The Global Neighbor Project | Finance Ideas

Archive for July, 2011

There’s no doubt that futures trading is inherently a risky business. Anyone who tells you it is 100% risk free is either ignorant or trying to sell you something. The truth is futures trading is a gamble. There’s no telling when you are going to win or when you are going to lose. The best strategy is to play this game based on the cards you have and hope for the best.

Futures trading does have huge rewards if you win and that’s probably the reason many people are attracted to it. However the chances of you losing big is just as great if not greater particularly if you are new to futures trading.

I outline the 4 main risks when trading in futures. You might want to read further before deciding futures trading is suitable for you.

1. Speculative Business

Futures Trading is speculative in nature. No matter what the experts tell you or predict, it is not always 100% accurate. Take it with a pitch of salt. The best investment strategy is not to put all your eggs in one basket, divesting your investment among different financial instruments.

2. Financial Backing

Futures Trading requires a large capital outlay at the beginning which is expendable. Therefore it is definitely not for the faint of heart. If you are thinking of making money in futures trading to pay your bills, then my advise is don’t. You should not use money to pay your bills/loans/grocery to dabble in futures trading. Only use money you can afford to expend.

Ideally, a person who wants to play in futures trading should have at least $10,000 USD in his/her personal trading account.

3. Technical Knowledge

Futures Trading requires an intimate knowledge of financial instruments. At the very least, you should be knowledgeable in the 4 main investments categories namely, income, growth, speculation and inflation hedges. Without adequate knowledge, it will restrict you to where you can invest on the market and lose potential revenue on a particular sector of the financial market.

You might be thinking I can always rely on my broker for advice. While it’s good to seek the advice of someone knowledgeable, you should be able to make intelligent decisions on your own and the only way to do that is if you have sufficient knowledge.

4. Only Invest What You Can Lose

I would not advise someone new to trading to dabble in futures simply because of the risks involved.

You should have a balanced portfolio with only a certain percentage invested in futures. My advise is about 10% but that depends on your financial standing and your investment strategy. In general, only use money that you can afford to lose in futures trading.

The 4 main risks I outline above is not meant to discourage you from futures trading. What I want to make clear is you fully understand the risks involved and also what you need to do to better your chances at winning in futures trading.

Greetings Fellow Forex Traders,

When it comes to trading in any market, Forex currency trading has a huge advantage over other players in trading business. Firstly, the Forex market has the advantage of time freedom. You see in the 4x market one can trade around the clock from Monday through Friday. In the stock market that is simply not possible since the market closes at 4:00. This advantage of time freedom allows those who have not yet earned enough money trading in the 4x market to maintain their day jobs while trading at night. It is also quite plausible to trade in the morning before a person goes to work. Trading the Forex can become an excellent second job for you.

Unlike the stock market, the currency trading market does not require a trader to pay a commission to place a trade. This will come as a welcome sign of relief to those who have grown accustomed to the vast amount of money they must fork over to their brokers which go towards clearing, exchange and government fees. In the 4x market you also do not have to worry about having a large sum of money in your account to sell your currency pairs. This concept of selling as you may already know is commonly called shorting in the equities world. You can buy or sell at will in the currency trading arena.

It is so amazing to be able to participate in this market right now. You can do so from the comfort of your very own home. As long as you have a computer that is connected to the Internet you are in business. You can begin trading with as little as 300 dollars. I will show you how to turn this 300 dollars into some serious money in no time at all. This should be a lot easier to do given the advantages that you know the 4x market has over its competitors.

The Forex market is traded by some of the world’s richest individuals including Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. You now have access to the same opportunities as they do. What is stopping you from getting on the road to financial freedom. You can start now. You do not have to wait. You have already begun the journey by choosing to educate yourself on the pros of the Forex market.

I personally love the fact that you can trade whenever you want to with the Forex. You see, in the stock trading world you are flagged if you are deemed to be a daytrader. In other words if a trader of stocks chooses to trade every day, he or she must have an account balance of 50,000 dollars to do so. There are no such restrictions when it comes to trading the 4x. If you work at night, you may trade in the daytime. If you work during the day, you may trade at night. You simply trade according to the schedule that works best for you.

I want you to think about money for a moment. Who uses it? The whole world does in some form or another. Another advantage that the Forex market has is that there will always be a need for money. You are simply trading one currency for another in the currency market as the 4x is commonly reffered to. The Forex market is not going anywhere. It is here to stay. The only question is then who will be a part of it. We need money to buy the things we use everyday and so do those who live in the other parts of this world.

Another advantage that 4x has over stocks is the advantage of trading focus. Instead of having to choose between over 4,000 stocks you can deal with 4 main currency pairs. Any good business person knows that focusing on too many things is a recipe for financial disaster and this can hold equally true in the stock market. A stock trader also must grapple with the time issue doing research on all those potential stocks presents. It is also much easier to become familiar with 4 things as opposed to 4,000 things. Focus is the name of the game and 4x trading makes it much easier to do so.

The ball is now in your court. Will you take it and make the decision to win with currency trading? 4x is indeed the winner’s game and those who win consistently know how to play it well.

Much continued success,

The creator of “The 4x Express”

You have seen their ads and you may have wondered if they are worth a second look. What am I talking about? Online banks! Also known as internet banks, these are financial institutions who provide the majority of their banking services over the internet. Typically, online banks offer consumers high savings rates, low loan rates, and a mix of other services. Let’s look at 7 winners in this fast growing field:

1. E Trade Bank Part of E Trade Financial, the discount internet stockbroker. E Trade Bank offers checking accounts, money markets, and certificates of deposits as well as a VISA credit card.

2. Netbank Along with offering checking and money market accounts, Netbank provides mortgage and home equity lines of credit to customers. With tie-ins to affiliated companies Netbank also offers Auto, Homeowners, Condo/Co-op & Renters Insurance and Life, Health, Long Term Care & Dental Insurance.

3. Virtual Bank VirtualBank, a division of Lydian Private Bank, is a federally chartered bank regulated by the Office of Thrift Supervision. The bank offers checking, savings, and credit card services to customers.

4. Ever Bank This leading internet provider of banking services offers the most extensive, and varied services of any online institution. Ever Bank offers business and personal checking accounts, mortgages, home equity loans/lines of credit, reverse mortgages, a VISA credit card, and world currency accounts. This latter category is for investing in Deposit accounts and CDs denominated in any major world currency.

5. Emigrant Direct Part of Emigrant Savings Bank which traces its roots back to 1850 as a service provider to Irish immigrants. Emigrant has $10 billion in assets and more than $1 billion in net worth. It operates as a full service bank through 36 branches in the New York metropolitan area, and through EmigrantDirect.com. Emigrant offers only consumer services online; their high paying savings account is a chief investment vehicle.

6. ING Direct ING is a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, insurance and asset management to over 60 million private, corporate and institutional clients in more than 50 countries. ING offers mortgages, loans/lines of credit, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and money market mutual funds through another division.

7. MetLife Bank Yes, MetLife. A division of insurance powerhouse Metropolitan Life, MetLife Bank offers savings accounts, certificates of deposit, money market accounts, mortgages, and IRAs to consumers.

If you are banking exclusively with a “brick and mortar” institution you may be missing out on high paying investment options or competitive loan rates that easily undercut many traditional banking entities. These online banking success stories are only part of a growing number of savvy providers, some of whom are definitely worth a closer look by you, the consumer.