The Silver Lining in Silver Investments...

Jun 24, 2014 by

The Silver Lining in Silver Investments

Silver is like gold’s little brother. No one pays much attention to him. Gold is attractive, desirable, and much more expensive. The price of gold can be volatile, and it makes for an exciting investment. Aside from use in jewelry and a few electrical components, though, gold has minimal industrial use. In fact, gold’s only true value is that people like it. There’s already far more gold sitting in vaults than could ever be used. Silver has much more practical use. Over 40% of the demand for silver is for industrial applications. Silver is used in electrical applications because it’s the industrial metal with the lowest electrical resistance. Silver also has anti-bacterial properties and is used in the medical field. Silver can be a good investment, too. Silver has been used as a form...

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Guidelines for the Amateur Investor...

Jun 24, 2014 by

Guidelines for the Amateur Investor

Warren Buffett provides simple advice for the amateur stock picker. Most of us aren’t financial wizards and don’t even hold a job in a finance-related field. We’re teachers, managers, laborers, and engineers. Can the average person do a good job of picking stocks? That depends. Warren Buffet has 60 years of experience and invests full-time. Historically, Buffett has insisted that investing doesn’t require a high IQ, but it does take experience to recognize a great investment. He also has several advantages the average person doesn’t. However, his basic strategies are available to all. Buffett has suggested two different sets of instructions for non-professional investors. If you lack knowledge about the stock market and are short on time, check out these tips: Put 10% of your investment monies into short-term government bonds. This is money...

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6 Things You Need to Know If You Plan to Invest In Stocks...

Jun 24, 2014 by

6 Things You Need to Know If You Plan to Invest In Stocks

If you are serious about growing wealth in the stock market you got to be in it for long haul. Warren Buffett and other value investing proponents are quick to point out that you ought to be willing to stay the course for an extended period of time in order to get the benefit of value stock picks. Sometimes, this can even take over 10 years. It’s important to be able to separate the long-term investment companies from the short-term ones. To find a stock that you might be keeping for 10 or more years, it’s important to know the characteristics that these stocks possess. Fortunately, there are several qualities frequently shared by these long-term plays. Stocks for the long haul frequently share these characteristics: 1.  A business that will still be thriving 10,...

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The Emergency Fund Re-examined

Jun 24, 2014 by

The Emergency Fund Re-examined

Practically every financial planning and personal finance book you’ll ever read advises you to start an emergency savings fund, or rainy day fund as some call it, to meet unexpected financial emergencies, as one of the first steps you should take to build wealth. Some advise a fixed dollar amount, such as $500 or $1,000, be set aside for financial emergencies. I’ve seen recommendations ranging from $500 to $12,000. Others recommend saving a certain number of month’s income for financial emergencies, such as three month’s income, six month’s income, or as much as twelve month’s income. Still others suggest setting aside a certain number of month’s living expenses, such as three month’s living expenses, six month’s living expenses, or even twelve month’s living expenses, to meet unexpected financial emergencies. So… With all this conflicting...

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Plan Now to Avoid Future Financial Disaster...

Jun 24, 2014 by

Plan Now to Avoid Future Financial Disaster

It’s tough to get by financially in today’s fast-paced life.  With mortgages, car notes and massive amounts of credit card debt, most people struggle to get by from month to month.  With most people doing what they can just to pay their bills, few people are prepared for the unlikely event of a financial disaster. They come in many forms; a storm like Hurricane Katrina, a loss of job, or a sudden illness can break anyone who isn’t prepared for an unexpected interruption in their financial life.  But it isn’t all that difficult to make preparations that will help you in times of a money crisis.  All it takes is a bit of planning ahead of time. Here are a few things that will help you be prepared for the unexpected: If you don’t...

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