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1). Blue chip stocks - not a poker game Investing in conservative blue chip stocks may not have the allure of a hot high-tech investment, but it can be highly rewarding nonetheless, as good quality stocks have outperformed other investment classes over the long term. Historically, investing in stocks has generated a return, over time, of between 11 and 15 percent annually de... 2). Investment Basic: What does successful investing require? Successful investing requires knowledge, time and commitment, discipline and patience, and the ability to develop an investment strategy that is compatible with your personality. Knowledge Each individual must consider what he knows when planning an investment strategy. Recognizing your current level of knowledge, and how... 3). Mutual funds: protect yourself with segregated funds Segregated funds were initially developed by the insurance industry to compete against mutual funds. Today, many mutual fund companies are in partnership with insurance companies to offer segregated funds to investors. Segregated funds offer some unique benefits not available to mutual fund investors. Segregated funds offer the followi... 4). How to boost your stock returns while lowering your risk An options strategy called Covered Call Writing is a conservative strategy designed to reduce risk and increase income when investing in stocks. Briefly stated, stock options are contracts in which you buy or sell the right to buy or sell. Although there are eight types of options contracts, we're interested here in low-risk "Covered Call Writing."... 5). Hedge funds - establishing a new frontier It is difficult to provide a general definition of a hedge fund. Initially, hedge funds would sell short the stock market, thus providing a "hedge" against any stock market declines. Today the term is applied more broadly to any type of private investment partnership. There are thousands of different hedge funds globally. Their primary objective is... 6). The need to look at your credit report Everyone needs to know exactly what is on his or her credit report. Even if you have never been late with a payment in your life you need to know what your credit report reflects that reality. Mistakes happen every day, and mistakes on your credit report can dramatically affect your life. The good news is that it is easy for anyone to ... 7). Higher income from high yield bonds To understand high yield bonds, let's define what a bond is. A bond is an interest-bearing investment that obliges the borrower to pay a specific amount of interest for a specific period of time and then at maturity to repay the investor the original amount of the loan. High yield bonds are bonds issued by corporations. These companies pay interest... 8). What's day trading? Day trading consists of the direct opening and closing of stock positions with major stock exchanges, either using a computer on the trading floor of a branch office of a day trading firm, or using one's home or business computer to access an internet broker. The keyword in this definition is direct. In day trading, a trader has direct electronic a... 9). How to profit from real estate by wholesaling Wholesaling in real estate is an entire business in itself and generates super-fast profits, usually without ever acquiring the title on the property. It's not uncommon to pick up a check at closing, with the seller and buyer present at the same time. Many times I have earned thousands of dollars within two or three days of finding a deal. Successf... 10). Less risk with foreign bonds Foreign bond funds are ideal for investors seeking income and diversification. Foreign bond funds, as their name suggests, invest in bonds that pay their interest and principal in a currency other your home currency. Foreign government and corporations issue these bonds. A foreign bond receives interest and generates income for investo... 11). The advantages of day trading Historically, stock trading has been the domain of professional traders. Trading has been in essence a "private club" with restricted access. Day trading has changed that. For the first time, amateur traders have the tools (real time quotes and order execution) to compete with the professionals. Speed advantage of day trading 12). How to select a mutual fund One of the most common ways of selecting a mutual fund is to invest with the crowd in today's hot funds. Unfortunately, jumping from one winning fund to another is a recipe for disaster. The mutual funds that the crowd follows typically have had a hot recent performance and tend to gather all the new mutual fund sales. Investors as a w... 13). Going global through mutual funds There are more than 13500 different publicly traded companies in the world today, and there are over 700 more companies expected to go public within a year. In addition, every major developed country offers investors various bonds to invest in. All of this makes for a lot of different investments and plenty of choice. Investors can take advantage o... 14). Upside potential with convertible bonds Convertible bonds are bonds issued by corporations that are backed by the corporations' assets. In case of default, the bondholders have a legal claim on those assets. Convertible bonds are unique from other bonds or debt instruments because they give the holder of the bond the right, but not the obligation, to convert the bond into a predetermined... 15). Day trader Versus Investor The day trader's ultimate objective is to trade expensive and volatile stocks on the NASDAQ and NYSE markets in in increments of 1,000 shares or more, and profit from the small intra-day price movement. The day trader may make many trades in a single day, holding onto stocks for only a few minutes (or hours), and almost never overnight. Day traders... 16). How to trade in futures market? The futures market offers the opportunistic investor the option of using small amounts of their own money to control large amounts of products, including gold, currencies, and agricultural commodities. A futures contract is a legally binding contract to deliver, if you are selling, or to take delivery, if you are buying, of a specific ... 17). Don't carry a balance on credit cards Surveys shows 50 percent of credit cardholders don't pay their bills in full or on time. More than 40 percent of credit cardholders say they don't know the interest rate on their cards. Suppose you carry a $1000 balance from month to month. That costs you $180 in interest a year if you have a credit card with no annual fee and an 18 percent interes... 18). Investment Basics: Don't forget about bonds You should consider investing in bonds for both income and stability. In any given year equity markets could appreciate in value by 30 to 40 percent or decline in value by the same amount. Bonds fluctuate far less. Bonds also pay interest on a regular basis and thus investors will receive a cheque each month or quarter. As with any inv... 19). Consider a reverse mortgage - as your last option Home buyers often save rigorously for their home, forgoing expenditures and making sacrifices to pay down the mortgage and save for retirement. At retirement they get to enjoy their dream home debt-free. The only problem with this scenario for a lot of retirees is that they live on a fixed, and often not very large, income. One option ... 20). Market timing with your mutual funds When investing in bonds, stocks, or mutual funds, investors have the opportunity to increase their rate of return by timing the market - investing when stock markets go up and selling before they decline. A good investor can either time the market prudently, select a good investment, or employ a combination of both to increase his or her rate of re... 21). How to profit from real estate by rehabbing and retailing Buying houses low and selling them high is called retailing. This is the most easily understood method of investing in real estate. It's the art of buying at a low price, often doing some repairs, and then selling at retail price and usually cashing out. A lot of money is made through this method. Some people do it part-time, turning 2 or 3 houses ... 22). How to save money on your car loans Cars are expensive, yet almost everyone pays for them with borrowed money. To minimize the cost of ownership, it's essential to shop for the lowest-priced loan you can get. Here's a good car buying rule: Make a down payment of 20 percent or more and finance your vehicle for no longer than four years. You can easily get into trouble wh... 23). Profiting from the Anomalies - Stock Markets are not always right There are many different factors that affect stock market levels on a minute-to-minute basis. This includes inflation data, gross domestic product (GDP), interest rates, unemployment, supply, demand, political changes, and broader economic forces, among others. Complicating this are some general market trends, which have been determine... 24). Life insurance as an investment Term insurance provides coverage for a pre-specified period. For example, term insurance is designed to protect a mortgage or provide income for your family in case of your death. You pay the term insurance premium each month and as long as you pay the premium your policy will stay in force. Once the contract reaches maturity (usually in 10 years) ...