Finance Trails Blog
5 Tips on How to Invest Wisely
You know you want to make some investments, but you don't know where to start. Read these 5 tips on wise investment.
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4 Questions Before Buying Assets
Assets are better than debt – this goes without saying. But what should you consider when acquiring assets? here we consider 4 questions everyone should ask.
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Tight Budget Investing: Survival Tips
Got no money, but still want to invest? In this article, we give tips on getting started with investment on a tight budget.
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What's Your Money Style?
You can show your style in a lot of ways. It's how you dress. It's how you arrange your furniture. It's the car you drive. It's how you invest. Wait a minute... Do you have an investing style?
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Paring Back For Retirement
Retiring comfortably isn’t a quick and easy process, but it is something that everyone wants to be able to do. I found Smart Money author Diana Ransom’s article “Paring Back So You Can Retire Comfortably” to be a great read. The article does a solid job of showing people where they might be able trim expenses to boost their nest egg.
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Tips for Novice Property Investors
Bargain prices on foreclosures and even on traditional home listings are tempting a new group of individuals into investing in property. Before you take the plunge and buy an investment property make sure you consider the following tips.
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Tips for First-Time Homebuyers
Renters who have been watching home prices tumble probably have mixed feelings: on the one hand, this means that buying a home is more affordable than in recent years. On the other, renters may be more frightened than ever that they will make a mistake and buy property that could drop in value.
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Why Penny Stocks Often Aren’t What They First Seem
Penny stocks are typically defined as stocks selling for less than $1 per share on the market. For many investors there is a large amount of draw toward penny stocks because they are so cheap and the potential is so huge.
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Discount vs. Full Service Brokerage Investing - Making Your Decision
It’s a classic question that comes up when discussing investments: should I invest myself using an online discount brokerage or get the help of a professional and use a full service brokerage? There is no single right or wrong answer to this question, but there are plenty of details to consider before making your final decision.
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Five Steps to Investing in Your Future
Everyone wants to be well-prepared for their future and make their money work for them. Investing in your future is basically the process of working hard to make sure that you are comfortable and can do what you want with your money later in life. How can you get there? Five steps, closely followed, can get you well on your way!
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Homebuyer Tax Credit Deadline Looms
Realtors around the USA are anticipating an early spring real estate market this year as homebuyers rush to get a property under contract by April 30, 2010 in order to qualify for the federal homebuyer tax credit.
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Know Your Investment Risk Tolerance
In life in general there is always a question that can be asked, “Are the potential rewards worth the risks that come with this particular decision?” That very same question needs to be asked when investing your hard earned money.
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The Amazing Power of Dividends
What exactly is a dividend? A dividend is defined as the portion of the earnings of a specific corporation that are distributed to shareholders. Dividends are generally paid on a quarterly basis.
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The Benefits of Investing in Mutual Funds
Mutual funds are one of the most popular ways to invest in the stock market today. Just like most investment options there are definitely positives and negatives to investing in mutual funds. Today I want to take a close look at the biggest benefits of investing in mutual funds.
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Real Estate Investors and Homeowners Can Save on Insurance Costs
Plenty of consumers regularly review their auto insurance policies and compare rates from company to company, sometimes spurred on by the endless round of advertising by insurance companies. The same process should be used annually by property owners to see if they can save money on their homeowners insurance.
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Latest Trend in Housing: Multi-Generational Homes
Residential real estate investors should always try to be ahead of the curve when it comes to housing trends, anticipating the demands of potential tenants for years to come. Real estate experts and financial experts have become aware in these recessionary times that multiple generations of families are moving in together by choice and necessity to save on living expenses.
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Why Isn’t Your Stockbroker a Good Investor?
It is truly amazing how many people entrust their entire life savings to stockbrokers who know absolutely nothing or very little about investing.
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Should You Convert Your IRA to a Roth IRA
Have you been putting your money in traditional IRA (Individual Retirement Account) for so long? If you want to manage your personal finance in such a way that you have more money at retirement, then you can think of converting your traditional IRA to a Roth IRA in 2010.
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Investing: Why It Still Matters
In the context of the economic downturn and 40-50% drops in 401k and IRA plans, is investment a dirty word? Read on to find out why investment matters.
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Greenspan and the Economic Meltdown
Today was an interesting day on Capitol Hill as former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan was grilled by a government panel about his possible role in the economic meltdown in late 2008. This was part of a series of investigations into what exactly pushed the economy over the edge and caused the huge credit crisis.
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Tax Time 2010
This time of the year just about everyone is scrambling to get their taxes completed and sent in. About half of all Americans file their tax returns after April 1st, so if you are just finishing up as the deadline looms, you aren’t alone.
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How to Spend Your Tax Refund
Tax Day is finally complete and many Americans are breathing slightly easier today. While I won’t make you think about taxes for next year, I do want you to think about exactly what should be done with your tax refund you will be receiving for 2010. The average tax refund was about $3,000 this year, much higher than normal.
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Health Care Legislation Confusion
As the health care legislation passed through the congress and President Obama signed it into law, everyone knew there would be plenty of changes in the system. No matter how you feel politically about the changes, it would be wise to start preparing yourself. A potential downfall of a new program like this is the scam artists who use the public’s lack of knowledge to generate unscrupulous profits.
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Exceptionally Low Interest Rates
The big news on Wall Street today was that the Federal Reserve decided to keep interest rates near 0%. In their monetary policy statement the FOMC said that they plan on keeping interest rates exceptionally low for an extended period of time.
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Neuromarketing and You, the Consumer
As the economy evolves and consumers purchasing habits change with time, marketers have found amazing ways to try to stay ahead of the game. As consumers, I think all of us should be aware of the realities of today’s advertising world.
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Are Credit Cards Rewarding?
Credit cards have always been a controversial topic when it comes to personal finance. Some people think you should avoid them altogether, while others believe the rewards of having them are solid.
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Five Money Books Worth Every Penny
This past week MSN Money writer Liz Pulliam Weston put together a list of five “money” books that are worth every penny you would spend on them. It’s a piece that is definitely worthy of your attention, since all of us need to stay current on the best approaches to managing money today.
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Matt Swayne
Matt Swayne is a marketing director and writer for Online Investing AI. He has more than 15 years experience as a reporter and writer. He's also a business writer and blogger, writing for Online Investing AI's blog
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Aaron Smith
Aaron K. Smith is a full-time freelance writer who specializes in the financial industry. He graduated with a Financial Management degree and received Magna Cum Laude Honors. His experience includes more than 10 years in portfolio management and several years of experience in the mutual fund industry.
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