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Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Deciding Where To Invest

By Owen Jones

There are quite a few different kinds of investments out there, and there are many factors, which you should use to determine where you should invest your funds.

Of course, determining where you will invest begins with researching the various types of investment on the market, determining your risk aversion, and determining your investment style and your financial aims.

If you wanted to purchase a new car, for example, you would do quite a bit of research before taking a final decision and a making a purchase. You would not think about buying a car that you had not fully investigated and taken for a test drive. Investing your money works in very much the same way.

You will, of course, research as much about the prospective investment as possible, and you would want to see how previous investors have done as well. It's just common sense, isn't it?

Does learning about the stock market and investments take a lot of time? Yes, but it is definitely time well spent. There are numerous of books and websites on the topic, and you can also take college level courses on the subject, which is what stock brokers do. If you have access to the Internet, you can actually play the stock market with fake money in order to get a feel for how it all works.

You can make pretend investments in a pretend portfolio, and see how they do. Do a search with any search engine for 'Stock Market Games' or 'Stock Market Simulations', although almost every online stock broker provides these services. This is a great way to commence learning about investing in the stock market.

Other types of investments external to the stock market do not always have simulators, so you must learn about those types of investments the hard way - by reading.

As a potential investor, you should study every you can possibly get your hands on about investing, but make sure you start at the very beginning of investment books and websites, or, you will quickly discover that you are are hopelessly lost.

Finally, speak to a financial advisor. Tell him your aims and ask them for their suggestions. This is what they do for a living! A good financial adviser can easily help you decide where to put your funds, and help you set up a plan to reach all your financial goals. Many adviser will even show you about investing along the way, so make sure you pay very close attention to what they are telling you! - 23211

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Fishing for Discounted Car Insurance

By Steve Ramsi

We would all love to save as much money as we possibly can and it is nice to be able to do so with items that we absolutely must have. Car insurance is one of these items. Often times car insurance can be expensive. However, the cost of your car insurance will vary from company to company, so it is important that you receive as many car insurance quotes as possible before making an informed decision on your coverage.

Given that car insurance is a required purchase all across the United States, it would be highly beneficial for you to do your homework before settling on an agent and buying your car insurance. For instance, many people are not aware that insurance companies can sometimes offer substantial discounts on car insurance for various criteria you may meet. All you need to do is talk with your insurance agent about what discounts might be available and ask for a few car insurance quotes based on what discounts they may offer. The discounts can be fairly substantial if you are able to take advantage of them all and who really couldn't use some extra money in their pocket?

Though the discounts may vary widely from one car insurance company to the next, this is where the benefit of receiving multiple car insurance quotes will come in handy. It is this way that you can determine which car insurance company and agent to give your business to. Also, be wary if the agent does not offer nor mention any available discounts. Yes, you want to be pro-active and ask about them, but you should also feel confident that your agent has your best interest at heart and not just the best interest of the company's bottom line.

So you are aware, not all discounts are offered in all states, but the most common discounts include: car safety features such as anti-lock brakes, air bags -- both driver and passenger -- and automatic seat-belts; you may also receive a discount for any voluntary defensive driving courses you have taken.

Multi-car discounts are also popular because you will be insuring more than one vehicle with the insurance agent; and it is also possible to receive a discount for a clean driving record -- that is to say, no tickets or accidents in the previous 5 or more years. So be diligent about requesting your car insurance quotes and make sure you can get the most coverage at the best price before purchasing your policy. - 23211

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Fundamental Trading Strategy Based on Interest Rates

By Ahmad Hassam

As a forex trader, you should know that interest rates are an integral part of investment decisions and can drive the currency markets as well as the stock markets either direction. Federal Open Market Committee rate decisions are the second largest currency market moving release behind the unemployment figures.

The impact of the interest rate changes not only have short term consequences but also have long term impact on the currency markets. One Central Banks decision can affect more than a single currency pair in the interconnected forex markets.

In currency trading, an interest rate differential is the difference between the base currency interest rate and the counter currency interest rate. In the pair, EUR/USD, EUR is the base currency and USD is the counter currency. The interest rate differential for the EUR/USD pair will be the difference between the Euro interest rate and the US Dollar interest rate.

Understanding the relationship between the interest rate differentials and the currency pairs can be very profitable for you as a forex trader. In addition to the Central Banks overnight interest rate decisions, expected future overnight rates as well the expected timing for the interest rate changes can be crucial to the currency pair movements.

The reason why this is profitable is that international investors like big banks, corporations, hedge funds and institutional investors are yield seekers. They actively keep on shifting their funds from the low yield assets to high yield assets.

Interest rate differentials are considered to be the leading indicators for currencies. London Inter Bank Offer Rate (LIBOR) and the 10 year government bond yields are usually used as leading indicators of currency appreciation or depreciation.

Lets use an example to make it clear. Suppose the Australian 10 year government bond yield is 5.25%. The US 10 year government bond yield is 1.75%. The yield spread between AUD and USD would be 350 basis points in favor of the AUD.

Suppose the Australian government raised its interest rate by 25 basis points. The 10 year Australian government bond yield would also appreciate to 5.50%. Now, the new yield spread is 375 basis points in favor of AUD. The AUD will also be expected to appreciate against USD.

The general rule of thumb is that when a yield spread increases in favor of a certain currency that currency is expected to appreciate against other currencies. This information should be very important for your trading. Use the data available on Bloomberg to keep track of currencies in the currency pairs that you trade. - 23211

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Acquiring Insurance Through Your Auto Club Membership

By A Nutt

If you own a membership to an auto club, you have the peace of mind that comes with knowing help is there if you ever break down on the side of the road. However, you may not realize that you can also get a variety of insurance products through the club, often at a discounted price. This is just one of the many advantages to having an auto club membership, so before you purchase your next insurance product, find out what the options are through the club.

Auto Club Membership Is Not Insurance

First, remember that your auto club is not the same as car insurance. The auto club will provide emergency roadside assistance and a variety of other helpful tools to you as a driver, but it is not insurance. You need to purchase automotive insurance outside of your auto club membership in order to drive legally.

Auto Club Members Can Get Discounts on Insurance Products

While membership to your auto club does not equal car insurance, you can use your membership to get car insurance, sometimes at a deeply discounted rate. Because the auto clubs have so many members, they are able to partner with insurance providers to get excellent rates for their members. Personal insurance through the auto club is an additional expense on top of membership, but many members are able to enjoy the discounted insurance premiums.

Types of Insurance Available

The types of insurance that you can purchase through your auto club will vary from state to state and club to club. Most auto clubs offer auto insurance, since it is almost a given that their members will need this coverage. Some offer homeowner's insurance as well. The homeowner's coverage is typically underwritten by an organization other than the auto club, but is offered at exclusive club member only prices. Life insurance is another insurance product almost all auto clubs can offer.

A few select clubs offer short-term medical insurance and health insurance for students. These are not intended to replace traditional health insurance coverage, but are rather designed for those individuals who cannot get traditional coverage because they are unemployed, not offered benefits, or pursuing a degree.

Getting Insurance

Getting insurance through your auto club involves the same steps you would use when getting insurance any other way. You will start by contacting your auto club for an insurance quote. You will then compare the quoted price to other insurance products you have inquired about through traditional avenues. You will choose the policy that has the most affordable premium combined with the best coverage and apply for it.

While you will likely find that your auto club has the best rates, this is not a given. Take the time to shop around, because there may be a more affordable policy out there. However, always compare the price and the coverage, because some of the cheapest options have the worst coverage. You want to have insurance that covers you sufficiently, even if you have to pay a little more for it. When getting quotes on your insurance policies, always ask about the coverage as well as the price so that you can compare like products. - 23211

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How are Stock Prices Decided Upon?

By Robbin Carols

When you buy stocks, you have two ways to make money. You can make money through dividends that the company pays for each share you own. For example, they might pay 25 cents per share each quarter. Dividends are not guaranteed, though.

The other way to make money is through capital gains. This means that you have bought the stock at one price and then sell it at a higher price. The difference between the price paid and the price sold is your capital gains.

Investors are usually hoping to make capital gains when they buy shares of stock. People who are in or nearing retirement may prefer high dividend paying stocks that are stable for a source of income, but for others, dividends aren't where they expect to make most of the money.

Stock prices have to increase if you want to make capital gains. Stock prices vary from day to day, so how do you know that it will go up? What makes stock prices change all the time?

Do you remember the principle of supply and demand that you learned in your high school economics class? It is a basic term that explains the change in stock prices just as the change in prices of any other goods or services.

An increase in supply with the same demand will decrease the price. An increase in demand with the same supply increases the price. The price changes depending on whether and how supply and demand change.

Stock prices change depending on who is willing to buy and sell. If more people want to buy a particular stock than there are enough people to sell it to them, they have to increase the price. If more people want to sell a particular stock than there are enough people to buy from them, they have to drop the price.

If you understand how this works, you can better understand how to make money with stocks. You want to buy stocks that you think a lot of people will be buying in the future so that the price goes up. - 23211

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