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Archive for January, 2010

Building business Credit

Posted in: General Finance | Tuesday, 26 January, 2010

Most businesses start building business credit with vendor credit. Vendor credit is when a company lets your business buy equipment or supplies and pay for them at a later date. This could be in 30 day, 60 days or more. You have to pay the full balance be the due date. Vendor credit is a good way for a new business to start building business credit and to get needed equipment until the business starts taking in money.

Vendor credit is a good start, but most businesses will need business credit cards. Getting business credit cards without personal guarantee from the owner should be the goal. If your business has been open for a few years with positive cash flow and a good payment history, getting business credit cards without a personal guarantee should not be difficult.

If your business is having trouble obtaining business credit cards without a personal guarantee, you should consider hiring someone to help with building business credit. It is not easy to build business credit, and if you have not been able to do it yourself, it’s time to get help. You may have made an error that needs correcting right away if you want to start building business credit the right way.

Not all business owners get the concept of business credit, it’s okay to ask for help. Few people understand the complex nature of business credit, it isn’t something they teach in business school.

Powerful Emotions People Have Concerning Money

Posted in: Finance Tips, General Finance | Monday, 25 January, 2010

This is one of the most powerful emotions people have concerning money. So powerful it’s like flushing dollar bills straight down the toilet!

I’ve seen people become anxious and even panic stricken on finding out that… wait for it… their next door neighbor has just bought a new car! So panic stricken that the very next day they were down the bank borrowing money… tons of money… money they can’t quite afford to pay back… just so they can go and buy a newer car than their next door neighbors! And I’m not even slightly exaggerating here!

Even more amazing. If you point out to them that they’ve just bought a new car in an attempt to keep up with their next door neighbors, they’ll point blank deny it!

I’ve even heard of this married couple getting themselves heavily into debt buying a newer car than their neighbors, only to find out that their next door neighbor had only borrowed a new car while their old one was having a service! But when their neighbors found out that the married couple had bought a new car… off they went to the bank as well!?!

You can imagine the conversations over the fence can’t you? “Mine’s got cruise control”, “Mine’s got leather seats”, “Mine’s got blah blah blah….”

I tell you. I don’t fully understand it… and neither do they!

Imagine This Scenario:

Someone you know has just bought a new car and they have brought it round quite clearly to show it off to you. They say, “Where’s your car?” You cringe and tell them it’s in your garage, knowing what’s coming next. They immediately say “Come and have a look at our new one…” You’re falling for their trap!

The REAL reason they’re showing you their new car is to get you jealous so that you go out and get yourself into more crippling debt… just like they have.

They’re over the initial good feeling of buying their new car and now they’re feeling overwhelmed with the reality of the debt. They want you to feel like they do now.

They’ll tell you how good it feels, how fast it goes, how it solves all their problems… they WON’T tell you about the stress they’re under because of the debt they’re in. They WON’T tell you how many hours they have to work each week to pay off just the interest!

They’re hoping and praying that you fall for their scam.

So be very careful!

If you hadn’t already planned to buy a new car before they turned up then… GET A GRIP!

It’s like this. Would you jump off a cliff just because someone else did? Well don’t go into debt just because someone else has either.

Praise them for their new purchase. Tell them how lucky they are. Be pleased for them.

When they’ve gone, have a little snigger at how much debt they’re in compared to you. Then get on with your life as if nothing had happened.

There’s no pleasing some people. Anyhow, the right thing for you to do is to just forget about it. Don’t take the bait. Don’t fall for their trap. I wonder if you have been down this road.

Learn To Trade Forex

Posted in: Finance Tips, General Finance, Online Business | Monday, 25 January, 2010

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Over the last few years, there has been a great deal of interest in Forex trading. The interest in Forex trading had also been compounded by the fact that people are now starting to look for greener pasture especially after the housing bubble burst in the US. Amidst all these interests, it is unavoidable that one would feel the urge to learn to trade Forex and keep abreast of investment opportunities that are present by this exciting market. Before learning how to trade Forex, a basic understanding of the Forex market will help pave the way for more detailed studies.

The Forex market unlike the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is an Over the Counter (OTC) market. This means it is a decentralized market where trading is through a system of communication network rather than on an actual physical trading floor. Because of this, the Forex market actually span across several time zones around the globe. As such, it is a 24 hours market where trading occurs continuously for five days a week.

It is a platform where traders can exchange currencies at a rate determined by the market. There are two reasons why currencies are traded. One reason is for the payment of goods and services by international companies. The other reason is because traders speculate on the movement of the exchange rates and seek to gain profits from such fluctuations. The exchange rates fluctuate because the demand for a currency is always changing and this change is reflected in the differing rates. This explanation is actually an oversimplification of the Forex market. Unlike share prices which are determined by the performance of the companies, currencies prices are affected by a myriad of factors. Hence, trying to forecast the rate of a currency is an extremely complex process.

It is also a good idea to seek the advice of your broker as his advanced knowledge of the market will be able to give your some direction in improving your knowledge base. To gain a feel of how the Forex market is like, you can also always try out a “practice account” where you will trade virtual money based on the actual exchange rates. You will note that it is an extremely dynamic market and can be quite exciting to observe. Nevertheless, learning how to trade Forex properly requires patience and some investment in time to learn about the intricacies of the Forex market. Thus, it would be a good idea for anyone who wants to learn how to trade Forex to enroll themselves in some Forex education courses to further understand how this market really works.

There are also many sources of information about Forex available on the internet. These information can be for free or require some minor payment to acquire. Free information are usually very basic and if you wish to learn more advanced concepts, you would most likely be required to pay for it. You should do as much research as possible and read as many reviews as possible before you join any Forex training program. This way, you will avoid any disappointments by knowing upfront what to expect.