Tag Archives: risk

Money Mission: Embrace the Opportunities in Change

As we continue to look at strategies that can help you to accomplish the financial goals that you set for 2013, it is important to consider some major obstacles that could be hindering your progress. Goal achievement requires you to be honest about the issues that may be holding you back.

If you are working towards your goals, you must be proceeding in a forward motion. No one has ever achieved anything by standing still or looking back on the past. So, in order to succeed in your objectives, you must be willing to move from where you are today onto new pathways.

Whether you want to budget effectively, save more, get out of debt, increase your income, buy a home, or start investing for your retirement, it is necessary for you to adopt improved money attitudes and actions. Change is integral to the process of accomplishing your financial goals. Continue reading Money Mission: Embrace the Opportunities in Change

The Art and Science of Making Money

Despite the developments in technology and differences in trends that emerge over time, there is one financial certainty that will probably remain constant. Most persons – regardless of age, gender, education, nationality, status or creed – will express the desire to have more money.

The ability to increase income levels far in excess of spending needs is desired by many, but discovered by very few. Could it be that some people are blessed with an inherent flair for making money that escapes the less talented majority? Or is there a scientific approach to money multiplication which can only be exploited after years of dedicated study?

The 2012 Money Manifesto, our 12-step guide to creating financial success, provides a recipe for increasing your income and putting your money to work for you. It is virtually impossible to budget successfully, save towards a nest egg, avoid debilitating debt, and plan for future goals, without having the means to boost your earning power. Continue reading The Art and Science of Making Money

Investing By Owning Shares – Returns and Risks

Last week we looked at stock investments, explaining that this option provides persons with the opportunity of buying ownership into a company. Let’s now outline the ways in which you can make money by investing in shares, while highlighting some of the possible risks.

When you invest in stocks, there are two main strategies that you can employ to make a profit. You can choose to hold the stocks over time and reap the benefits that come with share ownership, or decide to buy and sell the stocks to receive trading gains. To be successful in either method, it’s best to learn more about stocks with the help of professional advisors.

Sharing the profit Continue reading Investing By Owning Shares – Returns and Risks

Investing by owning shares

As things get tighter economically, more people are eager to find out how they can invest their money to create wealth. They realise that their dreams and goals will be difficult to attain if they depend solely on their job income. Investing can be a ticket to financial freedom for those who are willing to learn and abide by the correct principles.

There are several different ways to invest, and it can be easy to get confused about the various options. One investment type that may seem a little mysterious to the average person is the stock market. I often get questions from readers who want to understand more about stocks and how they can use them to make money.

Let’s examine how stocks operate and clarify how this method of investing may be able to help you to achieve your financial objectives. Continue reading Investing by owning shares

Other ‘Alternative’ Investments

Thanks to the upsurge in investment clubs and institutions offering high monthly returns, Jamaicans have developed a seemingly unquenchable appetite for ‘alternative’ investments. Many investors, no longer satisfied with the regular returns paid by established financial entities, are on a constant search for high-yielding options.

Trading in the foreign exchange market (forex) provided the first opportunity for many ordinary investors to participate in the global investment markets. This investing phenomenon, formally unknown to Jamaicans, was termed an ‘alternative’ investment.

However, with forex being the largest financial market in the world with over US$3 trillion traded 24 hours per day, Sunday to Friday, it hardly seems to deserve to be described as an alternative market.

However, looking at the definition of alternative, it might very well be acceptable to give it this description.  Dictionary.com provides one definition of alternative as “employing or following nontraditional or unconventional ideas and methods existing outside the establishment such as an alternative newspaper or alternative lifestyles.” Continue reading Other ‘Alternative’ Investments

Mistakes To Avoid When Investing

“When you make a mistake, don’t look back at it long. Take the reason of the thing into your mind and then look forward. Mistakes are lessons of wisdom. The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power.”-Hugh White”

One of the biggest fears that we all face is the fear of making a mistake. This is even more evident in the investing world, where one wrong investment decision can prove costly and wipe out an investor’s hard-earned money.

I have heard many sad stories of investments gone awry – people who went into massive debt because of an ill-conceived business idea; trusted companies that promised high returns and disappeared into thin air; rented real estate that turned into a nightmare due to trouble with tenants.

However, most mistakes that are made in investing are not quite so dramatic. Every day, average investors make very simple errors in judgment that can have a negative effect on their investment plans. Continue reading Mistakes To Avoid When Investing

Don’t Let Fear Hold You Back From Investing

“Some of my friends were talking recently about how they made some good profits in the stock market recently. However, it was my understanding that if you invest in stocks you can lose your money.

“I really have worked hard for my money and I don’t want to get involved in anything where I could lose any of it. I’m wondering if there’s something I’ m missing by being afraid of investing in stocks.”

I can relate very well to your fear of investing in anything that could lose money. Many years ago, when I had just started working in an investment brokerage, I had to do an exercise to invest some money in stocks and money market accounts.

I didn’t know anything about the stock market at the time, and I remember saying to myself Why would anyone want to put money into an investment that could lose money? I reluctantly placed twenty percent of my available funds (the minimum allowed) into the stock market, and prepared for the worst. Continue reading Don’t Let Fear Hold You Back From Investing