Investing Today

Investing On Stocks Today Is Way Better Than Yesterday

The world of online trading is upon us. The novice or part time trader now has access to tools that are far more sophisticated than those used by professional traders just a few years ago. The internet has simplified many tasks in our lives and trading is no exception. The statistical analysis, technical charts, historic comparisons, news, and forecasts are all available upon your computer screen at the touch of a button. These basic features are available with nearly every online trading account. Low cost upgrades to features further enhance the availability of trading tools and trading efficiency. Some of these enhanced features will be provided free by the broker for any account that exceeds a minimum balance. Here are a couple of examples of tools and features available to the online trader that were non existent 3, 5, or 10 years ago.

Prices are available instantly.  Read more...

Alternative Energy Is Still Far Off, Invest In Oil Today

The reality of the energy market is that investing in oil and other carbon based fuels will remain very profitable for several decades to come. With roughly seventy percent of each barrel of oil being used for our domestic transportation needs, we just begin to scratching the surface of the enormous complexities a new energy source will bring.

So, how is it possible that we are going to get an alternative energy source to power all our transportation needs?

We would all like to see a world powered by renewable energy sources. But is it really possible today? Over many years and with the right planning, we will develop intermittent renewables without storage. At some point, however, we’ll need both short-term and long-term storage technologies to help stabilize the grid. Storage is often seen as the “Holy Grail” of technologies for integrating wind, solar and other renewable energy sources with emerging applications and we have to ask whether these technologies are ready for large-scale applications.

People look at electric cars. Well, electric cars still need to be powered by electricity generated by a fossil based fuel, whether it’s a natural gas power plant or a coal based power plant. You just can’t get the efficiency from alternative energy.  Read more...

Beginner Real Estate Investment Tips For Today’s Economy

I too was once a beginner real estate investor. When I got started in real estate it was in Houston, Texas in the mid 1980′s. That town was experiencing what our country is experiencing today. Over one third of the houses were foreclosed on … at one time or another … property values had dropped. FHA and VA had large volumes of houses that were for sale. After those foreclosures the FHA and VA needed to get rid of them. They would list them in the paper for all to see and to go bid on them. They sold them using closed bids. They would open out of the bid offerings on a certain day and award sale to the highest bidder.

It was a time when REO’s [REO stands for Real Estate Owned] were everywhere. It was the first time I understood short sale. When times are like they are now, it’s a good time to get out and make money. The real estate is there and the prices are good.

Plus, in this business, you don’t always have to use your money.  Read more...

WHAT IS THE ANTIQUES INVESTMENT MARKET DOING TODAY?

There is a funny saying I heard today defining economics. It is the science of explaining tomorrow why the predictions you made yesterday didn’t come true.

Well the art and antiques market isn’t necessarily as volatile as some financial sectors, but like all businesses, encounters constantly changing trends. This makes it very difficult to predict what investments will perform better than others.

It seems to me that for many folk, having art and antiques in your investment portfolio can mean different things to different people. At one end of the spectrum there are professional investors who use the services of art investment funds to acquire important and internationally know works of art either on a shared or single ownership basis.

Then at the other end, typically, are the average collectors who may simply have a family heirloom hanging on the wall or displayed on a sideboard. For the latter, fashion and investment trends generally are not as important, but it is nevertheless important to understand that whilst you may have thought your cherished collectable was worth thousands, the reality is that it may only be hundreds. Conversely, and thankfully, the opposite can also be true.  Read more...