Take Advantage of Investment Forums
Take Advantage of Investment Forums
Investment forums, like Bigger Pockets and CREOnline, are great places for new and seasoned investors to learn about what is happening in the market. For people who are new to forums, it is always a good idea to visit the websites and read the topics that most interest you. Also read the rules of the forum and introduce yourself and get acquainted with other visitors. Some of them are regular members and also usually the most knowledgeable as well.
Choose a forum that has been around for a long time and does not have spam commenting. There should be people moderating the site and cleaning out any posts that don’t seem right. Otherwise, you could encounter entries by trolls who target forums to stir things up and create arguments between users and break up the harmony among them.
As a new member of an investment forum, you don’t have to post, but it is the best way to get to know other people and get your questions answered. You not only get one answer when you ask, but a whole page full of opinions, which you can use to determine what the best investment decision is for you at any given time. People also usually like being able to answer questions and talk about their own experiences as an example to help explain why a particular investment is best done a certain way. You can learn a lot an avoid novice mistakes that could cost you a lot of money in the long run.
Once you’ve gotten to know many people in the investment forum, you may consider partnering up with one or more others and combine assets, knowledge and skills in the acquisition of properties. With multiple people seeking out the most lucrative opportunities, you are much more likely to find the best properties. Plus, the consensus on what properties to purchase will decrease the likelihood that a bad investment will be made. If each individual made the decision on their own, they wouldn’t have other knowledgeable people to help judge every opportunity and avoid financial disasters. This is especially helpful if you are a novice, or do not have enough funds to begin investing on your own.…
Commercial Investment Property – Net and Gross Rent Strategies to Improve Property Performance
Commercial Investment Property – Net and Gross Rent Strategies to Improve Property Performance
When acting on behalf of the landlord in leasing commercial or retail property it is essential to understand the rent structures that suit the legal circumstances of the property and also the landlord’s investment plans. So we have net and gross rents to consider and use in our leasing strategies. Which ones do we choose?
Net rents are a useful strategy to recover part or all of the landlord’s property operating costs, but there are several variations of net rent. Gross rents also have a place in the property performance plan.
As the leasing or managing agent it pays for you to understand what rental situation best suits the landlord’s needs and the local laws as they apply to leasing of the premises. Here are some key lease rental differences and variations.
From the outset let’s detail what a gross lease is and why it would be used. A gross lease is that which applies as one basic rental that puts the obligations fully on the landlord to pay for all rates and taxes, insurance, property running costs, and maintenance. The tenant does not pay for these as a direct payment or reimbursement. Logic says that a landlord using a gross rent strategy should ask for a gross rent that offsets and recovers the financial burden of the outgoings normally payable for that tenancy by the tenant under a net rent. A gross rent is therefore higher than a net rent for this very reason. A gross rent is usually a rent that includes a component to the value of outgoings plus a projection for inflation on those outgoings. It is very easy to apply a fixed percentage rent review to a gross lease. The landlord has to take the risk of this process so the calculation of the gross rent has to be carefully considered. A gross lease does not normally require any outgoings reconciliation or adjustment so it is a rent of choice when it comes to property management. Importantly the gross rental number has to be well considered and set at lease negotiation time; if this is not done, the landlord can set a rent that loses them money over time.
Net rent is essentially a rent that is paid by the tenant plus a component of outgoings for the premises that they occupy. The largely forgotten or underutilized fact of net rent is that there are variations. Some tenants (usually the larger ones) will contribute towards rates and taxes only. Other smaller tenants will contribute towards rates and taxes plus insurance; and finally some smaller tenants will contribute towards rates and taxes, insurance, and all building running costs. From a landlord’s viewpoint, the base net rent should be adjusted upwards if the tenant is only paying for some of the outgoings for the premises; in that way the landlord gets back the building operational costs. In the case of outgoings contributions it is necessary that a landlord comply with legislation regards outgoings disclosures, reconciliations, and notices.
So what rent is best? They both are, however the landlord and the property manager should consult on what rent is acceptable for the premises, the market, and the tenant. On that basis a good lease can be created.…
Determine the Investment Performance With the Passive Investments Benchmark
Determine the Investment Performance With the Passive Investments Benchmark
When someone asks a business owner how the investment performance has been over the last years, investors frequently offer informal replies like “pretty good” or “okay”. However, the truth is that they clearly do not have any idea regarding how they are doing. This is because they contain no passive investments benchmark, which they can use to compare their performance in the investment portfolio. Just like when you play any kind of sport, you do not walk away from the competition and say that you only did okay. You will say that you have kept score and this is what you should also do when it comes to investing. Now, if you are interested on how you can do this, you will need to learn how to set up a passive investments benchmark. This way, you can easily make a comparison on the performance of your portfolio for the investment process.
The first step is to determine how to set the benchmark. A good passive investments benchmark should contain certain characteristics that will allow you to understand it even further in order for you to implement it easier. Included here is the reality that the benchmark should be appropriate and have been agreed upon by the committee or the authorities in the company in advance. Remember that the benchmark that you have selected should be reliable and consistent when it comes to the risk and/or return goals and restrictions. There should also be an acceptance beforehand between you and the manager of investment wherein you have both agreed that the benchmark is a delegate of the manager’s fundamental investment policy. In addition, you should emphasize that he or she should take responsibility for the performance that have been acquainted with the risks of your portfolio.
Another thing that you have to check is the fact that the benchmark should be investable.
This means that you are required to forgo dynamic managing and you should invest on it. Do not weigh against the investment performance of your company to the benchmark that you are not capable of replicating in the real business world. Scrutinize those benchmarks that hold a number of diminutive or illiquid securities and those that contain high turnovers. You will need to judge the passive investments benchmark that you will be using. You can do this by means of checking whether it possesses an exchange traded fund or ETF. This index fund should be available and should definitely match the chosen benchmark.
Depending on the benchmark that you want, you will need to research on this type of benchmark so that you can determine how well it can be used for the productivity of your company. Bear in mind that the passive investments benchmark will not work unless you are completely aware of its functions and usage. You can use the benchmark to compare the performance of your investment that is related to the risks and the adjustments made by your company with the investment portfolio. This will help you quantify the value and the efficiency of the investment management process.…
How To Get a Loan Without Collateral
How To Get a Loan Without Collateral
Is it possible to have a loan without collateral? How possible is that? Yes, you can have a loan without collateral and that is when a well written business plan comes in. If you really have a well planned and written business plan, the you are 100% sure for a loan of any amount. You must make sure you have a business plan. Let me come down on that business plan in case you are hearing it for the first time time.
Business plan is simply the plan or better still the details of what you want to use the money for. For instance, if you want to open a shopping mall, al you have to do is to write down how the money is going to be utilised. You got to give the every details of what you intend to use. If the money you want to collect is to be used for renting a space, goods for the shopping mall, the transportation, money for advertisement and what have you, you should clearly state it in the business plan.
Remember that, the planning of the business plan should contain what you anticipate that the business is going to bring in [that is the profit], this will help the bank or any financial company to give you because they will see where you will get the money to pay back when it is time because there is no collateral. By doing this, you have sure way to obtaining the loan.
After writing the business plan, take it to a professional banker or an accountant to proofread and check if it is well written or is it a kind of junk writing. Just make sure someone who have a sound knowledge of it sees or read it.
The next step is to use it and present it to a bank or any financial institution that has the backing and provisions given by government. You can find these institutions and banks on the internet when you make a search. You can go to Google and yahoo to make your fast and easy search.
Finally, make sure you have a checking account for you to be granted a loan because it is indispensable. By the time you follow these processes, you are on your sure to have that loan you always want. To your success.…
The Secret to Getting Higher Returns on Your Property Investments
The Secret to Getting Higher Returns on Your Property Investments
Looking for higher than average profit from your property investments without high risk is something that appeals to people who do not have the time to manage their investments on a day to day basis. Joint Venture investing can solve this problem.
Like any property investment there are risks involved of course, but with Joint Venture investing you can be investing in property developments that have already had approval and are well on the way to being started.
When property developers approach a bank for funding they understand that at least 60% of the property needs to be pre-sold before the bank will release development capital. This protects the bank from funding a property that only gets half sold by the time it is finished. If this was the case there would also be a good chance that the developer goes broke because he would have to be paying the interest out of his own pocket, never mind any capital that the bank may want back.
Pre-selling protects both the bank and the developer.
So where do you fit in as a Joint Venture investor?
The bank will lend somewhere between 60% – 70% and the developer has to raise the balance of the capital to meet the difference or put up the money themselves.
Even if developers have funds available they very rarely want to use it at this stage. The main reason for that is that should the developer be approached to purchase another development site and he has his funds tied up he cannot go ahead to purchase and could well miss out on a good deal.
Another reason is that a developer should keep some fluid cash for unexpected expenses, something that may crop up that has not been allowed for in the financial allocations.
As a Joint Venture investor you would as we say, be investing once the bank has agreed to put up the construction costs. At this stage council approvals have been met, feasibility studies have been done and legal documentation has been set up for lenders.
Joint Venture investors can then put up their money and get a guarantee from the developer.
There are basically two methods of lending to a developer:
1. The investor receives a portion of the total profit from the project
2. The investor receives a fixed return on their funds.
Either way the investor is dealing directly with the investor or his employees and should be able to get straight answers about any concerns.
The first method can allow for a much more substantial return on property investment, but carries more risk, while the second method is a fixed income return. There is of course the option of investing in both methods in the one development. It is just a matter of setting up the funding to do so.…
Online Success – How Much Money Do You Really Need?
Online Success – How Much Money Do You Really Need?
Starting an online business has helped many people become financially independent. In addition, most of them started with a small amount of money. A lot of online programs claim that you do not need any money to start. From my experience, these claims are false. Here is the real cost to start an online business. Let’s break it down to seven parts.
1. Domain name:
This is the name of your website. You will buy this from a company like go daddy. A domain name will cost you about ten dollars. They will try to sell other features, but you won’t need them. I recommend buying a dot-com as opposed to a net or biz.
2. Auto responder:
An auto responder compiles your list of potential buyers and sends emails to them. This is the machine that runs your business after you set it up. You must have an auto responder. A company like Aweber sells this service for 20 dollars per month.
3. Hosting:
A web host is where you send files to. Then, they put your files online. Most companies that sell domain names will also host your website. Hosting usually cost ten dollars per month, but some companies do it for free.
4. Squeeze page:
This page is made to give away free content and collect an email address.
You can find templates for 20-40 dollars. A web designer might charge $100-$200 to create one. Your squeeze page might not cost you anything if you are an affiliate marketer.
5. Product:
It hard to estimate the cost of your main product. If it’s information, you might only pay for graphics. The graphics for an e-book might cost $20. This is also something you can get free. If you are selling a video course, editing software is required. Free video editing software is easy to find.
6. Free product:
This is what you give away on the squeeze page. Your free information shouldn’t cost anything to create. When you create informational products, the focus is quality. Appearance is important, but make sure the information is valuable.
7. Main website:
At this point, you might have all the tools needed to create your website. Now it’s time to put everything together. You want to buy any graphics needed. This shouldn’t cost more than $40 dollars. The other option is to buy a template for $20 dollars. In any case, you should put the page together instead of hiring someone to do it. Affiliate marketers might only need a squeeze page. If that’s the case, you can skip this step.
In conclusion, the minimal amount to start an online business is about $50-$75 dollars. This number isn’t zero but it’s close enough. The main thing this business requires is time not money.…
The Importance and Role of the London Bullion Market Association
The Importance and Role of the London Bullion Market Association
The London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) is the trade association that represents the wholesale gold and silver bullion market in London. London is the hub of the international Over-the-Counter (OTC) market for gold and silver, with a clientele that includes the majority of the central banks that hold gold producers, refiners, fabricators and traders from all over the world.
The LBMA was formally incorporated in 1987. This was done in close consultation with the Bank of England, which, at the time, was the regulator of the bullion market.
Stringent criteria for assaying standards and bar quality have made the Good Delivery List of LBMA as representing the de facto standard for the quality of gold and silver bars. LBMA periodically checks the assaying capabilities of refiners on the Good Delivery List. This is carried out under the Proactive Monitoring programme of LBMA.
The on-going work of the Association encompasses many areas, among them refining standards, trading documentation and the fostering of good trading practices. Some examples:
o In the refining industry, the LBMA Good Delivery List is widely recognized as representing the de facto standard for the quality of gold and silver bars; in large part thanks to the stringent criteria that an applicant must satisfy before being listed. In order to enhance the reputation of refiners on the Good Delivery List, in January 2004, the LBMA introduced proactive monitoring.
o In conjunction with the foreign exchange and money markets in London, the association has developed the Non-Investment Products Code, which provides a code of conduct by which all members and associates are required to abide.
o The annual Precious Metals Conference of LBMA is now widely regarded as “the” professional forum for the bullion market of the world.
Historically, the members of the London bullion market regularly posted lists of accredited smelters and assayers, whose gold and silver bars they would accept without question. These transactions were in settlements conducted between each other and with other acceptable counterparts. These bars earned the distinction of London Good Delivery status.
The main requirements to be considered for the listing are normally that a refiner must:
o Have an established track record of at least three years of producing the refined metal, for which the listing is being sought
o Produce a minimum quantity of refined metal per year – 10 tonnes of gold and 30 tonnes of silver
o Have a tangible net worth of at least £10 million equivalent
o Furnish evidence of their ownership structure and directors
o Provide, if required, a suitable letter of endorsement, e.g., from the central bank or an acceptable commercial bank in their country of operation.
Standard bars are bars of approximately 400 fine troy ounces for gold and approximately 1,000 troy ounces for silver. Bars are listed at the discretion of the Management Committee of the LBMA, which reserves the right to make any investigations that it deems appropriate into an applicant for listing.…
Property Taxes – What Taxes Do You Pay If You Have an Investment Property?
Property Taxes – What Taxes Do You Pay If You Have an Investment Property?
In Australia there are no investment property taxes as such, however your property sale may be subject to Capital Gains Tax (CGT). The purchase and sale of your property in Australia will be subject to Goods and Services Tax (GST) and your rental income will be subject to Income Tax.
GST is paid on almost everything in Australia at a rate of 10% on the purchase price of your property. GST must be paid on all property that is connected with Australia. With regard to residential property in Australia that is purchased and rented out, the investor can make a claim on input tax credits. That is any GST paid on goods and services purchased to maintain the property can be claimed as input tax credits. These input tax credits can be claimed on a Business Activity Statements (BAS) as a refund and reduce the amount of GST paid overall.
If your Investment Property is held as in a Trust or purchased by a Company, the Trust or Company must register for GST if it’s turnover is greater than $75,000 or $150,000 for a non-profit organisation in a financial year. Once registered for GST the Trust or Company must lodge BAS regularly.
If your Rental Income is paid direct to you and the property is not owned by a Superannuation Fund, Trust or Company, then the Rental Income will be taxed at your Marginal Tax Rate. That is, if you pay tax at a top rate of 45 cents in a dollar, your Rental Income will be taxed at 45 cents in a dollar.
Thus the importance of communicating with your Accountant and Financial Planner about your financial situation so they can work out the best ways to purchase your investment property or properties in order to minimise or postpone the amount of Income Tax that you pay. That is, they will consider using a Self Managed Superannuation Fund, Trust or Company to be set up to purchase your properties.
Capital gains tax is another tax you will be subject to when you sell your property. So it is best to sell your property when your income is at a minimum as Capital Gains Tax is paid at your Marginal Tax Rate which is dependent on your income. If your Investment Property is owned for more than 12 months, you may able to receive a 50% discount on Capital Gains Tax.
Now, you are probably thinking is all this worthwhile? If you want to increase your holdings of property investments and you income, and you like the idea of investing in property, this may be the ideal solution for you. There are property investment specialists, Financial Planners, Accountants and Mortgage Brokers whom can assist you with your financial strategies to obtain the best outcomes for you.…
Seven Ways Predatory Lenders Cheat the Elderly
Seven Ways Predatory Lenders Cheat the Elderly
Our community of elderly, retired homeowners has become a veritable jackpot for predatory lenders. The longer a homeowner has been in his home, the greater the accumulation of equity. Families today move more often than their parents or grandparents did, making the older, retired generation the perfect potential victim of a predatory loan.
Many older homeowners view their home as an investment or savings plan for their future retirement. They look forward to the days of no more mortgage payments and to the profit they can retire on when selling their lifelong home. Predatory lenders look forward to this equity buildup as well because they seek to profit from it! Predatory lenders historically extend loans based on the value and equity in a home rather than the ability of the borrower to repay the loan. Couples on fixed incomes, in a financial bind, are coerced into accepting loans against their home’s equity without realizing the true costs of these loans. Predatory loans can include one or more of the following:
1. excessive loan fees
2. extremely high interest rates
3. expensive credit life insurance premiums
4. homeowner’s insurance recommended by the lender
5. prepayment penalties
6. large balloon payments
7. negative amortization
Mortgage contracts have become progressively complicated through the years. The requirement of more detailed explanations in contracts has only proven to lengthen these contracts and further confuse those less familiar with financial transactions. This again leaves the elderly in a vulnerable position when borrowing money.
The National Housing Institute, in its 2005 Jan./Feb. issue, relayed the story of an 84 year old widow, Florence McKnight. While lying in the hospital under heavy sedation she signed loan documents for the installation of new windows and other general repairs to her home. The bill for the work was only $10,000. The loan offered her was for $50,000. The 15 year loan amounted to $72,000 in payments with a balloon due at the end for $40,000. Those were some very expensive windows that someone else is now enjoying because Ms. McKnight was forced into foreclosure and lost her home.
Occasionally, legitimate sub-prime loans can offer great help to people in financial trouble that are unable to get a conventional loan. But the temptation here just seems to be too great for the predatory lenders. Sub-prime predatory loans benefit no one but the lender. The elderly community is stripped of their home’s equity and often forced into foreclosure. They must rely on their children to survive, as their incomes are fixed and now their credit is destroyed. This retired group is even encouraged by predatory lenders to take out loans to pay for their prescription medication!
The spike in sub-prime lending has not surprisingly coincided with the increase in foreclosures. It’s a real shame that one of our most treasured assets – our parents and grandparents are being ruthlessly solicited for the consumption of the equity they have so diligently strived to accumulate over the years. Predatory lenders use deceptive tactics to rob the next generation of their life long family memories as well the inheritance their parents had dreamed of leaving to them. Every day older Americans are losing their primary source of wealth, their retirement nest egg through the unethical practices of predatory lenders.…
Who’s in Control of Your Investment Money?
Who’s in Control of Your Investment Money?
Is your destiny, your financial future controlled by you, a family member, a financial person chosen by you or a total stranger?
In other words: Who’s in control of your investments, or your retirement account, of your MONEY?
These can be scary questions especially if you think you are not qualified to manage your own retirement account, create one or invest in the stock market. The truth is, I believe almost every single person can manage their financial future. Perhaps you need a little assistance, but you can not only do it, but probably do it better than almost anyone else.
Controlling your financial future involves just a few key factors:
• Time – are you willing to spend 30 minutes a week, perhaps an hour managing and developing your financial future? Your retirement account?
Yes, this means finding 30 minutes almost every week, perhaps skipping a TV show, but the reward is equivalent to paying yourself the “big bucks”.
• Method – invest some initial time to review software that can aid you with recommendations for what stocks, ETFs or mutual funds to buy and when; plus equally important when to sell and especially critical, when you should sell out and stay out of the stock market to preserve and protect your money.
The software should be flexible enough to meet your goals, your personality -conservative – moderate – aggressive.
Preferably the software shouldn’t require months to learn or even a college degree. Even then training videos at a reasonable cost should be available along with the opportunity to talk with a human being whenever you have a question – for free.
And the program should work with stocks, ETFs and mutual funds so you have full flexibility. It should allow you to manage your portfolio daily or weekly or even just occasionally.
• Understanding – what kind of future do you want? Just saying “more money” doesn’t cut it. You need to be specific, for example:
Money for a new house
A new car
Secure retirement
Vacation funds
• Recognize – there are pluses and minuses to having someone else handle your portfolio. They may have cookie cutter portfolios that you must fit into or so many clients that there is no time for true personal attention. Yes, some advisors can and do work with your specific goals and objectives, but you must check them out thoroughly.
Your company sponsored retirement account is most likely handled in the most generic manner and without your input and management will grow slowly and is apt to suffer whenever the market drops.
Thus, my suggestion is that the person to really control your financial future should be you if you have 30 minutes or so most weeks.…