Are You Financially Prepared For An Emergency?

By Dennis Snyder

It seems that there has been an abundance of natural disasters over the past few years. Some of those who have been hit have begun to get prepared in case of future emergencies they may face. Unfortunately, those of us who have yet to be hit only read about it in the news and we do not think it will ever happen to us. Oh, we may have a candle or two put aside in case of a power outage but we never think of being financially prepared for an emergency.

Very few, however, consider the need to be prepared for a financial emergency in their plans. From keeping an evacuation box with important documents to setting up an account with emergency funds, preparing now can be the difference between financial security and financial crisis.

Create a household inventory for items of significant value and locate originals of important financial and family documents. Store original documents in waterproof bags in a safe deposit box or durable "evacuation box" and photocopies in a safe place. Use a CD to back up key documents on your computer. If practical, store copies with friends or relatives who live outside the area.

Check with your insurance agent and check your policies to make sure you understand what your coverage is on such things as floods, fire, earthquakes etc. Make sure that you have your policies safely stored for future access.

I like to keep at least $500 in cash at home in a good hiding place where I can get to it quickly in case of a sudden emergency. Don't keep the money in large bills but it should be in small denominations for easier use.

I also like to keep a list of important phone numbers in my wallet and my wife's purse so that we can get in touch with our family members, doctors, insurance agents and even credit card people. With the high tech stuff most of us carry we can get this information logged into our cell phones as well.

Perhaps the most important thing you can do to prepare for an emergency if to have a savings account for emergencies. You should have at a minimum a 3-6 months living expenses savings account fully funded for not only those natural disasters that may occur but also those financial emergencies that will pop up from time to time. An emergency fund of this type will relieve the pressure that comes should an emergency arise.

The above suggestions are imperative if you want to help protect yourself and your family should that emergency come. If you would like more information on financial issues check out the report Money Management Made Easy. - 23222

About the Author:

Yes, even you can Get control over your money simply click on this report Money Management Made Easy and discover the steps to control your money.

Tax Deferral As An Investment Strategy

By Don Burnham

Deferring taxes is the kind of investment strategy that can be carried out on your income, by which your income tax is paid later in exchange for money invested currently. The advantage of tax deferral is that you get to make more money which you can in turn invest immediately.

For example, say you manage deducting $1000 from your taxable income in the current year and then you invest that amount into an account that gives you interest. As a result of this, you get to pay around $200 less in income tax for the current year. Therefore you are gaining $200 more as compared to if you hadn't invested the $1000. So if you add the deferred $200 to the already invested $1000, your investment adds up to $1200. The other kind of tax deferral that investors often opt for is deferring the amount of tax to be paid for interest earned. The invested amount is taxed, but the interest earned becomes free of tax.

Another type of tax deferral used by investors is the deferment of taxes paid on interest earned. The dollars invested have already been taxed, but any interest earned is tax free.

Investment Vehicles Tax deferred accounts shelter your money from taxes until you begin making withdrawals in the later part of your life, when you're likely to be in a lower tax bracket. The type of investment vehicles best for you depends on your situation.

The plan 401(K) is an investment plan that you could opt for. This is however one of the plans that are available only to those employees whose employer makes provisions for it. Such a plan will let you make contributions on an yearly basis which is deductible by tax and grows as deferred tax until you start withdrawing from that account. Your 401(K) plan might come with a bonus, if your employer agrees to add to your account on a yearly basis. Therefore you could make anywhere between 25%-100% on the invested money if your employer matches it as well.

By using the 401(k) planning, you could add more to your retirement plan, than most other plans. You can add around $9,500 to your retirement plan, and your employer can add another $30,000 every year. You can also add the yearly bonuses that you receive to this plan to help your retirement money grow even faster. If you leave your job or wish for more freedom with your money, you can always roll your assets over into an IRA account.

The 401(k) is the best suited plan for somebody who is new at investing or does not know what kind of stocks to invest in.

Another type of plan offered by an employer is the 403 (b). This plan is for public school and non-profit organization employees and it is tax deductible and tax deferred. You can contribute up to $9,500 of your annual gross income each year to this plan.

However, with the 403(b) plan, you need to beware of some risks. The money you contribute is usually invested in an annuity that is sheltered from tax, but this will have high sale charges and their rates will not have much guarantee.

Anybody who earns an income or the spouse of somebody who earns any kind of income can have their own IRA and contribute to that yearly to a maximum of $2000. The earnings that you make are not subjected to tax till you start withdrawing from it, however a penalty will be charged if you are less than 59 and a half years of age. Even though the money might not be tax deductible, the investment will be tax deferred.

The type of investments you can make with your IRA dollars depends on the custodian, but you generally have many more investment options with an IRA than you do with any of the employer sponsored investment plans.

The Keough Plan is another such plan that is available for people who are self employed or who work for businesses that are unincorporated. Under this plan, you get to contribute up to 25% of your income every year with a maximum of up to $30,000. You can contribute most with this plan than any other IRA plan, and all your earnings become tax deductible and tax deferred. There are options to choose from in this plan, that is, you could choose to pay according to a fixed percentage every year or a variable percentage or a fixed amount. A lawyer should be best able to guide you in what suits you the best.

A SEP, or a Simplified Employee Plan is easier to set up than a Keough allows you to deduct 15% of your self-employment income, to a maximum of $30,000. As an employee, you can contribute up to $7000 per year to your SEP, and your employer can contribute the rest. SEP plans are only available to companies with 25 or fewer employees, and at least half of those employees must participate in the plan.

All of these investment vehicles fall into one of two categories : qualified plans or non-qualified plans.

The 401(k) and the 403(b) are the plans that are qualified. These are those employer sponsored investment plans that offer good benefits but depend upon the kind of plan that the employer draws up. For example, the 403(b) plan needs you to invest the money in tax sheltered annuities. As compared to this, 401(k) offers a wider selection of more conventional investment options, such as fixed interest annuities, company stocks etc. but is yet restricted as compared to the non - qualified plans.

The second category of retirement plans is nonqualified plans. Nonqualified plans generally allow more freedom as to when, or if, a contribution has to be made, and they also offer more latitude in the type of investments that can be made. All IRAs fall into this category. Generally, investors have more control over their investments in a nonqualified plan than with a qualified one. Usually they are easier to work with, have less regulation, and require less reporting. Often, contributions to these plans can be deducted as a business expense.

Most investments made with the vehicles we have been discussing fall into one of two asset categories: The first is debt and the second is equity. As an investor, you are either an owner or a creditor. Equity owners are entitled to all free cash flows that exceed the debt payment obligations of the underlying economic entity. Creditors receive priority in agreed-upon future interest and principal payments.

When choosing a retirement plan, you want to be certain of the types of investments permitted with your plan. Do not open an account that does not give you the freedom to choose your own investment options, whether they are debt or equity investments. - 23222

About the Author:

Do you want to defer taxes on your income with an investment strategy then, here is the website http://www.weknowthewayback.com of Don Burnham who is an entrepreneur, author, real estate investor, teacher and speaker.

Make Money Trading Even When the Market is Down

By W. Alan Gay

One of the core questions my coaching clients have asked me over the past few months is: "Can I still make money in stocks with the market down like its been?" The answer is yes, or no, depending on the type of investments you have.

The answer is no if you are holding your investments in a stock fund, mutual funds, or other standard asset allocation accounts. The reason for this is that these large accounts are regulated and do not allow short stock positions. Therefore, if the market declines in the next 3-5 years, as it most likely will, your account will lose money year after year.

Short positions, however, will allow you to make money whether or not the market goes down. These types of investments are only available to companies and individuals who trade individual accounts.

You can take charge of your investments and profit nearly every day by trading through an individual trade account rather than a fund. That way, despite whether a stock value increases or decreases, you can make money, buy buying or selling short, as applicable.

If its that easy, why isnt everyone doing it? For one thing, it requires approximately $25,000 to set up an individual account. Many people dont have that kind of investment or are unwilling to risk it. And, it is true that stock trading for a novice can be very challenging. If you do not know what you are doing, you can lose all your money very quickly.

Luckily, there are strategies to mitigate the anxieties of a new trader.

Your first goal is to find a program that will provide you low risk stock recommendations. Me and my coaching clients use a program that boasts stock pickers with 31 years average experience. With such experienced pickers, a trader can follow their picks with a high probability that they will profit from the trade. And, if you also set your stops at a low risk level, your loss over time will be small.

Its also critical to find a system that will walk you step by step until you achieve your goals. As an example, in the nine day trading course that I lead, the participants actively learn every piece to the process it takes to successfully trade stock whether it goes up or down.

The goal with any system you choose is to find one that will give you stock trading success while those around you complain over poor performance; by making sure that you are working with experienced advisors and a step by step process, you can achieve that goal. - 23222

About the Author:

W. Alan Gay has been a stock trader and trainer for 15 years. His free report describes Alan's journey to becoming successful at trading stocks and gives useful techniques he and his students have used to consistently trade successfully. Click to obtain a free copy of his report and learn more about how you could be trading stocks successfully in as little as two weeks.

Deciding On An Expert Financial Advisor

By John Eather

For most young people today, who don't expect that government pension or security programs will be around in the future, deciding on an expert financial advisor will be a crucial decision to make. There's no getting around the fact that financial choices made when young can have a deep impact on the quality of retirement later in life, however soon or late that could be.

The above reasons, then, should illustrate why it's important to know a few things about how to go about finding an expert financial advisor. After all, this person is going to serve as a guide through potentially hazardous waters. So don't just land on the first person who pops up on a search engine after typing in "expert financial advice" or the like. The finance world is full of shady characters and double-dealers, so keep that in mind.

Always check on a planner's credentials, certifications and memberships in professional associations. No planner worth his or her salt will hesitate at providing background information. In fact, the good ones all encourage potential clients to look at their bona fides carefully before making a decision. Generally, any planner at one of the large financial services companies will have all these attributes.

This is not to say that only the largest companies have planners who meet all requirements, though. There are many independent advisors who are just as competent. Also, advisors and professional advisor firms always seek to make sure they're registered with federal or state securities bureaus and that they've properly filled out Form ADV Parts 1 and 2. The final copy of it can be viewed online at the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) government website.

Trusting blindly to any financial advisor is not a recommended practice. Take the time to do a background check, and look to see if the advisor has had any run-ins with regulators or has received complaints from other investors. All of this information is freely available on the Internet and at the SEC's website. From there, any additional tips for finding an expert financial advisor can be easily obtained. - 23222

About the Author:

Find out how an Expert Financial Advisor can help with your Forex Trading. Make sure you sign up for John Eather's Free eCourse on Forex at http://www.moneymakingfxtrader.com now!

Forex Investment Starts With a Forex Demo

By Bart Icles

With all the investment services being offered in the Internet today, just thinking all about will really give a big headache, and how much more if you actually got involved in any one of them in particular. Investments like stocks, securities, real estate, bonds, shares, equities, mutual funds, and commodities investments are all good ones to consider, but one of the better investment opportunities that you should be looking into is online Forex currency investing.

If you initially start out in the right direction with having a proper education and the correct Forex training to strengthen your confidence and knowledge in currency trading matters, you can literally laugh yourself all the way to bank with playing your cards right.

The Forex market is the largest and most liquid of all existing markets of today, and is one that operates in all major countries in the world. It's one of the largest sources of income, savings, and investment opportunities open to anyone thanks to the Internet. For decades it has been restricted and primarily dominated by large companies and financial institutions.

But before actually diving in head first into this huge and diverse market, you might want to consider making a bee line for the most appropriate Forex training programs that are available in the Internet. Going ahead in any business without proper knowledge of its basic operating functions is a recipe for a disaster waiting to happen. You can get all the proper training you'll ever want and need in the form of online classes and tutorials that are all free of charge.

One of the best trainings you can avail online is a Forex demo account where you get to play with "fake money" to practice with prior to doing the real deal; it will let you get a feel how it's like doing currency trading, and you can gauge your performance with the trading system you're using without actually losing your money in the process. With being properly trained in Forex trading, you'll be able to adjust to the varying changes of the market - which will be in constant states of fluctuation most of the time.

The really great thing about online Forex currency trading is that it allows you to trade whenever you wish to do so, as it operates in a 24 hour basis, and in 5 days a week you'll never run out of trades to invest in. Just keep in mind to keep learning as you go along with your day to day trading, and to keep reading all the material you can get about Forex currency trading. With a positive attitude, and self-determination, you'll go a long way in this industry. - 23222

About the Author:

Learning to trade forex market starts with a desire to learn and a drive to become a great trader. Learning to trade in forex takes dedication and a good teacher. But once you learn how to trade and do so successfully your life will change and you have options and financial resources you never had before.