Expert Investor Uses Market Surveys To Determine The Gaps in Stock Research

Expert Investor Uses Market Surveys To Determine The Gaps in Stock Research
Finding unfulfilled market needs and filling them...at a
profit, is what they say 'marketing' is all about. In
order to do this you have to make sure you have a real
need, problem or 'pain' that people want to get rid
of...fast. Certainly this was the case with Ian Campbell, a
30+year veteran of rendering independent business valuation
opinions. In fact, he wrote the definitive books on it.

He managed his own investment portfolio; he was tired of
having to wade through the data overload and the
interminable hours it took. He knew there had to be a
better way to do this.

So he conducted independent market research with qualified
investors located in both the U.S. and Canada. He wanted to
see if they had the same problems, perceptions, and need
for a solution to this data quagmire and the time-consuming
task of trying to manage or have input into the management
of one's own portfolio. Moreover, Campbell was also
concerned about the data the average investor doesn't get
to see when making his/her own investment decisions. He
obtained the help of a long-time market researcher to help
him drill down to discover the real answers to his
concerns. By asking 'open-ended' questions, he was able to
elicit responses and suggestions for his concept.
'Responses that he would never have anticipated.

The proprietary research corroborated his earlier
hypothesis: he reckoned that if he summarized the most
pertinent data, the same way a company acquirer might do,
this might lead to efficiencies and most importantly, the
'accuracy' of the data...just as if you were buying the
company. During the research, he kept hearing two other
words: 'independence' and 'transparent'. Survey respondents
- potential members for his site - told him emphatically,
that they would not trust a site where companies listed
there had paid to be included in the data. They also wanted
the site to be clearly transparent, holding nothing back.
Additionally, he also learned that the site had to be
independent of any outside influences. The need to be
completely independent and obligated to no one was
cemented, right at the beginning. Finally, the site had to
be unbiased; it must not make a recommendation as to what
or when to buy....or sell. Those decisions are up to the
individual member.

The research indicated these were the 'hot buttons' for the
individual investors, their advisers, and analysts who were
looking for a stock research site they could trust.
Campbell then built the special web site providing only the
information required to make independent, informed
decisions.

It has taken Ian Campbell nearly a year to organize his own
initial observations, conduct research, lay out a marketing
and web site plan; to build the site according to what the
market has told him it wants and the gaps he discovered
himself. Today, the proof is in the pudding.

©Copyright, Roy MacNaughton, 2007

----------------------------------------------------
To learn more, go to: http://www.stockresearchdd.com
Roy MacNaughton is a business writer and coach. He's a
seasoned marketer, with more than 25 years of international
experience, including eight years online. His specialty is
finding investment "niches" that can be exploited and/or
added to his own portfolio.
Check his blog at:

http://www.UmarketingU.com

The Property Market in Sydney It's An Australian Thing

The Property Market in Sydney It's An Australian Thing
The real estate market in Australia is on the up and in
particular the stunning city of Sydney.

Sydney is the largest financial and corporate center in
Australia.The city is home to more than half of Australia's
top corporations as well as five hundred multinational
corporations. There are also ninety bank headquarters
located in Sydney. The tourism industry is a large part of
the city and there are approximately 2.5 million tourists
annually. Attractions such as 'walking' the Sydney Harbour
Bridge are booked up months in advance. The city is buzzing
with activity and a visit will reveal that the high rise
office blocks are full of big business.

Property in Sydney is a valued commodity, as they have the
highest median house price of any Australian city.
International property investors would be able to compare
the cost in housing to that of California in the United
States. Australia also has the Western World's highest
property prices when measured against rental prices.

The value of Sydney property market has traditionally
doubled in value every 7-10 years over the last 100 years.
Sydney's current median price for houses is now over
$565,000 and leading economic forecasters BIS Shrapnel and
Residex predict house prices will continue to rise over the
long term.

The city is rich in arts and entertainment and many of the
visitors and citizens of the city are interested or
involved in this area in some way. Fox Studios Australia
opened in 1998 and many famous movies have been produced
here including Moulin Rouge, Star Wars Episodes II and III,
Superman Returns, and The Matrix. Sydney's Opera House is
capable of hosting various styles of opera in its five
theaters. The opera house is home to Opera Australia,
which is the third busiest opera company in the world.
These attractions draw a large number of aspiring actors
and actresses as well as tourists. Those looking to invest
in oversea property would be keen to invest in property
that can be rented out to those in these areas.

Sydney also hosts numerous sporting events.Sydney Harbour
has been used for recreational yachting as well Dragon Boat
racing. The harbour is also famous for the Sydney to
Hobart Yacht Race. The headquarters of the Australian
Rugby League is also located in Sydney and the National
Rugby League Grand Final is held in Telstra Stadium.
Famous beaches in the area include Bondi Beach, Manly
Beach, Palm Beach and Cronulla Beach.

The property along these beaches is some of the best real
estate in the city. Suburbs such as Manly or Mosman are in
high demand. Australia offers investment property in the
form city apartments that are easily let to city workers.

My advice is to seek out a reliable Australian real estate
agent after all Sydney property is an Australian thing

----------------------------------------------------
Nicholas Marr is the CEO of Marr International Ltd a UK
based property marketing company that is responsible for
the overseas property web site at
http://www.homesgofast.com/Australia/index.php

France- The Safest Place In The World To Buy Property

France- The Safest Place In The World To Buy Property
It has recently been announced that 30,000 homes are due to
be torn down in Spain this year as they have been classed
as illegal developments with insufficient or incorrect
documentation or simply without planning permission. This
sort of thing may come as no surprise to many of you who
have been reading the papers over the last few years where
cases such as these have been well documented. This is in
addition to other problems in Spain such as the "land grab"
scenario by local authorities in Valencia where hundreds of
home owners have ended up losing their homes which many
have their life savings locked up in. Now it seems that
this type of thing is now happening in other newly
"fashionable" cheap countries which promoted cheap
investments with seemingly incredible projected capital
growth prospects such as Bulgaria. The OPP magazine
recently discovered that 200 developments in Bulgaria have
now been torn down in just the 1st 6 months of 2006 for
very similar reasons to the properties in Spain- namely
insufficient planning permission. This type of rogue
developing and false selling is not only a financial
disaster for the poor individuals who spent vast amounts of
money on their properties in these countries but is also
incredibly emotionally draining for them, many of whom have
based their pension plans on the capital growth of these
properties or are in fact already retired and may be
planning to live there.

Unlike any other country in the world the French have a
fascination with paperwork, contracts and the rule of the
law and although this can be seen as a hassle at the time
to comply with all their regulations and complete all the
necessary paperwork it does in fact protect the purchaser
to the extent not found any where else. Vast numbers of
developments being torn down by mis-selling and illegal
construction activity by developers in France is simply
unheard of and therefore makes it the safest place to buy
property. It is therefore an excellent location to invest
as it provides very reasonable capital growth with a steady
rental and resale market. Some Bulgarian developers have
been boasting capital growth of 20% per annum in some areas
but with no way of verifying their statistics can these
figures really be relied upon and will the property
actually still be there in a couple of years? On the other
hand capital growth in France was over 10% in 2005 (source:
FNAIM www.fnaim.com ) which coupled with its very low
deposits and ease of mortgage application makes it a highly
rewarding and yet sensible place to invest.

Of course there is still the choice of where in France is
the best place to purchase and from whom. For property
hunters who can often be bombarded by developments from
every location it is hard to distinguish which are the
savvy investments and which are not so savvy. Leapfrog
properties works with only the most reputable and
established developers in France and has nearly 150
developments to choose from placing it in a unique position
where its consultants can give totally unbiased advice on
where and what to buy. They can advise on which are the
areas currently performing the best but also on where
future growth is predicted and whereabouts in France the
best deals are to be had.

----------------------------------------------------
Niclas Dowlatshahi is Managing Director of Leapfrog
Properties who are an agency who specialise in property
sales in France. http://www.leapfrog-properties.com

Getting the Most from a College Budget

Getting the Most from a College Budget
Unless your Kimora Lee Simmons or Donald Trump chances are
you have limits on the amount of money your able to spend.
The ability to manage your money in school is important to
keeping debt to a minimum while being able to enjoy the fun
activities college life has to offer. Of course, as a part
of a college budget, it's okay to spend money and purchase
the items you want when you can afford it. And if you take
the time to be a good shopper, your money will go a lot
further - without breaking your college budget!

If you follow a simple student budget, you will have more
money available to afford the activities that make college
an experience you'll always remember. What's more, you
will avoid college debt which means a brighter and richer
future for you, your family, and your friends. That is how
you will reach your financial goals and enjoy the things in
life that make you really like doing.

Listed below are the top money saving tips for college
students that will make your college budget stretch further.

1. List what you want - This is a fun exercise that will
help you spend money on the things you truly want. Take a
pad of paper and write down everything you want. That new
sound system, house on the beach, new wardrobe, car, toys,
electronics, whatever it is no matter how big or small
write it down. Now that you know what you want list them
in priority. What is it you want the most; put that at the
top of the list and work your way down.

With this list you maximize your college budget and are
able to purchase the items you want the most. Seeing the
items you want to work toward can provide strong motivation
for you to earn the money necessary to buy them. Knowing
what it is that you want the most and what will make you
happiest is a key component for a developing college
student budget that allows you to get the items you want
while not overextending yourself.

2. Daily Splurges —Those small everyday purchases
that on a college budget plan add up more than you may
realize. A four-dollar coffee, during the week, adds up to
over $1200 a year of needless spending. That's a 4 star
trip to Mexico with your friends for 5 days. What would
you rather buy with the $1200?

3. Shopping for entertainment - It can be fun to window
shop, but only if you don't lose control every time you
spot a "bargain." If you have the will power to keep your
student budget, definitely go window shopping and enjoy
yourself.

4. The good deal shopper - If you have a closet full of
clothes with sales tags still attached, your discount
shopping may cause you to get into college debt. Avoid debt
by purchasing items that you truly need and will use. If
you're experiencing buyers regret after a purchase, don't
be afraid to return those items.

5. Compare prices - If you follow the steps above you will
avoid buying on impulse and stick to your student budget.
This gives you the luxury of being able to compare prices
of a particular item so you can take advantage of discount
stores and the Internet for tracking down the best price.

6. Off-season Shopping - Buy your snowboarding gear in
spring and your summer gear in winter. This will stretch
your college savings longer and it could save you at least
30% to 80% off what you would pay just a few months later.

7. Be creative - A little creativity goes a long way,
especially when you're tight on funds. Instead of paying
$120 for designer jeans, spend $35 for discount jeans pay a
tailor $12 to add stitching that mimics designer jeans. You
will look great and have money in your newly stitched
packet.

8. A Money Diary - Most of us have cash that vanishes each
month—to unknown stops for coffee or a quick burger.
To understand how you spend your money, write down
everything you spend money on: every coffee, every burger,
every bus or taxi fare. Keeping a money diary will help
you keep on your college student budget.

The purpose of these money saving tip for college students
is to make you aware of how you spend your money, and it is
the first step in developing a budget. There is a good
chance that after an entire month of doing this, you will
begin to think a bit more before you spend. After 30 days
of keeping a diary, ask yourself: what have you learned?
Are there areas where you feel you spend too much?

9. Opportunity Cost - With every purchase you make there is
a direct cost (cash) and an opportunity cost. The
opportunity cost is the cost of something in terms of an
opportunity forgone. In other words, what else you could
do with the same amount of money. What is the opportunity
cost of spending $470 for an iPhone? It may be very high if
it means you will not have the $470 for something that is
more important to you.

To maintain your college budget, this is a good exercise to
repeat from time to time as your income and circumstances
change. Five years from now your spending habits will be a
lot different than they are today.

Since there is a limit to the money in the college student
budget plan you need to live within your means, let's get
real about your budget and your finances. Once you master
these money saving tips for college students, saving money
to live your dreams will become easier.

----------------------------------------------------
Vince Shorb, young America's success coach and author of
'Financially Free by 30' shows young adults how a simple
college savings plan can give them the money necessary to
invest and retire young. More information about the first
multi-media program designed to help young people live a
dream lifestyle and a free 5 step video course can be found
at http://www.FreeBy30.com .

How to Protect All Your Assets Legally and Guaranteed Just Like Richard Branson

How to Protect All Your Assets Legally and Guaranteed Just Like Richard Branson
Most Western countries provide reliefs under their laws
which allow assets to pass, free of tax, from individuals
or corporations into Offshore Trust arrangements.

Indeed, the relationship between Trusts, both onshore and
offshore, Taxation, Asset Protection and Wealth
Preservation has brought about a demand for information
which was difficult to obtain only a decade ago. And
this is all quite legal. The super-rich have been doing
it for decades. Most major companies and banks,
globally, have offshore operations.

But, now these arrangements are available to anyone wishing
to enjoy the following benefits:

Save vast sums in taxes.

Pass wealth to future generations free of tax.

Enhance financial privacy away from networked databases.

Shield against harassment and vengeful lawsuits.

Minimise inflation and currency risks.

Protect property against government confiscation.

Limit personal liability.

Avoid currency, capital and exchange controls.
Minimise economic and political risk.

Transfer ownership of almost any asset anonymously.

Reduce costs of property transactions.

Use trust as a money-raising vehicle

Avoid probate on death.

Preserve wealth with financial, investment and pension
planning.

And achieve financial immortality.

Richard Branson saved many millions in tax when he sold his
Virgin Record Company by using offshore arrangements.
Before Virgin went public, Branson took the step which
saved him tens of millions in tax by transferring ownership
of many of his shares in the Company to Offshore Trusts of
which he and his family are beneficiaries. When the
Company went public, and when his music business was sold
later, in a transaction worth over £560 million, the
bulk of the capital gain was free of tax. There was not,
could not, and will not, be any dispute over the legality
of the tax avoidance inherent in the transaction. This
kind of trust arrangement is expressly allowed under
British tax law. And the same is true for most Western
countries.

Here's a possible scenario for an individual with more
modest means:

A man owns, solely or jointly, a portfolio of investments.
These are usually properties, but could be anything of a
capital nature. The properties may be mortgaged.
Using legal strategies, successfully implemented over
decades, the portfolio can be moved, under statutory
protection, into a tax-free, trust-based environment.

The portfolio investments can be sold free of any tax on
the capital gain. Tax-efficient rental strategies remain
available. The investments and their sale proceeds fall
outside estate/death/inheritance taxes.

This arrangement uses statutory reliefs. It does not even
touch on "tax avoidance". It has full disclosure to tax
authorities. It can be set up in conjunction with
existing professional advisers. It uses independent
professional trustees. It is the perfect arrangement.

Tax avoidance is fine. Tax evasion is illegal, no matter
where you reside. A U.S. Supreme Court Judge stated: "The
tax-payer has a right to so arrange his affairs as to make
his tax as low as possible." And a French Chancellor:
"The art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as
to obtain the largest amount of feathers with the smallest
possible amount of hissing."

Punitive taxes are among the major obstacles in
accumulating wealth today. In high-tax countries, which
includes most of the Western world, the government will try
to take 50% or more of your income while your alive and
working.

After you have gone, it will try to take at least 50% of
what you have left, in estate/inheritance/death tax.

As privacy is eroded, most Western countries are following
the United States' example. Frivolous, indiscriminate,
costly litigation abounds, with lawsuits appearing
everywhere and for everything. Well-informed lawyers
know exactly what your assets amount to, and can ruthlessly
pursue their clients' claims to them, unless action is
taken to protect them. Offshore arrangements will do
this.

But it's not just lawyers who can gather information on
you. Private investigators, with access to advanced
technology, can glean the deepest personal and business
knowledge, without anyone knowing. According to a UK
television documentary, the UK Inland Revenue uses
undercover vehicles to eavesdrop on suspected tax
fraudsters. Offshore arrangements can help avoid this.

Our lives are finite, but corporations can live forever.
This means that you could use an offshore entity as a
wealth preservation and estate planning vehicle to provide
a source of income to uncounted generations of your family.
Unless you protect your wealth and your estate, your
heirs could lose more than half of it. Then, of course,
the government becomes your biggest "heir".

By using a simple offshore trust, rather than a corporate
one, in the event of the death of the settlor, the
winding-up of the estate can be accomplished simply without
delay.

If you truly wish maximum privacy for your business and
financial affairs, combined with the most efficient wealth
preservation planning, you should do something without
delay, no matter where in the world you reside.

----------------------------------------------------
Duncan Watson, Expatriate Financial Bureau, has advised on
offshore strategies since 1979. For further information
on the advantages of trusts please go to:
http://www.protectallassets.com

Investment Costs - The True Picture

Investment Costs - The True Picture
We are all aware of the saying that there are two things
which you can't escape - death and taxes.

Well, we would add a third here, and that is COSTS.

When we speak to our many doctor and dentist clients, or
indeed to new clients, they understand that when they make
an investment, there will be associated costs.

We always ensure that these costs are explicit, and agreed
with the client at outset as to what they are:

- What they pay us

- What they pay for administration

- What the fund costs are

If you had invested say £100,000 yesterday, you would
have these costs listed with an accompanying quotation
called a Personal Illustration.

So thats ok then, its all there in print, and you are in
possession of all the facts. If only it was as simple as
that!

What clients are almost always unaware of however, is that
there is a major "hidden" cost, that is not calculated
within your illustration.

Regular readers of this newsletter will be aware that we
favour 'passive/asset class' investment rather than
'active'.

What does this mean?

Well, an active fund manager is frequently buying and
selling shares to get the best return he/she can. This of
course means that if they, say, sells £100,000 worth
of Barclays shares and buys HSBC shares, there are costs
involved in doing so.

(Studies in the US have concluded that the higher charges
associated with portfolio turnover were not recovered by
better performance***).

Over a given year the average manager will trade circa 70%#
of the shares in their fund, meaning that by the end of the
year if the fund owned 100 shares, only 30 would be
unchanged. This percentage varies widely, and can be as
high as 300% plus.

In a Financial Services Authority report called 'The Round
Trip'*, the Portfolio Turnover Rate (PTR) were calculated
at 1.8%, and similar costs apply around the world**.

So the above trades would typically cost the fund - and you
- £1,800.

A government commissioned report by Paul Myners estimates
that these portfolio turnover charges costs UK investors
£2.5 billion each year!

These costs of course reduce your returns, and are termed
'Performance Drag'.

This means that it is common for many active funds to have
explicit costs of say 2%, but also portfolio turnover costs
of an extra 1-3%.

The Financial Tips Bottom Line:

As these charges can clearly eat into the returns on your
investments the best course of action is to review your
portfolio so that you know where you stand.

ACTION POINT

Look at your ISAs, PEPs, or Unit Trusts.

Find out what the portfolio turnover rate is - details can
be found in the companies prospectus.

*Financial Services Authority (FSA) Occasional Paper 6

**Wilcox (1993) 1.2%, Carhart (1997) 0.95%, Orton (1999)
1%, James (2000) 1.3%

***Performance of Mutual Funds, J Chalmers, R Edelen & G
Kadlec Nov 1999

# A typical passive fund for comparison would be nearer
7-8% pa PTR. This adds around 0.13% in trading costs.

----------------------------------------------------
Ray Prince is an Independent Financial Planner with
Rutherford Wilkinson plc, and helps UK Resident Doctors and
Dentists get the best deals on mortgages, protection and
investments, as well as helping them achieve their
financial objectives. Just visit
http://www.medicaldentalfs.com to get your free retirement
planning guide. Rutherford Wilkinson plc is authorised and
regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Re-mortgage Tips

Re-mortgage Tips
By reducing your overall interest burden and by releasing
the build up equity in your home, a re-mortgage can
certainly work wonders for your finances. However, since
there are a few variables that can easily cut down the
quantum of your overall gains, it is recommended that you
follow the prescribed guidelines while taking the
re-mortgage route. Here are some essential tips and
suggestions that will help you make the most from your
re-mortgage.

Keep your eyes open for the lowest bidder

For getting the best possible benefits, the first thing you
need to do is contact as many re-mortgage lenders as
possible and ask for re-mortgage interest rate quotes. When
you do this, it would be like carrying out a bidding
process wherein all lenders will make their individual
offers. You then just have to shortlist appropriate bidders
and opt for one who might be offering the lowest interest
rates for your re-mortgage. However, do check out the
reputation of the lender because attracting new customers
may not be the only reason for offering low interest rates.

Read the fine print

You need to do this every time you receive a re-mortgage
offer because it's only here that you will find the
complete details of all the applicable charges, costs and
potential future liabilities. If you find it difficult to
understand the technical jargon, it's recommended that you
get professional help, just to make sure that you clearly
understand the applicable terms and conditions.

Assess your potential future earnings

Re-mortgage certainly has its benefits, but since a lot
depends on your ability to pay off your monthly instalments
in time, it is recommended that you first make a proper
assessment of your potential future earnings. This is
necessary especially if you are planning to opt for a
re-mortgage plan whose repayment period is less than that
of your existing mortgage plan. Your monthly instalment
amount will increase if you opt for a shorter repayment
plan and this is why you first need to assess your finances.

Have a look at your credit report

Before making the final offer, re-mortgage lenders will
certainly assess your finances by going through your credit
report and your credit score. This is why you need to have
a look at your credit report and ensure that it does not
contain any errors and inaccuracies. If you find any
errors, get them fixed first and then only apply for a
re-mortgage.

----------------------------------------------------
Graham Bradlington is the marketing manager for Quickly
Finance Limited, a company which specialise in Fast track
Secured Loan & Remortgage applications for homeowners.
Quickly Finance is 100% independent & can search the whole
market for the best deals... quickly! For more info:
http://www.quicklyfinance.com

Building a Forex Trading Strategy

Building a Forex Trading Strategy
Your chosen Forex trading strategy will drive the trading
decisions that you make in the Forex trading system. If you
are new or a novice to Forex trading systems, you will need
to develop an appropriate strategy that will evolve over
time. The following steps outline the approach to building
a Forex trading strategy that may be adapted and tailored
to your needs.

Develop a Forex Trading Plan - A Forex trading strategy
should never be considered absolute or complete. Part of
having a Forex trading strategy is incorporating a plan for
making adjustments to the strategy. You will need to be
able to make adjustments without completely revamping your
strategy. Though you may consider your trading strategy to
be more technical than fundamental or vice versa, you
should take advantage of any available market data in
making your trading decisions regardless of which
discipline it falls under.

Initiate a Forex Trade - You must decide on the currency
pairs that you which to trade and the number of units to
trade. You must establish either a buy or sell position.
You are then ready to initiate a trade as either a market
order or a limit order. A market order initiates a trade at
the current market price while a limit order permits a
trade to be executed when the market price reaches a limit
that is predetermined by you. As a safeguard for online
trading, particularly with limit orders, you should also
establish limits to take profits or stop losses. Take
profit and stop loss limits become particularly important
with online trading when your Internet connection is loss.
In the time it will take to reestablish a connection, the
market price may change and fall outside of any established
limits. Your trading platform may be able to calculate a
suitable set of limits. Limits are set as either the
percentage of the trading range or as distance from the
market entry price. If you have established an open
position, you may adjust these calculated values to suit
your needs.

Determine When to Exit a Forex Trade - If a trade moves in
favor of your established position you must evaluate the
move. In a long position, a move is considered significant
if it is in the range of 15 to 20 pips. In response to such
a move, it would be advantage to raise your stop-loss limit
above the market entry price and your take-profit limit by
about 20 pips or the number of your choice. If the trade
continues to move in your favor you should continue to
raise the stop-loss and take-profit limits. This aspect of
a trading strategy allows you to continue to generate
profits while the market is working in your favor. Unless,
for some reason, you feel you need to manually exit the
trade, you should not exit the trade until the market
reverses to trigger your stop-loss order. A take-profit
limit should not be used to signal an exit from the trade.
If a trade moves against your established position, you
have two options. You may manually exit the trade before
your stop-loss limit is reached or stay in the trade until
either the stop-loss or take profit limit triggers an end
to the trade. It would not be beneficial to lower the
stop-loss limit with the expectation that the market price
will reverse for a short period of time. While such a
reversal is possible, the odds of this type of market
action are low and your Forex trading strategy should not
depend on this type of anomaly.

----------------------------------------------------
Andrew Daigle is the owner, creator and author of many
successful websites including ForexBoost at
http://www.ForexBoost.com and
http://forex-trading-system.typepad.com , Free Forex
Training Resource for the Novice and Advanced Forex trader.