Getting Started in the Market – Investing 101 (Pt.1)

Before creating your investment plan, there are some things you simply need to know. Many people express a desire to invest and often seek investments which they believe could bring about the largest returns.  But prior to investing, you have to first identify your purpose for investing, understand how much risk you are willing to take, and then and only then, you would be able to identify the right investments for you.

How to Buy Foreclosures and REOs

So often you hear advertisements for foreclosure listings, companies promise to give you a laundry list of foreclosures, but for a small catch – you have to pay for it!  But know, there is no need to pay for these listings.  There are several ways to view foreclosures in your area and the best part of it all – it’s absolutely FREE!

Avoiding risks, but at what cost?

 Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with a friend who informed me about her fear of the stock market.  Because of the ups and downs in the market, she has decided to simply not invest at all.  As a result, she is more comfortable with safe financial products such as certificate of deposits and money market accounts, which pay little to no interest.

Diversify your portfolio with human capital

With any investment portfolio, diversification is critical in order to maximize return. Diversification can simply be defined as “not putting your eggs into one basket.” Although this is often preached, the choir is usually the first to ignore it.

We witness it all the time! For example, along with the collapse of Enron, came the collapse of its employees’ retirement plans. Why? According to The New York Times, Enron’s 401k’s asset value was approximately $2.1 billion prior to the collapse, with more than half of its assets invested in the company’s stock. Although employees had the option to choose other financial assets, satisfied with Enron’s financial performance, many invested heavily in the company’s stock. Therefore, when the company’s stock plummeted, employees’ retirement accounts were wiped out in little to no time.

You make a lot, but how much do you keep?

It may be great that you earn a six-figure income, but if you live a six-figure lifestyle – the occurrence of one negative financial event can cause a financial downward spiral. Nothing teaches us this lesson more than the previous NBA lockout.