HOW WE SHOULD SAVE MONEY

No matter how avidly we take care of our health, there are unexpected circumstances that can land us a day or two in the hospital. If we are not prepared and we do not have enough health insurance coverage, this can cut a great deal with our savings. Thus, it is very important that we choose the best health insurance plan that can help us in case of an emergency.

First, check out all the health insurance options that we have. Consider our family’s health needs as well when signing-up for an insurance plan. There are two types of health insurance plan that we can sign-up for: private and government health insurance options. The private health insurance is personally signed-up for by an individual. We will also have a health insurance plan when we are employed. The company will provide us with coverage as part of our employee benefits.

The health insurance coverage provided by the government may be offered on a local, state or national level. Medicare is an example of a health insurance plan offered on a national level. Medicare benefits are available for people who are over 65 years of age, and to persons with disabilities. Other government-initiated health insurance programs include: Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, health care benefits for the veterans and military, as well as eligible American Indians.

If we want to sign-up for a private health insurance plan, learn everything that we need to know about the coverage stipulated on our contract. Read the coverage information and check the sections stating the exclusions. Avoid signing up for one which has a long list of exclusions that would not cover much of anything. More importantly, make sure that we have a copy of every contract that we will sign. See to it that our personal information is correct and make a note of the coverage period. All in all, make sure that we have ample health insurance coverage for us to use whenever we need it.

CHOOSING A BROKER

Depending on the type of investing that we plan to do, we may need to hire a broker to handle our investments for us. Brokers work for brokerage houses and have the ability to buy and sell stock on the stock exchange. We may wonder if we really need a broker. The answer is yes. If we intend to buy or sell stocks on the stock exchange, we must have a broker.

Stockbrokers are required to pass two different tests in order to obtain their license. These tests are very difficult, and most brokers have a background in business or finance, with a Bachelors or Masters Degree.

It is very important to understand the difference between a broker and a stock market analyst. An analyst literally analyzes the stock market, and predicts what it will or will not do, or how specific stocks will perform. A stock broker is only there to follow our instructions to either buy or sell stock not to analyze stocks.

Brokers earn their money from commissions on sales in most cases. When you instruct our broker to buy or sell a stock, they earn a set percentage of the transaction. Many brokers charge a flat per transaction fee.

There are two types of brokers: Full service brokers and discount brokers. Full service brokers can usually offer more types of investments, may provide us with investment advice, and is usually paid in commissions.

Discount brokers typically do not offer any advice and do no research they just do as we ask them to do, without all of the bells and whistles.

So, the biggest decision we must make when it come to brokers is whether we want a full service broker or a discount broker.

If we are new to investing, we may need to go with a full service broker to ensure that we are making wise investments. They can offer us the skill that we lack at this point. However, if we are already knowledgeable about the stock market, all we really need is a discount broker to make our trades for us.

ABOUT ONLINE TRADING

The invention of the Internet has brought about many changes in the way that we conduct our lives and our personal business. We can pay our bills online, shop online, bank online, and even date online!

We can even buy and sell stocks online. Traders love having the ability to look at their accounts whenever they want to, and brokers like having the ability to take orders over the Internet, as opposed to the telephone.

Most brokers and brokerage houses now offer online trading to their clients. Another great thing about trading online is that fees and commissions are often lower. While online trading is great, there are some drawbacks.

If we are new to investing, having the ability to actually speak with a broker can be quite beneficial. If we aren't stock market savvy, online trading may be a dangerous thing for us. If this is the case, make sure that we learn as much as we can about trading stocks before we start trading online.

We should also be aware that we don't have a computer with Internet access attached to us. We won't always have the ability to get online to make a trade. We need to be sure that we can call and speak with a broker if this is the case, using the online broker. This is true whether we are an advanced trader or a beginner.

It is also a good idea to go with an online brokerage company that has been around for a while. We won't find one that has been in business for fifty years of course, but we can find a company that has been in business that long and now offers online trading.

Again, online trading is a beautiful thing but it isn't for everyone. Think carefully before we decide to do our trading online, and make sure that we really know what we are doing!

DETERMINING WHERE WE WILL INVEST

There are several different types of investments, and there are many factors in determining where we should invest our funds.

Of course, determining where we will invest begins with researching the various available types of investments, determining our risk tolerance, and determining our investment style, along with our financial goals.

If we were going to purchase a new car, we would do quite a bit of research before making a final decision and a purchase. We would never consider purchasing a car that we had not fully looked over and taken for a test drive. Investing works much the same way.

We will of course learn as much about the investment as possible, and we would want to see how past investors have done as well. It’s common sense!

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 we can even take college level courses on the topic which is what stock brokers do. With access to the Internet, we can actually play the stock market, with fake money, to get a feel for how it works.

We can make pretend investments, and see how they do. Do a search with any search engine for ‘Stock Market Games’ or ‘Stock Market Simulations.’ This is a great way to start learning about investing in the stock market.

Other types of investments, outside of the stock market, do not have simulators. We must learn about those types of investments the hard way by reading.

As a potential investor, we should read anything we can get our hands on about investing but start with the beginning investment books and websites first. Otherwise, we will quickly find that we are lost.

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

HOW MUCH MONEY SHOULD YOU INVEST?

Many first time investors think that they should invest all of their savings. This isn’t necessarily true. To determine how much money we should invest, we must first determine how much we actually can afford to invest, and what our financial goals are.

First, let’s take a look at how much money we can currently afford to invest. Do we have savings that we can use? If so, great! However, we don’t want to cut ourselves short when we tie our money up in an investment. What were our savings originally for?

It is important to keep three to six months of living expenses in a readily accessible savings account, don’t invest that money! Don’t invest any money that we may need to lay our hands on in a hurry in the future.

So, begin by determining how much of our savings should remain in our savings account, and how much can be used for investments. Unless we have funds from another source, such as an inheritance that we’ve recently received, this will probably be all that we currently have to invest.

Next, determine how much we can add to our investments in the future. If we are employed, we will continue to receive an income, and we can plan to use a portion of that income to build our investment portfolio over time. Speak with a qualified financial planner to set up a budget and determine how much of our future income we will be able to invest.

With the help of a financial planner, we can be sure that we are not investing more than we should or less than we should in order to reach our investment goals.

For many types of investments, a certain initial investment amount will be required. Hopefully, we’ve done our research, and we have found an investment that will prove to be sound. If this is the case, we probably already know what the required initial investment is.

If the money that we have available for investments does not meet the required initial investment, we may have to look at other investments. Never borrow money to invest, and never use money that we have not set aside for investing!

INVESTING MISTAKES TO AVOID

Along the way, we may make a few investing mistakes, however there are big mistakes that we absolutely must avoid if we are to be a successful investor. For instance, the biggest investing mistake that we could ever make is to not invest at all, or to put off investing until later. Make our money work for us, even if all we can spare is $20 a week to invest!

While not investing at all or putting off investing until later are big mistakes, investing before we are in the financial position to do so is another big mistake. Get our current financial situation in order first, and then start investing. Get our credit cleaned up, pay off high interest loans and credit cards, and put at least three months of living expenses in savings. Once this is done, we are ready to start letting our money work for you.

Don’t invest to get rich quick. That is the riskiest type of investing that there is, and we will more than likely lose. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it! Instead, invest for the long term, and have the patience to weather the storms and allow our money to grow. Only invest for the short term when we know we will need the money in a short amount of time, and then stick with safe investments, such as certificates of deposit.

Don’t put all of our eggs into one basket. Scatter it around various types of investments for the best returns. Also, don’t move our money around too much. Let it ride. Pick our investments carefully, invest our money, and allow it to grow, don’t panic if the stock drops a few dollars. If the stock is a stable stock, it will go back up.

A common mistake that a lot of people make is thinking that their investments in collectibles will really pay off. Again, if this were true, everyone would do it. Don’t count on our Coke collection or our book collection to pay for our retirement years! Count on investments made with cold hard cash instead.

INVESTING BASIC AND GOALS

When it comes to investing, many first time investors want to jump right in with both feet. Unfortunately, very few of those investors are successful. Investing in anything requires some degree of skill. It is important to remember that few investments are a sure thing ñ there is the risk of losing your money!

Before you jump right in, it is better to not only find out more about investing and how it all works, but also to determine what your goals are. What do you hope to achieve with your investments? Will you be funding a college education? Buying a home? Retiring? Before you invest a single penny, really think about what you hope to achieve with that investment. Knowing what your goal is will help you make smarter investment decisions along the way!

Too often, people invest money with dreams of becoming rich overnight. This is possible ñ but it is also rare. It is usually a very bad idea to start investing with hopes of becoming rich overnight. It is safer to invest your money in such a way that it will grow slowly over time, and be used for retirement or a child's education. However, if your investment goal is to get rich quick, you should learn as much about high-yield, short term investing as you possibly can before you invest.

You should strongly consider talking to a financial planner before making any investments. Your financial planner can help you determine what type of investing you must do to reach the financial goals that you have set. He or she can give you realistic information as to what kind of returns you can expect and how long it will take to reach your specific goals.

Again, remember that investing requires more than calling a broker and telling them that you want to buy stocks or bonds. It takes a certain amount of research and knowledge about the market if you hope to invest successfully.

INVESTMENT STRATEGY

Because investing is not a sure thing in most cases, it is much like a game. We don’t know the outcome until the game has been played and a winner has been declared. Anytime we play almost any type of game, we have a strategy. Investing isn’t any different. We need an investment strategy.

An investment strategy is basically a plan for investing our money in various types of investments that will help us meet our financial goals in a specific amount of time. Each type of investment contains individual investments that we must choose from. A clothing store sells clothes but those clothes consist of shirts, pants, dresses, skirts, undergarments, etc. The stock market is a type of investment, but it contains different types of stocks, which all contain different companies that we can invest in.

If we haven’t done our research, it can quickly become very confusing, simply because there are so many different types of investments and individual investments to choose from. This is where our strategy, combined with our risk tolerance and investment style all come into play.

If we are new to investments, work closely with a financial planner before making any investments. They will help us develop an investment strategy that will not only fall within the bounds of our risk tolerance and our investment style, but will also help us achieve our financial goals.

Never invest money without having a goal and a strategy for reaching that goal! This is essential. Nobody hands their money over to anyone without knowing what that money is being used for and when they will get it back! If we don’t have a goal, a plan, or a strategy, that is essentially what we are doing! Always start with a goal and a strategy for reaching that goal!

STABILIZE YOUR CURRENT SITUATION BEFORE YOU INVEST

Before you consider investing in any type of market, you should really take a long hard look at your current situation. Investing in the future is a good thing, but clearing up bad – or potentially bad – situations in the present is more important.

Pull your credit report. You should do this once each year. It is important to know what is on your report, and to clear up any negative items on your credit report as soon as possible. If you’ve set aside $25,000 to invest, but you have $25,000 worth of bad credit, you are better off cleaning up the credit first!

Next, look at what you are paying out each month, and get rid of expenses that are not necessary. For instance, high interest credit cards are not necessary. Pay them off and get rid of them. If you have high interest outstanding loans, pay them off as well.

If nothing else, exchange the high interest credit card for one with lower interest and refinance high interest loans with loans that are lower interest. You may have to use some of your investment funds to take care of these matters, but in the long run, you will see that this is the wisest course of action.

Get yourself into good financial shape – and then enhance your financial situation with sound investments.

It doesn’t make sense to start investing funds if your bank balance is always running low or if you are struggling to pay your monthly bills. Your investment dollars will be better spent to rectify adverse financial issues that affect you each day.

While you are in the process of clearing up your present financial situation, make it a point to educate yourself about the various types of investments.

This way, when you are in a financially sound situation, you will be armed with the knowledge that you need to make equally sound investments in your future.

WHAT IS YOUR INVESTMENT STYLE?

Knowing what your risk tolerance and investment style are will help you choose investments more wisely. While there are many different types of investments that one can make, there are really only three specific investment styles – and those three styles tie in with your risk tolerance. The three investment styles are conservative, moderate, and aggressive.

Naturally, if you find that you have a low tolerance for risk, your investment style will most likely be conservative or moderate at best. If you have a high tolerance for risk, you will most likely be a moderate or aggressive investor. At the same time, your financial goals will also determine what style of investing you use.

If you are saving for retirement in your early twenties, you should use a conservative or moderate style of investing – but if you are trying to get together the funds to buy a home in the next year or two, you would want to use an aggressive style.

Conservative investors want to maintain their initial investment. In other words, if they invest $5000 they want to be sure that they will get their initial $5000 back. This type of investor usually invests in common stocks and bonds and short term money market accounts.

An interest earning savings account is very common for conservative investors.
A moderate investor usually invests much like a conservative investor, but will use a portion of their investment funds for higher risk investments. Many moderate investors invest 50% of their investment funds in safe or conservative investments, and invest the remainder in riskier investments.

An aggressive investor is willing to take risks that other investors won’t take. They invest higher amounts of money in riskier ventures in the hopes of achieving larger returns – either over time or in a short amount of time. Aggressive investors often have all or most of their investment funds tied up in the stock market.

Again, determining what style of investing you will use will be determined by your financial goals and your risk tolerance. No matter what type of investing you do, however, you should carefully research that investment. Never invest without having all of the facts!

WHY YOU SHOULD INVEST

Investing has become increasingly important over the years, as the future of social security benefits becomes unknown.

People want to insure their futures, and they know that if they are depending on Social Security benefits, and in some cases retirement plans, that they may be in for a rude awakening when they no longer have the ability to earn a steady income. Investing is the answer to the unknowns of the future.

You may have been saving money in a low interest savings account over the years. Now, you want to see that money grow at a faster pace. Perhaps you’ve inherited money or realized some other type of windfall, and you need a way to make that money grow. Again, investing is the answer.

Investing is also a way of attaining the things that you want, such as a new home, a college education for your children, or expensive ‘toys.’ Of course, your financial goals will determine what type of investing you do.

If you want or need to make a lot of money fast, you would be more interested in higher risk investing, which will give you a larger return in a shorter amount of time. If you are saving for something in the far off future, such as retirement, you would want to make safer investments that grow over a longer period of time.

The overall purpose in investing is to create wealth and security, over a period of time. It is important to remember that you will not always be able to earn an income… you will eventually want to retire.

You also cannot count on the social security system to do what you expect it to do. As we have seen with Enron, you also cannot necessarily depend on your company’s retirement plan either. So, again, investing is the key to insuring your own financial future, but you must make smart investments!

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CONTROLLING YOUR FOREX RISK

If you know about Forex you know that there can be a lot of risks involved, especially for new traders. Forex can mean high rewards, but as with everything in life, high rewards come with a high risk. So when you start trading you should reduce your risk until you understand trading more and can control your risks. AGEA is perfect for new traders because it gives you loads of options which can reduce your level of risk. Controlling these factors can considerably control your risk level: Leverage Leverage is a loan provided by the broker to the trader, so that the trade can trade more capital than they have. It is given in a ratio to the amount of money you have to trade. For example a common leverage is 1:100, this means if you put $10 on to trade with, we will make this $1,000. Initially this sounds great, as the higher amount you trade the higher profits you can make, but consequences the leverage can mean higher losses. “Higher Leverage Can Mean Higher Losses.” “AGEA leverage can be from 1:1 to 1:500” A lower leverage is the best way to control your risk. AGEA gives a wide range of leverage to allow you to choose the level of risk which suits you. MetaTrader4 - 1:1 to 1:500 (initially 1:100) Streamster – 1:100 Capital Capital is the amount of money that you invest. The ultimate risk of forex is losing capital. But you have to start with some money to make money in forex – right? Actually no! AGEA will give you $5 to start trading live – so you don’t need any capital to get started. If you search the internet for “Forex Bonus” you will find offers up to many thousands of dollars – but beware, these all come with multiple terms & conditions. Most will only give you bonus’ equal to the amount you deposit – so if you don’t have anything to deposit, you’ll get no bonus. “AGEA will give you $5 to start trading live” “No deposit is needed, no expiry limit, withdraw whenever. Simple!“ So you search for “No Deposit Forex Bonuses” – again you will get options, but most have strict conditions on withdrawing profit from these bonus , for example you may have to triple that bonus before you can withdraw any money. Here are a couple of real Terms & Conditions on “No Deposit Bonuses” “1. To withdraw your free bonus you need 60 TPoints (trader points) 2. One bonus per household/IP address. 3. The bonus expires in 3 months.” “You can use the bonus for live trading, but you cannot withdraw it.” AGEA is different! We have no such conditions. Everyone gets $5 when they open an account, it can be used on MT4 or Streamster, no deposit is needed, no expiry limit, withdraw whenever. Simple! Spreads Spreads are, basically, the “fee” a broker charges for you making trades. So the higher the spread the harder it will be for you to make a profit. The brokers are themselves charged a spread by their liquidity provider (a Company who sets the forex rates).		So there will never be no spread on a trade, but the excess added to the liquidity providers will depend on the forex broker. AGEA charges NOTHING extra on top of the spreads charged by their liquidity provider on MetaTrader 4. And has great spreads on their platform, Streamster. Check out AGEA’s great spreads at: “AGEA charges No Commissions or Exchange Fees” Streamster Spreads: http://www.agea.com/index.ncre?page=streamster-services MetaTrader4 Spreads: http://www.agea.com/index.ncre?page=mt4-services Virtual trading “Practice Makes Perfect” The best way to become a forex trading expert is to practice. Test out your strategies, and see if you profit. But you don’t want to be practicing with real money, so start with a demo account. A demo (or virtual) forex account is a simulator of a real forex platform, but you trade with virtual (fake) money. With AGEA you can open demo accounts with MetaTrader 4 and Streamster. You can download these at http://www.agea.com/index.ncre?page=downloads “AGEA awards $100 to the trader who makes the highest virtual profit” Now you can make REAL money from trading with VIRTUAL money, through AGEA’s Master of the Month forex contest. Every month AGEA awards $100 to the trader who makes the highest virtual profit (via Streamster). You will automatically be entered when you start trading virtually on Streamster. For more information about this contest (one of many!) go to http://extra.agea.com/en/promotions/be-the-next-agea-contest-master Education “Knowledge is Power” – Sir Francis Bacon Many successful traders use fundamental or technical analysis to predict when currencies are going to rise or fall, and hence when they should buy or sell. “AGEA has an extensive education website - Why Not Read a Page A Day?” You can’t just guess which way a trade will go; you need to understand the currency and what affects it. AGEA has an extensive education website so you can learn how to get the most from your trades, and plan your strategy. Why not try reading one page a day at: Extra.agea.com/en/education “24 hour, Multilingual Live Support, known for friendly and helpful assistants” Support You definitely don’t want to be losing money because you don’t know how to use the platform right. AGEA has a 24 hour, Multilingual Live Support, known for friendly and helpful assistants. So any time you have any problems you can contact them at: https://www.agea.com/_nsssupport.ncre So now it’s time to get trading! Below a summary to help you decide which account suits you. Open Your Account at https://www.agea.com/index.ncre?page=open-account

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HOW DO I OPEN AN MT4 ACCOUNT WITH AGEA?

There are two main parts to opening an MT4 account:

• You need to ensure you have the software
• And you need to have an appropriate Live account – Cent, Standard, or STP

To download software

• 1. Login to your account
• 2. Go to “Services” at the top right hand corner of any page on the AGEA site.
• 3. Click “Downloads” in the left hand column of the Services page

Alternatively you can just click “Get Software” at the top right side of all AGEA pages.

4. Go down the page to the MetaTrader4 section and within the highlight box click “MetaTrader 4 Platform Services”

5. A box will pop up – Click “Save File”. It will be Saved into your downloads as ‘Agea-mt4-platform.exe”

6. Find the saved file and double click it.
7. A pop-up box will appear – Click “Run”.

8. The AGEAAgreement will come up, click “Next”.

9. You will then see where the program will be saved, and can select whether you want a shortcut made and the program to open after installation. Click “Next”.

• 10. The program will be downloaded, click “Finish” and you are done!

Now you have access to MT4 and can practice trading on your virtual desk where you have been given $10,000 virtual money to trade with.

Set up your Live Account

• 1. Go to your “Account Center” (this can be accessed by clicking the button in the top right side of any AGEApage).
• 2. Click “Platforms” > “MetaTrader” > MT4 Cabinet

• 3. On the page “MetaTrader 4 Cabinet”, click “Add a new account on the MetaTrader 4 Platform” which is at the bottom of the page
• 4. Choose which account type you want: Cent, Standard or STP, and your primary currency, and then click “Add Account”.

Remember minimum deposits are required for these accounts as follows:

• Cent - $10
• Standard - $100
• STP - $1000

To learn more about which account to choose see our Article “Which MT4 Account”

As long as you have the required deposit, the account will now be added.

• 5. A message will come up requesting you to enter a new password for your MT4 account.
  Note: The “Master Password” is the password you use for Streamster.
  If you do not add your password at this point, or want to change it at a later point, you can find this option at: “Account Center” > “Platforms” > “MetaTrader” > “MT4 Cabinet” . Then in the “Services” dropdown menu select “Change Password”.

Now you will have your Account ID (which can be found again in the MT4 Cabinet if needed) and your password.

• 6. Open your MT4 Software. Your Demo Account will automatically be displayed
• 7. To change to the Live Account – Go to “File” > “Login”
• 8. Enter your “Account ID” in the “Login” box, and your new password in the “Password” box.

The change the Server from “AGEA-Demo” to ‘AGEA-Live”.

• 9. Now you can start trading live on MT4. Remember to transfer funds into your MT4 account at “Account Center” > “Funds” > “Transfer Funds”.
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HOW TO CHOOSE A FOREX BROKER?

With almost a $4 trillion average daily turnover in the global foreign exchange market and many technical and fundamental techniques to help you predict the market, forex is a great way to make money in the comfort of your own home. But with hundreds of forex brokers out there how to you know which one to choose? Here are some key points you should consider: MT4 and Streamster Platforms Platforms Trading forex online is performed through a platform. One of the most internationally recognized and widely used platforms is MetaTrader 4 (known as MT4). MT4 allows many currency pairs, indexes, commodities and other futures to be traded, and assist traders by performing technical analysis at the click of a button. Trade on mobile, tablet and PC However if you are new to trading then a simplified platform may be more useful. AGEAprovides an excellent platform, Streamster. Like MT4, Streamster beside forex offers many CFDs (indexes, commodities) but has the advantage of being more user friendly, requires no deposit (some company require thousands of dollars in deposits to use MT4) and you get a $5 reward to trade with immediately. Furthermore, you can trade using your android phone or tablet PC! No deposit and $5 free reward Deposits (Investment needed) As mentioned above, many companies require deposits when opening a live trading account. The reason for this is to protect the Company if you start losing heavily. Most MT4 accounts require a deposit of around $500. At AGEA, however, you can open an MT4 account from as little as $10! There are three different levels of accounts; even the top account – Standard – requires only a $100 deposit. And remember Streamster requires no deposit! Charges Most likely you are trading not for fun but to make money. The higher you’re trading costs are, the harder it will be for you to make profit, so charges are a key factor when choosing a broker. Forex brokers generally only charge commission on Straight-Through-Processing (STP) accounts. This is where your trade is passed onto another broker and the introducing broker just receives a commission.

AGEA has institution-level low spreads However on other accounts (such as AGEA’sStreamster, MT4 Cent and MT4 Standard) no commissions are charged. One of the key areas, therefore, that differentiates brokers is the spreads. Spreads are the different between the bid and ask price of an instrument. Let say you buy an instrument and sell at exactly the same ask price, you would still make a small loss as the broker will make the bid price slightly lower than the ask price. AGEA has institution-level low spreads on MT4 because we do not add any commission or mark-ups to the prime brokerage rates, and we choose the brokerage with the lowest spreads. Virtual Desk It is important that you practice trading before you go live, especially if you are new to trading. Most brokers will provide you with a virtual desk with virtual money for you to trade with, so you get to trade without the risk of losing money. But, of course, you also can’t make money just by trading on the virtual desk – except at AGEA! Win $100 trading on AGEA’s Virtual Desk –  No investment required! AGEA runs a competition which rewards the trader who makes the highest virtual profit on the virtual Streamster desk. The reward is $100 and can be used to trade on your live desk or withdrawn. All traders receive $5 when they open an account with AGEA to trade on the live desk, so again you could make money without investing any! 24 hour, multilingual support Support Whether you are technology pro or not, you may sometimes need some help. AGEA has a dedicated, high quality, 24 hour, multilingual online support channels. You can chat directly with one of their assistants at any time and they will be sure to help you in any way they can. Conclusion If you are serious about making money then you need to reduce your costs and make sure you have the right tools to learn and to trade. AGEA offers a multitude of platform accounts, learning tools, and full time support all at institutionally low prices! New to forex? Learn more at extra.agea.com

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LONG TERM RETIREMENT PLANNING

We all know that sooner is much better than later when it comes to planning your retirement. The more money you sock away and the longer that money has to grow and work for you, the better the position you are in to enjoy your retirement to its fullest. With this in mind, you need to approach all of your retirement investments as long-term rather than quick turnover investments.

It is often tempting to risk it all for the promise of a high return on your investment but you must remember that with great reward comes great risk and most of the time your security is simply not worth that particular risk. There are several different types of long-term investments that you may find to be reasonable and even attractive investments.

Bonds are a popular long-term investment. These are very much like bank issued CDs with the minor exception that bonds are issued by the government. There are many kinds of bonds and you should research them all before committing to one over another. If you select the right bond you might find that given enough time your bond will double in value over time.

Mutual funds are another popular investment for long-term investors. These are pools of money that are combined in order to invest in stocks, bonds, and other short-term investment ventures including securities. These funds are handled by the fund manager who decides where and how the money will be invested. This leaves you to reap the rewards that his or her experience will bring in for you over time.

Stocks are another popular option for those interested in long-term investing. It should be noted that investing in stocks is much riskier than investing in mutual funds though the payouts when things go well are often much more substantial. If you decide to delve into the realm of stock market investment you should be aware that every transaction costs money, that you need to thoroughly research the ins and outs of this type of investing, and that you are taking a substantial risk with your retirement investment. You should also be absolutely certain that you thoroughly research the companies in which you plan to invest and only invest in companies that are well established and showing strong potential for future growth.

With any major financial decision you should consult your financial advisor for guidance and advice. His or her job is to help you turn your limited investments into as much money as possible in order to secure your future and your retirement. The guidance that a good financial advisor can provide when it comes to long term investing is invaluable and should not be discounted or taken for granted any more than the advice you would receive from a doctor or an attorney.

My favorite type of long-term investment is real estate. While there are those that will argue that the return on this investment is too minimal to save for retirement I would argue that the fact that properly maintained and rented units will pay for themselves over time making them pure profit when the time comes to sell or simply to maintain a monthly income throughout your retirement. The more rental properties you own the better your financial position and the more options you have when the time comes to sell those properties. Real estate is one field in which fortunes are made and lost on a regular basis. Rental property is the safest bet for most when it comes to long-term investment and the most significant return on investment. There are options that go well beyond buy and hold when it comes to real estate. If this doesn't excite you perhaps rehabbing property or the even more speculative field of pre-construction investing will offer more appeal.

Long-term investments will be the primary fuel for your financial retirement funds and plans. You need to carefully consider the best possible option for your needs and work towards you financial goals.

INVESTING IN BONDS

When it comes to planning your financial retirement many people focus on the different types of accounts that you can use in which to defer payments or avoid taxes for a little while but very few people discuss in depth the specific things in which you can invest those funds that you have so carefully squirreled away for the important day that is to come in the dark dank future that seems as though it will never arrive.

Bonds are not your typical high risk-high yield investment but they are very likely to earn a return for you. If you are not in dire straights for retirement funds this is a slow and steady way to build a decent retirement for yourself over time. If you are in the final hour this is an investment strategy that might be more than slightly too timid for your specific needs. There are other more investment strategies that will be discussed elsewhere.

There are essentially three different types of bonds: corporate, municipal, and government.

Corporations trying to raise funds for ventures such as building new facilities or launching new product lines typically issue corporate bonds. The interest on these bonds is taxable. As a result these bonds tend to pay higher and are better retirement investment options than government or municipal bonds.

I have said before and will continue to say that there are no sure things when it comes to investing. While many bonds tend to be safer than some of the other investments on the surface there are significant risks involved when investing in bonds that would be negligent to overlook. Where you find the risks of market ups and downs when investing in stocks, mutual funds, and options the risk is that yours may lose value. When it comes to bonds the risks include the following: default, changes in the interest rate, and inflation. The risks for some are far weightier than the benefits of a slow and 'steady' investment.

You should really carefully consider whether or not bond investing is a good idea of your retirement needs along with your nerves. We weren't all born with nerves of steal, for this reason it is probably a good idea to carefully decide whether or not you are comfortable with the risks that bonds introduce into your investment picture.

I always recommend that you take the time to discuss your plans and goals with a financial planner before taking the plunge and making any major financial decisions whether they concern your retirement or your child's college fund. These all affect your future and the security you can provide your family when the time comes. A good financial advisor can help you weigh the pros and cons of investing in bonds and help you decide whether or not the potential payout on these bonds is worth the risks that are involved in the process. This is not the case for everyone. I tend to be a more cautious investor than most and will think long and hard before investing on things that I do not consider a carefully crafted and calculated risk.

Only you can decide whether or not you are comfortable with the idea of investing in bonds when it comes to your financial retirement hopes and dreams. I hope you will discuss this with our advisor and carefully consider the ramifications of this decision.

INSURANCE AND YOUR FINANCIAL RETIREMENT

When planning your financial retirement there are many things you should consider before taking the plunge and not all of them are overtly financial, though in some large way they are all very financial considerations, particularly if you don't take the time now to consider their importance later. Insurance is an important consideration when it comes to retirement. Depending on your age at retirement you may or may not qualify for Medicaid, which could leave you in a bit of a pickle when it comes to covering the high cost of insuring your health.

If you have a spouse that will continue working for a year or two you may want to consider the cost of being added to his or her insurance coverage. Chances are it will be less expensive than striking out on your own for health insurance coverage, which tends to increase in cost with age and according to health.

Dental insurance is another huge consideration among those approaching retirement age. The cost of actual dental insurance can be quite cost prohibitive but there are other options in the form of discount programs. There are quite a few programs that exist and all you really need to do is a quick Internet search in order to find more than a few good prospects. You will want to make sure that the plan you are considering has providers in your area before signing up. Some of these plans actually offer discounts on other services such as vision, prescription drugs, and even medical care. The costs typically vary according to the offerings of the plans in question.

Medications are another important consideration when retiring, particularly if you are planning to retire early or prior to the traditional retirement age of 65 when Medicaid kicks in. Some of the plans mentioned above offer discounts on prescription drugs and there are other things you can do such as asking your doctor about generic options or less expensive methods for medication that might exist. Some drug companies are offering free medications to people who meet their qualifications.

Long-term care insurance is a relatively new concept and something that many of us do not wish to consider but is something that really should be considered when you are young enough to get reasonable rates. If you are in your 50's and early 60's you should be able to get this particular type of insurance for around $100 a month. Whether you want to acknowledge that this could be a need for you or not, the odds are that it will be a very real need in time. Unless you plan to leave significant amount of debt in your wake it is a good idea to make sure you invest in long-term care insurance.

Home and auto insurance typically go through a reduction in cost as you age. This is good news on many levels as it leaves you the option of picking up additional insurance coverage or at the very least filling in the gaps that some of your other insurance costs are leaving in your carefully planned budget. You should keep in mind however that once you reach a certain age they will begin to rise again. Save the pennies you save on the premiums during the good years in order to cover the costs during the lean years. Insurance is one of those costs that simply must be covered. It helps greatly if you plan for these costs when creating your retirement budget.

FINAL NOTES FOR FINANCIAL RETIREMENT

When it comes to investing, whether you are putting aside money in order to send your children to college or aggressively saving for your eventual retirement there are many things you should keep in mind when making your investments. Keeping these things in mind will help you take the successes and losses you experience along the way in stride. This is important as we must keep going and investing if we want to build a solid retirement for ourselves or education for our children. If we give up and decide to play it safe we are seriously limiting our potential. You must learn from your mistakes and work hard not to repeat them rather than letting them rule your future investments.

The first and most important rule to remember is that there are no absolutes. There is no absolute right or wrong method of investing just as there is no one right or wrong way to save your money. There are only the methods that you are more or less comfortable with. The good news is that while diversity is the key in building a strong portfolio, there are many options from which to choose in order to keep your portfolio diverse and, more importantly, profitable.

For today's investor there are all kinds of venues to pursue. You have the choice of stocks, bunds, mutual funds, property investing, and many categories of each of these in between. You should seek the services of a financial planner in order to help you get through those areas that are confusing to you or those that make you uncomfortable. If you are still uncomfortable with certain types of investing after speaking with a planner there is no specific reason that you must pursue any one course of investing over another. It is often the wiser course of action but not necessarily the correct course of action for you as you are likely to make mistakes out of nervousness rather than allowing the fund to do their job and make money for you.

You should also never invest in companies, bonds, funds, etc for any reason other than you feel they will provide a good return on your investment or you really want to support that particular company. Do not be pressured into making an investment decision that you are not comfortable with unless you are having a hard time risking your money at all. In order to get the returns you will need to provide a proper retirement you will need to take some risks. The greater the risks the greater the potential rewards.

Whether or not you realize it, the choices you make when it comes to your investments affect every aspect of your future retirement or your child's education. You cannot afford to risk those important things too terribly long by being paralyzed by your fear. Fear and anxiety are quite common emotions to experience when handling funds that will have such a profound effect on your future and that of your family. This is a time when a financial advisor or planner is an excellent idea as he or she can take over the reigns within reason or course, during these times and pick things up and get them moving in the right direction once again.

There will be setbacks along the way when you are investing funds. I do not personally know anyone who has never lost any money in the stock market. I also know that when you lose money even 50 cents can seem like a tragedy if you allow it to. You must see the bigger picture rather than hyper-focusing on one good or bad decision.

PROPERLY INVESTMENT FOR RETIREMENT

While many fortunes have been made and lost in the real estate business, many people overlook the value of real estate investing when it comes to planning for retirement. There are many great ways that you can let real estate build a nice little nest egg for your retirement and the sooner you begin the process the better.

While there are all kinds of stocks and mutual funds that confuse even the most intelligent among us, real estate is a pretty straightforward business to get into. The problem is that many people feel it is too risky. The truth is that there are many different types of real estate investing that all carry different risk to the buyer. One thing is for sure and that is that with proper care and attention properties tend to gain value over time rather than lose value. If you purchase properties today and properly maintain them, you can not only reap years of rental income while paying the mortgage on these properties but you can also find your retirement home and pay today's prices for it rather than the prices of tomorrow.

When it comes to real estate it is always good to arm yourself with knowledge before taking any steps and you should carefully discuss all plans for your financial future with your trusted financial planner or advisor. His or her job is to give you guidance when making plans and purchases that will affect your financial stability and security. They can also help you with the matters of taxation, cost analysis, estimated inflation, and the average rise in property value for an area.

As I mentioned before there are always risks when it comes to any sort of investing. The same holds true for real estate investing. Things can go wrong. On occasion you will find lemon properties, for this reason you need to have a complete and thorough inspection performed before you purchase the property. You should also make sure that you are aware of your state and local laws as they apply to landlords. For this reason it is a good idea to consult with an attorney that specializes in this type of financial investing in addition to your financial advisor.

Rental properties aren't the only way to build a property investment portfolio. There are all kinds of property investment opportunities for those that are willing to take the risk. When it comes to property investing, the greater risks often net the greater potential rewards. The thing you must remember is that you are gambling with your financial future. I tend to stick with rental properties as they are a fairly safe bet and actually pay for themselves over the years while building a nice nest egg for my future.

There is the eternally fascinating investment opportunity that property flipping presents for one. When flipping a property you purchase a property below market value-preferably one that requires minor cosmetic repairs. Make the repairs. Then sell the house for a substantial profit. This is a risky venture for those who are novices to the field and many would be investors have lost a great deal of money doing this. Successful investors however can net significant profits in a very short amount of time if they have the knowledge and skills to do the work themselves and time things perfectly.

There are even more property investing opportunities that provide even greater risk, as they are highly speculative known as pre-construction investing. This is the type of investing that creates millionaires. On the flip side it has sent many into bankruptcy along the way as well so tread very carefully before engaging in this sort of real estate investing and take great care never to invest more than you can afford to lose.

As you can see there are ample opportunities in real estate to create an outstanding financial retirement plan for you and your family. The only decision you need to make is whether or not this type of investing is a good fit for your comfort zone.

PPROPERLY PLANNING FOR FINANCIAL RETIREMENT

The vast majority of people reading this will never receive the benefit of social security for the purpose of retirement-unless of course serious adjustments are made in the current system. There are simply too many people living much longer than anticipated. At the same time, regardless of how much you've managed to pay into social security over time it is doubtful that anyone could live on the amount of money they would receive in social security benefits even if they had no other significant bills to pay such as house notes, car notes, or insurance on a home or automobile.

It amazes me that my grandparents managed to live on the modest sum that was earned from my grandfather's retirement and social security. They were never wealthy but in the last decade or so I understood just how little they had and yet they managed somehow to have all the things they absolutely needed in order to survive. I know that in the world of today, their meager incomes would not even begin to make ends meet for groceries let alone utilities and other necessities in life.

It is because of the struggles my grandparent's faced that I have devoted a good deal of time and effort into making sure that we do not go through those same challenges and struggles upon retirement. We have taken steps today to insure that we will have income throughout our retirement as well as a few carefully crafted investments to pull us through. I do not believe that I have all the answers and for this reason we have relied heavily upon the advice of our financial planner. He has helped us discover avenues for investing money and methods of doing so that have been nothing short of amazing for us as we watch our holdings grow year after year in preparation for retirement.

If you haven't taken the time to find a financial advisor for your investments there is no time like the present to do so. Even if you are nearing that magical number you might be amazed at the guidance and advice that can be offered by a competent financial planner to maximize your short and long-term investment and retirement planning needs. I believe you will be amazed at the financial miracles a good financial planner can work with even the most modest of investments with which to work.

You should also make sure that you take care of as many of the recurring bills as possible before you retire. It helps greatly if you have your home paid off and do not have the worry of a monthly mortgage payment. Another thing that is good to keep in mind is that you will want to downsize rather than upsize at retirement. Eliminate the second car and ride together when possible (this also eliminates an insurance payment as well).

If you are planning to move to a particular area of the country for your retirement you may want to begin now, as early as possible, seeking property in that area at a much lower price than you will pay ten to twenty years down the road when you actually get around to retiring. This will increase the likelihood that you either have your retirement home paid for or are very close to having it paid for. Another thing to remember is that you will want to get a smaller home for your retirement rather than a larger home that you will need to care for. This means you can eliminate some of the utility costs, which may prove substantial.

The most important thing to remember when planning for retirement is that it is your retirement for which you are planning. Make sure you set aside funds to make your retirement worth retiring for. Don't merely exist throughout your retirement because you can't afford to live, take the steps now to insure that this is not going to be a problem for your retirement years.

SERIOUS CONSIDERATIONS FOR FINANCIAL RETIREMENT

There are a few things you should keep in mind when planning for your retirement. First of all, you probably shouldn't hold your breath when it comes to social security being able to cover even a small portion of your retirement if the service even exists in any form of its former self by the time you are facing retirement. The second thing you need to keep in mind is that your needs upon retirement depend greatly on how you live your life now and how you plan to live once you retire.

There are many who live very conservatively now in an effort to save up their money for retirement and really live it up at that point. The problem is that they are basing their retirement living on their current lifestyle, which is not a good comparison. The problem is that the vast majority of Americans are earning just enough money through their jobs in order to make ends meet. The idea of finding any money to sock away for retirement for most Americans is difficult at best and absolutely impossible in some situations.

The first step when it comes to successful financial retirement planning is to map out how much money you are going to need in order to maintain your current lifestyle upon retirement and go from there. Most estimates are that you will need to bring home on average 75% of your current take home salary in order to maintain your current lifestyle. The understanding is that you will eliminate many monthly expenses by no longer working however some find that this simply isn't enough so you should be careful when relying on this figure.

You should also plan for inflation when planning your retirement as well. It will take more money in the future in order to have the same standard of living. You should also consider that our expectations tend to increase over time and you need to be able to live within the limits of your budget when the time comes. It will be difficult to take out additional funds once you've reached retirement age. For this reason it is in your best interest to plan ahead and plan carefully. The more modestly you live today in an effort to invest more money for your retirement the better chances you will have to enjoy a better lifestyle upon retirement.

You should also be careful that you do not sacrifice the moment in search of a better retirement. You need to be able to take vacations, save money for the things you want and need, in addition to covering the necessities of today. We aren't guaranteed that we will be here for retirement though that is hardly a reason not to invest and save for that day. However, we should never sacrifice the moment and the childhood of our children for the sake of an eventual retirement. As long as you are making significant progress you are doing better than a large section of the population and you can opportunities later to invest greater amounts of money towards you retirement.

The problem is that most people do not begin growing concerned over their retirement picture until it is too late to make significant progress. Begin early making plans for your financial retirement in order to insure the greatest possible success. Pay off your major debts such as student loans, home loans, doctors' bills, car notes, and credit cards whenever possible. These are constant drains on your income that you do not need once you've limited or 'fixed' your income. In addition to your 401 (k) or IRA funds you can start your own investment account by having the bank automatically draft a portion of your check each pay period. You can also 'pay yourself' an extra bonus by depositing extra funds anytime you get extra money like a bonus check at work or payment for services outside of work. Take every opportunity you have to boost your retirement account.