Exchange Traded Funds, better known by many investors as iShares, the brand owned by Barclays Global Investors ('BGI') have been around in the UK since April 2000, with the launch of the iFTSE100 on the London Stock Exchange. From a slow start, by the end of 2005 (the latest figures available), some 125 billion was held in assets under management. Generally, when you look for your share price information, you'll find them grouped in the extra...more
Superior business leader and American investor Warren Buffett is often called "Oracle of Omaha" or the "Sage of Omaha" and philanthropist. (Wikipedia, 2007) Buffett is the CEO, and the biggest shareholder of the Berkshire Hathaway Company. Buffett's has an estimated current net worth of approximately $52 billion in US funds. Forbes Magazine ranks Buffett the third richest person in the world in September 2007 behind Carlos Slim and Bill...more
People are losing their homes and many more will lose their jobs before the mortgage meltdown works its way through the system.To paraphrase Alan Greenspan's remarks on March 17th, 2008, "The current financial crisis in the US is likely to be judged in retrospect as the most wrenching since the end of the Second World War. The crisis will leave many casualties."How many casualties? Experts are predicting that in the next few years, between 15 and 20 million homeowners could have homes worth less than what they owe. Walking away from a bad situation may actually make sense for people who mortgages that are 'upside down' considering the fact that refinancing is out of the question and home equity is nonexistent. It seems quite easy to point fingers at greedy Wall Street titans for causing the sub-prime mortgage crises. They after all, put together the deals that allowed banks to underwrite mortgages and then offload these liabilities to investors. What many fail to realize is that there is no shortage of blame to go around from homeowners buying more home than they could afford to real estate agents looking for more commission dollars. Mortgage brokers and bankers, the banks...more
For many people, even those with good spending habits, creating and sticking to a budget may seem like a significant challenge. Learning to budget wisely, however, isn't just a tool for getting by from month to month. Good budgeting is the first step towards financial stability, both now and in the future.Before getting started, it's important to...more
Obviously, when it comes to credit card debt, the easiest answer for "how to get out of it" is simply to pay everything off. Unfortunately, everyone isn't in a position to do something like this, especially those with extreme credit card debt. Getting out of credit card debt isn't something that isn't far fetched, and you can actually make it...more
Does listening to the news or reading the newspaper make you feel scared? Does walking to the mailbox invoke feelings of gloom and doom? Do you walk around the majority of the day feeling anxious and afraid as if waiting for the other shoe to drop? The current state of the economy is the topic of discussion today and every day. It invokes negative feelings in most people. Taming your feelings of anxiety and fear is mandatory so you can move forward and have a happy and productive life. First, we must define anxiety and fear since most people misuse the words anxiety and fear. ANXIETY is defined as the vague unpleasant emotional feeling that makes us feel apprehensive, dread, distress, and an uneasiness. Anxiety is not focused on a specific object. Anxiety is manifested cognitively, behaviorally, and physiologically. FEAR is similar to anxiety but it is focused on a specific object such as public speaking, cold calling, or failure. People who experience fear can lose the ability to think, act, and perform.There are three main perspectives associated with anxiety and fear. The Biological Perspective states that the GABA system is responsible motivating fear and anxiety. People often...more
Sources for goods in ChinaFirst establish who the supplier is! It seems obvious but there are many routes to buying products in China through agents, trading companies, wholesalers and factories or any number of "back door" sources. Agents operate on...more
Payday Generator is a new company with a product built for this economy. This business is marketing a travel membership second to none. Consumers can now save hundereds of dollars at week long luxury condo stays. The best part is, this unique travel...more
The economy is in its worst shape in over 60 years. At this difficult time, does your company have the energy and drive it needs to compete successfully? Some indications that your company needs a strong dose of "Viagra" include: Soft Sales - A...more
"Conviction is a belief you holdÂ… and it holds you."Bobby AllisonEntrepreneurial titans envision dominating an industry. Walt Disney, Howard Schultz, Bill Gates, both Watsons, Coco Channel, Bill France, Sam Walton, and Henry Ford didn't just rise to...more
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...more
Talk about a great career. Being an Independent Field Inspector is an amazing business to be in. Not only do you have the freedom to do what you want, but you also have the time to do it when you want. What is "it"? Going shopping, golfing, exercise,...more