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Posts Tagged ‘money’

Reptiles don't Like Affirmations

Can reptiles love? What kind of a question is that? Well, it’s a very important one because there is a reptile inside you. Yuck! Our dinosaur ancestors had one and it’s called the limbic system today (don’t know what dinosaurs called it).

Think like a reptile for a moment, what would you fear, what would you be interested in? What would feel, on seeing something new? Let’s assume for the moment that our awareness of reptiles is correct and that they are relatively free of finer feelings like love, joy and happiness, they are largely motivated by fear, hunger, sex and self-preservation.

Imagine you are still that reptile, and you see something new. How would you react? If it looked like something scary we might bite it, or just run away.

Now step back into “you” again. How many times has your inner reptile made you react the same way? You see, we think we are all one thing: a human being. During our evolution, millions of different parts came together gradually as we became what we are today. Our brains are made up of three major parts, the stem or reptile brain, the mid-brain which deals with emotions and the rational brain. That’s just the brain. Even in our cells, our DNA needs something called RNA to interact with the rest of the body. So in a way, even DNA is “foreign” to the body, since it needs something else (RNA) to act as its messenger. Even our cells evolved from different primitive ancestors too. All our genetic heritage is passed on from the female side generation after generation, in a part of the cell called the mitochondria. Don’t tell your girlfriend or wife!

Our being the sons and daughters of Eve is absolutely right. Go back only 6,000 generations and our DNA shows we all originated in Africa, from one single migration. In terms of human evolution, that’s just a blink of an eye, and we’re all really African. The difference genetically between any two humans is barely measurable. The chimpanzee, our nearest relative, is only 2-3% different from us genetically.

So what’s with the evolutionary tour? Back to the brain, the limbic system is aware in a very vague way of other parts of the brain and frankly all it really cares about is survival. Not rich, happy or fulfilled. Survival. That’s it baby.

The subconscious is where the action is though. No one really knows which part of the brain it lives in, but it really does exist and much more importantly, it is where your accumulated beliefs live. Also, the subconscious does not understand negatives or have a sense of humor and is VERY literal in its interpretation of what you feed it.

The mid-brain has a richer emotional life and is aware far more than the limbic system, but it views life through an emotional lens. There goes the idea of the brain as a super computer. The cartoon of the brain as logical is just simply not true. Thinking often acts more to stop action, that to prompt taking action.

Want an example, when you are at a store and the attendant comes over and starts to sell to you, if you are marginally keen, what’s the most common phrase people use? I’ll ____________ it.

Notice that interesting second word? Not a scrap of emotion there. Thought tends to lead to more thought. In case you did not remember the phrase, would you like to have it? “I’ll think about it”.

So in the end, we usually make emotional decisions and then justify them afterwards. Just ask anyone who just bought product X over product Y. It boils down to the fact that they liked one more than the other. The bells and whistles of the features justified the decision, they were not the reason for the decision, which was emotional not rational. We had a series of beliefs about that product being a better fit for us than another one. Guess what? Suppose that someone walks in just after you and to them, product Y was just so much better, no one in their right mind would choose X. Who’s right? Neither or both. Choose either one. Both had beliefs about something that caused them to take action and buy something.

So what about our larger lives? How are our lives shaped by our beliefs? If beliefs can prompt us to take action, they can also stop us from taking action too. Let’s say you have a strong belief that you can’t swim (forget the “because’s for the moment”) well first off, you can’t swim because you have a negative belief around swimming which you can justify with lots of reasons and secondly, because you believe that chances are you’ll stop yourself from learning to swim. So your belief that you can’t swim stops you from learning to swim!

Now let’s apply that to money. Oh no! The dreaded “M” word. Not THAT one boys, the one around the green stuff. Few subjects have more experts than money, and many of those experts are also broke. Remember how “literal” minded the subconscious is. Everyone has an opinion about how to get it, who should or should not have some and so on. You could probably teach a course about sex easier than about money.

Why? Well, because money is an essential ingredient to living in the 21^st century, it is the means by which we can live our large dreams and achieve the kind of freedom deep down we all believe we can have. Here’s where our beliefs pop up with a thousand and one reasons why we cannot have this kind of life. Have you heard of the phrase “filthy rich”? In that belief world you have to be filthy to be rich. Be honest, deep down, if you had to be filthy, would you really want to be rich. Fancy being filthy? You have to be that first, before being rich.

How about “money is the root of all evil”? How many have heard of that one? I sure have. Bad is one thing, but evil is a whole different thing altogether. Being “bad” is breaking societies conventional rules and bad usually becomes good over time. In my view, evil is a deliberate and conscious desire to cause harm to others for no purpose. It’s probably scary just reading that sentence. Whew! Imagine how your reptile brain is reacting to that one! That pretty much says, danger, right?

It is our deepest, hidden beliefs that are guiding our lives. We are not even aware of these beliefs most of the time. But these beliefs guide us like a laser bomb to its target. What are we targeting though, happiness or misery? Whether your beliefs are explosive or not will show up in the results in your life, around money, relationships and health for instance. If you are interested in changing those beliefs for more productive ones, The Science of Getting Rich is about wealth in more than just financial terms. You can also check out The Power of Simplicity.

You see, our reptile brain is alive and well, so are all the other parts of us. Our emotions, our feelings, our conscious thoughts and our subconscious beliefs. Imagine all of these aspects of you pulling in different directions, how will you get to where you want to go?

Spiritual Growth is really just chucking out the junk we accumulate in life. Well, spirit is perfect already, but that is the subject of another post.

Technical analysis of the stock market, or any other market such as Forex, Bonds, Futures, is how most traders and investors make their trading decisions. This is as opposed to fundamental analysis which most people more agree is pretty much done as a way of making trading decisions, unless of course you are Warren Buffet!.

You only have to think back to major stock market scams like Enron to know that it is almost impossible for the average, and even very sophisticated fund manager or hedge fund trader to really know what the real financial state of a company is.

Just by reading the balance sheet and other quarterly reports they release gives you a very limited insight into the real health of the company. Whereas the technical analysis charts of the company tend to give the real picture of what the market thinks of the value of the company. In the case of Enron even simple technical analysis told you to SELL when the stock was in the $80-90 range, this is why technical analysis of stocks is so popular.

So what are the secrets to technical analysis?, I’m about to tell you, here are my golden rules:

* Only use 3-5 simple technical analysis indicators

* Make sure that you understand how the indicators that you have selected work, what the parameter settings are and in what market conditions they are effective

* After selecting your indicators and parameter settings don’t mess with them.

The real secret to technical analysis is to become VERY familiar with your choosen indicators, and really this can only be done by watching and studying the market, so that you get to the point that you TRUST them.

The fact is that in any market, for each bar, there are only 5 pieces of information, the open, close, high, low and volume, yet there are now hundreds of indicators. Most of these indicators are displaying the same information and so are redundant.

For the record my set of indicators are:

* 4 Simple Moving Averages

* Bollinger Bands

* MACD

* Stochastics

But the way I use them is quite special, to learn more about how to become an expert at technical analysis visit:

Top Dog Trading Review

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All of us want to get the best credit card rate possible for the credit cards we carry. People don’t generally care too much about the brand of the card just so long as they can get the lowest rate available. The payments and the fees involved are the biggest factors that will impact if they can pay back the debts. Of course, finding the best credit card rate will takes some time, but the pay-off is that you’ll know before making your first purchase exactly what to expect. There are two steps involved in getting the best credit card rates.

The first step is determining the credit card type you will qualify for. One of the first things you’ll need to know is your FICO score, which is available at credit monitoring agencies. Scores of over 700 are considered low risk, between 620 and 659 are of moderate risk, and from 619 and below are considered a high risk. Your risk level will determine the terms credit card companies will offer you. One of the benefits of having a good credit score is that you’ll be eligible for lower interest rates and it’s generally easier to find a company willing to extend you credit.

The second step is to look for the best credit card rate. After determining the type of credit card you are qualified for, and you know this because you now know your credit score. Basically, your score represents your ability to pay back your debt, the higher your score, the better you look to the credit card company. To obtain a credit card with the best rate you need to shop around for it. There are three ways to shop for the best credit card rates. The first thing is to compare interest rates of online. The second way is to look for the offers through your mail. Finally, the third way is to go to your bank and discuss things with them. It is wise that you use the three methods to shop around. You will be able to easily determine who will offer you the best rate.

By doing all these things you can be sure to keep more of your hard earned money. You can even apply for credit cards offering incentives like best rewards credit cards. Even if you’ve had problems with bankruptcy you can search for credit cards after bankruptcy and find companies that will extend you credit.

Bonds are one of the main stream types of investment along with stocks and real estate, and if you want to learn how to trade bonds make sure that you get a good education in the subject 1st. There are a number of important points that you must understand about bonds before you start investing in them. Not fully understanding these things may cause you to purchase the wrong bonds, at the wrong maturity date.

Like all investments it is important to learn about what you are investing in, and certainly don’t just take the advice given to you by a bond seller without checking it out first yourself. The three most important points that must be considered when purchasing a bond include the par value, the maturity date, and the coupon rate.

The par value of a bond refers to the amount of cash you will receive when the bond reaches its maturity date. In other words, you will receive your initial investment back when the bond reaches maturity.

The maturity date is the date that the bond will reach its full value. On this date, you will receive your initial investment, and the interest that your money has earned.

Corporate and State and Local Government bonds can be “called” before they reach their maturity, at which time the corporation or issuing Government will return your initial investment, along with the cash that it has earned thus far. Federal bonds cannot be “called”.

The coupon rate is the interest that you will receive when the bond reaches maturity. This number is written as a %, and you must use other information to find out what the interest will be. A bond that has a par value of $2000, with a coupon rate of 5% would earn $100 per year until it reaches maturity.

Because bonds are not issued by banks, many people don’t fully understand how to go about buying one. There are 2 ways this can be done.

You can use a broker or brokerage firm to make the purchase for you or you can go directly to the Government. If you use a broker, you will more than likely be charged a commission fee. If you want to use a broker, shop around for the lowest commissions!

Purchasing directly through the Government isn’t nearly as hard as it once was. There is a program called Treasury Direct which will allow you to buy bonds and all of your bonds will be held in one account, that you will have easy access to. This will allow you to avoid using a broker or brokerage firm.

More advanced traders may try to buy and sell bonds to take advantage of the price movements, you can even swing trade them. But this is a very risky business if you don’t know what you are doing, you will need to take a swing trading course if this was something that wanted to, but again most people just buy and hold.

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There is a lot of hype surrounding options trading, and for good reason, it’s a good way make a lot of cash fast, or can be used to grow your capital consistently month after month.

There’s also a lot of hype about how complicated it is and why you need to spend thousands of dollars on options trading education before you get started. Needless to say this last statement usually comes from trading seminar companies trying to sell your their trading course on options.

Lets cover a few of the basics about options and set you straight about a few important points. Firstly yes it is true that you can make a lot of money trading options, but of course you can also lose money just as fast.

When trading stocks your leverage is 1:1, if you go full out on margin you get get 1:2 leverage, but thats about it. With options it is not quite as straight forward to calculate the leverage but generally speaking you can get between 1:5 and 1:10 when you buy an option on a stock, or ETF.

So with 1:10 leverage, when the stock increases by 5% your option can increase by approx 50%, and this can happen in just a few days, this is why swing trading strategies using options on stocks is so popular.

However the downside is that the reverse can happen, if the stock drops by 5% your option can also drop by 50%, at which point you may want to close the trade and save some of your option value, it really depends on what your stop loss and risk management plan is.

What I’ve just described is called directional option trading where you are betting on the getting the direction of the stock movement correct, this is highly speculative. Options can also be used in option strategies which are much more non directional, such as covered call trades, credit spreads and Iron Condors. In these trades there is much less dependance on getting the stock direction correct, but it still matters.

So should you learn to trade options?, in my opinion you should not do directional option trades until you become very good at trading stocks. This is because you really need to be very precise with your entry and exit strategy and trading plan, and be very good at technical analysis.

Whereas if you want to do non directional option trades you don’t need to be such an experianced stock trader to be successful, but of course it does not hurt either.

Learning how to trade options is a very useful skill you have, but don’t rush into it and blow out your account. Make sure that you get a good options trading education before you start, and also make sure that you have a very solid stock trading education as well, such one from Top Dog Trading Review.

There is a lot of hype surrounding trading options, and for good reason, it’s a good way make a lot of money fast, or can be used to grow your capital consistently month after month.

There’s also a lot of hype about how complicated it is to learn and why you need to spend thousands of dollars on options trading education before you get started. Needless to say this last statement usually comes from trading seminar companies trying to sell your their trading course on options.

Lets cover a few of the basics about options trading and set you straight about a few important points. Firstly yes it is true that you can make a lot of money trading options, but of course you can also lose money just as fast.

When trading stocks your leverage is 1:1, if you go on margin you can get get 1:2 leverage, but thats about it. With options it is not as straight forward to calculate the leverage but generally speaking you can get between 1:5 and 1:10 when you buy an option on a stock, or ETF.

So with 1:10 leverage, when the stock increases by 5% your option can increase by approx 50%, and this can happen in just a few days, this is why swing trading strategies using options on stocks is so popular.

However the downside is that the reverse can happen, if the stock drops by 5% your option can also drop by 50%, at which point you may want to close the trade and save some of your option value, it really depends on what your stop loss and risk management plan is.

What I’ve described above is called directional option trading where you are betting on the getting the direction of the stock movement correct, this is highly speculative. Options can also be used in option strategies which are much more non directional, such as covered call trades, credit spreads and Iron Condors. In these trades there is much less dependance on getting the stock direction correct, but it still matters.

So should you trades options?, in my opinion you should not do directional option trades until you become an expert stock trader 1st. This is because you really need to be very precise with your entry and exit strategy and trading plan, and be very good at technical analysis.

Whereas if you want to do non-directional option trades you don’t need to be such an experianced stock trader to be successful, but of course it does not hurt either.

Learning how to trade options is a very useful skill you have, but don’t rush into it and blow out your account. Make sure that you get a good options trading education before you start, and also make sure that you have a very solid stock trading education as well, such one from Top Dog Trading Review.

Would you like to proactively write a book and make money from it?

It is estimated that only 5% of authors become a bestseller.

What’s worse is that about 1% of authors actually earn a living by writing . In fact most authors find it very difficult to get back what they’ve invested.

How does that 1% do it? Even more important, can you become one of the few?

They’ve found the secret for how to write a book, get it published, get it on the bestseller lists and earn lots of money.

It isn’t just a lucky strike, because some are able to do repeatedly.

There are many success factors to writing a good book, but I would like to focus on the three key success factors to writing a bestseller and making a lot of money from it.

If you learn and implement these factors, you could add an additional 6 or 7-figures from each book you write in the future.

Key Factor 1 – Turn your book into a business so that each book has desirable products to accompany it.

A book is more than just paper and ink. It transfers your knowledge for people to use and enjoy via a traditional format. You’ll have a far greater level of success when you realize that you can communicate the same information in other acceptable ways that sell just as effectively. When you’re thinking about your next book, proactively plan your other products so that your book is an intentional part of your business. Not only you have an additional income stream, but also a very effective marketing system, because the book sells everything and everything sells the book.

Key Factor 2 – As your write the book, stick in all of the necessary ingredients and most of the enticing ones, and you’ll find your book is quite simple to advertise, market and sell.

There are several components which cannot be ignored when creating a bestseller, and some of them must be included from the start. There are also some highly desirable features which help to expand the marketability and value of your book. For instance, you must have a bar code and an ISBN number, plus certain bindings and features so that bookstores can sell your book for you. There are also about 10 features that make your book much easier to market and are therefore very desirable. Having relevant quotes, testimonials, resources listings, captivating stories that make a point, and an index are some of the top features of every New York Times Bestseller.

Key Factor 3 – Proactively begin pre-selling your book while you are still writing and control pre-sales to as much possible so that you’ll know where your books are going to be purchased and when.

You need to learn what it takes to make your book a bestseller. For instance, not all sales of books count toward becoming a bestseller and it’s crucial to know which ones do. Keep your attention to only those that count and compress the sales during an appropriate period of time. If you have done your homework and created the right sales volume you’ll have a guaranteed winner.

ACTION POINT: If you want to learnhow to write a book that makes money and becomes a bestseller, then follow the formula that others use to hit that goal. Make a decision to use the Key Factors outlined above and keep your eye on the ball, and you’ll hit a home run every time.

Lets imagine that your wallet got stolen and you need cash fast.But, your salary will not arrive for another week. So what else you can do to close the cash gap?  One option is that you can get apply for a fast cash loan or cash advance.Cash Advance is great but the thing is to know how much you can get?

The amount of how much you can get will really depend on a few things, such as how much money you make, how many cash advance loans you have open and have left unpaid, and also if you have a checking account currently. They will let you know the loan amount only after you have answer their questions. The qualifying age for most cash loan companies has to be over 18. You also must have a valid checking account with them and no other open cash advance loans.

Cash advance is fast and easy to help you until your next payday for whatever your needs. However, take note that the limit may or may not suit your needs. Most cash advance companies will only give you a limited amount such as $300 – $500 for your first time application. Only when you have a good credit line history that they will have the loan amount increased for you. In most cases, the loan amount can go up to about $1500. It very much depends on the rules of where you stay.

If all you need is some quick cash to help out, then this can be a viable way to get the money fast and then pay back only at the next pay day. If you are in need of huge amount of money, then a cash advance will not benefit you much. Maybe you can consider to apply for credit card.

Bonds are one of the main stream types of investment along with stocks and real estate, and if you want to learn how to trade bonds make sure that you get a good education in the subject 1st. There are certain things you must understand about bonds before you start investing in them. Not understanding these points may cause you to purchase the wrong bonds, at the wrong maturity date.

Like all investments it is important to learn about what you are investing in, and certainly don’t just take the advice given to you by a bond seller without checking it out 1st yourself. The three most important points that must be considered when purchasing a bond include the par value, the maturity date, and the coupon rate.

The par value of a bond refers to the amount of money you will receive when the bond reaches its maturity date. In other words, you will receive your initial investment back when the bond reaches maturity.

The maturity date is of course the date that the bond will reach its full value. On this date, you will receive your initial investment, and the interest that your money has earned.

Corporate and State and Local Government bonds can be “called” before they reach their maturity, at which time the corporation or issuing Government will return your initial investment, along with the cash that it has earned thus far. Federal bonds cannot be “called”.

The coupon rate is the interest that you will receive when the bond reaches maturity. This number is written as a %, and you must use other information to find out what the interest will be. A bond that has a par value of $2000, with a coupon rate of 5% would earn $100 per year until it reaches maturity.

Because bonds are not issued by banks, many people don’t understand how to go about buying one. There are two ways this can be done.

You can use a broker or brokerage firm to buy them for you or you can go directly to the Government. If you use a broker, you will more than likely be charged a commission fee. If you want to use a broker, shop around for the lowest commissions!

Purchasing directly through the Government isn’t nearly as hard as it once was. There is a program called Treasury Direct which will allow you to purchase bonds and all of your bonds will be held in one account, that you will have easy access to. This will allow you to avoid paying a broker or brokerage firm.

More advanced traders may try to buy and sell bonds to take advantage of the price movements, you can even swing trade them. But this is a very risky business if you don’t know what you are doing, you will need to take a swing trading course if this was something that wanted to, but again most people just buy and hold.

Did you realize there are government agencies to help you get government grants and loans? Even with bad credit history, you can apply for government grants and loans which will actually help fix your credit.

Of course to qualify for a loan, you have to follow some specific guidelines. If you’ve tried to borrow money from the bank or your credit agency and you been turned down twice, this alone may qualify you. To give you an idea, if you need a used car and you are turned down by two distinct used car dealerships, you could qualify for a loan from the government for a car through the appropriate agency.

There are all sorts of free gov grants and loans , such as money to help you start a business, grants for a single parent or if you have to care for a foster child. If a higher education is in the cards for you like college or university, there are student loans and grants you can apply for. As stated earlier, if you jump through a few hoops and untangle a little red tape, you could qualify for government grants or loans that could cost you little to no interest at all.

Always remember, if you default or get behind on your payments for your loan you will not be able to get another and the penalties can become really stiff. The government can garnish your paycheck or collect their money straight out of your checking account. Even an inheritance isn’t safe if you default on money borrowed from the government, and you can bet they will claim first rights to any inheritance money you receive. When you make a deal with the government, you better make every effort to keep it. Big Brother will be watching.

You can seek help from the government by submitting an application for a grant or loan if you’re having trouble meeting your financial obligations to other creditors. A grant is free money which does not have to be paid back, which makes them even more appealing. However, if you use the money for anything else other than its intended purpose and they find out, down come the penalties. You can also be prosecuted and spend time in prison.

Due to our bad economy, a bill was just passed through Congress to help those who are having problems paying their creditors. The bill entitles the qualified applicant the right to use legal aid and greatly reduced legal fees, accessible across the country.If you’re having trouble negotiating with your creditors, there are government agencies that can intervene on your behalf. Free credit counseling is also available which is really handy if you need it.

If you are having trouble temporarily paying your rent, HUD (Housing and Urban Development) can assist you by paying a portion of it every month for an approved period of time.  HUD can also help out if you are a first time home buyer with less than stellar credit.  Under the Homebuyers Bill of Rights, a person with bad credit can still purchase a home and get a loan for up to $500K with a low interest rate.

When the whole world seems to be against you just because you got into a bad situation, there is hope. Contact your lenders and ask them how you can qualify for help acquiring a government loan or grant.