Year: 2021

General

How One Can Benefit From Real Estate Investment

How One Can Benefit From Real Estate Investment

Ask any successful real estate investor and he will tell you that the best method to create personal wealth is to invest in real estate. When you invest in real estate in a carefully planned manner, your investment will fetch you excellent returns, unmatched by any other form of investment. Here are a few important facts about investment:

Although investment carries risks like all other forms of investment, the price fluctuations are a lot slower than the stock market or investment in gold. The money you have invested in real estate will not crash overnight. At best, fall in real estate prices may be ten percent less than it was the previous day.

One of the chief benefits of investment is banks and other financial institutions will be willing to lend you large sums of money for buying real estate. It is difficult to borrow money for buying stocks as stock markets prices are speculative in nature and the risk factor is high.

If you are intelligent and capable of a planned investment, then there are ways you can purchase property for as low as seventy percent of its market value and then go for the big kill.

Yet another important benefit is you can enjoy large scale tax advantages through depreciation. Any tax consultant will guide you how to pay least taxes on holdings.

In real estate investment, value addition is possible for you to enlarge your profits. For instance, you can increase the sales value of your property by making some modifications or additions to the property. You can add a garage or even a bedroom if space permits. You can renovate the house to fetch a better price.

If you are keen to succeed in business, you must educate yourself about the market and also regularly interact with fellow investors and professionals who can help you meet your investment goals. A investment club membership will provides these benefits.

You can immensely benefit by joining a investment club. There will be senior members who will be only too willing to offer you guidance. You can attend the periodic seminars that will discuss ways and means of making profit in the market. Networking with experts in business and interacting with peers can be highly useful. You can identify partners to join hands with you to successfully transact bigger business deals.

Be quick to learn the tricks of the trade if you want to thrive in business. It is not always easy to single-handedly manage affairs in business. It is prudent to hire the agents to help you when you are stuck with some property. For instance, a fellow agent from the club can at times find you a buyer much sooner than you can on your own and help you close the deal. Paying him a small percentage of commission is certainly worthwhile.

Please understand that it pays to invest in business. If you are serious about your business and apply yourself diligently, real estate is indeed one of the smartest investments you could ever make.…

General

Investment For a Secure Future

Investment For a Secure Future

Investment is necessary to lead a secure and tension free life. Today, there are many options available to invest money to earn better interest rates. People invest their money in different investment firms for different purposes like medical safety, to secure their children dream and to secure their future. However, it does not matter what is your purpose for investing your money. But the matter is that how to invest and where to invest to get better returns.

Before, only banks are considered good for growth of money. But these days, not only government but also private firms are involved in giving good returns. These companies are offering different types of saving plans at good interest rates.

Tips to Invest

If you would like to be a leader in the field of investment, here are some tips-

Invest in Stock Market

Many experts believe that invest your money in the stock market may give good returns. But for this you have to be attentive towards your shares. It is also said that the different kinds of stock investments cater two level of risk tolerance. They may be high or low risk. For conservative investors’ interest bearing saving accounts, mutual funds, money market accounts and certificate of deposit are considered safe. These stock market plans are considered safe for long term investing. They involved low risk.

But for moderate investors, investing in infrastructure is considered good. It involves moderate amounts of risk. Many investors who like to earn instant money invest directly in the stock market. They are known as an aggressive investor and like to trade intraday which involves much risk.

Invest in Real Estate

Many aggressive traders tend to invest their money in the high risk real estate. It means that they put their money into older apartment buildings and invest their money to renovate these apartments which they expect to sell or rent. But sometimes, they are not able to gain the exact amount which they invested in buying and renovating them.

So, it is said that for better returns in real estate, you should always check the area where you are thinking to invest. If the area you choose has better prospect to grow then you may earn a good amount of money.

Invest in Foreign Exchange Trading

Today, numbers of people are involved in foreign exchange trading. It has given a new paradigm in investment. Many online trading companies are offering to invest in this trading. If you are interested, you need to fill some necessary information of yours. After this, you can choose a mini or a regular account for foreign exchange trading. For funding in you account, you need a credit card. The process is very simple and with time numbers of people are involving with this trading.…

General

One Rule to Know Before Buying Investment Property

One Rule to Know Before Buying Investment Property

Could it be possible that there is only one rule which you need to actually apply so as to make the correct decision when considering buying investment property? Well as far as I am concerned, there is only one rule and that is that you should invest in yourself first.

Now many people might not understand what I mean by this but it is actually very simple, how on earth can anybody make an informed investment decision if they have not taken the time to invest in themselves by learning how to make a truly informed decision which is not based on speculation or emotion.

As a Wealth Creator, I believe that in order to make the correct financial investment decisions, I first need to fully understand all of the options which are available to me concerning the investment decision so as to qualify the risk involved and the growth of my investment.

The moment we are able to base our decision as to whether buying investment property will be financially beneficial to us on facts rather than speculation and emotion, then we are making an informed decision which will most likely be a very effective vehicle to take us to financial freedom.

Unfortunately most people try to make these types of decisions without having effective systems and principles in place so as to supply the facts and they are also ignorant as to how one should make these decisions void of speculation and emotion.

The moment that we are able to remove speculation and emotion, we are able to start making decisions concerning buying investment property in the best possible way which is by reducing our risk and maximizing our investment growth.

In effect then, with all this considered the one rule we all need to know before buying investment property is a simple one, take the time and put in the effort to invest in yourself first so as to be able to make informed investment decisions.…

General

Can You Make Money Trading Stocks?

Can You Make Money Trading Stocks?

Many people’s idea of a perfect business involves trading in stocks or commodities. Before they begin they generally and often mentally ask an important question which is, “can I really make money trading stocks?” One could actually say the answer to this ambiguous question is both yes and no and as it were, this is actually the wrong premise to begin from.

The answers to this question are so dynamic because it all depends on what stocks you decide to buy and what system you use to trade. There are people who have made billions of dollars in the stock market, occasionally overnight, but at the same time there are those who lost everything.

The truth of that matter is that millions or even billions can be made in the stock market but this may not necessarily happen overnight. Even though it could take time for you to be among the top earners in the stock trading arena, you need to learn your “ropes” well so that you get things right from the very first time you trade. When you have invested or traded in the right company and have taken your time to learn exactly what you need to be doing, your expertise and knowledge will give you those desired dollars as often as you would like it to!

The mighty challenge that faces many individuals trying to begin trading the money markets is the limited amount of cash they have at their disposal. Here then is what makes the difference between making peanuts or a six figure profit in the stock market. Home stock market traders are often disadvantaged in that they usually lose a good amount of their trading capital during the steep learning curve. Many of them will end up falling by the wayside even before they begin trading proper. So can you make money trading in stocks – yes, you can. Just take time to learn the trade and have sufficient funds to take you through the learning curve. As they say “every success is built on failure!”

When starting it is important to use every advantage possible. Many companies run free teaching seminars, webinars and tutorials – take advantage of these and attend everything you can – no knowledge is wasted. Every broker under the sun also provides some form of virtual account which allows you to trade without the pain – and the pleasure! – of a change in your finances. Use these types of virtual broking accounts until you have established a trading system that works for you and more importantly you understand. In my mind you pay for learning in one of three ways – you pay in time lost, you pay in money lost or you pay money to learn. Often the most expensive learning now – from an expert – often proves to be the best value long-term.…

General

Investment in Dunedin – Invest in NZ

Investment in Dunedin – Invest in NZ

The second largest city in the South Island; located at the head of a large harbor on the Otago Peninsula, Dunedin is considered one of New Zealand’s four main centers both for its national historic importance and for its prominence within Otago and the south Island. The Dunedin economy creates lots of jobs and wealth and is a potential investment destination with its city council having a dedicated Economic Development Unit (EDU). The city is home to high tech companies with it’s a vibrant and robust IT sector. The number of IT choosing to call the city home has gone up over the years despite the tough economic times that have most businesses decline.

The Dunedin ICT cluster includes businesses in niche areas such as offshore business solutions in Dunedin for a range of industries such as health, sports and performance, physiology, finance, agritech, film, gaming, 3D, education, GPS, software development, database management, e-learning and e-commerce. The national broadband speeds were generally lower when compared to the improving web browsing speeds since the start of 2009 according to a recently released report. The city’s council supports technology companies through its EDU plan, the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and the UPSTART Business Incubator. However, the principal industry in the city over the last few years has been the property and business services that accounted for 28.6% of all business within the city and its retail trade industry comes a close second.

Other crucial sectors to the Dunedin economy include Tourism with places such as the Octagon, Lamach castle, Otago Museum, Dunedin Public art gallery, Speight’s brewery etc that have been a source of revenue for the Dunedin tourist businesses. The city encourages local business and employment growth, and attracts increasing numbers of new business and tourists each year. A ten year economic development strategy began in 2000 and updated in 2006, focuses on making the city a prosperous economy. As it is, the city has a well developed Research and Development mechanism through its institutes that aims at a knowledge base economy. At present however, three of the main industries in the Dunedin harbor area fear they could be put out of business by the City Council’s proposal to rezone harbor side industrial land for its usage as a residential and commercial area. The industries launched an appeal in the environment court and it’s yet to be determined. The companies employ about 200 staff.…

General

FATCA – Foreign Financial Institutions Tax Withholding

FATCA – Foreign Financial Institutions Tax Withholding

Under the new law with respect to each U.S. account (any financial account held by one or more specified U.S. Persons or U.S. owned foreign entities (IRC 1471(d)(1)(A)), the foreign financial institution must provide information about account gross receipts and withdrawals.

U.S.-Source investment income is subject to U.S. information reporting and tax withholding.

Every person engaged in a trade or business in the United States must file with the IRS a Form 1099 information return for payments totaling at least $600 that it makes to a U.S. Person in the course of its trade or business (IRC 6041).

To avoid 28% back-up tax withholding (IRC 3406), a U.S. Person must furnish the payor with Form W-9 establishing that the payee is a U.S. Person (T.R. 32.3406(d)-1 and T.R. 32.3406(h)-3).

The combination of Form 1099 tax reporting and 28% back-up tax withholding is intended to ensure that U.S. Persons pay tax on investment income.

U.S. source income amounts, paid to foreign persons, are exempt from Form 1099 information reporting because they are subject to non-resident withholding rules.

A non-resident investor who seeks withholding tax relief for U.S. source investment income must provide certification on the appropriate IRS Form W-8 to the withholding agent to establish foreign status and eligibility for an exemption or reduced tax rate.

A withholding agent making payments of U.S. source amounts to a foreign person is required to report the payments, including any U.S. tax withheld, to the IRS on Forms 1042 and 1042-S by March 15th of the year following the year that the payment is made (T.R. A�1.1461-1(b) and (c)). If the withholding agent withholds more than is required, the payee may file a claim for refund.

A non-financial foreign entity that is a beneficial owner of a withholdable payment must certify that it has no substantial U.S. owners or provide identifying information for each substantial U.S. owner.…

General

Fancy Color Diamonds – Savvy Investing

Fancy Color Diamonds – Savvy Investing

More and more new investors and savvy investors have been adding natural fancy color diamonds to their investment portfolio these days. As the global economy takes a turn for the worst and the stock market has become less reliable, investing in fancy color diamonds has become an attractive option and a relatively low-risk way to protect purchasing power. However, there are some things that news investors should know before they choose to invest in a diamond.

It’s important for new investors to be-aware of the difference between investing in colorless (white) diamonds and color diamonds. Colorless (white) diamonds are typically used for engagement rings and have more or less been commoditized whereas, savvy investors understand that natural fancy colored gemstones are becoming the fastest growing hard asset investment in North America.

Rare jewels come in a wide spectrum of colors and grades. The rarest colors to occur are red, blue, pink, pure orange and green, with yellow, brown variations (Champagne, Cognac, Chocolate), black, and grey (Silvermist) occurring slightly more often. However, every jewel is completely unique, with its own particular hue, tone and saturation. While traditional diamond cutting emphasize the fire and brilliance of a diamond, natural fancy colored diamonds are cut in a style that emphasizes color intensity.

Natural fancy color diamonds are extremely rare, representing only one carat out of every 10,000 carats cut. They are becoming more popular and setting world records every year at the world’s legendary auction houses. With demand increasing worldwide, particularly in Asian markets, natural fancy loose diamonds will remain an extremely attractive investment far into the future.

Because natural colored stones are so rare, they not only retain their value even during times of recession but often see significant increases in value. The highest quality coloured gemstones increase some 10% to 15% in value each year, effectively doubling in price every five years. Some colors have appreciated as much as 50% to 100% in a single year. Brown variations (Champagne, Cognac and Chocolate) are currently one of the last color categories still priced below traditional colorless (white) diamonds, making them an affordable investment alternative.

Overall, natural fancy investment grade colored stones have the highest per-carat value of all stones, and represent an exceptional and low-risk way to increase the value of a portfolio. Although more specialized knowledge may be desirable, it is not necessary to be a gemologist to understand the value in investing in natural fancy coloured gemstone. There are knowledgeable and reputable brokers and dealers who can assist an investor in purchasing natural colored diamonds.

One of the most desirable reasons to invest in ‘fancy color’ is that you also own a beautiful and rare work of art that you don’t have to hide away in a safety deposit box. You have the option of turning your fancy color diamond into a stunning piece of jewelry, which you can enjoy wearing and showing off to the world.

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General

Purchase Vs Generate Carbon Offsets

Purchase Vs Generate Carbon Offsets

The offset can be purchased or generated, and investment in carbon offset generation projects requires careful assessment. The carbon action plan of any company depends on many factors.

Purchasing carbon credits (Retailers and Wholesaler)

Carbon credits can be bought from a third-party retailer, or institutions can buy it either for profit or non-profit purposes. Price, projects, transparency and quality standards are some key aspects of carbon credits, which the buyer should be aware of. The current carbon market is a buyer beware market and investors should conduct thorough research to make a final decision.

Carbon offset credits can be purchased from third-party bulk supplier, specializing in providing a number of credits and the benefit of wholesale is the price is lower as compared to retail price, although, the price varies depending on the project type, transparency and standards.

Earning high quality offsets

The criteria to earn high-quality offsets are –

1. Transparency- Transparency is the main criteria to attain high quality offset. Transparency refers to the condition where all project details are provided to the investors. The need of the project should be clear and the details should include –

o The type of project

o Duration

o Standards used

o Tests done

o Measures

o Price

o Location

2. Get net reduction of emissions- The project should be able to provide real net reduction of emissions and an absolute net reduction of GHG emissions should be attained.

Some offset projects are based on the baseline emission concept, which has many risks. A baseline emission refers to the emission reduction calculated from the difference of emission in the baseline scenario and the emission generated from the project. The main issue with the baseline project is the hypothetical scenario, where there is no fail safe way. To get high quality in baseline project, the baseline should be explicit and should ensure benefits from offset projects.

How to invest in carbon offset projects?

If you wish to invest in carbon offset projects, instead of going to third-party, you can opt to invest in projects, which provide carbon credit generation opportunities. In exchange of money invested in buying the offsets, you can negotiate a project developer to get the ownership. This approach may initially involve a high transaction cost but as per the value of the projects, emission reduction capabilities and need of the institution, the buyer can opt to invest in offset projects.

There are many categories in offset projects, which vary depending on location of projects and method of carbon sequestration. The offset project can be located in any part of the world – Brazilian rainforests, sub-Saharan rainforests or Australia and the purchaser can either invest in forestry or agro-forestry for offset generation.

Some institutions offer investment opportunities in carbon sequestration projects and it allows these institutions to generate carbon offset for self use and sell the surplus offset. These institutions offer agro-forestry opportunities in different categories and the investors get land ownership for a specified term. Investors can earn carbon credits and sell the surplus generated in voluntary markets.…

General

How to Get Rich in Property Investment

How to Get Rich in Property Investment

Investing in properties is a sure but slow way of getting rich. Many people have become rich through property investment by steadily working at it. You don’t need to have a lot of money to start investing in properties. Because of the power of leverage, you can buy properties using other people’s money. The basic idea of property investing is that the lesser your money you can put into buying a property, the greater your chances of making a higher return on your investment. To better understand the power of leveraging, let’s compare investing in properties with investing in equities.

Power Of Leveraging:- Properties vs Equities

By investing $100,000 in equities, you get to control $100,000 worth of equities. A 10% increase in the price of your equity would generate a 10% profit in your investment (i.e. $10,000) while a 100% increase in the price of your equity would generate a 100% increase in your investment (i.e. $100,000). In contrast, by investing in a $100,000 property, you do not need to come up with $100,000 as you can apply for a loan from the bank to finance a major part of your purchase. It is common for banks nowadays to offer up to 90% margin of financing to assist you in your property purchase. Therefore, by investing only $10,000 of your money, you get to buy a $100,000 worth of property in which 90% of the property price is financed by the bank. A 10% increase in the price of the property (i.e. $10,000) would already generate a 100% increase in your investment as the money you put in is only $10,000. Wouldn’t it be easier for a property to increase by only 10% compared to the price of an equity to double before you make a 100% return on your investment? That’s the power of leveraging at work.

Capital Appreciation vs Rental Returns

To be successful in property investment, you will either need to make a huge capital appreciation from the disposal of your properties or generating good rental returns from your tenants. If you prefer to buy and sell properties only, then you will need to have the holding power or ample reserves to be able to meet your monthly bank installments (for properties that are financed via bank borrowings) before you eventually dispose off the properties at a profit unless you paid for them in full by cash. The other common option for most of the property investors starting out would be to rent out their properties to good paying tenants who are helping them to meet their monthly bank installments. Make sure that the monthly rental you receive from the tenant is more than the monthly bank installments to enjoy a positive monthly cash flow.

Once you have successfully rented out your property, rinse and repeat the process to build up your property portfolio and start enjoying this passive rental income so that you can let your properties appreciate over time to make a good profit later should you decide to dispose them off. Therefore, it is imperative for you to be a good and successful landlord in order to be a successful property investor. Always keep in mind that your tenant’s rent is paying for your mortgage and other expenses and this will eventually make you rich in the long run.

In my next article, I will provide some of the important tips to be a successful landlord in property investment, so stay tuned……

General

Help For Commercial Real Estate in 3 Easy Pieces

Help For Commercial Real Estate in 3 Easy Pieces

The potential commercial real estate crisis pales in size compared to the magnitude of the recent residential debacle, but it is certainly big enough to ruin an economic recovery that still has shaky legs Something needs to be done, and soon.

Forget the happy talk in the national media and from politicians. The facts show a different story. The Federal Reserve’s March 2010 Federal Reserve Beige Book Survey reveals that the twelve Fed districts report weak real commercial real estate and many of the districts reporting further declines from the previous period. Moody’s Investors Service reports that its index for February 2010 shows further price declines for commercial real estate. Banking statistics show commercial loan defaults are creeping up at accelerating rates. Why is it that at time when it would be logical to assume that incentives offered to private industry would help alleviate the commercial real estate meltdown, only disincentives are being pushed through? Nero fiddles while Rome burns. Let’s can the post-mortem hearings on the residential debacle and focus on the next big thing.

There are three relatively quick and simple actions that could be taken by the U.S. lawmakers to immediately rev-up investment to help stabilize the $6.7 trillion dollar commercial real estate industry:

#1 – Make a decision on what how carried interest on real estate partnerships will be taxed. This will take the uncertainty of political risk out of the equation and will help capital flow into the market. And please, try to remember what the increase in taxes will do to already distressed pricing of assets.

The amount of capital available is significant. Research firm Preqin () estimates that through 2009, $44 billion was raised for investment in distressed estate debt and equity in the United States (termed “dry powder” because it has not yet been used), with another $61 billion currently being raised in 2010. These funds could be used to refinance properties, buy toxic real debt from banks and purchase properties in need of capital infusions. All these activities would have trickle down benefits for our economy in terms of employment, tax base, and healthy banks. The reason the powder stays dry is mainly political uncertainty in the U.S. regarding tax increases and regulations that would increase costs for private investment.

#2 – Walk the talk about being part of a global economy, and open up U.S. markets to more foreign investment by removing obsolete restrictions and taxes imposed by the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA). This act, passed in l980, was a move to protect U.S. farmland from being purchased by overseas investors. It imposed a tax that made it extra costly for sovereign wealth funds and overseas investors to buy commercial real estate in the U.S. as a way of discouraging investment, and later it was modified to include indirect ownership through real estate securities (i.e. REITS stocks). It is outdated and outmoded.

#3 – While busily putting together thousands of pages of bank regulations, include one that offers incentives for banks to recognize loan losses and start re-building balance sheets without playing games. Remember the basic management theory – you get the behavior you reward.

In summary, private investment should be encouraged, not penalized, for stepping in to help stabilize commercial real estate. It is past time for Washington to focus on this looming crisis without waiting for disaster and once again going to unsuspecting taxpayers for bail outs.…