Learn to Trade by Starting with Cheap Online Stock Trading Picks

By Zachary Riff

Investing has now become very easy through online stock trading. If you are a beginner, the best way to start investing is with small and cheap online stock trading picks.

The first and clear advantage to learning how to invest in stock online is that you become directly involved in your own stock investment. There are many brokerage firms that offer start-up accounts, as well as cheap online stock trading for beginners. You essentially become your own stock broker, directly connected to the goings-on on the stock market floor. Try checking out the varied online stock trading firms and pick one that gives you the best leeway in terms of your experience.

There are a lot of online brokerage firms that cater to individual non-professional stock traders who want that hands-on approach in dealing with their investments. For these beginners, many online stock experts say that starting with small and cheap online stock trading picks is the best.

Being guided by online brokerage firms is another advantage for a beginner doing online stock trading. A lot of brokerages offer cheap online stock trading for beginner-investors, before allowing you to move to bigger and riskier stock picks.

You can start investing for as low as five or three, or even one dollar per share! Once you get the hang of doing cheap online stock trading investments, then you can move on to bigger shares.

Updates on trends and stock movements is another benefit when you go for online stock investments. Many online brokerage sites offer real-time quotes as part of their service and so you do get informed of the current trends and shifts in the stock you're interested in (buying or selling). Other financial and market online news sites may also offer information about the stock market, and specifics stocks and options you may be looking to buy. However, what they don't tell you is that making stock trades online is not instantaneous as it is on the floor.

Some times, you can even make out a buy offer, until you get the stock that you want, twelve, or even twenty-four hours may have elapsed. This is where things can get sticky, if the market moves quickly on the stock of your choice, then the trading price that you might be seeing on your PC screen could may not what be the same as the real-time price. Apart from starting a cheap online stock trading account. One thing that the Internet can't duplicate is the market hours. So, be sure to keep a pulse on what's happening in your market so you can make adjustments to you online buying and selling.

Of course, the best obvious advantage with starting small and cheap online stock trading is that you can get a feel for online trading, while still learning the ropes. It's a little like online poker: You start with nickels and dimes before you head to the Big Game. Starting with small and cheap online stock trading as opposed to starting with bigger valued stocks is that even if it is, just five, ten or even twenty dollars of your money, you learn and begin forming your own stock trading strategy. This way, your online stock trading experience begins to grow and making the transition to bigger accounts would be easier. Heck, you could probably do it fulltime, in no time. - 23199

About the Author:

Know where you can get cheap online stock trading picks. Get links to online stock trading guide.

Best ETF Newsletter Will Teach You How To Allow Your Money To Work In Your Favor

By Danny Denelo

Money has always caused an immense amount of worry in the world and the people that surround us, this is a great reason why you need the best ETF newsletter to keep you informed about the great world of finances. Lately, more and more people are interested in investing in everything they can just to stay afloat, the recession has meant horrible things for the entire world.

Everyone pretty much has the inclination that by the time that our present day youth reach the age of retirement all of our excess funds will be spent up. This means that in the future no one will be able to have a sound foundation, and be financially secure. It's devastating news but there are alternative measures that you can take to assure that your family is not left out in the cold as they progress in age.

ETF's are being noted as being the best investment idea to come around for the next financially starving environment. The origins of this particular investment can be found in many basic ideas that many people are already familiar with. Basic ideas that can be found in academic studies as well as information regarding mutual funds are two of the things that ETF's are close in resemblance to.

The best ETF newsletter will lead you through different things that are currently going on in the financial world with certain aspects that are encouraging the ETF market. ETFS, are the solution to allowing the next generation to stay afloat with the sudden down crash of society.

ETF's work on a relatively easy scale. You begin with a fund source, this source will create separate funds and other sources like demand queries for example. Sellers will be able to choose to sell their ETF assets on the open market or to turn in their assets to their underlying fund source. The fund source will then repay the seller the equivalent of their shares that they presently held.

Many financial institutions are looking towards the concept of ETF's to take over the way that we invest our money today. There are many great advantages to this form of investment that many other investment opportunities seem to shy away from. You do not have to worry about shelving out any money in management fees or things of that sort. This allows you to be able to keep more of your assets in your account which means you will have more money to invest (free tip: go to ETFTradingSignals.com and sign up for their free newsletter to receive the best ETF to buy every month).

Another great attribute of the ETF's are there are no end of year consequences that you will fall subject to. This means you will not have to pay extra taxes because you are choosing to look out for your financial future. All of your money will be available to you to utilize on the open market. Often times, financial advisers will try to keep your money, which they claim is for your own safety. However, when you have all of your money on the table you increase your gains.

You will always know what your ETF account holds as far as funds are concerned. The best ETF newsletter will keep you informed about different activities that are going on in the trading world; you will not longer have to be left in the dark where your hard earned money is concerned. - 23199

About the Author:

Go to best ETF newsletters and sign up for their free newsletter to receive the best ETF of the month or find more about their best performing ETF.

Easy Financing for Rental Properties

By David McCammon

Many investors are now finding that rental property can be an excellent way to create wealth. If you are considering getting involved in rental property investing, it is a good idea to educate yourself as much as possible. First, you need to find out what it takes to become qualified to purchase investment property because it is actually somewhat different than becoming qualified to purchase a regular home.

One of the reasons for this is the fact that a significant number of investors either walked away from properties or declared bankruptcy during the early 1990s. While you should certainly not be punished for someone elses problems, neither do lenders want to be left holding investment properties. Therefore, it is important to understand that the requirements for being approved for a mortgage on rental properties are somewhat different from what you may be accustomed to.

Property can often be purchased with low money down, especially if you are a first-time home buyer this is often not the case with rental property. Many lenders require a minimum down payment of 15% or even 20%.

Fortunately there are many different sources you can tap into for possible financing. These options include: Mortgage broker Local savings and loan or bank Private lender FHA; which stands for Federal Housing Association.

It matters not which option you choose, you will find that most lenders will want to be assured that you will have a sufficient amount of rental income in order to cover not only the mortgage payment but also other expenses such as insurance, taxes and maintenance. Depending on the amount of income that will be provided from the property, some lenders sometimes actually require a larger down payment.

There are many types of loans which you can use to finance the purchase of a rental property. One option would be a residential loan. This type of loan can be used to purchase from one to four units. The exact options that are open to you often depend on whether the property will be occupied by the owner.

Another option would be a commercial loan. This is an option when the property is five units or more or it will be non-owner occupied. Due to the fact that it is a commercial loan, it is often far different from a residential loan in regards to terms and requirements. One of the main differences between a commercial loan and a residential loan is the fact that fees and rates are frequently higher on a commercial loan.

A larger down payment is also often required. The down payment on a commercial loan typically runs between 25% and 35%. While there are some lenders who may be willing to agree to a higher loan to value ratio; the requirements for qualifying for such loans are usually more stringent.

The owner will also carefully examine the ability of the property to generate a cash flow that will allow you to repay your loan. As a result, the lender will typically examine the property to ensure it can provide an income that will not only allow you to cover the mortgage payments and other expenses but also provide enough of a cash flow that you will have additional income to place into other places.

PPL or private party lending is another option for many prospective investors. One option would be to approach the current owner about seller financing. With this option the owner carries back the loan for a down payment and fair interest rate. You may find that you can save lending fees with the options and may also be able to take advantage of making a much lower down payment.

Another option would be what is known as a hard-money loan. This is a type of short-term financing where a third-party makes a loan to assist the investor with purchasing the property. Generally, this type of loan involves a higher interest rate due to the fact that the buyer has poor credit or because the property is in disrepair and requires extensive renovation.

FHA programs are often offered through traditional lenders. Keep in mind; however, that FHA does not actually lend money. They do provide insurance for lenders; offering numerous loan programs. Regardless of which financing tool you choose, remember that there is always the option to refinance at some later point in order to obtain a better terms. - 23199

About the Author:

If the idea of profiting greatly in the entire world of real estate investing stimulates you, then you should download Davids free guide and Free Real Estate Course. To find out the safest and most profitable strategies visit Davids website Real Estate Investing.

What Monopoly Can Teach You About Making Money in Real Estate

By Julie Broad

Anyone who says investing in real estate is a sure thing is mistaken. Although you definitely have more control over your investment than you do with stocks, people (including me) can and do lose money on real estate. However, this is accomplished by buying bad properties, not by buying at a bad time. There is no such thing as a bad time to buy real estate.

I don't know what the market will do tomorrow. But what I've learned is that NOW is always the best time to buy if you find a good deal.

I learned about real estate early because I come from a family of real estate investors. Whenever there are big family events, we always play Monopoly quite competitively. It's not just a game to us; we do it to prove how good we are at investing in real estate.

Monopoly, the game, holds few similarities to real estate investing in the real world. But, the big secret to gaining a serious advantage in Monopoly is the same secret to winning in real life real estate investing, and it has everything to do with timing.

"Hold on," you say, "Didn't you just say you can't time the market?" While it's true that you can't time the market, and that real estate is about timing, just like in Monopoly you want to make sure you buy real estate early. That means you should buy real estate when you are as young as possible so it has a chance to increase in value. That's what I mean about timing and that's why you should never wait to buy real estate.

Everyone knows that in Monopoly the "The Objective of the Game is to Become the Wealthiest Player Through Buying, Renting and Selling Property". But if you simply roll your dice and hope for the best, then you're not playing the game of Monopoly, or life, up to your full potential. If you play this way, winning will always be a matter of luck, and it doesn't have to be.

So what are the rules of real estate investing in the real world? The first and most important rule is 'what do you hope to accomplish with real estate investing?' Once you know this, you can find a piece of property to match your needs and help you reach your goals.

When you find a property that meets your objectives and that has a stable cash flow to carry itself through good times and bad, buy it. Hold onto the property, covering your costs and funding your other investments with the money you make from the rent.

In Monopoly, the most desirable piece of land is Boardwalk. Sometimes people don't spend any money in Monopoly because they are saving it all for the chance to purchase Boardwalk. However this is a mistake- while you hold out for Boardwalk, other players who bought other properties early in the game are making steady income. If you wait for the perfect 'landing spot' or the perfect market, you'll find that it might be too late to get in the game.

It's not really about luck- not even in Monopoly. Luck plays a small role in all of our lives, but nothing is really THAT random. Just as you can make money in a downward moving market, you can lose money in an upward market.

The secret every real estate investor should know about timing the market is comprised of two parts. The first part is that now is always the best time to buy real estate IF, and here comes the second part, you can find properties that will carry themselves through bad times.

I haven't even mentioned the fact that current market conditions are great for real estate investors to find deals in. Interest rates are low, prices have come down, there is a ton of inventory on the market AND homes are very slow to sell. It's really the perfect time to buy but I am not really trying to convince you of that. I am just trying to convince you that, even if the property you buy today goes down in value tomorrow, you will still be successful as long as you buy one that brings in enough rent to cover it's costs. If you can find deals like this, NOW is ALWAYS the best time to buy. - 23199

About the Author:

Learn How to Retire with Investment Property with Julie's free Investment Property Starter Tips Guide. Learn how to create financial freedom, positive cashflow and massive wealth with tips like: How to find quality rental properties, finding and keeping great tenants, and easy ways to make more money with Investment Property.

S&P 500 Futures (Part II)

By Ahmad Hassam

Regular trading hours for S&P futures contracts are from 8:30 A.M to 3:15 PM. S&P futures contracts are another example of how 24 hours a day trading enables traders to respond to economic news releases in pre-market and after-market sessions. S&P futures contracts are valued in ticks worth 0.1 index points or $25.

Individual S&P futures contract holders are limited to no more than 20,000 net long or short contracts at any one time. The evening session starts at 3:30 PM (15 minutes after the close at 3.15 PM) and continues on the Globex until 8:15 AM overnight.

If the index experiences major declines or increases beyond certain limits, a procedure is set in place to halt trading. If these price limits are crossed, circuit breakers are triggered. A price limit is how far an S&P futures contract can rise or fall in a single trading session. The limits are set on quarterly basis.

Collar Rule: The collar rule addresses price swings related to program trades that move the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) more than 2% by requiring index arbitrage orders, or orders that bet on the spread between the futures and the cash of stock indexes to be stabilizing. This limits the traders from piling buy or sell orders in an attempt to exaggerate the gains or losses of the market. What this rule does is limit the chance of huge gains or losses as a result of futures trading.

Overnight or pre-market trading can be thin and dangerous especially during slow seasons in the stock market such as summer, fall and around the winter holidays. Once you have mastered futures basics such as the performance bond margins, the mark to market requirements and the account specifics, its time to learn how a futures contract ticks.

CMEs most actively traded contracts are Eurodollar futures and S&P futures including the E-minis. Hundreds of futures contracts trade on the federally regulated futures exchanges in the United States. Each of these exchanges trade contract that are somewhat unique to it.

E-mini S&P Futures contracts: The E-mini S&P futures contracts (ES) are the favorites of the day traders because of its high intraday price volatility and major price swings on a daily basis. The E-mini S&P futures contracts (ES) are among the most popular stock index futures contract because they enable you to trade the markets trend with only one fifth of the requirement.

One tick on E-min S&P futures contract is equal to 0.25 of the index point or $12.50. The value of the E-mini S&P futures contract is $50 times the value of the S&P 500 stock index. The E-mini S&P futures contract can be very volatile and can move even more aggressively during times of extreme market volatility. - 23199

About the Author:

Mr. Ahmad Hassam is a Harvard University Graduate. He is interested in day trading futures and currencies. Trade Dow Futures and S&P Futures!