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The Carnival of Smarter Investing #16

2008-07-17T21:59:41Z

Welcome to the Sixteenth Edition of The Carnival of Smarter Investing! We're back with our best edition of CoSI yet, so sit back, relax, and enjoy this supersized gathering of featured articles by investors and writers in the areas of business and real estate. And, as always, to submit your article for the next edition, you can do so here.]]>

teenvestor presents Portfolio again posted at Value Investing, and a Few Cigar Butts.

ioventuresinc.com presents A Good Leader Knows When To Change Course posted at Teamwork.

Shane Wilson presents Small Actions = Big Changes posted at Michael Shane Wilson.

Joshua Seth presents The Secret to Time Management posted at Joshua Seth Blog.

KCLau presents How to Identify and Invest in the Hot Stocks of Tomorrow posted at KCLau's Money Tips, saying, "A review of the book "Finding the Next Starbucks by Michael Moe.""

Steve Alexander presents 5 Tips For Choosing Small Cap Value Stocks posted at MagicDiligence - Optimizing Joel Greenblatts Value Stock Strategy.

Amy S Quinn presents Top 25 Most Influential People in Forex posted at Currency Trading.net.

NLHE Player presents NLHE Cash Game Basics posted at No Limit Holdem Advice, saying, "Author presents some basic tips to play no-limit hold'em in a ring game setting."

Sally Thompson presents Recession Proof Your Portfolio: 50 Best Blogs for Free Investment Advice posted at Currency Trading.net.

KCLau presents Insurance Planning Guide for Malaysians [Review] posted at KCLau's Money Tips, saying, "A review of Insurance planning guide for Malaysians. This book was written to make you more aware of life insurance protection. Hopefully it will prevent you from suffering and regretting over buying insurance for the wrong reasons."

ioventuresinc.com presents Burned By Bad Coaching? posted at CMOE- Coaching.

ioventuresinc.com presents Pull Your Team’s Wagon posted at Teamwork.

Heather Johnson presents 5 Ways to Prepare For a Recession posted at eFIPO.

Zack Oliva presents College Finance 101 | We Feel Ya! posted at College Finance 101, saying, "The ONLY stop that college students need to make for financial advice, textbook deals, and credit counseling!"

Mag Herrera presents What I like about Credit Cards posted at Life. Money. Development., saying, "A balanced review of credit cards' nature and usage."

nickel presents The Best Online Discount Brokers (Updated) posted at fivecentnickel.com.

Adrian Savage presents How to Cope with More of Those Pesky Distractions - Stepcase Lifehack posted at Lifehack.org.

Jose DeJesus MD presents Business Startup - Testing Your Idea and Yourself posted at Physician Entrepreneur.

Neelakantha presents Top 50 Useful Financial Apps for Your iPhone or Blackberry posted at Currency Trading.net.

KCLau presents How inflation affects your life? posted at KCLau's Money Tips, saying, "an article on how inflation can affect your life."

Neelakantha presents 10 Beautiful Private Islands for Sale (That You Could Actually Afford) posted at International Listings Blog.

Business

Kian Middleton presents 7 Easy Steps to Build Your List For Free posted at Lee McIntyre's Honest Marketing Blog.

David Cassell presents Degrees For High Paying Entry Level Positions posted at selectcoursesblog.com.

Brian Terry presents What are the top 17 sources of affiliate traffic? posted at Big Selling Affiliates Blog.

D. Singh presents MySpace Moving Into New Internet Marketing Arena posted at Internet Marketing Blog, saying, "MySpace, still the highest trafficked Social Networking site with 110 million active users a month."

Robert Phillips presents What the Heck is Radio Marketing? posted at CYBERCA$HOLOGY.

Brian Terry presents How to Create High Profit Margin Products posted at Big Selling Website Design.

James Lee presents The Seduction Game… of Marketing posted at Online Business Freedom.

Abdulrasool Sumar presents 401k Plans for a Small Business Owner posted at 401k, saying, "Contributing to a 401k plan has become ever more easier for small business owners as a result of new legislation brought about by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA). The EGTRRA has made 401k plans more flexible, easy and beneficial for a small business owner. First, a small business 401k is also known by its other names; Individual(K), Solo 401k, or Self Employed 401(k). Another common misrepresentation of small business 401k plans is that only sole proprietors can open them. This is incorrect; infact partnerships & corporations can also opt for a small business 401k provided they are owned by eligible plan participants."

Sam Carrara presents The Secret To Blogging Success posted at Sam Carrara's Marketing Education.

Ian Richardson presents How To Choose Your Specific Niche for a Successful Internet Business posted at Make Everything EzyAs123, saying, "An article on how to choose a specific niche for a successful internet business"

James Lee presents The Journey of Entrepreneurship Event at USC posted at Online Business Freedom.

TerryT2 presents Negotiation Tactics and Tricks posted at Actual Real Estate Profits, saying, "Post describes negotiating tricks and tactics as well as counters."

Ian Bert Tusil presents The Sticker Printing Process And Working Out The Turnaround Time posted at Expert's Advices.

Andy Fletcher presents New Age Railroading posted at Andy Fletcher's Custom Trains Blog, saying, "Feel the pulse of American railroading. See how freight moves on today's railroad."

Hanna Kassis presents Budget Series: Be in control at all times. posted at College Finance 101.

Taylor Coburn presents What To Do When You Are Stuck posted at Internet Business at ProcessToProfits.

Michel Fortin presents Apply The Law of Contrast to Build Desire posted at The Michel Fortin Blog.

Finance Tips 101 presents Scholarship And Grant Information For Interested High School Graduates posted at Finance Tips 101.

Dr. Joe Capista presents How to Find the Best Mentor for Your Needs posted at The Success Triangle, saying, "When someone is just setting out on a business venture, it is imperative that they find a mentor. A mentor can escalate your business, boost your self-development and improve your business know-how. To be truly effective you should look for mentors with various types of expertise so that you can learn from all of them and use the knowledge to make yourself a better person and run a more successful business."

Entrepreneurial

Alvaro Fernandez presents Report: The State of the Brain Fitness Software Market 2008 posted at SharpBrains, saying, "An introduction to the growing Brain Fitness Software Market"

Rena Williams presents The Vehicle To A Successful Retirement posted at Your Success Corner.

Dave presents Google Checkout and PayPal Limit Entrepreneurial Opportunities posted at Cheapo Groovo.

Steve Faber presents - Lessons About Investing – Beginning Investing Mistakes to Avoid posted at DebtBlog.

Jose DeJesus MD presents Physician News Featured Articles for Week Ending 6/13/08 posted at Physician Entrepreneur.

Jose DeJesus MD presents How to Stay Focussed on the Big Picture posted at Physician Entrepreneur.

The Shark Investor presents Buying a Franchise - Do It The Right Way posted at The Shark Investor, saying, "Investing in franchise business - how to do it right"

Financing

KCLau presents Financial Security: How you feel it? posted at KCLau's Money Tips, saying, "Article on acquiring financial security and how to increase or protect finances."

Personal Finance Claims presents OFT Launching New Website To Help Credit Card Users posted at Personal Finance Claims.

Jose DeJesus MD presents Business Loans - How to Get Funding for Your Business posted at Physician Entrepreneur.

Investing Angel presents Studying The Stock Market Trends During Recession » Free Stock Market Investing Tips posted at Stock Tips.

presents Brighter Sides & Greener Grass posted at HelpMyCashGrow.com.

Value Seeker presents Stock Investment Resource: Stock Market Investing Tips - Is Small Cap Value The Key For 2008? posted at Stock Investing, saying, "Small cap value stocks performed poorly in 2007. Will 2008 see a resurgence of small cap value?"

Eric presents Growing Money posted at Make Money Blog, saying, "Tips on making money, avoiding scams, growing money, and overcoming poverty."

Finance Tips 101 presents The Pros And Cons Of Personal Loans posted at Finance Tips 101.

Davexplorer presents The Guru of Investors - Warren Buffett posted at Millionaires Ladder, saying, "Thank you for hosting the carnival, and if your interested in working on a project together feel free to let me now. Cheers, David"

The Fund investor presents Why Invest In Mutual Funds? posted at Mutual Fund Investing Tips, saying, "Many people invest in mutual funds without really understanding the benefits of this type of investment vehicle."

Value Seeker presents Stock Investment Resource: Stock Market Investing Tips - Growth vs. Value Investing posted at Stock Investing, saying, "The pros and cons of investing in growth vs value stocks."

Reba Haas presents Underwrite to Approve, Document to Defend posted at Team Reba Real Estate.

Reba Haas presents How to survive a Bear (market) Attack! posted at Team Reba Real Estate, saying, "Eric Aasness, a major loan originator in the US, has some words of wisdom on surviving as a borrower in the current lending market."

Investing Angel presents Why I'm Shorting Microsoft (MSFT) posted at Stock Tips, saying, "Author believe Microsoft has nowhere to go but down."

The Stock Teacher presents Avoid Making This Key Investment Mistake posted at Stock Investment, saying, "Many people make bad investment decisions because they let their emotions take control of them."

Joshua Seth presents What To Do With Your Tax Rebate Check posted at Joshua Seth Blog.

MoneyNing presents How I Started Buying My First Stock posted at Money Ning, saying, "How I started investing!"

Jose DeJesus MD presents Check Your Credit Score posted at Physician Entrepreneur.

Ben Moreno presents 4 Simple Steps to Starting On the Path to Becoming Wealthy. | Revenue Reservoir posted at Revenue Reservoir.

Raymond presents How To Chase High Interest Rates On Savings Accounts and Manage Them posted at Money Blue Book.

General Investing

mmhabits presents My Biggest Financial Mistake posted at Millionaire Money Habits, saying, "As evident of the below, I broke some of my own money rules, and did an incredibly stupid thing at the end of 2007."

Charles H. Green presents Great Moments in Self-Regulation: Financial Planners and CFP Board posted at Trust Matters, saying, "Financial planners claim to self regulate. But when they won't even tell you what they've done about a member who was convicted in court, can you trust that self-regulation?"

Eduardo guico presents How I become financially stable: Practical way to select a good company posted at How I become financially stable.

Frank Vertin presents Buy an S&P 500 Index Fund with Low Costs posted at NO LOAD INDEX FUND.

Barb A. Ryan presents Your Family Financial Planning posted at Pasadena Financial Planner.

Richard M. Rothschild presents The Best Mutual Funds Have NO Sales Loads and NO 12b-1 Fees posted at Best No Load Funds.

Venkatakrishna Nalamothu presents 16 Stock picks for Long term Investors posted at Stock Market Guide, saying, "16 best Indian Stocks for long term investors to get good profits."

A.J. Brown presents Why You Should Be a Lazy Trader posted at A.J. Brown's Options Trading Blog, saying, "One of the biggest mistakes I see over and over again is trading too frequently. This post examines why."

Felix Ekpa presents COMPLETE IDIOTS GUIDE TO MAKING MONEY IN 2008. posted at No Limits!.

Phillip Lyon presents Should You Short Stocks? posted at Intelligent Speculator, saying, "If you are an experienced investor shorting stocks should be part of your investment strategy. Shorting allows you to profit when a stock goes down in price. In a declining market, such as the current one, it is a lot easier to make money shorting stocks than buying stocks."

Dorian Wales presents How to Make Saving More Rewarding and Tangible: 5 Practical Tips posted at Personal Financier.

Brice Hogan presents Where to Find Good Stocks | Financialzip.com posted at Financialzip.com, saying, "The process of finding a good stock that can make you money."

Joe Manausa presents Florida College Enrollment - Does ?Prepaid? Matter? posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, "admissions with Florida’s public universities. Apparently, having a 4.0 GPA is not enough. Bear in mind, I was accepted to West Point in the mid-1980’s with a GPA in the low 3.’s, so I’m wondering why our state is so broken it cannot create opportunity for kids who have obviously demonstrated that they want to learn at a higher level."

Skyler Reep presents An Investment Account posted at Skyler Reep's Blog, saying, "We've already discussed setting up an automatic savings plan. You've got a portion of your paycheck going straight to your savings account, and you don't even notice the decrease anymore do you? A smart saver is probably only getting about 3% return on investment, though; so isn't there a better place to be putting that money? You might be able to do better by investing. Since 1928, the stock market has yielded over 9% return."

Charles H. Green presents 30 Minutes, 30 Cents, 30 Billion: Fragmenting Business posted at Trust Matters, saying, "Be careful of investing in industries which whose business model is such that no one is taking care of the big picture, they have a tendency to fall apart."

Phil B. presents No Long-Term Planning is Stupid posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "In my humble opinion, far too many people are choosing short-term satisfaction over long-term planning."

Barb A. Ryan presents Asset Allocation, Investment Asset Tax Location, and Emergency Cash Management posted at Pasadena Financial Planner.

Roman presents Never spend all your money at once posted at Psychology of money.

Brice Hogan presents 2 Rules That Will Make You Wealthy posted at Financialzip.com, saying, "Learning how to create wealth comes down to 2 simple rules."

Leon Gettler presents Missing analysts posted at Sox First, saying, "Investors beware!! The credit crunch and weakening economy are showing up how bad analysts are. In the fourth quarter, almost 1800 equity analysts overestimated final results by 33.5 percentage points, the biggest miss ever!"

Investing Angel presents Why I Sold My Apple Shares Today » Free Stock Market Investing Tips posted at Stock Tips, saying, "Apple is a great brand and a great company, but I still sold my shares of the company recently."

KCLau presents Everything you are looking for about Bursa Malaysia posted at KCLau's Money Tips, saying, "A list of sources for you to learn about stocks and shares."

FIRE Getters presents Vanguard's Managed Payout Mutual Funds - A Primer posted at FIRE Finance.

Walter W. Fouse presents Avoid Large Actively Managed Mutual Funds posted at Best No Load Funds.

Davexplorer presents Lakshmi Mittal posted at Millionaires Ladder, saying, "Thank you for hosting the carnival, and if your interested in working on a project together feel free to let me know. "

Raag Vamdatt presents Dividend Yield - A better alternative to FDs :: RaagVamdatt.com :: Financial Planning demystified posted at RaagVamdatt.com.

Larry Russell presents The Financial Services Industry is Still the Largest S&P 500 Sector - Even after the Collapse of its Stock Values posted at THE SKILLED INVESTOR Blog.

Leon Gettler presents Does gold stack up? posted at Sox First, saying, "No substance has held as much allure over the centuries as gold. And that allure still seems to hold with gold prices going up to as much as $1000 an ounce in March. But gold does not stack up in investment portfolios."

Wenchypoo presents This Just In: Seen on CNBC--Commodities Researcher Says It Only Gets Worse From Here posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket.

mmhabits presents Investing in a Recession posted at Millionaire Money Habits, saying, "Regardless if the U.S. is entering (or already has) a recession, there’s no question we’re facing some tough economic times. Here's a plan on what to do with your money."

Dorian Wales presents Do you understand investment risk? posted at Personal Financier, saying, "Talk of investment risk is abundant but what is investment risk really?"

Bullish Dividends presents Maximize Returns By Minimizing Expenses posted at Traders Corner, saying, "This article goes over ways that you can save money by minimizing your trading fees."

Everything Finance presents Long Term Investing posted at Everything Finance.

KCLau presents Don’t be stupid! Keep paying. posted at KCLau's Money Tips, saying, "Why u shud pay premium for life insurance policy as long as it is one of the best form of saving you should have."

Everything Finance presents How to prevent a financial blunder posted at Invest In India.

Sajal presents Apple analysts: Reading too much into daily stock market gyrations? posted at Fundamental insights and ideas (by Sajal).

Mandy Trapper presents Low Cost Options Are Available For The Forex Beginner posted at Forex Trading System Secrets.

Barb A. Ryan presents 10 - Independent Investment Counselors and Financial Advisors posted at Pasadena Financial Planner.

Leon Gettler presents AIG shame file posted at Sox First, saying, "AIG, in combination with the soaring oil price, managed to drag down the US market after it posted a first quarter loss of $7.8 billion on the back of the mortgage-related downturn. Here’s a warning for investors: stay away."

Investing Angel presents Why Most Investors Buy High And Sell Low » Free Stock Market Investing Tips posted at Stock Tips, saying, "Most investors buy stocks when they are overvalued since they give into herd mentality."

A.J. Brown presents Is Trading Stock Options a Lone Wolf Activity? posted at A.J. Brown's Options Trading Blog, saying, "Is trading stock options an individual or group activity? This article examines the answer to this question."

Everything Finance presents Find the right Fund Manager posted at Invest In India.

Everything Finance presents Who makes the Tough Money Decisions ? posted at Everything Finance.

Leon Gettler presents Investor crystal ball gazing posted at Sox First, saying, "With the credit squeeze and soaring energy prices, it's worth asking whether investors can see that far ahead. How do investors read trends and make the right calls?"

Chris presents 9 Surefire Strategies NOT to Retire Early posted at nomad4ever.

Larry Russell presents The Top 25 Low Cost Best US Money Market Funds posted at THE SKILLED INVESTOR Blog.

Everything Finance presents Ways to Save money !! posted at Everything Finance.

k presents Investing in oil « My thoughts on how to profit from financial markets posted at My thoughts on how to profit from financial markets.

Leon Gettler presents Banks want to change accounting rules posted at Sox First, saying, "Here is a warning for bank investors. Banks and securities firms are hiding $35 billion of writedowns. Instead of putting this stuff on their income statements, where it will hit the bottom line, they are leaving it on their balance sheets"

Value Seeker presents Are Mutual Funds For You? posted at Stock Investing, saying, "Figure out if mutual funds are the right thing for you to invest in."

Joe Manausa presents How To Analyze Real Estate - The Real Estate Stack posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, "the Real Estate Stack. This is the most basic of measurement models which allows an investor to take an investment and convert it to a mathematical model so that it can be compared with all other investment opportunities."

Dave presents Sector Analysis using ETFs posted at Poor Brother Tom.

Everything Finance presents Five Online Resources for Forex Beginners posted at Everything Finance.

Jose DeJesus MD presents Derivatives and Your Mutual Funds posted at Physician Entrepreneur.

Ben Moreno presents There Is a Fund That Tracks IPO's?! posted at Revenue Reservoir, saying, "An article about a fund I came across that I think is very unique and intersting."

k presents How to profit from financial markets - Introduction posted at How to profit from financial markets, saying, "How to profit from financial markets (Commodities, Stocks, Forex, etc) Invest your time reading this, before investing your money. Financial Education starts here"

Curtis W. presents Don't just watch your watchlist posted at Poor Brother Tom.

Raymond presents Do Credit Cards and Stocks Make Up Your Emergency Fund Savings? posted at Money Blue Book.

Investing Angel presents The 2008 Election And The Stock Market » Free Stock Market Investing Tips posted at Stock Tips, saying, "Your investment decisions right now may largely depend on who you think will win the 2008 election."

Raag Vamdatt presents Matthews India Fund MINDX: A good proxy to invest in India :: RaagVamdatt.com :: Financial Planning demystified posted at RaagVamdatt.com.

Jose DeJesus MD presents Drawing on Your Retirement Funds posted at Physician Entrepreneur.

texasdave presents Forex Trading Robot posted at Make Cash Online, saying, "The FOREX market can be a very dangerous to your hard earned savings if you don’t know what you are doing. Just ask the 95% percent of the people who lose money trading the FOREX market. There is a huge learning curve and it can take several years and thousands of dollars in losses (unless you are only trading a demo account) before a trader may start to see a profit."

General Real Estate

Joe Manausa presents The Creative Cure For Selling Your Home posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, "Often times, we hear real estate professionals and investors speak about "creative financing" as a method to purchase real estate. In today's tough real estate market, home owners can use "creative financing" to make their properties stand-out amongst the competition. Creative financing can increase the buyer pool for a home and get it sold when other marketing methods fail."

Joe Manausa presents Home Construction Video - Watch A Home Being Built posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, "Knowing what to expect when building a home is not something that you learn in college or business school. This video shows a 5,000 square foot home being built from the lot-up, and is set to some cool music."

Dorian Wales presents The Personal Financier: How to Make Sure this is your Dream Home: 7 Practical Tips posted at Personal Financier.

Dax Desai presents Buying a Foreclosure Property posted at Dax Desai, saying, "My Foreclosure Buying Experience as well as a FAQ: The Guide to a Successful Foreclosure Offer"

Robert Phillips presents Negotiation Tactics for Dealing with Home Sellers posted at REAL ESTATE INVESTING.

Joe Manausa presents Tallahassee Real Estate - Market Analysis posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, "Updated charts, graphs and analysis of the Tallahassee real estate market. Do you want to know what is happening with Tallahassee housing, then drop in to this continually updated blog centralized on Tallahassee homes."

Joe Manausa presents How And Why To Consider A Purchase Money Mortgage posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, "A simple example of how and why a home owner might want to consider a purchase money mortgage (seller financing) for some or all of the buyer's downpayment."

Joshua Dorkin presents Real Estate Investment Vision: Economic Conversion posted at Real Estate Investing For Real.

Joe Manausa presents Creative Home Selling - Taking A Lesson From Wall Street posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, "In today’s tough real estate market, where Sellers seem to far outnumber Buyers, it is important to have a complete “bag of tools” when you desire to sell a home in Florida. Creative Financing - A Required Skill For Realtors"

Terry presents How You Make Money With Investment Real Estate posted at Actual Real Estate Profits, saying, "Post describes the four ways you actually make money with investment real estate and how to maximize these "pots" of money."

Joe Manausa presents Selling Your Home - Single Most Import Fact You Must Know posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, "If you are thinking about selling your Tallahassee home, I would encourage you to understand how your home value is determined in the Tallahassee real estate market. It is not enough to worry about advertising and marketing coverage, as your valuation is the most important issue for you before you enter the market."

Neelakantha presents 101 Tips & Resources for the Upside-Down Homeowner posted at International Listings Blog.

TerryT2 presents Second Real Estate Financial Model - First Development posted at Actual Real Estate Profits, saying, "This post describes a financial model used to determine whether to continue with a real estate investment or not."

Joe Manausa presents The Real Estate Market - When Will We See The Turn? posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, "It seems that many people have an opinion on real estate, and many have speculated that the worst is behind us. While I’m excited to think that some of the stories in the media could actually turn positive soon, I feel that some simple concepts can reveal where we truly are in this current real estate market cycle."

Mark Runta presents The Housing Myth - Busted! posted at Smart Investing & Money Management, saying, "Lessons learned about treating housing as an investment or asset."

Trevor McKay presents What Kind of Mortgages are Available? posted at All About Mortgage Calculators.

hank@myinvestingblog.com presents “Demystifying” The Subprime Mortgage Crisis And Other Questions; An Interview With Dan Crittenden | My Investing Blog posted at My Investing Blog, saying, "Thought this one might fit in the real estate category. :0 Thanks, hank!"

Joe Manausa presents Open Houses - Did You Know? posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, "One technique that real estate professionals use to meet more buyers is to hold an “Open House” on a home for sale. Statistically, there is less than a 1% chance of selling that home due to the Open house, so you might wonder why do it at all."

MoneyNing presents Right Time to Buy a House? posted at Money Ning, saying, "Is it the right time to buy a house?"

Joe Manausa presents Short Sale Advice posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, "Some Short Sale Advice If you own a home that is highly leveraged (read that to mean that you borrowed as much money on it as you could sometime in the past three years) and you need to move for one reason or another, you need to know that you basically have four options right now:"

Ned Carey presents What is a Tax Sale? posted at Baltimore Real Estate Investing Blog, saying, "Thanks for considering my blog!"

Joe Manausa presents Frustrated Homeowners posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, "there are no “painless” solutions to the housing problems until inventories return to a more balanced level. So what should my frustrated homeowner do?"

Joshua Dorkin presents You Know That You’re a Real Estate Investor When . . . posted at Real Estate Investing For Real.

Dorian Wales presents Why A Mortgage Is An Opportunity And Why We Shouldn’t Fear Mortgages posted at The Personal Financier, saying, "If I was a potential home buyer I’d start browsing for opportunities"

Joe Manausa presents Real Estate Inventories Falling? posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, "If you follow the real estate market, than you have been seeing the general trend of rising inventories. This is not good. We cannot begin to talk about the market turning until we first see a turn in the flow of inventory."

Rentals

Joe Manausa presents The "No Brainer" Investment posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, "It is estimated that the average cost to a parent (not the total average cost) to send a child to college is roughly $20,000 per year. Many kids are working and earning money and I suspect that is why this average cost to the parents is not higher. The worst part is (according to an accountant friend of mine), this expense is not even tax deductible! How about an investment strategy that might help the average parent in this situation?"

Reba Haas presents 20+ questions for hiring a rental property management firm posted at Team Reba Real Estate, saying, "Many first time rental owners get tired of managing property at some point after the 3am call for a broken toilet. But, how do you go about hiring a property management firm? This post helps provide 20+ questions that can help you get started."

That's it for this edition of CoSI. Thanks again for the great above submissions, and a huge and ever present thanks to our rapidly expanding base of loyal readers. And remember, if you’ve got something to say regarding real estate investing, general investing, business, entrepreneurship or small business management, get it written up and submit it today! We’re always looking for more article submissions. So get writing!! Thanks for reading, and see you back here soon!!

How To Trade Currency Right

2008-06-30T20:15:30Z

I want to show you how to trade currency the right way. This is an excellent opportunity for all the people that want to earn a second income from home.

A Plan: When you're attempting to go trading, you're going to need a plan. You don't get in front of your computer and just start trading. You need to have very distinct plans that state, I'm going to do A, B, C than D. If you don't have a plan, than you have to wing it on the fly. You never really get to access what really works because you're trying something new and different each time. As well, the energy you used to create the new strategy each day, takes away from the energy of applying it, making you less productive. Be smart and have a daily plan you implement that follows steps.

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Economic/Political Affects: You have to understand that economic and political news can greatly affect the price of a currency. It is in your best interest to check the news before you start trading to make sure there isn't any political news or economic news that is expected to come out. No matter how good you are analysis of currencies are, you're never going to be able to deal with the volatile actions caused by political and economic news. Pay particular attention to political policies that change taxes and regulations on the economy.

Forex Software: You should definitely get your hands on Forex software because it will allow you to trade like a larger firm. Software can automate the process and take care of those tasks that are repetitive. This software can even search through currencies to find profitable trades.

The automated software of Forex Killer will give you an immediate edge in the market. Make trades that work for your profit line. For more information on the Forex Killer software, check out Forex Charting Software.

About the Author: Charles Nash

Forex Raptor Vs Forex Killer

2008-06-30T20:13:22Z

Forex Raptor is a new automated trading software for the home based user. It enjoys the endorsement of leading Forex experts and has an impressive track record. It is interesting to see how this software compares to a more well know software such as the Forex Killer program.

What are the similarities and differences of these 2 softwares?

]]> What do they do?

Forex Raptor can actually trade automatically for you without your active participation, or you can trade manually through it. Forex Killer is an advisory tool which means that it just tells you what to do and you need to make the transactions yourself.

Currency Pairs

Both these softwares can work in multiple currency pairs from around the world. Every major pair will work.

Location

You can use both softwares from everywhere in the world

Ease of Use

Both of these softwares take a little time to get a handle on. Expect a week or two until you get them down perfect. Overall, they aren't too complicated.

Who are they for

Both Forex Raptor and ForexKiller are perfect for new and medium traders. Veterans can also find them useful as a supporting tool.

Platform

Forex Raptor can work with any MT4 broker. Forex Killer will work with any trading platform.

How Much money can you make

The potential is impressive with both of these softwares, but it is truly up to you, how much you trade, how well you follow what the program tells you, and other factors.

Track record

Forex Killer has a longer track record than ForexRaptor. It's just been around longer.

To read more about this Forex Killer, click here: ForexKiller Review.

About the Author: John J. Drummond

John Drummond works from home. He writes often on business, trading, and finances.To read John Drummond's review of Forex Raptor, click here: ForexRaptor Reviews.

5 Tips on How to Become Wealthy Trading Forex

2008-06-30T20:10:19Z

Let 's look at 5 things to avoid if you want to make consistent money with Forex.

Let's start with 5 common errors you should avoid.

1. Stay away from day trading the market. With all the volatility and numerous outside influences, it is a losing proposition to get involved in day trading.

]]> 2. Avoid guess work. Trying to predict what is going to happen on the Forex market is difficult at best. The trader that falls into this trap will eventually come back to bite you because trading currency simply cannot be guessed.

3. Don't trade with money you cannot afford to lose. Trading with money that should be allocated on your personal budget elsewhere is plain unsmart. Traders do dumb things when they panic and trading with money you really don't have causes panic.

4. Do not try to buy a currency low and sell it high. This may work in the equity market but with currency trading it is not the way to go. It translates into having to predict again where highs or lows will form.

The truth is many major market moves begin from new market highs not lows. The best way to do it is buying the breaks as the chances are more in your corner and you often see large trends come up if, the breakout is from a genuine resistance level.

5. Do not trade without help. You should start off trading Forex with a practice account.

Most importantly, get a really good, reliable software program that is tested and has proven results.

Author Section: Bob Noni

Get an Objective Review of the Most Popular Forex Trading Software Programs. Forex Trading System Review is the place to visit.

See What Forex Trading Software REALLY Works! forex-trading-system-review.com is the place to visit.

Forex Trading For Beginners - 10 Common Beginners Mistakes That Will Wipe You Out !

2008-06-30T20:05:07Z

This article is all about forex trading for beginners and mistakes NOT to make and the fact is most new traders do make them. Avoid them at all costs here they are... 1. Trusting a Forex Robot

You will make money for life by paying $100.00 for a forex robot. Does anyone believe this?

Yes thousands of traders - but what they really need to look at are the track records there all simulated in hindsight and not real and anyone can do that.

If you really want to wipe yourself out, using a 100 buck forex robot is a good place to start.

2. Day Trade or Scalping

This method is doomed to failure you can't win because you can't get the odds on your side and all short term volatility is random.

Sure, you hear day trading system vendors say they make money - but like robots above its simulated profit and you can't spend simulated profits

3. Predicting Prices in Advance

A great way to lose. Prediction is another word for hoping and guessing and that won't get you far in life, let alone forex trading.

Trade price action as you see it and not as you think it might be otherwise your predictions will end up as accurate as your horoscope.

4. Trading Forex News

The problem is prices don't move to the fundamentals, they move to how traders perceive them and sentiment and you can't trade news events. That's why market crash when there most bullish and rally when there most bearish.

5. You won't get Weeks of Losses

Yes you will and you may even get months. That doesn't mean you can't win, you can but you have to lose to win. Many traders believe all the nonsense they read about trading with scientific accuracy and making a regular monthly income, well that's not forex trading!

6. Over-leveraging

A very common error just because a broker gives you 200:1 leverage doesn't mean you need to use it.

Most traders leverage up to high and a small move sees there stop hit and there trades wiped out. Use lower leverage, if you want to win.

7. Not Understanding the Odds & Money Management

Most traders simply don't understand the odds of success and a fatal errors is to think the risk reward of a trade is the profit target - the stop its not.

We don't have time to discuss this in greater detail here, just look up our other articles. If you don't get your money management right, you will never win.

8. Not Knowing Your Trading Edge

If you ask most traders what their trading edge is you will be met with a blank expression but you need to know it and have confidence in it to lead you to success!

Your edge is why you will succeed when 95% of traders fail. If you don't know what your trading edge is - continue your forex education until you do.

9. Lack of Discipline

If you don't have a trading edge and know why you are going to succeed then you won't have discipline.

Discipline is vital to currency trading success. You need the discipline to take losses short term and stay on track, to hit the winners and make overall profits. If you don't have the discipline to follow your forex trading system, you don't have one

10. Forex Trading is Easy!

Partially right it's easy to learn but far harder than most people think to make money at and that's why 95% of traders wipe themselves out quickly.

The Good News is

If you can get the right forex trading education and adopt the right mindset, you can learn currency trading the right way and make a great second or even life changing income in just 30 minutes or less a day.

The key is to work smart not hard, avoid the myths and losing traits and focus on being a winner.

Author Section: Kelly Price

NEW! 2 X FREE ESSENTIAL TRADER PDFS
ESSENTIAL FOREX TRADING COURSE

For free 2 x trading Pdf's, with 50 of pages of essential info and more on Forex Trading For Beginners visit our website at: http://www.learncurrencytradingonline.com

Distributed by Ezine Articles.com | All Rights Reserved. This article does not represent the ideas, opinions or impressions of boozwatt.com, nor does it endorse or control the content within.]]>

Strategies in Forex Trading - What Are the Forex Autopilot Results?

2008-06-30T20:03:26Z

I am sure that you have already heard about the Forex Autopilot software if you have interest in the foreign exchange market. Making money on the forex markets is not easy, but there are definitely many tools that any average trader can use to shorten their learning curve and start making money right away.

I will be discussing the Forex Autopilot software in this article and some of its benefits that I have found in my experience after using it.

]]> 1. My Experience with the Forex Autopilot Software

The biggest benefit of this software is that it does everything by itself, 100% automatically once you have configured the parameters to run. It cuts you out from having to deal with the volatility of the markets. It is these ups and downs that cause most traders to lose their shirts quickly, and I would highly recommend you against day trading if you have very little experience in the Forex markets.

2. What Are The Advantages of Using The Forex Autopilot?

Every trader wants to make the maximum amounts of profit quickly, but human emotions and greed often cause even the best of trades to turn out really bad. I find the Forex Autopilot takes profits very well and always does so at the optimal point before the market changes direction. It likes to take small profits and make many profitable trades.

The author also makes updates continually to the software to improve its performance. Recently, the author added the capability of Forex Autopilot to work with other trading bots and your manual trades, and also it can now manage multiple trades whereas in the past it could only manage one trade at a time.

About the Author: William Barnes

Are you looking to download Forex Trading Software and Strategies? Don't download it until you read the author's review of the Top 5 Forex Trading Systems on the web at http://www.review-best.com/forex-trading-robots.htm first.

The author has found a 100% automated Forex Trading Robot that is making him over 20% returns on his capital every month. CLICK HERE to find out about it!

Forex Orders Any Trader Should Know

2008-06-30T19:57:19Z

Trading the forex market is not a hard job, but just like any job, it requires knowledge. One of the essential pieces of knowledge a trader needs is about trading orders. Currency trading is done with orders given to a computer, and without fully understanding that or using an automated system, a trader is doomed to fail. All forex orders can be given by an automated trading system, but it is good to know them, just in case. The most popular order is the spot price order, which can be either buy or sell. A buy order will buy the currency pair at the ask rate, and the trader can profit in this situation when the exchange rate goes up. A sell order will either close a buy position or open a short sell position at the bid price, and in this case, the trader will profit when the exchange rate is going down.

A stop loss order is one of the most important orders in the forex market. Its job is to prevent big losses from becoming even bigger. It's a well known safeguard, and it is also very common in the stock market. A long trade, or a buy trade, will be terminated by a stop loss order when the exchange rate goes below the stop loss point. A short sell trade will be terminated when the exchange rate goes above the stop loss point.

Limit orders are also useful forex orders. These orders are future orders which are executed only when a certain price is reached. A buy limit order will be executed when the exchange rate of a certain pair is below or at a certain rate. A sell limit order will be executed when the exchange rate is at or higher than a certain point. One very famous limit order is the take profit order.

Taking profit is very important in the forex market, and the limit order is perfect for that. When the exchange rate reaches a certain point, the trade is automatically ended with a guaranteed profit. The take profit order can be place on both buy orders and sell orders, which guarantees traders their profits will be in their bank accounts easily.

You can avoid all the hassle of using the correct forex order by getting a forex trading system which does all the job for you. You can get one, such as Forex Funnel, from the Forex Funnel review of Great-Info-Products.com.

About the Author: Nadav Sanir

Nadav Snir is a stock market trader and forex trader. You can find more information about forex trading and forex brokers at his site at http://Great-Info-Products.com/Forex/index.html

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5 Reasons For Entering the Exciting World of Currency Trading

2008-06-30T19:54:41Z

Currency trading offers a host of benefits for the small investor today and here we look at just five reasons for taking advantage of the lucrative world of Forex trading. 1. The 24 Hour Nature Of Trading.

The majority of the world's trading markets operate out of fixed trading centers and to strictly limited hours, normally between Monday and Friday. However, because currency trading takes place around the world you have the ability to trade 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

This means that, since most private traders operate from their own homes, you can decide just when you want to trade, whether it is in the morning, afternoon, evening or even in the middle of the night. It also means that, whatever happens in the world, you have the ability to take advantage of events and their effect of particular currencies instantly and are not frustrated by having to wait for the market to open.

2. Very Low Trading Costs.

With many traditional markets, including the equity markets, trading costs can be high and brokerage fees in particular can quickly mount with commissions on even quite small trades being $20 or $30 and commission on larger traded running into hundreds of dollars. Trading costs are however very much lower in currency trading and the electronic nature of the market means that even the traditional bid/offer spread is much lower on currency trades than of other market trades.

3. High Leverage.

The Forex market is not the only market which allows you to trade on leverage but leverage in currency trading is typically far higher than that seen elsewhere. For example, professional equity traders will generally be permitted to leverage ten times their capital whereas even private currency traders are typically permitted to leverage one hundred times their capital. Of course you do have to be careful and one downside to the availability of high leverage trading is that it can lead not only to high profits, but also to high losses. Fortunately however the market tends to regulate risk management fairly tightly.

4. Limited Slippage.

Unlike many markets, currency trading offers the immediate execution of trading orders at real-time prices and, in almost all cases, this means that the price you see is the price you pay. For people who have experienced trading in other markets there is nothing more frustrating than executing a trade only to find that by the time the trade is settled prices have moved and you end up with less money than you expected.

5. The Ability To Profit From Rising And Falling Markets.

Equity traders know only too well the cycle of Bull and Bear markets which has a dramatic effect not only on profits, but also on the ability to actually trade. Fortunately, the structure of the currency trading market means Forex traders do not suffer from such problems. Because currency trading always involves a pair of currencies, if you are short on one currency then you are long on the other and so the possibility of profiting is always there regardless of whether the market is falling or rising.

About the Author: Donald Saunders

LearningForexTradingOnline.com is the ideal place to learn Forex and provides information on a wide range of topics including simulated Forex trading.

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Making Sense of Buying Foreclosed Properties

2008-05-30T19:52:06Z

The foreclosure process begins when a property owner falls behind on mortgage payments. In some cases, the owners of foreclosed properties have been struggling to make payments for some time, and the property may have been neglected due to the inability of the owner to meet basic maintenance expenses. Even in upscale neighborhoods, homes needing serious work are not uncommon. This may be the opportunity an investor is looking for. Houses needing work might fetch bargain prices and repairs can cut into profits, but it may be worth it. If the home is in generally good condition, is in a good location, and the cost of rehabilitating it for resale or rent are reasonable, then consider making an offer.

]]> Ways to Buy Foreclosed Properties

There are three main ways to buy foreclosed properties. The first is to purchase the home while it is in the pre-foreclosure stage. This is generally considered the best deal, as the homeowner is spared the foreclosure and the parties involved (the investor, the bank, and the owner) agree on a price. Making a low offer here is key, and banks will often accept low offers to avoid foreclosure. This method represents a way to buy cheap, and with some elbow grease or smart repairs, get some instant equity.

Another way to go is to buy at the REO (real estate-owned) stage, where the home that was taken back from the owner and is held by the bank. Deals can be found here also, but the bank will be looking to recoup some its losses. Depending on the condition of the home you're looking for, it may be worthwhile to investigate this option. Homes at this stage may have had repairs, improvements, or upgrades completed at the bank's expense. This option could be ideal if the investor is simply looking for a home for himself rather than an investment. It can be argued that this method is the safest, as the lender might offer to finance the property at a below-market rate or with a lower-than-usual down payment. Also. the bank already has done an appraisal and deals typically include title insurance, which eliminates much of the risk that accompanies buying homes earlier in the foreclosure process.

Finally, the property can be bought at auction. Again, this may not be the ideal method for several reasons. Auction houses fees, property condition (an inspection may not be possible) and financing options (cash down payment, for starters), could restrict an investors ability to buy even in a best case scenario.

Getting In and Avoiding Mistakes

With good credit, many banks will loan the full price of the foreclosure or more. Properties intended to be used as rentals will typically require a down payment, and financing terms could vary. Foreclosure homes bought in good areas at below market values can be a sound investment strategy as the property appreciates annually.

Homes used as rental properties often allow investors significant tax deductions while the property increases in value. With many stock portfolios taking a hit, investing in foreclosure real estate may be a good alternative.

It's essential to get any property inspected before purchase to avoid surprises or a bad deal. If the property is being sold "as-is", be careful. Home valuation tools, like domania.com, housevalues.com, and HomeGain.com, can give an investor an idea of what the property could be worth, and what nearby properties are worth based on recent sales. Other factors, like area development, schools, environmental issues, and crime rates, may be worth taking a look at before a property is purchased.

About the Author: Casey Shea

Read more on real estate foreclosure investing on his Blog, Investing in Foreclosures.

http://investinforeclosures.blogspot.com

Don't Be Fooled by Misrepresented Foreclosure Experts

2008-05-30T19:49:50Z

Last night I listened to a panel of real estate (investors) experts on television. They were discussing the residential foreclosure problems in this country and I was amazed at how, with the exception of one thing, little advise or help was given or touched upon for the distressed homeowner. Even the one thing that I thought could be of some encouragement when someone said to call your bank or lender and see if you can work something out. Although that is a true statement, the truth is that you need to know who to talk to; or better said: you should know who not to talk to.

]]> Since I am in foreclosure myself, I can tell you first hand that getting through to the bank in the first place to even ask for the right person (not a loan officer or a bank collector), but someone in the Workout Department is a long shot in itself. I am assuming that it is because of a million homes (at time of this writing) and there aren't enough people to assist everyone.

If you have been reading any of my other article or been on my website, you might already know that I went through a foreclosure, and now I am in one again. So, for me, it is comical to read and hear some of the things out there. For example, those so called experts I mentioned were all investors (mostly commercial), and the whole hour discussion was on making money investing and getting good deals. And the things I find and read in the newspapers and, especially, on the internet are not only laughable, but right down stupid.

But then I want to cry, because of the poor lost homeowners who hear and read these things. The truth is that a lack of knowledge and wrong advice coming from every direction, just adds fuel to the Foreclosure Process that becomes more increasing turmoil.

Here is some straight talk: I have published my first foreclosure from beginning to end; so when I say I've gone through the foreclosure process, I verify that with court documents. Second, could I know what your personal circumstances are without communicating with you? (Most Misrepresented Experts seem to state your position as if everybody facing or are in foreclosure have the exact same problems and concerns.) What do you want to do or what can you do? (Only you can make that decision.)

Whatever you do, whatever you want, or whatever you decide is better acted on if you have an understanding of how it all works. The whole ball of wax, not bits and pieces here and there. In fact, after a homeowner is able to put things in perspective (not thinking like a lawyer), this foreclosure process becomes more like a game instead of an attack. And then that is when the homeowner takes control and is able and willing to do what is in the best interest for the family.
Here is the truth: the homeowner does not need to be taken advantage of with anyone. I am talking about bankers, lawyers, realtors, real estate investors, and scam artists. And if you arm yourself with knowledge in this particular area, then take control, it is possible to come out of this a better person. What does that mean? I think a better person is doing the best you can without sacrificing your values.

About the Author: Roger W King

There are Seven Critical Steps I learned that were paramount to understand while I stretched the foreclosure time in order to try and save my house. And after I understood the process and how the banker, banker's lawyer, realtors, real estate investors, and people who represent themselves as mediators (scam artists) think, I took control of the negative position I found myself and my family in and turned it around in becoming strong and positive, and I found more time within the foreclosure time deadline.

If you click on my website link below, I offer these Seven Critical Steps (Free) with email detailed follow-up explanations.

http://www.ForeclosureTimeStretcher.com/LP.htm

Top 10 Things You Must Know Before Attending Government Tax Foreclosure Sales

2008-05-30T19:48:04Z

Government tax foreclosure sales give you access to dozens of homes that have been foreclosed. When an abundance of foreclosure properties exist, such as the case at the present time, great deals can be found at reduced prices. Prices are reduced because there are so many foreclosed homes in the market now needing owners. Also, some of the properties may need a little "fixing up." These are the times to take advantage of tax foreclosed properties owned by the government because you end up getting so much more value for the price you pay. Know the circumstances surrounding the sale

You should be aware of a few things as you prepare to attend a government tax foreclosure sale. The more information and knowledge you have about the foreclosed property you want to bid on, the better your chances of making a wise choice and sound investment.

1. Two types of basic tax foreclosures. There are basically two types of tax forecloses: a lien and a deed. With a tax lien foreclosure, you are buying the rights to tax the lien on the property. Once the tax is paid, the homebuyer owes you the money that kept him from foreclosure. In this type of tax lien, you are allowed to charge upwards of 18 percent interest or more for paying the tax lien. If you can't recoup the money from the homebuyer, you can foreclose and the property will be yours. With a tax deed foreclosure sale, you are purchasing the rights to the entire property. A tax foreclosure sale is generally considered a win-win situation if you are aware of all the facts in the case.

2. Arm yourself with as much knowledge as you can about the property you are interested in purchasing before you bid on government tax foreclosure sales. Many times you won't be allowed to see the interior of the foreclosed home before placing a bid at a public auction. Visit the County Clerk in the region the property is located, and also the County Tax Assessor, to try to determine as much about the value of the home as possible.

3. Know the laws, rules, and regulations governing the auction as each state and county can have different subtleties to procedure. Listen closely at the auction because anything that might have changed recording the tax sale should be announced before the auction.

4. Physically examine the property, if you can -- the exterior (if not the interior) and the surrounding neighborhood. Talk with the neighbors, if possible, and gather as much information about the history of the property as possible.

5. Visit a title search company and ask what information they can provide you. You will want to get the names of all persons on the title to prevent future problems.

6. Try to find out if there are any liens on the property and try to determine if there are any extra unknown debts against the property that you might be liable for.

7. If you are the winning bidder, you must be prepared to pay cash (or have a cashier's check) for the amount of the winning bid, plus any other incidental fees such as auction percentage costs and recording fees. Typically, a transaction must be concluded in full by the end of that business day.

8. Get a good description of the land as it is specified on the deed. Try to discover if any portions of the land from the original deed have already been sold and, thereby, would not be included in your purchase.

9. Government auctions will provide information services to you as a member and will give you access to hundreds of listings in your local region and across the country about upcoming government auctions. You may be able to find detailed information about the property on an internet web site, as they tend to collect a lot of information in bulk on available properties. The price of membership is $39.95 annually.

10. Real estate agents can be a wonderful source of information. Generally, they know the local areas they serve well and could provide useful data in answering your questions.

If you are well-prepared with as much knowledge as you can possibly find about the circumstances of the government tax foreclosure sales you are interested in, you should walk away a winner.

About the Author: Sam Dunbar

Is your mortgage company threatening to incorrectly foreclose on your home? Try visiting http://www.aboutmortgageapplication.com - a popular website that specializes in providing the best information on deciding which is better foreclosure or bankruptcy.

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Cover Your Assets - Why Buying Foreclosures Under a Corporate Name is Smart Business

2008-05-30T19:45:18Z

One of the most important aspects of the American legal system - and a backbone of American commerce - is that the courts treat corporations much like separate persons. The government offers this opportunity as an incentive to those who want to participate in business endeavors and take full advantage of the special legal and financial perks extended to entrepreneurs and other business-minded citizens. Unfortunately, many conduct business but fail to understand the real purpose of incorporation. They think it is a way to feel more official, to secure a brand name, or to appease banks or investment partners. They miss what is perhaps the main goal of incorporation, namely to put distance between an individual and negative legal and financial consequences. Because a corporation is treated like an individual person, you can sue a corporation and the buck usually stops there. It is the bulletproof vest of our legal system that affords a powerful buffer of legal protection between us and any potential liabilities that might occur in the course of our doing business. The corporation steps in front of you to take the bullet.

If you are in a business that doesn't involve much liability, you don't need to incorporate. If you are, for example, making your money by working as a landscape-painting artist then chances are that nobody's going to get hurt in the course of that work. But if, on the other hand, you're painting houses for a living your employee could fall off a ladder and sue you for medical expenses. Or you could drop a bucket of paint on a homeowner's pricey Lexus and get sued for the cost of a new car. In that case you'd be wise to incorporate.

Similarly, if you're buying a normal home through a Realtor, you probably don't need to worry about incorporation. The Realtor accepts most of the legal liability. But if you're buying a foreclosure home on your own you might be walking into a legal hornet's nest. A previous owner may have failed to pay the IRS or a contractor and if you take title to the house you become legally responsible for those debts - even if they are worth more than the house. There could be hazardous waste in the ground, and as the owner you are responsible for paying to remove it - or paying people who got sick in the neighborhood because of it. All sorts of potential liabilities can cloud the ownership title to a piece of real estate. Paying them off can bankrupt you.

To ensure that those problems don't reach into your personal life - and your personal assets - it is important to incorporate your investment business and buy homes in the business name, not your personal name. Incorporation is not necessarily difficult or expensive, but not incorporating - even when you are buying small price tag properties - carries the potential of being financially catastrophic.

Hire an attorney, set up a corporate entity to buy and sell property, and then enjoy the reassurance and peace of mind that comes from savvy business foresight.

About the Author: John Krajewski

Get instant access to your 7 FREE secrets to
foreclosure investing and visit-
http://www.4closuresecrets.com
I am now offering
Free Real-Estate Bird Dog training at
http://www.virtualbirddogdeals.com/johnnie/
I look forward to hearing from you.
John Krajewski

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The Truth About Loss Mitigation, Short Sales and Foreclosure

2008-05-30T19:42:06Z

There are millions of homeowners behind on their existing mortgage payments that will result in as many as seven million foreclosures in the next three years. The outcome will be devastating to the individuals, the local community, the lenders, investors and the economy. A great number of those in danger of losing their home were victims of predatory lending or careless investor guidelines. Others suffered hardships such as unemployment, injury, death of a family member and poor budgeting. To complicate matters many have unwittingly been coached into simply walking away with the promise of a short sale, a lease-option and chance to re-enter the market in a few years. But do homeowners and real estate professionals alike really understand the long term ramifications that will impact the homeowner and the local community? In the past homeowners were urged to refinance or try to sell the home (if there was any equity). But stricter lending guidelines and declining market values eliminate most of these opportunities. Thus homeowners facing rising obligations and foreclosure are forced to consider other options.

Today owners are being solicited for a short sale prior to auction. Unfortunately many providers are not reputable and may only seek to steal any existing equity and displace the owner from the home. But are short sale transactions by legitimate real estate agents the best option available?

There is a proposal to add a "lien" notation to the credit report of all borrowers who elect a short sale that would limit or virtually prevent them from obtaining future financing. This is in direct contradiction to the temporary deficiency forgiveness promulgated by the stimulus legislation most real estate professionals rely upon.

Other homeowners simply fail to act at all or wait until it's too late to obtain a favorable solution as a result of the conflicting information. This will severely impact the homeowner as one of the GSE's (Fannie Mae) has increased its foreclosure seasoning requirement to obtain new financing after a default to five years for a purchase and up to seven years for a cash-out refinance.

Let's face it foreclosures and short sales have a negative impact on both the homeowner and the local community. To better serve these homeowners and maintain local property values we should have a better understanding of all the options available and the resulting consequences:

1. REFINANCE

Pro:

Owner Maintains Home

Con:

80% do not qualify and new payments are higher than original payments

Comment:

Usually a temporary solution that may cause a larger long-term challenge

2. SALE

Pro:

Preserves credit and possibility of accessing existing equity

Con:

Lack of equity/timing limit opportunities and owner is displaced from home

Comment:

Dependent on existing equity and marketability of the home.

3. BANKRUPTCY

Pro:

Extends the foreclosure proceeding for a period of time

Con:

Costly stall tactic that tarnishes credit/leads to foreclosure 60% of the time

Comment:

Misconception is mortgage is protected by bankruptcy - only arrearage.

4. SHORT-SALE

Pro:

Preserves credit (through 12/31/08 with current Stimulus Package provisions)

Con:

Lack of timing/access to lender limits opportunity/owner is displaced from home

Comment:

Dependent on existing equity, marketability and lender accepting short payoff

5. DEED in LIEU of FORECLOSURE

Pro:

Lender may waive deficiency judgment rights

Con:

Owner is displaced from home/credit is damaged/possible tax ramifications

Comment:

A voluntary foreclosure with no real benefit - a step above foreclosure

6. FORECLOSURE

Pro:

None

Con:

Owner is displaced from home and credit is severely damaged

Comment:

Worst of all possible outcomes for homeowner

7. LOSS MITIGATION

Pro:

Multiple solutions to keep owner in home

Con:

Difficult for homeowner to negotiate with Lender

Comment:

The best solution if owner wants to retain the home

A. LOAN MODIFICATION

Possibility of lower fixed rate payment and reduction in principle.

B. REINSTATEMENT

Repayment plan that enable arrearage to be made up over time.

C. FORBEARANCE

Temporary suspension/reduction of payments prior to a repayment plan or modification.

D. PARTIAL CLAIM

No cost/rate/payment 2nd mortgage - paid after 1st mortgage is completed

Preventing a foreclosure or a pre-auction short-sale has a positive effect on the homeowner, the local community, the lender and the economy as a whole. (Short sales are obviously the best solution when a modification can not be reached or the owner does not wish to retain the home).
While Realtors and Loan Officers may miss out on traditional transactions (sale/mortgage) they can participate in a revenue opportunity with a Foreclosure Prevention Loss Mitigation Company.

Be part of the solution and not part of the problem...

Help stem the tide of foreclosures, preserve local property values and supplement your income with loss mitigation. Many professionals have already explored this opportunity by referring prospects they can not service. It can be a win-win-win situation for all parties and has certainly caused a number of broker/owners to rethink their current business plans.

About the Author: Brian Brass

For more information on how to become a referral partner, a certified consultant or to incorporate loss mitigation into your current real estate/mortgage business plan call (800) 704-8285 free info 24/7.

Consultant Website: http://www.LossMitigationIncome.com

Homeowners to avoid foreclosure call (800) 861-9457 or visit http://www.FreeForeclosureHelpSite.com

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Investing in Foreclosed Real Estate Properties - 4 Tips

2008-05-30T19:21:43Z

Thanks to the explosion of the real estate market a few years ago and the amount of people who are now defaulting on their home loans, the real estate foreclosure market is booming. Lenders granted loans for people with border line credit on the assumption that if they did have to repossess the house it would be worth far more than the mortgage. The lender planned on selling the repossessed property quickly and at a profit. That didn't happen. Unlike a decade ago when a foreclosure was almost certainly a broken down/condemned piece of real estate, now foreclosures are just as likely to be beautiful and well kept homes! This makes investing in foreclosed properties potentially lucrative.

If you've ever wondered if you should start investing in foreclosed properties, here are a few tips to help you get started:

1. Do your research on each and every property that you are thinking of investing in. If you can afford it, you should have each property professionally appraised before submitting an offer on the foreclosed property. Make sure that you aren't going to be investing in something that is going to be more of a "fixer upper" than you originally thought.

2. It is better to buy a foreclosed property at public auction. This is because sometimes homeowners who are facing foreclosure will take the money they make from selling it to you and, instead of using it to pay off their current home loan; they use it to purchase a new home. This means that, technically, the bank could still seize the house you just paid for and you have little chance of recouping your investment.

3. Investing in foreclosed property shouldn't be looked at as a full time job, especially if you are just entering into the field. It is best to start investing in foreclosed properties while you still have a full time job or some sort of steady income to ensure that you are still able to pay your bills while you work on your foreclosed property and wait for it to "flip."

4. Allocate only a portion of your investment portfolio to foreclosures. A balanced portfolio offsets swings in the market place. The house you buy at a foreclosure auction may seem like a steal. But it will remain that way only if the market doesn't go below what you've paid for the property. If your portfolio is balanced you give yourself the time for the market to start on a swing back up. You won't be forced to sell at a loss just to recover the cash or get yourself out from a mortgage you can't afford any longer.

Investing in foreclosed properties isn't for the faint of heart, but it can prove to be quite a profitable business! Make sure that you do your research and learn every thing you can about the field before you get started! Don't put all your resources in any one type of investment and that includes foreclosed properties. Give yourself time to make a profit. Don't get yourself into a corner where you're forced to sell in unfavorable conditions.

About the Author: Dee Power

Interested in investing in Real Estate Dee Power is the author of several nonfiction books including The Making of a Bestseller, Attracting Capital from Angels, and Inside Secrets to Venture Capital. Dee's hobbies include gardening

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