Going to invest? Read our investment news and insight ideas. Trade stocks, options, future investment. Invest wisely. http://www.investmentpress.net 2010-07-29T13:17:24+01:00 text/html 2010-04-03T02:29:29+01:00 http://www.investmentpress.net http://www.investmentpress.net/general/commercial-investment-property.html Real estate is one of the best ways to build wealth and establish financial security. With real estate you are able to acquire an asset that increases in value over time and enables you to develop a substantial fortune in the process. Investing in real estate is among the best ways to build a portfolio for retirement and future financial security. This has many benefits such as tax breaks, appreciation in value, and rental income as well. When buying and investing in real estate, most people buy a house or condo and live in it for many years. Over the next several years they build equity and then plan to sell it for a high profit or capital gain. In other cases people buy rental houses that they buy and then rent them out to tenants in order to generate extra cash flow. Although these types of real estate transactions are very advantageous for many, there is another form of real estate that is very beneficial is known as commercial real estate. Commercial real estate is property that contains 100 or more units. These types of properties are usually large apartment complexes, and office buildings. When buying these types of places, this process is known as acquiring commercial investment property. Commercial investment property is either office buildings and apartment complexes that are purchased for investment purposes like rental houses and small apartment buildings. With commercial investment property there are certain risks, advantages and disadvantages that go along with it. The advantages of commercial investment property are that the properties provide the highest equity buildup of all investment properties. Another advantage of commercial investment property is that they provide rental income that is usually enough to provide the owner a stable income that allows them to support themselves. Commercial investment property also provides... text/html 2010-04-03T02:28:31+01:00 http://www.investmentpress.net http://www.investmentpress.net/general/investment-securities.html Investment securities are certificates or documents that indicate that you have an interest in a business or have lent money to a company or a government entity. Investment Securities involves the regulation of transactions and entities engaged in the establishment and exchange of securities. Securities includes the exchange of stocks, bonds, forwards, futures, options, bonds, mutual funds, IRA's and 401K, the list goes on of what is considered an investment security. The regulating body for securities within the United States is known as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), they execute regulations to protect investors engaged in the exchange of securities. Examples of protective regulation by the SEC include: requirements that companies disclose the holdings of their corporate officials; rules involving the exchange, selling short, and all aspects of trading; and rules governing investment counseling, in addition, the brokerage industry is self policed by Self Regulatory Organizations (SROs), such as FINRA (the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority), formerly the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD). There are a few licenses that one would need to sell and/ or council an individual for investment securities, the main one is called the series 7, which allows them to sell just about every investment and they need a series 63 which allows a person to sell to certain states, if an individual wishes to invest with a firm and/or broker, they should do a search through the FINRA to look into their background. A huge issue with investment securities is fraud, there are several types, there is corporate fraud, insider trading, microcap fraud, accountant fraud, mutual Fund fraud, short selling abuses and ponzi schemes, all of these are serious offenses and will result in prison time and large fines, the SEC does not take to securities fraud lightly, as of last year the securities regulators... text/html 2010-04-03T02:27:21+01:00 http://www.investmentpress.net http://www.investmentpress.net/general/property-investments.html Property investments is the purchase of a property, or properties that will generate rental income. When considering the purchase of property investments it's usually a good idea to start with a small single property rental. Consider how much time you can devote to administration of the property, paying of bills, calls from renters, repairs, etc. and decide where you want your property located. If you don't have a lot of free time or someone to look after the property for you, it might be more convenient to have the property in the same town, or close to your primary residence. Another advantage of investing in property close to home is some time is saved for the buyer on research. Some things to take into account before making property investments is learn the neighborhoods, know which ones are more popoular or in demand, know if rentals are readily available or scarce, compare rental rates (remember you need to collect enough rent every month for the payment on the property and any repairs, maintenance fees, taxes and incidentials that occur). The best rental property is one that will pay for itself, which means it'll be rented most of the time and can be rented for enough each month to cover all expenses. Once deciding to make property investments it's easier to go ahead and get a preapproval loan from the bank. This means you'll know exactly how much you can afford and it'll make your loan process simpler, once you make an offer and it's accepted. Once you have an established price range, start looking at Multiple Listing Service (MLS), and the classifieds, look for housing in desirable neighborhoods, close to schools and businesses, and the less maintenance needed on the home, the better. When looking at individual properties, try to look... text/html 2010-04-03T02:20:25+01:00 http://www.investmentpress.net http://www.investmentpress.net/general/investment-plans.html There are basically five different types of investments and they are shares, property, bonds, short term deposits and IRAs. In each category of investment, there are risks, returns, liquidity and duration. You have a choice when investing; you can invest directly in a particular category or you can invest in a managed fund where managers make many different kinds of decisions for you. Let’s look at one investment plan, better known as short term deposits such as bank savings accounts and bank fixed term investments. Bank savings accounts returns are low but they are guaranteed by the bank. What makes this investment plan attractive is that you can withdraw any amount of money when you want or let your savings mount up. This type of investment plan is a great option if you want only a temporary savings goal or a savings plan to act as an emergency fund—at a time when a little extra money might come in handy. However, this plan is not wise for those seeking long term, reliable goals. Then, there is what is called a bank fixed term investment. With this investment plan, you give the bank a set amount and make it for a certain amount of time—often a full year. Your money is locked in for that time period. What you get in return is a higher interest . If you withdraw your money, you will; however, receive a lower rate. Often this kind of investment is good for medium and short investments. Bonds are still another way to invest your money. A bond is issued by the government or a company and resembles an IOU. What happens when you purchase a bond is that you give them a certain amount of money for a period of time and in return they promise to give you a... text/html 2010-04-03T02:19:44+01:00 http://www.investmentpress.net http://www.investmentpress.net/general/investing-in-las-vegas.html Las Vegas is America's playground. Millions upon millions of tourists converge on Las Vegas each year, and the numbers don't show any sign of slowing down. Las Vegas is an oasis of grown up fun in an empty desert, the perfect place for expansion. Properties can be purchased for low investments and rented out for residual profits. There are plenty of ways to invest in property in Las Vegas. Interested parties may purchase a commercial office building and lease out individual store fronts or they may buy up old homes and flip them for profit. Properties may be purchased from foreclosed bank listings or bankruptcy auctions. As long as the investor has the time, patience, and resources to flip the property he will almost always be able to turn a significant profit. Due to the recent decline in economic growth, many banks are trying their hardest to recoup losses incurred from bankruptcies and foreclosures. Many properties that have been foreclosed on can be purchased directly from banks for pennies on the dollar. The end of the year seems to be the best time to shop for investment properties. This time is right before the tax filing deadline so banks and credit unions will be scrambling to offload last years models to make room on their books for new loans. Las Vegas has always attracted new businesses and out of town property shoppers because of the lack of state taxes collected from individuals or businesses. This means that as long as the State of Nevada continues not to tax individuals or certain businesses that there will always be a ripe market of business tenants and renters to choose from. Considerations should also be made for the amount of money that the investor will save by not having to pay state taxes in most situations. An investor who is... text/html 2010-04-03T02:18:46+01:00 http://www.investmentpress.net http://www.investmentpress.net/general/accredited-investor-guide.html The term "accredited investor" is used to designate those individuals or corporations who are allowed by laws governing securities that can be bought or sold as having the wherewithal to invest in hedge funds, angel investor networks, terminal partnerships and other high risk investments. An accredited investor can be a person who has more than a million in cash or it can be a fund that invests other people's money like endowment or retirement plans. Every country has their own criteria for what constitutes an accredited investor. If an investor's main residence is in The United States, he needs to have one million dollars in net worth. If he can't show one million dollars in net worth which literally means cash or saleable assets, he needs to show a yearly income of $200,000 for the past two years and, if married, he needs to show $300,000 in yearly income and business or employment that guarantees him that much for the year that he is claiming to be eligible to buy into a fund. The definition of the term was coined by a rule of the Securities Act of 1933. The Securities Act of 1933, Rule 51 called Regulation D stipulates that an entity is seeking to be qualified as an accredited investor, the following financial considerations must be met: An investment group needs to have more than 5 million dollars in total assets. An organization needs to have more than 5 million dollars. A person involved as a partner in a corporation and whose net worth is connected with his spouse, needs to have one million dollars of net worth when wanting to buy into securities that demand only accredited investor qualifications. A person whose personal income is more than $200,000 for the past two years or who has income connected with his spouse of over... text/html 2010-04-03T02:17:35+01:00 http://www.investmentpress.net http://www.investmentpress.net/general/high-yield-investment-opportunities.html A high yield investment is one that promises returns on your investment that are higher than industry standard. A high yield investment may not always require a high risk investment, but a good amount of time is generally needed for the investment to mature and reach full potential. Examples of high yield investment opportunities include: High yield savings accounts that offer at least 4% return. This is considerably high for a bank to offer but many offer the program as an incentive to keep your money in one bank for as long as possible. Some banks impose restrictions on high yield savings accounts like blocking access to such accounts from online and ATM account activities. This is done to ensure that account holders won't clear out their savings account on an impulse buy. Insurance company annuities are able to guarantee a rate of return for your investment and typically end up surpassing the estimated guarantee. Insurance companies are able to offer this service with a guaranteed rate of return because insurance companies are regulated differently than banks and pay lower taxes each year, which increases the amount of savings that the company can return to the investor. Foreign Currency. Investments in foreign currency are growing in popularity as several nations develop their economies and tourist industries. Investing in foreign currency can be very profitable if the right currency is invested in before an economic boom takes place. Gold: Many analysts agree that the value of gold is steadily increasing. Gold offers a tangible investment opportunity that is transferable in any country. The gold standard is a universal standard which means that an ounce of gold in Los Angeles will be worth the same as an ounce of gold in Madrid. Most high yield investment programs are offered via the Internet, so care should be taken... text/html 2010-04-03T02:16:18+01:00 http://www.investmentpress.net http://www.investmentpress.net/general/investment-software-overview.html In today’s world of high technological savvy, many innovative products have flooded the market. One such technology is investment software. This new product makes it possible for almost anyone to make real profits in the stock market. The way it works is the software predicts profitable market shifts, allowing the user to invest accordingly with no strenuous research or prior trading experience needed. So how are first time traders becoming as profitable on the market using this software? What are the advantages of having investment software helping to make trades? Here are the three top advantages of using investment software to build a better portfolio. Discipline – The number one reason for failure in investing for inexperienced traders is that they tent to let emotions cloud their judgment. Investment software provides a given set of rules to follow which replaces emotions with logic. With exact entry and exit rules, investment software gives the investor the security needed to maximize their profits. And mental discipline is the key to profiting in today’s market. Effortless – Perhaps the most popular feature of investment software is that investors need not devote hours of precious time to analysis. This makes it ideal for those who trade only part time because they do not have to sacrifice precious time out of their already busy lives. They do not sacrifice profits either, as many investment software packages are extremely accurate. Range – Investment software works mostly by analyzing market data and looking for overlaps in market behavior on hundreds of different stocks. This has proven throughout the years to be very effective at foreseeing market shifts. Past market behavior is the key to forecasting upcoming shifts in the market. However, this is very difficult to do manually because there are so many different stocks to choose from. It’s like...