ONLINE FREELANCE WORK
Work from home, running your own business and take control of your own future. Sounds great, huh? And now you can make it happen. Freelance Work Exchange is dedicated to bringing you all the latest freelance jobs and projects, with new listings added daily. So whether you're an experienced professional, or just starting out there are many opportunity in every work-at-home job and freelance sector, including:
· Writing and editing jobs
· Web design and development projects
· Medical and legal transcription jobs
· Internet research and email support work
· Data entry and administration jobs
· Programming and technical projects
· Graphic design and illustration jobs
Find thousands of freelance jobs and discover the secrets of earning a six-figure income working from home – anyone can do it!"
You can learn how to quit your boring day job and start earning REAL money working for yourself. There are so many companies that are strictly virtual these days. They don't have an office building, but their online presence requires an office staff. That is a niche that is growing and will continue to grow.
Freelance word that goes back to medieval times when it was used to describe soldiers who sold their skills to those prepared to pay their market rate. Today it's an increasingly common way of working for people in a range of occupations and appeals to many who feel constrained by corporate culture, but the basic idea remains the same as it was five hundred years ago.
Retire rich : Mutual funds - your 2nd stream of passive income
Mutual funds are investment tools. Basically, they are "A security that gives small investors access to a well-diversified portfolio of equities, bonds and other securities. Each shareholder participates in the gain or loss of the fund. Shares are issued and can be redeemed as needed."
Question. Why do so many people claim that mutual funds are like buying time bombs? Is there any basis?
Well, looking around, you will find that purchasing a mutual fund encompasses high sales charges, high commission and management fees. Most banks charge somewhere between 4-5% sales charge and the investment manager typically commands a 1.5-2% management fee. In other words, the fund that you choose has to make a return of 6-7% before you can even break even! Pretty darn tough business.
In addition, you may potentially lose all your investment if you do not know what kind of fund you are buying into! Many 'investors' make the mistake of buying the current top performing fund. Or, they may buy funds that project a super growth of 60-70%! While the figures look very tempting, I want you to take a step back and think. Just for a moment. If buying funds were that easy, and if they truly delivered 100% of the time, who would be working?
Imagine how rich you will be earning 60% interest year-on-year on your initial investment. Next, imagine what the world would be like if everybody made the same 60% just by buying the same 'hottest performing' fund. Does it make much sense to you? It certainly doesnt to me.
In order to achieve consistent returns on your investment, you have to search and identify the top 1% of funds - out of a universe of 8000. How do you do this?
Before you start scratching your head, praying for an answer, read on.
4 steps. Only 4.
You heard me right. And you will be on your way to investing together with the top investors.
Step 1. Historical Performance
The chosen fund has to have beaten the S&P 500 consistently for the past 5 years min. In addition, it also has to have beaten funds in the same category over the past 3 years.
Step 2. Excellent Management
Similar to selecting stocks, when you choose funds, you want to make sure that the fund managers are trustworthy. You also have to ensure that the team or individual managing the fund has been doing so for the past 5 years min.
Following that, you may want to consider checking up on the current size($) of the fund. Having too large a fund may indicate future difficulties in management and growth. Too small a fund may hinder the purchasing power. Ideally, funds should range between 50mil to 3bil in size($).
Step 3. Super low expenses
This step can be further broken down into 2 sub groups.
i) No loading (front or back). This means that youre looking for funds with as little expense as possible.
ii) Funds chosen should have the lowest expense ratio in their category.
Step 4. Minimal risk
i) High sharpe ratio. Greater than 1.
Please refer to investopedia for detailed definitions.
ii) As little standard deviation as possible.
This is a measure of the shape of the graph. What you want to look for is something that does not fluctuate too much.
Finally, what you can do to make life easier is to visit morningstar and make use of their mutual fund screener! I have been using that since I started investing and boy does it help!
I sincerely hope this will help you reach your goal in life - to be financially free, to have more time to do quality things in life. Cheers!
Jeremy Neo
retire-rich.blogspot.com
Home insurance for a lifetime's investment.
For the majority of people interested in personal finance - and those who claim not to be - the biggest investment they will ever make is in their home. It's one of the most talked about investments there is, and yet many don't look at it that way: homebuying in the UK has often been considered separate from 'normal' investment.
It is most likely that this feeling persists because we can so tangibly see what the investment is worth - your mortgage is, quite literally, all around you from the second you walk in the door of your first home. What you see is what you get and the rewards are great - past inflations in value for the UK housing market have hit the headlines so often it seems that the market will never slow down.
And then it did. A Nationwide survey released recently reported that UK house prices "cooled sharply" in April this year, with a slender increase of just 0.1%. This is down from 1.1% in March and shows that fears of a general slowdown are looking more and more likely.
So, assuming you have taken advantage of one of the many mortgage options available online, where next? Well, it might seem less than adventurous, but I'd have to say insurance. Lets go back to that image of the homeowner surrounded by their investment. Yes, it is one of the more visible investments - and that's precisely why you should take the time to insure your investment against the many dangers, both tangible and less so, with good, carefully chosen, home insurance.
Taking a look at the UK home insurance offerings from just one of the big-name home insurance providers reveals that, as with mortgages, there are a wealth of opportunities out there for the discerning consumer. Taking care with your selection process is always going to pay dividends though, and best practice is to check out the competition by visiting the solid, reliable providers, such as Barclays, as well as comparing the competition that is already out there with the home insurance packages you come across. Using an online insurance comparison site can speed up this process.
You can always find a package that will suit your particular needs and once your home insurance is in place you can rest a little easier as you sit inside your investment, looking out.
Disclaimer:
All information contained in this article is for general information purpose only and should not be construed as advice under the financial Services act 1986. You are strongly advised to take appropriate professional and legal advice before entering into any binding contracts.
About the author:
Andrew Regan is an online journalist who enjoys socialising at his local Edinburgh cricket club.