Magical Penny

Gaining access to investing information has never been easier.

Back in those fuzzy olden days of the early 90s, when I was but a small child, would-be investors had to venture out into the world and search for collections of  bleached paper gathered together with glue, which some affectionately named ‘books’. In these ‘books’ they might read about earnings reports and valuations and price-to-book ratios (‘book’ being different to ‘books’ of course). And they would likely stop reading shortly after due to overwhelm, that and their hands torn to shreds from paper cuts.

But occasionally there were brave souls who pushed through the jargon and decided they would enter the world of investing.

Here’s to the trail-blazers.

Taking a first step in the journey, our would-be hero steps out of his front door, faces the wintry wind, and visits a learned gentleman called an investment broker. If he had been feeling particularly adventurous he might have tried using an experimental technology called a telephone to make his investments.

Note: the telephone at the time was a newly discovered technology that used pulses of electrical current to transmit information through wires around the world. Exact figures around usage are difficult to find, being lost in the ravages of time.)

Anyway, once our adventurous investor was talking to the wise man gate-keeper of the stock market, the investment broker, he would open his wallet and either: a) pay an arm or a leg for advice;  or be taken advantage of through a ridiculously high commission on whatever he bought.

But it was worth it, for our lone explorer of the markets was now an investor!

Oh joy!

 So our hero is now a fully fledged investor

But if he wanted to keep track of his investments he would need to wait until the paperboy delivered another piece of bleached paper to him in the form of a ‘newspaper’. On its pages would be printed the valuation of popular shares. Whizzy.

BUT NOW WE HAVE THE INTERNET.

The internet allows us to learn about investing and actually invest, all from our laptops. And we don’t need to use rip-off brokers or wait for the paperboy to tell us how much our investments are worth over time. We can buy Shares, or unit trusts and funds, and all manner of investments, from home.

What is standing in your way?

What will it take before you start investing in things that, over time appreciate in value rather than decline?

The internet has taken away excuses for access.

But there are still problems:

1. Finding the money.
2. Overcoming overwhelm.

In summary, you should be saving what you can, and invest the money you won’t need in the next 5+ years largely in index funds that track key markets across the globe for as low a cost as possible using a low cost investment broker/online fund supermarket.

You don’t need a lot of money to start investing. £50 is very doable for almost every working person and getting started is more important than waiting for the perfect time. DIY investing might seem like it’s beyond the reach of the average person, but it really is not. Even on a strict budget you can begin investing with many institutions for just £50 a month.

Are you ready to change your life?

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(Guest post)

With the economy currently in a state of disrepair and on-going recession-based threats, the future of investment is certainly up in the air. Traditionally, many investors would slowly but surely climb the way up the safe and profitable property ladder, but now sadly this is a thing of the past, as the housing market continues to fluctuate during hard economic times. For this reason, an increasing number of people are instead opting to invest in gold bullion rather than property, as this offers a steady guarantee of a constantly improving return.

Why You Should Invest

The highlight of gold bullion investment is its ability to hold its value. This is because gold is a finite resource, and therefore supply can’t cope with the increasing demand that occurs due to the continuous population growth. This type of material offers a low risk way of investing money, which will slowly increase in value over time.
Although the value of gold bullion does tend to fluctuate from time to time, overall long term investments bring back increasing returns, making it well worth the money that is initially spent on it.

When You Should Invest

Now is a better time than ever to turn to gold bullion for successful investment during a period of tough economic uncertainty. With an increasing amount of gold merchants supplying high quality bullion, there has never been a more suitable time to invest.
This said, it’s highly advisable to opt for gold bars and coins as oppose to jewellery and ornaments, as these are usually valued on aesthetics, and therefore cost and value can vary greatly. Bars and coins maintain a uniform appearance, and this also makes them much easier to transport and store in a secure environment.

Protecting Your Investment

It’s essential that you protect your gold bullion investment with a good insurance policy, as well as storing it in a safe that is also protected by a burglar alarm. Inform your insurance company before you collect or receive delivery of your gold to ensure it that you will be able to claim against a fire or theft should you fall victim to these occurrences.
You’ll also need to make arrangements well in advance of your purchase regarding the delivery or pick up of your gold investment. For security reasons, gold merchants usually won’t store large amounts of bullion on the premises, so this means you’ll be able to decide whether you wish to opt for delivery or collection.
UK Gold Bullion provides the purest gold bars and coins for the most profitable investments possible, ensuring you receive the best returns. Check out the website today for all the latest news and gold products available online.

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With the construction market still fairly slow in many parts of the world, some people are seriously wondering if investing in land is still a good idea.  It can be, but it depends a lot on where in the world the land is.  Some regions offer good investment potential, while others are struggling at the moment.

Where to invest

There has been a lot of speculation about the prospect of purchasing land in Africa.  A recent report from the International Monetary Fund forecast that six of the ten fastest growing economies in the next five years will be in Africa.  However, some areas of the continent are not likely to achieve the infrastructure needed to make investment worthwhile.  At the moment South Africa is not receiving a great deal of investment in infrastructure and public services, so investors are looking to other countries such as Nigeria.

In Asia, land prices in Bangkok have been rising as the city has rapidly developed, so for those who have the funds to invest there is good potential here.  This also applies to those who want to invest in areas outside of the city itself.  Purchase-price rises have put off some local investors, but international investors can still make money here.  One of the issues in Bangkok is that most new developments are for small one-bedroom properties, and as these become more expensive there are fewer potential buyers.

Land ‘down under’ can be a good choice, as both Australia and New Zealand have seen a rise in urban and rural development and investment.  These countries are both attracting many migrants and expatriates who are seeking a better quality of life, and land investment is typically seen as the first step.  In both of these countries it is common for people to build their own homes.

Florida land investment remains a good choice for many people.  The area is still a very popular tourist destination and there is a great deal of development occurring, particularly in the areas around Miami and Orlando where tourists continue to flock all year round.

Property investment

Not everyone wants to purchase land to on-sell to a developer, and there is plenty of potential for those who intend to invest in property in order to rent it out to others.  Florida land investment is ideal for those who want a holiday let that they can make money from when they are not using it themselves.

The first thing to do is look closely at the local market in your selected country or region.  If there are many properties lying empty that are aimed at holidaymakers or long term lets, then investing there is likely to be a risky proposition.  Conversely, in areas where values are rising for both land and buildings, but the market is showing no signs of slowing down, these are potentially good areas for investment.

For long term prospects, buyers need to be prepared to ride out any fluctuations in the market.  As economies all over the world are still struggling to some extent at the moment, long term potential needs to be the main focus, and land investment still deserves strong consideration in any investment portfolio.

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