November 18th, 2008 — Banking, Financial Security, Income Streams, Long Term, Money, Personal Finance, Real Estate
While many are reacting to the news of bank failures and bailouts badly, there are a few people that are taking the time to assess the situation and figure out what they can do to stay on top, and keep their money safe. Panic is an ugly thing, especially when it involves money. Britain has already seen a run on their banks once this year, and many other countries are finding that their banks are on tenuous footing at best.
This creates an environment that is very unstable and as a result, the very real prospect of earning everything you worked so hard is now possible. The biggest mistake that people make when the economy goes through corrections is overreacting. Granted, no one wants to lose all their money in the stock market, and you would find few people indeed that aren’t at least somewhat concerned over the direction the economy is going.
While some are bleating “Great Depression” and others are scoffing, this is a good time to start developing some strategies that will keep your money safe. While there are no guarantees that you can protect every dime, there are ways that you can keep your money safe, and even increasing, in times of economic hardship.
One of the best ways to secure more income in these times is to find ways to make the situation work for you. As an example, the car market is struggling right now, people can’t pay their interest payments and housing is in the tank. However, a smart investor will look at this issue and see ways that they can profit from it.
Thanks to the falling value of homes, there is a rush to pick them up cheaply to flip at a later date. Whether you decide to use the property as a rental to keep regular income coming in, or you want to flip it quickly, real estate has a lot to offer at this time, even though everything seems gloomy. All hope is not lost, and while outright speculation is not a good thing, taking stock of the market and seeing how you can turn your finances around is a good thing.
While you should not invest if you have no experience, at least not without the help of a broker, it helps to broaden your view of the situation and see where you can profit. Reading the financial news on a daily basis is something proactive you can do and it can help you spot trends right as they are occurring. By becoming an informed consumer and taking the time to learn the ropes, you’ll be in a much better position than those who have not paid attention and frittered away their money.
If you are truly worried about your money, consider speaking with a financial analyst, or an investment broker that can help you develop long term strategies that will keep your money safe, and increase your income, no matter what happens in the world.
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November 17th, 2008 — Banking, Income Streams, Investing, Personal Finance, Stocks, passive income
If you’re trying to make more money, chances are you’ve heard the phrase, multiple income streams. However, there are two main types of income streams that you can use, and they are quite different. The first is known as active – and as the name implies, this is a type of income that you actually have to work for. Examples of active streams of income include running a part time internet business in addition to your work, or something that requires you to actually DO something to earn that money.
Passive streams of income make up the second type. These are the most popular, simply because you don’t have to worry about investing your most important quality – time. If you are already working a full time job, you may not have the kind of time necessary to develop an active stream of income. However, there are numerous kinds of passive streams of income that will reap the same benefits with a lot less effort. Let’s cover just a few examples.
Investments –
This is probably the most common form of passive income. You invest a little money, the stock does well, you cash in. It’s easy, quick and requires no effort on your part. While there is some risk involved, with proper research you can lessen this risk and reap the rewards.
Rental Properties –
This is a bit of a hybrid between the two types and the degree that it trends towards passive will depend on whether or not you have a property management company assisting you. In this event, this is a great form of passive income that is usually quite reliable. If you’ve got someone handling the maintenance, rent collection and other landlord duties, you’ll just have to collect the check every month. While you will have to pay that management company, it’s well worth it since you won’t have to deal with these issues.
Interest Payments –
Whether it’s from a P2P loan, a certificate of deposit or a savings account, interest payments are the easiest form of passive income. They also have some of the lowest rates of return but are generally considered to be quite safe. This is the perfect place to start if you’re completely new to building multiple streams of income and you can pick up a lot of helpful knowledge along the way.
Variations on a Theme –
There are numerous types of non-traditional forms of passive income streams that are variations on the themes mentioned above. Basically, anything that makes you extra money without requiring any work on your part can be considered passive.
When managed correctly, passive income streams are a vital part of your future financial planning. Many will keep returning long after you are retired and can serve as a cushion to keep you living your life the way you want to. The best way to take advantage of the situation is to implement both active and passive income streams so that you can have the best of both worlds and keep building up your bank account.
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November 16th, 2008 — Debt, Money, Mortgage, Personal Finance, bad debt, credit cards, good debt
When you see the word debt, undoubtedly the first thing that pops into your mind is a credit car bill or a car payment. For many, debt means a mortgage or other high dollar expenditures. However, there are two main forms of debt and they are very different from one another. You cannot paint them with the same brush since they are fundamentally different at their various cores. In order to better understand debt, let’s take a look at these types and discover how debt can actually be good for you, when managed properly.
Bad Debt – This is the kind of debt that most of us are familiar with. You start out in life with a boat load of student loans, and most likely a few credit cars. Pretty soon you’ve got a car payment and later a house payment. You’ve got all of these expenditures weighing on you and they add up very quickly. The interest payments make it hard to get ahead and before you know it, you may be in well over your head. At this point, most people strive to get out of debt anyway possible and start researching opportunities to consolidate their debts to make it easier to pay them all of.
This is referred to as bad debt because it works against you. The only exception would be a mortgage, since this is actually something that is going towards building your future. Bad debt is the kind of debt that results from overspending on things you really don’t need – things that can never provide you with any sort of return. Spend too much on these frivolous items and you’ve got quite a problem on your hands.
Good Debt – This is a completely kind of debt. Good debt is commonly referred to as leverage. This refers to the fact that you are going into debt in order to make more money for yourself in the future. Case in point, let’s say that you have the opportunity to invest in a new business. This business is forecast to produce $250k a year for the next ten years. It will cost you $25k to get in to the opportunity, but you don’t have that kind of cash just lying around.
You can get a loan for that $25k and turn it around to the tune of 10 times your original investment. This is good debt – the kind of debt that works for you. By using your debt to leverage multiple streams of income, you can have even greater results. The key is figuring out the kind of returns you want to get and how far you’re willing to leverage that debt.
In the right hands and with the right techniques, debt is a very powerful tool that can help you make more money, not less. When handled incorrectly, debt is nothing more than an albatross that will bog you down financially. Good debt is something that will free you from financial worries.
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July 23rd, 2008 — Diversification, Income Streams, Leverage, Personal Finance, passive income
Right now, more than 80% of households in the United States live on a paycheck to paycheck basis. This means that a lost job could result in financial disaster for a large chunk of the population. Once you get into the trap of relying so heavily on one paycheck, it can be pretty hard to break free from that cycle. There are ways however to reduce your reliance on that paycheck and get other streams of income rolling in.
Whenever we get a job, we get excited about that paycheck and the temptation is there to get a nicer car, or a nicer house or just to spend more than we should. Before we know it, we’re stretching our limits. If you get a raise, the same thing usually happens. Instead of taking that money and using it to make more, we simply throw it out the door on things that we don’t really need.
We’re not saying that you have to live your life like a Spartan – far from it. However, you should never rely solely on one income to meet your needs. This is a recipe for disaster, and for thousands of Americans, this can be the risk of ending up homeless. So, how do you break free from this cycle and open up more streams of income?
The easiest answer is to get a second job so that you have more income coming in each month. The only problem is that most of us are spread so thin that it is just not feasible to try to work more. You can try starting your own little side business, but again, if you don’t have a lot of time, this can be more trouble than it is worth.
The second choice is to find a way to create passive streams of income. This is money that you don’t have to “work” for. In essence, you’re not doing anything, but you still have money coming in. Examples of passive income include investments, interest payments and dividends. You make that initial investment and then sit back to watch the money roll in.
This is the most ideal means of making more money to reduce your reliance on your paycheck. However, there are times when you may not have enough cash to create a new income stream. In this situation, you can try what is called leveraging debt. This means getting a loan that will be used for an investment to create more income.
Now, we do not recommend leveraging debt on risky investments, this is just a bad idea. It is best to start small, with something that you feel comfortable will have a good rate of return. This may mean a high interest bearing savings account or something similar that has less risk than a stock.
Whatever you decide to do, the important thing is to stop relying on that paycheck. Once you do get more income coming in, don’t fall into that same trap of overspending again. Put it aside, or use it to invest in new income streams.
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