Getting Started Investing is Often the Hardest Part
There are several reasons people give for not investing their money in things like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. One reason is that they feel that they dont have enough money to make a serious investment, but a more common reason that many people have absolutely no idea how to go about getting started investing. In fact, if more people understood the basics of investing and had a cohesive plan for getting started investing, more people would do it.
Lets assume that the first reason does not apply to you and you do, in fact, have some amount of money that youd like to invest. How do you get started investing? You could contact a stock or investment broker and discuss the options that would be best for you. Whether youll want to do this will depend quite a bit on the amount of money that you have to invest. If its a small amount, you may be better off seeking some smaller, safer investment than you would be by jumping directly into the stock market. Some people get started investing by choosing simple accounts with their bank. CDs and IRAs make good investments, for example, for medium and long term goals. IRA accounts are intended for retirement, while CDs are time deposits that must remain in place for a set amount of time (often anywhere from as little as a week to as long as ten years) while they earn interest.
If you do go to the stock market, or graduate to it after getting started investing in safer accounts, you should resist the urge to buy and sell stocks wildly. One mistake that many first time investors make is they become nervous about the stability of their investment and they watch their stock rise and fall every day. If it drops too much they become afraid that the bottom will fall out and they sell at a lower price than they originally paid. This is a bad idea and works against the reasons they got started investing in the first place. Instead the new investor should let it ride and sell only if there is a sudden spike in the price that wont likely repeat. Otherwise, stocks should be a long term investment, especially when someone first gets started investing.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Long Term and Short Term Real Estate Investing
In the past investing in real estate was usually a long term commitment but with the sudden explosion in the market short term investing has become increasingly popular. In todays market you can buy a preconstruction real estate investment and sell it in a few short months for hefty profit. Few stocks are rising as fast as real estate and with the increase in risk many stock market investors are packing up and heading to both short term and long term land development investing.
Benefits of investing in real estate short term vs the long term:
By investing for the short term many investors get the profit they want with the flexibility they need. Here are just a few reasons some investors lean term short term real estate investing.
1. Time to See a Return This may seem fairly obvious but it has to be mentioned. The quicker you get your investment money back in your pocket the sooner you can use it to make more investments. Many short term investors like the fact that they can reap the rewards sooner with short term investing while long term investors usually buy real estate way before the land significantly goes up in value.
2. Larger Profits Then in The Past In the past short term real estate investing wasnt even an option but in todays market its not uncommon for an investor to buy and flip preconstruction condos or townhouses every few months. The financial gain is usually smaller then long term investing but as long as there is a significant profit investors are more then willing to take the smaller payday for the chance for multiple investments opportunities.
Example:
Lets say you buy two preconstruction condotels in Florida in preconstruction phase and turn a $200,000 profit each in 2 years for a total of $400,000 in 2 years. That is a good example of long term real estate investing, two years doesnt seem like a long term investment for many investors out there but in todays market two years is a long term investment.
Now lets say you buy the same two Florida condotels and flip them in 6 months and turn an $80,000 profit each for a total of $160,000 profit. Now you if you buy and flip every 6 months in two years youll have $640,000 in profits compared to the$400,000. Also, please note that as long as you use the profit from the last investment (its called a 1031 exchange) you can reinvest the money and NOT pay capital gains.
3. More Overall Profit As the example above shows you investing in the short term is more time consuming but ultimately more money. While long term investing is more of a set it and forget strategy.
If you have any questions about long term or short term real estate investing feel free to visit my website or give me a call.
In the past investing in real estate was usually a long term commitment but with the sudden explosion in the market short term investing has become increasingly popular. In todays market you can buy a preconstruction real estate investment and sell it in a few short months for hefty profit. Few stocks are rising as fast as real estate and with the increase in risk many stock market investors are packing up and heading to both short term and long term land development investing.
Benefits of investing in real estate short term vs the long term:
By investing for the short term many investors get the profit they want with the flexibility they need. Here are just a few reasons some investors lean term short term real estate investing.
1. Time to See a Return This may seem fairly obvious but it has to be mentioned. The quicker you get your investment money back in your pocket the sooner you can use it to make more investments. Many short term investors like the fact that they can reap the rewards sooner with short term investing while long term investors usually buy real estate way before the land significantly goes up in value.
2. Larger Profits Then in The Past In the past short term real estate investing wasnt even an option but in todays market its not uncommon for an investor to buy and flip preconstruction condos or townhouses every few months. The financial gain is usually smaller then long term investing but as long as there is a significant profit investors are more then willing to take the smaller payday for the chance for multiple investments opportunities.
Example:
Lets say you buy two preconstruction condotels in Florida in preconstruction phase and turn a $200,000 profit each in 2 years for a total of $400,000 in 2 years. That is a good example of long term real estate investing, two years doesnt seem like a long term investment for many investors out there but in todays market two years is a long term investment.
Now lets say you buy the same two Florida condotels and flip them in 6 months and turn an $80,000 profit each for a total of $160,000 profit. Now you if you buy and flip every 6 months in two years youll have $640,000 in profits compared to the$400,000. Also, please note that as long as you use the profit from the last investment (its called a 1031 exchange) you can reinvest the money and NOT pay capital gains.
3. More Overall Profit As the example above shows you investing in the short term is more time consuming but ultimately more money. While long term investing is more of a set it and forget strategy.
If you have any questions about long term or short term real estate investing feel free to visit my website or give me a call.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Investing Basics - Stocks, Mutual Funds, Real Estate & Online Investing
Have you ever thought of investing? Do you have a family that you would like take care of? Does the idea of making money with stocks, bonds, mutual funds and real estate interest you?
Investing is essential to making money. Whether it be stock investing, investing online, real estate investing, finance investing, investing in bonds, investing in mutual funds. All are essential in helping secure your finances, and financial stability for you and your family. If you are interested in investing, continue reading about ways to make money. We will briefly discuss the concepts of investing with stocks and mutual funds, investing with real estate and investing online.
Stock & Mutual Fund Investing
The stock market is a great place to make money. If you intend on investing with stocks and mutual funds, we highly suggest that you first do research on the companies you wish to invest in. Although the stock market is a great place to make money, there is also a degree of risk involved.
Real Estate Investing
Investing in real estate is safer than the stock market. A lot of people purchase homes that need are in need of remodeling, and can make a lot of money by fixing them up and selling them. Be advised that it isnt as simple as buying a house, painting it, and then selling it. There are a lot of factors that you should consider before you attempt to invest in real estate.
Online Investing
Another fast growing way to invest is through trading online. Traders have the capability of doing research, buying and selling and making money with their investments all with the simplicity of sitting in front of a computer. Its amazing at how easily you can work your finances online, and make money without even leaving the house!
If you plan on investing, make sure you educate yourself in the market or means in which you wish to proceed. Whether it be investing with stocks, investing with mutual funds, investing with real estate or investing online, do your research and make some money! If you are looking for a resource to help you with investing, you can visit our website and you will find ample information about investments, and how to make money.
Have you ever thought of investing? Do you have a family that you would like take care of? Does the idea of making money with stocks, bonds, mutual funds and real estate interest you?
Investing is essential to making money. Whether it be stock investing, investing online, real estate investing, finance investing, investing in bonds, investing in mutual funds. All are essential in helping secure your finances, and financial stability for you and your family. If you are interested in investing, continue reading about ways to make money. We will briefly discuss the concepts of investing with stocks and mutual funds, investing with real estate and investing online.
Stock & Mutual Fund Investing
The stock market is a great place to make money. If you intend on investing with stocks and mutual funds, we highly suggest that you first do research on the companies you wish to invest in. Although the stock market is a great place to make money, there is also a degree of risk involved.
Real Estate Investing
Investing in real estate is safer than the stock market. A lot of people purchase homes that need are in need of remodeling, and can make a lot of money by fixing them up and selling them. Be advised that it isnt as simple as buying a house, painting it, and then selling it. There are a lot of factors that you should consider before you attempt to invest in real estate.
Online Investing
Another fast growing way to invest is through trading online. Traders have the capability of doing research, buying and selling and making money with their investments all with the simplicity of sitting in front of a computer. Its amazing at how easily you can work your finances online, and make money without even leaving the house!
If you plan on investing, make sure you educate yourself in the market or means in which you wish to proceed. Whether it be investing with stocks, investing with mutual funds, investing with real estate or investing online, do your research and make some money! If you are looking for a resource to help you with investing, you can visit our website and you will find ample information about investments, and how to make money.
Coin Collecting: Coin Collecting Q&As
How do I determine if my old coins are worth anything?
Although there are exceptions, most old coins are not particularly valuable unless they are very well preserved. The best starting place for an idea of their worth is to visit the reference section of your local library. There are numerous catalogues, some for specific countries. A good general volume is the Standard Catalogue of World Coins. It offers a complete list of almost everything.
I understand older money is worth more than face value because of the silver content, is that true?
Canadian coins, from those with a face value between 10 cents and $1, and struck before 1968 are between 50 and 92 percent silver, depending on the coin and year. They are worth a bit more than face value, depending on the price of silver. If coins are in good condition, the collector's value may be even higher.
Will I ever find anything valuable in my pocket change?
Possibly. In 1991, only 459,000 25-cent coins were struck (the annual number is usually closer to 100 million). 'Mint State' versions of these coins are worth about $8. The 1973 25-cent coin and the 1969 ten-cent coin were also struck in smaller than normal numbers.
Are coins a good investment?
Yes and no. Some people have made a lot of money buying and selling coins, others have lost fortunes. If you are serious about investing in numismatics, first spend a bit of time learning. Most successful investors were knowledgeable collectors first. Good quality coins purchased at reasonable prices will appreciate, but probably no better or worse than other investments. The difference is that you'll be buying something you love, instead of things like shares in companies you know nothing about or T-Bills. Perhaps one day the coin you bought last year will have gone up in value, but the idea is to buy it so you can enjoy it now, and for as long as you own it.
For more answers to coin collecting questions, and ideas on what to collect, visit the Royal Canadian Mint website at www.mint.ca.
- News Canada
How do I determine if my old coins are worth anything?
Although there are exceptions, most old coins are not particularly valuable unless they are very well preserved. The best starting place for an idea of their worth is to visit the reference section of your local library. There are numerous catalogues, some for specific countries. A good general volume is the Standard Catalogue of World Coins. It offers a complete list of almost everything.
I understand older money is worth more than face value because of the silver content, is that true?
Canadian coins, from those with a face value between 10 cents and $1, and struck before 1968 are between 50 and 92 percent silver, depending on the coin and year. They are worth a bit more than face value, depending on the price of silver. If coins are in good condition, the collector's value may be even higher.
Will I ever find anything valuable in my pocket change?
Possibly. In 1991, only 459,000 25-cent coins were struck (the annual number is usually closer to 100 million). 'Mint State' versions of these coins are worth about $8. The 1973 25-cent coin and the 1969 ten-cent coin were also struck in smaller than normal numbers.
Are coins a good investment?
Yes and no. Some people have made a lot of money buying and selling coins, others have lost fortunes. If you are serious about investing in numismatics, first spend a bit of time learning. Most successful investors were knowledgeable collectors first. Good quality coins purchased at reasonable prices will appreciate, but probably no better or worse than other investments. The difference is that you'll be buying something you love, instead of things like shares in companies you know nothing about or T-Bills. Perhaps one day the coin you bought last year will have gone up in value, but the idea is to buy it so you can enjoy it now, and for as long as you own it.
For more answers to coin collecting questions, and ideas on what to collect, visit the Royal Canadian Mint website at www.mint.ca.
- News Canada
Saturday, April 28, 2007
How Can You Tell If Your Gold Jewelry Is Real?
* Tips For Buying Gold
1. Buy from someone you know or with a solid reputation.
2. Look for a store with a quality-assurance program that tests its own pieces for purity. You don*t have to shop at Tiffany*s to go for the real gold. Many major stores have testing programs, too.
3. If the piece has a trademark, like Nike or a sports team logo, it must have a license stamp on the back. If the jewelry maker is willing to steal a trademark, experts say, they may be willing to short you on gold.
4. Look at the workmanship. If the edges are frayed, or it just looks cheap, it probably is under-karated.
5. And if you really want to make sure you*ve got legitimate gold, you can have your pieces X-rayed at a quality- assurance lab, like the one *20/20* used, for around $20.
* Under-Karating Now Rife Among Discount Jewelry Offers
In many countries (the US for example) anything less than 10 karats -- or about 42 percent real gold -- can*t legally be sold as gold.
Yet the reality is that with gold sales rising rapidly *under-karating* is a very common problem even though it*s not widely known.
The worst cheating occurs with the less expensive 10-karat and 14-karat pieces, and the problem isn*t easy to resolve because by simply looking at a piece of gold there is really no way to tell the difference between 10-karat and 8-karat.
Recently *20/20* bought several *discount* gold jewelry articles in New York and had them tested by the American Assay and Gemological Office - the lab that does quality assurance checks on jewelry from Tiffany*s.
The result: None of the 3 jewelry pieces they tested actually met the minimum 10-karat as advertised!
* Here*s A Quick Guide To Gold *Purity*
24K gold is pure gold.
18K gold contains 18 parts gold and 6 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 75% gold.
14K gold contains 14 parts gold and 10 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 58.3% gold.
12K gold contains 12 parts gold and 12 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 50% gold.
10K gold contains 10 parts gold and 14 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 41.7% gold. 10K gold is the minimum karat that can be called *gold* in the United States.
European Markings European gold jewelry is marked with numbers that indicate their percentage of gold, such as:
18K gold is marked 750 to indicate 75% gold
14K gold is marked 585 for 58.5%
12K gold is marked 417 for 41.7%
* Tips For Buying Gold
1. Buy from someone you know or with a solid reputation.
2. Look for a store with a quality-assurance program that tests its own pieces for purity. You don*t have to shop at Tiffany*s to go for the real gold. Many major stores have testing programs, too.
3. If the piece has a trademark, like Nike or a sports team logo, it must have a license stamp on the back. If the jewelry maker is willing to steal a trademark, experts say, they may be willing to short you on gold.
4. Look at the workmanship. If the edges are frayed, or it just looks cheap, it probably is under-karated.
5. And if you really want to make sure you*ve got legitimate gold, you can have your pieces X-rayed at a quality- assurance lab, like the one *20/20* used, for around $20.
* Under-Karating Now Rife Among Discount Jewelry Offers
In many countries (the US for example) anything less than 10 karats -- or about 42 percent real gold -- can*t legally be sold as gold.
Yet the reality is that with gold sales rising rapidly *under-karating* is a very common problem even though it*s not widely known.
The worst cheating occurs with the less expensive 10-karat and 14-karat pieces, and the problem isn*t easy to resolve because by simply looking at a piece of gold there is really no way to tell the difference between 10-karat and 8-karat.
Recently *20/20* bought several *discount* gold jewelry articles in New York and had them tested by the American Assay and Gemological Office - the lab that does quality assurance checks on jewelry from Tiffany*s.
The result: None of the 3 jewelry pieces they tested actually met the minimum 10-karat as advertised!
* Here*s A Quick Guide To Gold *Purity*
24K gold is pure gold.
18K gold contains 18 parts gold and 6 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 75% gold.
14K gold contains 14 parts gold and 10 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 58.3% gold.
12K gold contains 12 parts gold and 12 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 50% gold.
10K gold contains 10 parts gold and 14 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 41.7% gold. 10K gold is the minimum karat that can be called *gold* in the United States.
European Markings European gold jewelry is marked with numbers that indicate their percentage of gold, such as:
18K gold is marked 750 to indicate 75% gold
14K gold is marked 585 for 58.5%
12K gold is marked 417 for 41.7%
Internet Goldrush
We were taught in school about the gold rushes. There were a few of them. There was the California gold rush, Klondike gold rush, and Australian rush. Now there were more but just to name a few. People sold and gave up everything to go and hunt for gold. They had no idea how to do it. They figured they learn when they got there. As we all know most lost everything and their lives went to pot. There were many that succeed too.
Well we have another gold rush happening now. But the gold nuggets are the internet. There have been many many people who have made fortunes on the internet whether it be from starting a dot com or selling products, information and ideas
There are so many people rushing to the internet to make their fortunes too. Now maybe their not throwing everything away and traveling thousands of miles to god only knows where. But I have seen and heard of people quitting their jobs to work on the internet full time. Now again many have succeeded but most don't. There is a right way and a wrong way to go about it. Knowledge is key.
The internet can change your life. It can teach you almost anything. Every day people are logging in or onto the internet. They are looking for information, looking to buy something. Many actually go online to play games, whether it be Role playing games, or the latest thing. TEXAS HOLD'EM. What I am trying to say here is that I don't think we really realize yet how big the internet is going to be! You need to sit up and take notice.
You need to take stock of what you know. Would other people be interested in that info? Do I have info that others would be interested in? You don't always have to use other peoples information or products. Everyday people goo to the internet looking for how to do this and how to do that.
Learn to put your information out there. Learn to pan for your gold. Everyone can find their own gold they just need to pan for it. Learning is the key. It just takes less dangerous methods these days to pan for your gold.
We were taught in school about the gold rushes. There were a few of them. There was the California gold rush, Klondike gold rush, and Australian rush. Now there were more but just to name a few. People sold and gave up everything to go and hunt for gold. They had no idea how to do it. They figured they learn when they got there. As we all know most lost everything and their lives went to pot. There were many that succeed too.
Well we have another gold rush happening now. But the gold nuggets are the internet. There have been many many people who have made fortunes on the internet whether it be from starting a dot com or selling products, information and ideas
There are so many people rushing to the internet to make their fortunes too. Now maybe their not throwing everything away and traveling thousands of miles to god only knows where. But I have seen and heard of people quitting their jobs to work on the internet full time. Now again many have succeeded but most don't. There is a right way and a wrong way to go about it. Knowledge is key.
The internet can change your life. It can teach you almost anything. Every day people are logging in or onto the internet. They are looking for information, looking to buy something. Many actually go online to play games, whether it be Role playing games, or the latest thing. TEXAS HOLD'EM. What I am trying to say here is that I don't think we really realize yet how big the internet is going to be! You need to sit up and take notice.
You need to take stock of what you know. Would other people be interested in that info? Do I have info that others would be interested in? You don't always have to use other peoples information or products. Everyday people goo to the internet looking for how to do this and how to do that.
Learn to put your information out there. Learn to pan for your gold. Everyone can find their own gold they just need to pan for it. Learning is the key. It just takes less dangerous methods these days to pan for your gold.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Quelling Your Investment Fear
Investing can be dangerous yet profitable endeavor. Many people have been burnt and decide not to ever invest again. This is the primary fear for investing in anything. They may give you excuse such as 'I don't have enough money' or 'I don't know where to invest'. But the number one fear is always the fear of losing money. If a novice investor knows that he won't lose money, he must have used all means necessary (such as loan) to buy as much investment opportunity possible.
Investing here can mean a lot of things from buying gold coin to real estate. However, common stock is the most popular form of investing since more than 50% of the US household invest in it. There are several ways of how to reduce your fear of investing in common stock.
Get Educated. When you know more about something, you are more certain of your outcome. When you know how to calculate the fair value of a common stock, you will know your expected return of investment. Remember that the less uncertainty you have, the less risk you undertake. You will also know more about the downside risk of your investment. If a common stock has $ 3 per share of positive net cash, is profitable and is currently trading at $ 5 per share, then you know that it won't trade at below $ 3 per share for a long period of time. Your maximum possible risk here is 40% of your original investment.
Start Small. When you begin your investing journey, you have a lot of unknowns. Less education means more unknown which means greater risk. How small should you start? As much money that you can afford to lose. If you still have no idea, then how about $ 1 a day? One dollar a day will give you $ 500,000 after fifty years of investing with 10.5 % return. Even if you have $ 500,000 right now, it is better for you to start small if you are a novice investor.
Pay Yourself First. By this, it does not mean that investors use their money to buy unnecessary stuff. Pay Yourself First means that you find investment that can pay you first as investors. What investment can pay you first? One thing that comes to mind is buying a common stock that historically has a steady or increasing dividends. There are one more way to pay yourself first by selling covered call options. For novice investors, however, I suggest we put this subject off until you get really really comfortable with investing in common stock.
Learn From Your Mistake. Once you begin investing, the fear of losing money is always there. The best way to learn is from your own mistake. But to hasten your learning curve, we have compiled a list of 15 common investing pitfalls that is frequently committed by novice investors.
Will you be fear-free after reading this column? The answer is no. Fear is always there because of uncertainty. Successful investing is about predicting the future which is uncertain. Even investing in your money-market account is uncertain. It involves some small risk. The risk might be inflation being higher than the interest rate offered. There is also uncertainty regarding the direction of interest rate. Interest rate used to be in the high single digits during the 1980s. Look where it is now.
We live in uncertain world. Instead of hiding behind the wall, we need to embrace it and educate ourselves to reduce the uncertainty. Doing this will in effect increase our investment return beyond the rate of inflation.
Investing can be dangerous yet profitable endeavor. Many people have been burnt and decide not to ever invest again. This is the primary fear for investing in anything. They may give you excuse such as 'I don't have enough money' or 'I don't know where to invest'. But the number one fear is always the fear of losing money. If a novice investor knows that he won't lose money, he must have used all means necessary (such as loan) to buy as much investment opportunity possible.
Investing here can mean a lot of things from buying gold coin to real estate. However, common stock is the most popular form of investing since more than 50% of the US household invest in it. There are several ways of how to reduce your fear of investing in common stock.
Get Educated. When you know more about something, you are more certain of your outcome. When you know how to calculate the fair value of a common stock, you will know your expected return of investment. Remember that the less uncertainty you have, the less risk you undertake. You will also know more about the downside risk of your investment. If a common stock has $ 3 per share of positive net cash, is profitable and is currently trading at $ 5 per share, then you know that it won't trade at below $ 3 per share for a long period of time. Your maximum possible risk here is 40% of your original investment.
Start Small. When you begin your investing journey, you have a lot of unknowns. Less education means more unknown which means greater risk. How small should you start? As much money that you can afford to lose. If you still have no idea, then how about $ 1 a day? One dollar a day will give you $ 500,000 after fifty years of investing with 10.5 % return. Even if you have $ 500,000 right now, it is better for you to start small if you are a novice investor.
Pay Yourself First. By this, it does not mean that investors use their money to buy unnecessary stuff. Pay Yourself First means that you find investment that can pay you first as investors. What investment can pay you first? One thing that comes to mind is buying a common stock that historically has a steady or increasing dividends. There are one more way to pay yourself first by selling covered call options. For novice investors, however, I suggest we put this subject off until you get really really comfortable with investing in common stock.
Learn From Your Mistake. Once you begin investing, the fear of losing money is always there. The best way to learn is from your own mistake. But to hasten your learning curve, we have compiled a list of 15 common investing pitfalls that is frequently committed by novice investors.
Will you be fear-free after reading this column? The answer is no. Fear is always there because of uncertainty. Successful investing is about predicting the future which is uncertain. Even investing in your money-market account is uncertain. It involves some small risk. The risk might be inflation being higher than the interest rate offered. There is also uncertainty regarding the direction of interest rate. Interest rate used to be in the high single digits during the 1980s. Look where it is now.
We live in uncertain world. Instead of hiding behind the wall, we need to embrace it and educate ourselves to reduce the uncertainty. Doing this will in effect increase our investment return beyond the rate of inflation.
E-gold Invest: Make Money With Currency Trading
Many people are already starting to pay attention to the newest online trend: E-gold investing.
E-gold investing is a all about a system that allows you to profit from the money that is being traded everyday on the internet. What you're doing when you are trading e-gold (or e-currencies) is that you are providing the backup for internet money. Let me go back a bit. What exactly do I mean by "backup for internet money"?
There is a cashflow of all of the money that is being moved throughout the internet every day. However, this money has to have, for every dollar that is being backed up, a physical backup of that dollar must exist.
This is a very superficial explanation about how the dxgold system works, but to be honest, to profit from it, you don't have to understand exactly how it works to profit from it. If I were to put the e-gold training courses into a metaphor I would say it's very much like driving a car. You don't need to know how it works in order to use it properly.
What you do need to know is the egold exchange process and every step of the way. This may sound complex, but once you get to know it, it becomes a daily routine that takes about five minutes just to check up on.
Investing in e-gold is something that I could describe as a great investing strategy, if you are investing in the long run.
It isn't as fast as a rising stock in wall street, it isn't something that will double your profits in a couple of days, but it is something you can expect to generate a good income from. And the important keyword in that past sentence would be to Expect, because this is a safe long term strategy that is guaranteed to make a profit for you.
This is why I personally think it is plain silly not to learn this currency trading system. You even know how much money you will make each day in advance.
For some it may be tough, but saving a couple of hundred dollars and investing in e-gold can be a very wise decision. As many people have experienced already, it can even turn into a "hands off" second income without the 8 to 5 job.
E-gold is all about discipline. Is about the discipline of having your money work for you and letting it grow, without getting an urge of a shopping spree and taking your money out of your account.
If you think you can wait for a few months and are interested in getting a second income, then the e-gold system could be a good fit for you.
Many people are already starting to pay attention to the newest online trend: E-gold investing.
E-gold investing is a all about a system that allows you to profit from the money that is being traded everyday on the internet. What you're doing when you are trading e-gold (or e-currencies) is that you are providing the backup for internet money. Let me go back a bit. What exactly do I mean by "backup for internet money"?
There is a cashflow of all of the money that is being moved throughout the internet every day. However, this money has to have, for every dollar that is being backed up, a physical backup of that dollar must exist.
This is a very superficial explanation about how the dxgold system works, but to be honest, to profit from it, you don't have to understand exactly how it works to profit from it. If I were to put the e-gold training courses into a metaphor I would say it's very much like driving a car. You don't need to know how it works in order to use it properly.
What you do need to know is the egold exchange process and every step of the way. This may sound complex, but once you get to know it, it becomes a daily routine that takes about five minutes just to check up on.
Investing in e-gold is something that I could describe as a great investing strategy, if you are investing in the long run.
It isn't as fast as a rising stock in wall street, it isn't something that will double your profits in a couple of days, but it is something you can expect to generate a good income from. And the important keyword in that past sentence would be to Expect, because this is a safe long term strategy that is guaranteed to make a profit for you.
This is why I personally think it is plain silly not to learn this currency trading system. You even know how much money you will make each day in advance.
For some it may be tough, but saving a couple of hundred dollars and investing in e-gold can be a very wise decision. As many people have experienced already, it can even turn into a "hands off" second income without the 8 to 5 job.
E-gold is all about discipline. Is about the discipline of having your money work for you and letting it grow, without getting an urge of a shopping spree and taking your money out of your account.
If you think you can wait for a few months and are interested in getting a second income, then the e-gold system could be a good fit for you.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Getting Started Investing is Often the Hardest Part
There are several reasons people give for not investing their money in things like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. One reason is that they feel that they dont have enough money to make a serious investment, but a more common reason that many people have absolutely no idea how to go about getting started investing. In fact, if more people understood the basics of investing and had a cohesive plan for getting started investing, more people would do it.
Lets assume that the first reason does not apply to you and you do, in fact, have some amount of money that youd like to invest. How do you get started investing? You could contact a stock or investment broker and discuss the options that would be best for you. Whether youll want to do this will depend quite a bit on the amount of money that you have to invest. If its a small amount, you may be better off seeking some smaller, safer investment than you would be by jumping directly into the stock market. Some people get started investing by choosing simple accounts with their bank. CDs and IRAs make good investments, for example, for medium and long term goals. IRA accounts are intended for retirement, while CDs are time deposits that must remain in place for a set amount of time (often anywhere from as little as a week to as long as ten years) while they earn interest.
If you do go to the stock market, or graduate to it after getting started investing in safer accounts, you should resist the urge to buy and sell stocks wildly. One mistake that many first time investors make is they become nervous about the stability of their investment and they watch their stock rise and fall every day. If it drops too much they become afraid that the bottom will fall out and they sell at a lower price than they originally paid. This is a bad idea and works against the reasons they got started investing in the first place. Instead the new investor should let it ride and sell only if there is a sudden spike in the price that wont likely repeat. Otherwise, stocks should be a long term investment, especially when someone first gets started investing.
There are several reasons people give for not investing their money in things like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. One reason is that they feel that they dont have enough money to make a serious investment, but a more common reason that many people have absolutely no idea how to go about getting started investing. In fact, if more people understood the basics of investing and had a cohesive plan for getting started investing, more people would do it.
Lets assume that the first reason does not apply to you and you do, in fact, have some amount of money that youd like to invest. How do you get started investing? You could contact a stock or investment broker and discuss the options that would be best for you. Whether youll want to do this will depend quite a bit on the amount of money that you have to invest. If its a small amount, you may be better off seeking some smaller, safer investment than you would be by jumping directly into the stock market. Some people get started investing by choosing simple accounts with their bank. CDs and IRAs make good investments, for example, for medium and long term goals. IRA accounts are intended for retirement, while CDs are time deposits that must remain in place for a set amount of time (often anywhere from as little as a week to as long as ten years) while they earn interest.
If you do go to the stock market, or graduate to it after getting started investing in safer accounts, you should resist the urge to buy and sell stocks wildly. One mistake that many first time investors make is they become nervous about the stability of their investment and they watch their stock rise and fall every day. If it drops too much they become afraid that the bottom will fall out and they sell at a lower price than they originally paid. This is a bad idea and works against the reasons they got started investing in the first place. Instead the new investor should let it ride and sell only if there is a sudden spike in the price that wont likely repeat. Otherwise, stocks should be a long term investment, especially when someone first gets started investing.
Guide To Choosing Gold and Platinum Wedding Rings
Nothing says forever like gold and platinum wedding rings. These precious metals mark the permanence of a lifelong commitment, and will endure beyond decades of married life.
Whereas gold is a traditional setting, platinum has taken off as the newest trend in wedding jewelry. The decision to go for the gold or opt for platinum is based on the personal style of the bride and groom. However, certain factors may contribute to the couples wedding ring selection.
Style
What does your wedding ring say about you? Platinum is geared toward a more modern look, whereas gold is traditionally beautiful. When evaluating your style, consider the future as well as the present, as you will quite possibly be wearing this ring for years to come.
Matching Existing Jewelry
Look at your (and your fiances) jewelry collection do you see gold, silver or a combination of both? If a bride typically wears only silver jewelry, she may wish for a platinum ring to accent her existing pieces; conversely, a gold jewelry fan would likely pick a gold ring. Grooms may wish to match their ring to their favorite watch or ID bracelet. If a couple has different tastes, they may choose a wedding ring that incorporates multiple colors.
Quality
While gold will stand the test of time, platinum is a stronger and more durable metal. Couples that decide on gold should select 14-18k wedding rings. For gold, high karats mean intense color but less durability.
Allergic Reactions to Metals
If the bride or groom reacts to the metals found in certain types of jewelry, a platinum wedding ring is the way to go. Over 90 percent pure, platinum is hypoallergenic to most people.
Price
If shopping by price, gold offers the best value for your money. While platinum is more durable than gold, it is also more expensive. If a couple longs for a light-colored metal but cannot afford platinum, they may consider opting for a white gold wedding ring as an affordable alternative.
Whatever your decision, gold and platinum wedding rings are a wonderful way to express your love and commitment to each other.
Nothing says forever like gold and platinum wedding rings. These precious metals mark the permanence of a lifelong commitment, and will endure beyond decades of married life.
Whereas gold is a traditional setting, platinum has taken off as the newest trend in wedding jewelry. The decision to go for the gold or opt for platinum is based on the personal style of the bride and groom. However, certain factors may contribute to the couples wedding ring selection.
Style
What does your wedding ring say about you? Platinum is geared toward a more modern look, whereas gold is traditionally beautiful. When evaluating your style, consider the future as well as the present, as you will quite possibly be wearing this ring for years to come.
Matching Existing Jewelry
Look at your (and your fiances) jewelry collection do you see gold, silver or a combination of both? If a bride typically wears only silver jewelry, she may wish for a platinum ring to accent her existing pieces; conversely, a gold jewelry fan would likely pick a gold ring. Grooms may wish to match their ring to their favorite watch or ID bracelet. If a couple has different tastes, they may choose a wedding ring that incorporates multiple colors.
Quality
While gold will stand the test of time, platinum is a stronger and more durable metal. Couples that decide on gold should select 14-18k wedding rings. For gold, high karats mean intense color but less durability.
Allergic Reactions to Metals
If the bride or groom reacts to the metals found in certain types of jewelry, a platinum wedding ring is the way to go. Over 90 percent pure, platinum is hypoallergenic to most people.
Price
If shopping by price, gold offers the best value for your money. While platinum is more durable than gold, it is also more expensive. If a couple longs for a light-colored metal but cannot afford platinum, they may consider opting for a white gold wedding ring as an affordable alternative.
Whatever your decision, gold and platinum wedding rings are a wonderful way to express your love and commitment to each other.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Is The Best Retirement Business Right For You?
According to the Coin Laundry Association, laundry centers and coin laundries average a powerful 20 to 30% return on investment. A successful laundry owner offers 6 powerful insights on why you too can and should achieve great financial rewards with part- time effort. Are you ready to join the ranks of the many successful entrepreneurs like Dan King who are "cleaning-up" in today's commercial laundry industry?
With stock market fluctuations and an uncertain economy, many Americans have a difficult time finding investments that can survive recessions and economic downturns. However, the commercial laundry business with its 20 to 30% ROI is almost recession proof. In fact both Dun and Bradstreet and the SBA have cited it as one of the 10 top safest business investments one can make. Believe it or not, thats just one of the many powerful reasons so many retirees are looking to invest in their own laundry stores. The fact is that coin laundries and vended laundries are one of the most advantageous part-time and retirement businesses that exist.
AN OWNER LISTS THE BENEFITS
According to Dan King, owner of several coin laundries in Southern California, I highly recommend investing in this industry it has worked wonderfully well for me and it can for you. Before I invested I considered 6 major benefits that Laundry Center ownership offered and that no other investment provided."
1. First, I didnt have to give up my regular job. I found that Coin Laundries basically run themselves, which was great for me because I was looking for an absentee manager situation. The fact is they require just a couple of hours a week and are so easy to operate that basically anyone, anywhere can own one or more.
2. I also liked the fact that this is a turn-key business, where you dont need staff on the premises. You can set your laundry to stay open 24 hours a day, or you can have an automatic door-locking system on a timer set to open and close when you choose. I personally keep my laundry stores open full-time and that works well for my customers and for me.
3. Another benefit is that you can own a laundry near your home or further away. They thrive in every state of the union. Coin laundries can be placed in virtually all neighborhood shopping centers and perform exceptionally well in renter-occupied, densely populated, lower-income areas. Your average customer will be the estimated 89 million people who live in rental housing, which is the fastest-growing housing segment in the nation.
4. Even better, this is an All Cash business with no inventory and no accounts receivables. You can expect a high return on investment, liquidity, tax benefits, and fast growing equity. Whatever your cash down payment is at the time of purchase, you can typically expect to get back within seven years, or sooner. Like buying a house, equity builds and you ultimately can expect a substantial profit.
5. Once set up, I found that coin laundries paid off like a cash machine week in and week out. Lets face it: people will always need to wash their clothes, which is why laundry centers thrive in periods of both growth and recession. In fact, when times are slow and homeownership decreases, the self-service laundry market thrives as more people are unable to afford to repair, replace or purchase new washers and dryers, or as they move to apartment housing with poor or nonexistent laundry facilities.
6. Finally, I loved the fact that I could purchase an existing coin laundry to fit my budget, available investment dollars and personal requirements. Coin laundries generally require between 1,500 and 5,000 square feet of retail space, depending on the market size. Most laundries occupy retail space that is rented on a long-term lease of 10 years to 25 years, including option periods. The cost of buying a vended laundry can range from less than $50,000 to more than one million dollars, depending on size, age and net income.
Bottom line, Dan King is one of many successful entrepreneurs in our dynamic industry. In fact, there are over 35,000 coin- and card-operated laundries in the United States, generating more than $3.5 billion in annual revenue and these numbers are growing! Millions of families use laundries every day. But most people dont realize that those same laundries offer even better ways to clean up than with water, soap and bleach. With the primary customer representing the fastest growing segment in the nation -- the laundry business is amazingly stable, and dependably profitable. After all, families need clean towels and sheets whether the stock market is up or down. They need clean clothes in summer and winter, on vacation or working, whether theyre newborns, teenagers or retired.
According to the Coin Laundry Association, laundry centers and coin laundries average a powerful 20 to 30% return on investment. A successful laundry owner offers 6 powerful insights on why you too can and should achieve great financial rewards with part- time effort. Are you ready to join the ranks of the many successful entrepreneurs like Dan King who are "cleaning-up" in today's commercial laundry industry?
With stock market fluctuations and an uncertain economy, many Americans have a difficult time finding investments that can survive recessions and economic downturns. However, the commercial laundry business with its 20 to 30% ROI is almost recession proof. In fact both Dun and Bradstreet and the SBA have cited it as one of the 10 top safest business investments one can make. Believe it or not, thats just one of the many powerful reasons so many retirees are looking to invest in their own laundry stores. The fact is that coin laundries and vended laundries are one of the most advantageous part-time and retirement businesses that exist.
AN OWNER LISTS THE BENEFITS
According to Dan King, owner of several coin laundries in Southern California, I highly recommend investing in this industry it has worked wonderfully well for me and it can for you. Before I invested I considered 6 major benefits that Laundry Center ownership offered and that no other investment provided."
1. First, I didnt have to give up my regular job. I found that Coin Laundries basically run themselves, which was great for me because I was looking for an absentee manager situation. The fact is they require just a couple of hours a week and are so easy to operate that basically anyone, anywhere can own one or more.
2. I also liked the fact that this is a turn-key business, where you dont need staff on the premises. You can set your laundry to stay open 24 hours a day, or you can have an automatic door-locking system on a timer set to open and close when you choose. I personally keep my laundry stores open full-time and that works well for my customers and for me.
3. Another benefit is that you can own a laundry near your home or further away. They thrive in every state of the union. Coin laundries can be placed in virtually all neighborhood shopping centers and perform exceptionally well in renter-occupied, densely populated, lower-income areas. Your average customer will be the estimated 89 million people who live in rental housing, which is the fastest-growing housing segment in the nation.
4. Even better, this is an All Cash business with no inventory and no accounts receivables. You can expect a high return on investment, liquidity, tax benefits, and fast growing equity. Whatever your cash down payment is at the time of purchase, you can typically expect to get back within seven years, or sooner. Like buying a house, equity builds and you ultimately can expect a substantial profit.
5. Once set up, I found that coin laundries paid off like a cash machine week in and week out. Lets face it: people will always need to wash their clothes, which is why laundry centers thrive in periods of both growth and recession. In fact, when times are slow and homeownership decreases, the self-service laundry market thrives as more people are unable to afford to repair, replace or purchase new washers and dryers, or as they move to apartment housing with poor or nonexistent laundry facilities.
6. Finally, I loved the fact that I could purchase an existing coin laundry to fit my budget, available investment dollars and personal requirements. Coin laundries generally require between 1,500 and 5,000 square feet of retail space, depending on the market size. Most laundries occupy retail space that is rented on a long-term lease of 10 years to 25 years, including option periods. The cost of buying a vended laundry can range from less than $50,000 to more than one million dollars, depending on size, age and net income.
Bottom line, Dan King is one of many successful entrepreneurs in our dynamic industry. In fact, there are over 35,000 coin- and card-operated laundries in the United States, generating more than $3.5 billion in annual revenue and these numbers are growing! Millions of families use laundries every day. But most people dont realize that those same laundries offer even better ways to clean up than with water, soap and bleach. With the primary customer representing the fastest growing segment in the nation -- the laundry business is amazingly stable, and dependably profitable. After all, families need clean towels and sheets whether the stock market is up or down. They need clean clothes in summer and winter, on vacation or working, whether theyre newborns, teenagers or retired.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Magnificent Kinkakuji
Last week during his tour of Kyoto Japan, President Bush visited the Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji) and described it as magnificent. He was probably referring to the 1398 Japanese architecture but may just as well have been referring to gold prices which are at an 18-year high. Gold has been a magnificent investment and still has considerable upside.
It is a rare portfolio that I build for a client that does not have some allocation to gold and other precious metals. There are three basic reasons why investors should still consider adding it to their portfolio.
First, gold prices are not normally correlated to other asset class prices. It therefore serves as a buffer or shock absorber to the value of a portfolio when other assets classes are out of favor.
Secondly, there are supply and demand factors. Central banks have been net sellers of gold over the past twenty years. Gold accounts for about 9% of the $4.4 trillion in world central bank foreign exchange and gold reserves, down from 15% in early 2000.
But some central banks are now going the other way. For example, the Russian central bank wants to increase golds share of its reserves from 5% to 10%.
Jewelry demand for gold is also picking up especially in China and India. Global investors are also using gold as a hedge for a global recession and potential decline in value of the U.S. dollar or the Euro.
On the supply side, production of gold has been relatively flat for the last 5-7 years and does not appear to be turning around due to maturing mines and higher extraction costs.
The third reason to have some gold exposure in your portfolio is that it serves as disaster insurance from unforeseen but potentially devastating events such as widespread terrorism or severe economic or political upheaval.
Many gold bugs insist that the only true gold exposure is through gold coins. An easier way to gain instant gold exposure is through the iShares COMEX Gold Trust ETF ( IAU) that is up 15.3% so far this year. Another option is investing through the iShares South Africa ETF (EZA) which has considerable exposure to the gold and mining industry and is up 15.9% this year.
Dont come down with gold fever. A 5-10% allocation to your core conservative portfolio should get the job done. Expect some lusterless years as well as some magnificent returns and restful nights knowing you have some gold under the pillow.
Last week during his tour of Kyoto Japan, President Bush visited the Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji) and described it as magnificent. He was probably referring to the 1398 Japanese architecture but may just as well have been referring to gold prices which are at an 18-year high. Gold has been a magnificent investment and still has considerable upside.
It is a rare portfolio that I build for a client that does not have some allocation to gold and other precious metals. There are three basic reasons why investors should still consider adding it to their portfolio.
First, gold prices are not normally correlated to other asset class prices. It therefore serves as a buffer or shock absorber to the value of a portfolio when other assets classes are out of favor.
Secondly, there are supply and demand factors. Central banks have been net sellers of gold over the past twenty years. Gold accounts for about 9% of the $4.4 trillion in world central bank foreign exchange and gold reserves, down from 15% in early 2000.
But some central banks are now going the other way. For example, the Russian central bank wants to increase golds share of its reserves from 5% to 10%.
Jewelry demand for gold is also picking up especially in China and India. Global investors are also using gold as a hedge for a global recession and potential decline in value of the U.S. dollar or the Euro.
On the supply side, production of gold has been relatively flat for the last 5-7 years and does not appear to be turning around due to maturing mines and higher extraction costs.
The third reason to have some gold exposure in your portfolio is that it serves as disaster insurance from unforeseen but potentially devastating events such as widespread terrorism or severe economic or political upheaval.
Many gold bugs insist that the only true gold exposure is through gold coins. An easier way to gain instant gold exposure is through the iShares COMEX Gold Trust ETF ( IAU) that is up 15.3% so far this year. Another option is investing through the iShares South Africa ETF (EZA) which has considerable exposure to the gold and mining industry and is up 15.9% this year.
Dont come down with gold fever. A 5-10% allocation to your core conservative portfolio should get the job done. Expect some lusterless years as well as some magnificent returns and restful nights knowing you have some gold under the pillow.
What Makes a Good Investor
Many people talk of themselves as being investors. When I hear someone mentioning that he or she is investing some money I always ask them: Are you investing or trading? I usually get people confused with this little question. The fact is: Most people dont know what investing is and they cannot tell the difference between investing and saving on one hand and trading and gambling on the other hand.
So lets look at the four most common types of what you can do with your money if you dont spend it:
Saving
Saving is about preserving what you have without the intention of gaining anything. Saving money means you put money away in a safe place, so you can use it later to either invest it, spend it or do whatever you like with it. It does not mean exposing your assets to any type of risk at all. Saving could be in the form of a savings account, cash, gold or whatever does not put your money at risk. An investment fund or a 401K is NOT saving money. Investment funds like the name suggests is investing.
Investing
Investing has the idea of long term natural growth associated with it. Investing money means giving your money away with a certain amount of risk and the chance for a certain profit. Often the exact amount of the profit is not known in advance. So is the risk that you might lose your money or a part of it. In general an investment is a commitment to convert liquid assets into more illiquid types of assets for a minimum of 2 years or more. Yes, investing is a long-term commitment and something that has made many people unspeakably rich. Investing is not for nervous or paranoid people. It is for the smart and bold. If you are paranoid, you should be saving instead of investing. If you are looking to make quick cash you should be trading.
Trading
Trading is more similar to dealing in any particular goods. There game is buying low and selling high whether you are dealing in textiles, watches or stocks. The time horizon for a trader is short term. A trade can be from a few minutes to a few months. It doesnt really matter what the time frame is. What matters is your intention and mind set. If you strive to buy low and sell high, you are a trader not an investor.
Dont get excited over your trades. If you a seeking pleasure and you find that trading is actually fun and giving you a certain kick, then you are not trading you are gambling
There are different intentions associated with different types of actions. They could be described as below:
Mindset: Preserving
Action: Saving
Predictability: High
Risk: Low
Potential Reward: Safety
Mindset: Growing
Action: Investing
Predictability: moderate
Risk: moderate
Potential Reward: long-term appreciation
Mindset: Making money
Action: trading
Predictability: low
Risk: high
Potential Reward: high return
Mindset: Excitement
Action: gambling
Predictability: very low
Risk: very high
Potential Reward: loss
When you go from Saving down to gambling with each step predictability is decreasing and risk is increasing.
So when you think about investing your money, think of your goal first then decide what your strategy should be.
Many people talk of themselves as being investors. When I hear someone mentioning that he or she is investing some money I always ask them: Are you investing or trading? I usually get people confused with this little question. The fact is: Most people dont know what investing is and they cannot tell the difference between investing and saving on one hand and trading and gambling on the other hand.
So lets look at the four most common types of what you can do with your money if you dont spend it:
Saving
Saving is about preserving what you have without the intention of gaining anything. Saving money means you put money away in a safe place, so you can use it later to either invest it, spend it or do whatever you like with it. It does not mean exposing your assets to any type of risk at all. Saving could be in the form of a savings account, cash, gold or whatever does not put your money at risk. An investment fund or a 401K is NOT saving money. Investment funds like the name suggests is investing.
Investing
Investing has the idea of long term natural growth associated with it. Investing money means giving your money away with a certain amount of risk and the chance for a certain profit. Often the exact amount of the profit is not known in advance. So is the risk that you might lose your money or a part of it. In general an investment is a commitment to convert liquid assets into more illiquid types of assets for a minimum of 2 years or more. Yes, investing is a long-term commitment and something that has made many people unspeakably rich. Investing is not for nervous or paranoid people. It is for the smart and bold. If you are paranoid, you should be saving instead of investing. If you are looking to make quick cash you should be trading.
Trading
Trading is more similar to dealing in any particular goods. There game is buying low and selling high whether you are dealing in textiles, watches or stocks. The time horizon for a trader is short term. A trade can be from a few minutes to a few months. It doesnt really matter what the time frame is. What matters is your intention and mind set. If you strive to buy low and sell high, you are a trader not an investor.
Dont get excited over your trades. If you a seeking pleasure and you find that trading is actually fun and giving you a certain kick, then you are not trading you are gambling
There are different intentions associated with different types of actions. They could be described as below:
Mindset: Preserving
Action: Saving
Predictability: High
Risk: Low
Potential Reward: Safety
Mindset: Growing
Action: Investing
Predictability: moderate
Risk: moderate
Potential Reward: long-term appreciation
Mindset: Making money
Action: trading
Predictability: low
Risk: high
Potential Reward: high return
Mindset: Excitement
Action: gambling
Predictability: very low
Risk: very high
Potential Reward: loss
When you go from Saving down to gambling with each step predictability is decreasing and risk is increasing.
So when you think about investing your money, think of your goal first then decide what your strategy should be.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Challenge Coin Display Cases and Challenge Coins Tips
I find it amazing that the interest and popularity of challenge coins and challenge coin displays keeps rising. I get many questions about military challenge coins so I have decided to gather some valuable tips for you.
The most popular challenge coins are navy challenge coins, marine corps challenge coins, army challenge coins, air force challenge coins and police challenge coins. Which one do you prefer?
Challenge coins are more precious than one can imagine they usually worth a couple of bucks, but they have a sentimental value no one can evaluate. Thats way; you must protect your military challenge coins by using a challenge coin display case.
Buy a challenge coin display that totally answers your needs:
1. One that will make you proud of your challenge coins collection Some have dozens of challenge coins from navy challenge coin, marine corps challenge coins and army challenge coin to air force challenge coins and police challenge coins. A collection like this could be really impressive.
2. One that will fully protect your challenge coins Most of the challenge coin display cases have a plastic capsule for each individual coin.
I find the military challenge coins a bit magical. Did you know that no one can point exactly when the first challenge coin was made? Some say that the first one is date to World War 1. Others say that the first military challenge coin is from the Vietnam War.
I believe that people are just starting now to understand the real value of challenge coins. A good investment would be purchasing as many different challenge coins as you can. They are going to be an expensive collectible item in a few years.
But one should remember that a challenge coin represents values before everything support to the organization minted on the coin whether it is a navy challenge coin, marine corps challenge coin or any other organization.
I find it amazing that the interest and popularity of challenge coins and challenge coin displays keeps rising. I get many questions about military challenge coins so I have decided to gather some valuable tips for you.
The most popular challenge coins are navy challenge coins, marine corps challenge coins, army challenge coins, air force challenge coins and police challenge coins. Which one do you prefer?
Challenge coins are more precious than one can imagine they usually worth a couple of bucks, but they have a sentimental value no one can evaluate. Thats way; you must protect your military challenge coins by using a challenge coin display case.
Buy a challenge coin display that totally answers your needs:
1. One that will make you proud of your challenge coins collection Some have dozens of challenge coins from navy challenge coin, marine corps challenge coins and army challenge coin to air force challenge coins and police challenge coins. A collection like this could be really impressive.
2. One that will fully protect your challenge coins Most of the challenge coin display cases have a plastic capsule for each individual coin.
I find the military challenge coins a bit magical. Did you know that no one can point exactly when the first challenge coin was made? Some say that the first one is date to World War 1. Others say that the first military challenge coin is from the Vietnam War.
I believe that people are just starting now to understand the real value of challenge coins. A good investment would be purchasing as many different challenge coins as you can. They are going to be an expensive collectible item in a few years.
But one should remember that a challenge coin represents values before everything support to the organization minted on the coin whether it is a navy challenge coin, marine corps challenge coin or any other organization.
May is Gold Month: Important Tips for Capitalizing on Gold Month Promotions
Jewelry retailers across the country are gearing up for May 1, the official start of gold month 2006. Since 2004, jewelers have used May as a platform to reach customers considering purchases for Mothers Day, graduation, first communion, confirmation and the bridal season. In addition to the gift-giving opportunities, the campaign is also designed to inspire self-purchase, encouraging customers to update their spring and summer wardrobe with new styles of gold jewelry.
Retailers should think beyond products when they are considering ways to attract new business during gold month 2006. Because the May is Gold Month event is really still in its infancy, it is important to establish an in-store theme to inform customers of the occasion, and any promotions the store is running in conjunction.
Here are a few tips to consider when preparing to attract new business during gold month this year:
Tell the World: Use retail signs in and outside the jewelry store to advertise gold month to people passing by. If customers are out shopping for a unique gift, they will be more likely to visit your jewelry store if theres a retail sign telling them about your promotion.
Show them What Youve Got: Consider a specialty jewelry display case that showcases a wide array of items featured for gold month. A special display case will be beneficial well beyond a gold month promotion. It will allow your store to highlight hand picked products for special events throughout the year.
Send the Message Home: Reinforce the gold month theme by using all gold colored jewelry packaging in the month of May. Consider custom printed jewelry boxes, shopping bags and gift bags, as well as the packaging extras like ribbons and bows to keep your store and gold month fresh in the customers mind.
May is Gold Month is your opportunity to set your company aside and capitalize on a customer base that is ready to buy. Be at your best by creating an environment that brings them in and keeps them coming back throughout the year. For additional inspiring ideas and products for your jewelry store, visit
www.nu-era.com.
Jewelry retailers across the country are gearing up for May 1, the official start of gold month 2006. Since 2004, jewelers have used May as a platform to reach customers considering purchases for Mothers Day, graduation, first communion, confirmation and the bridal season. In addition to the gift-giving opportunities, the campaign is also designed to inspire self-purchase, encouraging customers to update their spring and summer wardrobe with new styles of gold jewelry.
Retailers should think beyond products when they are considering ways to attract new business during gold month 2006. Because the May is Gold Month event is really still in its infancy, it is important to establish an in-store theme to inform customers of the occasion, and any promotions the store is running in conjunction.
Here are a few tips to consider when preparing to attract new business during gold month this year:
Tell the World: Use retail signs in and outside the jewelry store to advertise gold month to people passing by. If customers are out shopping for a unique gift, they will be more likely to visit your jewelry store if theres a retail sign telling them about your promotion.
Show them What Youve Got: Consider a specialty jewelry display case that showcases a wide array of items featured for gold month. A special display case will be beneficial well beyond a gold month promotion. It will allow your store to highlight hand picked products for special events throughout the year.
Send the Message Home: Reinforce the gold month theme by using all gold colored jewelry packaging in the month of May. Consider custom printed jewelry boxes, shopping bags and gift bags, as well as the packaging extras like ribbons and bows to keep your store and gold month fresh in the customers mind.
May is Gold Month is your opportunity to set your company aside and capitalize on a customer base that is ready to buy. Be at your best by creating an environment that brings them in and keeps them coming back throughout the year. For additional inspiring ideas and products for your jewelry store, visit
www.nu-era.com.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Investing Basics - Stocks, Mutual Funds, Real Estate & Online Investing
Have you ever thought of investing? Do you have a family that you would like take care of? Does the idea of making money with stocks, bonds, mutual funds and real estate interest you?
Investing is essential to making money. Whether it be stock investing, investing online, real estate investing, finance investing, investing in bonds, investing in mutual funds. All are essential in helping secure your finances, and financial stability for you and your family. If you are interested in investing, continue reading about ways to make money. We will briefly discuss the concepts of investing with stocks and mutual funds, investing with real estate and investing online.
Stock & Mutual Fund Investing
The stock market is a great place to make money. If you intend on investing with stocks and mutual funds, we highly suggest that you first do research on the companies you wish to invest in. Although the stock market is a great place to make money, there is also a degree of risk involved.
Real Estate Investing
Investing in real estate is safer than the stock market. A lot of people purchase homes that need are in need of remodeling, and can make a lot of money by fixing them up and selling them. Be advised that it isnt as simple as buying a house, painting it, and then selling it. There are a lot of factors that you should consider before you attempt to invest in real estate.
Online Investing
Another fast growing way to invest is through trading online. Traders have the capability of doing research, buying and selling and making money with their investments all with the simplicity of sitting in front of a computer. Its amazing at how easily you can work your finances online, and make money without even leaving the house!
If you plan on investing, make sure you educate yourself in the market or means in which you wish to proceed. Whether it be investing with stocks, investing with mutual funds, investing with real estate or investing online, do your research and make some money! If you are looking for a resource to help you with investing, you can visit our website and you will find ample information about investments, and how to make money.
Have you ever thought of investing? Do you have a family that you would like take care of? Does the idea of making money with stocks, bonds, mutual funds and real estate interest you?
Investing is essential to making money. Whether it be stock investing, investing online, real estate investing, finance investing, investing in bonds, investing in mutual funds. All are essential in helping secure your finances, and financial stability for you and your family. If you are interested in investing, continue reading about ways to make money. We will briefly discuss the concepts of investing with stocks and mutual funds, investing with real estate and investing online.
Stock & Mutual Fund Investing
The stock market is a great place to make money. If you intend on investing with stocks and mutual funds, we highly suggest that you first do research on the companies you wish to invest in. Although the stock market is a great place to make money, there is also a degree of risk involved.
Real Estate Investing
Investing in real estate is safer than the stock market. A lot of people purchase homes that need are in need of remodeling, and can make a lot of money by fixing them up and selling them. Be advised that it isnt as simple as buying a house, painting it, and then selling it. There are a lot of factors that you should consider before you attempt to invest in real estate.
Online Investing
Another fast growing way to invest is through trading online. Traders have the capability of doing research, buying and selling and making money with their investments all with the simplicity of sitting in front of a computer. Its amazing at how easily you can work your finances online, and make money without even leaving the house!
If you plan on investing, make sure you educate yourself in the market or means in which you wish to proceed. Whether it be investing with stocks, investing with mutual funds, investing with real estate or investing online, do your research and make some money! If you are looking for a resource to help you with investing, you can visit our website and you will find ample information about investments, and how to make money.
Investing Online - What You Need To Know First
Are you looking to start investing online? Without the right knowledge and information online investing can be an intimidating experience. However, if you do your research before starting and see what different online brokers offer, you can turn it into a very profitable and rewarding experience. There are several very important tips you need to know before starting to invest online.
The first features you need to look for before you start investing online is trading commissions. Trading expenses can be all over the map when it comes to online brokers. Costs can run anywhere from $4 all the way to $40 and more. If you plan on investing small amounts of money into stocks then you need to make sure your online broker has low trade expenses (under $15) or these costs will eat up all your account balance and any profits.
When choosing where to start investing online you should also be aware of account fees and account minimums. In order to protect any profits that you make you need to make certain that your account has low account maintenance fees, preferably an account with no account maintenance fees. Many online investing companies will charge you anywhere from $15 up to $80 a year just to have an IRA retirement account. However, there are sites that offer free IRA retirement accounts and these are the ones you should go to when opening an online investing account.
Numerous online investment companies also have a set minimum account balances. If you account falls below that minimum balance required, you will get charged a fee. Over time these fees can take your balance down to $0! It is crucial to make certain that the online brokerage company you choose has no minimum account balances.
Quite a few of the larger brokerage companies will charge higher fees because they offer sophisticated investment research tools. These can be great to have, however, most of these tools you will never use. The tools you will need and use can be found at different sites online at no cost. It really is not necessary to pay for the sophisticated research tools, so be sure you are not paying higher fees to have them.
If you do your research prior to opening an investment account online it will make investing much easier and more profitable. There are many advantages to investing online, such as; lower costs, being able to place trades on your own, saving time, and most importantly it will be easier to build your wealth. Just be sure to shop around before you make your decision.
Are you looking to start investing online? Without the right knowledge and information online investing can be an intimidating experience. However, if you do your research before starting and see what different online brokers offer, you can turn it into a very profitable and rewarding experience. There are several very important tips you need to know before starting to invest online.
The first features you need to look for before you start investing online is trading commissions. Trading expenses can be all over the map when it comes to online brokers. Costs can run anywhere from $4 all the way to $40 and more. If you plan on investing small amounts of money into stocks then you need to make sure your online broker has low trade expenses (under $15) or these costs will eat up all your account balance and any profits.
When choosing where to start investing online you should also be aware of account fees and account minimums. In order to protect any profits that you make you need to make certain that your account has low account maintenance fees, preferably an account with no account maintenance fees. Many online investing companies will charge you anywhere from $15 up to $80 a year just to have an IRA retirement account. However, there are sites that offer free IRA retirement accounts and these are the ones you should go to when opening an online investing account.
Numerous online investment companies also have a set minimum account balances. If you account falls below that minimum balance required, you will get charged a fee. Over time these fees can take your balance down to $0! It is crucial to make certain that the online brokerage company you choose has no minimum account balances.
Quite a few of the larger brokerage companies will charge higher fees because they offer sophisticated investment research tools. These can be great to have, however, most of these tools you will never use. The tools you will need and use can be found at different sites online at no cost. It really is not necessary to pay for the sophisticated research tools, so be sure you are not paying higher fees to have them.
If you do your research prior to opening an investment account online it will make investing much easier and more profitable. There are many advantages to investing online, such as; lower costs, being able to place trades on your own, saving time, and most importantly it will be easier to build your wealth. Just be sure to shop around before you make your decision.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Keral Gold
Recent exploration result for Kerala are very encouraging, Gold worth of about Rs 600 croe at current price is present in the Attapadi, Nilambur and Mankada areas in Malappuram district. These areas are found to be highly potential for Gold. Among them the Atapadi gold belt is found to be most potential. It is made up of gneissic rocks. The gold is found in three subparallel load zones. Similarly six lensoid gold bearing load zones in Nilambur and two gold load zones of sulphide rich high grade rocks at Mankada are alos recorded. Kottathara area of Nilambur region hold maximum, 80000 tonnes of gold in its reserve. Gold at the rate of 13.8 grams can be obtained from here.
Kerala government is planning to go for mining. Four gram of gold per tonne from any ore lead zone is viable, if continued for twenty years. However government should take precaution while going for exploration, because of the low percentage of gold and erratic distribution of gold in ore. Each area should have distinct strategy for exploration depending upon the nature of ore. Locations are so far found viable for mining. It is wandered why kerala has not gone for mining up to now. In karnatakas kolar mining has produced so far 800 tonnes of gold upto an average depth of 2750 metre in area of 8 kilometres. 99% percent of gold in India come from 40000 sq km area covering Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
It is very likely that kerala is heading for gold mining. And once the mining is started in Malappuram and Attapadi valley, issues of environment will come in focus. The valleys may be turned in to grey. The ecological and natural balance may get disturbed. For the country to sustain growth in economy, proper utilization of mineral wealth is necessary. However all this thing should we done by using the modern mining technologies by causes less harm to the environment? First a study of impact of mining on environment should we done. Proper benefit of Country, people and environment should be taken care of.
Recent exploration result for Kerala are very encouraging, Gold worth of about Rs 600 croe at current price is present in the Attapadi, Nilambur and Mankada areas in Malappuram district. These areas are found to be highly potential for Gold. Among them the Atapadi gold belt is found to be most potential. It is made up of gneissic rocks. The gold is found in three subparallel load zones. Similarly six lensoid gold bearing load zones in Nilambur and two gold load zones of sulphide rich high grade rocks at Mankada are alos recorded. Kottathara area of Nilambur region hold maximum, 80000 tonnes of gold in its reserve. Gold at the rate of 13.8 grams can be obtained from here.
Kerala government is planning to go for mining. Four gram of gold per tonne from any ore lead zone is viable, if continued for twenty years. However government should take precaution while going for exploration, because of the low percentage of gold and erratic distribution of gold in ore. Each area should have distinct strategy for exploration depending upon the nature of ore. Locations are so far found viable for mining. It is wandered why kerala has not gone for mining up to now. In karnatakas kolar mining has produced so far 800 tonnes of gold upto an average depth of 2750 metre in area of 8 kilometres. 99% percent of gold in India come from 40000 sq km area covering Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
It is very likely that kerala is heading for gold mining. And once the mining is started in Malappuram and Attapadi valley, issues of environment will come in focus. The valleys may be turned in to grey. The ecological and natural balance may get disturbed. For the country to sustain growth in economy, proper utilization of mineral wealth is necessary. However all this thing should we done by using the modern mining technologies by causes less harm to the environment? First a study of impact of mining on environment should we done. Proper benefit of Country, people and environment should be taken care of.
Coin Collecting: Tips On Caring For Your Coins
Collector coins
Royal Canadian Mint numismatic (collector) coins come encapsulated to protect the coin from damage. It is best not to remove coins from their capsules because outside they are more susceptible to nicks and wear, which reduces grade and value. When handling numismatic coins, do so by their edges and only over a cloth pad so an accidental drop won't mar them. Avoid touching the coin unnecessarily, as dirt and grease from your fingers will tarnish the finish over time. Exposure to air oxidizes metal, changing its colour. Although the aesthetics may change, price does not. The value of your coins stays the same regardless of colour.
Cleaning
Coins can lose their brightness over time, and you'll be tempted to polish them. The best advice is ... DON'T. Chances are you'll do more damage than good. The process of cleaning often leaves tiny scratches that show up under a magnifying glass and lower the value of the coin. Physical dirt can be removed by careful washing with a hand soap and patting dry. Tarnish, called toning to collectors, does not lower the value of the coin. Although dips can remove the tarnish, they also remove any remaining mint lustre. The result is a coin with an unnatural appearance and a lower value. Any cleaning will wear the coin surface, and though it may look brighter for a time, the coin will eventually lose its value to a collector. The natural tarnish of a coin is expected by collectors, and is actually proof of its authenticity.
For more information on caring for your coins, and ideas on what to collect, visit the Royal Canadian Mint website at www.mint.ca.
- News Canada
Collector coins
Royal Canadian Mint numismatic (collector) coins come encapsulated to protect the coin from damage. It is best not to remove coins from their capsules because outside they are more susceptible to nicks and wear, which reduces grade and value. When handling numismatic coins, do so by their edges and only over a cloth pad so an accidental drop won't mar them. Avoid touching the coin unnecessarily, as dirt and grease from your fingers will tarnish the finish over time. Exposure to air oxidizes metal, changing its colour. Although the aesthetics may change, price does not. The value of your coins stays the same regardless of colour.
Cleaning
Coins can lose their brightness over time, and you'll be tempted to polish them. The best advice is ... DON'T. Chances are you'll do more damage than good. The process of cleaning often leaves tiny scratches that show up under a magnifying glass and lower the value of the coin. Physical dirt can be removed by careful washing with a hand soap and patting dry. Tarnish, called toning to collectors, does not lower the value of the coin. Although dips can remove the tarnish, they also remove any remaining mint lustre. The result is a coin with an unnatural appearance and a lower value. Any cleaning will wear the coin surface, and though it may look brighter for a time, the coin will eventually lose its value to a collector. The natural tarnish of a coin is expected by collectors, and is actually proof of its authenticity.
For more information on caring for your coins, and ideas on what to collect, visit the Royal Canadian Mint website at www.mint.ca.
- News Canada
Friday, April 20, 2007
Treasure Hunting - Part 2
Treasure hunting begins at home. People regularly find famous old books and valuable antiques in their attics, so get up there and look. One couple tore open their walls while remodeling, and found them insulated with thousands of old and valuable movie posters, put there by a theater owner in the thirties. The couple sold $200,000 worth of posters, the last I heard.
There are many more ways to go treasure hunting. I used to take the old telegraph pole insulators form along train tracks, to sell for $4 each at an antique store. They were otherwise being shot to pieces by hunters over the years. The colored glass ones are usually the more valuable ones.
Panning For Gold
For $10 you can buy a gold pan, and start prospecting. It's easier to see the gold in the green plastic ones. Most federal lands are open to prospectors without a permit. I've only seen gold in my pan in Canada (there isn't much gold in Michigan), but people have better luck in the mountain streams of the southeast and southwest. It's a nice way to spend an afternoon in any case.
Treasure Hunting With A Metal Detector
Metal detectors start under $200. I've found a few hundred coins, but none of them have been valuable ones. When the city tore up old sidewalks, a woman in our town used her detector to find coins . She sold one to a local coin shop for $700. A friend tells me that her husband and her have found many pieces of gold jewelry at the beach with their detector. It's also common to use metal detectors to find gold nuggets in the southwest.
Treasure Hunting In The Streets
Collecting cans for 37 cents a pound is a tough way to make a living. Here in Michigan and other states, however, there's a 10 cent deposit on every beverage container. During festivals I see people with bags of hundreds of cans they collected in the parks and garbage containers. Some travel here every year during the Cherry Festival, just to collect returnable bottles and cans that week.
I spoke to a man who went to the big concerts to collect beer and pop cans in the parking areas. He said he makes over $100 in a few hours (plus the time to take them to the store). Collecting "returnables" can be an unpleasant way to make money, but an old guy in town here tells me he pays the rent doing this.
Treasure hunting is about having the right frame of mind. There are treasures to be found everywhere. I once found a chest with foreign notes and coins in the crawl space under our house. Hotel owners report that visitors tuck money in the bedside bible, and forget to take it with them. Sometimes you just have to look.
Treasure hunting begins at home. People regularly find famous old books and valuable antiques in their attics, so get up there and look. One couple tore open their walls while remodeling, and found them insulated with thousands of old and valuable movie posters, put there by a theater owner in the thirties. The couple sold $200,000 worth of posters, the last I heard.
There are many more ways to go treasure hunting. I used to take the old telegraph pole insulators form along train tracks, to sell for $4 each at an antique store. They were otherwise being shot to pieces by hunters over the years. The colored glass ones are usually the more valuable ones.
Panning For Gold
For $10 you can buy a gold pan, and start prospecting. It's easier to see the gold in the green plastic ones. Most federal lands are open to prospectors without a permit. I've only seen gold in my pan in Canada (there isn't much gold in Michigan), but people have better luck in the mountain streams of the southeast and southwest. It's a nice way to spend an afternoon in any case.
Treasure Hunting With A Metal Detector
Metal detectors start under $200. I've found a few hundred coins, but none of them have been valuable ones. When the city tore up old sidewalks, a woman in our town used her detector to find coins . She sold one to a local coin shop for $700. A friend tells me that her husband and her have found many pieces of gold jewelry at the beach with their detector. It's also common to use metal detectors to find gold nuggets in the southwest.
Treasure Hunting In The Streets
Collecting cans for 37 cents a pound is a tough way to make a living. Here in Michigan and other states, however, there's a 10 cent deposit on every beverage container. During festivals I see people with bags of hundreds of cans they collected in the parks and garbage containers. Some travel here every year during the Cherry Festival, just to collect returnable bottles and cans that week.
I spoke to a man who went to the big concerts to collect beer and pop cans in the parking areas. He said he makes over $100 in a few hours (plus the time to take them to the store). Collecting "returnables" can be an unpleasant way to make money, but an old guy in town here tells me he pays the rent doing this.
Treasure hunting is about having the right frame of mind. There are treasures to be found everywhere. I once found a chest with foreign notes and coins in the crawl space under our house. Hotel owners report that visitors tuck money in the bedside bible, and forget to take it with them. Sometimes you just have to look.
Coin Magic
Coin magic is the universal phrase for illusions using one or more coins, which are maneuvered so as to trick and mystify the spectators. It is well received by nearly every audience and all ages, and it is highly esteemed by magicians. A great deal of inventiveness has gone into developing each effect in the great diversity of coin tricks available in books on magic, but a large amount of them can be condensed to a small number of fundamentals - for instance vanishes, productions and palms, but no self-working tricks - united in some order to create the desired result.
Coin magic is frequently perceived as a tricky branch of the art. Learners of coin magic frequently have a disappointing start, as they discover that they are "caught" performing their sleights. The routine used in coin magic is of the greatest significance. The patter narrative is tied in strongly with the routine. Make use of the magical gesture as a misdirection device.
One of the grand magical gestures to make a coin disappear is to have one positioned in your hand, then make some passes over it with your other hand, and then make it vanish. Another good magic trick is to make a coin disappear and resurface in the spectator's hand. Even simple coins can vanish, but there are also magic coins that you can pick up online to get you started.
This type of magic can be plenty of fun, even if you're just doing it to astound your family and friends. Some popular sleight of hand tricks are The Classic Palm, The Finger Palm, Classic Palm Vanish, Biting Coin, Palm Transfers, The Utility Switch, Folding Coin and Coin Switches. The best dimensions of the coin you will use while performing coin magic will be determined by the size of your hands and fingers.
Coin magic is the universal phrase for illusions using one or more coins, which are maneuvered so as to trick and mystify the spectators. It is well received by nearly every audience and all ages, and it is highly esteemed by magicians. A great deal of inventiveness has gone into developing each effect in the great diversity of coin tricks available in books on magic, but a large amount of them can be condensed to a small number of fundamentals - for instance vanishes, productions and palms, but no self-working tricks - united in some order to create the desired result.
Coin magic is frequently perceived as a tricky branch of the art. Learners of coin magic frequently have a disappointing start, as they discover that they are "caught" performing their sleights. The routine used in coin magic is of the greatest significance. The patter narrative is tied in strongly with the routine. Make use of the magical gesture as a misdirection device.
One of the grand magical gestures to make a coin disappear is to have one positioned in your hand, then make some passes over it with your other hand, and then make it vanish. Another good magic trick is to make a coin disappear and resurface in the spectator's hand. Even simple coins can vanish, but there are also magic coins that you can pick up online to get you started.
This type of magic can be plenty of fun, even if you're just doing it to astound your family and friends. Some popular sleight of hand tricks are The Classic Palm, The Finger Palm, Classic Palm Vanish, Biting Coin, Palm Transfers, The Utility Switch, Folding Coin and Coin Switches. The best dimensions of the coin you will use while performing coin magic will be determined by the size of your hands and fingers.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Buying Gold Jewelry Without Being Ripped Off
Buying gold jewelry can be fun, exciting and confusing. Whether youre considering a gift of gold jewelry for someone special or as a treat for yourself, take some time to learn the terms used in the industry. Heres some information to help you get the best quality gold jewelry for your money, whether youre shopping in a traditional brick and mortar store or online.
Gold
The word gold, used by itself, means all gold or 24 karat (24K) gold. Because 24K gold is soft, its usually mixed with other metals to increase its hardness and durability. If a piece of jewelry
is not 24 karat gold, the karat quality should accompany any claim that the item is gold.
The karat quality marking tells you what proportion of gold is mixed with the other metals. Fourteen karat (14K) jewelry contains 14 parts of gold, mixed in throughout with 10 parts of base metal. The higher the karat rating, the higher the proportion of gold in the piece of jewelry.
Most jewelry is marked with its karat quality, although marking is not required by law. Near the karat quality mark, you should see the name of the U.S. registered trademark of the company that will stand behind the mark. The trademark may be in the form of a name, symbol or initials. If you dont see a trademark accompanying a quality mark on a piece of jewelry, look for another piece.
Solid gold refers to an item made of any karat gold, if the inside of the item is not hollow. The proportion of gold in the piece of jewelry still is determined by the karat mark.
Jewelry can be plated with gold in a variety of ways. Gold plate refers to items that are either mechanically plated, electroplated, or plated by any other means with gold to a base metal. Eventually, gold plating wears away, but how soon will depend on how often the item is worn and how thick the plating is.
Gold-filled, gold overlay and rolled gold plate are terms used to describe jewelry that has a layer of at least 10 karat gold mechanically bonded to a base metal. If the jewelry is marked with one of these terms, the term or abbreviation should follow the karat quality of the gold used (for example, 14K Gold Overlay or 12K RGP). If the layer of karat gold is less than 1/20th of the total weight of the item, any marking must state the actual percentage of karat gold, such as 1/40 14K Gold Overlay.
Gold electroplate describes jewelry that has a layer (at least .175 microns thick) of a minimum of 10 karat gold deposited on a base metal by an electrolytic process. The terms gold flashed or gold washed describe products that have an extremely thin electroplating of gold (less than .175 microns thick). This will wear away more quickly than gold plate, gold-filled or gold electroplate.
Buying gold jewelry can be fun, exciting and confusing. Whether youre considering a gift of gold jewelry for someone special or as a treat for yourself, take some time to learn the terms used in the industry. Heres some information to help you get the best quality gold jewelry for your money, whether youre shopping in a traditional brick and mortar store or online.
Gold
The word gold, used by itself, means all gold or 24 karat (24K) gold. Because 24K gold is soft, its usually mixed with other metals to increase its hardness and durability. If a piece of jewelry
is not 24 karat gold, the karat quality should accompany any claim that the item is gold.
The karat quality marking tells you what proportion of gold is mixed with the other metals. Fourteen karat (14K) jewelry contains 14 parts of gold, mixed in throughout with 10 parts of base metal. The higher the karat rating, the higher the proportion of gold in the piece of jewelry.
Most jewelry is marked with its karat quality, although marking is not required by law. Near the karat quality mark, you should see the name of the U.S. registered trademark of the company that will stand behind the mark. The trademark may be in the form of a name, symbol or initials. If you dont see a trademark accompanying a quality mark on a piece of jewelry, look for another piece.
Solid gold refers to an item made of any karat gold, if the inside of the item is not hollow. The proportion of gold in the piece of jewelry still is determined by the karat mark.
Jewelry can be plated with gold in a variety of ways. Gold plate refers to items that are either mechanically plated, electroplated, or plated by any other means with gold to a base metal. Eventually, gold plating wears away, but how soon will depend on how often the item is worn and how thick the plating is.
Gold-filled, gold overlay and rolled gold plate are terms used to describe jewelry that has a layer of at least 10 karat gold mechanically bonded to a base metal. If the jewelry is marked with one of these terms, the term or abbreviation should follow the karat quality of the gold used (for example, 14K Gold Overlay or 12K RGP). If the layer of karat gold is less than 1/20th of the total weight of the item, any marking must state the actual percentage of karat gold, such as 1/40 14K Gold Overlay.
Gold electroplate describes jewelry that has a layer (at least .175 microns thick) of a minimum of 10 karat gold deposited on a base metal by an electrolytic process. The terms gold flashed or gold washed describe products that have an extremely thin electroplating of gold (less than .175 microns thick). This will wear away more quickly than gold plate, gold-filled or gold electroplate.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Self-Esteem and Getting Organized are Inseparable
Before I reveal what might be a significant revelation to you in just a moment, give a thought to your own self-esteem. How do you feel about yourself?
Now, one more question for you.
How well organized are you?
Notice that if you feel quite well organized then you probably feel quite good about yourself, i.e. your self-esteem is probably high.
Listen carefully: Whenever you feel a low self-esteem, you can probably bet that high up on the list of reasons why, is that you are not well organized in your life.
As you think about how many people spend time, effort, and money on so called personal development for improving self-esteem, guess at how many actually work on learning how to get organized. I mean REALLY organized?
Answer: Not many!
Important point: Consider that normal personal development revolves essentially around the topic of self-esteem, and spends very little time on how to get organized.
The results?
Low self-esteem DESPITE doing so called personal development.
In fact, if you are reading personal development books, listening to audio programs or attending seminars on personal development and self-esteem, then chances are youre caught in a loop.
Almost a vicious circle.
You do some personal development, and you feel better, and you get on with life, but the disorganization of your life catches up with you and so you go back to doing a bunch of personal development.
But think of this
How often do you learn about, or how much time do you invest in drum roll Getting Organized??
Now heres the thing: I discovered in my coaching that self-esteem and personal organization are the essential sides of the same coin. The coin that opens those gateways to all success.
Do you want to feel better about your self, your life, the way things are? Do you want to be more competent? And after reading this article, Do you want to get organized more than you have been?
If you neglect either side of that coin, you will never achieve those results, never!
You can focus on either of those sides separately, but ultimately organization depends on self-esteem, and vice versa, self-esteem depends on getting organized in your career development and personal life.
Technically said: The degree of your organization is commensurate to the degree of your self-esteem.
And for the metaphysically inclined: If you see yourself as getting organized, the positive expectation will lead you to get organized.
How can you actually apply both sides of this coin in how to get organized and improve your self-esteem?
Here is the key point I want you to understand in this short article:
By emotionally getting involved with taking more control of your personal areas at work and home you will begin feeling proud of your environment, and ever-more capable of getting organized.
Focusing intellectually on how to get organized, and emotionally super-charging that effort for all the positive emotions that come from being organized, will boost your self-esteem. And that provides ever more fuel to get organized even more.
(French Accent) Now zis iz Personal Development, no?
As that idea grows for you over the next few days you will understand that the times you feel genuinely and deeply good about yourself happens because you are recognizing an area of good organization. That should be a major theme of what Personal Development is all about.
Self-esteem and Getting Organized create a self-supporting positive feedback mechanism. The more you improve on one of them, the more the other will improve.
Your two pronged attack is to work on both, be mindful of both, understand how they both inter-relate, and ultimately combine as 2 sides of the same coin.
The coin that affords your every desire, and inevitably brings you all that you deserve.
Before I reveal what might be a significant revelation to you in just a moment, give a thought to your own self-esteem. How do you feel about yourself?
Now, one more question for you.
How well organized are you?
Notice that if you feel quite well organized then you probably feel quite good about yourself, i.e. your self-esteem is probably high.
Listen carefully: Whenever you feel a low self-esteem, you can probably bet that high up on the list of reasons why, is that you are not well organized in your life.
As you think about how many people spend time, effort, and money on so called personal development for improving self-esteem, guess at how many actually work on learning how to get organized. I mean REALLY organized?
Answer: Not many!
Important point: Consider that normal personal development revolves essentially around the topic of self-esteem, and spends very little time on how to get organized.
The results?
Low self-esteem DESPITE doing so called personal development.
In fact, if you are reading personal development books, listening to audio programs or attending seminars on personal development and self-esteem, then chances are youre caught in a loop.
Almost a vicious circle.
You do some personal development, and you feel better, and you get on with life, but the disorganization of your life catches up with you and so you go back to doing a bunch of personal development.
But think of this
How often do you learn about, or how much time do you invest in drum roll Getting Organized??
Now heres the thing: I discovered in my coaching that self-esteem and personal organization are the essential sides of the same coin. The coin that opens those gateways to all success.
Do you want to feel better about your self, your life, the way things are? Do you want to be more competent? And after reading this article, Do you want to get organized more than you have been?
If you neglect either side of that coin, you will never achieve those results, never!
You can focus on either of those sides separately, but ultimately organization depends on self-esteem, and vice versa, self-esteem depends on getting organized in your career development and personal life.
Technically said: The degree of your organization is commensurate to the degree of your self-esteem.
And for the metaphysically inclined: If you see yourself as getting organized, the positive expectation will lead you to get organized.
How can you actually apply both sides of this coin in how to get organized and improve your self-esteem?
Here is the key point I want you to understand in this short article:
By emotionally getting involved with taking more control of your personal areas at work and home you will begin feeling proud of your environment, and ever-more capable of getting organized.
Focusing intellectually on how to get organized, and emotionally super-charging that effort for all the positive emotions that come from being organized, will boost your self-esteem. And that provides ever more fuel to get organized even more.
(French Accent) Now zis iz Personal Development, no?
As that idea grows for you over the next few days you will understand that the times you feel genuinely and deeply good about yourself happens because you are recognizing an area of good organization. That should be a major theme of what Personal Development is all about.
Self-esteem and Getting Organized create a self-supporting positive feedback mechanism. The more you improve on one of them, the more the other will improve.
Your two pronged attack is to work on both, be mindful of both, understand how they both inter-relate, and ultimately combine as 2 sides of the same coin.
The coin that affords your every desire, and inevitably brings you all that you deserve.
Slot Machine Basics 101
Let's begin with a little bit of basic knowledge about slot machines.
Modern Slot Machines work on a computer program that randomly selects winning combinations. Winning percentages and odds are set by the manufacturer and are calculated by millions of spins made with computer simulations.
A Slot Machine is a mechanical device employing three, four, five, or more circular reels of varying dimensions. Each of these reels has several symbols, either painted on or attached to it. Most common designs are Cherries, Bars, the Jackpot Symbol, and the Number 7.
Theme Machines are very popular, using red, white, and blue 7's symbol which trade on American patriotism. To better understand Slot Machine Strategies and how Winning at Slot Machines can be easy, you must first know what kind of Slot Machine you are playing and understand Slot Machine Strategy.
Three Reels vs. Four Reels
Common sense should dictate that it is far easier to line up three matching symbols for a Slot Machine win, than four. To get four of anything is very hard, even on liberal Video Poker. On a Reel Slot Machine, three 7's can be achieved much more often than four 7's on a Four-Reel machine. Look for Three Reel machines to play.
Progressive Slots
Progressive Slot Machines are usually Four-Reel machines which offer an open-ended jackpot that increases in value after each pull on every machine within a linked group. The top jackpot can be won only if the maximum number of coins is played and all the winning symbols correctly line up on the pay line. Progressive Slots do not pay off very often, however if you want to play a Progressive Slots, pick one whose Primary and Secondary jackpots are at a high level.
Two-Coin vs. Three-Coin Machines
In a Two-Coin machine, for the top jackpot, or maybe even the top two or three jackpots, the second-coin play will pay considerably more than just double the one-coin jackpot. For example: top jackpot payoff on a Two-Coin machine is three 7's, paying $1,000, the same three 7's pays only $400 if you played only one coin. The Three Coin machine will show much higher payoffs for the top jackpots with the three coins played. Three-Coin machines might look more lucrative in their payoff than Two-Coin machines, but don't be fooled! The player also has to bet more to get the higher payout. Consequently, the player will lose more money. One final piece of advice: whatever slot you play, Two-Coin, Three-Coin, Four-Coin, etc., always play the maximum number of coins. If you don't, you are not maximizing your winnings.
One Payline vs. Three Paylines
Most Slot Machines show the Center line marked as a payline. To win you must line up a winning combination on that center payline and on that line only. But many machines show Three Paylines: at the top, center, and bottom of the window. This means that a winning combination lined up correctly on any of the three Paylines will pay. The advantage of Three-Paying Machines is they give you more chances of winning and you can get double and triple pays if winning combinations appear on more than one payline together. The disadvantages are that the payoffs are usually very small and the top jackpot is paid only if you line up the proper winning symbols in the correct sequence on the bottom, or third payline. Another disadvantage is that Three-Payline machines are always three-coin machines. Some machines offer five, or even eight paylines but, once again, you have to play five or eight coins per pull. Remember, great advice, play Two-Coin maximum, Three Reel, One Payline Slot Machines.
Double-Up Symbols
An increasing variety of machines now employ so-called Double-Up symbols on their reels. This symbol, usually circular or in the shape of a diamond in a circle, and always bearing the words "Double" across its face, can be very valuable to the slot player. The payoff amount is Double and these Double Symbols also substitute forany other symbol. However, there are not many Double Machines available at casinos. The good Double-Up machines are normally found stuck somewhere in the middle of a group of bad machines, or are relegated to some obscure part of the casino.
Let's begin with a little bit of basic knowledge about slot machines.
Modern Slot Machines work on a computer program that randomly selects winning combinations. Winning percentages and odds are set by the manufacturer and are calculated by millions of spins made with computer simulations.
A Slot Machine is a mechanical device employing three, four, five, or more circular reels of varying dimensions. Each of these reels has several symbols, either painted on or attached to it. Most common designs are Cherries, Bars, the Jackpot Symbol, and the Number 7.
Theme Machines are very popular, using red, white, and blue 7's symbol which trade on American patriotism. To better understand Slot Machine Strategies and how Winning at Slot Machines can be easy, you must first know what kind of Slot Machine you are playing and understand Slot Machine Strategy.
Three Reels vs. Four Reels
Common sense should dictate that it is far easier to line up three matching symbols for a Slot Machine win, than four. To get four of anything is very hard, even on liberal Video Poker. On a Reel Slot Machine, three 7's can be achieved much more often than four 7's on a Four-Reel machine. Look for Three Reel machines to play.
Progressive Slots
Progressive Slot Machines are usually Four-Reel machines which offer an open-ended jackpot that increases in value after each pull on every machine within a linked group. The top jackpot can be won only if the maximum number of coins is played and all the winning symbols correctly line up on the pay line. Progressive Slots do not pay off very often, however if you want to play a Progressive Slots, pick one whose Primary and Secondary jackpots are at a high level.
Two-Coin vs. Three-Coin Machines
In a Two-Coin machine, for the top jackpot, or maybe even the top two or three jackpots, the second-coin play will pay considerably more than just double the one-coin jackpot. For example: top jackpot payoff on a Two-Coin machine is three 7's, paying $1,000, the same three 7's pays only $400 if you played only one coin. The Three Coin machine will show much higher payoffs for the top jackpots with the three coins played. Three-Coin machines might look more lucrative in their payoff than Two-Coin machines, but don't be fooled! The player also has to bet more to get the higher payout. Consequently, the player will lose more money. One final piece of advice: whatever slot you play, Two-Coin, Three-Coin, Four-Coin, etc., always play the maximum number of coins. If you don't, you are not maximizing your winnings.
One Payline vs. Three Paylines
Most Slot Machines show the Center line marked as a payline. To win you must line up a winning combination on that center payline and on that line only. But many machines show Three Paylines: at the top, center, and bottom of the window. This means that a winning combination lined up correctly on any of the three Paylines will pay. The advantage of Three-Paying Machines is they give you more chances of winning and you can get double and triple pays if winning combinations appear on more than one payline together. The disadvantages are that the payoffs are usually very small and the top jackpot is paid only if you line up the proper winning symbols in the correct sequence on the bottom, or third payline. Another disadvantage is that Three-Payline machines are always three-coin machines. Some machines offer five, or even eight paylines but, once again, you have to play five or eight coins per pull. Remember, great advice, play Two-Coin maximum, Three Reel, One Payline Slot Machines.
Double-Up Symbols
An increasing variety of machines now employ so-called Double-Up symbols on their reels. This symbol, usually circular or in the shape of a diamond in a circle, and always bearing the words "Double" across its face, can be very valuable to the slot player. The payoff amount is Double and these Double Symbols also substitute forany other symbol. However, there are not many Double Machines available at casinos. The good Double-Up machines are normally found stuck somewhere in the middle of a group of bad machines, or are relegated to some obscure part of the casino.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
World Coin Collecting
While some collectors look for only coins of value, misprints, and oddities, the resulting collections tend to become an investment hidden away in a safe or an attic.
The world coin collector is more a person who is interesting in building an intriguing collection based more on geography, gathering coins from every country, or from each mint. The focus is more on creating a structured set and can be geared toward many different interests, ie. Animal coins of Europe, Silver coins of the world, North American coins sorted by year, ect The point is to create a show piece collection rather then just for monitary value.
Collecting world coins is a great starting point for children due to many inexpensive currencies. They can be found in penny jars, at banks, coin/jewelry shops, or just walking down the street.
If you do any world traveling, visit a local bank and get a set of local coins at face value. When friends and reletive travel, let them know you are collecting, and that you will buy any coins they bring back, or that they make a great inexpensive souvinier.
Many hobby shops carry display cases to pretect and show off your collection, and specific collector cases such as for the new US quarters, and yearly pennies, nickles and dimes can sometime be found at your local Target or Walmart.
A good way to find more information and meet other collectors is simply searching the net for collecting forums and blogs, try the world coin collecting blog, or stop by Ebay and see whats up for auction--ebay.
While some collectors look for only coins of value, misprints, and oddities, the resulting collections tend to become an investment hidden away in a safe or an attic.
The world coin collector is more a person who is interesting in building an intriguing collection based more on geography, gathering coins from every country, or from each mint. The focus is more on creating a structured set and can be geared toward many different interests, ie. Animal coins of Europe, Silver coins of the world, North American coins sorted by year, ect The point is to create a show piece collection rather then just for monitary value.
Collecting world coins is a great starting point for children due to many inexpensive currencies. They can be found in penny jars, at banks, coin/jewelry shops, or just walking down the street.
If you do any world traveling, visit a local bank and get a set of local coins at face value. When friends and reletive travel, let them know you are collecting, and that you will buy any coins they bring back, or that they make a great inexpensive souvinier.
Many hobby shops carry display cases to pretect and show off your collection, and specific collector cases such as for the new US quarters, and yearly pennies, nickles and dimes can sometime be found at your local Target or Walmart.
A good way to find more information and meet other collectors is simply searching the net for collecting forums and blogs, try the world coin collecting blog, or stop by Ebay and see whats up for auction--ebay.
Man Gold Rings, No Compromises
Man Gold Ring: Until recently it was thought that men were not serious about selecting men's gold rings and other men's jewelry. This has changed now as kaisilver has created the world's best collection of high end custom made man gold rings.
All the man rings at kaisilver have been designed after intense research of the life style and habits of modern men. No efforts have been spared in making every ring more durable and more sturdy. At the same time we have not compromised on craftsmanship and use the services of some of the world's best craftsmnen to create every single ring.
The man gold rings can be ordered with gemstones of your choice. The gemstone mounting ensures that the gemstone does not loosen with friction from pockets and minor impacts.
The gold weight on these high end man rings is at least 50% to 70% more than what other sellers provide. The good gold weight is required to keep the man rings in shape for a long long time. The extra gold weight also allows proper and secure mounting of gemstones.
For the first time in history, it has been proved that strength and durability can be had without compromising on quality of material and craftsmanship. View the top 18 designs for man gold rings from kaisilver at: http://www.kaisilver.com/man-gold-ring.htm
Thank you for your time and hope to hear from you soon.
God Bless.
Ms.Tuk http://www.kaisilver.com
Man Gold Ring: Until recently it was thought that men were not serious about selecting men's gold rings and other men's jewelry. This has changed now as kaisilver has created the world's best collection of high end custom made man gold rings.
All the man rings at kaisilver have been designed after intense research of the life style and habits of modern men. No efforts have been spared in making every ring more durable and more sturdy. At the same time we have not compromised on craftsmanship and use the services of some of the world's best craftsmnen to create every single ring.
The man gold rings can be ordered with gemstones of your choice. The gemstone mounting ensures that the gemstone does not loosen with friction from pockets and minor impacts.
The gold weight on these high end man rings is at least 50% to 70% more than what other sellers provide. The good gold weight is required to keep the man rings in shape for a long long time. The extra gold weight also allows proper and secure mounting of gemstones.
For the first time in history, it has been proved that strength and durability can be had without compromising on quality of material and craftsmanship. View the top 18 designs for man gold rings from kaisilver at: http://www.kaisilver.com/man-gold-ring.htm
Thank you for your time and hope to hear from you soon.
God Bless.
Ms.Tuk http://www.kaisilver.com
Monday, April 16, 2007
The Truth About Gold Jewelry
Without a doubt, Gold is one of the worlds most precious metals. It is also a certainty that gold enjoys an unsurpassed popularity as a medium for jewelry expression. Both jewelry artisans and consumers alike are "in love" with gold. There seems to be no end to the range of colors, finishes and styles available and gold remains a perennial favorite setting for gemstones. Gold can last forever, will not corrode or rust and can be found anywhere. Gold exists in plants, rivers, oceans, mountains, its nearly everywhere but it is extremely difficult and costly to extract this amazing metal. Did you know that a single ounce of gold can be pulled into a thin wire that stretches nearly five miles long? An artisans hammer can work that same ounce into a very thin sheet that can cover a 10ft x 10ft(100sq. ft.) area. Also, it takes nearly 3 tons of gold or to extract a single ounce of pure gold. Well if you didnt now you know! Gold Basics The word Gold, used by itself, means all gold or 24 karat (24K) gold. Because 24K gold is soft, its usually mixed with other metals to increase its hardness and durability. If a piece of jewelry is not 24 karat gold, the karat quality should accompany any claim that the item is gold. The karat quality marking tells you what proportion of gold is mixed with the other metals. Fourteen karat (14K) jewelry contains 14 parts of gold, mixed in throughout with 10 parts of base metal. The higher the karat rating, the higher the proportion of gold in the piece of jewelry. Most jewelry is marked with its karat quality, although marking is not required by law. Near the karat quality mark, you should see the name of the U.S. registered trademark of the company that will stand behind the mark. The trademark may be in the form of a name, symbol or initials. If you dont see a trademark accompanying a quality mark on a piece of jewelry, look for another piece. Solid gold refers to an item made of any karat gold, if the inside of the item is not hollow. The proportion of gold in the piece of jewelry still is determined by the karat mark. Jewelry can be plated with gold in a variety of ways. Gold plate refers to items that are either mechanically plated, electroplated, or plated by any other means with gold to a base metal. Eventually, gold plating wears away, but how soon will depend on how often the item is worn and how thick the plating is. Gold-filled, gold overlay and rolled gold plate are terms used to describe jewelry that has a layer of at least 10 karat gold mechanically bonded to a base metal. If the jewelry is marked with one of these terms, the term or abbreviation should follow the karat quality of the gold used (for example, 14K Gold Overlay or 12K RGP). If the layer of karat gold is less than 1/20th of the total weight of the item, any marking must state the actual percentage of karat gold, such as 1/40 14K Gold Overlay. Gold electroplate describes jewelry that has a layer (at least .175 microns thick) of a minimum of 10 karat gold deposited on a base metal by an electrolytic process. The terms gold flashed or gold washed describe products that have an extremely thin electroplating of gold (less than .175 microns thick). This will wear away more quickly than gold plate, gold-filled or gold electroplate. Vermeil (ver-may), a special type of gold plated product, consists of a base of sterling silver that is coated or plated with gold.
Learn How To Buy Jewelry And Gemstones Without Being Ripped Off. This informative Special Report reveals little-known facts and insider trade secrets that many jewelers would prefer you didnt know. To get your FREE copy please go to http://www.morninglightjewelry.com.
Without a doubt, Gold is one of the worlds most precious metals. It is also a certainty that gold enjoys an unsurpassed popularity as a medium for jewelry expression. Both jewelry artisans and consumers alike are "in love" with gold. There seems to be no end to the range of colors, finishes and styles available and gold remains a perennial favorite setting for gemstones. Gold can last forever, will not corrode or rust and can be found anywhere. Gold exists in plants, rivers, oceans, mountains, its nearly everywhere but it is extremely difficult and costly to extract this amazing metal. Did you know that a single ounce of gold can be pulled into a thin wire that stretches nearly five miles long? An artisans hammer can work that same ounce into a very thin sheet that can cover a 10ft x 10ft(100sq. ft.) area. Also, it takes nearly 3 tons of gold or to extract a single ounce of pure gold. Well if you didnt now you know! Gold Basics The word Gold, used by itself, means all gold or 24 karat (24K) gold. Because 24K gold is soft, its usually mixed with other metals to increase its hardness and durability. If a piece of jewelry is not 24 karat gold, the karat quality should accompany any claim that the item is gold. The karat quality marking tells you what proportion of gold is mixed with the other metals. Fourteen karat (14K) jewelry contains 14 parts of gold, mixed in throughout with 10 parts of base metal. The higher the karat rating, the higher the proportion of gold in the piece of jewelry. Most jewelry is marked with its karat quality, although marking is not required by law. Near the karat quality mark, you should see the name of the U.S. registered trademark of the company that will stand behind the mark. The trademark may be in the form of a name, symbol or initials. If you dont see a trademark accompanying a quality mark on a piece of jewelry, look for another piece. Solid gold refers to an item made of any karat gold, if the inside of the item is not hollow. The proportion of gold in the piece of jewelry still is determined by the karat mark. Jewelry can be plated with gold in a variety of ways. Gold plate refers to items that are either mechanically plated, electroplated, or plated by any other means with gold to a base metal. Eventually, gold plating wears away, but how soon will depend on how often the item is worn and how thick the plating is. Gold-filled, gold overlay and rolled gold plate are terms used to describe jewelry that has a layer of at least 10 karat gold mechanically bonded to a base metal. If the jewelry is marked with one of these terms, the term or abbreviation should follow the karat quality of the gold used (for example, 14K Gold Overlay or 12K RGP). If the layer of karat gold is less than 1/20th of the total weight of the item, any marking must state the actual percentage of karat gold, such as 1/40 14K Gold Overlay. Gold electroplate describes jewelry that has a layer (at least .175 microns thick) of a minimum of 10 karat gold deposited on a base metal by an electrolytic process. The terms gold flashed or gold washed describe products that have an extremely thin electroplating of gold (less than .175 microns thick). This will wear away more quickly than gold plate, gold-filled or gold electroplate. Vermeil (ver-may), a special type of gold plated product, consists of a base of sterling silver that is coated or plated with gold.
Learn How To Buy Jewelry And Gemstones Without Being Ripped Off. This informative Special Report reveals little-known facts and insider trade secrets that many jewelers would prefer you didnt know. To get your FREE copy please go to http://www.morninglightjewelry.com.
All Coin Dealers are Not Created Equal
How to Select a Coin Dealer for Your Coin Collection
Why do I Need a Coin Dealer?
It is very difficult to build a collection of rare coins without a connection to a good coin dealer. If you are an investor hoping to make a profit with your collection of rare coins, building relationships with good coin dealers is vital to your success. If you are interested in making the highest profits possible with your coin collection, you will need to find a merchant partner who is experienced in the specific rare coins that interest you, and who will sell them to you at a good price. Most coin dealers will charge a lower premium on the sale of coins to their best customers. After all, it makes good business sense to get the most profit possible from a person who will do business with you only once. If you have a long-term relationship, however, the margin does not need to be as high for the coin dealer to make a good profit.
Because coin dealers are experts in their chosen fields, they will also have better connections than individuals who buy coins on their own will. Finding the right vendor or wholesaler can be a long and difficult task for someone new to the coin collecting trade. Coin dealers will also be more likely to recognize a counterfeit coin, have a higher chance of hearing about the sale of the specific rare coins that interest you, and will recognize an asking price that is over- or undervalued. As an investor, these are all critically important points for your success.
Building a long-term relationship with a knowledgeable coin dealer is the best way to protect the money that you invest into rare coins. All too often, new coin collectors who try to go it on their own without professional help end up being scammed out of hundreds or thousands of dollars.
What Do I Look For in a Coin Dealer?
All coin dealers are not created equal, and it is nearly impossible to specialize in every area when it comes to collecting rare coins. Therefore, it's important to know what to look for before you select a professional for your coin collecting needs.
The first vital piece of information that you'll need when considering coin dealers is his or her professional qualifications. Some important questions to ask include, does the coin dealer belong to any professional groups? How long has he or she been in business? Can the coin merchant provide references from other satisfied customers? One of the best indications that a vendor has a high level of professionalism is a membership in the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG). This group includes the most reputable coin dealers in the business thanks to an emphasis on ethics.
The second most important question to put to a prospective coin dealer is the area in which he or she specializes. There are so many different kinds of rare coins to collect, ranging from gold bullion coins to ancient Roman coins, that it is impossible to be a true expert in all of them. You'll want to find a merchant that specializes in the particular area that is of interest to you. A trader might be able to recognize every rare American coin at a glance, but that won't do you a lot of good if you really want to collect legal tender from medieval times.
Finally, you should consider the motivation of the coin dealers you are considering. A highly motivated coin merchant will go to shows and retailer auctions, keep abreast of current prices and trends, and will generally keep up-to-date with the current coin market. Any investor will recognize the impact of current information on profit levels. A coin trader who is highly motivated will also be more likely to provide you with excellent service and the best rare coins.
Once you have selected a coin dealer, it is important to reward him or her with your loyalty. You are likely to get the best prices and service from coin dealers who know that you are working exclusively with them.
How to Select a Coin Dealer for Your Coin Collection
Why do I Need a Coin Dealer?
It is very difficult to build a collection of rare coins without a connection to a good coin dealer. If you are an investor hoping to make a profit with your collection of rare coins, building relationships with good coin dealers is vital to your success. If you are interested in making the highest profits possible with your coin collection, you will need to find a merchant partner who is experienced in the specific rare coins that interest you, and who will sell them to you at a good price. Most coin dealers will charge a lower premium on the sale of coins to their best customers. After all, it makes good business sense to get the most profit possible from a person who will do business with you only once. If you have a long-term relationship, however, the margin does not need to be as high for the coin dealer to make a good profit.
Because coin dealers are experts in their chosen fields, they will also have better connections than individuals who buy coins on their own will. Finding the right vendor or wholesaler can be a long and difficult task for someone new to the coin collecting trade. Coin dealers will also be more likely to recognize a counterfeit coin, have a higher chance of hearing about the sale of the specific rare coins that interest you, and will recognize an asking price that is over- or undervalued. As an investor, these are all critically important points for your success.
Building a long-term relationship with a knowledgeable coin dealer is the best way to protect the money that you invest into rare coins. All too often, new coin collectors who try to go it on their own without professional help end up being scammed out of hundreds or thousands of dollars.
What Do I Look For in a Coin Dealer?
All coin dealers are not created equal, and it is nearly impossible to specialize in every area when it comes to collecting rare coins. Therefore, it's important to know what to look for before you select a professional for your coin collecting needs.
The first vital piece of information that you'll need when considering coin dealers is his or her professional qualifications. Some important questions to ask include, does the coin dealer belong to any professional groups? How long has he or she been in business? Can the coin merchant provide references from other satisfied customers? One of the best indications that a vendor has a high level of professionalism is a membership in the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG). This group includes the most reputable coin dealers in the business thanks to an emphasis on ethics.
The second most important question to put to a prospective coin dealer is the area in which he or she specializes. There are so many different kinds of rare coins to collect, ranging from gold bullion coins to ancient Roman coins, that it is impossible to be a true expert in all of them. You'll want to find a merchant that specializes in the particular area that is of interest to you. A trader might be able to recognize every rare American coin at a glance, but that won't do you a lot of good if you really want to collect legal tender from medieval times.
Finally, you should consider the motivation of the coin dealers you are considering. A highly motivated coin merchant will go to shows and retailer auctions, keep abreast of current prices and trends, and will generally keep up-to-date with the current coin market. Any investor will recognize the impact of current information on profit levels. A coin trader who is highly motivated will also be more likely to provide you with excellent service and the best rare coins.
Once you have selected a coin dealer, it is important to reward him or her with your loyalty. You are likely to get the best prices and service from coin dealers who know that you are working exclusively with them.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Video Poker - Should You Play Maximim Coins?
The arguments are almost endless about whether or not to play the maximum number of
coins on each hand in video poker. We'll attempt to make some sense of it for you.
In almost video poker machines, the payout is proportionally the same regardless of the
number of coins bet. In other words, if you have a winning hand that pays 10 for one
coin bet, it will pay 20 for two coins bet, 30 for three coins bet, etc.
As a result, there is no advantage to playing more than one coin - WITH ONE
EXCEPTION: A ROYAL FLUSH! If you hit a royal flush, you are almost always paid
five times the normal odds if you bet the maximum coins.
For example, assume you're playing a machine that pays 200 for a royal flush with one
coin bet. It will then typically pay 400 for two coins, 600 for three coins, and 800 for
four coins. There is no advantage to playing, say, four coins instead of one because the
payout is exactly four times the one coin payout.
However, if you bet the maximum of five coins, the royal flush will usually pay 5,000
instead of the proportional odds payout of 1,000. This is a huge advantage if you do hit a
royal flush and you will certainly kick yourself all the way home if you only have one
coin bet.
However, the odds of hitting a royal flush are over 600,000 to one! So do you feel lucky?
You're essentially faced with the decision of whether to spend your money at the much
faster rate of five coins per hand in order to collect a large payday if you do beat the odds
and draw a royal.
Only you can decide how much risk you want to assume.
Good luck!
The arguments are almost endless about whether or not to play the maximum number of
coins on each hand in video poker. We'll attempt to make some sense of it for you.
In almost video poker machines, the payout is proportionally the same regardless of the
number of coins bet. In other words, if you have a winning hand that pays 10 for one
coin bet, it will pay 20 for two coins bet, 30 for three coins bet, etc.
As a result, there is no advantage to playing more than one coin - WITH ONE
EXCEPTION: A ROYAL FLUSH! If you hit a royal flush, you are almost always paid
five times the normal odds if you bet the maximum coins.
For example, assume you're playing a machine that pays 200 for a royal flush with one
coin bet. It will then typically pay 400 for two coins, 600 for three coins, and 800 for
four coins. There is no advantage to playing, say, four coins instead of one because the
payout is exactly four times the one coin payout.
However, if you bet the maximum of five coins, the royal flush will usually pay 5,000
instead of the proportional odds payout of 1,000. This is a huge advantage if you do hit a
royal flush and you will certainly kick yourself all the way home if you only have one
coin bet.
However, the odds of hitting a royal flush are over 600,000 to one! So do you feel lucky?
You're essentially faced with the decision of whether to spend your money at the much
faster rate of five coins per hand in order to collect a large payday if you do beat the odds
and draw a royal.
Only you can decide how much risk you want to assume.
Good luck!
Getting Started Investing is Often the Hardest Part
There are several reasons people give for not investing their money in things like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. One reason is that they feel that they dont have enough money to make a serious investment, but a more common reason that many people have absolutely no idea how to go about getting started investing. In fact, if more people understood the basics of investing and had a cohesive plan for getting started investing, more people would do it.
Lets assume that the first reason does not apply to you and you do, in fact, have some amount of money that youd like to invest. How do you get started investing? You could contact a stock or investment broker and discuss the options that would be best for you. Whether youll want to do this will depend quite a bit on the amount of money that you have to invest. If its a small amount, you may be better off seeking some smaller, safer investment than you would be by jumping directly into the stock market. Some people get started investing by choosing simple accounts with their bank. CDs and IRAs make good investments, for example, for medium and long term goals. IRA accounts are intended for retirement, while CDs are time deposits that must remain in place for a set amount of time (often anywhere from as little as a week to as long as ten years) while they earn interest.
If you do go to the stock market, or graduate to it after getting started investing in safer accounts, you should resist the urge to buy and sell stocks wildly. One mistake that many first time investors make is they become nervous about the stability of their investment and they watch their stock rise and fall every day. If it drops too much they become afraid that the bottom will fall out and they sell at a lower price than they originally paid. This is a bad idea and works against the reasons they got started investing in the first place. Instead the new investor should let it ride and sell only if there is a sudden spike in the price that wont likely repeat. Otherwise, stocks should be a long term investment, especially when someone first gets started investing.
There are several reasons people give for not investing their money in things like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. One reason is that they feel that they dont have enough money to make a serious investment, but a more common reason that many people have absolutely no idea how to go about getting started investing. In fact, if more people understood the basics of investing and had a cohesive plan for getting started investing, more people would do it.
Lets assume that the first reason does not apply to you and you do, in fact, have some amount of money that youd like to invest. How do you get started investing? You could contact a stock or investment broker and discuss the options that would be best for you. Whether youll want to do this will depend quite a bit on the amount of money that you have to invest. If its a small amount, you may be better off seeking some smaller, safer investment than you would be by jumping directly into the stock market. Some people get started investing by choosing simple accounts with their bank. CDs and IRAs make good investments, for example, for medium and long term goals. IRA accounts are intended for retirement, while CDs are time deposits that must remain in place for a set amount of time (often anywhere from as little as a week to as long as ten years) while they earn interest.
If you do go to the stock market, or graduate to it after getting started investing in safer accounts, you should resist the urge to buy and sell stocks wildly. One mistake that many first time investors make is they become nervous about the stability of their investment and they watch their stock rise and fall every day. If it drops too much they become afraid that the bottom will fall out and they sell at a lower price than they originally paid. This is a bad idea and works against the reasons they got started investing in the first place. Instead the new investor should let it ride and sell only if there is a sudden spike in the price that wont likely repeat. Otherwise, stocks should be a long term investment, especially when someone first gets started investing.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
How To Use Your Current Customers
Jay instructed a customer of his to offer a rare coin collection to new customers for just $19. He was actually losing a couple of dollar on every sale! But .... of the 50,000 people who bought the coin collection for $19, nearly 10,000 come back and bought.
Pretty impressive, don't you think?
Your current customers will make you more money than any others methods, so I hope that you're paying attention.
If you give them good information and a good customer service for high quality, then it will be very easy to sell to these people again and again!
You need to know that statistics show that 20% of your customers will buy from you over and over again. Give them more bonus, reward them for being loyal customers and they will continue to buy from you.
For exemple, you have 1,000 customers who bought a product for just $20. After 3 days you email them and sell 250 of them another product for $20 worth of your product. From these sales you earn $5000.
Ok, you will earn far bigger profits by focusing on the realtion that has already been established with your current customer base.
The realbeauty of this technique is that you don't need to spend a single cent for it to work!
You simply e-mail after 3-7 days all of your customer your special offer.
This one backend product made Jay's client over $2 million dollar.
It's very important to apply it. Once you understand this your whole marketing strategy may change in the future!
Yes! Your current client base is a gold mine!
Jay instructed a customer of his to offer a rare coin collection to new customers for just $19. He was actually losing a couple of dollar on every sale! But .... of the 50,000 people who bought the coin collection for $19, nearly 10,000 come back and bought.
Pretty impressive, don't you think?
Your current customers will make you more money than any others methods, so I hope that you're paying attention.
If you give them good information and a good customer service for high quality, then it will be very easy to sell to these people again and again!
You need to know that statistics show that 20% of your customers will buy from you over and over again. Give them more bonus, reward them for being loyal customers and they will continue to buy from you.
For exemple, you have 1,000 customers who bought a product for just $20. After 3 days you email them and sell 250 of them another product for $20 worth of your product. From these sales you earn $5000.
Ok, you will earn far bigger profits by focusing on the realtion that has already been established with your current customer base.
The realbeauty of this technique is that you don't need to spend a single cent for it to work!
You simply e-mail after 3-7 days all of your customer your special offer.
This one backend product made Jay's client over $2 million dollar.
It's very important to apply it. Once you understand this your whole marketing strategy may change in the future!
Yes! Your current client base is a gold mine!
Investing Online - What You Need To Know First
Are you looking to start investing online? Without the right knowledge and information online investing can be an intimidating experience. However, if you do your research before starting and see what different online brokers offer, you can turn it into a very profitable and rewarding experience. There are several very important tips you need to know before starting to invest online.
The first features you need to look for before you start investing online is trading commissions. Trading expenses can be all over the map when it comes to online brokers. Costs can run anywhere from $4 all the way to $40 and more. If you plan on investing small amounts of money into stocks then you need to make sure your online broker has low trade expenses (under $15) or these costs will eat up all your account balance and any profits.
When choosing where to start investing online you should also be aware of account fees and account minimums. In order to protect any profits that you make you need to make certain that your account has low account maintenance fees, preferably an account with no account maintenance fees. Many online investing companies will charge you anywhere from $15 up to $80 a year just to have an IRA retirement account. However, there are sites that offer free IRA retirement accounts and these are the ones you should go to when opening an online investing account.
Numerous online investment companies also have a set minimum account balances. If you account falls below that minimum balance required, you will get charged a fee. Over time these fees can take your balance down to $0! It is crucial to make certain that the online brokerage company you choose has no minimum account balances.
Quite a few of the larger brokerage companies will charge higher fees because they offer sophisticated investment research tools. These can be great to have, however, most of these tools you will never use. The tools you will need and use can be found at different sites online at no cost. It really is not necessary to pay for the sophisticated research tools, so be sure you are not paying higher fees to have them.
If you do your research prior to opening an investment account online it will make investing much easier and more profitable. There are many advantages to investing online, such as; lower costs, being able to place trades on your own, saving time, and most importantly it will be easier to build your wealth. Just be sure to shop around before you make your decision.
Are you looking to start investing online? Without the right knowledge and information online investing can be an intimidating experience. However, if you do your research before starting and see what different online brokers offer, you can turn it into a very profitable and rewarding experience. There are several very important tips you need to know before starting to invest online.
The first features you need to look for before you start investing online is trading commissions. Trading expenses can be all over the map when it comes to online brokers. Costs can run anywhere from $4 all the way to $40 and more. If you plan on investing small amounts of money into stocks then you need to make sure your online broker has low trade expenses (under $15) or these costs will eat up all your account balance and any profits.
When choosing where to start investing online you should also be aware of account fees and account minimums. In order to protect any profits that you make you need to make certain that your account has low account maintenance fees, preferably an account with no account maintenance fees. Many online investing companies will charge you anywhere from $15 up to $80 a year just to have an IRA retirement account. However, there are sites that offer free IRA retirement accounts and these are the ones you should go to when opening an online investing account.
Numerous online investment companies also have a set minimum account balances. If you account falls below that minimum balance required, you will get charged a fee. Over time these fees can take your balance down to $0! It is crucial to make certain that the online brokerage company you choose has no minimum account balances.
Quite a few of the larger brokerage companies will charge higher fees because they offer sophisticated investment research tools. These can be great to have, however, most of these tools you will never use. The tools you will need and use can be found at different sites online at no cost. It really is not necessary to pay for the sophisticated research tools, so be sure you are not paying higher fees to have them.
If you do your research prior to opening an investment account online it will make investing much easier and more profitable. There are many advantages to investing online, such as; lower costs, being able to place trades on your own, saving time, and most importantly it will be easier to build your wealth. Just be sure to shop around before you make your decision.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Playing the Stock Market with Gold and Silver
Finding the right investment opportunities can be hard with the constant fluctuations of the stock market it can leave you wondering whether any investment is likely to pay off well over a long period of time. If you've been putting off making investments because you're worried that the long-term returns might not be worth the initial investment, you might want to consider investing in precious metals such as gold and silver. These investments not only tend to perform well over time, but are also the standard that most investors fall back upon when trouble seems to be affecting every other portion of the stock market.
If you wish to know more about investing in precious metals such as gold and silver, the information below should help you with the basics and you preferred financial website or investment broker should be able to assist you with the specifics.
Investments in Gold and Silver
Many people aren't even aware that they can make investments in precious metals such as gold and silver via the stock market. These investments are often made in the form of indexes, and are traded in the same manner as if they were actual stocks. The value of these index shares will fluctuate depending upon the time of the year and other factors that can cause problems with the world economy, though precious metals such as gold and silver seem to grow in value the most during times of financial crisis when people are wanting to put their money into more secure currency standards.
Gold and silver investments also tend to increase seasonally, especially around Valentine's Day and Christmas when jewelry sales show their biggest increases.
Advantages of Gold and Silver
As mentioned above, one of the main advantages of precious metals such as gold and silver is the perceived value and stability against major fluctuations of value. Gold and silver have both served as the basis for various economies around the world, and even as other types of currency might rise and fall in value these precious metals are still as stable as ever. Factor in the value of metals such as gold and silver to the jewelry industry and you have an investment that's not likely to drop in value and fade away any time soon.
Disadvantages of Gold and Silver
Like any investment, however, investments in precious metals such as gold and silver aren't perfect. Prices can drop, especially when large amounts of new metals are being discovered in rich veins. Most drops in value are only temporary, but you should keep in mind that the same often applies to sudden increases in value as well particularly when those increases are influenced by trade issues or embargos that prevent the precious metals from one nation or another from reaching the world market.
Diversifying with Gold and Silver
Given the relative stability of investments in precious metals such as gold and silver, the index shares in these metals can be a great way to add stability when diversifying your stock portfolio. Adding shares of gold, silver, or other related indexes can not only add to the value of your portfolio but can also help add a little more security and protect against industry-wide drops in value that might otherwise drag your portfolio's value down until the affected industries can recover. This security is one that will likely last for years to come, as the value of metals such as silver and gold is not likely to drop significantly in the foreseeable future.
You may freely reprint this article provided the following author's biography (including the live URL link) remains intact:
Finding the right investment opportunities can be hard with the constant fluctuations of the stock market it can leave you wondering whether any investment is likely to pay off well over a long period of time. If you've been putting off making investments because you're worried that the long-term returns might not be worth the initial investment, you might want to consider investing in precious metals such as gold and silver. These investments not only tend to perform well over time, but are also the standard that most investors fall back upon when trouble seems to be affecting every other portion of the stock market.
If you wish to know more about investing in precious metals such as gold and silver, the information below should help you with the basics and you preferred financial website or investment broker should be able to assist you with the specifics.
Investments in Gold and Silver
Many people aren't even aware that they can make investments in precious metals such as gold and silver via the stock market. These investments are often made in the form of indexes, and are traded in the same manner as if they were actual stocks. The value of these index shares will fluctuate depending upon the time of the year and other factors that can cause problems with the world economy, though precious metals such as gold and silver seem to grow in value the most during times of financial crisis when people are wanting to put their money into more secure currency standards.
Gold and silver investments also tend to increase seasonally, especially around Valentine's Day and Christmas when jewelry sales show their biggest increases.
Advantages of Gold and Silver
As mentioned above, one of the main advantages of precious metals such as gold and silver is the perceived value and stability against major fluctuations of value. Gold and silver have both served as the basis for various economies around the world, and even as other types of currency might rise and fall in value these precious metals are still as stable as ever. Factor in the value of metals such as gold and silver to the jewelry industry and you have an investment that's not likely to drop in value and fade away any time soon.
Disadvantages of Gold and Silver
Like any investment, however, investments in precious metals such as gold and silver aren't perfect. Prices can drop, especially when large amounts of new metals are being discovered in rich veins. Most drops in value are only temporary, but you should keep in mind that the same often applies to sudden increases in value as well particularly when those increases are influenced by trade issues or embargos that prevent the precious metals from one nation or another from reaching the world market.
Diversifying with Gold and Silver
Given the relative stability of investments in precious metals such as gold and silver, the index shares in these metals can be a great way to add stability when diversifying your stock portfolio. Adding shares of gold, silver, or other related indexes can not only add to the value of your portfolio but can also help add a little more security and protect against industry-wide drops in value that might otherwise drag your portfolio's value down until the affected industries can recover. This security is one that will likely last for years to come, as the value of metals such as silver and gold is not likely to drop significantly in the foreseeable future.
You may freely reprint this article provided the following author's biography (including the live URL link) remains intact:
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Playing the Stock Market with Gold and Silver
Finding the right investment opportunities can be hard with the constant fluctuations of the stock market it can leave you wondering whether any investment is likely to pay off well over a long period of time. If you've been putting off making investments because you're worried that the long-term returns might not be worth the initial investment, you might want to consider investing in precious metals such as gold and silver. These investments not only tend to perform well over time, but are also the standard that most investors fall back upon when trouble seems to be affecting every other portion of the stock market.
If you wish to know more about investing in precious metals such as gold and silver, the information below should help you with the basics and you preferred financial website or investment broker should be able to assist you with the specifics.
Investments in Gold and Silver
Many people aren't even aware that they can make investments in precious metals such as gold and silver via the stock market. These investments are often made in the form of indexes, and are traded in the same manner as if they were actual stocks. The value of these index shares will fluctuate depending upon the time of the year and other factors that can cause problems with the world economy, though precious metals such as gold and silver seem to grow in value the most during times of financial crisis when people are wanting to put their money into more secure currency standards.
Gold and silver investments also tend to increase seasonally, especially around Valentine's Day and Christmas when jewelry sales show their biggest increases.
Advantages of Gold and Silver
As mentioned above, one of the main advantages of precious metals such as gold and silver is the perceived value and stability against major fluctuations of value. Gold and silver have both served as the basis for various economies around the world, and even as other types of currency might rise and fall in value these precious metals are still as stable as ever. Factor in the value of metals such as gold and silver to the jewelry industry and you have an investment that's not likely to drop in value and fade away any time soon.
Disadvantages of Gold and Silver
Like any investment, however, investments in precious metals such as gold and silver aren't perfect. Prices can drop, especially when large amounts of new metals are being discovered in rich veins. Most drops in value are only temporary, but you should keep in mind that the same often applies to sudden increases in value as well particularly when those increases are influenced by trade issues or embargos that prevent the precious metals from one nation or another from reaching the world market.
Diversifying with Gold and Silver
Given the relative stability of investments in precious metals such as gold and silver, the index shares in these metals can be a great way to add stability when diversifying your stock portfolio. Adding shares of gold, silver, or other related indexes can not only add to the value of your portfolio but can also help add a little more security and protect against industry-wide drops in value that might otherwise drag your portfolio's value down until the affected industries can recover. This security is one that will likely last for years to come, as the value of metals such as silver and gold is not likely to drop significantly in the foreseeable future.
You may freely reprint this article provided the following author's biography (including the live URL link) remains intact:
Finding the right investment opportunities can be hard with the constant fluctuations of the stock market it can leave you wondering whether any investment is likely to pay off well over a long period of time. If you've been putting off making investments because you're worried that the long-term returns might not be worth the initial investment, you might want to consider investing in precious metals such as gold and silver. These investments not only tend to perform well over time, but are also the standard that most investors fall back upon when trouble seems to be affecting every other portion of the stock market.
If you wish to know more about investing in precious metals such as gold and silver, the information below should help you with the basics and you preferred financial website or investment broker should be able to assist you with the specifics.
Investments in Gold and Silver
Many people aren't even aware that they can make investments in precious metals such as gold and silver via the stock market. These investments are often made in the form of indexes, and are traded in the same manner as if they were actual stocks. The value of these index shares will fluctuate depending upon the time of the year and other factors that can cause problems with the world economy, though precious metals such as gold and silver seem to grow in value the most during times of financial crisis when people are wanting to put their money into more secure currency standards.
Gold and silver investments also tend to increase seasonally, especially around Valentine's Day and Christmas when jewelry sales show their biggest increases.
Advantages of Gold and Silver
As mentioned above, one of the main advantages of precious metals such as gold and silver is the perceived value and stability against major fluctuations of value. Gold and silver have both served as the basis for various economies around the world, and even as other types of currency might rise and fall in value these precious metals are still as stable as ever. Factor in the value of metals such as gold and silver to the jewelry industry and you have an investment that's not likely to drop in value and fade away any time soon.
Disadvantages of Gold and Silver
Like any investment, however, investments in precious metals such as gold and silver aren't perfect. Prices can drop, especially when large amounts of new metals are being discovered in rich veins. Most drops in value are only temporary, but you should keep in mind that the same often applies to sudden increases in value as well particularly when those increases are influenced by trade issues or embargos that prevent the precious metals from one nation or another from reaching the world market.
Diversifying with Gold and Silver
Given the relative stability of investments in precious metals such as gold and silver, the index shares in these metals can be a great way to add stability when diversifying your stock portfolio. Adding shares of gold, silver, or other related indexes can not only add to the value of your portfolio but can also help add a little more security and protect against industry-wide drops in value that might otherwise drag your portfolio's value down until the affected industries can recover. This security is one that will likely last for years to come, as the value of metals such as silver and gold is not likely to drop significantly in the foreseeable future.
You may freely reprint this article provided the following author's biography (including the live URL link) remains intact:
Gold and Silver Maple Leafs Get New Packaging
Gold Maple Leafs and Silver Maple Leafs are receiving packaging makeovers, changes clearly mandated by investor disfavor with packaging that the Royal Canadian Mint has used since the coins were introduced. Gold Maple Leafs debuted in 1979, Silver Maple Leafs in 1988. The changes appear to be good moves, which should increase sales of Silver Maple Leafs and help keep Gold Maple Leafs the preferred pure (.9999 fine) gold bullion coins.
Since inception, 1-oz Gold Maple Leafs have been packaged ten to a tube. Because Maple Leafs are 24-karat, pure gold, they are soft, relative to alloyed gold coins, such as American Gold Eagles and Krugerrands. Further, because of the design of the coins and the tight-fitting tubes, it is difficult to remove, inspect, and reinsert 1-oz Gold Maple Leafs in their tubes without scratching the coins.
Actually, reinserting Gold Maple Leafs without at least some scratching is nearly impossible. Further, if the persons inspecting the coins do not know how easily the Gold Maple Leafs are damaged, needless damage often occurs while the coins are out their tubes.
Gold Maple Leafs carry the image of Queen Elizabeth II on the front, with a flat, clear field alongside the image. The backs have the outline of a maple leaf, hence the coins names. The problem arises from the coins really sharp milled (reeded) edges. When the coins are reinserted in their tubes, the milled edges often scratch the fields.
Then there is the problem with investors who like to heft their coins to get a feel of them. If they put four or five Gold Maple Leafs in the palms of their hands and clang them, the damage can be quite severe. Should a Gold Maple Leaf be dropped, rim damage is almost guaranteed.
As Gold Maple Leafs have been sold into the secondary market, damaged coins have become such a problem that Gold Maple Leafs have lost popularity with investors. The problem has become so widespread that many wholesalers bid only melt for Gold Maple Leafs, regardless of their condition. By paying only melt, wholesalers can profitably resell the coins for industrial or jewelry purposes if no buyers are found for the coins.
Gold Maple Leafs, like the Gold Eagles and the Krugerrands, are bullion coins, which trade for the value of their gold content, plus small premiums. Damaged Gold Maple Leafs do not mean a loss of gold; they contain an ounce of gold regardless of the scratching or rim nicks. Still, buyers do not like to receive damaged coins. This means that Gold Maple Leafs sold into the secondary market have to be evaluated for the degree of damage.
Some wholesalers refuse to take the time to individually inspect Gold Maple Leafs and separate them according to their condition. These are the wholesalers who generally will pay only melt for 1-oz Gold Maple Leafs, regardless of condition. Fortunately, the free market being what it is, there are still some wholesalers who will buy according to condition.
Yet the handwriting is on the wall: 1-oz Gold Maple Leafs in tubes will continue to lose popularity and probably will join Krugerrands, Mexican 50 Pesos, and Austrian 100 Coronas as basic bullion coins, which carry the smallest premiums in the bullion coin market. Still, the packaging makeover should fillip sales of new Gold Maple Leafs.
With the new packaging, each 1-oz Gold Maple Leaf will be encapsulated in plastic and suspended in the middle of a plastic card, somewhat as 1-oz gold bars are packaged. However, the plastic protecting the Gold Maple Leafs will be heavier and more durable than the plastic used with 1-oz gold bars. The new packaging should keep the coins from being easily damaged.
With the new packaging, the Royal Canadian Mint made another big change: 1-oz Gold Maple Leafs will now come 25 to a box, whereas the old packaging is ten to a tube. This change could further increase sales as 20 coins are common ordering units for gold bullion coins, because the worlds most popular gold bullion coinsAmerican Gold Eaglescome 20 to a tube. As a result of the change, investors wanting complete original packaging will move up to 25 ounces.
However, orders for small quantities mean the coins will have to be removed from their mint boxesbut still individually encapsulatedand put in other containers. The new packaging also will require more storage space for Gold Maple Leafs than for 1-oz gold coins that come in tubes.
Although 1-oz Gold Maple Leafs will be a little more cumbersome to handle, a large segment of the gold coin bullion market prefers pure gold coins. Gold Maple Leafs have long been the most popular 1-oz pure (.9999 fine or 24-karat) gold bullion coins on the market, and the new packaging should keep Gold Maple Leafs as the preferred 24-karat gold bullion coins. (The market for pure gold bullion coins is estimated to $2.4 billion annually.) The new packaging is expected to debut sometime in August.
New packaging for 1-oz Silver Maple Leafs has already been introduced. However, Silver Maple Leafs in their old packaging are still available. Since Silver Maple Leafs were introduced in 1988, they have been packaged twenty coins to a sheet, 200 coins in a box. Each coin was individually enclosed in plastic. The new packaging will be similar to the U.S. Mints Silver Eagles packaging.
Silver Maple Leafs will now come 20 to a tube, 25 tubes to a container, and 500 coins to a mint box. The new box will be made of durable heavy plastic, whereas the boxes of 200 are cardboard. The new packaging should make Silver Maple Leafs more competitive with American Silver Eagles, presently the most popular 1-oz modern silver bullion coins being sold.
Gold Maple Leafs and Silver Maple Leafs are receiving packaging makeovers, changes clearly mandated by investor disfavor with packaging that the Royal Canadian Mint has used since the coins were introduced. Gold Maple Leafs debuted in 1979, Silver Maple Leafs in 1988. The changes appear to be good moves, which should increase sales of Silver Maple Leafs and help keep Gold Maple Leafs the preferred pure (.9999 fine) gold bullion coins.
Since inception, 1-oz Gold Maple Leafs have been packaged ten to a tube. Because Maple Leafs are 24-karat, pure gold, they are soft, relative to alloyed gold coins, such as American Gold Eagles and Krugerrands. Further, because of the design of the coins and the tight-fitting tubes, it is difficult to remove, inspect, and reinsert 1-oz Gold Maple Leafs in their tubes without scratching the coins.
Actually, reinserting Gold Maple Leafs without at least some scratching is nearly impossible. Further, if the persons inspecting the coins do not know how easily the Gold Maple Leafs are damaged, needless damage often occurs while the coins are out their tubes.
Gold Maple Leafs carry the image of Queen Elizabeth II on the front, with a flat, clear field alongside the image. The backs have the outline of a maple leaf, hence the coins names. The problem arises from the coins really sharp milled (reeded) edges. When the coins are reinserted in their tubes, the milled edges often scratch the fields.
Then there is the problem with investors who like to heft their coins to get a feel of them. If they put four or five Gold Maple Leafs in the palms of their hands and clang them, the damage can be quite severe. Should a Gold Maple Leaf be dropped, rim damage is almost guaranteed.
As Gold Maple Leafs have been sold into the secondary market, damaged coins have become such a problem that Gold Maple Leafs have lost popularity with investors. The problem has become so widespread that many wholesalers bid only melt for Gold Maple Leafs, regardless of their condition. By paying only melt, wholesalers can profitably resell the coins for industrial or jewelry purposes if no buyers are found for the coins.
Gold Maple Leafs, like the Gold Eagles and the Krugerrands, are bullion coins, which trade for the value of their gold content, plus small premiums. Damaged Gold Maple Leafs do not mean a loss of gold; they contain an ounce of gold regardless of the scratching or rim nicks. Still, buyers do not like to receive damaged coins. This means that Gold Maple Leafs sold into the secondary market have to be evaluated for the degree of damage.
Some wholesalers refuse to take the time to individually inspect Gold Maple Leafs and separate them according to their condition. These are the wholesalers who generally will pay only melt for 1-oz Gold Maple Leafs, regardless of condition. Fortunately, the free market being what it is, there are still some wholesalers who will buy according to condition.
Yet the handwriting is on the wall: 1-oz Gold Maple Leafs in tubes will continue to lose popularity and probably will join Krugerrands, Mexican 50 Pesos, and Austrian 100 Coronas as basic bullion coins, which carry the smallest premiums in the bullion coin market. Still, the packaging makeover should fillip sales of new Gold Maple Leafs.
With the new packaging, each 1-oz Gold Maple Leaf will be encapsulated in plastic and suspended in the middle of a plastic card, somewhat as 1-oz gold bars are packaged. However, the plastic protecting the Gold Maple Leafs will be heavier and more durable than the plastic used with 1-oz gold bars. The new packaging should keep the coins from being easily damaged.
With the new packaging, the Royal Canadian Mint made another big change: 1-oz Gold Maple Leafs will now come 25 to a box, whereas the old packaging is ten to a tube. This change could further increase sales as 20 coins are common ordering units for gold bullion coins, because the worlds most popular gold bullion coinsAmerican Gold Eaglescome 20 to a tube. As a result of the change, investors wanting complete original packaging will move up to 25 ounces.
However, orders for small quantities mean the coins will have to be removed from their mint boxesbut still individually encapsulatedand put in other containers. The new packaging also will require more storage space for Gold Maple Leafs than for 1-oz gold coins that come in tubes.
Although 1-oz Gold Maple Leafs will be a little more cumbersome to handle, a large segment of the gold coin bullion market prefers pure gold coins. Gold Maple Leafs have long been the most popular 1-oz pure (.9999 fine or 24-karat) gold bullion coins on the market, and the new packaging should keep Gold Maple Leafs as the preferred 24-karat gold bullion coins. (The market for pure gold bullion coins is estimated to $2.4 billion annually.) The new packaging is expected to debut sometime in August.
New packaging for 1-oz Silver Maple Leafs has already been introduced. However, Silver Maple Leafs in their old packaging are still available. Since Silver Maple Leafs were introduced in 1988, they have been packaged twenty coins to a sheet, 200 coins in a box. Each coin was individually enclosed in plastic. The new packaging will be similar to the U.S. Mints Silver Eagles packaging.
Silver Maple Leafs will now come 20 to a tube, 25 tubes to a container, and 500 coins to a mint box. The new box will be made of durable heavy plastic, whereas the boxes of 200 are cardboard. The new packaging should make Silver Maple Leafs more competitive with American Silver Eagles, presently the most popular 1-oz modern silver bullion coins being sold.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Live Like You Were Made for Gold
I heard someone make the comment: you are settling for brass when you are made for gold. What an analogy! I began thinking of my life when do I settle for things? It may look good and be almost like the real thing, but it is not the best.
Brass is defined in the dictionary as: an alloy of copper and zinc. An alloy is a mixture or a combining of two substances where something has been added to lower the purity. Although brass can be shiny and durable, it is not gold.
On the other hand, gold is an element that is corrosion-resistant and the most malleable and ductile metal. Gold is a good thermal and electrical conductor and it is used as an international monetary standard. We use phrases like gold standard and they have a heart of gold to denote great value and purity.
In the course of living your life are you corrosion resistant? What little things have crept into your life and eaten away at your uniqueness, attitude, values, and perspective?
Oftentimes, I find that brass can be very enticing in my life. It seems good, but not great. Better but not best. Sometimes brass is quick and easy, when gold would mean waiting and struggling. When I make gold the standard, I find that I dont settle or accept the crumbs. For me, when I have gold in my life, there is a rightness that exists.
What about you, is gold your standard? In what ways do you settle in your life? Career? Relationships? How would your life be different if you lived everyday believing you were created for gold?
I heard someone make the comment: you are settling for brass when you are made for gold. What an analogy! I began thinking of my life when do I settle for things? It may look good and be almost like the real thing, but it is not the best.
Brass is defined in the dictionary as: an alloy of copper and zinc. An alloy is a mixture or a combining of two substances where something has been added to lower the purity. Although brass can be shiny and durable, it is not gold.
On the other hand, gold is an element that is corrosion-resistant and the most malleable and ductile metal. Gold is a good thermal and electrical conductor and it is used as an international monetary standard. We use phrases like gold standard and they have a heart of gold to denote great value and purity.
In the course of living your life are you corrosion resistant? What little things have crept into your life and eaten away at your uniqueness, attitude, values, and perspective?
Oftentimes, I find that brass can be very enticing in my life. It seems good, but not great. Better but not best. Sometimes brass is quick and easy, when gold would mean waiting and struggling. When I make gold the standard, I find that I dont settle or accept the crumbs. For me, when I have gold in my life, there is a rightness that exists.
What about you, is gold your standard? In what ways do you settle in your life? Career? Relationships? How would your life be different if you lived everyday believing you were created for gold?
Coin Collecting Throughout the Ages
Coin collecting, or numismatics is a hobby as old as time. As a hobby, it has been around for more than 2,500 years. This is surprising since the use of coins has been around for pretty much that same amount of time too. Man has always had a fixation for small, round, shiny things. And throughout the ages, coin collectors have always been on the prowl for the oldest, rarest, most attractive coins around.
Numismatics comes from the Greek word nomisma, meaning currency, or coin. It is also related to the study of banknotes, tokens, and other early forms of money.
Coins and other forms of money are issued by governments and other monetary agencies. Billions of these flood the market yearly. But as time goes by, the number of these coins go down. Some get lost and some are damaged beyond recognition.
This goes to show that the older the coin, the rarer it must be. And for coin collectors, this is prime stuff.
Coin collectors and hobbyists number millions around the world. This hobby is taken so seriously that there are even professional dealers and investors who ply their trade in this fashion.
The lure of coins lies in its power to draw people into the era it belonged to. These coins show many aspects of everyday life during those times. By examining a coin, one comes to know the geography, philosophy, sociology, artistry and other aspects of the culture they existed in.
Ancient kings (and even todays leaders) had a telling habit of having their faces imprinted on their currency. Some historians have been able to put together clues regarding the ancient civilizations using these coins. Sometimes, coins would tell of a leader or prominent figure that would have been forgotten by time if it were not for these coins.
Hobbyists usually start collecting coins from their own locality. This makes sense because they are the easiest to collect. These hobbyists then expand their collection to coins from increasingly farther and earlier origins.
Coin collectors regard every single coin as a unique specimen. They take note of the date, the mint marks, and even the abnormalities in its design. Ironically, some of the most expensive coins are those with the strangest abnormalities. This is because this type of coin is hard to come by.
For example, there could be a coin in existence that differs from other coins in its batch. For some unknown reason, it lacks some of the required markings. Such coins are deemed more valuable than the normal coins of its type.
A good number of coin collectors collect coins according to themes. The coins they collect all have a common topic. Some collect coins related to kings and queens. Some collect those related to plants and animals.
The price for a coin is determined by the demand for this coin. Many factors affect this demand. If a coin is rare, chances are, it is in great demand. However, there are some coins that are rare, or exotic, yet the demand for them remains low. If this is the case, then its market value will remain in the low end.
Before purchasing coins, one must do much research about that coin. He must assess its current market value and make sure that the coin is genuine. He should also consider how much he could earn if he resells the coin.
The American Numismatic Association is the largest numismatic organization in the world. It was founded in 1891 and was chartered by the Congress of the United States 21 years later. This group has the largest library of coins available. Collectors would love to visit their headquarters, the World Money Museum, which is one of the largest coin museums in the world.
Another organization, the American Numismatic Society, is the most active and respected nonprofit numismatic publisher in the world. They maintain a museum that contains more than a million objects. They also have a library that has one of the most comprehensive in coin collecting knowledge.
Whether you are a hobbyist or a serious collector, coin collecting will always bring a sense of fulfillment and history to your life. It is never too late to start collecting today. You cant lose! Your collection can only grow in value as the time passes by!
Coin collecting, or numismatics is a hobby as old as time. As a hobby, it has been around for more than 2,500 years. This is surprising since the use of coins has been around for pretty much that same amount of time too. Man has always had a fixation for small, round, shiny things. And throughout the ages, coin collectors have always been on the prowl for the oldest, rarest, most attractive coins around.
Numismatics comes from the Greek word nomisma, meaning currency, or coin. It is also related to the study of banknotes, tokens, and other early forms of money.
Coins and other forms of money are issued by governments and other monetary agencies. Billions of these flood the market yearly. But as time goes by, the number of these coins go down. Some get lost and some are damaged beyond recognition.
This goes to show that the older the coin, the rarer it must be. And for coin collectors, this is prime stuff.
Coin collectors and hobbyists number millions around the world. This hobby is taken so seriously that there are even professional dealers and investors who ply their trade in this fashion.
The lure of coins lies in its power to draw people into the era it belonged to. These coins show many aspects of everyday life during those times. By examining a coin, one comes to know the geography, philosophy, sociology, artistry and other aspects of the culture they existed in.
Ancient kings (and even todays leaders) had a telling habit of having their faces imprinted on their currency. Some historians have been able to put together clues regarding the ancient civilizations using these coins. Sometimes, coins would tell of a leader or prominent figure that would have been forgotten by time if it were not for these coins.
Hobbyists usually start collecting coins from their own locality. This makes sense because they are the easiest to collect. These hobbyists then expand their collection to coins from increasingly farther and earlier origins.
Coin collectors regard every single coin as a unique specimen. They take note of the date, the mint marks, and even the abnormalities in its design. Ironically, some of the most expensive coins are those with the strangest abnormalities. This is because this type of coin is hard to come by.
For example, there could be a coin in existence that differs from other coins in its batch. For some unknown reason, it lacks some of the required markings. Such coins are deemed more valuable than the normal coins of its type.
A good number of coin collectors collect coins according to themes. The coins they collect all have a common topic. Some collect coins related to kings and queens. Some collect those related to plants and animals.
The price for a coin is determined by the demand for this coin. Many factors affect this demand. If a coin is rare, chances are, it is in great demand. However, there are some coins that are rare, or exotic, yet the demand for them remains low. If this is the case, then its market value will remain in the low end.
Before purchasing coins, one must do much research about that coin. He must assess its current market value and make sure that the coin is genuine. He should also consider how much he could earn if he resells the coin.
The American Numismatic Association is the largest numismatic organization in the world. It was founded in 1891 and was chartered by the Congress of the United States 21 years later. This group has the largest library of coins available. Collectors would love to visit their headquarters, the World Money Museum, which is one of the largest coin museums in the world.
Another organization, the American Numismatic Society, is the most active and respected nonprofit numismatic publisher in the world. They maintain a museum that contains more than a million objects. They also have a library that has one of the most comprehensive in coin collecting knowledge.
Whether you are a hobbyist or a serious collector, coin collecting will always bring a sense of fulfillment and history to your life. It is never too late to start collecting today. You cant lose! Your collection can only grow in value as the time passes by!
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