Monthly Archives: August 2008

Bankruptcy Filling – A Necessary Evil?

by Chris Safin

At the moment when someone is filing bankruptcy they are always going through a lot of hardships, so the task of filing bankruptcy can be all the more intimidating. Nevertheless the action of filing bankruptcy can also help to ease some of the pressure since in doing so you will get protection by law from your financial situation.

Before you go out and decide to file bankruptcy, there are certain things to take into consideration about how to file bankruptcy.

Firstly, you need to ensure that there is in fact no other solution in sight because once you are bankrupt, it will reflect on your credit file for as many years as ten to come!

The different kinds of bankruptcy

Having decided that you are indeed going to file bankruptcy, you next need to consider two important types of bankruptcy that will prove useful to you in your endeavors.

The most sought-after kind of bankruptcy is chapter 7. The reason for this is that if someone can successfully apply for chapter 7 they can have all of their debts eliminated. However only a select few are approved for this bankruptcy type.

Nevertheless it is definitely worth trying to file for chapter 7 since some people do get accepted. If you are not accepted for chapter 7 you will have to apply for the other option open to individuals which is chapter 13, in doing so you will not be able to eradicate all of your debts but you will have some financial relief.

One thing you must do is to research well all of your available options before you go ahead and fill bankruptcy, once you’ve filled, there’s no turning back!

Additionally you really should hire a bankruptcy attorney or lawyer. Make sure you do your research well into your lawyer to be sure he or she will do a good job.

Waste no time, once you have a suitable bankruptcy lawyer or attorney you will want to discuss with them fully your case and get their advice on how would be the best way to proceed.

Finally if you do fill for bankruptcy, remember to keep hold of your bankruptcy records for at least twelve months after you’ve filed.

If you have done all the research into your situation necessary, you should have no reason why not to successfully get yourself out of your financial predicament and start to get yourself back on your way to financial Freedom.

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How An Unskilled Stocks Trader Becomes A Skilled Stocks Trader

by Martin Sejas

The issues that pick out the unskilled stocks trader from the skilled stocks trader are one and the same to the issues that distinguish the boys from the men. And no, I’m not being one-sided there. Everyone, and I mean everyone is competent enough to become a flourishing skilled stocks trader. Nonetheless, what several unskilled stocks traders lack is often NOT knowledge, but merely invaluable SOFT SKILLS. At present you’re perhaps enquiring: what do I entail by soft skills?

First of all, I would like to clear up the distinction between hard and soft skills. Hard skills are those traits that target an emphasis on being beware of the technical facets of stocks trading. For instance, what a put option constitutes, what a future embodies, what this index implies etc. Then again, soft skills are those traits that place a lot of importance on the mentality of the trader particularly how they respond to alterations in the price of stocks.

There are three types of soft skills that I consider to be the most pivotal and which you need to adopt in order to transform from an unskilled stocks trader to a skilled stocks trader.

1. ***You are in it for the long-run*** – pro stocks traders are thriving because they have a long term vision. They’re never in it for a short-run return. How come? Because short-run returns are broadly speaking modest and occasionally lacking. But if they persist for a long period of time, for example 5 years, then they can realistically anticipate a robust and greater return due to the lengthier period of time. Thus the message is that any success in stock trading can solely be assured if you invest for the long-run. Short-run returns are exclusively for amateurish stocks traders!

2. ***Expect to make losses*** – this soft skill is related to the first skill of being in it for the long term. Professional stocks traders always expect to make losses in the short term in order for a greater reward in the long term. It’s easy to get turned off by the prospect of making losses but the truth of the matter is that if all that you expect are gains, then you will be disappointed and will get out of stocks trading before you know it. Short term losses are all part of the process of making a gain in the long term. Therefore, it’s important to not be discouraged by the prospect of losses in order to ultimately be successful as a professional stocks trader.

3. ***Be decisive!*** – Napoleon Hill says that successful people are those that makes decisions quickly and change them slowly. This is also a trait of successful professional stocks traders. Unfortunately, most stocks traders are those who make decisions slowly and change them quickly. And in a volatile stockmarket, making decisions quickly becomes even more important. Changes in the stockmarket have to be reacted to quickly but they must be done in a decisive manner, because sticking to your decisions is one of the traits of a successful professional stocks trader.

Those are probably the 3 most important soft skills that professional stocks traders employ than amateur ones do not. However, there are courses on the Internet that teach you these soft skills and others in much greater depth. It’s all about finding the best course and program for you. In particular, there is one great course called Masterful Trading that we offer for FREE on our website and which can be immediately accessed by anyone. In addition, we have other great articles on the latest techniques and strategies for successful stock trading.

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Online Opportunities Stock Trading

by Sharron Bacher

Increasingly, people are realizing the potential of the internet as a money-making tool. Many people have even been able to trade in their 9 to 5 day jobs for a career working from home. Stock trading is one particularly profitable way of achieving this goal; this article will offer useful hints, advice and tips that newcomers to online stock trading should keep in mind.

Don’t Underestimate The Importance Of Planning!

Any pearls of wisdom about stock trading that you come across will almost certainly stem from having a plan and sticking to it. Research is absolutely vital; don’t part ways with your precious hard-earned unless you’ve done your homework and know what you’re in for. Think rationally, not emotionally. Thinking with your heart tends to lead you towards doing things on impulse, while having a rational basis for your thoughts encourages you to think BEFORE you act, not during or after. Most importantly of all, know your limits – and don’t push them!

Don’t Over-Commit Yourself

One common mistake that you should avoid at all costs is trading in too many stocks at once. Keeping track of things is hard enough as it is when you’re new to online stock trading; making the process more difficult for yourself will only lead to you losing out in the long-run.

Don’t Blow All Your Money In One Hit

Regardless of whether you think you’re onto a good thing, do not under any circumstances spend all your money in one trade. Sure, you might get lucky and end up making a big profit; the stock market however, is notorious for its unreliability, so there is just as much likelihood that you will lose out. 50/50 odds of either making a profit or losing spectacularly aren’t a good thing; even if you’re reasonably confident, it’s better to keep some of your money to recoup losses if necessary.

Stick To Your Limits

Someone famous once said that you need to know when to hold and when to fold; nothing truer could be said about the stock market. To minimize your losses, an exit strategy is absolutely necessary. Equally, set yourself some upper limits as well, as you never know when those soaring stocks are going to come tumbling down. You’re much better off making a smaller profit than you otherwise might have, than waiting too long and losing unnecessarily.

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The Real Costs of Driving

by Rob Viglione

People talk about “hypermilling,” fuel additives, and keeping tires full of air as ways to reduce driving costs. The simplest method, which is rarely discussed, is selling your car!

Getting rid of your car sounds extreme, and might be for some. However, if you’re one of the millions of American families with more than one vehicle, consider sharing and downgrading. If you live near public transporation routes, consider using them.

Owning a car costs quite a bit more than most realize. We typically only consider the cost of filling up our gas tanks, but the reality is that you end up paying monthly insurance bills, recurring and non-recurring maintenance, and it costs of money to simply hold the capital asset (if you sold your car you could pay off other bills, i.e. credit cards that come at a high cost).

To illustrate opportunity cost, let’s say you have $20K in credit card debt with a 12% APR (many people have as high as 30% APR). If you own a car that is worth $20K (meaning you could sell it for that much today), you’d end up paying $200 per month pure interest payments on that debt you could otherwise pay off by getting rid of your car.

For the average American, owning a car represents roughly $500 per month in expenses. With a 25% marginal tax rate, that comes to $625 pre-tax earnings going directly to the luxury of driving. This can easily account for between 10% to 30% of a middle class salary!

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The 3 tools EVERY real estate investor needs

by Doc Schmyz

“Doc what advice can you give me that will help me with investing. What tricks of the trade or inside tidbits can you share with me?? ” My response is normally…”What is in your tool box?” Let me explain what this question means exactly

Ok let me define the “tool box” for you and explain the three parts that make it up.

1)In your head tool box: This is all about how your thinking process works when it comes to investing, and more importantly how open minded you are about investing information. Are you willing to think outside the box in order to look at investment opportunities or must the investment fall within a cookie cutter method you having? In your head means you need to read books, articles, partake in discussions, and basically interact with that big grey hunk of goo that is in your skull.

It is the resaults of the information you have taken in about investing.

IMPORTANT ELEMENT. While we all know that a zillion books have been written about investing. It is important to understand that you MUST have some knowledge from that book…WHY? Because if you understand what other investors are reading?it actually makes it easier to work with them since you understand where they are getting their basic tactics and understanding from, that helps steer them to the investments THEY are making.

2) Online tool box: This is one of the most over looked elements…when I say over looked I am not referring to being not utilized…but more to the fact it is not utilized to its overall potential. For example do you have one site you go to more often than not for investment information? If so why? Your answer is most likely because they have the best info I can use. This maybe the answer however, a little side note to this. Most of us get some sort of tunnel vision thinking that one or even a few sites will cover us for all the info we want…but in all honesty we normally close down other avenues of “information input” when we do this. How do we get around the “Info input” shut down???

How do you avoid the INFO SHUT DOWN…easy…open your tool box to get more tools/ info.

All you do is create an another email and use it to collect eamil updates from various websites. these are going to be websits that will add you to an emailing list and send you any updates/newsletters they send out.

Once you join an email list..no matter what stay with it for at least 6 months. (Not all great investment tidbits are sent out at first.) Email lists to get on are for: investment clubs, investment blogs, investment reference sites, etc, etc.

To me most pop up ad based newsletters are a waste of time. I prefer to find the newsletters that are written by people who ACTUALLY invest. I prefer to get reviews of SEVERAL porducts/methods or tools that some one else actually uses. Those to me are the gems that I try to subscribe too.

My favorite online tools/sites are the ones that cost me very little to use/buy or better yet are free to me. I love to find good resource sites. ( I admit freely I normally link them to my own) A good web tool is a great thing to find. Im not refering to another mortgage calculator…I mena that online tool your just dying to try out. When you find them…bookmark them.

3) And last but not least… actual physical, hold in your hand, tools. It can be a great “go by list”. A solid flash light. anything that makes the time in the field looking at investments easier.

So there it is..the outline to your toolbox. Build one…update it often..and USE IT DAILY.

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Find Cyprus Villas

by William Marind

Accommodation: Avoid purchasing an one bedroom or studio type of accommodation (unless you are in a resort area) since you will have problems on resale. Prefer to get hired accommodation rather than think that you will sell your one bedroom unit and buy a larger one in the future.You may well find that selling the one bedroom flat is problematic. Flats most in demand are the three bedroom (around 120-130 sq.m.) and two bedroom (70-100 sq.m.) ones. This state of affairs is fluid however and changes from time to time and from location to location. In resort areas the most marketable accommodation are the compact one and two bedroom flats.

Services: Experience has proved that it is difficult for co-owners to agree on the common servicing of the blocks. It is therefore advisable, especially if you are buying in a large block, to prefer to buy where the block has the lowest common services bill. Central heating has proved to be a major problem and the cause of many quarrels amongst co-owners. Avoid, also, flats which have common hot water facilities.

Action to be taken and points to bear in mind when buying your own plot to build your own house.Seek a suitable plot. Visit the area that you are interested in and ask the local residents directly, or in case of a village, the village muchtar, if there is land for sale. Seek the assistance of a registered estate agent who may be in a position to offer to you alternatives but bear in mind always that most local sellers do not use the services of estate agents.

In addition a 1.5%-2% is payable for the structural design and 0.3% for structural supervision. If you are at a loss as to the choice of a suitable consultant, seek the advice of the Registrar of the Association of Architects & Engineers (all licenced architects must be registered). Please bear in mind that in case of large buildings you may be able to negotiate a lower fee (as also in the case of repetitive work).

On a sale of a property the current policy is to allow immediate repatriation of a sum equivalent to the amount of the original purchase value of property. Any profit can be exported at the rate of CY 10,000 per calendar year, plus any interest.There is no Capital Gains Tax where the property was acquired by the importation of foreign currency. Otherwise CGT is levied at 20% on gains in excess of CY 5,000.

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Bank Owned Property Let Me Tell You A Secret

by Steven McCarthy

Have you ever considered bank owned property, for investing? Foreclosure investing will comprise buying a home after the original mortgagor defaults and loses ownership of the property. If you’re thinking about getting into foreclosure investing then you must be the kind of person who is interested in researching a properties history and doing minor repairs to increase the profit potential of your investment property.

How would you like the chance to buy a property way below market value, that is the leverage of buying bank owned property. Many times there is not a lot of repairs and very little wrong with the property. There are so many homes out there right now just waiting for someone to discover. The really good deals out there that can put you in the home of your dreams. Without the savings from foreclosure investing it may just be a pipe dream for you to buy a home of your own on your current budget.

Bank owned property can be a treasure-trove for investors. The American mortgage industry is inundated with foreclosure’s, with no relief in site. With the rising cost of fuel spurring price hikes in just about everything you can think of, and the credit card companies doubling their minimum payments family’s that were teetering on the financial edge are now plummeting into ruin.

Any property that is a bank owned property can be called an REO. “real estate owned”. All banks want to recoup as much of the money they put into the property as they can and still get it off their books as fast as market conditions allow. Often a bank owned property can be priced 5-30% below current market value. Dealing with a bank on your own can prove difficult,that is why the services of a real estate agent with experience buying bank foreclosure properties is something you should seriously consider before approaching a bank with your offer.

This motivation, combined with the principle of supply and demand, results in foreclosed properties being available to investors below their market value. The difference between what an investor sells a property for, minus acquisition cost and expense, is the investor’s profit. Investors can increase this profit in two ways. The first is to maximize what they sell the property for by making improvements. Since foreclosed properties are taken against the wishes of the homeowners, they will not be in pristine shape without some work before re-selling, as a traditionally marketed real estate is.

This sober reality, along with a considerable number of bank owned property in their portfolios, causes the banks and lenders to be very motivated to sell at a much more reasonable price. They want to sell off as many of their portfolio properties as possible to free up their capital, So they can then reinvest that capital, and get a return on their new investment. To make that happen, they must sell the foreclosed properties. This gives them motivation to sell the properties as quickly as possible.

Be diligent in your research on bank owned property, you don’t want the unwelcome surprise of getting stuck with a property that has lien’s on it. find out first and establish who is going to be responsible for there payment. No matter how lucrative an investment property appears to be a lien can not only wipe-out all the properties potential profit, it can also leave you with a large debt.

Creative financing is nothing new and with the price of everything going up all the time the average person has become very creative in structuring their finances and that in a nut shell is the heart of foreclosure investing. You need to think about the financing of the bank owned property in a different way, you need to set up the financing in such a way that it not only pays for itself, but churn’s out a healthy profit for you.

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Find Santorini Villas

by William Marind

The relatively low cost of living in Cyprus has an added appeal for the potential buyer, offering a full and inexpensive lifestyle. Recent statistics pointed to Cyprus as one of the most inexpensive countries in Europe. The local markets flaunt a wealth of colourful fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, and Cyprus’ modern supermarkets are fully stocked with a large range of local and imported goods. The local population is Greek speaking. Cyprus was once a British colony resulting in over 80% of the population speaking English. Street signs, direction signs, and shop signs are written in English. Knowledge of German, French, Russian is increasing with the Island tourist trade.

The relatively low cost of living in Cyprus is definitely one of the advantages that appeals to the potential buyer. The island offers a full but comparatively inexpensive lifestyle. In fact, recent statistics pointed to Cyprus as being one of the most inexpensive countries in Europe. The local markets flaunt a wealth of colourful fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and fish locally grown and produced whilst the modern supermarkets are fully stocked with a large range of local and imported goods.

Non-Cypriot individuals residing in Cyprus pay income tax at a flat rate of just 5%. This applies to the amounts remitted to Cyprus from pensions or income from overseas investments. The first CY2,000 per annum are tax exempt. Personal effects, household goods and furniture may be imported duty free by immigrant retirees, provided that they are for personal use and have been in use for some time (approximately one year). There is no duty on one car and retired couples benefit from the additional concession of two duty free cars.

The main developers in Cyprus tend to look after their own after sales, so your first point of call would most likely be direct to them whether it’s to have alterations or to highlight any problems with the property itself. That said, we do have a wealth of experience in after sales and can act upon your behalf should things not get resolved to your satisfaction.As we only work with the most prestigious companies on the island, you’ll find most of these offering in-house property maintenance services from gardening to pool maintenance, regular cleaning to ad hoc visits. If they don’t offer the service you require themselves, they will certainly put you in touch with a reputable company near to your property, ensuring they are best placed to keep an eye on it for you.

As an indication, one should have in mind that the average construction cost for a house is between C160 to C200 per square metre and the purchase cost of building sites offered for this purpose could range from C1 to C2 per square foot in resort areas, whereas in the towns this can reach C5 per sq. f t.Credit terms on villa/building site/land/cottage acquisitions are normally made and the generally acceptable payment terms are 50% on signing and the rest over a period of 1-2 years (at 9% interest on the reducing balance).

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Find Paphos Homes

by William Marind

The next step is to appoint an architect to carry out the design. There is an abundance of well qualified architects on the island and many capable technicians as well. We suggest that you appoint an architect for the purpose (not an engineer or technician). Architect fees range from 4%-6% (on the building cost) but you can agree also on a fixed fee. The prevailing fees are 3.8% on the building cost for a complete set of architectural plans and 1.6% for supervision (including the issuing of certificates).

Accommodation: Avoid purchasing an one bedroom or studio type of accommodation (unless you are in a resort area) since you will have problems on resale. Prefer to get hired accommodation rather than think that you will sell your one bedroom unit and buy a larger one in the future.You may well find that selling the one bedroom flat is problematic. Flats most in demand are the three bedroom (around 120-130 sq.m.) and two bedroom (70-100 sq.m.) ones. This state of affairs is fluid however and changes from time to time and from location to location. In resort areas the most marketable accommodation are the compact one and two bedroom flats.

Another factor which is also related to the price, is the payment terms. A developer could be asking a high price for flats but he could be offering very attractive payment terms over a long period. Compare, therefore, not only the extent, quality etc. of a flat, but also the payment terms in order to ascertain who is offering you the best deal.

Reliability: Be very careful to whom you are giving your money. A developer’s past performance is the best form of guarantee but if you are afraid that the block will not be completed (and it is not the first time such a thing happened) ask for a bank guarantee. It is most important for you to deposit the sales contract with the Lands’ Office within two months of the purchase, so that you will have some form of a right to claim and/or seek specific performance if something goes wrong.

Non-Cypriot citizens requires permission from the Council of Ministers to purchase property in Cyprus. If this has not been yet obtained then the purchaser should now apply to the council for the permission. This normally takes between 8 and 14 months to be granted, and without this the Title Deeds of the property cannot be made available to the purchaser. The final contract is only entered into when the searches have proved satisfactory.

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Kokkinos Apartment Secrets

by William Marind

Furthermore, it is not sufficient to merely check the zone of the property under consideration but one should also check the zone of the neighbourhood in general. This is so, since your plot may be within an agricultural area but a few feet away there may be another zone, say industrial or animal farming, which will create nuisance to your property.If an area is not subject to zoning, it is best to consult an expert or even pay a visit to the Planning Office and consult, unofficially, the officers on their views on the possible planning use of the area under consideration.

The seashore protection zone is independent of the town planning zones. It is a zone which extends from the sea and it usually (but not always) has a width of approximately 300 feet. Within this zone no building can be allowed, even a small hut, ice cream shed or a swimming pool. When there are ancient monuments close to your plot, be careful to examine whether the Director of Antiquities has any objections to a building project. If a plot of land is classified as an ancient monument area, the Director’s approval must first be sought.

Services: Experience has proved that it is difficult for co-owners to agree on the common servicing of the blocks. It is therefore advisable, especially if you are buying in a large block, to prefer to buy where the block has the lowest common services bill. Central heating has proved to be a major problem and the cause of many quarrels amongst co-owners. Avoid, also, flats which have common hot water facilities.

Cyprus is an independent and sovereign republic with the elected president (5 year election cycle) as head of state. The legislation power lies with the elected House of Representatives and appointed council of ministers. The legal system is based on the British/European system with independent power exercised by judiciary. Cyprus is a member of the UN, the British Commonwealth, the non-aligned movement, World Bank and IMF, and shortly to be a full member.

By law, a non-Cypriot in Cyprus is entitled to a residence permit but is not required to hold a permanent residence permit the latter being easy to obtain once certain requirements are fulfilled. You need to submit an application and provide proof that you and your family are self supporting. The following documents must accompany your application: A copy of the sale/rental agreement Copies of pension/retirement income Any other document(s) relevant to income Three photos and passport(s) The application for permanent residence may be submitted to the local immigration office in the area of residence.

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