Tax Bought Property - What is the Best Thing to Do With It?

Tax bought property - or property that can be acquired because it has delinquent taxes - is one of the best real estate investing opportunities available right now. Sky-high foreclosure rates are ensuring that tax bought property will continue to be available well into the future with tons of inventory to choose from. But how do you get it? And what do you do with it, once you have it?

First, if you want tax bought property you're either going to have to bid on it at tax sale, or buy it directly from the owner. You'll find buying from the owner to be a much better proposition most of the time, because of the competition at tax sale. If you want to get property for as cheaply as possible, you've got to get it from the owners.

The way to do this is to wait until after the tax sale. The properties that actually sold at tax sale tell you two things: first, that they were nice enough for someone to bid on, and second, that they probably don't have a mortgage. Mortgage companies don't let mortgage property make it all the way to tax sale. They pay off the taxes in the meantime, and foreclose themselves.

The period after the tax sale is the best time to approach the owners. Their property has been "sold," and thus selling to you for a steep discount instead will seem like a better option. Find these owners and you'll find the most motivated sellers in real estate.

What do you do with it once you've got it? Well, you can pay the taxes off and keep it to live in or rent out. Or, you can find a buyer before the redemption period is up, and let that buyer pay the taxes. Or, of course, you can do both: pay the taxes yourself, and find a buyer later.

Any of the above options will result in a nice profit for you, if you play your cards right. And there's never been a better time to break into tax property investing. Go forth and invest!

Next, read the Deed Grabber's "Tax Sale Property Insider's Guide." It's free - click here now: http://Deed-Grabber.com
Or, click here: http://Hooked-On-Overages.com to learn to profit from these properties WITHOUT owning them.
Ms. Dawson is a Chicagoland area real estate investor and "found money" pro.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maggie_Dawson

The Secret to Find and Buy Cheap Stock Shares Which Will Triple in Value Overnight

With our economy still bogged down in a recession, there are some things to celebrate and be happy about when it comes to investing. Many stocks have reached all time low, bottomed out prices and are ripe for the picking. Finding a ripe penny stock which is ready to explode maybe the ultimate goal given the high profit potential behind low priced stocks.

Obviously the key is finding them and separating the good from the bad, so here is one method which some traders have begun to embrace to find and buy cheap stock shares which are set to triple in value in no time.
The method I'm referring to is that of using an analytical but penny stock focused stock picker to find you the best cheap stock opportunities. These are programs which exclusively target cheap stocks and rely heavily on stock behavioral comparison to find overlaps and consequently well performing current stocks.

This is the same system used by professional traders to predict market behavior and only recently did this technology become available on consumer based levels as MIT dropouts and former market analysts have developed technology for predicting behavior which they essentially sell tips for to everyday traders looking to get ahead.

How it works is that the program looks at well performing stocks in the past and then behavioral overlaps between good stocks of the past and current stocks. This is the best method we have today for predicting market behavior which is why it is used by consummate market analysts the world over. The issue is that it's difficult to find overlaps in the market manually, hence the development of programs which attempt to decipher the "stock market code".

The first pick which I received from a penny stock focused program was initially valued at 15 cents a share. I went on to buy cheap stock shares, 1000 to be exact, for $150. I hadn't had a great deal of experience with cheap stocks to that point and when it had soared up to 31 cents by the time the market closed on that first trading day, I was blown away.

The next day it continued to climb, finally topping off at 48 cents a share before turning but at that point I had gotten out and more than tripled my initial investment. Arguably the best part is that all of the analytical work is done for you, so all you've got to do is buy cheap stock picks as they are generated for you then check in on them from time to time.

Even if you're fresh off the boat when it comes to stock investing or you don't have the time to devote to it, if you're ready to realize your financial independence I highly suggest you give one of these programs a try, buy cheap stock picks which it recommends, then watch them soar.

I've compiled a review site to share my experiences and reviews on the best systems I've used which you can visit by clicking on this link for buy cheap stock shares.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonathan_Langley

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Forex Software - Get Excellent Profits

If you want to do forex trading without a lot of effort from your side, then you have to rely on the advanced forex software online trading system. With the help of this software, your investments can be done automatically by your computer and it is also possible to trade directly rather than sitting in front of computer for a long time.

Many people are having keen interest in this automated forex software, which offers an excellent profits with small effort and most of them are stunned by this software benefits. While trading you have to analyze the currency market to get good profits, it is much difficult to common person and some market trends are really hard to analyze, so there is a chance of money loss. But, this software estimates the market trends and analyzes the best profit method to trade, just in few seconds. Simply because of this reason, people are interested about it.

In trading, you have to spend much time in calculating and watching the currency values. More over, it is risky if you don't have good knowledge on market demands and trends. Forex software makes your work easier with automated investments. Trend watching is a crucial part in forex trading, and it estimates the fluctuations in the trading market and takes the accurate action to get profits.

Other than that, you can invest money directly. You can make yourself free from risks with the help of this auto mated software, this is the great advantage of it. This automated trading software makes forex trading favorable to you and you can get more control on market trends.

Think once and decide yourself, if you have much better way to earn money, what is the need to wait? Get this software right now to get good profits. So, go ahead, you would be stunned with the profits.

If you'd like to try an Automated Forex Robot that has been proven on video to double the deposit of my trading account in under 1 week, visit - Forex Vs Robots

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dane_Bergen

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Rules for Investing- How To Build a Portfolio of Safe, Secure Investments

Developing an Investment Plan:
In order to invest wisely, you need to have a suitable investment plan that will ensure the appropriate amount of growth for you. Your investments will also need to be safe and easy to manage.
The first step in developing an investment plan is to identify what type of an investor you are. Investor types are often determined by their stages in life. Here is a guide:

- Single person under 40 years old. Focus: Long-term investments, medium to high risk. Emphasis: capital gain, compound growth.

- Two-income married couple, no children, aged 20 to 40 years. Focus: Long-term investments, medium to high risk. Emphasis: capital gain, compound growth.

- One-income family, young children, aged 20 to 40 years. Focus: Long-term investments, low to medium risk. Emphasis: compound growth.

- Single person, aged 40 to 60 years. Focus: Medium-term investments, medium risk. Emphasis: capital gain, compound growth.

- Married couple with adolescent or independent children, aged 40 to 60 years. Focus: Medium-term investments, medium risk. Emphasis: capital gain, compound growth.

- All investors, aged 60 and over. Focus: Short to medium-term investments, low risk. Emphasis: Income.
The following are examples of investment portfolio mixes for the various types of investors.

Low Risk Investments:
Low risk investments are predominately cash, fixed interest and superannuation. This has the lowest risk of all investments but has also the lowest return - in today's market, approximately 3% to 6% per annum. Fixed interest includes cash, cash management trusts and bonds. They return approximately 5% to 10% per annum, sometimes as high as 15% if you invest in global bonds in good markets.
Superannuation returns and risk profiles vary from institution to institution, however the best and safest usually return on average 10% per annum.

Medium Risk Investments:
Medium risk investments include property and non-speculative shares. Diversified funds, which invest in a range of asset groups, are also considered to have medium risk profiles. Average returns from these types of investments will range from 8% to 15% per annum.
I also like to include the broad spectrum of mutual funds, to be discussed later, in the range of medium risk investments. Some can return up to 25% and more depending on the fund type and managers.

High Risk Investments:
High risk investments include all speculative shares, futures and any other type of investment that is purely speculative by nature. Because with these types of investments we are betting on whether the price will go up, or sometimes down, I often classify this as a form of gambling. Accordingly, the returns are unlimited but so is the ability to lose the total money invested.

The basic rule for investing in highly speculative stock is to build in "sell-out" thresholds, three up and three down. For example, if you buy a stock at $20.00 per share, your sell-out thresholds might be:
Sell out threshold 3 $30.00
Sell out threshold 2 $25.00
Sell out threshold 1 $22.50
Buy $20.00
Sell out threshold -1 $17.50
Sell-out threshold -2 $15.00
Sell-out threshold -3 $10.00

Each time your stock reaches one of the threshold levels, you sell a third of your stock.

If the stock starts to rise, you sell a third at $22.50 and then another third at $25.00 and so forth. If the stock starts to fall, you also sell a third at $17.50, then another third at $15.00 and the final third at $10.00. In this way, you will never lose all your money, however you have also put a cap on the total profit you will make on the investment. This I have found to be the best and safest method for investing in speculative shares. In 1987, my husband and I were saved from the severe losses of the Wall Street crash because we were well and truly out of the market by taking our profits beforehand. Like all systems, this strategy will only work as long as you obey the rules and do not get too greedy.

Mutual Funds:
Mutual Funds are a selection of investments that are professionally managed by a financial institution or organization. These institutions have a wide range of specialists, researchers and advisor's who devote their time to ensuring that the fund invests in the best companies and assets.

As well as the advantage of having experts manage your investments, managed funds also give you the ability to invest in a wide range of shares, property or fixed interest markets, either locally or internationally, for as small an outlay as $1,000. In the latter case, they also require a 'savings plan' where you agree to deposit additional capital of a minimum $100.00 per month.

Because managed funds cover the whole spectrum of investment risk profiles, you can easily cover your preferred investment portfolio, as described above, by investing in several different funds.

Putting Together Your Investment Program:
After you have identified your investment type, you need to either seek a good financial advisor or devote your own time in researching investment options.

Shares have traditionally outperformed other asset groups over time. However, share markets can widely fluctuate in the short term, so any entry into the market should always be done with a long-term view of up to 10 years. Even the best managed share funds can fall if the stock market crashes or enters a severe downward cycle. As long as you ensure that you are with a reputable fund with good managers and are willing to ride the 'waves', your investment will do well in the long-term. If you are in the short-term, low risk category then your investments should be in the safer, more stable areas with lower returns.
Rules for Investing:

Investing may seem daunting for a lot of people. Maybe you have tried it once and failed, or maybe you are simply frightened of losing your money.

To avoid losing any capital, you simply need to be aware of the main pitfalls and always avoid them. The simple, reliable rules for investing are:

1. Have a plan. Always ensure that you or your financial advisor draws up an appropriate investment strategy for you that incorporates your risk profile, timeframes and financial goals. As foolish as it seems, many people plunge headfirst into investing without thoroughly working through these fundamental issues.

2. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Obvious advice, but many people fail to follow it. Many people think that they are on the right financial track by paying off the mortgage on their family home and then buying another property for investment purposes. Think about it! You have put all of your financial eggs in one asset basket - property. What happens if the property market collapses? Despite common thinking that this is a safe way to invest, the outcome is very risky. You have invested all of your well-earned money into only one area.

3. Build in appropriate timeframes. There is an old saying, "When the tea lady starts to invest in the stock market, it's time to get out." What this means is, when the share market is so high that everyone starts to clamber on board, it has probably reached its peak. There are two ways of successful investment timing. The first is to always pick the low-end of the market to buy and the high-end of the market to sell. This is extremely hard to do. Even the best-informed experts have trouble. The second way is to choose good investments and stay with them over the long-term (say 10 years or more) and ride the waves of the market. For safe, easy investing, choose the second method. Do not buy into the top-end of the market and sell once it starts to fall. You will definitely lose money this way.

4. Avoid high-risk investments. These include risky business ventures, highly speculative stock, tax avoidance schemes or too-good-to-be-true propositions that promise unusually high returns.

5. Avoid borrowing for your investments. Although some financial advisors advocate "gearing your investments", this can be fraught with danger. Gearing means to borrow. If borrowing for investments takes you over your 40% fixed costs margin, you will be cutting it too fine, particularly if you lose your current income level.

6. Stay with the traditional and known. As described in this chapter, the best and surest investments are fixed interest, property and shares. Work out the optimum mix for your investment profile, have a safe plan to work with and you can't go wrong.

Ann Marosy is an accountant, consultant, and motivational speaker. She was formally the Financial Controller of an Aust subsidiary of the Fortune 500 Company, Jardine Matheson; Finalist of SA Executive Woman of the Year and is the author of 'The Money Program: How to Manage the 6 Stages of Wealth' and 'Money Rules: The 7 Simple Rules of Money Management'.
Visit her website at http://www.moneta.com.au

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ann_Marosy

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The 7 Most Common Property Investment Mistakes and How to Avoid Them!

Hey there,

Thanks for releasing me from the confines of this page. You see, unless I am being read by someone like you who understands me, I am no more than a collection of shapes (called letters) that make no sense on their own. But once read in my entirety, I have the power to impart knowledge and experience on you.
And just like the 'Genie' rewarded ' Aladdin' for releasing him from the confines of the lamp, for every sentence that you release from this page, I am going to reward you with a piece of priceless information that is sure to help you achieve your investment goals.

 Before I continue, it would be safe to assume that you are someone who is very serious about your financial future, right?

Thought so - I recognised that quality in you the moment you read to this point. In my time I have come across 3 main types of reader:

i. Those that just read the main title and subtitles for each section and then think they know what the contents they have not read are.

These guys always tend to come back to me at a later date - usually after they have made all 10 of the most common property investing mistakes and lost themselves a fair bit of money in the process.

ii. Those that read me a bit at a time and because of this, I never get a chance to share with them all the treasures that lie within me.

These guys tend to make about 5 of the 10 most common property investing mistakes and therefore, are always one step away from financial disaster.

iii. And finally, those who take the short time required to read me in my entirety. These are the smart ones who receive the knowledge I posses and use it to create treasures and the type of life that most people only ever dream of!!

These are the guys who retire early, have fun and exciting lives, have great relationships with your family & friends, be loved & admired by everyone you meet!! This is the future I foresee for you!!
Ok - as much as I sincerely enjoy your attention, I know that 'time is money'. And it would be selfish of me to keep you here longer than I need to.
So it's time I shared with you 'The 7 Most Common Property Investment Mistakes' and showed you 'How To Avoid Them'!

Mistake #1 - Failing to Create An Investment Plan
Surprisingly, there are many property investors out there investing with no plan. Those guys fail to recognise the importance of having goals to work towards - and some even go as far as dismissing this concept outright.
Take it from me - investing without a plan is a sure route to financial disaster. I am confident you have heard the saying:
'If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!'
On the other hand, setting clear goals is the first step towards becoming a successful property investor. You see, successful investors have the following 3 things in common;

i. They set their own specific goals
ii. They develop a plan for achieving those goals
iii. They remain focused and take action on implementing their plan

With clearly defined goals you can easily devise a plan to realise them. But before setting goals, it is important to have an end result in mind - a dream to work towards.
This dream must be your dream and not someone else's because when it belongs to you, it will keep you focused and motivated at all times. Especially at times when things may not appear to be going to plan.
However, in order to turn your dreams into reality, action is required. And a plan will enable you to take consistent action towards achieving your goal.
So how do you avoid this common mistake?
Easy - just set up a plan using the following simple steps:

a. Set your property goals & write them down
b. Set a time-frame for your goals
c. Identify the things you need to do to achieve your goals and put these into an easy to follow step-by-step plan
d. Take immediate action & remember to review your plan on a regular basis to make sure you are on track
So now you know how to avoid making No. 1 of the 7 most common property investment mistakes, let's move straight on to No. 2!

Mistake #2 - Taking Investment Advice From Friends & Family
Please believe me when I sincerely state that my intention is not - in any shape or form - insult your family and friends.
What I am simply trying to remind you is of what you know already - and that is; although you may have a lot in common with friends & family, what works for one person may not be right for another. Especially when it comes to financial decisions and investment planning.
Where I'm from, we have a saying that sums up this wisdom and it goes:
'One persons meat is another persons poison!'
I mean think about it - do you and your friends & family;
• Like exactly the same colour, football team, food, film, book, career, choice of partner, etc?
Exactly!
So although our friends and family may have our best intentions at heart - we hope - we know that the advice they give us is not always the best for achieving our personal goals and realising our dreams.
So how do you avoid this common mistake?

i. Remain fully aware of your personal and financial position and how it relates to the advice giver. You might want to think twice about taking advice from someone who has a history of making bad financial decisions. Also, never take investment advice from someone who has never invested in property.

ii. Be aware of the advice givers area of expertise and see how that relates to the advice they are giving. For example, a friend may be great at giving you relationship advice - but that does not automatically qualify them as a property investment expert.

iii.Only ever take advice from people who have already achieved the goals that you are aiming for, as these are the people with the experience to help you navigate the inevitable obstacles you will face.

iv. Make sure that you have current knowledge of the property market at all times. That will help you identify whether the advice you are being given is relevant to today's market.

v. Refer back to your investment plan that you created to avoid mistake No. 1 - this will help you establish whether the advice you have been will take you closer too or further away from your goals.

vi. Find yourself an experienced property investor to act as your guide and mentor. Ok - now you know how to avoid mistake No. 2 - let's move on to mistake No. 3!

Mistake #3 - Not Buying Property Significantly Below Market Value
This mistake is very common among other investors because although they see why it would be 'nice' to have, they rarely see why it is 'important' to have.
Getting a property at £5,000 pounds below the original asking price is 'nice to have'. But it is important to secure a large enough discount that will cover all your major purchase costs (e.g. deposit and stamp duty). This approach will greatly lower the amount of personal capital you need to invest in any one opportunity.
Another important reason to always buy property significantly below market value is because: Profit is made at the time of buying, and realised at the point of selling!
You still with me? Good. Because I know that the last statement may not be an easy one to digest. When I was first exposed to this concept in Robert Kiyosakis' bestselling book 'Rich Dad, Poor Dad', I was 'more than confused'. So if you are confused at this stage, let me congratulate you because 'confusion' is a sign from your brain that you're about to expand your cognitive awareness and learn something new!!
Let me now use the following example to help you through your confusion:
Let's say a property is worth £100,000 and you buy it for £100,000. You would have £0.00 equity/profit in the property.
I see a similar property for £100,000 but buy it for £80,000. I would have £20,000 instant equity/profit in the property from day one.
Let's assume a few years have gone by, the market has fallen and both our properties are now only worth £90,000. When you sell, you are down £10,000. When I sell I am still up £10,000, because I bought with a £20,000 profit.
So you see: Profit is made at the time of buying, and realised at the point of selling! You may be wondering why I have chosen to use an example where the property drops in value. The reason for this is that you need to be fully aware that the housing market can go up as well as down.
And to be successful in property you have to make sure that you have sufficient downside protection so that you never lose money - even when the market is on a downward trend. Typically, buying property at least 10% below market value will give you a sufficient 'buffer' to protect your investment in the unlikely case the market drops in value. So, from here on, you might want to make it one of your investment rules to never invest in property unless you are getting at least 10% discount of its real - not speculative or inflated - market value.
So how do you avoid this common mistake?

i. First - adopt the 10% BMV rule. ii. Next - sharpen up your negotiating skills. A good place to start is by reading Donald Trumps' bestseller 'The Art of The Deal'. iii. Finally - find the ideal property and close the deal!!
Pretty straight forward, but potentially time consuming, right?
No need to worry - because if you send an email now to enquiries@genieproperties.co.uk, you will instantly benefit from access to a wide range of investment opportunities, as much as 25% below market value!
We're now done with mistake No. 3 - so, without further ado, let's take a look at No. 4 of the most common investment mistakes.

Mistake #4 - Joining The Wrong Property Club/Syndicate
In the previous section I presented you with a tried-and- tested option for acquiring your 25% below market value properties through a trusted & established property network.
And to be totally honest, you are not just limited to this option because if you go to Google now (or any other search engine for that matter) and type in 'discounted properties', you are sure to come across a long list of 'property clubs/syndicates' that may be able to offer you similar opportunities.
However, do be aware that not all such companies work to the same high standards you deserve - in fact, an alarming number of property clubs/syndicates are notorious for inflating prices by up to 25% so that they can offer fake discounts to unknowing investors like you!!
In addition, some of these clubs/syndicates fabricate the rental information so that they can pass-off bad investment opportunities as ones that stack-up.
I cannot begin to tell you the number of investors who I have come across that have had their whole hand - not just their fingers - burnt from such unscrupulous practices. And the last thing you - or I - want is for your to share that experience with them.
That said, it is important for you to be aware that not all property networks are dishonest. In fact there a few that conduct themselves with Integrity, Due Diligence & Transparency in all they do - and all you have to do is sift through the muck to find them.
Here are some simple measures you might want to take to help you easily indentify the 'good' and avoid the 'bad':

i. Find out what the club/syndicate/networks mission objective is. This may help you establish whether you share the same core values.

ii. Check with Company House to see if the club/syndicate/network is registered. You may find that a registered company is more likely to act in a honest & professional manner.

iii. Speak with other property investors to find out what the property club/syndicate/networks general reputation is. Also, get the club to provide you with testimonies from past clients.

iv. Make sure to conduct your own due diligence into any information the club provides you with. Ask them for the source and full disclosure so you can verify its accuracy for yourself.

If followed correctly, these measures will go a long way in protecting you from falling afoul of unscrupulous property clubs/syndicates and help you identify 'the good guys' that you should be associated with.

Mistake #5 - Not Conducting Sufficient Due Diligence
Everyone knows that it is easy to lose money, right? Which begs the question:
'Why do so many investors insist on investing without first carrying out sufficient due diligence?'
Do you know the answer - because I don't!!
Let me be totally frank with you here; investing without conducting due diligence is not investing - its gambling. And we are not gamblers, we are investors. Many so-called 'investors' have made this very costly mistake and lost everything they own as a result - including the shirt off their back and the ones on the washing line!!
It is very important that you are aware the outcome of any due diligence process is only as good as the qualify of the information it is based on.
If you are reading this right now, it is safe to assume you are alive and living in what is being referred to as the 'Information Age' - an age where timely, accurate information is a highly prized & sought after commodity.
The thing about information is that it is always changing, ever evolving and very far from being static. Therefore, to be confident in all your investment decisions you need to have instant access to relevant, up-to-date, accurate and honest information obtained from reliable sources.
As with most things, information gathering and analysis is a time consuming process. It also requires a certain level of expertise to be able to sift through all available information to find that which is relevant to your requirements. And in an age where we are constantly being bombarded by information from all angles, this activity can become overwhelming.
Because of this and the fact that we all have our everyday responsibilities to take care of (family, jobs, social, etc) some investors choose not to conduct necessary due diligence and make investment decisions based on incomplete, old and even wrong information. This is a sure route to eventual financial disaster.
So, if you want to learn from the experiences of others and avoid making this mistake, pay attention to the following:

i. Always investigate every opportunity before investing. You should at least spend as much time researching a prospective investment opportunity as the amount of time it takes to earn the capital you intend to invest.
ii. Demand honest, accurate and transparent information on every investment.
iii. Where possible, always ask for full and complete disclosure of every detail of the investment.
iv. Verify for yourself that the information provided is accurate. v. Make sure that you are always getting timely, accurate information from an, honest, reputable and reliable source. This will greatly reduce the amount of time, money and energy you will personally need to spend conducting accurate due diligence.
Disregard these rules and you are in for some very costly lessons.
Follow this advice and you will eventually become a very successful investor!

Mistake #6 - Making Emotionally Based Investment Decisions
As you already know, investing has nothing to do with emotions and everything to do with financial returns.
For example - it does not matter if you have a spa in the bedroom at home and the investment property does not, or the window coverings are not what you have at home. You are not going to live in it - it is an investment and you have to look at it from that point of view.
Remember: its all about your return on investment - let the figures and supportive information do the talking and not your personal preferences.
The flip side of this is that some investors become emotionally attached to a particular investment property once they have acquired it - and because of this are reluctant to offload it when it stops being an asset and becomes more of a liability.
Newsflash - a property is an inanimate object or thing. And I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news but regardless of how much love you have for it, it will never, ever return that love back to you. Or anyone else for that matter!! So do not try and have a relationship with it - because that relationship is doomed for certain failure - in fact, it's a non-starter.
You should only invest in property for one reason - to make money - and not for any other purpose. And as soon as that investment starts losing you more money than you are comfortable with losing - and/or is no longer taking you towards the achievement of the goal you set yourself in your original plan - it's time for you to 'get out' and 'move on'.
To avoid this common mistake, all you need to do is:
i. Do your due diligence ii. Assess all the relevant information available to you iii. Refer back to your investment plan iv. Never lose sight of the reason you are investing. And that is to make money - preferably loads!!
Right - you are now one step away from being well ahead of the pack!! So without further ado, let's move on to the last - but not least - of the 7 most common property investment mistakes!!

Mistake #7 - Investing Without The Guidance Of A Trusted Mentor
What do all the following people have in common?
• Bill Gates
• Warren Buffett
• Michael Dell
• Donald Trump
• Oprah Winfrey
• David Beckham
• Richard Branson
• Tiger Woods
If you said that they are all mega-rich, you are right! And if you said that they are all very successful at what they do, you are also right!!
But are you also aware that one of the reasons why they are so rich and successful is because they all have mentors/advisors/coaches?
You see, they fully understand and live by one of the major secrets to success - which is seeking the personal guidance of those who are experts in your field of interest to assist you in getting to the next level.
A mentor is 'someone whose hindsight can become your foresight'
They are accessible to you in many forms, including - and not limited to - in person, through books, via emails, phone calls, etc.
Mentors use their experience and knowledge to guide and motivate you towards the goals you set ourselves.
They encourage you to step outside your comfort zones and move to the next level of success. They support you on every step you take on your journey to the top - and once you get there, they will help you to stay there!!
Because you want to be successful, here is what you need to do to avoid this mistake: Find yourself a trusted mentor with the knowledge and experience to guide you to where you want to get to!
To do this you need to start by keeping your eyes and ears open to identify the best people from whom you can learn professionally.
Seek out a successful professional whom you share common values with and can relate to. Look for someone who conducts their business relationships with Integrity (at all times), Due Diligence (at all stages) and Transparency (at all levels).
Find a mentor that is consistent, honest and trustworthy, who has a proven track record for delivering results and a reputation for always providing value.
Follow this advice and one day, you too will have your name listed above with the mega rich and very successful.
So there you have it - you now know the 7 most common property investment mistakes and how to avoid them.
But be aware - all that has been covered here are the 7 most common property investment mistakes. It would not be possible to cover all property investment mistakes here - especially since new mistakes are being made every day by some investors somewhere in the world!! And some of these other mistakes are even more crippling than the ones we have covered here!
That said, what we have covered here is enough to see you safely on your way to success - but only if you take instant action on the knowledge and wisdom that I have shared with you in this ebook.
Because, as you already know:
'Knowledge is power - only when combined with action!'
So start today, right now and take the necessary actions required to avoid the 7 most common property investment mistakes.
I am here if you need me - all you have to do is ask, and 'Your Wish Is My Command!'

Author Ade Shokoya provides FREE support and guidance on personal development and personal empowerment. View personal empowerment articles, profiles, tips and more by simply clicking: Personal Development or Personal Empowerment now.

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Land Investment in the UK - Eight Things Smart Investors Know

UK land represents some of the best investment land available. These eight facts, presented by a land planning and land investment expert, will tell you what wise investors already know about investing in land

1) Investing in UK Land is a real asset
You can see, use, and most importantly, build on investment land. You hold the legal title deeds to your investment land as surety. There are no complicated concepts in land investment, just a burgeoning demand for a finite amount of UK land.

2) Investing in Land yields strong returns
A finite supply of UK land partially explains its historically rising value, and implies it is unlikely to depreciate. Mark Twain said, "If something is unable to be manufactured and the underlying demand for it is constant, then its value will tend to rise." Demand for UK land is, at the very least, constant. The property market increases reflect soaring demand for houses from an ever-growing population. Therefore, investing in UK land offers strong returns. It is reasonable to achieve the equivalent of 30-35% annually in a 5-year land investment project. This equates to compounded returns of around 400-450%. Such returns are hard to realise with other UK investments.

3) Land Investment is an investment in "the real world"
The value of property assets is clear and transparent. This is not the case with all UK investments, such as derivatives. Even with traditional equity investments, the average investor rarely knows whether the equity is genuinely under-valued (buy signal) or over-priced (sell signal).
Stock market scandals resulting from accounting malpractice highlight the limitations of the average investor's understanding of their exposures. UK land investors are usually already active players as homeowners, so they already have some market experience.

4) UK Land has a lower entry point compared with buy to let
The price tag on a typical UK property is around £200,000. A plot of UK investment land that offers substantially larger relative returns is priced at just around £10,000! Remember that the Iron Law of Investment is diversification, commonly known as "Don't put all of your eggs in one basket." Because land investment has a significantly lower entry level than property, wise investors can more easily practice the Iron Law.
A typical UK investment requires around £200,000 but a diversified land investment portfolio could be created for less than £50,000! Investing in land, with its lower entry point, therefore gives the investor more 'chances' to pick a lucrative UK investment. However, it is by no means essential to build a huge portfolio of land investments: the key considerations for anyone considering investing in land are two-fold: choosing good quality UK land, and choosing a good land investment provider. The 12 Land Investment Guidelines, located at http://www.land-investment-uk.com/homepage/index.html will help you make these two choices.

5) Investing in Land capitalises on UK's housing crisis
Investing in land is the most lucrative means of capitalising the UK's housing crisis. Supply pressure is being felt in both affluent and less affluent areas up and down the country. The number of UK council homes has fallen sharply over the past 25 years, while homes rented from social landlords has increased dramatically, and owner occupation has doubled.
The combined effects of the above factors make investing in land a sensible choice when allocating assets in a UK investment portfolio.

6) Investing in land is passive and hassle-free
All UK investments demand careful consideration when entering and exiting the investment. However, some UK investments also demand active management during the life of the investment (e.g. equity and commodities trading). Land investment, on the other hand, is entirely passive, which makes it popular with many investors. Investment land is easily managed and investors should be fully apprised of their investment progress.

7) Land Investment has low volatility of returns
Volatility of land investment returns is an important consideration. It refers to the extent to which the value of the investment rises and falls in its lifetime. Less volatility makes it easier for the investor to know their wealth at any given time.
UK Land investing is not volatile and is actually relatively predictable. The value of a land investment tends to follow a linear path: in a 4-5 year project, the value of the land investment in years 0-3 will tend to rise relatively modestly by the effect of 'organic growth', (what we commonly term 'inflation'). The land investment typically rises sharply in value during years 4-5 (should permission to build on the land be achieved). The land investment may be divested of at this time for maximum profit.
The wise investor knows that they can more easily estimate the future value of their portfolio with land investments than with other asset classes. The land investor can plan for critical future funding requirements such as school and university fees, retirement planning, and healthcare expenses. More concrete future planning may not be so easy if the investor has exposures that are more volatile than investing in land.

8) Investing in land creates real wealth by compounding returns
As we have seen, returns of 400-500% in a 4-5 year project cycle are entirely possible if an investor chooses good UK land and an experienced land investment provider. Therefore, an initial investment of £10,000 could grow to £50,000. If these returns are then reinvested into another land investment project with comparable returns, then the initial land investment could grow from £10,000 to £250,000.
Some of the most successful individuals are enjoying the financial benefits from compounding in land investment. This approach requires a slightly longer-term view, but the rewards are significant. Compounding in land investment can offer more than just good investment returns: it can create very substantial wealth!

Leonard Montgomery is a Land Planning and Land Investment expert based in the UK. He enjoys sharing his expertise with common men and women to help them avoid the pitfalls of land investment and land planning that he experienced first-hand.

For more advice about UK Land Planning or investing in land in the UK, click here: http://www.land-investment-uk.com/
For more help navigating the many opportunities and pitfalls in Land Investment UK, including The 12 Land Investment Guidelines please visit http://www.land-investment-uk.com

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Blue Ocean Investment Strategies - 10 Reasons Why Everyone Should Utilize the Long Tail of Investing

Defined within the realm of the statistical Bell Curve, the long tail would reside in the skinny tail at the borders. The long tail, in regards to goods and services, refers to the evolution away from mainstream offerings towards more niche products and services. With the internet drastically reducing the costs of establishing distribution channels, the ability of entrepreneurs to focus more on the longtail sector to fit their customized needs is gaining increasing appeal.

However, almost no one speaks of the longtail of investing. To me, longtail investment strategies are the strategies that do not heavily rely on fundamental or technical analysis, but exploit other strongly predictive factors to produce not only superior returns to traditional investment strategies but also investment opportunities with far better risk-reward paradigms than those produced by traditional investment strategies. Here are 10 reasons why the longtail of investing is the only way to build wealth.

(1) You will never achieve the level of wealth you desire by handing your money over to a large investment firm. The vast majority of private investors hand their money to large institutions and allow them to invest their money for them. If this were truly the best way to achieve financial freedom, then almost every one you know would be ecstatic with their financial consultant. Think of how many people you know that absolutely rave about their financial consultant.

The fact that 90% of people you know do not rave about their financial consultant should tell you that niche investment strategies, or longtail investment strategies, are far superior. The ones that are happy with the large investment houses already were independently wealthy before they sought out their help. Think about how many people you know that have ever told you, "I wasn't wealthy before, but thanks to my investment firm, I am wealthy beyond my dreams now."

(2) Thanks to evolving information technology, there are many other means of making investment decisions than just utilizing fundamental and technical analysis. Though people have been really slow to grasp this, once they do, longtail investment strategies, like those invented by SmartKnowledgeU(TM), will boom. There is no doubt that the level of top-notch financial, political and corporate information available to the average investor has increased by leaps and bounds within the past decade.

There is a virtual treasure map that was created by the flattening of the world over the past decade to selecting stocks that are poised to explode. However, because the largest, most powerful investment institutions in the world have kept the masses of investors fixated on traditional investment techniques such as value and fundamental analysis, the longtail of investment strategies is currently much further behind in its developmental phases than it should be.

The best analogy I can use when explaining why people have ignored the long tail of investment strategies is to compare it to the incredibly slow adoption of Internet Protocol Version 6 (Ipv6) by the United States. When China started preparing its country for Ipv6 a decade ago, the benefits in increased security and its added value properties in e-commerce were evident even back then. However, people in the U.S. were comfortable with the lesser Ipv4 so did not take any action until the progress and superior internet and business capabilities of China, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong finally embarrassed the U.S. enough to move forward and catch up with Asia.

I see the same thing happening in the educational realm of investing. Everyone is comfortable with the traditional investment strategies that have been propagated for the last several decades so nobody sees a need to move forward even though much better strategies exist today. Just as with Ipv6, the world will eventually realize that the safest and best means of investing money reside in the longtail, and they will eventually adopt these strategies.

(3) With so much investor skepticism of corporate integrity sparked by past accounting scandals at Enron, WorldCom, General Motors and the like, and the current, ongoing backdating option scandals, investors will increasingly seek alternate means of making investment decisions other than crunching numbers that they feel are untrustworthy. Furthermore, technical analysis often yields false positives as well. A chart will show indexes that appear bullish having just broken through a ceiling of resistance only to have the index turn back downward for a prolonged period of time, or a chart will appear bearish having just broken through a floor of resistance only to turn around and begin another bullish ascent.

In fact, you have seen some of these turnaround trends with some of the technical posts that I've placed on my blog in previous months. In fact, that is why I always state that I never rely solely on technical indicators to make my decisions. I rely only on technical indicators to confirm or dispel what my long tail investment strategies tell me. Of the three types of analysis, fundamental, technical and long tail, long tail investment strategies yield by far the least amount of false negatives and false positives. That's why I rely on them so heavily.

This sentiment will lead to an evolution of longtail investment strategies, and the discovery of more efficient and better predictive means of making investment decisions than even those that already exist. Even current longtail investment strategies, such as those utilized at SmartKnowledgeU(TM) are constantly evolving as access to reliable information increases every year. Making decisions as if you were a fly on the wall of boardrooms is no longer a fantasy. It is possible, thanks to the evolution of the information landscape.

(4) With the growth of blogs and pure information sites on the web, the stranglehold of global investment myths, including the Modern Portfolio Theory of diversification, will soon be exposed for what they are - cleverly disguised sales strategies posing as investment strategies. Once people realize this, longtail investment strategies will gain wider acceptance, much like acupuncture and herbal medicine eventually gained credibility as healing regimens in the schools of Western medicine.

(5) Wider acceptance of alternative, longtail investment strategies that far outperform those utilized by global investment firms will happen as word of successes via these strategies spread throughout the world via the internet. The internet distribution channel can and will be used to change the mindset of investors.

(6) The Do-It-Yourselfers are Growing - With the success of books such as Stephen Covey's "The Eight Habit" that emphasize personal accountability to achieve excellence versus handing control over to someone else, cultural shifts will happen whereby people will seek to seize control over their own financial future versus just handing their money to a firm to manage. As this cultural shift happens, multitudes of people will realize that they are shorting their returns significantly every single year by handing their money to global investment houses.

(7) The flattening of the world and accessibility to previously inaccessible investment information will undoubtedly yield an increasing amount of investment strategies that reside in the longtail. People will realize the foolishness of believing in the one investment strategy thrust upon them by global investment houses for the past half of century as "the only viable and safe way to invest." If the younger generation takes an interest in investing, adding their creativity to the investment arena will result in explosive growth in the longtail of investment strategies. However, since the odds of this occurrence are quite low, a more gradual shift towards niche investment strategies is much more likely.

(8) The explosion of social networking sites like YouTube, MySpace, Friendster, and so forth, will amplify the viral marketing of longtail investment concepts. Again, ignorance of longtail investment strategies causes fear and hesitancy to use them. Viral marketing of longtail investment concepts will increase millions of investors' comfort level with these different and unique concepts.

(9) People are ultimately interested in returns, no matter how much global investment firms try to separate themselves from their competitors with smoke and mirror service claims. All the gratitude for luxury box suites at Los Angeles Lakers games, suites at the Four Seasons Hotel, conferences at world-class golf courses and resorts will quickly wither once people realize how much more money they are earning with longtail investment strategies.

(10) Again, because people will readily abandon all the perks they get as a preferred client at a large investment firm for far superior returns on their portfolios, longtail investing will eventually reach a critical mass. Eventually the longtail of investing will migrate towards the center and become the mainstream methods of investing, though this may take several decades to occur.

This article may be freely reprinted on another website as long as it is not modified, changed, or altered in any way and as long as the below author byline is included along with the active hyperlinks below:
JS Kim is the Managing Director of SmartKnowledgeU, a fiercely independent investment research & consulting firm that uses proprietary strategies to create wealth during this ongoing financial & monetary crisis. JS Kim's predictions over the past 3 years have been so startling accurate that the Financial Times, Reuters, and the International Business Times often reprint his articles.
Learn more about how to create wealth here even during a global financial crisis.
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High Yield Investing

What does High Yield Really Mean?

High yield investing has taken on a totally new dimension since the introduction of the internet and the basic personal computer. In the United States, a high yield account is considered to be anything over 5% monthly. Of curse as the old adage goes, the higher the yield the larger the risk. This is true. You can not expect to earn more than an average percentage rate with less risk. It just doesn't make sense.
When discussing high yield interest accounts, are we talking about a savings account that produces a 5.4% annual percentage return? Well, yes. And no. It depends on who you are and what you consider to be possibilities and realistic.

By now most of us have heard about investment programs that claim to be able to produce ridiculously high returns. Traditional investors cringes when they hear terms like 25% per month for one year plus the return of principle, and they nearly quiver when they hear claims of 300% in eight weeks. Certainly these high yield investment programs must be scams. How can it be possible to produce such returns in such a short amount of time? And why isn't everyone out there doing this if it can really happen? If these high yield investments hold any water then in just five short years we could wipe out poverty and homelessness and no child would ever go to bed hungry or sick again!

Are High Yield Investments Scams?

Believe it or not this question is not a simple yes or no response. It can't be. The short and safe answer would be yes, they are scams. However, it is important to understand what they are and why they have not all been shut down by the government if they are nothing more than a way to steal your money.
High yield investment programs are not a place to try to earn an income. They are extremely volatile and unpredictable. People can and do make money from them, and sometimes it's a significant amount of money. But don't get excited and start rushing out to re-mortgage your house just yet.
Read every single disclaimer on a high yield investment program website and they will all say the exact same thing. High yield investing comes with the risk of losing money. Never invest more than you can stand to lose. Why? Because every high yield investment program will eventually crumble and those with money invested are going to lose.

High yield investment programs are based on principles similar to gambling. While most of do not, there are people in the world who make their living traveling around to casinos and gambling. Is it a scam? No. In fact most of us at least respect the fact that the individual is competent enough at playing casino games that they can earn a living at it regardless of how we feel about gambling ourselves. The same applies to earning a living from high yield investment programs. Most investors do not even consider them real investments and scoff at those who attempt to earn a living through high yield investing.

Most people who are able to fund their lifestyle and earn a living through high yield investment programs started in using one of two methods. They either jumped in with both feet at the first program that sounded good to them and lost everything they invested or they researched high yield investment programs until their fingers went numb before ever investing a dime. Either way, both parties came to the conclusion that to come out ahead in high yield investments programs they would have to do ample research and completely understand the system and principles before they were going to succeed.
Earning a living through high yield investment programs takes a system that is easy to implement and follow to prevent early closing and hefty losses. This system takes a lot of due diligence and of course, some very specialized knowledge about forex trading and even gambling.

Reading the website's method of investment can tell the average high yield investor a lot about the security, or lack thereof, for any particular program. Most will admit to trading in forex, which any average investor can do with a little knowledge and research. Some will tell you that they are trading in commodities as well and some admit that they are also gambling with the investors' money, literally. Any website that says they are gambling using fool proof methods of winning should absolutely be avoided at all costs. There is no fool proof method of gambling.

High yield investing is probably something to be avoided altogether, although that is an individual choice only an individual investor can make. However, if you choose to get involved with a high yield investment program and you loose your money, that was your choice as well. Just like it is possible to loose money in the stock market, you are likely to loose money in high yield investments. An investor that looses money in the stock market doesn't typically file a lawsuit against the broker, so why are people so quick to file lawsuits and complaints when they loose money in high yield investment programs?

The answer is unpleasant but for the most part it is true. Greed. We can accept that there are poor investments out there and should we loose three or four thousand dollars in a bad investment we accept it as part of the potential outcome of investing. Yet because we got excited and our minds started spending the money we were hoping to see through a high yield investment now suddenly the people who run these programs are thieves. High yield investments are investments even if they do border on scams and you run the risk of losing your money. Remember the basic principle of any investment? The higher the return the more likely you are to lose your money.

High yield investments are incredibly risky and some of them are actually scams. Scam artists are everywhere and if there are people in the world who are willing to fork over thousands of dollars in the unrealistic hope that they can turn it into ten of thousands of dollars in a relatively short period of time then there will be people who are willing to steal that money from potential investors.
People are willing to donate their money to any valuable cause, so there are people who are willing to set up phony charities to steal donations from giving people. That certainly doesn't make every charity a scam and people aren't going to stop donating to charities of their choice. Just as there are individuals who will take advantage of people's kindness and desire to give to charities, there are individuals who are interested in scamming money from people who are trying to improve their financial portfolio through high yield investment programs. That doesn't mean every single high yield investment program is a scam.
The one thing all high yield investment programs do have in common is that sooner or later they will all fold, even those that start out being profitable. Just because a high yield investment program starts off producing the returns that it proposed in the beginning doesn't mean that it will continue to do so over a long period of time. This is how the high yield investor gets dramatically burned. One or two programs that delivers for a period of time doesn't mean it's time to quit the job and devote all the available resources to high yield investing. It means that one or two programs are doing well. They will not do well forever and sooner or later they will crumble. That is the nature of high yield investing.

High Yield versus Conservative Investing
Which investment strategy is right for you? Only an individual investor can answer that question for their own interests. Some people can tolerate the significant risk factors while others prefer the stability of the more conservative and conventional methods of investing. Some people are more willing to take a gamble than others, and by all means high yield investing is a form of gambling.
There are dramatically fewer scams in conventional investing. Some people will always believe that high yield investing is a scam and there is nothing that will convince them otherwise. Just because some people are able to be successful doesn't mean that a program is not a scam. And just because something is a scam doesn't mean that some money can't be made anyway. Does it make it right or real or worthwhile? Again this is something that each individual investor needs to determine for themselves.
For solid investment advice and a clearer path to investment success, independent advice and research is the best way to go. For all kinds of independent investment advice, stop by onlinetradingideas for comprehensive investment strategies, advice, and independent research. This site is particularly useful for making the most from conventional trading ideas and profiting from forex trades without having to enter the realm of high yield investment programs.

Bobby Ryatt
http://www.onlinetradingideas.com
http://onlinetradingideas.blogspot.com

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What is Value Investing?

Different sources define value investing differently. Some say value investing is the investment philosophy that favors the purchase of stocks that are currently selling at low price-to-book ratios and have high dividend yields. Others say value investing is all about buying stocks with low P/E ratios. You will even sometimes hear that value investing has more to do with the balance sheet than the income statement.

In his 1992 letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, Warren Buffet wrote:

We think the very term "value investing" is redundant. What is "investing" if it is not the act of seeking value at least sufficient to justify the amount paid? Consciously paying more for a stock than its calculated value - in the hope that it can soon be sold for a still-higher price - should be labeled speculation (which is neither illegal, immoral nor - in our view - financially fattening).

Whether appropriate or not, the term "value investing" is widely used. Typically, it connotes the purchase of stocks having attributes such as a low ratio of price to book value, a low price-earnings ratio, or a high dividend yield. Unfortunately, such characteristics, even if they appear in combination, are far from determinative as to whether an investor is indeed buying something for what it is worth and is therefore truly operating on the principle of obtaining value in his investments. Correspondingly, opposite characteristics - a high ratio of price to book value, a high price-earnings ratio, and a low dividend yield - are in no way inconsistent with a "value" purchase.

Buffett's definition of "investing" is the best definition of value investing there is. Value investing is purchasing a stock for less than its calculated value.

Tenets of Value Investing

1) Each share of stock is an ownership interest in the underlying business. A stock is not simply a piece of paper that can be sold at a higher price on some future date. Stocks represent more than just the right to receive future cash distributions from the business. Economically, each share is an undivided interest in all corporate assets (both tangible and intangible) - and ought to be valued as such.

2) A stock has an intrinsic value. A stock's intrinsic value is derived from the economic value of the underlying business.

3) The stock market is inefficient. Value investors do not subscribe to the Efficient Market Hypothesis. They believe shares frequently trade hands at prices above or below their intrinsic values. Occasionally, the difference between the market price of a share and the intrinsic value of that share is wide enough to permit profitable investments. Benjamin Graham, the father of value investing, explained the stock market's inefficiency by employing a metaphor. His Mr. Market metaphor is still referenced by value investors today:

Imagine that in some private business you own a small share that cost you $1,000. One of your partners, named Mr. Market, is very obliging indeed. Every day he tells you what he thinks your interest is worth and furthermore offers either to buy you out or sell you an additional interest on that basis. Sometimes his idea of value appears plausible and justified by business developments and prospects as you know them. Often, on the other hand, Mr. Market lets his enthusiasm or his fears run away with him, and the value he proposes seems to you a little short of silly.

4) Investing is most intelligent when it is most businesslike. This is a quote from Benjamin Graham's "The Intelligent Investor". Warren Buffett believes it is the single most important investing lesson he was ever taught. Investors ought to treat investing with the seriousness and studiousness they treat their chosen profession. An investor should treat the shares he buys and sells as a shopkeeper would treat the merchandise he deals in. He must not make commitments where his knowledge of the "merchandise" is inadequate. Furthermore, he must not engage in any investment operation unless "a reliable calculation shows that it has a fair chance to yield a reasonable profit".

5) A true investment requires a margin of safety. A margin of safety may be provided by a firm's working capital position, past earnings performance, land assets, economic goodwill, or (most commonly) a combination of some or all of the above. The margin of safety is manifested in the difference between the quoted price and the intrinsic value of the business. It absorbs all the damage caused by the investor's inevitable miscalculations. For this reason, the margin of safety must be as wide as we humans are stupid (which is to say it ought to be a veritable chasm). Buying dollar bills for ninety-five cents only works if you know what you're doing; buying dollar bills for forty-five cents is likely to prove profitable even for mere mortals like us.

What Value Investing Is Not

Value investing is purchasing a stock for less than its calculated value. Surprisingly, this fact alone separates value investing from most other investment philosophies.

True (long-term) growth investors such as Phil Fisher focus solely on the value of the business. They do not concern themselves with the price paid, because they only wish to buy shares in businesses that are truly extraordinary. They believe that the phenomenal growth such businesses will experience over a great many years will allow them to benefit from the wonders of compounding. If the business' value compounds fast enough, and the stock is held long enough, even a seemingly lofty price will eventually be justified.

Some so-called value investors do consider relative prices. They make decisions based on how the market is valuing other public companies in the same industry and how the market is valuing each dollar of earnings present in all businesses. In other words, they may choose to purchase a stock simply because it appears cheap relative to its peers, or because it is trading at a lower P/E ratio than the general market, even though the P/E ratio may not appear particularly low in absolute or historical terms.

Should such an approach be called value investing? I don't think so. It may be a perfectly valid investment philosophy, but it is a different investment philosophy.

Value investing requires the calculation of an intrinsic value that is independent of the market price. Techniques that are supported solely (or primarily) on an empirical basis are not part of value investing. The tenets set out by Graham and expanded by others (such as Warren Buffett) form the foundation of a logical edifice.

Although there may be empirical support for techniques within value investing, Graham founded a school of thought that is highly logical. Correct reasoning is stressed over verifiable hypotheses; and causal relationships are stressed over correlative relationships. Value investing may be quantitative; but, it is arithmetically quantitative.

There is a clear (and pervasive) distinction between quantitative fields of study that employ calculus and quantitative fields of study that remain purely arithmetical. Value investing treats security analysis as a purely arithmetical field of study. Graham and Buffett were both known for having stronger natural mathematical abilities than most security analysts, and yet both men stated that the use of higher math in security analysis was a mistake. True value investing requires no more than basic math skills.

Contrarian investing is sometimes thought of as a value investing sect. In practice, those who call themselves value investors and those who call themselves contrarian investors tend to buy very similar stocks.

Let's consider the case of David Dreman, author of "The Contrarian Investor". David Dreman is known as a contrarian investor. In his case, it is an appropriate label, because of his keen interest in behavioral finance. However, in most cases, the line separating the value investor from the contrarian investor is fuzzy at best. Dreman's contrarian investing strategies are derived from three measures: price to earnings, price to cash flow, and price to book value. These same measures are closely associated with value investing and especially so-called Graham and Dodd investing (a form of value investing named for Benjamin Graham and David Dodd, the co-authors of "Security Analysis").

Conclusions

Ultimately, value investing can only be defined as paying less for a stock than its calculated value, where the method used to calculate the value of the stock is truly independent of the stock market. Where the intrinsic value is calculated using an analysis of discounted future cash flows or of asset values, the resulting intrinsic value estimate is independent of the stock market. But, a strategy that is based on simply buying stocks that trade at low price-to-earnings, price-to-book, and price-to-cash flow multiples relative to other stocks is not value investing. Of course, these very strategies have proven quite effective in the past, and will likely continue to work well in the future.

The magic formula devised by Joel Greenblatt is an example of one such effective technique that will often result in portfolios that resemble those constructed by true value investors. However, Joel Greenblatt's magic formula does not attempt to calculate the value of the stocks purchased. So, while the magic formula may be effective, it isn't true value investing. Joel Greenblatt is himself a value investor, because he does calculate the intrinsic value of the stocks he buys. Greenblatt wrote The Little Book That Beats The Market for an audience of investors that lacked either the ability or the inclination to value businesses.

You can not be a value investor unless you are willing to calculate business values. To be a value investor, you don't have to value the business precisely - but, you do have to value the business.

Geoff Gannon writes a daily value investing blog and produces a twice weekly (half hour) value investing podcast at: http://www.gannononinvesting.com

 

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6 REASONS for Investing in Florida Real Estate Investment Property NOW

I invite you to take the next few minutes to learn the truth about the real estate market, how it compares to other methods of building assets and why it is such a lucrative form of investing. Many potential investors will say, 'I need to get into the Florida Investment Property market', especially taking into account current stock market fluctuations and the HOT market for investment properties, but simply don't know the facts about Orlando property investing and how to use sale and leaseback method of property management.
When is the last time your financial advisor or stockbroker tried to convince you that moving a portion of your assets into the Florida Investment Property market might be a good idea? Never Right? The 'why' is simple. They don't earn commissions when you buy Florida Investment Property. It is also likely that you have probably never had an 'apples to apples' comparison of stocks versus Florida Investment Property quite like the one you will see here.

Reason 1:
Leverage: Banks will not typically loan money to buy stocks. Banks will however, compete fiercely to loan money to buy Florida Investment Property. Your first question should be, 'why is that'? It has to do with risk management, which we will discuss later. The fact that banks want to loan you money to buy Florida Investment Property creates a situation which we will call LEVERAGE.
Let's assume that you have $10,000 to put into some type of investment. If you choose to buy $10,000 worth of stocks, you will own exactly $10,000 worth of stocks. Pretty straight-forward. However, suppose you choose to invest that $10,000 into Florida Investment Property using a 90% mortgage (which in many cases can go up to 95-100% mortgages in today's market), you will own $100,000 worth of Florida Investment Property. If both of your investments were to appreciate by 10%, your actual gain with your stocks would be $1000 where your actual gain with Florida Investment Property would be $10,000. That equates to an actual 10% return on investment vs. a 100% return on investment. That's what we call leverage.
Leverage: Florida Real Estate vs. Stocks
The traditional argument against Florida Investment Property Investing (mainly from Stock Brokers) has always been 'I can get an average of 10% from stocks with little effort so why would I invest in Orlando Investment Property that only appreciates 6-7% per year'? This point-of-view is not taking leverage into account.
If you take the above statement to be true and compare the REAL numbers, the stock investment gained 10% of the initial $10,000 value (or $1000) and the Orlando Investment Property investment gained 6% of the initial $100,000 value (or $6000). That is still an actual return of 10% versus 60%. It is not hard to see which investment provides a greater immediate return on investment. Additionally. these numbers do not take into account any income from your property during the course of the year, or the substantial tax advantages to owning property, which we will discuss later.

Reason 2:
Value: As we mentioned previously, if you invest $10,000 into purchasing stocks, you own $10,000 worth of stocks (a fairly obvious point). If you invest $10,000 into purchasing Orlando Investment Property using the leverage of a 90% mortgage, you own $100,000 worth of Orlando Investment Property right? Well, only if you paid retail for your property. Any savvy investor will tell you that there are excellent deals to be had in Orlando Investment Property, you just have to find them.
What if you purchased a $100,000 property that happened to be worth $110,000 the day you bought it? Does it happen? The answer is yes, all the time. If you have your eyes open and are willing to 'go through the numbers' to find good deals, they are all around you. You may be asking yourself, why would anybody sell a $110,000 property for $100,000?
Value: Making money when you buy.
The reasons are endless as to why a quick sale is desired, but just to name a few: job relocation, divorce, an estate is being settled or maybe a current appraisal on the property simply wasn't done prior to selling. By 'finding this deal' you have accomplished two things.
You have added $10,000 to your asset column in the form of equity.
You have created additional LEVERAGE for yourself as the value of your property increases (a 6-10% gain on $110,000 is better than a 6-10% gain on $100,000!) Remember, you make money in Orlando Investment Property when you buy, not when you sell.

Reason 3:
Control: Let's take our assumption one step further. When you buy your $10,000 worth of stocks, what can you do to increase its value? If we follow the previous assumption, you have invested $10,000 using a 90% mortgage to purchase a $100,000 property that has an actual value of $110,000 because you 'found a good deal'. So what can you do to further increase the value of your new $110,000 property?
It is amazing what a cleanup, a little landscaping and a paint job can do to increase the value of a property. Only a few hundred dollars well spent can result in huge value gains in Orlando Investment Property. Your $110,000 property with a little effort could easily be worth $115,000, $120,000 or more virtually overnight! Do you have to do any of this work yourself? Absolutely not! If you like to do that sort of thing then have at it, but if not, simply hire it done and accept a little lower net gain.

Reason 4:
Superior Tax Position: The tax code in the United States is geared to reward Investors who make housing and other property available to the population. When you invest in stocks, you are taxed at some of the highest rates in the tax code. When you invest in Orlando Investment Property, you put yourself in one of the best tax positions in the business world. Remember the wealthy that hold substantial portions of their assets in Orlando Investment Property? Tax advantages are one of the main reasons this is true.
Continuing with the above example, let's say that you have completed your 'deal' with the $10,000 invested with a 90% mortgage to purchase the $100,000 property that appraised for $110,000 (because you 'found a good deal'), which you improved to say, $115,000 by spending another $1000 on cleanup etc. Assume that one year passes and the Orlando Investment Property market grew by 6%, your property would now be worth $122,000. So far, so good right? If you are like most people, you may want to spend some of your hard earned money.
Let's do the numbers. You have a mortgage at current rates that started at $90,000 and after a year worth of payments (the majority of which are tax deductible) you still owe approximately $89,000. However, your property is now worth approximately $122,000. If you were to refinance at 90% once again, you would take out a new mortgage of approximately $110,000. This will leave you with approximately $21,000 in cash in your pocket. Now, the BIG question; do you have to pay tax on that money? Absolutely Not! You have not sold the property or realized a 'capital gain'. You have simply borrowed money from yourself. You are able to do what you wish with that money, free from any tax whatsoever. Obviously, a good strategy might be to purchase two more properties just like your first deal!
Also, we have not taken into account the fact that ALL of your interest payments on this property are tax deductible. In addition, you are also able to depreciate the property itself and all of its contents for additional tax advantages if you choose to do so.
Let's be fair and compare the Orlando Investment Property tax position with the stock scenario. Assume that the $10,000 initial stock investment grew by 10% in the first year, creating a gain of $1000 and you wish to access it. If you draw it out, you will pay from 20-28% (or higher) in capital gains tax in order to have access to this money. This reduces your net gain to $800 (actual 8%) or less, depending on your tax situation. Compare that to Orlando Investment Property and you are beginning to get the picture.

Reason 5:
Limit Your Exposure To Risk
Risk Management: Do you remember at the top when we said that banks would compete fiercely to loan you money on Orlando Investment Property? The answer to the 'why' is very simple. Low Risk. Banks incur little if any risk when loaning money on Orlando Investment Property due to the steady, solid growth rate of the property market, as well as the fact that if you default on your payments they will simply sell the property to somebody else. This is in direct contrast to the volatile stock market, which can vary daily with sharp increases and decreases in value. Furthermore, banks realize that a property isn't going anywhere, whereas many investors know all too well about .com and other types of companies that were there yesterday and gone today.
This is all not to say that Orlando Investment Property markets don't go down from time to time, however the dips are much less dramatic than that which can take place in the stock market, proven out by the banks' willingness to loan money on property.

Reason 6:
Protecting your peace of mind.
Finally, Now that we understand the value of leverage and risk management we realize that a 6% Orlando Investment Property gain 'beats the pants off' a 10% stock gain in actual return on investment by a wide margin (approximately 50%, not taking into account several factors that can increase this number such as tax advantages, income on property etc.) Owning good, solid Orlando Investment Property allows you to sleep at night, or go on an extended vacation without worrying about your asset column. This is directly opposed to holding a substantial percentage of your assets in stocks.

Lisa Carson
http://www.biminibayresortinvestment.com
lcarson@biminibayresortinvestment.com

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