In part 1 of this article I started to look at the financial implications of giving up the day job to instead start trading full time for a living. There are more than just monetary considerations as we will see later, but for now, there are some more costs to ponder.More Costs!Let's move on to equipment. Presumably you already have a PC and internet connection by virtue of the fact you are reading this on the internet. But are these both up to...more
Recently, my family and I took a trip to Maine to visit relatives. During our stay, we toured the rocky shore lines and took in the beautiful architecture of the old towns.One sunny morning, three generations of Wardlaws boarded a lobster boat and set out on a guided lobster trapping excursion.We quickly learned lobstermen lead a life of hard work and regulations. Over the course of many years, Maine's lobstermen and state officials have...more
OK, so you are up to your head in debt. You are stressed out, it is now affecting the way you function and absorbing most of your daily thoughts. You have no idea what to do. OK, first things first. Take a step back and try and look at things with a clear head. Your debt is manageable. If you have many bills and just can't afford them all, the first thing you should consider is a debt consolidation loan. A debt consolidation loan will help you out by consolidating all of your debt into one monthly payment that you can afford.Second of all, figure out what is an affordable amount of money, that you can afford to pay monthly. You want this to be a fair amount of cash, however you still need to account for some money for yourself to prevent yourself from slipping further into debt.The next step is to cut up your current credit cards. I know I've fallen into this trap on numerous occasions; I didn't cut up my credit cards and planned to use them for 'EMERGENCY ONLY'. Well, a few months roll by, and that new shirt, and that tank of gas add up to ANOTHER full credit card. If you no longer have credit cards, you can't be tempted to use them.Finally, you need to correct the...more
Morningstar now provides Fiduciary Grades on mutual funds. How does Morningstar determine these grades? How can mutual fund investors use these grades to better manage their portfolios?Mutual fund investors use Morningstar Rating™ as a sign post of mutual fund performance. These ratings have proved to be a valuable tool for objectively comparing...more
Putting a piece of paper in a file folder is easy; finding it again is the hard part. There are ways to make your files easier to use and your papers easier to find. Invest in a sturdy, four or five-drawer file cabinet. Spend the extra money it takes to get quality and durability. You'll spend more money replacing a cheaper file cabinet a few times...more
One of the hardest things for most individuals working from home is to stay focused. One of the best ways to stay focused is organization. In addition, being organized will help your time management skills. The two are very much intertwined. Planning out your day is very important. What you will do in the morning, afternoon/and or evening, depending on what hours you work is paramount. Have a trigger that starts your day. For example, my trigger is I finish my morning walk. Once this is done, I make a cup of Java and to the office I go. Once in the office, the computer goes on, along with the auxiliary equipment. I check my tickle file, my calendar for the day, and pull my To-Do file. While I am looking at these items my mail program is working to check e-mail. I delete the junk and deal with the additional mail by answering it, or placing it in a folder to deal with later. At this point depending on your business you should start dealing with the items in your tickle file and To Do List. For those of you just starting to run a lease purchase business you should be doing the following: Check your goals Check your calendar and tickler file Check your e-mail and answer If you need...more
Every day we get emails and telephone calls from people who want to get started in Real Estate. We hear, I am just checking out your program. Or, I've been researching for the past six months to try and find a program. While researching and checking...more
An Ann Landers column "Parenthood is not a job for the weak at heart" caught my interest.Job Description for a ParentPosition: ParentJob Description: Long-term player needed for challenging, permanent work in chaotic environment. Candidates must...more
A big source of managerial churn is lack of clarity around the decision process. The biggest source of confusion is the Team Decision. Does this mean that the boss wants lots of input and discussion before deciding or does it mean that a decision...more
As a sole proprietor, it*s wise to familiarize yourself with the some key deductions that may reduce your tax bill for 2004. Small-business consultants generally recommend that you hire an accountant to prepare your tax returns, payroll and financial...more
It's a dream I've heard so many people express: "I want to run a bed and breakfast. They are so cute" Or "I want to own a vacation rental property, so I can get a free vacation and make money the rest of the year.But what is really involved in...more
With currency trading becoming ever more popular, the number of brokers is growing at a rapid rate. What should one look at when deciding which broker to open an account with? These are the important points to consider.SpreadBecause currencies,...more