tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83380120767116330162024-03-13T05:50:40.563-07:00Deep Blue Publications GroupOnline publication of latest news, stock market investing principles and tips @http://deepbluegroup.org/.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-15850795377146835942015-05-22T18:06:00.001-07:002015-05-22T18:06:49.949-07:00Investing Guide at Deep Blue Group Publications LLC USA Madrid Tokyo Singapore: Tips for financial assistance<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Tips for financial assistance of incoming college freshmen<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Many
incoming and returning students still needs to consider about thousands of
dollars they and their families will have to pay.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">It is not
too late for students to have some financial help. Some scholarships from
nonprofits or banks, and other help are still available according to the <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/">Deep Blue Group</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Scholarships<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Some
scholarship programs set their deadlines no later than March or April, but some
alternatives are still available. A student can browse on free websites such as
CollegeBoard.org, Fastweb.com, Petersons.com, and StudentScholarshipSearch.com.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Each site
allows students to customize their search in a variety of ways, including
whether they are a high school senior or returning college student, their major
or other factors. All of these websites helps students to personalize their
search in a number of ways, such as whether they are a high school senior or a
returning college student, their majors, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Wells Fargo,
an American multinational banking and <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/">financial
services</a> holding company is offering $1,000 to 160 students (80 to high
school students and 80 to college students) through its College STEPS
sweepstakes program, which has an August 13 deadline.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Whereas Us.
Bank Scholarship Program offers $5,000 scholarships to five students who apply,
with a deadline of September 17.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">One can find
other talent-specific scholarships, such as a $1,500 Get Girls Golfing
Scholarship award by the website MyGolfInstructor.com to one female high school
senior that plays golf competitively in high school and plans to play golf as a
freshman at a 2 or 4 year college. The application deadline is May 15.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Students
also need to search for support in their area of interest or study. For
example, the National Asphalt Pavement Association awards scholarships worth up
to $2,000 to 50-75 undergraduate and graduate students majoring in civil or
construction engineering or construction management. Deadlines vary by the
state where the student is attending college.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Tuition installment plans<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Students
should also consider inquiring at their college bursar's office if they can
sign up for a tuition installment plan wherein it allows students to split their
college bills into equal monthly payments during a semester or an academic
year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Many such
plans are generally interest-free, but a few have fees or finance charges.
Typically the fees are less than $100. This can be pretty beneficial for
families who don't have the capability of paying the bills in one go but wants
to avoid student loans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">State financing options<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Students and
their parents looking for loans should search further than federal and private
loans. Some states provide their own loans with lower interest rates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">One of the
state agencies that provide financial aid to support students is the Georgia
Student Finance Commission (GSFC). It offers one of the most affordable loans
which have a fixed rate of 1% and a repayment period of fifteen years for
students signing up for the loan for the school year 2015-2016. Students must be residents of the state and
attend their college there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Recently,
the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board announced that Texas College
Access Loan interest rates on student loan will fall to a fixed rate of 4.5%,
down from 5.25% and a repayment period of twenty years. Students must also be
residents of Texas and attend their college there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Tax breaks<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Using the
American Opportunity Tax Credit, families can easily recover some of their expenses
that can be claimed for the upcoming fall semester when parents file their 2015
taxes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The credit
is worth up to $2,500, based on the amount parents spend on tuition, certain
fees and course materials, such as textbooks, with the complete amount usually
given when $4,000 is paid toward those expenses during the taxable year.
Taxpayers with adjusted gross income that is greater than $90,000, or more than
$180,000 for joint filers, are unable to claim the credit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Requesting a package<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Students
whose financial conditions have changes since they filed their financial aid or
who believe that they should qualify for more need-based aid, can often appeal
the aid package they have been offered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">They've got
to provide documentation, including pay stubs or bills documenting their
expenses, to their college's financial aid officer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">However,
students with an unexpected change in finances have the best chance at getting
a more generous package. Changes includes students' parents lose their jobs or
have a pay cut, or families have immediate medical bills that are not covered
by insurance.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Certain
schools will only consider these students for an appeal. They can submit this
appeal at any point, even throughout the school year.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-19021019063228934732015-05-21T18:41:00.002-07:002015-05-21T18:43:34.139-07:00Deep Blue Publications Group LLC: Netflix to enter Chinese market<div class="MsoNormal">
Video <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/">streaming</a> provider Netflix is reportedly negotiating with Chinese media firms in a bid to enter the country's huge market. However, it could possibly be faced with challenges like censorship along the way.<br />
<br />
According to reports, Netflix is currently in talks with several Chinese firms that hold content license in the country. Most notable among them is Wasu Media Holding, co-owned by Jack Ma of Alibaba.<br />
<br />
Shares of Netflix increased sharply after reports of its possible operations in China became public. It increased by 5%, gaining around 30% since April and passing the USD 600 threshold for the first time. Moreover, the online video streaming service got almost 5 million new customers, reaching the all-time high of 60 million subscribers -- with 20 million coming from its foreign markets.<br />
Doing business in Beijing will present a number of concerns for the company like potential censoring of certain programs and questions about streaming rights in the country. Netflix has been licensing some of its programs to Chinese companies before but is now looking to acquire global rights to its content.<br />
<br />
However, <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/">Deep Blue Publications Group LLC</a> reported that Netflix is cautiously saying that the company's plans in China is a modest one -- just a "small service" if things work out well with their negotiations.<br />
<br />
"If we go, it will be a modest investment. Because we won't have that much content, we're going to be very cautious and feel our way along through that process, if we're able to get that license," said Netflix's Reed Hastings.<br />
<br />
Their video streaming service has recently launched in New Zealand, Australia and later Japan. Looks like Netflix is getting closer to its goal of being available in two hundred nations as it has already reached 50 at present. Perhaps it's trying to boost its international presence more than ever as domestic growth is slowing down, according to Deep Blue Publications Group LLC. Indeed, its foreign markets' growth is overtaking that of its domestic numbers.<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-81095673201300685542015-05-18T17:57:00.000-07:002015-05-18T17:57:02.137-07:00Investing Guide at Deep Blue Group Publications LLC USA Madrid Tokyo Singapore: 5 Financial Tips for Singles<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">When you are
single, you're possibly too busy living the life instead of thinking about
serious things like savings or investing because anything related to finance
and money doesn't hold much weight to you. But you should also consider
investing your money for the future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/">Deep Blue Group Publications</a> provided
some important financial tips below for singles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Begin having
a budget<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Without a
budget, you will never find out how much you have overspent and how much you
actually need to stay out of debt, so make an effort to start budgeting as soon
as possible. Since almost everyone nowadays has a mobile phone or smartphone,
there are a lot of mobile applications to help you monitor your finances.
Alternatively, you could also use a notebook to track your finances.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">As soon as
you begin tracking your finances, you will realize what you really need and not
want, and reduce spontaneous purchases.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Save and
invest now<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Some single
individuals put off savings for later. However, the sooner you start, the
better it is for you 10 years later, as you would have a significant amount in
your bank, and this will only continue to grow until you retire. So take action
and do it soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">As Albert
Einstein pointed out: "Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the
world. He who understands it, earns it... he who doesn't... pays it." He
also referred to compound interest as "the most powerful force in the
universe". The magic of compound interest lies in the way that today's
investment returns will generate gains in the future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Discuss your
finances<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In case you
are not knowledgeable with the fundamentals of finance, you can speak to your
parents or seek a <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/">financial adviser</a> to
discuss about your finances, and get an advice on why it’s best to invest your
money for the future. After you get an understanding of what investments works
best for you, then you can make your own decisions slowly but surely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Build an
emergency fund<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Start your
emergency fund even if you can only save a few dollars monthly. Any emergency
savings is better than none.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">It is
necessary to have a small amount of saving in case of an emergency so you will
not be caught off guard. Put your emergency funds where they can be utilized
quickly and without penalty if you need them. High-interest savings accounts
and money market accounts are great options.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Treat
yourself every now and then</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">You don't
have to be a penny pincher constantly. Remember that you are allowed to treat
yourself on specific occasions, and appreciate the treat instead of feeling
guilty about it. However, keep in mind the budget you create for yourself and
spend wisely.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-15682971908768423652015-04-29T02:33:00.001-07:002015-04-29T02:33:43.067-07:00Deep Blue Publications Group LLC: Tips on real estate investment for beginners<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
A lot of people are considering the profits to be made
from flipping houses.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Basically, flipping houses was defined as a type of <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/tips-on-real-estate-investment-for-beginners/">real
estate investment strategy</a> in which an investor purchases properties at a
discounted price and improves them to be able to sell it at a higher price.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
However some beginners are often discouraged taking part
in real estate investment. The following basic tips will help them on their
voyage to discover financial freedom through real estate.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Be determined</i><b>. </b>Similar to what the famous quote
says, “Determination today leads to success tomorrow”, real estate investment
is not a scheme to get rich in an instant. It is a lifelong endeavor to take
control of your financial future. You will certainly struggle. You are going to
sacrifice money, opportunities, and time. You will make mistakes. You will
fail. But successful individuals from <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/">Deep
Blue Publications Group LLC</a> are people who take those experiences and turn
them into lessons to enhance their abilities.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Study basic math</i><b>.</b> The math included in a real estate
investment is not college calculus. We are talking about basic math like a
fifth grader’s math and it isn’t difficult to learn. Income minus expenses
equals cash flow, that’s the kind of math you need to get good at. You could
also use a basic spreadsheet or an investment property calculator to analyze a
deal. The fastest way to fail on real estate is to forget that it is a number’s
game.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Create a written
plan</i><b>.</b> You wouldn’t take a road
trip without a map, so you must take your <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/">voyage through financial freedom</a> with
a map. Sat down and create a plan to get from where you are to where you wanted
to be. However life gives us unexpected outcomes and doesn’t follow the ideal,
therefore you should value the principles from the plan you created.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
You don’t need to become an expert in all things on real
estate. As said earlier, some people are easily intimidated on real estate
investing because of the vast information they need to understand. But the
simple fact is that no one knows it all that well, you can be good at a small
handful.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Keep a clean
reputation</i><b>.</b> This provides you
credibility and will help individuals to become loyal to you. You must keep
your word and don’t ever tell a lie to a client. As you start working on real
estate, you must keep intact of your reputation in this type of business.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Interact with local
investors</i><b>.</b> You must learn from
like-minded people. Real estate is a well-known field so you can possibly find
a group in your area that focuses on earning profits in real estate. Local
investors may have a far greater grasp at what works in your community. Begin
spending time with them and ask them to show you some of their properties, or
educate you with things you wished to learn more about. Many investors like to
show off their accomplishments, so allow them to because they can give you
helpful information. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>You have to do your
research</i><b>.</b> There are some
investors who get so fortunate and make it big even though they are unsure of
where they’re going to land after jumping in with both feet on real estate.
However many of the time these investors fall and fall hard. Don’t be one of
them. Do your research and stick to the niche or the specialization you want to
invest in and learn everything you can about that subject. It doesn’t matter if
you’re flipping properties of building them from the ground up but you should
master what you’re doing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>It is okay to start
small</i><b>.</b> Maybe your first
investment will be your first home. Perchance you will begin with just a 50/50
partnership on a small flip. Don’t worry because that is okay. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Begin with a good
bookkeeping now</i><b>.</b> Meet with an
accountant as well as a lawyer after your first purchase and begin strategizing
your bookkeeping, taxes, and legal holding status.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Hire a person or
company that offers property management services if necessary</i><b>. </b>When investing in real estate, be
realistic about the period of time you’ll be able to spend on property
management. Tenant problems can definitely kill your time. If you find that you
don’t have time to manage it then consider following this tip.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Don’t quit your
ideal job</i><b>.</b> Investing has two
faces: the career side and the investment side. It can be both but it doesn’t
need to be both. If there is a career you liked better — ideal job, do that and
invest on the other side. Find whatever job that makes you the happiest and do
that but use real estate as your investment vehicle to achieve you journey to
financial freedom.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-1035153196675130302015-04-06T17:05:00.002-07:002015-04-06T17:05:54.002-07:00Deep Blue Publications Group LLC: Two charge with insider trading by SECUS authorities filed insider trading charges against two Indian entrepreneurs for allegedly gaining a million dollars from the proposed merger of India's Apollo Tyres and Cooper Tire and Rubber in 2013.
<br><br>
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a complaint against private <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog">equity investor</a> Amit Kanodia and his friend Iftikar Ahmed, a partner of Oak Investment Partners firm in Connecticut.
<br><br>
Kanodia, a graduate of University of Massachusetts and Ahmed, a graduate of Harvard Business School are facing criminal and civil charges filed by the SEC and Attorney's Office for Massachusetts. While insider trading sentences are usually less severe, they could still face a USD 5 million fine and a maximum of twenty years in jail because of the fraud.
<br><br>
According to the SEC complaint, Apollo agreed to acquire Cooper Tire in June 2013 for USD 2.5 billion. But two months before the merger of Cooper Tire and Apollo was announced to the public, Kanodia learned of it from his wife, the general counsel of Apollo that time. He then allegedly shared the confidential information with his friend Ahmed who went and purchased Cooper Tire shares.
<br><br>
After the deal was announced, Cooper Tire's stock price increased by 41%. That's when Ahmed apparently liquidated his Cooper Tire stocks and gained over USD 1.1 million. <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/">Deep Blue Publications Group LLC</a> discovered that the proposed merger did not materialize anyway due to legal disputes between the two firms in December of 2013.
<br><br>
The SEC also claims that Kanodia received a kickback of USD 220,000 which was paid by Ahmed via a supposed charity organization of Kanodia called the Lincoln Charitable Foundation.
<br><br>
Kanodia's legal counsel told Deep Blue Publications Group LLC that his client is going to assert his innocence and will not plead guilty. And while any representative from Ahmed's camp cannot be reached, a spokesperson from Oak confirmed that he is placed on leave of absence.
<br><br>
US Attorney Carmen Ortiz said, "Trading on insider information is fraud, plain and simple."
<br><br>
Typically, when the SEC files insider trading charges, they come with corresponding settlements. However, there is none in this case as it says the investigation is still underway.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-11904315169687787072015-03-16T17:41:00.000-07:002015-03-16T17:41:42.972-07:00Deep Blue Publications Group LLC: How to avoid IRS scam<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">You might get a call one of these days -- one
that uses scare tactics by mentioning that you're about to lose your home or
your freedom. They will sound convincing on the phone; armed with surprisingly
accurate financial information about you. The caller will even tell you the
only thing to prevent the police from busting through your door is an immediate
payment of cash. If that doesn't sound like a scam, I don't know what does. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">With the tax season upon us again, cases of
identity theft have seen a spike across the states. Through the use of social
engineering coupled with identity theft techniques, the unknown thieves have
stolen from over 3000 individuals in the last 2 years. However, that just might
be a modest number as not all who were victimized were willing to report to the
authorities. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Estimates from <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/">Deep Blue Publications Group LLC</a> place
this particular scam as the largest ever, conning victims of over USD 15
million since it apparently started operating in 2013. What's more, the average
loss of each person amounts to around USD 5000, with the largest known loss
from a single individual at half a million dollars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">One strong reason that this scam works is the
public's inherent fear of anything to do with IRS. Who would have thought these
heavily-accented callers are actually located somewhere in India.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"They have information that only the
Internal Revenue Service would know about you. It's a byproduct of today's
society. There's so much information available on individuals," said the
inspector in charge of investigations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The best way to defend yourself from such scams
is to be constantly informed. <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/">Here are
several tips from Deep Blue Publications Group LLC</a> to keep you watching for
red flags:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">- Always be on your guard. Whether it's reading
your mail or picking up your phone,
you'd do well to focus your attention on it so you won't easily be fooled by
merely hearing a trigger word.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">- Slow down. Their goal is to get you to panic
and lose your ability to think straight. They will exploit this as much as
possible -- short-circuiting your thought processes by mentioning the police or
some form of legal action that is supposedly being prepared against you. Don't
fall for this. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">- Verify. If you're really finding it hard to
disregard what the caller is saying, just tell him to call back in a few
minutes. Once you get him off the line, call the official number of IRS at once
to confirm if the caller's story is true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">- Just ignore it. If you get such a call, don't
talk and just hang up. Remember: IRS will not ask for your payment through wire
transfer or debit card -- nor will they use the phone as the first means of
official communication.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</span>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-65949626709230299682014-12-22T17:39:00.003-08:002014-12-22T17:41:01.659-08:00Deep Blue Publications Group LLC: Why you should Secure your Financial Info<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You
might have subscribed to a credit monitoring service or a special insurance so
you're not really worried if crackers did make use of your credentials to
conduct fraud, but you probably didn't think that recovery from a case like
that will take many months of unpaid time and effort.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
issue is not getting any easier to deal with: While crackers are getting their
hands on an ever-growing treasure trove of sensitive data even from big players
like Sony and Target, an increasing number of those records are also getting
used. <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/">Deep Blue Publications Group LLC</a>
estimates that 30% of US citizens affected by a security breach eventually
became a fraud victim last year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A
case study done by <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/">Deep Blue
Publications Group LLC</a> included a victim of a data breach from 2013 who was
afterwards provided with a free service of credit monitoring. The monitoring
apparently paid off as they discovered that new accounts have been created in
two other giant retailers which racked up over USD 7,000 in charges using the
victim's credentials. He would then spend the next 8 months filing reports,
submitting documents and talking on the phone all to clear up his record in the
concerned agencies and in proving his innocence to his bank.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In
most cases, those effort and time spent following up the incident is wasted
unless a special insurance has been bought beforehand or the victim has sued --
and won.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
only thing that's arguably worse than credit card fraud is debit card fraud --
victims could end up with literally an empty bank account as any transaction on
a debit card readily reflects to the bank account. Also, it takes a long period
of time before any fund gets restored, if at all.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Banks
may be able to absorb the fraudulent charges but there will still be a lot of
headache involved on the victims' part before they recover their money and
clean their credit history. What's more, it could get frustrating when they
realize that such cases of identity theft are hardly prosecuted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-66793876395395233012014-12-17T16:08:00.000-08:002014-12-17T16:10:38.191-08:00Deep Blue Publications Group LLC: How Retirement Funds Could Turn On You<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">One of the biggest
dilemmas people face today is what <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">financial experts</span></a>
like to call the "variation of outcomes". In a more practical sense,
it would mean the difference between those students who were on the top 10
during your high school, for example: 5 made it into Ivy League schools, 3 got
into other universities, one went to work and the other took a break. In short,
even in a supposed set of people, you can never predict what will happen in the
future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And when it comes
to retirement investments, people tend to have similar strategies on withdrawal
that consequently points to various outcomes. Case in point: how investors
could have survived the peak of the 90s bull market which was viewed as one of
the worst times to start withdrawing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">For example, you
had 1 million USD invested by the end of 1999 and then decided to withdraw a
fix rate of 5% (50,000 USD) every year. Five percent turns out to be a
sustainable enough withdrawal rate, even with the inflation taken into account
according to <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Deep Blue Publications Group LLC</span></a> planners.
(Note: There really is no recommended
sustainable percentage of withdrawals as brokers themselves admit they get
antsy when clients begin to take more than 6% annually.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Naturally, the
outcome will be widely different depending on one's timing and specific
investment. Then what's the lesson learned from that period of 2 consecutive
bear markets?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">* Do not withdraw
from stock funds during a bear market for this will significantly increase your
losses. Besides, once the fund rebounded, your withdrawals will decrease in
value.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">* Most popular
funds of the month are not always recommended. They could have been overpriced
and overstuffed which is perhaps why it had a supposed 'good' performance
during previous quarters. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">* Don't bet all
your shares during retirement especially if you retire at the start of a
multi-year bear market.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It does make a
great difference if your investments are not that closely related with stocks
as a safeguard for any unexpected outcome. The usual choice in making a diverse
portfolio today is bonds but this could also mean you'll get hit once the
interest rates increase. Consider foreign bonds instead, or get into real
estate and gold, all of which are not that related with stocks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In the end, the
amount you withdraw at a given year is still based on a number of factors such
as life expectancy, existing loans and lifestyle. Just make sure you avoid a
wide "variation of outcomes" from your investments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-48350826210690597102014-12-07T16:21:00.002-08:002014-12-07T16:21:27.045-08:00Investing Guide at Deep Blue Group Publications LLC Tokyo: 10 Tips for Successful Investing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AdPyugdGsQ4/VITuc4W-zhI/AAAAAAAAANY/oYgraM6Trpo/s1600/FT-page-e1369835264304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AdPyugdGsQ4/VITuc4W-zhI/AAAAAAAAANY/oYgraM6Trpo/s1600/FT-page-e1369835264304.jpg" height="366" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Bad
news always makes the headlines, while good news is rarely reported and, over
the past 15 years we’ve seen constant negative headlines when it comes to <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/">stock markets</a>. We’ve witnessed two <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/">huge market crashes</a>, with the end of
the tech bubble in 1999 and the recent financial crisis of 2008 resulting in
almost 50% declines. Then every few months we hear of another company blowing
up. The latest examples are Tesco, Balfour Beatty and Quindell, and there have
also been the Madoff and Enron fraud scandals!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">So
it’s not surprising that most ordinary people view the market as a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/deepbluepublicationsgroup">risky gamble</a>,
which may or may not pay off. However, for the most part, our stock market
works well and has actually produced some good returns over the long term. <a href="http://deepblue-group.livejournal.com/">Investing</a> is also not nearly
as hard as you might think. Anyone can do it, and be successful, as long as
they understand a few basic principles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The 10 tips<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">1.
First, pay off any high interest debt, such as credit cards or bank loans,
before you even consider investing. This is less a principle and more a golden
rule! There’s no point investing when you’re paying huge interest on debts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">2.
Then consider your goal and your investment time horizon. If you’re saving for
a house deposit and plan to buy in the next couple of years, then investing in
the stock market is probably not appropriate because a big fall in the market
might prevent you from reaching your goal. The key point to remember is that
the longer your time horizon the better chance you have of making money in the
stock market. If you’re going to be investing for over 10 years you should
consider some exposure to the stock market.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">3.
Think about your risk tolerance and be honest. Some people just can’t handle
the swings of the stock market and it causes them sleepless nights. If you’re
one of these people you shouldn’t be investing in stocks. Be aware that the
stock market will almost certainly go through a major crash in the future but
it’s impossible to know when. Prepare yourself for this before you invest.
Unfortunately many smaller investors sell out at the bottom of the market after
a big sell-off and miss out on the subsequent rally. That’s exactly what you
want to avoid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">4.
Buy a fund not a stock. Buying a single stock can be very risky, even if you
hear a great tip from a mate in the pub! Choosing stocks that will beat the
overall market is hard and requires a huge amount of time, energy and
experience. Remember if you’re buying an individual stock you’re saying you
know more than all the other professional investors in the market. So consider
buying a fund instead. If one or two stocks in the fund go bust you won’t lose
all your money. There are two types of fund, passive and active. Passive funds
simply try and match the entire performance of a stock market as best they can.
Active funds employ a fund manager who actively takes positions and tries to
beat the market. It’s much easier to research a fund than it is a stock.
Websites such as fundcalibre.com provide a list of managers who have
historically been skilful, as well as performance data and free research on
their favourite funds. As you become a more experienced investor you may decide
to invest in individual stocks but you shouldn’t if you’re a beginner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">5.
Diversify. A classic investing mistake is when an investor puts all their money
in a single stock, only for them to lose all their money when the stock
crashes. By investing in a fund that makes many different investments, you
immediately diversify and protect yourself. You can also diversify by region
(UK, Europe and Asia, for example), company size and asset class – you don’t
have to invest in stocks, you can also invest in bond funds or property funds,
for example. Bonds are money that is lent to governments, corporations and
municipalities in return for periodic interest payments. They have typically
given a lower return, but they are generally much less volatile than stocks
and, even more importantly, they often do well when equities are doing badly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">6.
Understand what your investment. Whatever sort of investment you choose, make
sure you understand it. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Check
a fund’s underlying investments on the factsheet. The Madoff scandal happened
because no one bothered to check what he was actually doing. Beginner investors
may want to check that their fund is an onshore fund. An onshore fund protects
you in cases of fraud to the value of £50,000 per fund group. Of course this
doesn’t mean you’re protected if the value of the fund’s investments fall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">7.
Start small. You don’t need to be rich to invest. For example, at Chelsea
Financial Services you can invest with as little £50. Even making a small
investment will get you in the habit of saving and following it will help you
to build up your financial knowledge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">8.
Consider monthly savings. You don’t have to invest all your money at once. One
of the best ways to start is by investing monthly. By investing monthly you can
invest gradually, enabling you to take advantage when prices fall. Putting a
fixed amount into a fund every month, regardless of market behaviour, is known
as ‘pound-cost averaging’. Monthly investing promotes the discipline of saving,
whereby a small amount invested every month over several years can build into a
sizeable nest egg.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">9.
Get value for money. Charges matter and unfortunately many providers aren’t
transparent. At Chelsea we only have our service charge (0.4% a year) and a
Cofunds platform charge (0.2% a year). There are no other charges for anything
else. Watch out for providers who take a minimum monthly charge or charge you
for each transaction. There’s no point in investing £100 a month if there’s a
minimum charge of £8 a month or if it costs £5 for each trade. Also watch out
for the charges of the actual funds. Look at the OCF (ongoing charge figure)
which includes the (annual management charge). An OCF of greater than 1% is
very high and should be avoided in most cases.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">10.
Don’t trade your funds – there’s a big difference between a trader and an
investor. Don’t pay too much attention to noise in the media. Beginners should
not trade their investments. This can be expensive and is usually pointless. A
wise man once said that the stock market is a very efficient mechanism of
transferring money from the impatient to the patient. Choose your initial funds
carefully and then review them every so often. Once every six months should be
enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-8509833661343182882014-12-04T18:12:00.001-08:002014-12-04T18:14:05.218-08:00Investing Guide at Deep Blue Group Publications LLC Tokyo - Investing in You: How to hunt bargains like a pro<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1TNjGmNLWtk/VIEUDnnGaRI/AAAAAAAAANI/mwv1HOkFu0U/s1600/ae1invest30z-a1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1TNjGmNLWtk/VIEUDnnGaRI/AAAAAAAAANI/mwv1HOkFu0U/s1600/ae1invest30z-a1.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There are savvy shoppers.
Then there are holiday crazies - expert, rabid consumers who combine coupons,
compare online vs. in-store bargains via smartphone, and put us all to shame.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Edgar Dworsky, proprietor
of nonprofit consumer advocate <b><a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20141130_Investing_in_You__How_to_hunt_bargains_like_a_pro.html">Consumer
World.org</a>,</b> is among the latter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Here's what he does before
buying anything, most especially during this season of shopping insanity, along
with tips from some other parties:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/">Chart price history</a></span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">.
Start by visiting sites like Shopping.com, Shop.pricespider.com,
Pricegrabber.com, and TheFind.com, as well as Google Shopping, Amazon.com, and
eBay. This year, the Wall Street Journal
has launched a "Christmas Sale Tracker" on 10 popular items that
updates constantly. WorthIt.co alerts shoppers when prices drop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Sometimes, what
seems like a good deal today really isn't a good deal vs. six months ago,"
Dworsky says. "Also, read negative reviews and horror stories. There are
lemons out there, so do your homework online."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Reviews can be found at sites
such as BizRate.com, ResellerRatings.com, Consumer Reports, or PCMag.com.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/">Combine savings</a></span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">.
Let store credit cards, coupons, loyalty programs, and promo codes work for
you. Try CouponCabin.com and RetailMeNot.com, coupon apps you download on a
phone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Assuming you're not
creeped out by the Minority Report overtones, RetailMeNot's app tracks your
physical location to send relevant deals. Walking by Old Navy or Macy's? The
app senses your location and sends you a coupon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"There's no clipping,
no carrying paper coupons around, and you can also save these coupons on your
phone. RetailMeNot will alert you when the coupons expire," says Trae
Bodge, a RetailMeNot blogger in Montclair, N.J.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">ShopYourWay.com is a
loyalty program for Sears and Kmart that Dworsky uses to buy appliances.
"If you're renovating a house, you can rack up a lot of points buying all
your appliances from Sears," he says, "and maybe get 2 percent back
if you use a Sears credit card."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/deepbluepublicationsgroup">Check for rebates</a>.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
Just prior to buying, Dworsky checks with Ebates.com or Fatwallet.com to see
whether those sites will pay cash back for purchases at major retailers such as
Sears.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Prices on Kenmore
appliances, for instance, are typically inflated," he explains, "so
it's a great way to get extra savings."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://foursquare.com/v/deep-blue-publications-group/524cf1600493079a31e08f43">Take
credit</a>.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> For the love of money (say, fraud,
security, and repair costs), don't shop with a debit card or cash. You have
everything to lose by using debit cards, and cash payment doesn't offer
warranty extension or returns protection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Unless you are
someone for whom credit is like booze and you can't control yourself using it,
avoid paying cash or debit," Dworsky says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Some credit cards double
warranties on refurbished items. (DealNews.com compares extended warranties.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dworsky uses a Fidelity
Investments credit card with 2 percent cash back and price-protection coverage,
and a Chase Freedom Visa card. Both offer warranty extensions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Some card issuers also
generate one-time "virtual" credit card numbers, Dworsky says, which
"I like to use when I'm shopping in an unfamiliar place." It's called
a "shop-safe" card number, issued once and with a short-term
expiration date and credit limit, to help prevent fraud.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Online
deals honored?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Last season, Walmart did
not honor lower Internet prices on some items, partially because the two
divisions within America's largest retailer compete with each other, Dworsky
says. Kohl's uses electronic signs in its stores that change prices every hour,
complicating comparisons with online pricing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Traditionally, Apple
offers discounts of up to 10 percent, but last year ditched the discount and
instead paired products with Apple gift cards. Retailers including MacMall,
Best Buy, and Walmart offered significantly better deals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This year, Dworsky again
recommends avoiding Apple stores. "Unless you're in the market for an
Apple refurb - which is a great way to save money on Apple devices - there's no
reason to shop from Apple during the holidays," he says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Upscale retailers Lord
& Taylor and Nordstrom offer a "pick up in store" option. Target
and Crate & Barrel are copying that, says Wharton professor David Bell,
author of Location Is (Still) Everything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Location determines sales
more than ever, Bell says: "We think the Internet flattens out our
options. But if you live next door to a drugstore, likely you're going to go
downstairs for diapers there every day, rather than shop at Diapers.com all the
time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Your physical world
defines your options," he says. "If you're in the Philly suburbs 30 minutes
from a store, then Diapers.com looks good."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Bell helps retailers Nike
and Ann Taylor analyze how e-commerce does when a new store opens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Crate & Barrel, for
instance, began offering a "buy online and pick up in the store"
option, he says, that instead drove traffic into the brick-and-mortar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-26838521475063996752014-12-01T15:50:00.000-08:002014-12-01T15:50:03.593-08:00The Big Story Isn’t What You Think It Is: Investing Guide at Deep Blue Group Publications LLC Tokyo<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">For
the past six years, the mainstream has looked for the one thing that would
cause markets to crash. They’ve come up with no end of ideas. Each has failed
miserably. After a few wobbles here and there, the <a href="http://www.moneymorning.com.au/20141129/big-story-isnt-think.html">market</a>
hasn’t crashed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">That
doesn’t mean that it won’t one day, but so far the mainstream has gotten it
horribly wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The
one thing the mainstream has picked up on is the falling oil price. But even
there they haven’t got it 100% right. As usual, they have only scratched at the
surface. They aren’t looking at the layers beneath.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The
key to understanding the falling oil price is that it’s not just about slowing
economic growth or cheaper fuel at the petrol pump. It’s about understanding
the knock-on effect of lower oil prices on the oil industry, on the economy, on
consumer confidence, and on the rest of the financial markets.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If
there’s one thing you should know about the <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/">markets
and economies</a>, it’s that everything is connected. The oil price can’t rise
or fall by US$20–30 a barrel without it impacting every market sooner or later.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If
the oil price stays below US$70 per barrel, or continues to fall even further,
it will have a huge impact on the world’s markets. It will create an
environment where stocks ultimately rise to a record high over the next four
years before crashing in spectacular fashion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">That’s
right, the downturn that happened on the ASX recently was nasty. But it wasn’t
the big event. Nonetheless, that volatile period scared many investors out of
the market as they thought it was the big crash. As the market settles and
begins to rise, these same investors will realise their mistake and begin
piling back into the market.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">When
they do, stocks will take off again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">That
can seem hard to believe with all the scary headlines in the papers. But that’s
how markets work. Sometimes they scare the heck out of investors. <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/">Investors</a> panic and sell. Then they
panic and buy back in again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The
result will be what I see as a four-year rally that will take stocks to a
record high in 2018. And I don’t just mean a small advance from where the Dow
Jones Industrial Average is today. I’m talking about the Dow rising another
50–100% from where it is today…and the Aussie index taking out a new high as it
surges past the 2007 peak.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It
could mean that the Aussie index doubles, perhaps triples from where it is
today. Again, I know that may sound outrageous. It’s supposed to. Bull markets
tend to begin when the market is in the throes of despair.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">But
you shouldn’t for a moment think that I’m cheerleading for stocks to go higher,
or that I’m ignorant to the problems facing the world economy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This
isn’t about stocks doubling over the next four years and then continuing to
rise forever. This is about the events that are happening today that will lead
to an extraordinary stock rally and then a just as extraordinary bust.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">China isn’t the only fraud<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It’s
not just the Aussie market and oil taking a beating — or gold, although it has
rebounded recently.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The
Chinese market continues to get roughed up. Despite China’s huge growth rate of
7.3%, the market still seems to be more focussed on the slowing growth rate
rather than the aggregate growth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It’s
amazing. Even if China’s growth rate <a href="https://www.facebook.com/deepbluepublicationsgroup">stock market</a> averages
5% in the years ahead, the economy will still double in size from where it is
today in less than 15 years.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Just
think about that for a second. As big as China’s economy is today, in 15 years
it could be twice as big. At the moment China’s GDP is around US$10 trillion.
The US economy’s GDP is around US$18 trillion. So if China grows at a 5% average
growth over the next 15 years it will exceed the size of today’s US economy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I
don’t know about you, but to me that’s incredible.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">And
yet the mainstream can only focus on one thing, the potential for China’s
economy to collapse. It explains this report in the Financial Times:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">‘China’s foreign
exchange regulator has uncovered $10bn in fake cross-border trade since April
last year and has turned 15 cases over to police in a crackdown aimed at
curbing hot money flows…<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">‘The gap between Chinese
customs data on exports to Hong Kong and Hong Kong customs data on imports from
China hit an all-time high of $28bn in March last year. The gap is viewed as a
proxy for how much exporters are inflating their invoices. But by July this
year, the gap had fallen to $9bn.’<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-50614361300966157932014-11-24T17:31:00.002-08:002014-11-24T17:31:48.659-08:00Investing Guide at Deep Blue Group Publications LLC Tokyo - Top Tips For Winning New Clients<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Looking for ways to attract additional <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/">clients</a>? Here are some helpful suggestions
from a variety of industry sages, including Ron Carson, founder of Omaha,
Neb.-based Peak Advisor Alliance, a coaching program for <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/">financial advisors</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Explain Your Fees<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Based on his research, Carson found that today’s investors —
first and foremost — want to understand how and when an advisor they are
looking to work with gets paid. Advisors, therefore, need to be precise about
how much they will be charging and clear in explaining how they come up with
their fees. One way advisors can be more transparent is by simply posting their
fees on their firms’ websites, so that any potential clients can see them,
carefully review them, and then ask questions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Don’t Be Condescending<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Potential clients also want to be treated as equals. They can
sense when an advisor is talking down to them or avoiding the details. The
choice of words that an advisor uses when speaking with clients is also
important. The wrong word choice can have the wrong effect or make the wrong
impact. Terms like "<a href="https://www.facebook.com/deepbluepublicationsgroup">asset allocation</a>,"
"diversification" and "controlling expenses" are all
examples of appropriate word choices that can help a client understand the
methods of investing being used, according to Carson. Vague words such as
“alternatives” can mean a variety of things and are therefore less helpful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Millennial investors, in particular, don’t want to be
bombarded with a bunch of numbers when an advisor is explaining investment
choices. And they certainly don’t want to be “schmoozed” in an old-school way.
Instead, advisors should be up-front with their clients and provide them with
answers to questions in a clear, straightforward manner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Make Yourself Available<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Today's investors also want to be able to access their
portfolios whenever the mood strikes them, so investment advisors need to make
themselves available at all times. They should be proactive about alerting
clients when changes in the economy, the markets or even the government could
have a big impact on their portfolio. They should also be able to talk to their
clients about how these changes may affect their investment choices. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">What Can You do for Them?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Additionally, clients need to know exactly what an advisor
can offer them so advisors should be specific when addressing this. They are
less interested in hearing a sales pitch and more interested in learning
exactly what an advisor can do for them and what services will be provided.
Advisors should also ask any potential clients to explain to them what their
specific needs are. At that point, the advisor can express to the client
exactly how they will be able to fulfill those needs. Advisors may also want to
form their own client advisory councils within their businesses and ask clients
to offer detailed feedback about their business practices. It’s a great way to
find out areas with your business that may need improvement. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Bottom Line<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Advisors looking to attract potential clients need to speak
in a straightforward manner, be available for questions and leave the sales
pitch at the door. They should make every attempt to learn about a client's
needs, be specific about what kinds of services they provide and, most of all,
be upfront about how they are paid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-64402347154173294622014-11-23T16:32:00.000-08:002014-11-23T16:32:39.478-08:00Investing Guide: Evaluating Foreign Investment Restraints in China<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
As we have written previously,
China is engaging in simultaneous bilateral <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/">investment</a>
treaty (BIT) negotiations with the United States and the European Union.
Indications are that the Chinese government is taking these negotiations very
seriously. This presents the most significant <a href="http://www.natlawreview.com/article/evaluating-foreign-investment-restraints-china">opportunity
for foreign investors in China</a> to influence market access restrictions and
other restraints on foreign <a href="http://deepbluepublicationsgroup.blogspot.co.uk/">investment</a> in the
country since China’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
At the request of European
trade negotiators, we searched hundreds of thousands of measures issued by 39
central government agencies and five representative provincial-level
governments in order to identify provisions that frame or limit market access
and business activities of foreign-owned companies in China. In the process, we
identified over 800 restraining provisions, which we analyzed and grouped into
a number of different types and categories. The results provide a useful
taxonomy for future discussion both within the BIT negotiation context and
beyond.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Beyond published measures, the
Covington team reviewed key trade publications and conducted interviews with
industry groups to identify and catalogue administrative practices that may
also have a restraining effect on foreign <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/">investment</a>. As foreign business
leaders in China are well aware, many of the biggest obstacles to foreign
participation in the Chinese economy are imposed unofficially by government
officials exercising legal or extralegal discretion.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
A public version of the report
prepared for the EU’s Directorate General for Trade is available on the EU DG
Trade website. While it does not include the full database of restraining
measures, the public version presents detailed descriptions of the types of
restraints identified and provides supporting examples and observations.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Material for this post was
supplied by Ashwin Kaja of Covington & Burling LLP.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-27870583877637582682014-11-19T15:34:00.000-08:002014-11-19T15:34:25.085-08:00Investing Guide at Deep Blue Group Publications LLC Tokyo: 3 Tips to Navigate Market Volatility<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">With geopolitical crises in the news, 2014 has been
a "year of fear."<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">During the
months of September and October, the <a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/the-smarter-mutual-fund-investor/2014/11/03/3-tips-to-navigate-market-volatility"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">stock market</span></a> dealt
investors more falling stocks than rising ones. Some may suggest the 2014
market has been worse than many years in recent memory. Although that remains
to be seen, 2014 has been what I call a "year of fear." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The year began
with an extraordinarily cold winter, with places like Austin, Texas, getting
snow and freezing rain, and the polar vortex crippling many parts of the
Eastern Seaboard and the Midwest. Throughout the year, other global events,
conflicts and crises have affected <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">stock market performance</span></a>.
Because investors were inundated with so much information (and much of it was
conflicting information), many investors did not know what to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Although these
events are undoubtedly reason to give us pause, if we look at the facts, we
should be less concerned for our long-term <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">investing success</span></a>. Businesses have restructured
and refocused on the bottom line, which often translates to better results for
their shareholders. In addition, American energy production is at an all-time
high, which has resulted in lower oil prices. While you are looking for
positive signs in the stock market, here are three tips that may help prevent
your investments from getting hurt by recent fluctuations in the market. <br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">1. Don’t be scared by market corrections.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">
Market corrections are necessary. Without them, there would be bubbles. These
corrections typically help us keep our expectations realistic. However, it’s
important to know the difference between a market correction and a bear <a href="https://www.facebook.com/deepbluepublicationsgroup"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">market</span></a>. I tell my
clients that any softening of the market that is less than 10 percent is a
correction. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">When the
market softens 20 percent or more, we are entering bear market territory, and
it is likely time to make some changes to ensure they stay on course and reach
their <a href="http://deepblue-group.livejournal.com/"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">investment</span></a> goals. We have to realize we
have entered a new paradigm of investing. Now that we know that, we have to
figure out how to handle the volatility. Your portfolio should be diversified
to protect against this volatility as much as possible. While using
diversification as part of your investment strategy doesn’t assure or guarantee
better performance and can’t protect against loss in declining markets, it is
well-recognized risk management strategy.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">2. Don’t let market lows give you portfolio woes.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">
The market is a fickle beast. By its very definition, there will be both ups
and downs in the market. However, two things are important to keep in mind
should either market movement occur. First, you have to remember your plan and
time horizon. You developed your investment plan when cooler heads prevailed,
which is the best time to create it. Next, you have to realize that since fear
is an inherent part of investing your hard-earned money in the stock market,
the second thing you should do is take a risk tolerance questionnaire when the
market falls. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">These
questionnaires are available on any number of financial websites, and they can
help you put the market in context. Have you taken on more risk than you are
comfortable with? If you get out of the market when it softens (and take the
financial losses associated with it), by the time you decide the waters are
safe enough to get back in, you may be missing out on a potential upswing. <br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">3. Beta-test your portfolio to minimize your fears.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">
Beta is a measure of a fund's sensitivity to market movements, and is
calculated by comparative analysis of how your portfolio will perform with
respect to the Standard & Poor's 500 index. Performing this kind of
analysis can help to take some of the fear out of investing in the stock
market. However, a low beta does not necessarily mean that low levels of
volatility exist. It only suggests the market-related risk is relatively low. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">For example,
an investment in gold will often have a low beta, but despite the fluctuations
that can happen in gold prices, the beta is likely to remain low. However, beta
can help you determine how much risk there is in your portfolio, and if that
lines up with the level of risk you can tolerate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-7219077834306945912014-11-17T16:14:00.002-08:002014-11-17T16:14:33.277-08:00Investing Guide at Deep Blue Group Publications LLC Tokyo: How to Invest in Securities<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">What is a Securities Investment?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Loosely
defined, a <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/">security in the world of
finance</a> is an instrument representing financial value. Securities can be
categorized as debt, equity or derivative securities and can be represented
through a certificate or non-certificated book entry form. These certificates
entitle the holder to rights under the security and can include shares of
stock, mutual funds or bonds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="http://investorplace.com/how-to-invest/securities/#.VGqIlTSVJy5">Investing
in Securities</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Debt
securities, or bonds, refer to a type of loan in which the investor lends an
institution money in return for the payment of at certain intervals. Bonds can
be issued by credit institutions, government agencies and public authorities
with the initial lending amount agreed to be repaid at a later date. Bonds are
a reliable securities investment because they generate a fixed form of income
through interest. Equities refer to the amount of ownership you buy in a
company and can be purchased in the form of stock and dividends. Derivative
contract securities derive their value from direct securities in the form of futures,
swaps, options and index options.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">There are
two types of markets to consider when investing in securities: primary and
secondary. In the primary market, the money for securities is received from
investors in a public offering transaction, such as offering stock to the
public. In the secondary market, the securities are assets held by one investor
selling them to another investor. The secondary market must exist for the
primary market to thrive because holders of securities are able to sell them
for cash in the secondary market to other investors. For this reason, investing
in securities oftentimes comes with organized exchanges to perpetuate both
markets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">If you’re
interested in investing in securities, it is worthwhile to <a href="http://deepbluepublicationsgroup.blogspot.co.uk/">check out the latest
news and trends</a> surrounding the form of securities you have invested in.
InvestorPlace offers the latest news on securities and trends, as well as
expert perspectives on the market today. Check out what our industry leaders
have to say about securities investment by looking through InvestorPlace today! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">For more
info you can visit our Website at </span><a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Deep Blue
Publications Group LLC</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-51480452602834495732014-11-16T17:53:00.000-08:002014-11-16T17:53:06.973-08:00Investing Guide at Deep Blue Group Publications LLC Tokyo: Eric Tashlein - Tips for retirees to trim 2014 taxes<br />
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;">
<img alt="" src="http://www.nhregister.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/storyimage/NH/20141101/NEWS/141109958/AR/0/AR-141109958.jpg&maxh=400&maxw=667" title="" /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
With the holidays looming, taxes probably rank among the bottom of items you are eager to think about, especially if you are a retiree. They won’t be due until April, right?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sure, but that April 15, 2015, tax bill relates to income received during 2014, and there are only a few weeks left to make adjustments to this year’s numbers. Here are some tips aimed at retirees who want to trim their tax bill:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
• Harvest your losses. Look over your non-retirement accounts for any investments that lost money during the year. You can make those losses work for you by selling the investments and writing off the losses against your gains. (Be aware of the “<a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/">wash-sale</a>” rule that prevents you from writing off losses if you make essentially the same investment within 30 days of the sale.)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
• Defer any income. If you are selling a business, land or other substantial asset, consider spreading your payments over several years. Taking a lump-sum payment will <a href="https://twitter.com/deep_blue_group">skyrocket your income</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
• Be more charitable. Give more to your favorite charities and take the deduction. Beyond that, you can start a donor-advised fund, which opens opportunities for additional <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/">tax-saving strategies</a>, and you can donate appreciated securities, which allows you to deduct the market value of the asset without paying taxes on your gains.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
• <a href="https://www.facebook.com/deepbluepublicationsgroup">Limit your income</a>. If you are in the 10 percent to 15 percent tax bracket, you currently pay no federal income tax on long-term capital gains — as long as your taxable income doesn’t exceed $36,900 for singles and $73,800 for joint filers.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
One way to remain within the lower brackets is to limit your IRA withdrawals to the required minimum distributions. If you need more income to pay the bills, you can withdraw money from taxable accounts and sell securities. These strategies can be complex, so your financial advisor should do the planning.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
• Give to loved ones. You can give up to $14,000 a year to as many people as you want without triggering federal gift and estate taxes (double it to $28,000 by giving from both yourself and your spouse). Any amount above $14,000 per person per year may eventually be subjected to gift taxes, but only once your lifetime total giving exceeds $5.34 million (for 2015). If you give more than $14,000 in one year to one person you have to fill out IRS Form 709, but this is just a formality until your giving exceeds the $5.34 million lifetime exclusion amount. For all of the above discussions, it’s always a good idea to have financial adviser involvement.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.nhregister.com/opinion/20141101/eric-tashlein-tips-for-retirees-to-trim-2014-taxes">Eric Tashlein</a> is a Certified Financial Planner™ and Principal of Connecticut Capital Management Group, LLC, 67 Cherry St. in Milford. He can be reached at 203-877-1520 or through www.connecticutcapital.com. This is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as personalized investment advice or legal/tax advice. Please consult your advisor/attorney/tax advisor. Registered Representative, Securities offered through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a Broker/Dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advisor Representative, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., A Registered Investment Advisor. Cambridge Investment Research Inc., and Connecticut Capital Management Group LLC are not affiliated.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-26497186992355838422014-11-14T16:50:00.002-08:002014-11-14T16:50:33.538-08:00Investing Guide at Deep Blue Group Publications LLC Tokyo: Tips to making sure that property is a good investment<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Let’s imagine you know what to expect when buying a home a home
for the first time, but did you know that it is the little things that can make
all the difference in terms of your <a href="http://businessdayonline.com/2014/11/property-101-tips-to-making-sure-that-property-is-a-good-investment/#.VGd6KjTF-dl">long-term
happiness with your decision</a>? Below are our top 10 tips for making your <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/">buying experience as profitable</a>,
stress-free, and enjoyable in the long-term as possible.<o:p></o:p></div>
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- Research Thoroughly
Before You Begin Physically Looking<o:p></o:p></div>
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As an agent, I see it all the time, a buyer–or buyers–want to jump
into my car with me immediately and begin feverishly seeing dozens of condos on
a Saturday afternoon.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Why is this bad? Easy–the clients and I waste 5 hours running
around like chickens with our heads cut off and the entire process–after 2-3
weekends of this–quickly becomes disorganized and stressful. This is the exact
opposite of how the process should go!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Instead, take time to do your homework before you even involve an
agent and begin seeing homes. Start with online sites like Zillow, Trulia, or
Redfin and check into different neighborhoods, price points, etc. so that by
the time you do actually want to physically see properties and get more
serious, you have a very <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/">well-defined
idea</a> of what you’re actually looking to buy. Also consider attending a few
open houses on your own–just be sure to let them know you’re working with an
agent if you’ve already chosen one.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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- Location, Location,
Location<o:p></o:p></div>
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This is the most famous saying in our industry when it comes to
the three things that most effect buyer’s purchasing decisions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s wonderful that you can buy a 3,000 sq. ft. single family home
for a very low price if you go out 7 miles due west of Downtown Chicago, but if
no one will come and hang out with you, what was the point?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Location is such a crucial piece of the home buying puzzle because
it will have the greatest effect on your overall lifestyle.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Do you love getting up early and walking a block to your yoga
class and then having a nice protein shake from the juice bar across the street
on your way back? If you do, then think long and hard before you decide to give
up your ideal location for a few more interior square feet or some shiny new
stainless steel appliances.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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- Don’t Forget to Account for the Extra Small Costs<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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When buyers are <a href="https://www.facebook.com/deepbluepublicationsgroup">setting up their
budgets</a>, they always remember to account for things like mortgage, tax, and
insurance payments, as well as any association dues (for condos or communities
with common amenities). They also remember to budget for utilities like gas,
cable, and electric and most even remember things like landscaping maintenance
and routine maintenance.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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What most people forget about are the little extras which, when
you add them up, can become not so little. A prime example- using the tip above
about location- let’s say you decide to move 4 blocks farther from your ideal
location which isn’t so far- no big deal, right? Maybe not…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Let’s say you’re not much of a walker or are always in a rush–that
2-minute walk for $0 just turned into a $6 cab ride.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Another simple example is a buyer who moves from a more affordable
area to a more expensive one. Everyone accounts for the extra rent or mortgage
they will pay, but few remember to account for the fact that there are no more
$7/plate restaurants out your front door and that $35/plate restaurants have
replaced them. Now you’re faced with spending hundreds of dollars more per
month to feed yourself or spending money on cabs to get to more affordable
options.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Always remember to really take the time to think about your
overall budget and account for every penny that your new home will cost on a
monthly basis, but also the ancillary income you will need to spend to
conveniently live in that location.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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- Scope Out the Area on
Your Own for a Different Perspective<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Going out with your Realtor on the weekend and seeing homes is a
great start once you become more serious about your search, but if you really
want to get a feel for the area you’re considering buying in, you need to do
more.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Start by visiting the property and general area at 9am and 5pm so
you can judge traffic volume, noise levels, and the general feel for the area.
Then come back during the weekend and walk around during the middle of the day.
Stop in a local restaurant and have a bite and talk to a couple small business
owners in the area to get a feel for their thoughts on the neighborhood.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The trick here is to figure out the lifestyle afforded by the area
you’re considering and taking the time to make sure that lifestyle will be a
good fit once you’re moved in.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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- Do Not Compromise on The Quality of the Professionals You Hire<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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We’ve all heard the saying “You get what you pay for” and this
couldn’t be more true than in real estate.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I get it–your girlfriend’s sister’s mom is a Realtor and she’s
going to be so so so upset if she doesn’t get the business. Unfortunately, if
you let people pressure you into hiring people who aren’t capable of fully
representing you, then you can run into problems.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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All hiring decisions- attorney, lender, Realtor, home
inspector–should be based on merit and made without regard to personal
relationships. If you know just so happen to be friends with a phenomenal agent
with a stellar reputation who works in the area you’re buying in, then that’s
one thing, but to blindly give out business when your hard earned money and
happiness at stake is foolhardy to say the least!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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- Always Know Your Exit Strategies<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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A good businessperson always knows their exit strategy up front
and you should be no exception when it comes time to buying property.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Do you have enough for a down payment so that if you needed to
sell quicker than expected you could without writing a check? Can you rent the
home for enough to cover your total monthly expenses as an alternative strategy
if you can’t sell?<o:p></o:p></div>
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The bottom line is, you need to make a plan as if you’re going to
be moving half way across the world 6-12 months after you buy. If your exit
strategy is sound enough to account for that critical of a life change, you
know you’ve done your job in this respect.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Buying a home doesn’t need to be intimidating, scary, or
complicated- in fact it should be just the opposite- approachable, fun, and
simple. Organization, planning, and careful consideration are the dominant
themes for all the tips listed above and by utilizing these simple strategies
you will exponentially increase the odds that your purchase will end up a
success in every way.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-15082957412980321402014-11-13T17:25:00.002-08:002014-11-13T17:25:24.340-08:00Investing Guide at Deep Blue Group Publications LLC Tokyo - Investment Tips for Success<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/">Investing</a>, whether it is for your
retirement or a big purchase, can be a satisfying endeavor for individuals
looking to build up their <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/">finances</a>.
Whether you are interested in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs or any other
investment vehicle, there are a few investment tips every successful investor
should keep in mind. Here is what <a href="https://www.facebook.com/deepbluepublicationsgroup">InvestorPlace</a>
recommends to experts and beginners alike.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Making Investing Profitable<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
One of the biggest ways people
can help themselves succeed in their investments is by truly understanding what
they are investing in. Too many people throw their money into stocks without
having a basic understanding of what to expect from the market and what to
watch for. Regardless of what you are investing in, you should understand the
terminology, latest trends, and inner workings of things like stocks and mutual
funds, because that is the only way you will be able to truly prepare yourself
for successes and failures. Our financial tip to beginning investors: Take the
time to research your investment or find a brokerage firm you can trust to take
care of the research for you; either way, ensure that you are working with the
right amount of knowledge and expertise to keep your money alive.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
One of the essential stock
trading tips today is to make sure that your expenses do not exceed your
expected profit. It’s simple: If your gains exceed your expenses, you will
profit; however, if your expenses are too high, whether due to unsound purchases
or a broker’s high commission fees, then you could be losing more money than
you are gaining.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Whether you interested in stock
trading tips or investment tips, it pays to stay on top of the latest news and
trends in the industry. Looking into the facts and figures put across by a
reliable investment news source is one of the only ways to ensure that you are
making the most of the opportunities available to you, as well as keeping tabs
on the companies you are currently invested in. Any expert offering up a
financial tip will tell you that you have to watch the latest figures like a
hawk to see how companies are doing and whether or not another lucrative
investment is coming your way. With this in mind, InvestorPlace offers a
one-stop shop for the latest news and trends offered from an expert
perspective. Check out InvestorPlace today to see what we can tell you about
your current investments!<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-62245249888361761552014-11-12T17:24:00.000-08:002014-11-12T17:24:49.022-08:00Investing Guide at Deep Blue Group Publications LLC Tokyo: The top ten legal pitfalls of starting up<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Here, law firm Brecher looks at the mistakes
entrepreneurs typically make at the start of their experience.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.smallbusiness.co.uk/article_images/articledir_4946/2473032/1_largearticleimage300x210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.smallbusiness.co.uk/article_images/articledir_4946/2473032/1_largearticleimage300x210.jpg" height="320" width="288" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Entrepreneurs
are, by definition, driven and ambitious and usually have an excellent grasp of
their industry, gained either through experience or thorough research. Despite
this, many are surprisingly unsophisticated when it comes to identifying the <a href="http://www.smallbusiness.co.uk/running-a-business/legal-advice/2473032/the-top-ten-legal-pitfalls-of-starting-up.thtml">legal
pitfalls</a> associated with starting and growing a new business. Shared horror
stories reveal surprisingly common mistakes being repeated across the sectors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1. Not choosing the right vehicle<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Avoid
the tendency to use a particular vehicle merely because someone else does. The
structure of each business is unique to that business: while a limited company
may be a popular option it can be tax inefficient, whereas LLPs are tax
transparent but have other drawbacks like the offsetting of group losses. <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/">Make time for proper tax and structuring
advice</a> at the outset to avoid leaking profits later in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">2. Getting the equity structure wrong<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">At
the outset of a new venture, an informal agreement as to who should be entitled
to what may seem sufficient, but informal agreements are difficult (if not
impossible) to evidence should there be a disagreement later down the line.
Even without disagreement, deferring the <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/">formal allocation of equity</a> until a
later date can cause a plethora of issues, including the trigger of tax and
causes nervousness among funders. Discuss and resolve at the outset who owns
what, and make sure that structure is formally documented to avoid confusion
and disputes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3. Buying an off-the-shelf constitution<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Adopting
pro-forma articles, or doing away with an <a href="https://foursquare.com/v/deep-blue-publications-group/524cf1600493079a31e08f43">LLP
agreement</a>, may seem a great cost saving in the short term, but can leave
you exposed later down the line. Take the time to put in place appropriate
mechanisms and protections to make sure you have adequate control over the
equity and management of the new venture. If confidentiality is a concern (eg
in terms of sensitive profit shares, control issues or exit rights) shareholder
agreements are a useful tool as they do not appear on a public register.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">4. Not considering all the finance options<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Contrary
to popular belief, <a href="http://deepblue-group.livejournal.com/">finance is
still freely available</a>, but it remains a lender’s market and investment of
any form undoubtedly comes at a cost. While institutional lenders remain risk
averse, the secondary lending market has seen huge growth over recent years,
and many providers are now willing to consider spreading their investment
between traditional loan and equity. The options are endless, complex and come
at a cost, so make sure you understand the small print before committing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">5. Not getting the right professional advice<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Getting
the right advisers on board at the outset can be a huge competitive advantage.
As well as giving structuring advice on set up, the right team can add real
value not just in pre-empting issues but also in proactively advising on how to
resolve them. Professionals used to acting in this area will be an excellent
sounding block as to what works and what doesn’t, and their ability to make
introductions and open doors should not be underestimated. Where a business has
no track record, entrepreneurs are often judged on the quality of their
professional team so take time to shop around and find the right team for you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">6. Not protecting your crown jewels<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It
is surprising how often this ‘basic’ is overlooked, but the value of the
business will be depend on the value of its assets. So protect them. If the
business is reliant on intellectual property rights, register them. If it is
contract based, document those contracts. If the information is reliant on
information, make sure it is not released without robust non-disclosure
agreements being put in place, and if it is dependent on key employees or
consultants, ring fence their terms of employment with suitable non-complete
obligations. Without these, the faster the business grows, the faster its
inherent value will be eroded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">7. Using the wrong incentives<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Don’t
give away the equity too early or too lightly. Shareholders, however small a stake,
acquire additional protections at law, and (if not structured correctly) can
cause a real headache in terms of administration and decision making. If you do
give away equity, consider creating a new class of share with limited voting
rights, and consider ‘good leaver/bad leaver’ provisions that oblige an
existing shareholder to sell his shares when he leaves, with the price he
receives varying depending on the circumstances of exit. As an alternative to
allotting shares immediately, why not grant options the exercise of which is
dependent on performance related targets. Phantom share schemes can be a useful
alternative, as they reward an employee by tracking the increase in value of
the business without diluting the equity. There are a large number of alternatives,
many of which have tax consequences, so take proper advice to make the most of
these and avoid making a costly mistake.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">8. Having unrealistic objectives<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It
is always tempting to present rosy figures to potential investors, but don’t
promise more than you can achieve. Excessively optimistic statements can erode
trust and credibility, and making a statement you know you can’t deliver is
fraud. Investors can (and do) sue on that basis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">9. Getting lost in the here and now<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Getting
that first development, or that first contract, underway is critical and can be
all consuming, but it mustn’t allow you to take your eye off the pipeline
three, six or nine months down the line. If you don’t have resources, and cash
flow, in place to fulfil the commitment, the business will fail. Run
conservative projections, and keep an immaculate trail of outgoings at all
times. If finance isn’t your forte then don’t be too proud to bring in someone
with suitable expertise who can help you keep up to date and pre-empt issues
before they arise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">10. Leaving the legals to the last minute<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It’s
really tempting when finance is tight to see lawyers’ fees as an unnecessary
cost to be deferred. That view can often be short-sighted, as issues that would
have taken an hour to address at the outset can take several days to unpick
later on. Lawyers don’t have to cost the earth, and finding the right adviser
at the outset will pay dividends in the long run.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-82077147458284931822014-11-11T16:18:00.000-08:002014-11-11T16:18:06.849-08:00Investing Guide at Deep Blue Group Publications LLC Tokyo: Social Media Tips for Investment Managers<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The rise of social media platforms
like LinkedIn and <a href="https://twitter.com/deep_blue_group">Twitter</a> has
been unprecedented over the last couple of years. LinkedIn now has some 313
million users and in Q2 2014 its revenues rose by 47 per cent to USD534m
reported the Wall Street Journal on 31 July 2014.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">McKinsey estimates that there is a
GBP772bn opportunity for business to use social media.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">All of us use <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/">social media</a> in one form or another but
when it comes to applying it to the workplace, the asset management industry
has remained largely apathetic. This would appear to stem from a fear of
falling foul of compliance in what has become a tightly regulated market.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">One of the pillars of any asset
manager’s marketing strategy today should include social media but it’s
important to understand the potential roadblocks. This prompted SEI recently to
publish a brief on the subject entitled “<a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/">Stepping in to Social Media</a>”, in
which eight tips and considerations are presented for investment managers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“I think it’s true to say that all
asset managers have been reluctant to get into social media. From a compliance
perspective, there’s a lot less control over the way information is broadcast
and who you, as a firm, are communicating with,” says Lori White (pictured),
Marketing Regulation Counsel, SEI. “The reluctance has largely been from
compliance officers as they look to get comfortable complying with existing
regulation.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Financial Industry Regulatory
Authority, Inc. (FINRA) published more substantial guidance recently and the
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in August this year established the Social
Media Charter in light of the fact that 71 per cent of employees at financial
firms had breached their firms’ social media policies.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://www.hedgeweek.com/features/sei/social-media-tips-investment-managers">Click
here to continue reading</a><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-71569092294194788092014-11-10T16:53:00.002-08:002014-11-10T16:53:49.612-08:00Investing Guide at Deep Blue Group Publications LLC Tokyo: Why You Should Avoid Zombie Structured Notes<div class="MsoNormal">
Occasionally I see financial products spring from the dead
to devour investor dollars. One such product is called a <b><a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/">“structured note.”</a><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I first wrote about these vehicles more than three years ago
for AARP Magazine, The New York Times, Reuters and Morningstar.com. Here’s the
warning the SEC and FINRA issued after I wrote the pieces.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Structured notes are like bonds, only linked to derivatives.
Brokers sell them to mostly older, yield-hungry investors. They are dangerous
because they are almost universally backed by the credit of a bank — <b><a href="http://deepbluepublicationsgroup.blogspot.co.uk/">they are not federally
insured</a></b> — and promise a healthy yield during low-yield times.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t recommend these products because of the risks and
costs. They can certainly lose money and reap huge commissions for the brokers
selling them. Many of them are labeled “principal protected.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
No one quite knows how these notes will perform in a
prolonged bear market, but we have a clue. Lehman Brothers sold billions of
them prior to the 2008 crash and investors got their shirts handed to them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
UBS, the Swiss bank and one of the biggest brokers of the
Lehman products, agreed to pay investors $120 million to settle a lawsuit over
the Lehman notes last year. UBS spokeswoman Megan Stinson told Reuters the
Swiss bank was “pleased with the settlement, saying it avoided the cost and
uncertainty of litigation, and had set aside reserves to cover it.” The bank
did not admit wrongdoing in agreeing to settle.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As stock-market volatility soared in the past month, though,
brokers have seized the opportunity to sell even more structured products. The
Wall Street Journal’s Jason Zweig was on top of the sales surge:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Over the two weeks that ended October 10, 343 structured
notes totaling $2.17 billion were issued by various investment banks. That’s
more than three times the amount of deals issued over the same time last year,”
reported Zweig, who cited research by Exceed Investments in his report.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“These short-term bonds are typically structured to limit or
eliminate your exposure to losses while giving you a stake in potential gains,
making them especially alluring in weeks like the one we just had, when stocks
were glowing red,” Zweig reported. “But whether you should buy them depends on
the exact terms of each note-and on whether you can trust your advisor when he
says he understands them.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/">Jacob Zamansky,</a></b> a New York-based
lawyer who also represents individual investors, also has this warning:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"While some deals work the way they are designed, other
structured notes have caused thousands of investors harm, all the while drawing
the scrutiny of securities fraud attorneys. UBS (NYSE:UBS) and other brokerages
sold structured notes in 2008, and many of those deals were issued by the now
defunct Lehman Brothers. After Lehman filed for bankruptcy, the structured
notes were worthless. The spate of lawsuits by customers and regulatory actions
that followed underscored the complex and opaque nature of these critters and
how investors were misled by their advisors.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Should the structured note sales boom continue, it is
essential that brokers and investment banks make full and clear risk disclosure
to investors. We are not predicting a Lehman-like collapse that would create
panic and havoc in the broad market and also wipe out a swath of structured
note holders, however, each deal is complex and laden with risk. Stay away if
you don’t understand the devastating losses structured notes could create in
your retirement savings.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In short, structured notes are complex investments. Brokers
selling them may not fully understand how they will perform under adverse
market conditions, so avoid them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-85885429151648283242014-11-09T15:52:00.002-08:002014-11-09T15:52:30.174-08:00Investing Guide at Deep Blue Group: 4 Money Moves To Outsmart Your Brain<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;">Finally, the explanation for why
Americans aren’t saving enough: It’s not sexy. Now, spending: that’s sexy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;">That’s one of the findings in Thinking
Money: The Psychology Behind Our Best and Worst <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2014/10/13/4-money-moves-to-outsmart-your-brain/"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Financial Decisions</span></a>,
airing on public television stations beginning Thursday, Oct. 16; check local
listings. It’s produced in association with the FINRA Investor Education
Foundation (FINRA is the largest independent securities regulator in the U.S.).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;">In truth, the show is really about
behavioral economics, but that’s not very sexy either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;">So the program serves up key principles
by interviewing <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">experts</span></a> from the likes of Princeton,
Stanford and Yale — as well as what we
call in the <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">journalism</span></a> trade “real people” — to
explain why our brains keep us from doing the right thing with our money and
how to outsmart them. For instance, you’ll learn how to combat “the IKEA
effect,” which makes you put more value on products you helped create than ones
you don’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;">If this all still sounds a little wonky,
it’s worth noting that the program has some pretty funny and weird experiments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;">For instance, someone gets wine coursed
through a vein while in an fMRI (a functional magnetic resonance imaging
machine that measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow) to see
how the brain reacts when it thinks the person is drinking a $90 bottle of pinot
noir versus a $10 bottle. In another, the jokey host — comedian/actor Dave
Coyne — wears Virtual Reality goggles to see what he’d look like “old.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;">As Thinking Money’s producer and writer
John Greco told me, the show offers ways “to fight your instinct to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/deepbluepublicationsgroup"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">spend money</span></a> now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Four lessons from the show:</span></u></b><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;">1.
Don’t let an overwhelming number of choices paralyze you from making smart
investing decisions.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;">
In Thinking Money, the brilliant, blind Columbia University business professor
Sheena Iyengar (author of The Art of Choosing) discusses her jam study. She let
some people select among 24 flavors and others had a choice of six. They were
more likely to buy a jam when given a smaller selection; choosing among 24
flavors was too confusing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;">The jams, the show explains, are an
excellent proxy for all those investment choices employees often have to pick
through when deciding where to put their 401(k) money. As it turns out, the
more 401(k) choices people have, the less likely they are to invest in the
plan. “Iyengar found that so many people are so confused by their 401(k)
choices that they invest in what they can understand, like money <a href="https://www.facebook.com/deepbluepublicationsgroup"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">market funds</span></a>. But
those barely keep up with inflation,” said Greco.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;">2.
A good “nudge” can help you achieve your financial goals — especially if the
nudge has unpleasant consequences attached.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;"> “Behavioral economists like the
nudge idea because they don’t have much faith in our ability to make the right
decisions,” Walter Updegrave, of RealDealRetirement.com (and a Next Avenue
contributor) noted at the Society of American Business Editors and Writers
(SABEW)/National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) Personal Finance
Reporting Workshop I attended on Thursday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;">Thinking Money describes the clever,
free website, Stickk.com, where users sign up for “commitment contracts” to
force them to reach their goal. (The genesis of the site came from Yale
economists.) When setting your goal and a date, you can also tell Stikk which organization
you detest that should receive money charged to your credit card if you fail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;">On the show, grad student Graham Brown
says he took out a commitment contract to force himself to make lunch three
days a week and put the money he’d saved toward a road trip with a buddy. It
worked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;">3.
Beware of confirmation bias.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;"> This is when you look for
justifications for decisions you’ve made or are about to make by finding ones
that support your view and ignoring ones that don’t. Thinking Money says the
dot com bubble of the 1990s is an example of this. So was the 1630s tulip
bubble in Holland, when, as Greco said, “bulbs were going for 10 times the
salary of skilled craftsmen and were completely overvalued and a lot of
fortunes went with them.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;">How to avoid confirmation bias? Daylain
Cain, Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior at Yale University,
advises in the show that when you’re about to make an investment purchase, be a
devil’s advocate and ask yourself: What could go wrong?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;">“Any of us can do that, we just have to
be motivated,” said Greco.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;">4.
Don’t hand over money to a crook because you fear you’ll miss out on a
spectacular investment opportunity if you don’t.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;"> AARP’s
Washington state director Doug Shadel, a financial fraud expert (“he has
interviewed more con men than I have had hot meals,” said Greco), explains in
the show how fraudsters and marketers prey on that behavior.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;">One secret of con artists, says Shadel:
They look for people who’ve just lost a lot of money because those people are
angry and upset. As a result, they aren’t thinking clearly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;">“That makes them more susceptible to the
con man’s pitch,” said Greco.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;">You can find other useful tips on
saving, investing, controlling debt and protecting your future at FINRA’s Saveandinvest.org
site.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;">After watching Thinking Money, maybe
you’ll feel a nudge to trim back spending and save more for your impending
retirement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;">Greco told me that, since working on the
show, that’s exactly what he’s done. “I work primarily at home and used to
think nothing about buying lunch out. Now I find myself making lunch a lot
more.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt;">He added: “It’s never too late to change
spending habits that can hurt you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-3349098742813081162014-11-07T17:09:00.000-08:002014-11-07T17:11:03.107-08:00Investing Guide at Deep Blue Group Publications LLC Tokyo: Four Tips for Agile Thinking (And Sales Success)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i0.huffpost.com/gen/2171350/thumbs/n-BUSINESS-large570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i0.huffpost.com/gen/2171350/thumbs/n-BUSINESS-large570.jpg" height="133" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">At
the recent Dreamforce conference in San Francisco, I had the pleasure of
appearing on a panel, <b><i><span style="color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">"<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/debra-walton/four-tips-for-agile-thinking-and-sales-success_b_5989368.html"><span style="color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Competitive Edge in Today's Sales
World</span></a>,"</span></i></b><span style="color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;"> </span>led by sales guru Jill Konrath who is known
for her innovative strategies and thinking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Jill's
latest book, Agile Selling, is a must-read for sales people looking to succeed
in today's competitive landscape. She talks about how it took more than basic
sales skills to be successful, and tells how she dealt with fear, mastered a
"never-fail mind-set" and learned to see things from her customers'
perspectives. She realized how important these traits were to her
"agility" -- her ability to rapidly acquire knowledge and develop new
strategies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The
panel discussion was lively and informative, and it struck a chord with me
because I've long adhered to many of Jill's beliefs. We were each asked four
questions on the panel, and I'll share my answers in the hope they'll help
people understand how crucial agility is in today's market.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Question #1: <span style="color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;"><a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/"><span style="color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">How are you staying agile? What are you focused on
learning right now?</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">My
husband likes to joke that I can't keep a job. I have had a number of roles in
my career and I like to think it's because I have demonstrated the ability to
be an agile learner. Whenever a new task or project is at hand, I work to come
up to speed quickly and swiftly execute a plan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As
Chief Content Officer at Thomson Reuters, I seek to learn everything I can
about our vast content operation, which is at the core of what we do as a
business. It sometimes feel like I'm drinking from a fire hose when it comes to
understanding important trends such as big data.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Whenever
I take on a new role I immerse myself in a 30-day deep dive of interviews with
key stakeholders, including employees across the business, customers, partners,
and thought leaders. I ask lots of questions: What are our strengths? Our
biggest challenges? What are the key factors affecting our customers? And
perhaps the most important question (because the answer can be so informative):
What would someone else focus on if they were in my role? All of this helps me
learn--and respond with agility to any challenge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Question #2: <span style="color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;"><a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/"><span style="color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">What do you view as the number one competitive edge?</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We
live and work in a data economy where the key to success is information and
knowledge. Competitive advantage rests with companies that know how to unlock data
to drive their businesses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">But
taking the idea of data down to an individual level, the most important
skill--one that truly unlocks the power of knowledge -- is curiosity. Curiosity
about your own company's products and businesses motivates you to see
resources, product briefings, information days, etc. not as a task but as a
tool.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Curiosity
about your customers can transform a meeting with them from a pitch session to
a listening session. I believe 80 percent of the first meeting with any
customer should consist of the customer talking about their business -- and
what they need. I prefer to leave our product pitches for later meetings, where
they are more likely to be successful because we're more prepared to respond to
what the customer wants. Curiosity is at the heart of this process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Question #3: <span style="color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;"><a href="http://deepbluepublicationsgroup.tumblr.com/"><span style="color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">What would you
recommend individual companies do to help their learning agility?</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In
the world of information overload, the key to learning agility is determining
how to increase the signal-to-noise ratio and focus on data that counts. That's
what we do at Thomson Reuters, but it's really what all successful sales people
do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I
meet with customers all the time, and our sales teams expect me to be helpful
in opening doors to senior client executives. The challenge arises from the
fact our clients are all over the world, and in a diverse range of businesses.
Remaining credible as one tries to meet the needs of an Australian bank, the
Chief Risk Officer of a London investment firm, and the Head of Oil Trading at
an Asian commodities house can be a challenge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I
use what I call a 3x3 planning tool for my meetings. I provide the client with
three pieces of insight about what we see across the industry and at their
peers; I ask three questions about their business and their industry; and I
create three opportunities for follow-up engagements. I prep for each meeting
this way, then treat it like a conversation. It rarely fails to be worthwhile
for everybody involved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Question #4: <span style="color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;"><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/yahniem/deep-blue-publications-group/"><span style="color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">What
piece of advice would you give women to help them in their careers?</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As
I've said before, the key is to conquer the "imposter syndrome." This
is the insecure feeling that you are out of your depth, too "far over your
skis," that you will be seen as a fraud. I've felt this at times
throughout my career, and most other women have as well. The surprising thing
is that many men also experience it. The difference is that women seem to have
less risk tolerance than men. We let imposter syndrome overpower us and stop us
from taking on the kind of challenging assignments and roles that might advance
our career. Here again agility comes into play, since the key to not being
overwhelmed by fear is to embrace the learning and curiosity skills that are
the hallmark of agile sales people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I
want every woman and man to embrace the feeling of "Can I really do
this?" and know that it is normal -- and a sign you are stretching your
potential, taking it to new heights. Keep at it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-75102993006216495142014-11-05T15:50:00.000-08:002014-11-05T15:50:58.803-08:00Investing Guide at Deep Blue Group Publications LLC Tokyo: Are You Saving Enough for Retirement?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Unlike
Jack Nicholson’s character in A Few Good Men, we trust that you can handle the
truth. No matter your age, securing a comfortable retirement is a huge concern.
Folks want the whole truth about their <a href="http://www.equities.com/editors-desk/personal-finance/retirement/are-you-saving-enough-for-retirement-chances-are-that-you-re-not">financial
outlook</a>, but straight answers are hard to come by.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Both
sides of the mainstream media habitually present opinion-tainted partial facts.
Case in point: the unemployment numbers announced earlier this month. One side
is cheering because unemployment dropped to a six-year low, while the other
side is calling it <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/">pure fraud</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
found author and libertarian-about-town Wayne Root’s remarks in a recent
article for The Blaze particularly telling:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
middle class isn’t getting richer, it’s getting poorer…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
only people being hired are your grandparents. 230,000 of the new jobs went to
those in the 55-to-69-year-old age group. In the prime working age group of 24
to 54 years old, 10,000 jobs were lost…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It
means grandma and grandpa are desperate and willing to take grandson’s low wage
job to survive until <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/">Social Security</a>
kicks in. The US workforce is now the oldest in history. And if grandpa has to
work (out of desperation) until the day he dies, there will never be any decent
jobs for the grandkids.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here’s
the part Root gets wrong: Baby boomers are not working until Social Security
kicks in. They’re working well past that point, because they feel they must.
Smart boomers know they can’t afford to wait until <a href="http://deepbluepublicationsgroup.tumblr.com/">robust interest rates</a>
return; they’re taking action to protect themselves now, lest their
circumstances become truly dire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">You’re 65—Now What?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Employee Benefit Research Institute surveys workers each year concerning their
retirement confidence. Despite an uptrend, the latest report shows that 82% of
workers feel less than “very confident” about having enough money to retire
comfortably.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">With
that statistic in mind, we looked at three different 40-year retirement
scenarios. Note that the numbers and charts in this overview are meant to
illustrate several scenarios, not provide individual guidance. Every person’s
situation differs in terms of taxes, time horizons, and other parameters, and
we encourage you to work with a financial planner to manage your savings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
data exclude other sources of retirement income you may have, such as Social
Security or a pension. All of the amounts, including annuity incomes, are
pre-tax.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Scenario 1. Scenario 1: He Who Takes It All
Is Not the Winner<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">- At
age 65, you decide to retire with $500,000 in personal savings. You anticipate
your expenses will rise approximately 3% annually. Thus, with each subsequent
year, you will need to withdraw 3% more than the previous year. You estimate
that your savings will grow by 5% annually. You are planning for a 40-year
retirement, meaning your savings must last until age 105.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">How
much money can you withdraw each year, using those assumptions?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Scenario 2. Scenario 2: Spreading Out Risk<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">- At
age 65 you have the same $500,000 in personal savings that you did in Scenario
1; however, you take $100,000 from your account and buy an annuity. Our go-to
source for annuity information, Stan The Annuity Man, says that currently, this
annuity would pay $527 for the rest of your life. You use the remaining
$400,000 as principal for the next 40 years in the same fashion as in the first
case: assuming the same 5% rate of return and an annual 3% withdrawal increase.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Scenario 3. Scenario 3: Delayed Gratification<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">-
Instead of retiring at age 65, you work for five extra years and buy a 100,000
annuity at age 70. We will assume you did not add to your savings during that
time (though it did earn interest). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Many
boomers use extra working years to eliminate any lingering debt, so they can
retire 100% debt-free. (However, note that we encourage a different approach:
using extra working years to save as much as possible, including maximizing
catch-up contributions to your 401(k) or IRA.)</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338012076711633016.post-605071054367737972014-11-02T16:13:00.000-08:002014-11-02T16:13:04.557-08:00Deep Blue Publications Group: Tips on Avoiding Accounting BloopersNewly established businesses can run into a lot of mistakes particularly in <a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/blog/deep-blue-publications-group-tips-on-avoiding-accounting-bloopers/">accounting</a> which can be expensive for the company. Avoiding them by learning from <a href="http://deepbluepublicationsgroup.tumblr.com/">professional</a> accountants can give business-owners a head-start.
<br><br>
According to expert accountants from the FreshBooks Accountant Network, the most common accounting mistakes committed by small enterprises are the following:
<br><br>
<b>1. Fumbling with Receivables</b>
<br><br>
Getting money into your <a href="https://www.facebook.com/deepbluepublicationsgroup">business</a> is definitely good. However, it Is not enough that you receive payment; you have to reconcile your invoices (records of who owes you how much) with your customer deposits or payments. Leaving them unreconciled will result in so much waste of manpower hours. A regular monthly process to avoid this mistake will save any company time and money in the long run.
<br><br>
A good way of easing up your accounting work is to receive payments online. You can also use cloud accounting software to automate and facilitate your work.
<br><br>
<b>2. Failing to keep Expenses Receipts</b>
<br><br>
Not keeping copies of business expense receipts can produce problems in tax, accounting and cash flow computations. Not knowing specific expenses in your bank account statement can result in high tax payments and other problems if ever you are audited.
<br><br>
The solution is easy: Keep your receipts. How do you do it?
<br><br>
- Use your business or credit card for business expenses
<br>
- Collect all your receipts in a bag or a box.
<br>
- Do a weekly or monthly filing of the receipts in your tax folder or keep digital copies.
<br><br>
The best tip, of course, is to add all those expenses as you incur them. You can use accounting software to make the task faster and simpler with the use of a smartphone.
<br><br>
<b>3. Failing to Keep Cash Expense Records</b>
<br><br>
Accounting is all about knowing what goes in and what goes out. Hence, not keeping records of your expenses is like going to war without counting your troops, not to mention those of the enemies. This holds true especially to cash expenses since other payments, such as those made through credit cards, debit cards or checks, are reflected somewhere in your bank account. Again, there are apps the business-owner can use with their smartphone so that they can keep track of those cash payments. But it all starts with asking for a receipt each time you make a cash-payment.
<br><br>
<b>4. Failing to Connect with Your Account</b>
<br><br>
Often accountants use jargon or technical terms the ordinary small-business owner cannot understand or does not have any idea how they affect the business. It is assumed that hiring an accountant means getting information or advice that is translatable into layman’s terms so that any business-owner can make the necessary steps to translate the technical knowledge into practicable measures.
<br><br>
<a href="http://deepbluegroup.org/">Financial professionals</a> can communicate with their own kind, but not with the rest of humanity. Make sure your accountant understands this problem.
<br><br>
These actually seem like easy problems to recognize in the daily operations of any business venture; but, as with so many other things, the easy tasks are the most neglected or taken for granted. If you wish to succeed in your business and keep your shirt on your back, you cannot afford to leave these areas unattended.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16903348937286490462noreply@blogger.com0