What is automatic investing?

For many people, the idea of investing in mutual funds, stocks and bonds is appealing, but it all seems to be too complicated. Too much jargon, too much danger, too much hassle. Thankfully, the companies that run mutual funds know this and have come up with a way for new investors who may not have a big wad of cash to invest right off the bat.

It’s called automatic investing and it is highly recommended for those new to mutual funds and for those that want to invest but don’t have a lot of up-front funds.

Automatic investing is done through a mutual fund company, and what happens is, you sign up to purchase a set amount of funds either every month or every few months (usually quarterly). You buy a bit at a time, whatever you feel you can afford, and your shares are managed by the mutual fund company. It is a great way to watch a nest egg form from money you didn’t even know you had.

A great part about automatic investing is that most mutual fund companies are so excited to get new investors in, they will waive most if not all transaction and investment fees for those that are signing up for automatic investing. They understand you may not have a lot of extra cash to throw away on fees and they want you to get your feet wet with mutual funds.

Maybe the best part about automatic investing is that it is a very disciplined form of investing. Instead of opening up an E-Trade account and investing from your home computer, an investment expert at the mutual fund company that you invest in will handle your shares and in this case, it is probably best to let the experts handle it. It’s extremely tempting to chase mutual funds when investing yourself. You hear the latest news about funds that may be surging and its tempting to take your money and jump on the hottest fund, but disciplined, long-term investing is a much more beneficial way to go.

Whichever company you choose to use for automatic investing will supply you with a prospectus that will outline all of the fees that may or may not be associated with your account. This is key since you’ll need to know what any possible cost might be for things like early withdrawals.

For many, automatic investing takes the guesswork and the fear out of mutual fund investing by allowing a large amount of money to build up over time. Contact a mutual fund company to see if automatic investing is right for you!

What is a stock?

For those who are new to investing, learning the lingo that is used on Wall Street and in economics classrooms around the globe is essential. When you hear the phrase “stock market” you get a vague picture of a group of men and women running around like crazy people with slips of paper in their hands and yelling out numbers and words that you can’t quite make out. To understand what’s going on, let’s start at the beginning and find out what stock is.

A stock can be described as the wealth (or capital) raised by a company or a corporation from the issuance of shares.

If you own stock in a company, say Microsoft, that would make you a shareholder in Microsoft. If you take all the shares available from Microsoft, or any other company and put them together, that is called Microsoft’s market capitalization. This is figured by multiplying the current price of a stock times the number of shares.

Stock falls into four major categories. There is common stock, preferred stock, duel class stock and treasury stock. Common stock is, just like the name says, the most common kind of stock available. Ownership of common shares usually comes with some voting rights when it comes to decisions made by the corporation. Preferred stock is different from common stock in the sense that they usually get paid more dividends and usually come with extra rights and decision making abilities for the company they are for. Dual Class stock is a combination of the previous two kinds of stock and the rights attached to each share vary. Finally, treasury stock are shares that were once issued to the public, but have since been bought back by the company.

The history of stocks goes back many hundred years to the Dutch East India Company, who began offering shares of their stock as far back as 1602. The East India Company helped to pioneer the idea of joint ownership and helped the economic growth in Europe at that time.

The most popular place to trade stocks in the United States is, of course, the New York Stock Exchange, where millions of shares change hands on a daily basis.

The world of economics and stock trading can be very exciting and very profitable for those that know the ins and outs. Hopefully, this article helped shed some light on what stocks are and how they are used by companies.

What was the dot.com bubble?

In the world of investing, certain phrases catch on like wild fire. Before you know it, you’re hearing catchphrases on the news, on analyst shows and even on the street from strangers. Maybe no other phrase exemplifies this better than the dot.com bubble. The dot.com bubble was a mini-crash of sorts in the stock market that only affected one segment of stock: the internet company.

The origin of the dot.com bubble can be traced back to 1994. The rise of the Internet from being a Department of Defense secret to a widely used tool in everyday life caused the formation of thousands of new businesses seemingly overnight. Many of these dot.com’s were not run by people who knew that much about business, but the ease of starting their own company over the Internet was so simple, most investors didn’t realize this.

As people poured onto the Internet, excitement grew as to the possibility of reaching such a large number of people so easily and so cheaply. It was, however, the misunderstood nature of the Internet that caused the eventual dot.com crash. Reaching all those people and getting them to buy your product turned out to be a little more difficult than most thought.

Three particular companies that would come to represent the dot.com age were WorldCom, who would end up not surviving the bubble, Netscape, which is still in business today but is considered an also-ran by many, and Yahoo, who isn’t the industry leader it use to be, but is still doing quite well.

The “bubble” referred to in the name comes from investors speculating about a companies future, and as the stock for that company begins to rise, the bubble builds. It’s called a bubble because the speculation and the rise in stock prices isn’t based on any real, ironclad evidence that the company is really worth all the hype.

The Dot.coms began to fail en masse midway through 2000. The Nasdaq market felt the full brunt of these failures since so much of their listed companies were dot.coms. Many companies, such as WorldCom and Pets.com ended up going out of business, costing investors millions. Others, such as Yahoo and Amazon survived, with Amazon being stronger than ever.

It’s unknown if there will be another dot.com bust in the future. With Google having bought YouTube for over a billion dollars, anything is possible. But one hopes that investors will be more careful this time and heed the lessons of dot.com bubble’s past.

The Most Important Rule in Investing

What Does Investing Mean To You?

What comes to mind when you mention the word investing?

Does it mean, putting your money in real estate, mutual funds, the stock or share market or even high-yield investments?

Other people might only think about investing when they are about to die and they haven’t left anything for their children.

Some even shiver when they hear the word, often claiming that they have no money to invest or feel that is too complicated a subject to even discuss about.

Many people even invest heavily in health supplements, personal trainers and beauticians to make themselves live longer, healthier or even look younger! Imagine the advertising budget for beauty companies nowadays.

All these are valid concerns when it comes to investing, but I am talking about the most important investment a person can make in his lifetime.

Invest in Yourself

The most important and No.1 rule is “Invest in Yourself” – if you don’t, who else will?

The 5 Ideals to Unlocking Wealth

These principles are a key to unlocking a remarkable reserve of wealth, abundance and success. They are all centered on our true natural traits, which as a matter of fact are universal and have a spiritual basis. These principles are:

· Truth
· Righteousness
· Peace
· Love, and
· Non-violence

The practice of these virtues will make possible for anyone to advance in life without any misgiving.

The reason is simple.

These universal ideals are all attractive and they form the foundation of the moral code. You cannot go amiss practicing the importance to moral values, codes of conduct and obeying the Law of Nature in your quest of Wealth.

You will discover that the goal of attaining financial freedom while at the same time, acquiring the flawless art of happiness through the awareness that the degree of joy is not ‘directly’ proportional to just monetary wealth.

Impossible is Just a Word, Achieve your Goals

Each person, at some stage in their life, has wished they were somebody special, somebody important. Who hasn't daydreamed of being the one who hits the game-winning homer? Who hasn't wished of being the homecoming queen? And how many times have we aspired of being wealthy, or successful, or blissful with our relationships?

Often, we dream big and have great ambition. Regrettably, our dreams remain just that – dreams. And our ambitions easily gather dust in our attic.

This is a sad turn of events in our existence. Instead of experiencing stimulating adventures in self actualization, we get caught up in the monotony of living from day-to-day just barely existing.

But you know what? Living could be so much better, if only we learned to point towards higher goals.

The most common difficulty to setting goals is the word impossible. Most people get hung up believing I can't do this. It's too impossible. It's too hard. No one can do this.

However, if each one thought that, there would be no innovations, no inventions, and no breakthroughs in human achievement.

Keep in mind that scientists were confused when they took a look at the humble bumblebee. Hypothetically, they said, it was impossible for the bumblebee to fly. Unluckily for the bumble, bee no one has told it so. So fly it does.

On the other hand, some individuals endure from dreaming totally outrageous dreams and not working on them. The result? Shattered dreams, and tattered ambitions.

If you limit yourself with self-doubt, you’ll never be able to go past what you think impossible. If you reach too far out into the sky without labouring towards your goal, you will find yourself grasping on to a hopeless dream.

Try this exercise. Take a piece of paper and write down some ambitions in your life. Under one header, list down things ‘you know you can do’. Under another header, write the things ‘you might be able to do.’ And under one more, list the things that that are ‘outrageous for you to do.’

Now look at all the headers strive every day to achieve the goals that are under things ‘you know you can do’. Check them when you are able to complete them. As you slowly are able to check all of your goals under that heading, try accomplishing the goals under the other header-the one that reads ‘you might be able to do.’

As of the items you wrote under things I could do are accomplished, you can move the goals that are under things that are ‘impossible for you to do’ to the list of things ‘you might be able to do.’

As you go through this process, you will find out that the goals you once considered impossible become easier to accomplish. And the impossible begin to seem possible after all.

You see, the method here is not to limit your imagination. It is to aim lofty goals, and start working towards that goal little by little. However, it also is risky to set a goal that is in fact unrealistic.

Those who just dream towards an ambition without working hard end up disillusioned and frustrated.

On the other hand, if you told somebody a hundred years ago that it was doable for man to be on the moon, they would scorn you. If you had told them that you could send mail from here to the other side of the world in a few seconds, they would say you were out of your mind. But, through absolute desire and perseverance, these impossible imaginings are now realities.

Thomas Edison once said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Nothing could be truer. For one to accomplish his or her dreams, there has to be had work and discipline. But take note that that 1% has to be a think-big dream, and not some effortlessly accomplished one.

Ask any gym rat and he or she will tell you that there can be no gains unless you are put out of your comfort zone. Remember the saying, “No pain, no gain”? That is as true as it can be.

So dream on, friend! Don’t get caught up with your seeming limitations. Think big and work hard to accomplish those dreams. As you step up the ladder of development, you will just about find out that the impossible has just become a little bit more possible.

Wealth of Creative Ideas

People seem to have the mistaken belief that only a select few are able to let loose a continuous flow of creative brilliance. That is not true at all. The fact is, ingenuity is very much like a muscle that needs to be exercised in order to time after time give out great results. If you don't practice utilizing your creative thinking, this skill will very much degenerate into inexistence. But keep functioning and this skill will soon come to you spontaneously.

So how do you set free your creative thinking? Well, the first thing is to become a human leech. No, we're not talking about just sucking the blood out of every living thing available, we're saying that you should take in as much knowledge and learning you can find. Read all that is available -- good and bad, and keep your mind open to the never-ending possibilities of the world. The more you know, the more you'll want to know, and the more your sense of wonder will be exercised. Prepare to be amazed at little facts that add a bit of colour into your life.

Focus on a creative activity everyday. Yes, it's an effort. Even doodling is a creative activity. Don't let anything hinder you. Mindlessness may be a creative activity, but for people who are just starting out to unleash a little bit of creative thinking in their lives, it is helpful and encouraging to have concrete evidence, that, "hey, what I'm doing is getting somewhere." So why don't you try it. Practice drawing for a couple of minutes each day. Bring out your old camera and start snapping photos like crazy. Keep a journal and make a point to write in it religiously. Another cool idea is to write by describing something with your five senses. Try to avoid vague adjectives like "marvellous," "amazing," and "delicious." Before you know it, you'll have built yourself a tiny portfolio, and you'll be astonished at the growth you've undertaken after building up all those works of art. Who knows, you might actually take to liking those things you do everyday. Pretty soon those things will become a part of you and you'll be addicted to these creative tasks.

Think outside the box -- or don't. Sometimes, restrictions are actually a good thing. Limitations regulates you to work within your means. It enables you to be more imaginative. Creative freedom is great, but limitations enforce discipline.

Try something new everyday and let your experiences expand your point of view. Discover a new district in your neighbourhood. Spend an afternoon in a museum to which you've never visited before. Chat up someone on the bus. Open up to the people around you. As you thrust yourself out of your comfort zone more and more each day, your sense of adventure grows and so does your enthusiasm for life. Think about it. When was the last time you did something for the first time? If it's been a while, I tell you, you've been missing out on a whole lot of experiences that could've added to your development, emotionally, mentally, physically, or spiritually. Why don't you try bungee jumping today? Not only will you learn, but you will also have plenty of stories to share, enabling you to practice your storytelling skills and making you the life of the party.

Embrace insanity. No, not to the point of practically admitting yourself into the mental ward. Every creative thought was once deemed madness by other "normal" people at one time or another. Luckily, that didn't stop the creative geniuses like Eistein from standing by them. The thing is, sanity or being normal confines people to think... well, normally. Within limits. Creativity is essentially breaking through barriers. Yes, this includes the uncanny and the downright outlandish. I'm not saying that you yourself should develop a creative personality. That might go haywire. It's important that your creativity doesn't get you detached from the real world completely.

I hope this article has motivated you to start thinking beyond your "limits." If you follow these steps pretty soon you'll be living a life full of interesting adventures. Setting free your creative thinking will bring about a new passion for living life.

Wealth of Ideas from Informational Products

I went to see Tom Hua's seminar the other day and the man is brilliant. He is funny, too. Anyway, in case you don't know him, Tom Hua is one of the most successful internet marketers in the world. I have taken down some notes so you and I can learn from him. Here are some things he mentioned that you need to have to succeed in the online world. Just some bits and pieces of advice but they make sense. Of course, I've added my own ideas as well. ;-)

Affiliate Products

Promoting other people’s product can be profitable. Normally affiliate programs are easy to join. You just bring traffic to the owner’s site and when those people decide to buy, you get a commission for the sales generated. With affiliate products, you don’t need to worry about the sales since the owner usually looks after them. You must remember that it is wise to promote products of people you know or well known internet marketers because we already know that they are successful and they know what they are doing. Get products of people like Ken Evoy, Ewen Chia, Tom Hua, and etc. Choose sites that have high traffic so you know that they really sell. You can use a tool like www.alexa.com to check the website’s traffic. Go with the champs so you can also be a champion and have a slice of their success.

Products with Resell License

You can buy products with resell license and you can sell them and get the profit. People normally sell these kinds of products between $20 to $100. Make sure that you buy decent products with Resell License. They are normally sold with a pre-written sales letter ready to be published to your website.

Make Your Own Product

If you want to have a lasting product, one that you can give you profit for years down the track, this is the best thing that you should take note of. With your own product, you can have full control of the quality and you can get all the profits for yourself.


That's what I learned and there's more, so keep on learning. It's a good thing.

Wealth of Information, Road to Success

I went to a seminar today and I have learned some more valuable wealth of information, courtesy of the Academy. It's really great to be able to learn a lot of things. It makes me feel good. It makes me feel positive. I want to put down into writing some of the things that I learned so I can go back to it later on and also, just in case someone stumbles on my weblog, they might learn something and benefit from what I have learned myself.

Two questions were asked: Why are some people more successful than others? What should I do differently to be successful than others? Hmmm, interesting!

I have learned that least productive people in society wasted their most valuable resource - TIME. Successful people use their time wisely. They maximise it and optimize it. "Time is gold." Isn't that what we have been taught many years ago?

Next is planning. Planning is very important. I once heard someone said:"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Tis true, tis true. The older we get, the faster time seems to go. By planning our time wisely, we can distort time. We can expand life to fit more into it.

If we want to have more in our life, we should focus on the results we want to accomplish. We should look into the purpose of the things that we are doing.

We should focus on the positive than on the negative. For instance, if you are a worker, focus on the benefit that your job has for you. Your job brings food to your table. You job helps you pay your bills. Instead of focusing on "Oh no, I have to get up early to go to work."

Do not spend too much time on things that you cannot control. Rather, focus on the things you can control.

Last of all, be happy. If you are not happy being poor, what makes you think you will be happy when you are rich? You have to be happy in whatever circumstances you are in. Happiness is being happy with what you have regardless of the circumstances you are in.

If you follow these guidelines, you are on your road to success.

Having the Right Mindset is Wealth in its Own.

Lately I have been reading much about having the right mindset. I have learned that the key to success is to have the right mindset in th first place. I have read that eighty percent of your success depends on it. Only twenty percent can be attributed to your strategies.

So, in order for us to be successful, we must work hard on having the right mindset. We must be open to learn new things and think like a winner. In order to reach our dreams and aspirations, we must master two things. First we must work on our mindset and then on our strategies.

I have been going into seminars lately and I notice that more often than not, these seminars have motivational speakers talking first before the main presentor. Why? Because it's all about the mindset. The motivational speakers gets you into the right mindset for learning new things. When you are motivated, your mind is opened and you are more prone to learning.

Sadly, a lot of people take their mindset for granted. I was actually one of those people before. I often times was skeptical about learning new things and sometimes closed my mind to new ideas until I read this book "What I Didn't Learn in School But Wish I Had." It's really a great book and I would highly recommend it to anyone who woould like to work on their mindset. In this book, it has the chapter on "Developing the Mindset of a Millionaire." You can download the free ebook from Wealth Creation Academy.

I have just come home from a seminar today so I want to share with you one other thing that I learned. "Successful people are inter-dependent with others." It means that we must not work alone. No man is an island. We have to join others, learn from them and work together so we can achieve success.