Stock Market: When Do I Buy a “Buy”?
The stock market is a big place, you can’t buy everything, how do you determine whether you should even consider a particular investment recommendation?
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Job Security
In a changing economy, it is important to be confident that your job is secure before you make long-term investments. The future is not certain and if you lose your job you will require liquidity or you could end up in financial ruin. The key is to have at least 6 months of living expenses socked away in liquid assets before you invest in less liquid things like real estate, timber or privately held businesses. Although stocks are more liquid in a sudden downturn like we experienced in 2008 liquidity can be severely impaired (if there are no buyers) or you may be forced to liquidate at a significant loss. Warren Buffet is famous for maintaining massive amounts of cash waiting for just such an opportunity when he can name his price and everyone else is so strapped for cash that they have to accept his offer.
Buy a Business Franchise or Start Your Own?
Many people dream of owning their own business, setting their own hours, and being “the boss”.  Some budding entrepreneurs find that it can be a smart move to invest in or buy an established business rather than starting their own. Depending on a number of factors, there can be considerably less risk in acquiring or investing in an existing business rather than starting one from scratch. Another way to limit your risk is to go with a successful business franchise.
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Gadgets for Hedging Financial Risks
In the age of the Internet, nearly every day there are new ways to ensure that you can stay on top of your financial information. From mobile phones to text messages to software that tracks the value of money, your portfolio can be digitized and monitored with nothing more than a click of the mouse
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Natural Disasters That Have Created Investment Opportunities
Every cloud has a silver lining, and in the case of some natural disasters, there have been great opportunities to take advantage of financial markets after the worst damage has been done. Often when the old has been swept away and new modern construction takes its place an area can be revitalized and get a whole new lease on life.
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How International Law Can Affect Your Investments
International law affects a multitude of countries, in a variety of ways. When deciding on where to invest and what to invest in, it is important to see which international laws and treaties are upheld by the country where the investments will be made. Here are a few specific things that should be kept in mind.
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The 100th Anniversary of the Federal Income Tax
1913 is a year that will live in infamy. On March 1st, 1913, the 16th Amendment took effect providing for a 1% Federal Income tax and on December 23rd President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act into law. Perhaps an effort to keep tabs on the Federal Reserve is what inspired the Department of Labor to begin tracking inflation that same year. Incidentally, that same year the department of Commerce and the department of labor split into two separate departments. Now 100 years later the average Federal Income Tax rate in 2011 was 11.8%. The top 5 percent of earners paid approximately 58.7 percent of federal individual income taxes while paying an average effective tax rate of 20.46%. The bottom 50% paid an effective Federal Income Tax rate of 1.85%.
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NY Times Says End for Gold
The establishment is telling you that gold is done for, finished, kaput. It was all just a bubble in fear of the massive bailout. It’s had a good run for the last 12 years but now it is time to move on to “real investments” you know, those made out of paper like stocks and derivatives. In
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Oil in Tunisia?- Should Tunisia be on Energy Investors Watch List?
Major oil companies like Shell have have been jumping at the chance to acquire ground in this former French protectorate that had been neglected for decades. For the first time, major spending has been committed to test Tunisian basins which could be just as prolific as those in neighboring oil rich environments such as Libya. Tunisia is
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Cyprus Banks and the Rise of Neo-Feudalism
Even though the Central Bank of Cyprus is showing the world – in stark naked detail – how governments will deal with their debt problems, there is no general panic. Panicos Demetriades the governor of Cyprus’ central bank goes about his business… like Ben [Bernanke] and Mario [Blejer head of the Argentine Central Bank]… ripping
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