements established in other markets, such as futures, were not present in the OTC derivatives market. This lack of transparency caused the risks of LTCM's dramatic leverage to not be completely recognized.

The failure of LTCM does not mean that any use of leverage is bad, but highlights the potential negative consequences of using excessive leverage.

2.Importance of Risk Management
LTCM failed to manage multiple aspects of risk internally. Managers mostly focused on theoretical models and not enough on liquid risk, gap risk, and stress-testing.

With such large positions, LTCM should have focused more on liquidity risk. LTCM's model's underestimated the probability of a market crisis and potential for a flight to liquidity.

LTCM's models also assumed that long and short positions were highly correlated. This assumption was historically based. Past results do not guarantee future results. By stress testing the model for the potential of lower correlations, risk could have been better managed.

In addition to LTCM, the hedge fund's large institutional creditors failed to properly manage risk. Impressed by the fund's all star traders and large amount of assets, many creditors provided very generous credit terms, even though the creditors engaged in significant risk. Also, many creditors failed to understand their total exposure to specific markets. During a crisis, exposure in multiple areas of a business to specific risks can cause dramatic damage.

3.Supervision
LTCM failed to have a truly independent check on traders. Without this supervision, traders were able to create positions that were too risky.

LTCM demonstrates an interesting case of the limitations of predictions based on historical information, and the importance of recognizing potential failure of models. In addition, the story of LTCM illustrates the risk of limited transparency in OTC derivatives market.

To learn more about finance and investing, please visit the Sharpe Investing blog.

Matt Golberg is a finance major and attending a well regarded business school.

Is Your Annuity a Rip Off or Not?

It is a sad fact, but this does happen in some countries where the client is considered to be quite well educated and feels well protected by his or her current legislation in this regard.

There are many different kinds of annuities and we will not be discussing any of them in much detail here; except the standard annuity purchased from the insurance company by your average man in the street. Most of the clients making up this sector don’t realize they are actually purchasing an annuity when one of their policies for this purpose mature. The proceeds of one of these policies mature and the insurance company’s representative turn up on the client’s doorstep with the good news.

Nine times out of ten these representatives will try and ‘sell’ the client another form of policy or simply let them know their policy has matured and they can get so much a month for the rest of their lives. They then ask them to sign on the dotted line without explaining to them what really is happening but just telling them they will get their first check in “x” number of weeks.

What really happened here is that the client has accepted the proceeds from his policy, often known as a retirement annuity and purchased an annuity with the same insurance company. If one examines the interest one could be earning on the capital amount that was invested he/she will often find it is far less than he/she would be getting if the money could be invested in some form of fixed deposit with another safe and secure company like a savings bank or building society. The reason why we say “if the money could be invested” is because the law will normally prescribe that such an investment must be made with an insurance company.

Not necessarily with the insurance company that has just had their retirement annuity mature, but any insurance company. The client can ‘shop around’ and see where they can get the best return or annuity for the money they have available. The company representative normally does not have to disclose this fact and very seldom does. Over and above this ‘shopping around’ for an annuity can be a very daunting task as returns and interest can be displayed and interpreted in so many ways.

Many times when the company representative is asked why the return is so low they will have been trained to answer along the line that their company has to maintain that annuity for the rest of the clients life, through good times and bad and what would happen if they lived another forty years or more. Many of these same reps are selling retirement annuities too and here they will be emphasizing how little the investment really cost the client in the long run after tax deductions. This also seems to justify an insurance company giving a poor return to the client on their annuity.

So, always remember to try and do your homework when it comes to taking up your annuity even if you find the subject very boring because it could just save you from being ‘ripped off’ at the very time in life where nobody wants this to happen.


Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Annuity
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell