Wealth Building: Develop your financial wealth and poverty

They want to share their vision and put their ideas and individuality across in the form of the venture they choose. They have a vision and a view of how they can serve the interests of the local community. They are would be entrepreneurs who have a vision and have taken the time to develop a business plan and have researched this plan, formulated it and, very often, staked it with their own personal savings. When that vision collapses into a quagmire of debt and responsibility, it is a time to seek professional help regarding the forms of financial help that are available, including small business bankruptcy.

It is sad to realize that something that one has undertaken is just not attainable at the moment and that a project is just not financially viable. The strain to keep this enterprise is not worth the stress and it just does not justify the intrusion it makes upon ones life. But when the realization comes that the venture has become an unavoidable work commitment that not only does not add to the owner's income, it is also quite a detriment, one needs to seek advice regarding the financial obligations. Finding a solution to financial obligations does not have to mean filing chapter 11 small business bankruptcy and it does not have to mean the end of a personal vision and of a potentially viable venture. The solution may just mean financial reorganization. There is help available for debt reorganization and all forms or methods with which to deal with financial problems. They all offer an alternative to the radical solution of filing a small business bankruptcy petition.

There are many debt consultants listed on the Internet who can offer advice on the forms of help that will give the best advice regarding what form of relief best applies to each individual situation. It is always best to seek the aid of a debt management consultant to avail oneself of their expertise in devising the various forms of aids that are available. Basically debt management is a continuum, that begins with negotiations that revolve around either consolidation of the financial obligations that results in one unified payment or debt settlement, which may result in a reduced payment plan of the total business debt being enacted.

Any and all of these plans should be utilized in preference to the last resort of filing a chapter 11 business bankruptcy settlement which may not give the owner the relief he or she thinks it will afford, and will certainly negatively impact the further continuance of this enterprise. This form of small business bankruptcy is not designed to be a debt absolution plan as many people erroneously think. Chapter 11 small business bankruptcy is actually designed as a quite stringent plan in which a conservator is appointed to take charge of the business assets to apply them to the repayment of all the businesses debts. The protection it offers is relief from creditors attempts to collect. The bottom line with small business bankruptcy is that there are limitless reorganization plans, including debt management, consolidation and settlement that are available if one contacts a debt management consultant. Many of these debt management consultants will describe to the owner the many options that can contain the negative impact that debt can exert upon their business and offer several solutions that may be much preferable to seeking small business bankruptcy protection.

The United States bankruptcy statutes and court filings are designed to aid persons who want to pay their accumulated business debt, but are not able to do so. Before you file a bankruptcy petition is it important that you enlist the advice of a business debt management consultant to determine whether a different form of business debt program may not be a better choice. A businesses debt consolidation or a debt settlement may provide the relief that the business needs with out formally petitioning for bankruptcy.

At any rate, meeting with a business debt management consultant is a requirement of filing for chapter 11 business debt protection. If, in the course of this counselling, a business management plan is developed, a copy of it must be filed alongside the chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It is important to understand the difference in the protection the bankruptcy court provides. Chapter 13 is aimed to protect individuals who have an ensured wage from their creditors' attempts to collect their debts for three years. It is designed to give debtors the designated 3 year time period to make scheduled repayment to the creditors without being bothered by creditor attempts at collection and with out penalty or further accrued interest. Chapter 13 has a debt limit of $175,000 of debt and it may be extended to individuals who operate a business.

However the primary bankruptcy tool that has been designed to afford relief to those with significant business debt is the chapter 11 business bankruptcy plan. In order to file a chapter 11 business bankruptcy petition the individual must provide proof that a debt management professional has been consulted. If a debt management plan has resulted from that meeting, it will be filed with the petition. There is a $1000 basic filing fee for a chapter 11 business bankruptcy, plus additional small fees that must be paid at the time of filing. When the plan outlined in the chapter 11 business bankruptcy is approved by the court, the assets of the business will be placed in receivership or under the guidance of a court appointed conservator who will supervise the manner in which the business assts will be utilized to repay the debts of the business. A debt repayment plan will be formulated by the conservator and will have to be strictly adhered to. A business bankruptcy that is given chapter 11 protection is not an erasure of the business' debts; it is a strict schedule that is worked out whereby the business operator repays the debts of the business within his or her capacity.

The decision to try to seek protection from business debts by filing a business bankruptcy is best made with the advice of a business debt management consultant. A business bankruptcy may not offer the business debt protection that the business really requires. It may be that other options available to resolve business debt are better choices to alleviate those pressures from creditors without placing the business in an inoperable position. Speak with a qualified and experienced business debt management consultant about the other options available to address business debt. It may be that a business debt consolidation or a business debt resolution may be a better overall choice.

Additionally, there are many types of small business loan plans that are available to that may be enough to take a business over the rough patches and continue to stay in operation, thus providing the owner with an income and the community with a useful service. A chapter 11 or 13 business bankruptcy should be a measure of last resolve that is used only after all other options have been explored and eliminated.

Many people want to know how they can avoid bankruptcy, it can be a difficult question to answer, especially when you have to consider the individuals unique circumstances. This article is going to try to give you the ten best ways to help you avoid filing for personal bankruptcy. This advice is just that, it's not legal advice and it certainly shouldn't be relied upon. You should seek qualified legal advice before making any decisions about your debt.

1. Ideally you need to increase the amount of money you have available to you every month. The best, and fastest way is to get a second job. You will only be able to take a second job if your full time job allows this. Even if the part time job only gives you two hundred dollars a week, that mounts up to 800 dollars a month, this will go a long way to reducing your debt. Write down all of the debts that you have, put the ones with the highest interest rate at the top as you will aim to pay these off first.

2. You must stop using your credit cards, they are the source of your trouble. If you can bear it then cut the cards up so that they can never be used again. Failing that you could give them to your wife. A credit card is however good for emergencies, you should keep one, just one mind!

3. Take a look at all of your assets and decide which ones are worth the most. Normally people don't realise just how much the things they own are worth.Houses are scarce goods and so appreciate in value, this appreciation may help in reducing your debt.If you cannot cover all of your debt by taking out a second mortgage then don't consider using this step, it's only worthwhile if you can pay everything off.

4. Unfortunately cars are not like houses, 99% of cars depreciate in value. If your car is still worth something then would you consider selling it? Of course you will need a car, so buy a cheaper car. Just remember that you do get what you pay for. Paying for something too cheep could be a really big mistake.

This is by no means a concise guide to reducing your debt, these are simply a few possible solutions to your debt.

Ever wonder what you are going to do with all that old stuff in the attic or basement? Many would simply say to dump it out and make room for that new high-def television that you bought from Best Buy. Others would yell out "Ebay it". Of course, the reality is that the old stuff stays with you because of the hassle of auctioning them off.

We all know at least one person who collects just about everything and stores it anywhere in the house that can fit. Fortunately, there's a way in getting rid of that stuff and get something in return. Swapping is a new alternative to buying and selling. In addition, swapping helps the environment by avoiding the additional pileups in the landfills. Instead, the stuff gets reused over and over.

Benefits of swapping for most people include the following: fun, being part of a group, support, friendship, and knowledge. Swapping does not have to include just items. It can also include your services and skills. Why not swap your skill for something you always wanted? Your time and knowledge is worth something and that can be traded for something.

There are many ways in getting rid of your unwanted stuff – donating to charitable organizations, participating in swap events or meets, selling items at a stoop sale, calling a local exchange market, or swapping stuff online similar to Ebay-style.

Keep in mind that there is always someone out there who can use or want your item. Keep the environment clean, save money, and start swapping.

A garnishment (often referred to as a garnishee) is one common method of collecting debts. With a garnishee, your creditors must obtain court permission to take money directly from your pay cheque or bank account. The garnishee that is issued by the court will be effective for a one year and if the full balance of the outstanding debt is not paid in that time the garnishee must be renewed by the creditor.

Wage Garnishment

A wage garnishment is the most common type of garnishee. With a wage garnishment, a copy of the court order is sent to your payroll office and they will withhold a portion of your payroll each month and send it directly to your creditor. In Canada, each province has legislation that governs what percentage of your pay cheque your typical creditors (i.e. not Canada Revenue Agency) can take. In Alberta, you are you are entitled to keep 100% of your first $800 of net take home income (after tax). Of the next $1600 (i.e. anything greater than $800 and less than $2400), you are permitted to keep half. Your creditors can garnishee 100% of your income above this $2400 cut-off. These are the limits that are set by the Alberta provincial government for each individual who is subject to a garnishee. However, if you have Dependants these limits do fluctuate. The limits are adjusted by $200 for each dependent in your care.

To better illustrate this calculation we have provided a breakdown of two different situations below:

Situation A: single person, no dependents, net income of $3200 per month

Income Available Percentage available Amount Garnisheed
$0.00 and $800 0% $0.00 $800.00 and $2400.00 50% $800.00 Above $2400 100% $800.00 Total amount of garnishee $1,600.00

Situation B: single person, 1 child, net income of $3200

Income Available Percentage available Amount Garnisheed
$0.00 and $800 0% $0.00
$1000.00 and $2600.00 50% $800.00
Above $2600 100% $600.00
Total amount of garnishee $1,400.00

Bank Account Garnishment

When monies are garnisheed directly from a bank account there is no limit. This means that a creditor can take 100% of the money in any account held with the institution served with the legal documents. There is no special treatment for money required to live, or a pay cheque that is deposited directly into your bank account; a creditor can take anything that is on deposit with the bank in question. The only exceptions are for monies that are paid under the Social Development Act, Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped Act, or under the Widow’s Pension Act.

If you are currently being garnisheed or at risk of being garnisheed, it is important to note that you do have a few options. For more infomation on how the filing of a personal bankruptcy or a consumer proposal can immediately remove these garnisments feel free to contact Goth and Company Inc. at 780-435-5110, visit us online at www.bankruptcy-edmonton.com, or e-mail us a question.

Taking part in marketing research surveys is a great way to earn some extra cash while also getting free stuff. I used to participate in quite a few surveys for a marketing company that was near my office. Unfortunately, I moved and it’s no longer convenient for me.

But if you can find a reputable marketing firm near you, you can take advantage of some great offers.

How do marketing research surveys work?

They’re actually pretty simple. When you participate in a survey, you’ll be asked to fill out an application that contains some basic information about yourself. You’ll then be put in a group with other participants and given a product to try out.

It could be a new board game, a kitchen gadget, a toy, or even food. One of my favorite marketing research surveys was for a pizza chain that was tinkering with its recipe. We stuffed our faces with every type of pizza you can imagine.

Once you’ve had ample time to properly test out the product, you’re given a short questionnaire to fill out. It just asks basic questions about what you liked and disliked about the product and how likely you would be to pay for it in the future.

That is usually followed up by a short group session where all the participants can discuss their opinions together while a moderator asks follow-up questions. Once the group session is complete, they pay you and send you on your way. You won’t be paid a fortune, but most companies at least give you enough for a tank of gas. Occasionally they’ll let you take home a sample of the product you tested too.

What kind of people are needed for marketing research surveys?

Marketing companies need people from all walks of life. They want a wide variety of people who have different incomes, interests and lifestyles. This will give them a sampling of what the general public thinks about their products.

By participating in marketing research surveys, you’ll also have a voice in the types of products that go on the market.

In the age of the internet, many companies now conduct marketing research surveys online, which is cheaper for them and more convenient for you.

Welcome back to the Wealth Practicum - A practical application of tools, techniques and approaches to creating wealth in the 21st century. Millionaire status is closer than you think.

I wanted to share some key things I believe are essential in creating wealth. The first is Leverage. Leverage comes in many forms. As an employee, no matter howWell paid you are, you are a source of leverage for your employer. As a real estate investor, you utilize leverage by borrowing money from the bank (opm or other people's money, right?) The more leverage you have, the less of your own money you're using. The key here is that you will never become wealthy as an employee working for hourly wages or on a fixed salary. You are a SOURCE of leverage for your employer and are not USING leverage to build your own wealth.

So what does that mean for the average person that wants to create an abundant, prosperous lifestyle? Clearly you need to be in a position where you are maximizing leverage, and that means for most people, being a business owner vs. an employee. Did you know that close to 90% of all people earning over $100,000 per year are running their own business and that the Home Based Business market is growing at around 12% per year. Over 20,000 people a day are responding to "start your own home business ads". Lets face it, most people are tired of working so hard for so little. The Rules are different today than they were just 10 years ago; if you are truly going to prosper you need to be entrepreneurial AND you have to have LEVERAGE.

The hard part is figuring out the best business to start and run. First of all you have to know that there is a lot of junk out there and I include Franchises in that mix as well. The internet has made it so easy to throw things up against the wall and see if they stick. There are all kinds of money games out there and you want to make sure you are picking something that has some meat on it. Also, there are a ton of people out there that are more than willing to tell you what to look for, that are totally unqualified to do so. Alternatively, I've been a home business entrepreneur now for 2.5 years, have done very, very well with it and I'm totally comfortable and versatile in the home business world -- and happy to share my observations with you...

1. First lets start with you. You have to know that a real business is going to require your effort. If they are saying that you don't have to talk to people or that its fully automated then be a little skeptical. Talking to people is still a necessary part of business. Also a business requires money to run it. If you have no money then starting and running a successful business is going to be a little tough unless you are someone who doesn't mind going out and meeting people face to face, or you have access to capital (OPM). In addition, you have to market. There is not a business on the planet that does not have to do some form of marketing to get customers, no customers no business.

2. Remember, leverage is important in selecting a home business -- here's an example -- what provides the greater degree of leverage? A) Coffee shop that costs $75K to open, $15K/month to run and throws off $10K/ month in profit? or B) Home business that costs $20K to start, $2K/month to run and throws off $10K/month in profit. Business "B" is obviously using leverage to a greater degree because it produces the same result with less money up front and less money ongoing.. Also, is there some form of residual income possible through the business -- In other words, can you do the work once, and get paid on your efforts over and over again. There's very powerful LEVERAGE in creating Residual income.

More to come next week with three additional points of leverage to identify when the next installment of Leverage is the way to wealth will be published.

Finally, there's a lot to consider when purchasing a business but I will tell you the number one mistake people make when buying a business or starting a home business and that's picking a business based on what it costs vs. leverage criteria laid out here. You can get into a business with very little or no cost, but it will likely not provide the leverage you require to really make alot of money. Remember -- look for the leverage in any business decision and watch your bank account grow.

You can view my website at www.yournewlegacy.com or www.wealthpracticum.blogspot.com for additional ideas on leverage, business and creating wealth working from home. I can also be reached at 800.813.9591 or commanderhempel@msn.com with questions

Matt Hempel
800.813.9591
http://www.YourNewLegacy.com

http://www.wealthpracticum.blogspot.com

Mommy, Where Does Money Come From?

Ask any five friends where money comes from, and the answers you get may be about as enlightening as a four-year-old's explanation of conception. And if you ask folks in the financial services industry, their answers are about as helpful as the fascinating paper I did on meiosis and mitosis in sophomore biology.

In other words, a lot of your information about how money enters your life is very likely incorrect or complicated past the point of usefulness.

How Money Enters Your Life

Let's look at four channels through which money might flow into your life.

Gift. Money is given to you by in keeping with the intention of another party without requiring or expecting anything from you in return.

Accident. Similar to a gift, but without the specific intent of another party.

Exchange. Money you receive in exchange for actual or expected goods or services.

Investment. Money generated as earnings from an investment.

None of those channels is especially mysterious. So why is it that some people are so successful in building wealth and some people experience chronic lack of money?

There are conventional reasons, such as being born into poverty, abjuring the material realm for the realm of spirit, and garden-variety ignorance and mismanagement.

But do those really explain anything? After all, some men and women born to poverty become extremely successful in building wealth. Mother Theresa lived simply, yet she raised millions and millions of dollars for her work. And ignorance and mismanagement are eminently curable, especially for those of you who are reading this newsletter and want to explore the "money and you" issue.

Your success in building authentic wealth is a function of the relationship between money and you and the roles you play with respect to the money that enters your life. When you relate to money in a creative, free, authentic manner, Authentic Wealth is a natural result.

You may very well have spent a lifetime in the sincere pursuit of authenticity, creativity, and freedom. Why isn't it showing up in the relationship between money and you? For the answer, let's visit The Land of Oz.

Pay Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain

Do you know the scene in the Wizard of Oz where Dorothy and friends face the Great and Terrible Oz? When a breeze disturbs the curtain concealing the all-too-human being behind the myth, the impostor cries out, "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!"

You are the man behind the curtain, in your relationship with money, orchestrating every aspect of the drama (and quite possibly terrifying yourself in the process.)

Spend some time looking at the roles you play in your financial life. Here's just one example of what you might find.

When money enters your life as a gift, how do you receive it? Are you an open, grateful, and un-conflicted recipient? Are you a partner who has made an unambiguous request? Or do you respond to gifts as if you are now a debtor or as if receiving the gift establishes you as needy or weak?

Whenever you impose on money a story of lack or injustice or hardship, you are moving away from conscious relationship and into the territory of the man behind the curtain: twisting dials and stomping on pedals to terrorize yourself.

That's why the amount you have has nothing to do with whether or not you are at peace about money. Just as the Lion's courage, the Scarecrow's brains, and the Tin man's heart were established by means of a medal, a diploma, and a ticking clock, your ability to experience and build authentic wealth is all about how you see yourself.

Investments are the rose-beds for old age. So it is imperative that you invest and ensure a comfortable future, after you retire. But investment involves a lot of strategy and planning. A smart investor would know what to invest, where to invest and most importantly, when to invest. As far as this ‘when’ goes, it’s always best to start building one’s nest early and hoard enough to retire at 50. That way, you can devote big time doing things closest to your heart post-retirement.

There are several ways to build one’s funds, but one must weigh the stakes and opportunities of every investment vehicle. The idea is to work hard, spend judiciously and save consciously. Unless you save at least 20%-25% of your income, you’ll probably not make it to an early retirement.

The big question is “how”?

Well, let’s begin from home. Cut down your expenses. Too much of eat-outs or unplanned spending are the usual deterrents to your savings. So check that. Then, may be changing your Lexus for the new Audi, and that for a Benz, all in a span of 10 years wouldn’t be a nice idea if you’re willing to build a ‘nest’. However, you must not stifle your living. Stay in the comfort zone, but be prudent.

Another significant way to grow your nest is by investing on a 401(k) plan, if your company offers one. A 401(k) has superb benefits—your money is directly saved from your paycheck, the money grows tax-free until withdrawn and your employer matches a percent of what you invest.

Next, invest your on IRAs. The traditional IRAs provide attractive benefits like the 401(k): it’s tax-free till withdrawn, you’ve a chance to deduct your contribution on your tax return, you can invest in anything. And if it’s a Roth IRA, you can’t deduct your contributions; but, you can withdraw money anytime tax-free and without penalty. The best part is: the money you reap from a 401(k) or IRA is taxed as your ordinary income. So it’s favorable for you.

Often people tap into the retirement savings prior to retirement. But this is totally uncalled-for as this leaves you with a much smaller nest after taxes and penalties.

Another common method to build funds is to invest in stocks. Though the stock market is never constant and is a risky mode of investment, the rewards are far too good to miss. It’s a huge advantage if you manage to understand stock market trends and invest accordingly. Keeping an eye on stock charts, or staying tuned to the market news helps a good deal on this regard. There are several websites dedicated to these. You may also consider taking a fund manager. But you must have 75%-80% of your portfolio in stocks, the market staggering notwithstanding.

So save throughout your career. And when the nest is ready, give wings to all your crazy desires for the rest of your life.

Do you wish that you didn’t have to worry about your bills at the end of the month? Would you like more exotic holidays with the people that you love to be around? Would it be nice just to know that you financial future is secure and that you don’t have to worry about what is just around the corner? Well now you can… Wealth is widely accepted as not the amount of money you have (that’s just a symptom of wealth) but a state of mind. One of the greatest industrialists that ever lived, Henry Ford, once commented ‘whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right’.

Henry wasn’t a well educated man; however he became one of the richest and most famous names in the world because he was focused on success. He knew how to flex that thinking muscle in between his ears. So how often do you get to exercise your grey matter? Getting your mind in line is critical when in comes to generating wealth. I like the old saying – ‘send the mind and the body will follow’… well I like to say, ‘send the mind and the bank balance will follow’. You see wealth very rarely comes from hard physical work, but comes in abundance when you use a little brain power.

Wealth is a funny thing. We spend most of our lives to make it and then (if we make it) spend very few years enjoying it. How about making it now and enjoying it now? How different could life be next year if you multiply your income?

Hypnosis works to reprogram that part of you brain that holds your financial habits. We call this part your sub-conscious mind and it is this that makes you the person that you are today. In fact all of your habits, behaviors and beliefs are all kept here. While using hypnosis you will experience many relaxing and exciting feelings as you begin to harness the power of your sub-conscious mind and redesign it with the confidence and motivation that you both need and desire to achieve your financial dreams.

If you are serious about achieving your goals then I recommend that you start by contacting your local hypnotherapist, or try a hypnosis recording that you will find plenty of in your local bookshop or for download on the internet.

This year is setting up to be one heck of a trading season for the Corn & Soybean markets! What is suggested is low-risk option and futures trades for both December corn and August and November soybeans.

In fact, we may see soybeans trade equal to or surpass the (6/2004) highs indicated on the seasonal chart. Folks who traded August soybeans back in 2004 saw profits of $25,000 as prices climbed from April into July and about the same amount as prices fell from July into September with simple low-risk option purchases. I'm referring to 2004 because the setup is much the same for 2007!

This isn't a trading opportunity to be missed! A small trading account can explode in this type environment!

Farmers responded to the high demand and low supply of the corn market for this season by intending to plant 90.454 million acres of corn this season as compared with the average trade estimate of 87.98 million acres (range 86.3-90.76) and 78.327 million acres planted last year. That's a large number but will be needed to keep up with expanded ethanol production.

For Soybeans, the USDA indicated that producers plan to plant 67.14 million acres for the 2007 crop as compared with the average trade estimate of 69.179 million acres (range 65.93-70.8) and 75.522 million acres planted last year. If US producers plant 67.1 million acres and yield comes in near 42 bushels/acre (assuming usage near 3.163 billion bushels), ending stocks would come in near 218 million bushels as compared with 449 million last year and 256 million bushels three years ago.

This is a very low bullish ending soybean stocks number for the 2007 growing season. And, even though the corn numbers are high, demand for ethanol will consume the majority of it.

A bit of what Soybeans and Corn are,

Soybeans:

Soybean is the common name for the annual leguminous plant and its seed. The soybean is a member of the oilseed family and is not considered a grain. The seeds are contained in pods and are nearly spherical in shape. The seeds are usually light yellow in color. The seeds contain 20% oil and 40% protein. Soybeans were an ancient food crop in China, Japan, and Korea and were only introduced to the US in the early 1800s. Today, soybeans are the third largest crop produced in the US behind corn and wheat. Soybean production in the US is concentrated in the Midwest and the lower Mississippi Valley. Soybean crops in the US are planted in May or June and are harvested in autumn. Soybean plants usually reach maturity 100-150 days after planting depending on growing conditions.

Soybeans are used to produce a wide variety of food products. The key value of soybeans lies in the relatively high protein content, which makes it an excellent source of protein without many of the negative factors of animal meat. Popular soy-based food products include whole soybeans (roasted for snacks or used in sauces, stews and soups), soy oil for cooking and baking, soy flour, protein concentrates, isolated soy protein (which contains up to 92% protein), soy milk and baby formula (as an alternative to dairy products), soy yogurt, soy cheese, soy nut butter, soy sprouts, tofu and tofu products (soybean curd), soy sauce (which is produced by a fermentation process), and meat alternatives (hamburgers, breakfast sausage, etc).

The primary market for soybean futures is at the Chicago Board of Trade. The CBOT’s soybean contract calls for the delivery of 5,000 bushels of No. 2 yellow soybeans (at contract par), No. 1 yellow soybeans (at 6 cents per bushel above the contract price), or Nov. 3 yellow soybeans (at a 6 cents under the contract price). Soybean futures are also traded at exchanges in Brazil, Argentina, China, and Tokyo.

Corn:

Corn is a member of the grass family of plants and is a native grain of the American continents. Fossils of corn pollen that are over 80,000 years old have been found in the lake sediment under Mexico City. Archaeological discoveries show that cultivated corn existed in the southwestern US for at least 3,000 years, indicating that the indigenous people of the region cultivated corn as a food crop long before the Europeans reached the New World. Corn is a hardy plant that grows in many different areas of the world. It can grow at altitudes as low as sea level and as high as 12,000 feet in the South American Andes Mountains. Corn can also grow in tropical climates that receive up to 400 inches of rainfall per year or in areas that receive only 12 inches of rainfall per year. Corn is used primarily as livestock feed in both the United States and the rest of the world. Other uses for corn are alcohol additives for gasoline, adhesives, corn oil for cooking and margarine, sweeteners, and as a food for humans. Corn is the largest crop in the US, both in terms of the value of the crop and of the acres planted.

The largest futures market for corn is at the Chicago Board of Trade. Corn futures also trade at the Bolsa de Mercadorias & Futuros (BM&F) in Brazil, the Budapest Commodity Exchange, the Marche a Terme International de France (MATIF), the Mercado a Termino de Buenos Aires in Argentina, the Kanmon Commodity Exchange (KCE) in Korea, and the Tokyo Grain Exchange (TGE). The CBOT futures contract calls for the delivery of 5000 bushels of No. 2 yellow corn at par contract price, No. 1 yellow at 1-1/2 cents per bushel over the contract price, or No. 3 yellow at 1-1/2 cents per bushel below the contract price.

The majority of society falls well and truly into the materialist category today. Possessions are everything – the clothes we wear, the décor of our house and even the type and brand of TV that we have. They all matter. Even if you are not materialistic in any way, think of the sentimental items that you keep or presents that you receive. We work hard for everything that we keep within our home, so think about how you would feel if they were all lost in fire. Whilst some items can never be replaced, contents house insurance can help you to replace those items that you can.

A contents house insurance policy is, in short, effective cover for all of the possessions located under your roof to protect against loss, theft or damage. Hundreds of providers offer their own unique policies and so, before settling on the one you would like to take out, be sure to obtain contents home insurance quotes so that you can compare. Contents house insurance can be purchased as part of a joint policy with buildings insurance if you own your own home or both policies can be purchased separately. You will only need contents house insurance if you rent your home. Whatever form of insurance that you may need, there two main things that you will need to know about contents house insurance and how it may relate to your home before you take a policy out. Learn and then put this into practice:

SUM INSURED – The sum insured is effectively the limit of protection that your contents house insurance will afford you. This is a capped amount that an insurance company will pay out should the contents of your home be lost, stolen or damaged. Some companies will include the sum insured in their contents home insurance quote automatically, whereas others will assess the property you own and offer cover based on their estimates or ask you how much cover you would like and then calculate the premiums. This varies from company to company. Regardless of the method your application is assessed on, always make sure that your sum insured will cover your contents should anything happen.

COVERAGE – Although the contents of your home may all be important to you, contents house insurance will not always cover all of your possessions. Business equipment is not covered by regular contents insurance. Instead, if you do work from home, you will have to take out a separate policy to cover it. Also, if the sum insured does not cover high value items, such as jewellery, you may have to pay extra to insure them at the level you need. Personal possessions, such as laptops, are also not covered by contents house insurance once removed from the home… unless you opt to have it added to your policy. You can get the various prices as contents home insurance quotes to enable you to decide the coverage that you want. However, be sure to check out which possessions are covered by the policies that you are looking at.

Here's more than 2 cents worth of advice for using coupons, store cards and BOGOS (buy one get ones). With these hints, you should be able to save money on most grocery trips without being obsessive about it.

Using Manufacturer's Coupons

I sometimes clip coupons from the Sunday newspaper inserts, put them in my coupon wallet sorted into the proper category and then hopefully remember to use them before they expire. This is not always possible, but that's OK, because clipping coupons, sorting them and throwing away expired coupons is the kind of mindless, relaxing task that is soothing for me.

I don't like to bother with coupons that are worth much less than $1 or require you to buy 2 of the product. Here are the caveats:

hint - A 35 cent coupon is OK if your store will Double or Triple the value of the coupon.

You can buy 2 of an item if you will really use it AND you have a place to put it. I rarely have room in the freezer for 2 gallons of ice cream.

Using Store Cards

If you are like me and most folks these days, you have a store card from at least one grocery chain. These cards get you the weekly store specials without having to clip a coupon from the store circular in the Wednesday paper. They also put you on a relatively safe mailing list to send you even better coupons by mail. For example, I've gotten a few coupons for $10 on my next grocery order.

hint - Many stores allow the shopper to just key in his home phone number at the checkout, avoiding the necessity of carrying a store card or miniature keychain card. This is great for the guy that rarely does the shopping or forgets the card when he does.

Gotta Do This Combo Deal

Use your manufacturer's coupon for a product at the same time that the product is on a store card special, at the store where coupons are doubled or tripled, and the store where you can use that $$-off-on-your-next-order coupon that you have been saving in your wallet.

Buying One of a BOGO

While some grocery stores require you to buy two items that are advertised as a BOGO, many stores will allow you to buy one item at half price, but you have to tell them at the checkout (i.e. the computer at the register will not divide the price in half so don't use the self-check.)

If you are shopping at the latter type of store where they will give you half price for one BOGO item, try these ideas:

hint - Separate your single BOGOS while shopping.

hint - Use the child's seat of the shopping cart to separate out your single BOGOS while you shop.

hint - When you get to the check out, just let the checker know where the single BOGOs have been separated, and the checker can figure what the ½ price is for each of them before handling the remainder of your items.

hint - If you place stuff on the checkout conveyor belt yourself, use the conveyor separator bar and divide out your single BOGOS into one section and put the other groceries in the next section. Let the checker know that the first set is single BOGOS from the same grocery order as in the next section. The checker should be able to work with this.

Stock prices consist of two parts, earnings value and cyclical worth. The former is intrinsically based whilst the later is market driven.

Through fundamental analysis of a stock's earnings value the stock's price can be expressed as a normal price/earnings ratio as well as a projected value of the likely future earnings as determined by the trend of the stock at any given time.

Through cyclical analysis the extreme variable high and low prices likely to be paid as a premium for or a discount of the future fundamental values in time can be determined.

Cycles have an uncanny knack to trough at approximately equal time periods and with further observation the skill of picking alternate high and low market price levels becomes an art all on its own.

So equal time periods measures and determines the rhythmic fluctuations of market price above and below fundamental 'intrinsic' values. This is the value of the force which cycles apply to advance prices above fundamental values in an upward swing and drag prices below 'values' in a downward swing of the cyclical rhythm.

It also involves the forecast of such rhythms into the future.

So if you combine this ability to forecast and the value of the force which cycles exert then an assessment of future probabilities of price movement can be made. Through the direction of the trend of the stock's price as reflected by its economic healthiness and also through the direction cyclically of present and future price rhythms.

There are ways of determining the long-term trend of price by analysis of longer cycles and fundamentals.

There are ways of determining the short-term direction or trend of the stock price by analysis or the shorter cycles.

There are also ways of determining when both types of cyclical movement are likely to end and reverse in the opposite direction.

Price-cycle movements in any market originate from the rhythmic consequences of two equal but very opposite forces seeking equilibrium. The forces are the desire to buy and sell which are constantly intangible because only a small amount of the total desire reaches the market.

To measure the relative strength of both the buying and selling forces the desire, the want, the need must be transformed into an actual action which at that moment becomes buying or selling volume depending on the direction of the price movement with the two forces constantly alternating ascendancy.

At any given moment only one force can be dominant at the expense of the other if we are to establish a trend otherwise we have a sideways movement since there is only a finite number of would-be buyers and sellers.

In order to purchase an engagement ring, if you don’t have the money saved for that purpose, you’ll either have to save it or resort to financing. Both alternatives are interesting and which one you’ll choose will depend on how rushed in you are. If time is a pressing issue, then you’ll need to find some sort of financing. Otherwise, you can start saving for the purchase.

When Time Is Not An Issue

When you have enough time to save the money for purchasing a ring, it is a good idea to do so. That way you’ll save a lot of money on interests due to financing. Making the necessary adjustments to your budget will help you put a fixed amount apart every month to build up the sum you’ll need to purchase that special engagement ring. It’s just better to put some money aside every month than waiting to see if there is money left at the end of the month.

The prices of engagement rings are very varied. You can obtain an engagement ring for a price that can range between a couple of hundreds to several thousands dollars. There are of course engagement rings worth a lot more than that but this article is not intended for such eccentricities. According to the price of the ring you’ll need to calculate the time you’ll need to save the money and thus, the amount you’ll have to put aside every month.

When Time Is An Issue

When time is an issue you have no other choice but to resort to financing. There are many different financial products that you can obtain in order to pay for an engagement ring. For instance, if you own a credit card, then, your problem is half solved as you only need to purchase your engagement ring with your card and pay as much as you can of the balance every month to fully pay it off. However, whether the ring is expensive or you don’t have enough credit left on your card you may want to try other alternatives.

Unsecured personal loans are an excellent choice, they provide higher amounts that can easily reach ten thousands dollars and they also provide flexible repayment schedules that can last up to five years or even longer. Yet, your choice for an engagement ring may be a bit more expensive. In that case, resorting to a secured loan might be a good idea. Truth is that even for lower price rings (five thousands and up) loans based on equity can provide more advantageous terms like lower rates and longer repayment programs so you won’t have to worry about repayment.

It is a good idea to combine some savings with financing to keep things inexpensive if you have the time to do so. Maybe, saving a couple of months and financing the rest of the price of the engagement ring can do the trick.

Satellite radio is one of the hottest trends around today, the days of listening to the radio, commercials, and putting up with any foul mouth radio DJ are over. Try listening to advertisement free radio, it is a definite change. Although Satellite radio is not the end all be all of radio, it does offer some great benefits to the listener.

1. When you order Satellite radio, you will have the choice to listen to hundreds of hours of streaming music. Don’t you hate it when you get into a groove of listening to music and the radio announcer comes on, followed by a commercial? I don’t know about you, but it can be annoying at times.

2. A small disadvantage of Satellite radio is the lack of local news. So this is something that XM radio cannot offer, however, if you have the internet you can log onto any radio’s website and look at anything that you might have missed.

3. Satellite radio also offers talk radio and educational programs, if you are on the road and get tired of listening to pop or hard rock, just turn to your favorite channel and get educated while you are driving. The mind needs stimulation and learning and taking in information can be the best form of stimulus if you travel long hours. The use it or lose it principle is very true when it comes to the brain.

4. Satellite radio offers low subscription rates and lets you choose your style of music whenever you want it. It lets you in the driver seat while you decide what your tastes are for the day. This is great advantage of XM radio and is one of the main reasons for the immense popularity of satellite radio. Have it your way is a better way to describe it, what you want when you want it.

5. Satellite radio also offers the user access to radio stations that he or she would not have access to normally. Since it is powered by satellite, 100’s of channels are available at one time rather 3 or four, and if you’re traveling don’t forget that you will not lose signal when traveling from state to state. There is nothing like losing a station that you love while on the road.

So there you have it, some great reasons to get Satellite radio today and enjoy the difference that it make in your traveling and listening experience. No commercials, no angry DJ’s just plain music.

Forex is an abbreviation of Foreign Exchange. Like it pronounces Forex is the simultaneous buying and selling of a currency pair. Many currency pairs are available for trading (practically all) but traders rely most on some pairs which are called majors. These currencies are called majors because liquidity is major for these pairs and this means that you can sell or buy any of these pairs whenever you like because a lot of these money are in circulation worldwide.

Forex is a physical occurrence in the global economic system. A tourist traveling from Europe to USA exchanges euros to dollars and becomes a potential trader of Forex. Usa companies need to exchange US dollars before exporting to Europe or Japan. Every currency pair has a price which is determined by the law of demand and supply globally. If the demand for a currency is high then it gains in value. If the supply for a currency is high then it loses in value. Today, Forex liquidity is more than 3 trillion dollars daily.

The most important for a trader is the meaning of the value of a currency pair. For example EUR/USD 1.2640 means that you can buy 1.2640 USD with 1 EUR. Remember: An easy rule to remember what this price means is to translate the numerator (EUR) in 1 and take the currency value to be the denominator. Some currencies have special names like Kiwi for New Zealand Dollar, Cable for Great Britain Pound and Aussie for Australian Dollar. If you become an active Forex trader you will listen these names often.

How can a trader make a profit from Foreign Exchange?

This is the most important part to understand, so take great care to understand it thoroughly before reading more. The value of a currency pair is not the same during the day but changes second by second all the week besides Saturday and Sunday when the banks are closed. You can buy or sell a currency pair. This means that you can buy or sell the first part of the pair and sell or buy the other simultaneously. For example let’s say that the price for EUR/USD is 1.2640. You can give a buy order for 100 Euros in EUR/USD currency pair. This means that you can buy 100 Euros and sell 126.40 US dollars. After some time the currency pair value is 1.2700. Then you can give a sell order. You sell the 100 euros that you have bought previously and now you can buy 127 dollars. This means that you earned 0.6 US dollars. Let’s say that after some time the pair value is 1.2600. What happens now? You can give a sell order for 100 euros but now you can buy 126 dollars. You lost 0.4 dollars when the deal was closed. A deal in Forex is comprised by a full buy and sell or sell and buy cycle in a currency pair.

Let’s play more: Say the price for EUR/USD is now 1.2650. Sell 10,000 Euros. Buy them back when the price of the currency pair is 1.27 or 1.26.

Have you found the answer? You sold 10,000 euros and bought 12,650 dollars. You bought 10,000 euros back when the price was 1.27 so you sold 12,700 dollars. That's how you lost 50 dollars. On the other hand if you have bought 10,000 euros back with 12,600 dollars you would earn 50 dollars. Notice that the more money you trade the more profit or loss you realize. Make some examples of your own. Be sure to understand these transactions well before reading more.

ALWAYS REMEMBER

When you buy you are "long" in Forex language. When you are long you want the currency pair to appreciate in order to make profit. When you sell you are "short". When you are short you want the currency pair to depreciate in order to make profit.

The last digit of the price in a currency pair is called pip. In EUR/USD 1.2640 the 0 digit is called pip. More specifically the change of the last digit in one unit is called one pip change. The pip numbers in forex is the indicator of your profit or loss. In Forex you trade the last decimal change in the price of currency pair so it is important to trade big amount of money to realize a nice profit.

If you have tried to understand Forex you should have heard the word "margin". What is meant by margin? An official definition is:

"The amount of money of collateral deposited by a customer with a broker, by a broker with a clearing member, or by a clearing member with clearinghouse in order to insure the broker or clearinghouse against loss on outstanding futures positions".

Sounds like Greek? Well, margin is the amount you deposit for trading. The trading company uses this amount as insurance while you trade. Remember the examples of the currency pairs we used before. In order to make a sufficient profit per pip you have to trade at least 10,000 United State Dollars. With margin you only have to trade 100 USD. The remaining 9,900 are forex brokers’ money. When you realize loss while you are trading you lose only from your 100 USD trading money and forex broker does not lose anything of its 9,900 USD. By the use of margin accounts Forex trader can experience great profits will small amounts of money. Beware: Forex trader can also experience great loss with margin accounts.

Let’s look an example of the margin account:

A forex trader opens an account with a forex broker and deposits 1.000 USD. His trading potential capability with margin is now 1000*100=100,000 USD. The trader chooses to trade EUR/USD pair at 1,2600. He sells. The trade is now being realized like this: 100(traders’ money)*100 USD=10.000 USD for this trade (100 of trader’s money, 9.900 broker’s). After a while the trader experienced 100 pip loss. These 100 pips accounts for 100 USD which are taken from his account. The rest 9,900 USD of the forex broker account are remaining untouched. If the trader closed his position in 1,2450 he would have lost 150 USD taken from his account. 9,900 USD of the forex company remaining as it was. The trader would have lost 150 usd which are used as insurance or collateral from the forex broker to allow him to sustain loss.

If the trader bought again in 1,2700 he would have a profit of 100 USD. The profit is always yours. Your money is used by the brokers as collateral for the extra money they put in trade in order to allow you to make more profit with less money. By this way you can get leverage for your deals. If the leverage is 1:100 this means that for every dollar you put in the trade the broker adds 100, and so on for 1:400 etc.

REMEMBER: Margin is the money of your account that broker uses as collateral to trade more money in order to get more profit from your trades with less money. This way you can trade e.g. 10,000 USD for only 100 USD as margin. It is as if you temporally borrow money for investment 100 times the value of your invested money using as insurance the money you invest.

One trading contract is called lot. Lot sizes can vary depending on your account. If you have a mini account the lot size could be 10,000 USD. If you open a standard account the lot size can be 100,000 USD. You can trade multiple lots as long as you have the money in the account to be used as collaterals for the margin. In a mini account of 1000usd initial deposit, you can trade a maximum of 10 lots for 10,000 USD per lot.

I have been investing and advising real estate investors in Eastern Europe for the better part of a decade. A growing number of investors with a pioneering spirit have been lured to this part of the world, in search of hot investment opportunities that can yield profits that are uncommon in North America and Western Europe.

I have seen many smart, successful investors come here from America and try to apply American investment techniques with varying levels of success. Anyone looking to invest in Eastern Europe would be well advised to understand the unique factors that motivate the market in this region. Many of the distinguishing factors of Eastern European real estate are actually distinguishing factors of European real estate while others are purely regional in nature.

Here is the long and short of what you need to know to think Eastern European and invest wisely in Eastern Europe :

The European Union drives the market …or it does at least partially. Most Eastern European countries are being considered for EU membership or soon will be. The prices of the European Union set the benchmark for prices in emerging European markets and drive speculation. Eastern Europe is not similar to Central South America which has no similar benchmark to follow. Europe tends to be more expensive then America in almost all facets but in particular in regards to real estate. Prices may seem high by American standards in some Eastern European locales (particularly Capitol cities) but may be quite low by European standards.

Time and time again, Central and Eastern European markets have proved that the EU has a tremendous impact in increasing property values. Just look at Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic . Each market saw a steady growth in value in the time leading up to EU ascension and continued/s to see remarkable growth for a period after. Note also, that many of the prices in the above countries for everything from apartments to land are more then they are in most American locations.

In some ways Bulgaria or Croatia joining the European Union is akin to Alaska or Hawaii joining the United States of America. It is a radical transition with radical implications.

Prices have gone way up and, though they may not reach London or Paris prices, still have long ways to go.

Cheaper is not always better. I am told of the story of an American woman from Washington state that was looking at a raw land opportunity in the north of Romania in 2002. When she discovered that per square meter was actually higher then in her hometown she promptly advised her agent that there was no way she was going to pay more money for land in Romania then she would in suburban America. Her thought process is quite understandable. However, it also proved to be quite incorrect. Land in her hometown has shown reasonable growth over the past 4 odd years but the land that she could have acquired in Eastern Europe would have earned her about a 400% profit has she sold in the summer of 2006. Similarly, many investors come to me and ask me "how much land can I get for x amount of dollars." The answer I inevitably give them is "a lot, but unless you are starting a park or a farm, I'd rather help you buy the most profitable land, not simply the most land."

An investment in a smaller plot of land at a higher price can be better then a lot of land at a lower price. In the right area, the property value will also increase much more rapidly then somewhere in the middle of nowhere where property is particularly cheap. The game of Eastern European investment is capitalizing on the rapid growth of property value. If you pay more for your land then it would cost in Hometown, USA it can still be an incredible steal.

Follow the market. My friend bought an apartment in 2001 for $10,000 and she just sold it for $60,000. She doesn't have any real estate training. She more or less made the profit by accident. She just "followed the market" to use her words.

Had I seen the apartment 5 years ago, not fully appreciating then what I appreciate now, frankly I wouldn't have given even $5,000 for the place. The neighborhood is full of old, grey, semi-dilapidated looking buildings. I would have assumed, that someone would come and knock them all down one good day....Boy, was I wrong.... Now a studio in one of the building sells for $60,000, a 2-bedroom for over $100,000. Rent is minimum $400 a month.

Europeans like to live in the city, in apartments often over houses in the suburbs. So now matter how much new development there is, a premium remains on apartment complexes inside of the city.

The moral of the story is follow the market.

Western Europeans, Brits in particular, have popularized investing in "Off Plan" properties to capitalize gains in Eastern European markets.

I was recently speaking with a US-based real estate friend of mine and referred to off plan opportunities in Eastern Europe. He was relatively unclear on what I was talking about. Even the most qualified real estate investors in America aren't clued-on to the off plan real estate phenomena in Europe and the UK in particular.

If you google the term "off plan properties" you'll see scores of web sites listed, most of them from the United Kingdom. Off Plan properties are big business on the other side of the pond and are increasingly the most common way for British investors to seize opportunities in emerging markets of Eastern Europe.

UK based firms with British nationals on the ground in various Eastern-block countries establish relationships with qualified developers who are preparing to launch new product (usually apartments in apartment buildings) and strike agreements with them to represent those properties to there current and future clientele back in Western Europe. In doing so, they secure below market prices to make there offer as attractive as possible and move as many pre or in-construction stage apartments as they can.

Buyers pay between 15-40% down and then usually the rest within 12-18 months when they are handed the key.

Generally, investors can also qualify for mortgages. With there new investment property as collateral, and pay for the second balance via the rent they can then receive. The multitude of reasons why off plan opportunities are so attractive to UK investors is outside the scope of this article but can be summarized succinctly; the investor has all of the work done for him or her.

The agency has located a new building, in a strategic location, with high rent potential in a region where property values are accumulating on a regular basis much higher then in the UK or Western Europe (or America for that matter.) The agency can also manage the property and help the buyer secure financing. This is why thousands of apartments are sold off-plan to UK and other investors every month. Off plans are by-and-large how Europeans invest in Eastern Europe.

What works for Europeans will work for Americans just as well.

It Doesn't Have to All Make Perfect Sense

A moment of candor: you will never fully understand all of the factors driving the Eastern European real estate market. After doing business here for years, I still don't. All I know, is that you need to think differently then "American" when it comes to investing here and that you can make a lot of money if your invest it right..probably more then you could in your hometown or anywhere near it.

High returns and legendary profits are the norm here.

Yes, they happen in America too. People get 212% returns on investments in America in one year. Those are exceptions to the rule though. In Romania, however, an entire town in 2005, called Brasov, recorded an average growth of 212%. Similar growth in other towns has been common. That's the difference here: incredible profits are to be expected and if you get a normal profit, you did something wrong.

Coming to Eastern Europe is coming to a place where the exception is the norm in real estate and in a good way.

Everyone in Eastern Europe seems to be in agreement on one thing: local real estate is where the money is.

It's when you are willing to think a little differently, understand the market from a local perspective and decide to invest wisely versus follow pure instinct that you significantly increase your prospect for profit.

Remember, it's not how much you buy with your investment, but how much you profit from it. There's a big difference there.

1. Keep an eye out for an “educated buy.”
If there is a particular stock that is at a low price but is being traded in an unusually high volume, there is probably something that those trading this stock know that you don’t. Find out ways to establish what information they have that you don’t.

2. Have protections in place if the value of a stock lowers.
Whilst I applaud you for engaging in profitable stock trading, you must remember that every time you invest in the stock market there is an element of risk. What will you do if the stock you have invested in plummets in price? To help protect yourself, you must decide how much you are prepared to lose before you invest. This is an essential part of any trading plan. A commonly used tactic is the stop-loss. This is a floor price that you will sell a particular stock at before you lose any money. A common amount for many investors is a price 5-10% lower than they paid for the stock.

3. For profitable Stock trading, you should look at a combination of growing your capital, and finding the best returns.
The total amount of money you have to trade, your capital, should be spread between low yield and low risk “blue-chip” stocks, and other stocks with the ability to give higher returns but are possibly higher risk.

4. Write down your trading plan.
You may have a detailed trading plan in your head, but you should write it down. This helps you identify the goals of your profitable stock trading plan, and makes you more likely to stick to your plan if things change.

5. Every trader has access to the same information
There are many successful traders out there who have access to exactly the same information as you do. With the proliferation of online information, everyone can have access to charts, up to the minute stock prices, and company announcements. These same trader’s also have losses, but their effective use of the information available to them gives them the edge in profitable stock trading over those who are not effectively using the same information.

6. Buy on the rumor and sell on the news.
Sometime’s you need to buy as soon as you hear that rumor. For example, if you hear about a potential takeover bid of a company, you want to get in whilst the stock price is low because it will rise. The same is not true for selling though. Stock trading is not for the faint-hearted and should be treated as a long-term investment. You should not jump ship at every little jump in the road.

7. Work out your entry price and exit price first before buying your stock.
You shouldn’t just buy a stock at any price. For profitable stock trading, you should work out what a stock is worth to you and only buy if it is below that price or it gets down to that price. You should also have sell prices, for both if the stock increases in value, and if it decreases in value. Stock prices can be cyclical, so it may be in your interest to sell stocks at the height of a boom, buy again if the price goes lower, sell when it goes higher again; and so on and so forth.

8. Diversify your portfolio.
As previously mentioned, there is a risk in investing in the stock market. Don’t put all your eggs in the one basket. Spread your capital across a variety of stocks. You may find that as one stock depreciates in value, another is appreciating in value. This minimizes your losses and leads to more profitable stock trading.

1-Hi Sonny, thanks for your time today! Could you tell our readers what your company does?

Pumpjac properties list oil and gas leases for sale and finds buyers for these properties. We are the exclusive sales agent for Majestic Management Corporation in Glasgow Kentucky.

2-How did you get into the business?

I am the owner of Entrivac Corp in Louisville Kentucky. We rebuild industrial vacuum pumps for refineries and gasoline terminals nationwide. A group of oil men in Texas, which I have known for years, ask me to perform due diligence for a oil property in Kentucky. I visited the oil field, made my report, and a few weeks later, they told me they were not interested, however; I was contacted by the selling agents of the Kentucky property. They liked my style and background and wanted me to consider selling oil and gas properties for them. That was one property and a year ago, and now we have listed nine properties nation wide totaling well over $1,000,000,000.

3-Are there any trends you are seeing that might not be apparent to our readers?

Well, producing properties with large reserves with good documentation are the best sellers now, however the best deals for the money are often the non-producing properties.

4-Where are the hottest markets for new oil and gas leases or production?

Actually everywhere. But of course the oil boom areas such west Kansas are especially so.

5-What are the valuation metrics to consider when evaluating an oil and gas lease?

Production, reserves, good documentation by the owner, and a clean operation with no open wells, spills, etc.

6-For level production, what are you seeing sellers get per barrel? $20K? $30K or more?

I do not get involved with that end of a sellers business. What they get for their oil does not interest me as far as selling the oil field.

7-Is this recent oil boom here to stay or just a speculative bubble?

Because the demand is here to stay and getting larger , because the world oil reserves are on a downward trend, (by most counts) the crude oil prices will be affected likewise.

8-How is your company different from others in the market? We do not auction oil and gas properties, we do not operate regionally, and we do not specialize in any oil and gas field size ranges

9-Where are there still values in terms of buying production or leases? KY, IL etc?

I think everywhere when there is a good return on the buyers investment, say 2-3-4 years.

10-Is the market fairly efficient and liquid?

I think because of new technology in this industry, the market is more efficient than if ever has been

Thanks for your time today!

Story Stocks, What are they and should I avoid them?

What is a Story Stock? Well I don't know if I invited that phrase but my definition of it is simple. A stock that is built around a story. Yes every company has its own story what they do, when they started, their growth etc...

But what I am talking is the company that is ONLY selling the story. They talk about the industry as a whole. (The following is just general #'s of what a typical story stock might say...) The company deals in the medical field and say they have a drug that may down the road cure cancer. The company talks about how big the medical industry is, In the many billions! The company says if we could even just get 1% of the market we would have $100 million in sales. Or our net earnings would be $1 per share. Yet the company is trading for .50-$3.

What they don't tell you is they just have an idea and it takes YEARS upon YEARS to develop a drug and it is very expensive. So in the meantime they will be issuing more and more shares of stock. Which dilutes the shareholder value while the CEO is making $100,000+ salary. It could be years upon years before they see even $1 in revenue. Yet that company could have a marketcap of $100 million.

That is what I consider a story stock. A company that has a goal and its a big goal but they are NO WAY NEAR IT. And the value of the company is already valued as if they were already at that goal. THAT IS BIG TIME TROUBLE STAY AWAY!!

Another example (I won't mention company names in case someone mistakes this as a good stock.)

This company deals with WIND Energy. What a GREAT STORY! It is a very hot sector right now. And who wouldn't want to use wind energy. I would love to have wind energy myself getting electric based on mother nature its a great concept. I am by no means an environmentalist but if I can save money and it helps the enviroment then great.

This company was selling a story that wind energy is the future. (Which it may be.) That getting just a small portion of the energy market can mean millions upon millions of revenue. (Which it would.)

I ran across this stock 2 years ago and it was trading in the low $1+ range. Today it is trading at .10 and has a market cap of $3.4 million. So it has roughly 34 million shares outstanding. I don't recall what it had a few years back but even if it was 10 million shares that was a $10-15 million marketcap.

In those 2 years you know how many wind machines they have sold? 0, yes ZERO! They haven't had any revenue in that time.

You know how much the CEO of the company makes per year? $225,000 You know how many employees they have? 11

Not a bad job shuffling papers around not having ANY REVENUE but still making a nice check.

You know how much they spent on Selling and Administration (basically salaries) for the quarter ending June 2006? $1.3 MILLION!! Yet they had NO REVENUE!

Will that company eventually have revenue? I don't know but what I do know is they will issue more and more shares to continue to pay salaries of the CEO and other employees and go deeper and deeper in debt.

So now you know a couple of examples of a story stock, how do you know the stock you are looking at is a story stock?

Well if you get a little 6-8 page magazine all about a Stock via Snail mail. 90% chance that is going to be a story stock.

If you get a spam email talking about a stock that is going to go from .50-$3 in the next 5 days 99.9% chance that is a story stock.

The risk in a story stock is just too great. Because the only thing holding it up is just that a story. The ONLY people that usually win is the company as if the stock goes up they issue more and more stock at the higher price so they can pay for more things. And with story stocks people seem to get sucked into the story so much they aren't able to see a way out of it.

Go on yahoo.com and click finance and enter the stock symbol you can see what the company revenue has been and comments about it. It may even have a message board. Which SOMETIMES can be helpful. It is your money do a little research. A story stock can be found out very quickly and you really don't need to know a lot about reading the #'s etc.. If in doubt go to http://www.StockDoubling.INFO and I will research it for you if you are really interested in it.

If the email, article or message board you read is ONLY talking about the industry as a whole and not what the companies #'s are YOU HAVE A STORY STOCK.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

I have been in story stocks and have been BURNED many times with them. For every 1 good story stock that will have a SHORT term run you will have 10-15 that will fall flat on their face.

Watch for a company with earnings, revenue, book value etc... If it has a good story that is a great benefit but it CAN'T be the main focus of the company.

If you've decided to jump in and check out the Forex, or foreign currency market, there are a number of things you should keep in mind as a beginning trader. Your experience with Forex can be a long and profitable one, and it is essential to be prepared at the onset so you can start leveraging your tools and resources at once, and start building experience.

To get started, once you've located a brokerage you would like to work with, you should open up a demo account, so you can start making practice trades. When you are ready to open a real account, its a good idea to also keep your demo account open. You will be able to test alternative trades with your demo account, which gives you the ability to keep learning and testing strategies. You will also be able to see if you are being too liberal or conservative in your real account, by testing out different trade amounts in your demo account and comparing the outcomes.

To become more successful with Forex, research is the name of the game. If you tend to jump in first and ask questions later, you may want to be a little more deliberate, and start by understanding the basics of how the market works, such as the trading terms and terminology that are used in Forex. There are many tutorials available on the Internet, and much of the basic information can be accessed at no cost.

You should also stay informed with current events, such as political, social and economic factors that can effect a country's currency rates. While you don't want to feel overwhelmed by a barrage of information, Forex trading is fluid, and these external factors play a part in currency fluctuations that impact your trading.

Probably the most important piece of advice is to have a money management plan in place. You should only use money you can afford to lose when you invest in the Forex market, and have only a set amount of money at risk. There are no guarantees in Forex trading, and you don't want to get wiped out. In addition, you should be especially careful when trading on margin, which is borrowed money to trade with. Margin money is not free money, and if you can accumulate bigger losses if you are trading on too much.

Forex trading can be fun and profitable, but it does carry a number of risks and uncertainties. By doing your research, practicing and shadowing with a demo account, and carefully managing your money, you can minimize your risks and increase your success with Forex.

Swing trading can be highly effective in forex markets enabling you to trade with low risk and high rewards.

Swing trading is however misunderstood by many traders and they lose.

Here we will look at a specific method to swing trade that will give you low risk and high reward.

Swing trading

Takes advantage of corrections in value sideways or strongly trending markets and a typical trade will last 2 – 5 days.

Many traders think they can swing trade on a daily basis but this will just see you lose your equity quickly.

Day trading no matter what system you use is a mugs game, as volatility within a day is totally random and levels have no significance.

If you want proof then ask a day trader for a real time track record of profits and you won’t get one.

Now let’s get started on a simple 3 point method to swing trade.

1. Establish valid support and resistance

You are looking for support or resistance that has been tested and held on several occasions preferably at new chart highs or lows.

2. Watch Momentum

Watch prices move strongly toward the support or resistance and look for confirmation that price momentum is going to turn.

This is the critical point!

You need CONFIRMATION that price momentum is waning, a turn is likely and the odds favour a swing trade.

You want some evidence that price momentum is not strong enough to take out support or resistance.

The best indicator for this is the stochastic indicator – It’s the ultimate indicator to time a swing trade and if you don’t know how it works learn about it from our other articles.

The stochastic is a visual indicator and here we will simply look at the visual set up you need.

When the market is for example trending up to resistance, the stochastic lines will both normally point up. When the market is moving down the opposite set up will apply.

The signal you are looking for is:

For the stochastic lines to cross each other and point either up (bullish divergence) to show support has held or cross and point down (bearish divergence) to show resistance has held - This is your signal to take the trade.

You can see this set up on any free chart service and one of the best is futuresource.com.

3. Target

When you have entered a trade you need a target.

Next pull up the Bollinger band.

If you have had a quick volatile move to test support or resistance, prices will be normally at the top or bottom of the band.

Look for prices to return to the middle band and make this your target.

Don’t hang around and trail stops.

As soon as you hit this band or near it take profit.

Other points

1. Only trade sharp volatile moves into valid and significant support and resistance.

2. Always wait for a stochastic crossover to enter don’t predict.

3. Set a target and get out.

A typical swing trade will last for around 2 – 4 trading days.

If you look for set ups that meet the above criteria you can get some low risk high reward trades that will build significant profits over time.

I don't know about you, but I'll bet that you'll want to learn about ways to automate your forex trading, so that you can benefit from the returns that forex gives you, without the need to trade yourself!

Is this where the future of forex is heading? Both for the forex trader who doesn't mind trading, to enable him to trade a second or third system, as well as for the trader who's actually not that interested in trading on a daily basis?

Well, it seems to me that automatic forex trading systems are on the rise, and more and more systems are becoming available over time.

By the time you finish this article, you'll have a very good idea of the benefits that automatic forex can give you, and how to look further into this new trend.

Automatic forex trading may be classed into two types:

The first type, is automatic forex trading through managed forex.

That is, a forex trading company that uses automatic trading through a trading robot to ensure that their system is traded exactly as intended. In fact many systems designed for robots can only be practically traded by robots rather than a human team, as you'll see.

The second type of automatic forex is the use of a forex trading program with an ability to automatically place trades, such as with WealthLab.

To do this, you'll need someone with programming skills to program the system into WealthLab or other software, and a connection to a forex platform that accepts automatic order placements by the trading program.

With either method (though the first method is the one that doesn't require programming skills) these are the benefits to automatic forex system trading:

1. You don't have to trade yourself, which frees up your time. This is one of the main benefits. For a trader who actually likes trading, this means that he can continue to trade one system, and at the same time trade a second or third through automatic forex. For those who are not really interested in actually trading on a daily basis, they're able to profit from forex, and concentrate their efforts on their other businesses.

2. The trades are able to be taken at anytime of the day or night. The performance of a system may rely on the fact that you actually take the trades generated by the system. Depending on the time zone and the time available by the trader, it may be impossible to take the trades that we're supposed to trade and hence compromise the profitability of the system significantly. Automatic trading by its nature, is able to overcome this problem.

3. You're able to trade multiple forex systems and strategies. You can trade multiple systems with the same automatic forex provider, or do so by choosing more than one provider. And because their systems are likely to rely on different indicators, trade different currency pairs, and also trade different time frames, you're diversifying your risk. The reasons why you want to diversify risk is that you want to smoothen out your equity curve and reduce drawdown.

4. There are no longer any issues with trading psychology. Trader discretion, if not based on proper practice and alertness, can causes a system's performance to decrease significantly, and this is not an issue with automatic forex trading. Of course your skill now comes in choosing a good automatic system to invest in.

5. You can trade systems that may be impossible for a human to trade. A human can only watch and trade a certain number of currency pairs at a time. With automatic forex, there are systems for example that has a high frequency of trades, traded on tick data. Therefore trading is no longer limited by how easy it is for a person to physically trade it.

6. You also leverage your time because you don't have to spend time learning how to trade a particular system. Learning a particular system takes time and effort, so there's a lag time between deciding on a particular system, to getting to the point where you know the system rules, and then actually paper trading then live trading that particular system. You could have been making profits in forex in the meantime.

7. Finally, you don't need to spend any time, or have any skill in designing or backtesting a trading system, as it already has been done for you. In fact with the different automatic forex providers around, you're taking advantage of many types of forex systems that are available.

Make no mistake about it. Passive trading (and other passive forms of investments) will get more popular, as it frees up your time to enable you to focus on other income generating business, or to do whatever else you need to do with your time.

So it's important to choose a good automatic forex trading system, so that you'll benefit as much as you can from automatic forex system trading!

Trading the Online Forex market has many advantages over other fiscal markets, among the most significant are: better liquidity, 24hrs online market, superior execution, and many others. Traders and investor see the Forex market as a fresh speculation or expanding chances because of above mentioned benefits. Does this mean that it is quite simple to earn money trading the Forex Market? Not at all…!

The précising the forex market incoming/quitting time all based on technological an analysis that is specific for very short-term life of such forex analyses. It is resolute by days, hours, and some times even by minutes, but not by weeks or months. In all the above cases, the same technological tools are used. Having successful forex trading system carries the following tactics.

Tactics for Price Breaks

There are three different trader’s actions at price breaks:

To take a place in advance, predicting the break;
To open a place when the break is actually in progress;
To wait for the predictable rollback after break

When you work with several lots, you as a trader could open one position at every of the three stages. One could open a small place before the predicted break, and then purchase some more straight away after the break, and then lastly open extra place at an unimportant price fall during correction, which follows the break. If one trades with small place, two questions would have force on one's decisions first of all.

Gaps - Price gaps that are created on bar charts could also be used to select a proper flash to open or close forex trading positions. For example, gaps created during price development frequently become support levels. That is why, at a forex up-trend, it is sensible to open extended positions when prices actually fall to the upper border of the gap or even sometimes a bit below it. A stop order could even be placed below the gap. At a down-trend, an open place needs to be opened when prices arrive at the lower border of the gap or even at bit above it. The defensive stop order is placed above the gap, in this above case.

Averaging - Averaging is a forex trading strategy used when one has made an error or simply made a trade (the first thing that comes to one's mind) and the price has moved beside, and one makes a fresh forex operation of the same kind but at a more money-making price. The most significant drawback of averaging is that one cannot know to what price the market would go beside the trader.

The averaging looks for investing a double amount of money when compared to that invested before. Trading productively is no simple task; it is a procedure and could take years to attain the preferred results. There are a few things though every forex trader needs to take in thought that could go faster the process: having a trading system, using money management, education, being conscious of psychological things, discipline to follow your forex trading system and your forex trading plan, and others.

Money

The United States uses the United States dollar ($) as its currency, divided into 100 cents (¢).American bills usually come in denominations of $1, $5, $10 and $20. Denominations of $2, $50 and $100 can also be found, but they are uncommon, especially the $2 bill. All $1, $2, $5, $50 and $100 bills, and older $10 and $20 bills are all green.

The standard coins are the penny (1¢, copper color), the nickel (5¢, silver color), the dime (10¢, silver color) and the quarter (25¢, silver color). Note: The size of American coins does not necessarily correspond to their relative value: the dime is the smallest coin, followed by the penny, nickel and quarter in that order. Large 50¢ and $1 coins are uncommon. $1 coins (silver or gold) slightly larger than a quarter have been introduced, but are uncommon.

There is a large variety of different coins in circulation. In many cases, for a particular denomination the coins will have an identical front but totally different backs. For example, for quarters (25¢), each state is commemorated on the back of the coin. This means that there are 50 different coins, in addition to the traditional eagle and the 1976 bicentennial commemorative quarter.

Conversion

The dollar is one of the world’s most common currencies and is convertible to most other currencies. Conversion rates vary daily and are available online. Foreign currencies are almost never accepted. Canadian currency is sometimes accepted at larger stores within 100 miles of the border, but discounted for the exchange rate.

Some U.S. banks will only change currency for customers. Foreign travelers are often the exception, as long as you have proper identification (passport) and a major currency. It is best to call ahead to verify that you will be able to make the exchange.

Note: It is not common to find currency exchange centers outside of major coastal and border cities, and international airports. Many banks can also provide currency exchange services, though certainly not for large amounts of money. You are best to bring dollars with you from your home country.

ATMs

Most automated teller machines (ATMs) can handle foreign bank cards or credit cards bearing Visa/Plus or MasterCard/Cirrus logo; note, however, that many ATMs charge fees of about $1.50 for use with cards not from the bank operating the ATM (this is often waived for cards issued outside of the USA but then again, banks in one's home country may charge their own fees). Smaller ATMs found in restaurants etc. often charge higher fees.

Note: For German travelers, customers of "Deutsche Bank" are not charged for withdrawals from ATM machines that are operated by Bank of America. If you intend to use your overseas bank card or credit card, be certain that you have a PIN (personal identification number) that will work internationally (usually 4 digits) and that you know how much each transaction will cost (minimum and percentage exchange rate fees).

Credit Cards

Major credit cards such as Visa and MasterCard are widely used. Other cards such as American Express and Discover are also accepted, but not as widely. Almost all sit-down restaurants, hotels, and stores will accept credit cards. Authorization is made by signing a sales slip or sometimes a computer pad. When making large purchases, it is fairly typical for stores to ask for picture identification, but no additional security precautions are taken, so guard your cards carefully.

Gas station pumps, selected public transportation vending machines and some other types of automated vending machines often have credit/debit card readers. Note, however, that some automated vending machines accepting credit cards ask for the Zip code of the US billing address for the card, which effectively prevents them from accepting foreign cards. For gas stations, it would be advisable to check first with the station attendant inside.

Traveler’s Checks

It may or may not be wiser to bring traveler’s checks or use the ATM, depending on your bank’s policies. It’s always good to arrive with some currency on hand. Many establishments are unfamiliar with traveler’s checks, and may not know how to process them. You should have no trouble using a traveler’s check at a hotel or tourist site, but you may be out of luck at a grocery store or gas station.

American Express Travel cards would be a safe alternative to traveler’s checks. They work like credit cards but are pre-credited with the amount you determine.

Banking

In order to open a bank account in the United States, the federal government requires that you have a tax identification number or social security number. If you are visiting the United States for a while you can apply for a TIN.

Many "regular" checking accounts offer free online bill paying options. However, be aware, that "free" may not be so. Be sure to read the fine print. There are often other charges tied to checking accounts (which many travelers will know as “chequing” accounts) such as check processing fees, ATM fees and overdrafts.

TIPS!

• Recently many of the paper bills have been redesigned with additional security features including the use of microprinting, colors and larger faces on the bills. Old-design bills, however, are still in circulation. Keep in mind that if you return home with large amounts of old-design bills, your local banks may be unwilling to exchange them for fear of receiving older counterfeits.
• It may be wise to convert money in your home currency into U.S. dollars prior to arriving in the U.S. since it is uncommon to find currency exchange centers outside of major coastal and border cities, and international airports.
• Some establishments will try to disallow the use of credit cards for small purchases, but this practice is forbidden by the credit card companies. You can either pay in cash, or gently remind the cashier that they are required by the credit card companies to take cards for purchases of any amount.

Although many of the ‘pre-approval’ letters you get through the post are worthless, there are types of pre-approval from lenders that can help you greatly when buying a house. If you can get pre-approval on your mortgage loan, then you will find it much easier to get the house you want quickly. If you want to know more about pre-approval for mortgage loans, then here are some facts to help you out.

Apply before you buy

Although many people used to look at homes before applying for a mortgage loan, nowadays it is critical that you apply for the mortgage loan first. This will allow you to know exactly how much you can afford to spend on a house, and so find the property you want much more quickly and easily.

Pre-approval and pre-qualification

Although you might have a great credit rating and a good job and know you will be accepted for a mortgage, it is much better to apply and get pre-approval than to simply be pre-qualified. Pre-qualified simply means you are eligible to apply for a mortgage loan, but does not guarantee the amount that you will receive. However, getting a pre-approval letter will tell you exactly how much you will be allowed to borrow. As long as your circumstances do not change, this amount is guaranteed.

Getting pre-approval

To get pre-approval, you simply need to find the right lender for your needs and then speak to them about pre-approval. They will perform the necessary checks and give you a pre-approval letter, after which you can start searching for your dream home.

Looking at the right homes

If you have pre-approval, then you know exactly how much you can afford to spend on a property, and so can narrow your search down to homes within this price bracket. This will help you to find a property to match your needs much more quickly, and so make buying easier.

More negotiating power

If you have pre-approval on your mortgage loan, then you will be seen in the same way as a cash buyer. You already have the funds in place, so the seller is more likely to accept an offer immediately, even if it is below the price estimate. This is because they can be more certain that their house is sold, and so take it off the market pending the close of sale.

Quicker sale closing

One of the lengthiest parts of house buying and selling is the closing of the sale. If you have agreed to buy a house but do not have a mortgage in place, then it can take time to arrange the funds, and you might even find that you cannot get the funds you need. However, if you have pre-approval the funds are already guaranteed, and you can push through the transaction much more quickly. This will make buying a house much less stressful, and help you to get the home you really want.