Tag: US

Common Sense Rules to Keep Your Hard-Earned Money

By P. Christopher Music

Do you know the tale-tell characteristics that indicate “investment scam?”
Over the course of the last two decades in the financial industry, I have had good fortune, and yes, bad fortune in learning about the realities of investments. When I speak with investors, its not uncommon for some people to insist on certain delusions they have accumulated regarding the subject. This article is an effort to give you some the characteristics of any investment proposal that deserves your careful scrutiny and distrust.
Most investment scams have certain characteristics in common:
1.Secrecy Any investment program that is worth anything can stand up to the scrutiny of financial advisors, accountants, attorneys and anybody else with some investment acumen. Many scams create this confidentiality to give the investor the feeling that they are “on the inside,” privy to investments only available to wealthy families or a select group of fortunate people. The confidentiality requirement is designed to prevent you from communicating with others about your involvement so you will keep believing what the scammers are telling you.

2.High ReturnsWhat rates of return should a person receive for investing money? Well, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. While 20% returns may be possible for very speculative investments under certain circumstances, anything beyond that is simply not real over time. If any return on investment is greater than what would normally be earned on that type of asset, it is a good indicator that something isnt right. Consult a knowledgeable financial advisor of your investment plans if you have any doubt.

3.No Track Record — Any investment program should have returns that can be verified by a reputable third party, such as an accounting or law firm. Further, the principals of the program should have fully verified backgrounds with a proven record of successful past investment programs. Moreover, any start-up would have a logical product and a complete business plan replete with reasonable financials and marketing plan. If there is no track record, forget it.

4.Lack of Full DocumentationAny legitimate investment has full documentation, including a prospectus (a document that explains the details of an investment) or offering memorandum (which is for private placement programs, investment programs that are made available to qualified investors and not to the general investor public). Complete contracts would also be provided carefully covering all of the details of the proposed investment. Insist on full disclosure.

5.GuaranteesTo my knowledge, the only investments that provide guarantees are insurance policies. If someone is offering you guaranteed returns or a personal guarantee, its not worth anything. If you lose your money in the investment, the personal guarantee is only as good as the assets of the person issuing the guarantee (if they had the money for the guarantee, why would they need yours?)

6.No Registration with Regulating AuthoritiesIn order to offer an investment to the public, in most cases, the principal creating such an investment will have to register it with the State. Further, the person selling the investment will have to be registered with the State as a securities salesperson or investment advisor. Lack of such registration is a red flag.

7.Offshore Tax Benefits — For American citizens, there are no offshore tax havens. In other words, US citizens are taxed on worldwide income, regardless of the source. Anyone stating that you can save or avoid income taxes by moving offshore is just dead wrong. There is no surer way of creating a problem than attempting to evade taxes. While there are asset protection reasons to use offshore entities, there are no legitimate income tax saving strategies offered offshore that cannot be done domestically.

I know I said 7 tips, but I thought of one more

8.International LureInvesting internationally has a certain allure to it. Its exotic and different. The only problem is that you transfer your assets overseas and the chance of getting them back may be zilch. The complexities of international financial regulations and laws make it a great justification for someone to not be able to deliver on intended investment results. Just keep your money closer to home.

Greed and Desperation
People invest in these programs due to desperation for money or the desire of getting something for nothing. The way to wealth is through investing wisely in your own ability and production and being intelligent enough to not spend everything you make. Falling victim to any investment scam can be a significant setback to your quality of life. Just dont play that game. Learn the natural laws of money and apply them and you will be where you want to be in due course.

Buying properties that involves owning a home and moving ahead of the property ladder is probably the most exciting means to ensure financial stability. There isn’t any other investment today that could offer both stability and excellent returns than that of property investment. Even though the stock market could provide high returns, it is an unstable place that could decline anytime, especially now that it is apparently underperforming. As such, many people are now turning toward property investment and considering it as the best investment vehicle that could brought about long term financial wealth.

Owning an investment property overseas has become popular than ever. As a matter of fact, many people today are cashing on in properties that would serve as getaway havens for their families, rental spaces that could help earn good returns, or an investment that they could acquire capital gains from in the future. There are many reasons why it pays to have a property investment abroad. First, you have the chance to experience reduced taxation by having your property rented and of course have a stable income out of it; second, you and your family could enjoy several weeks of vacation especially if you have several properties in different foreign locations; and of course, there are more chances for the price of your property to increase overtime, which you could take advantage of and have it up for higher resale value.

Now that you’re familiar with some of the benefits that you could gain from owning an investment property overseas, it is more likely that you would like to have your property investment started. There are many places that offer good property investment opportunities and one of the most promising today is in Guam. Guam is an island territory of the US that is located at the crossroads of Asia-Pacific countries like Korea, Japan, China, Hong Kong and Philippines. It is an island of regional economic hub because of its location, modern telecommunication and developed infrastructures.

During 2005, the governments of United States of America and Japan announced that the 8,000 marines serving in Okinawa would be relocated in Guam by 2010. Such event requires $10 billion of new construction and procurement of infrastructures that would support the expected growth of people in the island. As such, many investors from Asia, United States and other nearby countries realized the potentials of Guam in becoming one of the major destinations for investment property overseas. Accordingly, the island of Guam is now experiencing an increased rate of expansion in the field of property ownership.

Tumon of the Tamuning district is one of the best places where one could own a property in Guam since it is the island’s economic and tourist center. Tumon Guam presents several major advantages for investors, individuals and families who wish to have their properties in this location. As it is the major hub of the island, it is here where notable high rise hotels, souvenir shops, malls, and upscale boutiques can be found, making it a premier shopping destination for many foreigners as well as local citizens. It is also regarded as one of the areas in the island that has the best greenery and beaches that are all wildlife preserved.

In terms of financial services, Tumon has a full range of services that includes collections, letter credits, money transfers, automated tellers, money markets, and commercial and residential estate loans among others. Tumon also has a very competitive education, transportation and business outlook that could be credited to its US standard adherent infrastructures and information technology. Likewise, communities are well secured as seen from military presence and political stability. Apparently, Tumon Guam is indeed a good property investment location for both investors and homeowners.

Apartment Investment and Management Company (AIMCO or “the business”) is a genuine estate investment trust (REIT) and an operator of apartment properties within the US. Additionally, the corporation is engaged in providing property management and asset management services. The company primarily operates inside US. It is headquartered in Denver, Colorado and employed 3,500 people in financial year (FY) 2009. The company recorded revenues of $1,195.7 million through the financial year ended December 2009 (FY2009), a decrease of 3.8% over 2008. The operating profit of AIMCO was $110 million in FY2009, a growth of 89.7% over 2008. The net loss with the company was $114.8 million in FY2009, compared to net profit of $351 in 2008.

If we use both enterprise value and equity value multiples, we’ll come up having a range of values for both their enterprise value and its particular equity value. So what will be the best multiple to look at? It varies from industry to industry and may even change as time passes. The EBITDA multiple is usually a fantastic one, nevertheless for financial services companies, an equilibrium sheet multiple might be more appropriate.

Though most seek Gary Silversmith Wiki careers, few will succeed. There are only a lot of IPOs, mergers and leveraged buyouts that occur each year, therefore the industry can only support numerous jobs. Furthermore, you’ll find many peaks and troughs on this market, so even if you’ve got a job one full year, you may not have it the subsequent.

CME Group Inc. is a worlds largest futures exchange company. It offers a array of global products across all asset classes determined by interest rates. Equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural commodities, metals, weather and real estate. It has been described as “The biggest financial exchange by The Economist. On July 2, 2012, S&P Capital IQ, a small business line from the McGraw-Hill Companies acquired London-based Credit market analysis Limited from CME Group.

We are all aware that a great investment banker salary is very attractive, but usually year end bonuses could make up the tastes ones earnings for that year. For example, a great investment banker that is making $100,000 per year being a base salary gets the potential to produce an additional $250,000 in bonuses. Of course many factors may play a role here, but it is not unusual to view a bonus of 2-3 times your salary. The more experience, education and certifications you’ve, the larger starting salary you will receive.

There is often a plethora of jobs in the finance industry. Many finance efforts are centered around several primary professions including commercial banking and investment banking. Naturally essentially the most common jobs fall within the two categories. Currently, greater popular in the two is investment banking. Consequently, essentially the most popular job roles in finance are positions inside the investment banking arena.

In terms of experience, bankers are ideally trying to find candidates with previous corporate finance experience. Such experience may be a pre-MBA stint being an analyst or perhaps a summer internship with a good investment bank. Firms also tend to value candidates with Big Four accounting experience, commercial banking experience and other positions which need significant contact with finance and accounting.

So all from the global players that be employed in Nigeria, it can be logical for a bank as ourselves to be banking them in the country. I think it is often a model we follow globally you may already know Citi is at over 100 countries. So it is our desire to ensure that we provide the same quality of service on the multinationals wherever they go within the world. So that is surely an area of expertise that people focus on. I think other than that we are very focused about the oil and gas sell for obvious reasons and we not just work with multinationals, we also assist several indigenous players and I think the way that is a is going, the indigenous players would be and more relevant.

India is the third most attractive foreign direct investment destination in the world, behind China as number one and the United States as number two. In 2008, India was ranked number two but slipped to the number three spot given the economic downturn and the surge of investments by Chinese and Indian firms acquiring American companies.

According to Indias Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, despite the global recession and liquidity crunch, the Indian economy recorded an 11 percent increase in FDI in 2008-09, with sectors like chemicals and telecommunication experiencing robust growth of 227 percent and 103 percent respectively.

India received approximately US$25 billion worth of FDI in 2007-2008; that number increased to US$27 billion in 2008-2009, highlighting Indias ability to remain resilient and attract investment despite the global slowdown. While no target has been fixed for the financial year 2009-10, so far FDI inflows for April and May 2009 have surpassed US$4.4 billion.

FDI policy and regulations
The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion provides official information about Indias FDI policy and procedures. Overall, among the emerging economies, India has one of the most liberal and transparent policies on foreign investment. Foreign investment up to 100 percent is allowed under the automatic route in all activities and sectors except the following, which require prior approval of the government:

Sectors prohibited for FDI
Activities and items that require an industrial license
Proposals in which the foreign collaborator has an existing financial/technical collaboration in India in the same field
Proposals for acquisitions of shares in an existing Indian company in the financial service sector and where Securities and Exchange Board of India (substantial acquisition of shares and takeovers) regulations, 1997 is attracted
All proposals falling outside notified sectoral policy/CAPS under sectors in which FDI is not permitted

According to the International Trade and Development Division of the Indian government, the countrys foreign trade policies have been formulated with a view to invite and encourage FDI. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) manages the administrative and compliance aspects of FDI. Foreign investment can be divided into two broad categories: investment under the automatic route and investment through prior approval of government.

Gone are the days when people were content to invest in safe bank deposits and treasury bonds. With increased interest in investing in stock exchange shares, ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds), mutual funds and other types of financial investment instruments, an average investor is faced with a host of choices. Investment decisions can be confusing for an unseasoned investor. An investment advisor can help an individual to make informed investment decisions. By properly following the recommendations of the advisor an individual can secure optimal returns and capital appreciation over his or her savings.

Investment advisers are firms or individuals who give investment advice on personal or institutional finances. The advice can be in the form of choosing the best stocks for an investor to go long or short on, implementing strategies on when to go long, short or hold, suggesting on how to diversify the existing portfolio etc. These advisers are also well equipped to give recommendations on foreign investments.

There are two types of investment advisers – registered and unregistered. US investment advisers require to be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). They can even be registered with regulatory authorities in local states. Investment advisers offer fee based services. This specific industry is strictly regulated and covered by provisions in US law.

Role of Investment Advisors

Investments in securities Advisers must give an investment scheme to clients before trading in securities. A good advisor informs the client on the best available choices to assemble in a stock portfolio. suggestion to hold on to shares or to exit the stock can also be given depending on the prevailing market conditions. Consultancy services like this are given to retail investors, individuals and even entities such as the mutual fund houses.

Putting the best interest of the client first US Investment advisers have a fiduciary accountability. This means that they are required to put the interests of their clients above their own interests and make absolute that the client gets the supreme investment suggestion. It also means that if instances of conflict of interest in the case of advisers are shown, then the client can take legal action against the individual or the firm.

Safeguard clients assets and maintain records An investment advisor is also accountable for maintaining records of all the client transactions. In such cases, the client needs to acquire a consolidated statement every three months. This statement shows the status of the assets as well as what transactions have taken place regarding the securities of the client.

Diversifying the portfolio Diversified investment advisers can confirm that an investors assets are expand across different sectors and in several types of investments such as stocks, bonds and choice investments. An investment advisor can also serve to vary and look beyond local investments and look at investing in foreign stock markets or mutual funds. This means that if there is a collapse in one sector or one class of investment, only a portion of the portfolio is affected.