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Guides & Articles on Investing

Investing Extra Business Cash in Mutual Funds

Find great ways to diversify your investments

By Sheryl Nance-Nash

Investing corporate cash in mutual funds can give your company the financial power it needs to go to the next level. You can choose from thousands of mutual funds whose holdings include various types of investments from companies based both in the U.S. and abroad. When it comes to mutual funds there are three things to keep in mind: Determine what types of companies you prefer Do ...

Conducting Business Deal Due Diligence

Take the proper precautions to be sure a deal is as good as it looks

By Tom Nutile

"Due diligence" means doing your homework about the other party before entering into a business deal. You need to be diligent about investigating the claims made by your potential partner about the market, the service or the product, his finances and more. When performing due diligence, bear in mind that: It is a long and arduous process and could take weeks. Make sure...

Small Business Charitable Giving

How to save on taxes, increase your business and help others

By Sheila Callahan

Small business owners all over America make a big difference in their communities and beyond through charitable giving. Some just can't say "no" when solicited; others have pet causes they champion; more than a few give to buoy their standing in the community; still others line up for the business and tax benefits. No matter what the reason, extending a hand to help...

Choosing a Financial Planner

Choose an advisor who meets your business needs

By John Fuller

Hiring a financial planner may seem like an unnecessary expense for a small business, but it can actually help your business cut costs in many ways. Not only that, sound advice can lead to financial growth for your business and for you personally. Although most financial planners cater to individuals, some focus their efforts on helping business owners with decisions about employ...

Initial Public Offering (IPO) Basics

Raising capital for your small business by going public

By Sheila Callahan

When your small company needs to raise capital, SBA loans and angel investors aren't the only options. A growing number of small businesses are raising capital by issuing equity shares through an initial public offering (IPO). Going public means your shares will be traded on the stock market — for smaller firms, shares will most likely be traded on the Nasdaq SmallCap mar...

Self-Employed Pension Plans

Let Uncle Sam pay for part of your retirement

By Daniel Kehrer

Access to a variety of tax-advantaged retirement plan choices is one of the key perks of self-employment. There are several good options that are easy to set up and cheap to maintain, including the SIMPLE IRA, Simplified Employee Pension IRA (SEP-IRA) and Solo 401(k). These plans all offer tax-deductible contributions. And money inside the plans grows tax-free until you take it ou...

Forming an Offshore Company

There are good reasons to consider it. Here's how to proceed

By Greg Brown

Thanks to James Bond movies and a couple of spectacularly corrupt institutions over the years, offshore companies get a bad rap. But there are good reasons to consider using them, and most companies of any serious size eventually get advised to set one up. Broadly defined, any company that exists in one place legally but does most or all of its business elsewhere is an offshore co...

Stocks (Equities) and Stock Investing

As long-term wealth builders, stocks rule. Here's how to do 'em right.

By Daniel Kehrer

Owning stock, or "equity" in a company lets you share in its future -- for better or worse. As a stockholder, you participate proportionately in a company's profits, or pratfalls. The tradeoff for accepting stock market risks with your hard-earned cash is long-term gains that outshine all other broad investment categories. Day-to-day, however, the "stock market" (actually...

Stock Quotes and Stock Quote Services

Free online stock quote services abound. And add-ons can dazzle

By Daniel Kehrer

Want free stock quotes online? Dive in! But be a savvy stock quote consumer. While websites offering free stock quotes are abundant, the quality and usefulness of the tools, add-ons and information surrounding the free quotes vary dramatically. The trick is not simply finding quotes. That's easy. It's finding a website that not only provides the quotes, but also: ...

Stock Trading

In bull or bear markets, stock trading know-how is your key to success

By Daniel Kehrer

Stock trading is a big topic that means different things to different people. To some it's about sophisticated techniques for buying and selling stocks, options and other investment devices on a daily basis. For others, it's entry-level tools and education for making first-time purchases of stocks and mutual funds. Whether you're an investment pro, just starting out, or somewhere i...

Online Stock Trading

Trading stocks online is fast, simple and cheap. Here's what you need to know.

By Daniel Kehrer

For web-savvy "self-directed" investors, online stock trading is de rigueur. Online stock trading has redefined cheap; not to mention quick and easy. So cheap, in fact, that some major banks now offer free online stock trades.  Fees elsewhere range from $2 to $25 per trade. Discount online brokers that gained popularity with cheap no-frills service are now adding gizmos galore...

Online Brokers

To trade stocks online, you need an online broker

By Daniel Kehrer

For stock market investors of all stripes, the news about online brokers couldn't be better. Competition for your business is stiff, leading to low prices, extra services, lots of choices and perks previously reserved for high rollers. And in some cases, online brokers and online stock trading services are even being offered free (at major banks including Wells Fargo and Bank ...

Investment Firms

Choose from discount and full-service brokers, mutual funds and more

By Daniel Kehrer

There are many breeds of investment firms, and the type that's right for you depends on your goals. Most people in search of investment firms are looking because, well, they have money to invest. Whether you have new personal money, business funds to invest, retirement account money, or money and/or investments at another firm that you're not happy with, the key deciding factors in...

Corporate Bonds

Earn serious high yield fixed income with corporate bonds in your portfolio

By Greg Brown

Say "bonds" and most investors picture sleepy government-issued Treasuries or municipal bonds -- safe but low return. But experienced investors know that corporate bonds, even junk bonds, can be very high yield fixed income instruments and quite liquid.Depending on your investment strategy, a good selection of corporate bonds can turn a conservative portfolio into a strong performe...

U.S. Brokerage Firms

Intelligently buy and sell investments through brokerage firms

By Greg Brown

If you want to invest actively, you'll need a brokerage firm. A brokerage firm is a group of stock brokers who buy and sell your shares on the open market (hint: buy low, sell high). The services of a stock broker, a trained, licensed professional at a brokerage firm, are necessary to buy or sell in your name. What, you say? Sounds like a monopoly? Not really. Lots of brokerage fir...

Exchange Traded Funds

Buy and sell baskets of stocks with the ETF.

By Jeff Copeland

Exchange traded funds (or ETFs) are investment hybrid vehicles that trade like stocks but act like mutual funds.  When you buy into an ETF, you buy shares of a basket of stocks held by the ETF company, with the share price determined by the ups and downs of the entire basket.   Just like a stock, you can buy and sell shares in exchange traded funds any time, in addit...

Real Estate Investment Companies

Partner with a real estate investment company to profit from investment opportunities

By LaRita Heet

If you’d like to get involved in real estate investment opportunities, but aren’t sure how, take advantage of real estate investment companies that can help you profit from property investments. Working with a knowledgeable real estate investment company can provide you with real estate listings for residential, commercial or other types of investment property. Even bet...

IRA Plans

Make the most of 401k plans, Roth IRAs and other IRA accounts

By Kay Bell

Employees who have 401k plans might wonder why they should worry about an Individual Retirement Account. It's simple: You can never save too much for retirement. An Individual Retirement Account is a saving plan that offers tax-advantaged growth. Some workers, however, delay participation because of confusion over the many IRA plans, such as a rollover account when you change j...

Day Trading

Whether stocks move up or down, day trading can be profitable

By Mike Carr

Day trading means buying and selling in rapid succession. The goal for day traders is to take a small profit from a large number of trades. Stocks trade as if there is a continuous auction with buyers bidding the price they are willing to pay and sellers asking for the price they will sell at. Trying to capture profits from the small spread between those two prices is the idea behi...

Securities Lending – How to Get Securities Loans

Securities loans can be used for many business and personal purposes

By Michael Kling

Securities loans, also known as margin loans or securities-based loans, have long been used to purchase additional securities to hypercharge returns. But you can use securities lending for a number of purposes, including purchasing real estate and expanding your business. Securities loans can be obtained by pledging your securities as collateral with securities lenders, such as inv...

Stock Futures and Options

Trading futures and stock options can offer big returns with very little money down

By John Devcic

Futures trading and stock options trading offer a major advantage known as leverage. Say you have $5,000 dollars to invest. You could buy shares of a company, or you could buy stock options on that very same company. Each option gives you control of 100 shares. So with that $5,000, you can buy 10 options of a stock thats selling at $50, which amounts to 1,000 shares. Stock futures ...

Discount Brokers

How to find a good discount broker who suits your investment style

By Elise Matz

In the world of investments, a broker is your liaison to the market, a licensed professional qualified to make recommendations and buy and sell on the stock exchange. Unlike full service brokers, discount brokers are paid a salary rather than a commission. It is their job to execute your trades rather than solicit your business or council you individually. For a young investor star...

Profit Sharing Plans

Offering a profit sharing plan to your employees is a great way to contribute to their retirement

By Leah Kuriluk

Profit sharing plans are a type of retirement plan in which the company is the sole contributor. As a business owner, you can choose how much or how little to contribute to your profit sharing retirement plan each year. In fact, you don't have to contribute any money at all if you don't want to. This allows you some flexibility in case of a bad year. Contributions to the pr...

Investment Banking and Brokerage Software

Find an investment banking software program to meet your business needs

By Shannon Tani

Investment banking software provides the backbone of all investment banking firms. At some point, all brokerages will use some form of investment software.There is a wide range of brokerage software that a company will need to effectively run their business. Stock trading software can analyze the stock market and helps brokers to make important decisions regarding their clients'...

Roth IRAs

Decide if a Roth IRA is right for your retirement plan and start investing

By Tai G.

A Roth IRA (Individual Retirement Account) is a savings plan that allows you to make pre-taxed contributions to a retirement plan. The earnings are tax-free, although Roth IRA contributions are non-deductible. Come retirement, qualified withdrawals are also tax-free. In contrast, a traditional IRA lets you contribute tax-deferred funds. The money grows tax-free and contributions ar...