The world of finance is one that can be confusing and complex. The huge amount of information available can lead to a feeling of being overwhelmed. It need not. There are some basic rules that can set you on the way to success.

Your choices when it comes to investing are staggering. For the conservative, there are government bonds. For the super aggressive, there are commodities. For most, mutual funds and stocks make a perfect solution.

After a while, it can be easy to wonder not only who is correct, but what you should do with your personal financial situation. Ultimately, the answer is you can make money in nearly every area of finance, but only if you follow some basic rules.

Time is on your side. Besides being a good lyric, this statement is true when it comes to investing. Time has a tremendous cumulative effect. Oddly, you never hear the financial gurus talk about it. This is probably because they cannot sell you time.

Time is powerful because the more of it you have, the more your money can work for you. As the years pass, you can incorporate gains into your portfolio and have them make money for you as well.

Consider the rule of seven in investing. Simply put, any investment will double in ten years if it earns an average return of seven percent a year. Alternatively, it will double in seven years if it earns an average return of ten percent.

While this is a very simple scenario, it is a fundamental rule followed by everyone. It also shows the power of time because it is a simple example of how reinvesting your gain makes you a ton of money in the long run.

Generalities are great and all, but what about real examples. Okay, assume you invest two grand each year in an individual retirement account for thirty years. With a 6.9 annual return, you end up with $185,000. Not bad, eh?

Now we can see the power of time. Assume we start investing later. All the figures are the same, but we actually put in $4,000 each year. We end up with a total of just under $100,000. Why? Because our gains did not have time to grow as well.

In both of these scenarios, you contributed the same amount of money. With the same $60,000 contribution, you ended up with entirely different amounts. Why? The power of time. The longer investment period returned the better final numbers.

What do these examples tell us? The rule is simple. It is not how much you invest, but how often that is the key. If you put $100 away each month, that is $1,200 a year. When you hit retirement age, that is one nice nest egg.

Coin collectors around the world admire and often covet the historic French 20 Franc Gold rooster French gold coin. More commonly known as the French Rooster gold coin, or Coq d’Or, it is one of the favorites of and most coveted by international gold coin collectors and investors.

This French gold coin was minted at the turn of the 20th century, beginning in 1901 until France found herself embroiled in the First World War in 1914.

French gold coins are known for their beauty and attractive displays of classic design and structure. While considered rare, the French Rooster gold coin is considered to be quite affordable, and is therefore the most popular of many gold coins produced in Europe.

Containing nearly a fifth of an ounce of pure gold, the facing front of this French gold coin displays the head of the third Republic lady surrounded by the words “Republique Franaise, the motto of the French Revolution.

The reverse side of the coin shows an exquisitely designed and presented fully plumed rooster with the words “Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite” etched in capital letters around the edges.

The phrase on the reverse side of the coin was created during the French Revolution against Louis XVI, and the front face of the coin, showing Lady Liberty, was established and created in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 upon the defeat of Napoleon III.

Measuring 21.0 mm in diameter, the French Rooster gold coins contain 0.900 fineness. Coins predating 1901 are extremely rare, and are highly coveted by those with an appreciation for French gold coins displaying a sense of history and unique design.

Children learn very early that money can buy candy and toys. In school they are taught basic mathematics concerning money so they already know the basics. Here are 6 tips to help them want to start saving and investing.

1. Three ways to handle money. First, you can save and invest it. The other two ways are to let it sit stagnantly in a wallet or piggy bank or they can just spend it as fast as you earn it. Show your children different living conditions and ask them how they want to live.

2. Teach goal setting. Every child know what they want to be when they grow up. A fireman, doctor, nurse etc. are popular career choices. But children ever consider what they want when they grow up. Explain to your children that setting goals is a proven method for gaining what we want in life.

3. Put goals into action. You can try developing a financial plan with them. If you have a financial planner you can set up a meeting and explain to your children how financial goals are serious business.

4. Frugality. Try to be frugal in your family budgeting. Teach your children how they can be thrifty and then they can save and invest even more.

5. Open savings accounts early. Take your children to the bank as soon as they understand basic money principles. Open savings accounts in their names and go over the statements with them as they come.

6. Let your children make choices. As parents we want our children to have the best. Often times though our children are just as happy if not happier with simpler things. Examples of this are birthday parties and family get togethers. Consider taking some of these occasions and letting your child choice simpler activities that are less expensive. Show them how you can then take these savings and invest them.

Teaching children to save and invest their money can be very fun and rewarding. If they see your efforts to provide a better future for them they will love you for it.

If you are talking to a company about oil and gas investments it is important to know the signs of a scam. There are scams in every industry or anything that pertains to money. Don’t let someone scam you of your money. Here are six easy ways to tell you are talking to a scammer.

1. If you are talking to an oil investments company who claims there is absolutely no risk with the investment, it is a scam. Oil is a risky investment. Any smart investor knows this and any company who tells you otherwise is lying. You can lose every dime when you invest in oil and gas. This is a fact. You can also make a killing, but the risk is very high.

2. If a gas investments company tells you that they have found a well that is guaranteed to make money, you know it is a scam. There is no guarantee that a well is not dry. If the investment firm knew 100% that the well was guaranteed they wouldn’t be asking you for your money. No well is for sure. You are taking the risk of the investment that it might not be.

3. Many scammers will tell you that a well known oil company is planning to start drilling in a particular area. Think about your investment. Are you investing in a location, the drilling company, or what? Drilling is about location but you cannot guarantee a location has oil.

4. It is also common for scammers to say they have landed a huge discovery and they want to share it with you for a price. This is not how oil investments work and you should be leery about anything like this. Many scammers offer e-books and other things that claim inside of them is the truth about investing and you will make a ton of money if you buy the products. Don’t fall for these types of scams.

5. The Better Business Bureau has many complaints from people about being scammed. If someone gets scammed they are quick to go to this resource. Always verify the company is not ripping people off.

If you are looking into oil and gas investing it is important you do plenty of research. You can trust people but you must always verify what they are saying is true. Many things being said to you may not even be worth wasting your time to verify because they are just not true. Understand that anyone who dumps their money and funds into gas investments is taking a serious risk. There are no ‘secret’ tips and there is no guarantee, ever.

If you looked for an investment club in your area and could not find one, I have to say I don’t think you were looking hard enough.

For example, after somebody told me that they couldn’t find any investment clubs in Charleston, South Carolina, I Googled it and got several results. On the list of contacts there were two clubs in Charleston, SC, the links to Web sites and several phone numbers. When you have so many numbers to call, you will certainly find someone who will point you to the club in your area.

By the way, I know about Charleston because I went to high school in Dillon, SC. I will bet you any amount of money that in the city the size of Charleston there is at least one investment club or association.

When you face a relatively simple problem like that, start with using Internet search. What if you are not into using the computer? Learn it and get to like it; in our time not using the Internet would be quite a disadvantage. What you really need is to get enthusiastic and more determined to find the answers.

What partly helped me develop that type of attitude, was that every time I was looking for answers and ways to achieve my goals I did it as if it was the matter of life and death. If you can learn to have this kind of attitude, you will get anything done. Well, it is hard to imagine a gun to your head and a time limit to come up with a solution of a problem, but if you look at the mental side of things you would admit this method of self-motivation could be quite effective.

My advice to you is – be proactive! Start with the Web, get any related information, write down all available numbers and call them. Even if you don’t find exactly what you are looking for, you would still make useful contacts in the area and eventually find what you were looking for.

Determining where you will invest begins with researching the various available types of investments, determining your risk tolerance, and determining your investment style – along with your financial goals.

With stock markets, learning about the stock market and investments takes a lot of time but it is time well spent. There are numerous books and websites on the topic, and you can even take college level courses on the topic – which is what stock brokers do. With access to the Internet, you can actually play the stock market – with fake money – to get a feel for how it works.

You should speak with a financial planner. Tell them your goals, and ask them for their suggestions – this is what they do! A good financial planner can easily help you determine where to invest your funds, and help you set up a plan to reach all of your financial goals. Many will even teach you about investing along the way – make sure you pay attention to what they are telling you!

Your risk tolerance

Determining one’s risk tolerance involves several different things. First, you need to know how much money you have to invest, and what your investment and financial goals are.

Realize of course, that your need for a high risk tolerance or your need for a low risk tolerance really has no bearing on how you feel about risk. Again, there is a lot in determining your tolerance.

Your risk tolerance should be based on what your financial goals are and how you feel about the possibility of losing your money. It’s all tied in together.

Getting started

Start with an interest bearing savings account. You may already have one. If you don’t, you should. A savings account can be opened at the same bank that you do your checking at – or at any other bank. A savings account should pay 2 – 4% on the money that you have in the account.

If you are just starting out, a good research on the type of investments is the best starting point like money market funds. This will allow your money to start making money for you while you learn more about investing in other places.