Iron Condor - Oh Man, I Want My Mommy…

July 16, 2010 · Posted in Investment Bonds · Comment 

The Iron Condor is perhaps the most dangerous option strategy around.

See here’s the deal: when a new fresh faced option trader first hears of this trading strategy - he or she becomes so enamoured with it that they just can’t seem to help but jump right into trading them - risking way too much money - and without much thought of what they are going to do if the trade starts to go wrong.

And unfortunately what always seems to happen to a high percentage of them is that they promptly wind up getting their trading accounts demolished and their heads handed to them on a platter.

Now stop.

Before you start to get the wrong impression, please, let me clarify something here.

I actually LIKE iron condors. I like them ALOT.

I think the iron condor really IS a great trade.

And yes, I absolutely believe all those stories and claims you hear swirling around about iron condors generating ten percent plus monthly returns and providing trades that have the probability of winning somewhere in the range of eighty to ninety percent. In fact, I KNOW those stories are true because I see it happen all the time in my very own trading account.

The problem is - there is something big that is being left out of all those claims and stories - and this something is causing way too many fresh new doe eyed option traders to misunderstand this strategy right from the beginning and blindly jump into them with completely wrong expectations.

Yes it’s true that iron condors and credit spreads can be put on with an eighty to ninety percent probability of winning. And yes it’s true that they can generate returns of over ten percent a month. BUT - they also come with a dangerous risk to reward ratio that can be in the range of ten to one.

10 to 1! That means that in order to try and make just one dollar, you need to be willing to risk ten. Or, put another way - in order to make 100 dollars, you need to risk 1,000 dollars. Or - risk $10,000.00 to hopefully make just $1,000.00!

And as mammy used to say to us kids - ‘that ain’t nothin but a real awful bad egg’.

Because once you do the math you find that even with those glorious monthly returns with 80 to 90 percent probability of winning - all it takes is just one problem month to come along and cause a loss that will completely obliterate the 8 to 9 wins you’ve managed to rack up - as well as potentially the rest of your entire account!

Nevertheless…

There is still hope…

Like I said before, I LOVE the iron condor trade.

Over the last ten years it’s been extremely profitable for me.

So obviously there’s a way around that horrible risk to reward issue and the inevitable problematic losing months.

And there absolutely is.

It’s all in how you manage the trade.

That risk to reward problem quickly becomes a complete non issue as soon as you educate yourself on the proper way to initially set these trades up and how to correctly manage and adjust them.

You just need to take the time BEFORE jumping into the iron condor pool to equip yourself with this little bit of knowledge. A few simple ‘tricks of the trade’ - so when those problem months DO come along (and they WILL believe me) - you will know exactly what you need to do to immediately squash that threat, easily adjust yourself out of the problem, and experience the iron condor for all it’s ‘really’ cracked up to be.

Reasons To Use An Auto Trade Forex System

July 11, 2010 · Posted in Currency Trading · Comment 

An automated forex sytem is a system that automatically analyzes the market for you. The focus of an automatic currency system is to trade for you carrying out all operation for you without you having to be there or do anything.

These systems which are completely new technology and once used exclusively by large companies are available to anyone who wants to invest in Forex. If you are new or are not entirely familiar with this type of technology continue to read on.

The Forex market is a market full time. In fact it is more than a market full time because it takes place in several international markets that is why it is open 24 hours a day.

There are very few successful traders and among the best the skills they possess include chart reading and knowing how to read price action. It takes a lot of pressure off of you when you have a system that us auto trading for you 24 hours a day.

Most traders who are still struggling to turn a profit continually have issues controlling their emotions meaning they get into a trade through buying tops and then exit the trade at a loss as it retraces. One of the great things about an automatic trading system is that since it is carrying out all trading operations for you it takes emotions completely out of trading.

While using an automated system you can take your time to learn forex and can go slowly developing the skills needed to become a successful trader. It is nice to be able to make money while learning to trade forex and build up your account as opposed to losing money while learning.

Yet another advantage of using a forex robot or auto system is that you actually do not need any knowledge of the currency markets. You can however review the charts and all of the past trades if you like in order to gain an understanding of the markets.

So what is the best way to learn Forex? You can rely on free information online but consider looking for a forex system that tells you not only when to trade but can trade for you. There is no need to be stuck at a computer all day when you can make money while enjoying life instead of being a slave to the computer!

French Winemakers Fight For Their Right To Advertise

July 8, 2010 · Posted in Investment Bonds · Comment 

If you are a wine tasting maestro, you will find it hard to disagree that the level of approval you would give French wine is miles above that which you would give ordinary wine from other parts of the world. French wine is simply unrivaled when it comes to the taste it produces.

The reputation of the Bordeaux wine has only grown because of the quality it delivers. Its region has throughout the ages, been viewed as having the best wine producing vineyards in France and in all corners of the world. This is why its market has the capability to grow if and only if the right buttons are pressed.

Quality aside, it is still a notable phenomenon that the producers are towing losses due to declining distribution.

A few legal issues still bog down the great plans put in place to have a booming export scheme. This is taking its toll on the vineyard business.

The great lobbying is on now. People are really pushing for wine to be allowed to put up adverts on TV to attract people to buy, hence making more sales and tapping into new markets. This is believed to be able to boost local and global sales.

For the French wines to hog the market share in the overseas markets there needs to be a trick to get them recognized. There has to be a way of telling someone in the Far Eastern countries that French wine is different form a product from a product from a vineyard half an hour’s drive down the highway. Labels are the way to go.

Both the domestic and the international users of French wine will benefit if the handicaps are removed from the distribution networks. Some authority needs to have an awakening. Rules and regulations should serve to strengthen, not weaken the market opportunities for the wine industry.

If the recommendations put on the table by the lobby groups are taken seriously and acted upon, you are sure to see a turn around in the overall market behavior of the French wines.

School Grants - Best Way To Apply For FAFSA Student Grants

July 6, 2010 · Posted in Financial Education · Comment 

Grants are a type of aid paid by the government. Grants for college students do not have to be repaid.

Grants are based on financial need, as calculated by the federal aid program. The first step in applying for government grants is to complete the FAFSA.

Of course, each student and parents would rather receive grants instead of loans, they do not have to be repaid. So the student trusts to see a grant award when the results are returned to the application.

There are some things to keep in mind, however, expected a grant. The funds available for scholarships are limited, so the grant is not usually fully fund educational expenses. If the student plans to attend a community college where tuition rates are low, it is possible that grants will cover a greater percentage of tuition and fees.

The second thing to consider is that when the needs analysis done by the government or the school, the expected donation from parents is often higher than in reality what is possible for most families. This expected contribution effects the amount available for student grants.

Another important factor is that if the parent or guardian claims the student as a dependent on tax returns, this effects the amount of aid available to the student. In general, a student who is “independent” of parents in regard to tax legislation will receive more in financial aid.

Freshmen may find that they receive less grant awards than they do in subsequent college years.

Both parents must present residence and income proof as well as documents confirming lawful guardianship. It is best to anticipate these requirements and be ready.

Parents who wish to enroll more than one child in an institution may want to inquire about sibling discount from the financial aid office. A number of schools offer concession on tuition fees for siblings of students already enrolled or enrolling together.

Many schools award grants on the basis of a child’s academic, artistic, or other merits. It is better to find out from the institution if your child is eligible to apply for such a grant. Do keep certificates and awards handy.

Early bird catches the prey. The soon you are ready with the relevant documentation; the earlier you will be able to submit your application. Often that makes all the difference with school grants.

Why Do People Value Gold?

June 25, 2010 · Posted in Future Trading · Comment 

Certainly, its pretty cool that you may get cash instead of gold through an online site with U.S. Postal Service. But have you ever wondered why gold is so valuable? The next few paragraphs will converse several the causes that gold is extremely valued, even after 1000s of years.

The major reason that gold is so costly is because it is rare. It has been assumed that in case you got the gold of the entire world then lumped all of it together, you’d simply wind up having a one hundred fifty foot cube. Mining for gold is an extremely pricey as well as not easy job. To pull out 1 ounce of gold you need to dig and move through loads of dust or rock. It is a especially manual labor intensive duty moreover can only be done in a few geographic places.

Yet another cause gold is considered for being costly is that it’s static, meaning that it will not relate with supplementary elements. Gold doesn’t rust, corrode or degrade. It mostly lasts forever, which are a few things that cannot truly be said for lots of other resources.

One feature of the gold that contributes to it’s usefulness is that is certainly is very malleable. Which means it could be stretched, pounded as well as twisted without breaking or cracking. This enables people to manipulate gold into numerous varieties including ornaments or design paper-thin gold foil that could wrap things to make them appear as if they are created from gold. Gold can also be a good conductor of the electrical power is utilized in computer circuits as well as several PC and audio wires has “gold plated” contacts.

In olden days, individuals could use gold nuggets or jewelry to directly pay for goods and services. In current times, governments have big stores of gold that may be utilized back the value of currency in type of paper plus coins. Every U.S. dollar is usually like and I.O.U. for a tiny little portion of U.S. gold reserve. You could be familiar with the tale that Fort Knox is spot where the entire of U.S.’s gold is kept back. Although there is a big store of gold here, it will not stand for the complete amount of gold that the U.S. have.

Each one of these criteria add to the valid reason that gold is so worthy - as every person accepts that it is. You’d be hard pushed to discover a man or woman on Planet that might not agree to a large chunk of gold like payment (so long as it can be verified that it was in fact gold). Many hundreds years back individuals appreciated gold for it’s shortage plus natural beauty. Now, those similar factors are valid, however gold is recognized at as more of a “universal currency”. At the time the United States. financial system has difficulty and also dollar dips down in value, the cost of gold typically goes up. It’s a safe investment as traditionally it’s at all times had a top significance.

The conclusion is that gold is so expensive for the reason that a many people recognize that it is usually valuable. The facts that that is uncommon, tricky to get, pretty and straightforward to work out with are every contributing reasons.

Government Grants For Single Mom

June 22, 2010 · Posted in Financial Education · Comment 

Scholarships for single mothers are the direct result of the stimulus plan President Obama that was designed to revive the economy of the country fall. The president knows that there are a significant number of single parent households in our country usually headed by women and saw the need for these women to better their lives by encouraging the education of their praise for the government.

Thousands of women across the country are taking advantage of the governments of single mother’s scholarship program. It’s not often an opportunity comes that could be life changing for you and your children. In order to obtain financing they actually have to go to school and work. One of the requirements for funding must be happening in what ever degree program to enroll in. If classes begin to fail their funding will stop.

Scholarships for single mothers are offering $ 10,000 to continue or further their education. This is a unique opportunity in the life of a mother who wants to secure your future and provide a better life for her kids. Being a single parent is very hard for a mother especially if you have a lot of children. She alone is the one that provides your family and would work hard for a mother to raise their children specially with the rising cost of our daily needs today.

Today, landing a good job without a good deal of knowledge is very difficult. Most available jobs are low wages. Many companies today require that an applicant with a degree in college.

For those mothers who have the bad luck because he has not attended school they are only forced to accept any given job with very low wages is not sufficient for daily consumption of the family. Lack of education of most people comes because of poverty. Most people do not have the money to finance their studies and continue their university studies. With this they are not able to find a good job that might meet the needs of the family.

The government has seen this problem for most people is why we have reached a solution to help improve the condition of his people in life.

7 Ways To Compare Forex Brokers

May 20, 2010 · Posted in Currency Trading · Comment 

There is certainly a buzz around the foreign exchange market right now. It is a chance for every individual to take their cut, by capitalizing on the economic down turn. Before you start though, compare Forex Brokers to ensure you have the right setup for you.

The following 7 factors should enable all traders to choose effectively.

Their Location

When choosing, make sure they provide you with plenty of information, rather than going with the one that offers the best spread. If you choose based on the best deal and nothing else, you are likely to get scammed.

Offshore companies are here, there and everywhere, but clients will find it hard to withdraw their profits.

Different regulators

To avoid being scammed, when you compare Forex Brokers, do your due diligence. They all have to be regulated by the relevant bodies in their country. For instance, in the UK this would be the FSA, where as in the United States it would be the FCM. Remember, this is your capital at stake, so make sure you pick wisely.

The different types of account

It will soon become apparent that there are hundreds of different accounts available. Account deposits start from $10 for a micro account, mini accounts start from $300 and standard accounts start from $2,000. Corporate accounts are available, but they usually require a much higher deposit amount.

Amount of Leverage

Leverage is the ratio that is risked in comparison to cash held. A lot of places will offer anything from 100:1 right through to 400:1. This means that you can risk $400 for every $1 in a 400:1 account.

Size of Spread

Spreads are important as they sort of dictate your profit margin. Some companies can charge spreads that are 10-15% bigger than others, which means a lot of profits will be lost. When looking to compare Forex Brokers, take into account this spread!

Trading Platform

There are hundreds of different trading platforms, or pieces of trading software. Try a range out and see what works for you and hopefully you will learn what features you really need.

Types and quality of support

The foreign exchange market is one that is open 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, even a trader gets a break!

The one thing you will need to ensure when you compare Forex Brokers is that they have a good support team. Check that you have multiple ways of contacting them such as email, phone and fax as remember, if something goes wrong - you will want to know where your money is.

What Does Wealth Masters International Teach?

May 11, 2010 · Posted in Financial Education · Comment 

The first thing Wealth Master International gets across is how to use your money FOR you rather than AGAINST you.

When you pay bills and yet have equity and wealth created in your account instead of your bank, you have a good thing going. WMI helps you accomplish this through the wealth accelerator program and its debt analytics framework.

To begin with you will get a good understanding of where you’re placed with regard to your debt situation. Also, what is possible with the wealth accelerator program. Thus, you gain access to a ten-page report on your budget, forecast, and how to use your money ideally.

Getting into the depth you will gain access to a variety of calculators that help plan scenarios. For example, if you got a raise at work, would you put the money to clear a debt or would you invest it or both? What would be the financial impact of various options? All this can be studied.

Likewise there are many other scenarios. What would you do if another mortgage was to be taken? What if three of the five loans were foreclosed on borrowing? And so on.

Wealth Masters International can help people get completely out of debt, eliminating their student loans, automobile loans, housing loans, mortgages and whatever else, saving millions of dollars in interest rates. I know how incredible this sounds but the unseen costs over years are pretty awesomely large!

Next Wealth Masters International teaches you how to spend cash and cut credit. Removing the credit card totally on travel for instance can be a big deal. But once you learn cash dealing you learn it for life.

Lastly, Wealth Masters International shows you the path to real riches to retire upon. BY building wealth and redeploying your money for onward and perpetual growth.

Scams You Should Be Aware Of

May 10, 2010 · Posted in Financial Education · Comment 

We all like the thought of getting something for nothing. Who wouldn’t? Today we get bombarded from every direction with these kinds of offers. We were told never to look a gift horse in the mouth. They were right.

One instance of this type of scam caters to students. They offer free grants and scholarships but are nothing but a lie to steal the student’s money. There are actual legitimate scholarships and grants available, but make sure that you are not being taken advantage of before you sign up for anything.

We get junk mail every day. Some are innocent and some not. There are too many scams out there that look legit at first glance by using a name that you recognize but just change a couple letters in the name to make you trust them. Don’t do it.

You have got to train yourself to be skeptical until you can prove the offer to be for real. The fine print is the deciding factor. You have got to read it in order to protect yourself from being taken advantage of. If you ever have a doubt about an offer, a grant, or a scholarship, talk to your student advisor or financial aid officer. They will have access to all of the information on available scholarships and grants.

The easiest targets are students that don’t have a great GPA. They are looked at as the weak in the herd or victims. They seem to be the first to fall for these scams. Don’t ever believe “First come first served,” or you may be one of the first victims.

Also never ever believe something that says “You’ve Won.” If you didn’t sign up for it, you didn’t win it, and they are just trying to suck you into their scam. Any scholarship must be applied for.

One tell tale sign that you are being scammed is often being asked for your credit card or bank account information. Do not ever give this information away unless you know to whom you are giving it to.

Another thing to look for in a scam is the phrase “It’s Guaranteed”. That’s one more thing to open your eyes to so that you are not taken advantage of.

Tips On Home Loans

March 30, 2010 · Posted in Investment Bonds · Comment 

Have you made a decision of leaving your rented house and wish to move into home ownership? Well in this case you already have your work cut out. Plumbing issues are now your liability, not your landlords. A good, dirt free yard is even your duty, not your landlord’s. If the air-conditioning fails in August, you cannot call the landlord, as you are now accountable. Yes, a great amount of work.

However, the first difficult step you will have to take is finding the money to buy your house in the first place. Barring winning the lottery or inheriting a fortune, you will have to take out a loan in order to buy your house, and that can be very complicated. There are many different types of loans, from 100% financing loans, which don’t require a down payment, to Government loans for qualifying applications, to conventional loans which require a hefty down payment. Here are a few tips to help you successfully transact this tricky bit of financial business.

The most popular loan, the one which most people think of when they think of getting the loan, is a conventional loan. This loan, however, may not be the best loan out there. In order to get a conventional loan, the borrower must have good credit and make a down payment of at least 3%, which could easily end up being a large amount of money. On a $100 000 house, for example, the down payment would be $3000. In addition, there are any number of things which could appear on your credit report that would prevent you from being able to apply for this loan. There are, however, a number of other options.

There are, for example, government loans, and 100% financing loans. 100% financing loans are available through the conventional means, but it requires perfect credit. Other means of applying include the VA and the FHA.

In terms of the government, the Veteran’s Administration (VA) and the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) both offer 100% financing loans. This means that a prospective buyer doesn’t need to come up with a pricey down payment, but as these loans are considered high risk, you will get stuck with a higher interest rate.

These are just a few of the options available to you. If you continue with your loan research you will see there are myriad other types and sub-types. For example:

1.) No income verification loans are exactly what the title says the borrower must have good credit, but need not have any verifiable income. 2.)Imperfect credit loans offer competitive interest rates to borrowers with imperfect credit. This kind of loan can also consolidate debts or make home improvements. 3.)Pre-approval programs can be applied for before house-hunting begins, and will provide you with conditional approval and an estimate of what you can afford. 4.)First time homebuyer programs are for those with a short credit history and not a lot of money. 5.)New construction loans allow the borrower to lock in their interest rate and keep it that way after they move, regardless of how rates change. This, however, can be a disadvantage if interest rates go down, since you’ll end up paying the higher interest.

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