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Guides & Articles on Investing
Choosing a Financial Planner
Choose an advisor who meets your business needs
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...
Conducting Business Deal Due Diligence
Take the proper precautions to be sure a deal is as good as it looks
"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...
Corporate Bonds
Earn serious high yield fixed income with corporate bonds in your portfolio
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...
Day Trading
Whether stocks move up or down, day trading can be profitable
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...
Discount Brokers
How to find a good discount broker who suits your investment style
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...
Exchange Traded Funds
Buy and sell baskets of stocks with the ETF.
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...
Forming an Offshore Company
There are good reasons to consider it. Here's how to proceed
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...
IRA Plans
Make the most of 401k plans, Roth IRAs and other IRA accounts
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...
Initial Public Offering (IPO) Basics
Raising capital for your small business by going public
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...
Investing Extra Business Cash in Mutual Funds
Find great ways to diversify your investments
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...
Investment Banking and Brokerage Software
Find an investment banking software program to meet your business needs
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...
Investment Firms
Choose from discount and full-service brokers, mutual funds and more
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...
Online Brokers
To trade stocks online, you need an online broker
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...
Online Stock Trading
Trading stocks online is fast, simple and cheap. Here's what you need to know.
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...
Profit Sharing Plans
Offering a profit sharing plan to your employees is a great way to contribute to their retirement
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...
Real Estate Investment Companies
Partner with a real estate investment company to profit from investment opportunities
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...
Securities Lending How to Get Securities Loans
Securities loans can be used for many business and personal purposes
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...
Self-Employed Pension Plans
Let Uncle Sam pay for part of your retirement
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...
Small Business Charitable Giving
How to save on taxes, increase your business and help others
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...
Stock Futures and Options
Trading futures and stock options can offer big returns with very little money down
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...
Stock Quotes and Stock Quote Services
Free online stock quote services abound. And add-ons can dazzle
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...
Stock Trading
In bull or bear markets, stock trading know-how is your key to success
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...
Stocks (Equities) and Stock Investing
As long-term wealth builders, stocks rule. Here's how to do 'em right.
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"...
U.S. Brokerage Firms
Intelligently buy and sell investments through brokerage firms
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...
Valuation Advisory Services
Know your company's worth by consulting business valuation advisory services
Knowing what your business is worth is invaluable. Before you take advantage of valuation advisory services, you’ll need to collect three basic pieces of information that are used in a small business valuation formula. First, you’ll need cash flow analysis reports. Second, you’ll need to identify your assets. Third, you’ll need a comparative analysis of the...
