Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 11:55 am. 0 comments
Property finance can be rather complicated, especially if you don’t understand the basics of home loans. Before signing that contract, you should do adequate research in order to find the best possible mortgage finance available in South Africa.
Buy versus Rent
Although renting a property often seems simpler than buying, the fact remains that at the end of the day you don’t own the property. Renting has the benefit of mobility should your career or lifestyle demand it, but as a lessee, you have minimal rights and most of the time you are at the mercy of an unscrupulous landlord.
In South Africa the property market has seen a lot of changes over the past few years, and indeed the property finance market has undergone many ups and downs in this time too, but there has been consistent growth overall in property values.
Therefore investing in a property rather than just renting it will, in the long-run, make more financial sense.
How a home loan works
A very basic definition of a home loan is that it is a financial loan from an established institution in order for you to purchase a house.
When your home loan or bond has been approved, the balance owed for the purchased house is paid by the lending institution directly to the seller. This holds you liable to pay the home loan provider according to the contract’s installment agreement. The installments may fluctuate according to variable interest rates. What you need to acquire is a loan package that has the best interest plan for you.
The bank will hold onto the deed to your property until the bond has been paid in full. During this period you cannot alienate the house, which means that you cannot change any of the conditions stipulated in your contract including renting out the property or undertaking major alterations without consulting the bank first.
Equity affects your alienable rights over the property. In other words, until the whole the mortgage is paid in full, you cannot be granted full equity, but can only alienate a portion of the property estimated to the value of the equity you have accumulated.
In South Africa, the major banks offer a variety of home loan options. You need to ascertain which one of these will best suit your financial needs by educating yourself about the pros and cons of each of the options available.
The four major types of home loans are:
- Variable interest rate home loans;
- Fixed interest rate home loans;
- Capped interest rate home loans; and
- Reducing interest rate home loans.
Mortgage Evolution
There are also different ways of going about applying for a bond. You can either decide to do all the work yourself, or you could use a mortgage broker or take advantage of the next step in mortgage evolution - an online mortgage originator.
If you decide to apply for your home loan independently, you’ll have to approach each loan institution to which you’d like to apply for different quotations and information. This process can be quite tedious and you’d have to approach several banks so that you can suss out the most suitable option for you.
Another option is to utilise the expertise of a mortgage broker. They’ll apply on your behalf to the banks, and will then be able to give you a list of options and offers. You can then choose the option you feel would be best suited to your needs.
The last option, and definitely the easiest way to apply for property finance is through an online mortgage originator. Mortgage originators are giving the power back to the average investor and it is definitely affecting the way home loans are processed in South Africa.
An online mortgage originator allows you to sit in the comfort of your own home while getting the mortgage process started. The mortgage originator will submit your application to all the home loan institutions in South Africa on your behalf. Apart from applying for home loans on your behalf, a mortgage originator would also be doing the negotiations with the different loan institutions on your behalf, securing you a better interest rate.
All you have to do is fill in application form after which the mortgage originator will start the process and negotiate the best available rates, leaving you to select the most suitable home loan option for you.
Author Bio
PropertyGenie is affiliated with ooba, a provider of home loans and mortgage finance in South Africa, offering you property finance without any complications.
Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 10:37 am. 0 comments
Coming off its 52 week high and its recently reported earnings (August 7, 2006), Cytrogen Corporation may be one of the best buys you can find out there. The company recently posted excellent fundamentals with a 0.32 EPS when the market was expecting -0.30, and increased both its revenue and profit relative to one year ago.
For the most part, a lot of the extra income had come from Cytrogen’s joint venture with PSMA Corporations, but such an activity does not mean that CYTO is not a perfect buying opportunity. While a few investors may argue that the stock was recently near two dollars which exceeded its previous 52 week low, CYTO is continuously growing and still presents itself as a chance for a profitable mid to long term investment.
As a biopharmaceutical company, such a sector usually does well during periods of slow economic growth. As interest rates are at near its maximum, economic growth will become a bit of concern but should ironically help CYTO’s price. Typically, during slow growth inelastic goods and services produced by companies such as in healthcare tend to do well because the decrease in income help consumers allocate more of their assets into these inelastic companies. Such distribution aids in future earnings and revenue growth, and CYTO is no exception to such a trend.
With excellent fundamentals, and optimistic outlook, and price just coming out of its 52 week low, I would look for CYTO to be a real bargain around the 2.30-2.50 mark. Having a 52 week high of near 5.30, a 17.00 one year target, and positive, but relatively not to high P/E ratio this quarter, I would absolutely recommend Cytrogen as a strong buy.
Dennis Biray presents advice on all kinds of topics ranging from finance and investing to fitness to sports. For more information email him at dbiray@gmail.com, or to view other articles written by him visit http://www.biraynetworks.co.nr/.
Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 7:21 pm. 0 comments
Would you like to have a side income that gives you a few thousand dollars each month? I certainly won’t mind. In fact I liked it so much that I made it into a full time career! That’s just me though (and several thousand people in the world) we like what we do so much because we don’t have to answer to a boss, or have time-tables or office politics or work stress. The way forward is to trade Forex, not any other market but the forex market.
The world’s largest market is the Forex market; at last count it trades a whooping 3 trillion dollars a day! Can you make just a couple of thousand with 3 trillion dollars floating around? Of course you can!
To achieve that you will need an education into the world of currency trading or more commonly known as Forex. There is a lot of information floating on the internet to help you along your way. Almost every broker also comes equipped with a short tutorial about the wonders of Forex.
Have I scared you enough yet? It sounds too good to be true isn’t it? The truth is it is too good to be true; Forex trading is not about making easy money. Having a side income of a couple of thousand of dollars is highly probable. But to get there you got to equip yourself with the necessary tools. As mentioned a lot of information can be got for free. What cannot be taught is experience, and that is one of the most important aspects of trading.
When you really get down to it, getting a side income is not difficult or complicated. Here are some tips to help you on your way:
1. Read up on the market you want to invest in, it is usually a good idea to read up before investing a single cent.
2. Get a good broker; with the advent of technology every thing becomes automated. This makes it so convenient for you to trade. In the past your broker had to be human that means you could trade only during working hours. With internet trading, you can trade anytime, anywhere, not anyhow though. A good broker will ensure that the orders you give gets filled immediately. Also a good broker will always honor your profits, so you never have to worry about your money.
3. Take action, remember fortune favors the bold! A lot of folks take the knowledge they receive and bury it deep. Why? It’s not like the knowledge is going to give you an income! You got to take action, use the knowledge you acquired and get cracking. Every moment you lose, means more of YOUR money is going into someone else’s pocket.
4. Be positive and believe. Not talking about religious ecstasies here, what is important is that you focus on the emotion of happiness. Yes you read correct, you concentrate on being happy and the positive feelings will set in. When you have that believe that you will succeed then you have just written your own paycheck!
The above tips are just a general guide for you if you want to invest in any market. Investing is the only way to grow your money. Working a day job will give to you a stable income. To shorten the time require for you to build a fortune and retire rich, you have to learn investment. So chest out stomach in, and get cracking!
Dr. Joshua Geralds is a successful Investment Specialist with over twenty years experience increasing the income of people world wide. Visit http://www.pipsalot.com to learn how to make steady profits through safe trading and down load your FREE e-book “Money Management” for a limited time only!
Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 6:24 pm. 0 comments
The B&I Guaranteed Loan Program is a little known government sponsored loan for business and investors where the property is located in a rural community. The point of the program is to improve and develop business/employment, again in rural communities. Like SBA commercial loans, the B and I program guarantees banks and lenders so that they are more willing to lend in small town communities.
Again the primary goal of the program is to stimulate the economy, so virtually all borrowers are eligible, as long as they:
1. Provide employment,
2. Improve the economic or environmental climate
3. Promote the conservation, development, and use of water for aquaculture
4. Reduce reliance on nonrenewable energy resources by encouraging the development and construction of solar energy systems and other renewable energy systems.
The way the loan proceeds can be used must be in alignment with above. In addition, the proceeds can be used to prevent the failure of a business and or the prevention of job loss. Also, funds can be used for business conversion, enlargement or the purchase of land, buildings or equipment, supplies, etc.
Normally most banks are not interested in lending in smaller communities due to the lack of diversification of the economy. Values can fluctuate widely. The program guarantees banks up to 80% of the loan balance, for loans less than $5,000,000, in case of borrower default. The guarantee drops as the loan amount increases.
General Detail of the B and I Loan
The loan limit is normally capped at $10,000,000 though exceptions can be made to $25,000,000. Loan terms are general 30 years , while machinery or equipment may not exceed the useful life. Working capital cannot exceed 7 years. Rates can be fixed or adjustable at the lenders discretion.
B and I loans are still viable and many banks and lenders are pushing borrowers to go this route so that they can be assured via the guarantee. Due to the credit crisis this maybe the best option for borrowers in the market.
Jeff Rauth is President of Commercial Finance Advisors, Inc out of Birmingham, Michigan a national commercial mortgage brokerage firm. 248 885-8797. He also has a STORE for commercial loan brokers. Contracts, spreadsheets, books, etc. Products starting at $5. Check it out commercial real estate loans or business and industry loans
Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 5:32 am. 0 comments
What is the importance of a Forex education? While Forex may not mean much to the average consumer, in actuality everything we know in American commerce is affected by Forex, the foreign exchange market. Every time the American dollar reduces in value or inflates, it’s because of the world scene of financing. Only someone who follows the goings-on of the foreign exchange market could understand why all avenues relate to each other and are affected.
Some have carefully studied the foreign exchange market over the years and have planned their investments according to predicted changes. The shrewdest of investors have profited immensely, as they were able to learn the market, see disaster coming and knew exactly what to do in order to minimize their losses. Of course, learning all of these financial aspects would involve a solid Forex education.
If you are in business, whether doing business online or if your company is expanding to overseas locations, then the foreign exchange market will be of paramount concern to you. Forex doesn’t merely involve foreign currency but also trade, politics and worldwide economics. (Namely, how one entity affects another on a global scale.) Have you ever desired to learn more about Forex finance and trading but weren’t sure how to get started?
Even if you are not a trained economist, you can still learn how Forex operates through many affordable online resources. A Forex education is available online from such companies as the Forex Club Academy. The Forex Club Academy offers an easy-to-follow text course that explains the fundamentals of Forex trading through e-books, video aids and other visual methods of teaching. This makes the course easy to understand regardless of your educational background. For more information on what the academy can offer you visit the Colt FX website.
Colt FX is an exceptional resource for anyone interested in gaining a forex education. Newcomers can find valuable aids in forex education about this market. You can start yours today and begin making considerable earning by visiting http://www.coltfx.com/.
Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 5:01 pm. 0 comments
In this world where our needs change and rapidly expand every day, guaranteed online personal loans can prove to be just the answer for most people - stay-at-home mothers who suddenly come face to face with a domestic emergency (most probably involving medical care for their children) with no income to pay the expenses, college students who run out of their allowance days or weeks before the next one comes in, lessees who desperately need to make deposits before the bank raises the mortgage, and regular employees who have spent their earnings and are now broke until the next paycheck.
Guaranteed online personal loans are also called as payday loans or bad credit loans. This type of loan permits you to get money, in the form of cash, without the need to support or establish your income stream capability at the onset of the application process. This type of loan generally works to the advantage of borrowers.
Although proof of a steady income is not normally required during application, it helps to have a good credit reputation; some companies require good credit rating to be able to qualify for a loan. Common requirements also include age (you must at least be 18 years old), residency (you must be a resident of the United States), and working checking accounts (you must have one because lenders usually prefer to be paid through direct deposits). But, even with a good credit rating, you might still be turned down for this type of loan. This happens when the lender receives a large number of applications and is forced to accommodate only some.
However, as with all other schemes that seem too good to be true, guaranteed online personal loans also have their disadvantages. These disadvantages can be made known to interested borrowers through careful attention and study of the payment plans of the company from which they wish to borrow cash. There are risks involved in this kind of financial policy, and to get the most out of the easy benefits, you should prepare for strategies that will enable you to avoid debt and, consequently, bad credit reputation.
There are also ways with which you can find out whether the company you wish to borrow cash from is trustworthy and runs a legitimate online loaning business. For one, you can read the comments posted in the feedback section of its homepage. Online sellers, from those who deal with clothes and other common items to those who offer complex services such as loans, often post a feedback section to convince their viewers of their credibility.
You can also get help from consumer review services. Visit your Attorney General’s office, your state’s BBB, or banks and other high-profile lenders, and ask if there have been complaints regarding your chosen company. You can also perform triangulation, which is basically cross-referencing all the references you have gathered in order to form an estimate of the company. This process permits you to get the consensus of the industry even if you remain to be an outsider. All this will help you reach an informed decision.
You can find out more about Guaranteed Online Personal Loans as well as much more information on all types of personal loans at http://www.PersonalLoansA-Z.com
Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 9:27 pm. 0 comments
Trading in currency can be incredibly rewarding. It can also be very risky. In fact, most Forex traders lose their trading capital in the first few years. There are of course many reasons for so many traders losing their money. Among the numerous causes for these losses the number one reason is a lack of planning. That’s right, poor planning has led more traders to consistently lose their funding. The good news is that there is an answer: Developing winning Forex strategies. That is where this article comes in. Let’s take a look, at a trading strategy if used properly will help you make more money than you ever dreamed possible.
This strategy is based on a popular technical analysis tool known as the Simple Moving Average or SAM. It is set on the twelve period SMA. Keep in mind that every period is fifteen minutes.
This is how it is played: At the point in which the currency crosses above the twelve period SMA, it should be regarded as a clear signal to buy at the market.
The opposite reaction signals a move also. Below the twelve period SMA: Once the currency does this it is a clear signal to “Stop and Reverse,” This is also referred to as the SAR. Another way of explaining this move is to short the move and liquidate the long position.
Then nice thing about this move is you are always in a move whether long or short on the position. This is a very profitable trade.
Many Forex traders will accumulate trading strategies that are winners. But the problem is that they never use these strategies. A trader should always have a reason for getting in a trade. You can make an incredible amount of money with currency trading. But you will have an incredibly difficult time trying to do so without help. This strategy provided can make a real difference in terms of consistent gains.
Get an Objective Review of the Most Popular Forex Trading Software Programs. Forex Trading System Review is the place to visit.
See What Forex Trading Software REALLY Works! forex-trading-system-review.com is the place to visit.
Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 11:54 am. 0 comments
If you are planning to retire from your stressful job sometime in the future, do proper planning first. Planning will prepare you for the life ahead. Note that the plannings you should do should encompass every aspect of your life, from finance, relationships, etc. Your financial plans can involve saving from your wages during your working years.
Volunteering at your local charity or helping in the community is one way to keep your life busy after retirement. Retirement could really be interesting if you think of things to do. It only becomes a headache when you chose to fold your hands, watch and do nothing.
To find the ideal investment for you in preparation for your retirement, you need to do your home work well. It is not easy to decide on the best way to invest, especially since you can’t depend on testimonies to help you. The fact is one investment that works for one person might not work for you, so you really have to search and do the right choice for you.
There are many myths making the round about retirement. One of them is that retirement is an event that occurs on the last day of your career. This is certainly not true. It is simply a new phase of your life that doesn’t call for excess stress.
Myrtle beach, Palm springs and Asheville are some popular retirement attraction areas. These resort areas feature sand, landscape and sea that can tantalize the senses of any person who has retired and needs a little bit of excitement.
Retirement can seem like a good idea when you feel you are running on fumes. After a while however, it can feel like hell on earth, especially when you aren’t particularly active in anyway. Most people suffer from one common ailment after they retire and that is boredom. Don’t let this happen to you. Find something you can do to keep you active, even when you retire.
When you retire, exercise is very important. If you were already used to exercise, keep it going. If not, make sure you get yourself hooked up to some exercise and fitness program. If you do, you’re sure to have a physically strong body that will keep you through a strong happy life.
If you are someone that loves reading, one way to enjoy your retirement is to organize a book club. You can get hooked with like-minded friends, and relatives, working professionals and students in order to have regular readings, discussions, debates and reviews on books, articles, novels and any other intellectual reading materials. This will help to sharpen and widen your mind. It will also keep you very active, even in retirement.
To learn revealing tips about resources about Retirement Calculator Omb see Jon Ferriss’s website ==> http://retirementplaningnews.com
Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 11:26 pm. 0 comments
There has been a lot of debate over the years as to whether or not gold is worth investing your money in. Some make the claim that it makes an excellent hedge against inflation; others might say that you can use it as a quick fix for some extra cash. And then there are some that invest in it when the economy is bad because they feel if everything crashes, at least their gold will still carry some value.
So what is it? Is gold a good investment?
Well- let’s define “investment” first; really, it should be categorized into a couple of different perspectives. We either invest with a long term approach, or we invest with a short term, turn a quick profit approach. In this article, we’ll explore both the short term and long term approaches to using gold as an investment.
Before we consider the above, let’s look at how gold has been performing throughout the years and use that data to consider the question.
First, if we were to take all of the years that gold’s worth has been calculated up to the present, we would find that gold has improved in value at about 2% annually. In the last 50 years, things have been a little bit better, as gold has been increasing at about 4% annually. So would it be a good long term investment? Doubt it… most good index funds (something that might follow the S&P 500, for example) have been increasing on average at 12% annually in those same years. Do your research- you’ll find the same data.
Here’s another interesting thing: if you would have bought a bunch of gold back in 1983, you would have purchased it for roughly $510 per ounce. Thinking that it might be “a good hedge against inflation,” you hold that investment for the next 20 years or so. By the end of 2005, if you were to have attempted to sell that same gold, you would have made literally NOTHING! That’s right- in December of 2005, gold was being sold at $515 per ounce!
If you take inflation running at about 3% into account, you’d have found that gold would have lost you a substantial amount of money.
Is good a good investment? Considering the numbers, it wouldn’t be good long term.
How about gold as a short term investment? Currently, gold is being traded for roughly $875 per ounce! In the last several years, it’s been increasing at an astounding rate! So now would be a good time to buy, right? Absolutely not! It’s only been in the last few years that it’s really gained any ground; if you look into history, anytime gold begins to look up, it ends up taking a hard fall. If you would have bought gold in the last couple of years, now might be a good time to sell it!
But what about now? Should you buy it? Well… you decide. Typically, I like to buy low and sell high; don’t we all? So… with gold being as high as it is, the worst decision you could make would be to buy it. Don’t touch it!
So, in short, is gold a good investment? Absolutely NOT! Stay away from it.
Trever Shipp, the author, works as an online business consultant, student, husband, and business owner. Follow his personal finance blog and see how he and his family take finances by the horns and steer them to success.
Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 8:58 pm. 0 comments
For the past five years my sole source of income has been profits made from trading on the forex market. Over that time period, many people, perhaps somewhat envious of my ability to earn money from home without having to report to a boss, have asked me what it takes to trade for a living. How can one arrive at a point where one feels confident enough to leave ones regular employment, strike off on ones own with no guarantee of a regular paycheck, and put what might conceivably be ones entire savings up to that point at risk in the markets?
While I unfortunately cant actually give you confidence in your ability to make it on your own, nor the stomach to risk your hard earned savings, I can tell you the practical steps that I took to get where I am today. These steps do not include the obvious ¨learn of the existence of the forex market¨, as presumably you already know something about forex trading, or you wouldnt be reading this article.
Furthermore, while these steps have been applicable to trading the forex market in my case, one could easily apply the same principles to becoming a professional trader in the equities markets, derivative markets, etc.
Step 1) Start saving your money.
To trade professionally you need a bankroll, and one that is large enough to withstand the ups and downs that are a natural part of trading. For me, this was easy. I had been putting money aside ever since I started working. Those like me that have been raised to understand and appreciate the value of saving, will accomplish this quite naturally. However, if you are a habitual spender and are accustomed to living paycheck to paycheck without putting anything extra aside, be prepared to expend some serious effort curbing your habits and learning to save instead of spend. How much money will you need? Unfortunately I cant answer that specifically because it will depend on the trading strategy that you use, the amount of leverage you plan on trading with, and the amount of money that you need to take out in profits. You should count on having a bare minimum though, of a full six months salary saved up before beginning full time trading. One years salary would be still better. Keep in mind that the larger your bankroll, the more money you can earn without risking an unnecessarily large percentage of your bankroll.
Step 2) Get an education.
You cant start trading before you know something about the market you are trading in. This education does not have to be formal (as in University classes), and you do not have to understand economic forces as well as Alan Greenspan prior to getting started. You should, however, have a basic understanding of why the market that you are trading in exists, how buying and selling on that market works, and the strategy that you are going to employ to take your profits out of the market. There are a lot of totally free resources on the internet that are worth your time to read (and there are a lot of opinions and ideas that are NOT worth your time, but reading some of those that are not worthwhile is part of the process of developing
discernment about what is and is not a good resource).
There are also some inexpensive trading courses on the internet that are useful. Part of the education process is coming up with a trading strategy that you are comfortable with, as well as a money management strategy to ensure the long term viability of the trading strategy. There are many good trading strategies out there, but regardless of which one you choose, you must understand that the traders that are successful cut their losses early and let their winning trades run. This can be somewhat more difficult than it sounds, but is really the key to making money trading.
Step 3) Sign up for a demo trading account and start practicing while you are not at your regular job (or, if you have free time and internet access at your job, WHILE you are at your regular job).
We list some good forex brokers at forex-rates, so if you are planning to trade currencies, be sure and sign up for a demo account with one of the listed brokers. In order to get a real feel for the trading strategy that you have chosen, you will have to do a lot of practice, so take your time with this step. Dont start trading with real money until you have an actual
history of successful demo trading
Step 4) If you are making money trading on paper and are comfortable with your trading strategy, go ahead and get started trading for real on a part time basis. Don’t include all of your savings as part of your trading bankroll yet. Start slowly and gain a comfort level. As your confidence builds, move money from your savings to increase the size of your bankroll.
Step 5) When you can estimate that your average gains from real trading (from step 4) are at a level where, if you were to trade full time using your current bankroll, you would be making profits that slightly exceed your current employment salary, you are ready to quit your job and trade full time. Remember, you want your trading profits to exceed your present salary. This will give you the opportunity to maintain your current financial level, but at the same time continue to increase your trading bankroll, which will enable you to earn more and more money as the size of your available funds grows larger.
It is important to have patience with yourself at each of the steps mentioned. Maintain emotional equanimity and understand that fear and greed are a traders most dangerous nemesis. If you can keep these emotions under control and maintain the discipline established while following these steps, you can look forward to making it as a professional trader.
Samuel Garcia is a full time forex trader based in San Jose, Costa Rica. He considers that being a successful trader is 90% due to proper money management and emotional discipline, rather than the trading strategy employed. Visit http://www.forex-rates.biz