Wednesday, August 19, 2009

INVESTMENTS PROFIT AND LOSS: Investment in Bonds - Another Window of Opportunity

INVESTMENTS PROFIT AND LOSS: Investment in Bonds - Another Window of Opportunity

Investment in Bonds - Another Window of Opportunity

Today is the day to shake off the shackles of the past and to move forward. Today was once the future from which you expected so much in the past. Don’t let what you have within your grasp today be missed entirely because only the future intrigued you, and the past disheartened you. It is okay to take time to plan, but when the time of action has arrived, stop thinking and o for it. The regret that most people experience in life come from failing to act when they have an opportunity.

Every obstacle introduces a people to themselves. How we respond to those obstacles is important. The greatest example of the right response to an obstacle in the Bible is the giant Goliath, who confronted and intimidated the armies of Israel, including the brothers of a young shepherd named David. David’s brothers chose not to do anything about the obstacle before them, but David did. What was the difference? The way each viewed the problem. The brothers looked at the obstacle and figured it was too big to hit, but David looked at the obstacle as an opportunity and figured it was too big to miss. While David’s brothers were seeing a problem, David was seeing an opportunity. You need a second eye and the Grace of God to be able to see things differently.

Do you see the global meltdown as an obstacle too big to hit or an obstacle and opportunity too big to miss? The way you look at any event in your life makes all the difference. That many people have lost their life savings through various investments in the stock markets, mutual funds, multi-level marketing etc is not news; many people have also made huge sums of money through similar investments during the same period. Do you see the meltdown as an opportunity or an obstacle? Do you see yourself as a victor a victim?

Is it not amazing that many people decide in advance that they are going to fail and not reach their dreams. It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that things are difficult. The way to guarantee success is to work smarter and harder. Naturally, in a sluggish economy or a recession, people try to watch their spending and not take any undue risks that might put their future financial goals in jeopardy. The global meltdown indeed brought untold hardship to many investors. However, Investment Analysts are of the view that Bonds guarantee steady and safe returns compared to other forms of investment. The downturn in the world economy has indeed led people to explore other investment windows like Bonds. The Bond can be best described as a debt security in which the authorized issuer owes the holder a debt and depending on the terms of the Bond, is obliged to pay interest (the coupon) and/or to repay the principal at a later date, termed maturity. A bond could literally be described as a loan, the bond holder is the lender, and the coupon is the interest. A bond could also be described as fixed financial assets issued by governments, companies, banks, public utilities and other large entities to raise money from investors. The bondholder do not share from the profit of the company, however their fixed return is guaranteed and the date of payment is certain.

The following types of Bond were exhaustively discussed by Iheanyi Nwachukwu – Businessday Newspaper:

Corporate Bond – A Corporate Bond is a bond issued by a corporation. It is a bond that a corporation issues to raise money for developmental projects. The term is usually applied to longer-term debt instruments, generally with a maturity date falling at least a year after their issue date. Sometimes, “the term corporate bonds” is used to include all bonds, except those issued by governments in their own currencies.

Government Bond – A government bond is a bond issued by national governments in the country’s own currency. The first-ever government bond was issued by the English government in 1693 to raise money to fund a war against France. It was in the form of a tontine. Government bonds are usually referred to as risk-free bonds, because the government can raise taxes to redeem the bond at maturity.

Sovereign Bond as a Government Bond – A sovereign bond is a bond issued by a national government in foreign currencies. Nations with very high or unpredictable inflation or with unstable exchange rates often find it uneconomic to issue bonds in their own currencies and so are forced to issue bonds denominated in more stable foreign currencies. This raises the issue of sovereign default if the nation cannot afford to repurchase the necessary foreign currency at bond repayment time. Due to the risk of default, investors require the bonds to be issued with a higher yield. This makes the debt more expensive to service, increasing risk of default. In the event of default, unlike a corporation or even a municipal subdivision, a nation cannot file for bankruptcy. But on the rare occasions that a default occurs, just as in defaults on corporate bonds, recent practice has been that the defaulting borrower presents an exchange offer to its bond holders in an effort to restructure the sovereign debt, as has been the case in US dollar denominated bonds issued by Peru (1996) and Argentina (2001). However, getting the bond holders to accept an exchange offer has become very difficult, something caused by the holdout problem.

Municipal Bond – A municipal bond is a bond issued by a city or other local governments, or their agencies. Potential issuers of municipal bonds include cities, counties, redevelopment agencies, school districts, publicly owned airports and seaports, and any other governmental entity (or group of governments) below the state level. Municipal bonds may be general obligations of the issuer or secured by specified revenues. Interest income received by holders of municipal bonds is often exempt from the federal income tax and from the income tax of the state in which they are issued, although municipal bonds issued for certain purposes may not be tax exempt.

Thomas Edison once said that "Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.". Martin Luther King Jr. advised that “If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream."

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Where to Invest and Earn Passive Income

Where to Invest and Earn Passive Income

Where to invest and earn passive income

Where to Invest and Earn Passive Income by Deaolu Akinyemi

I want to reveal a secret to you, please relax. You have already gotten to open this post, so you are ahead of a long line of people who wait a little longer to read. I’m going to share my heart with you, I hope you’ll read me with your heart as well. Once our hearts believe, our heads can easily follow. I’ll also ask for your permission on a few things. If you can oblige me those things, this post and the mail you are about to read, will make a real difference in your life this year! Here are my few requests.

1. Before you continue reading question 2, make up you mind to empty yourself of all prejudices and preconcieved notions about referral based businesses. It might be tough I know, but your preconcieved positions will limit you. Trust me. Read objectively, and look with fresh eyes.
“The uneducated in the 21st century is not one who can’t read and write, it’s one who can’t learn, unlearn and relearn” - Dr. Tunde Bakare.

2. Don’t jump to the bottom, try and read this line by line and with an open mind.

3. Make your decision within 24hrs and take action. What you are reading will not be useful to you otherwise. Believe me though that it will make a difference if you conciously and delibrately make a positive move.

This are all that I require you to have in mind as you read further.
It’s one thing to read about something, it’s another thing to know it, and it’s yet another thing to practice what you read and know. I had known that there were broadly two types of people when it comes to difficult problems, the ones that walk away, and the ones that stay unreasonably to solve the problem. I didn’t know until lately that I was more of the person that walks away than the person that stays to solve and resolve.

For 6 months I refused to participate in a business opportunity that is currently transforming my life! Why did I refuse? I refused because I believed I had gotten enough of referral based businesses (Network Marketing, Direct Selling, Multilevel Marketing, Affiliate Marketing e.t.c.) and I simply had quietly decided to walk away. I had made a few losses and some over exaggerated successes, but I didn’t feel good with the fact that a lot of people came out of those ventures as outright losers. I care more for value, a good name and great friends, than I could ever care for money - and these businesses were just not making it happen for me. I walked away unannounced, and was marketed with regularity for over 6 months and I refused to move an inch. Thank God for the insistence of my marketing mentor and friend Michael Faust, and the constant nudging of two other friends in UK and Australia whose names I will feature in time.
After a long while, I decided to ask myself a fundamental question. I decided to ask for support to practically answer these questions by the company. The answers to this question, and the position I could take made me take action. I’m hoping you see them as well. I decided to walk away eventually from any referral business that has to do with BOARDS, but I decided to stay and make things right in what I saw when I dared to empty my cup.
What is the problem of referral based businesses, and can they be solved?
Problem1: The owners of the companies often times are not credible, they stay invisible, they don’t come to Nigeria, have no local registeration in Nigeria and might one day just shut down their systems and dissappear into thin air.

Solution: Can we ensure that the leaders of the company are known to a lot of Nigerians? Can we ensure that they come to Nigeria? Can we ensure the companies are locally registered in Nigeria and allow Nigerians to part own the company? Can we ensure the involvement of a local credible entrepreneur like Prof Pat Utomi as the Chairman of the Nigerian company? Can we ensure that Nigerians meet all the board members and that the Chairman also meets all the foreigners?

Status: 99% Done. Agreements to be concluded with Chairman in August. (8-14th in Mauritius)

Problem2: Usually these companies sell products that are of No value to Nigerians. Nigerians participate only because of the financial possibilities from referring others. People end up feeling scammed when they buy products they don’t intend to use, and refuse to market to make the money they planned to make.

Solution: Can we ensure that there are many options of products? Can we ensure that once you buy a particular product you get amazing discounts on the rest? Can we ensure that peopel can get IBM thinkpad laptops (German Refurbished) for as low as N29,000 and get it bundled with other great products? Can we get people an opportunity to develop themselves with e-books worth $3000 as an add on? Can people buy landed property at discounted prices and still earn from referring others to any of the products? Can people buy personal branding kits? Attend special trainings as product offers? Use their privilege packs to book local flights at riddiculous prices? Save up to $800 on just one hotel bills for one international trip from a pack that costs less than 1/3 of the savings? Can we make this like a real online market with a baseline of refer and profit?

Status: 101% Done. And much more to come… inverters, cameras, e.t.c.

Problem3: These companies or “schemes” as many see them look easy before you start, but they end up being too much work. It’s as if you should never stop, cos once you stop, you do not earn anymore. The boards keep splitting and you have to keep running around and “getting people”. They have absolutely no passive income potential, and it’s difficult to predict what you need to do before you earn. The the bad part is once you have gotten so many people, they split so far away from you, that it doesn’t even pay you to help them.
Solution: Is it possible to have a model that actually has the possibility of generating passive income so that this doesn’t become another JOB and slave camp? Is it possible to predict exactly what needs to be done to get results? Is it possible to get results without depending on other people, just on one’s own efforts? Is it possible to help people, hear thank you and still directly help yourself? Is it possible to earn even when the person you are helping is 2000 generations and 5yrs away from you?

Status: 100% Done and Yes to all questions!
The company is far from where it was when I joined, it will be far from where it is today if you join and come in with other brilliant ideas. Without you, we have built this business into having over 6,000 Nigerians on board with people earning in dollars weekly. Without you, I have become a platinum member, travelled to Egypt, going to Maritius and qualified for the next international event. Many of our members are also joining in Nation building initiatives - in Education, in the Power Sector, in Electoral Reforms and even in Politics. You know why it’s easy for us? Because we are free! We are not free as we want to be yet, but we determine our own timetables.

The words of William Wallace (modified)echoes in our spirits - “You came to fight as free men, free men you are! Run, and you will live. At least a while. But years from now, you will die, in your beds on the roads, anywhere! Are you willing to stake all the days from now till then for one chance, just one chance to stand here and tell our enemies that they may take our time (5am to 10pm every weekday) and our current choices (determine were we live, when we break, when we take our vacation) but they will never take away our Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedom!

Special Email to Friends
Do you sincerely want financial freedom?
Dear Friend,
Have you discovered that you are advancing in years and yet have no source of passive income? Do you find it difficult to raise N300m to invest in real estate that can pay good rent? Are you tired of carrying buckets and want to build pipes?
You can wish and hope for financial freedom for all you care, it doesn’t respond to wishes and hopes, it responds to deliberate action! It responds to simply following the option I am about to share with you.
Introducing…. Holidays and Cash Business Opportunity
I have great news for you, this business opportunity is designed to help anyone (that’s you too ) from any country in the world to become financially free starting with less than N100,000 ($600). You don’t only get really great products for your money, you also get an opportunity that allows you to achieve what N300milllion may not achieve.
You can get to earn between $30 - $75,000 weekly, and actually build your business to a point where without working you still continue to earn - for life!
Apart from access to this business opportunity which is free, with Less than N100,000 you can also get a Laptop (limited offer), a pack of e-books (worth $3000) and a privilege pack ($250/yr - paid for 1yr). You can also get a top position and some special add on gifts if you are one of the first 100 to respond to this.
The most turbulent time in my life was a stretch of 3 weeks where I wasn’t able to do anything - no presentations, no emails, no seminars. In those 3 weeks I earned about half a million weekly! This business opportunity works and the products are great!

P.S.S
Hurry, you can typically get your laptops after 3-7days of booking. You however have till Friday if you desire to pay and pick immediately, this offer is valid while stocks last! This is a win-win opportunity and you can’t lose - except of course you ignore this message. Remember, if you always DO what you have always DONE, you’ll always succeed in getting exactly what you’ve always GOT! Also, don’t wait till your friends tell you, be a first.
If you want to purchase the laptops You pay between 70-90k depending on specksWhen you pay this, you’ll get together with the laptop, A pack of 200 e-books worth $3000 (N480,000) a privilege pack you can use to book hotels around the world and flights at discounts for $250 per year. This is what you get for the less than N100,000.
Once you pay and get this, even if you don’t market it, you have not lost anything. You have gotten a laptop, a privilege pack and books. You can turn this into money by yourself if you want, or use them as tools to create more. If however you decide to market this to others, you can become wealthy in time.
If you are however not interested in the Laptops because you already have one or don’t have enough money, you can pay for the privilege pack and the e-books. This gives you assess as well to the business opportunity and costs you $250 (N40,000). The interesting thing however, is that if you buy the privilege pack, and you want to buy any of the other products in the future, you can safely remove the cost of the privilege pack from the combo.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

How to Make Money in Investment Clubs and Multi-Level Marketing

How to Make Money in Investment Clubs and Multi-Level Marketing

Survival Strategies Through Investment Club and Multi-Level Marketing

Investment Club and MLM

With job losses high and traditional employment options limited, many will turn to self employment and membership of Investment Clubs. However, it is advised that the best time to make hay is while the sun shines. The best time to join or form an Investment Club or Multi-Level Marketing is while you are still gainfully employed. This is based on the fact that the employer will one day take his job (which he will surely do one day because you cannot work for him for life). Once an employer notices a decline in your productivity level, you are fired. Do not be deceived by any one that without you, the company would not survive. One day you will leave the company willingly or unwillingly. You have the right to chose your soft-landing by being able to generate passive income and choosing whom to associate with. When you are out of job, the desire to succeed quick is always there and if your expectations are not met as fact as possible (which is always difficult), frustration sets in.

The recent global economic meltdown has taught many individuals and corporate organisations lessons on survival strategies. Many have voluntarily or involuntarily devised means of letting ends get nearer, if it could not meet. One of such strategies is participating in Investment Clubs. Another survival strategy is being a member of Multi-Level Marketing (MLM). These 2 strategies have one thing in common – team work and leveraging on the skills of others for maximum benefit. This is so because no man is an island. You need the skills, intelligence and expertise of others to survive and move to another level in life. In achieving this also, you would have touched the lives of many people unaware.

In developed countries, Investment Clubs seem to have gained prominence and recognition. It serves as a vehicle for beginner investors to learn and exchange ideas among themselves. It is a group of individuals such as friends, colleagues, church members, family members who meet on a regular basis for the purpose of contributing and investing same in an agreed portfolio. Apart from the money aspect of the Club, Club members also educate each other on investment matters. They usually agree on where and when their monies should be invested. Club members who are knowledgeable on particular areas use the opportunity to enlighten others. Just as in mutual fund, personal risk is usually low because the money invested belongs to the whole Club members. Also, when profits are made from investments, such gains are shared among Club members. The potential for higher profit is more because the investments are done in high volumes which invariable attracts higher profit to the Club and Club members.

Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) is another survival strategy based on the principle of leveraging and team work. Usually, it involves individuals becoming members of a scheme by registering through existing members. Teams are formed and as new members join the scheme, they are placed under existing members. Many people have lost much money in various investments during the recent global meltdown, so the idea of an Investment Club or MLM does not mean much to them when they remember their monies are either lost or tied to various investments. Needless to state that there is no investment that is risk-free; however caution and due diligence is required. If there is a risk-free investment, it is no longer an investment.

I will not discuss the technicalities involved in a Multi-Level Marketing but do know that some of the MLMs do not stand the test of time while some others have made their impact on the lives of their members. While some are still functioning, others have fallen by the road side. The good ones apart from the residual income to members, they also devise other means of generating income for the members. A good example is Holidays and Cash. Apart from the financial reward in Dollars to members, members also enjoy discounts on some designated hotels and rebate on air flights. They also sell computers and other valuables at reduced rates to members of the Club. Members are regularly updated on development in the Club.

The greatest obstacle in Investment Club or Multi-Level Marketing is marketing. It is very difficult convincing people to become members of a Club they are not familiar with. No thanks to the recent loss of monies in various investments which have eroded investors confidence in investments generally. However, it requires great deal of effort to convince people to join an existing Club or form a new one or to join an MLM. The character and integrity of people involved in the club membership will determine to a great extent its acceptability or otherwise by prospective members.

To participate actively in these activities, one must first conquer the greatest obstacles to success which according to Brain Tracy are “Fear of Failure and Fear of Rejection”.
Being destined for greatness requires that you take risks and confront great hazards. In the words of John Stemmons “when your chances are slim and none, go with the slim”. If your life is ever going to get better, you have to take calculated risks. Remember the words of Peitro Metasiso that “every noble acquisition is attended with its risk; he who fears to encounter the one must not expect to obtain the other”. Conrad Hilton said “I encourage boldness because the danger of seniority and pension plans tempt a young man to settle in a rut named security rather than find his own rainbow”.

In conclusion, please note the word of Emerson “if we are related, we shall meet”. We shall indeed, get there.