Leverage Your Investments For Greater Rewards

By Gnifrus Urquart

Have you heard the term "leverage" when people are discussing their investments? This can be quite a confusing and daunting concept for many people. But all leverage really means, is borrowing to invest. The reason people call it "leverage" is because typically existing assets are used as the security or basis of the borrowing. That is, you leverage off the value of a current investment or asset, to borrow more money to invest.

This article is all about the risks and rewards of borrowing to invest, or leveraging investment strategies. The information is general in nature and not intended as specific advice. As always, if you intend borrowing to invest, seek licensed financial advice before you do.

Before I understood money, my debt profile looked very similar to most peoples. I had a credit card which I always struggled to get back to zero, I had a large personal loan for a car I bought and a smaller loan for some furniture.

There are 2 problems with this type of borrowing. Firstly, all the assets I bought with the borrowed money were depreciating assets. This means that as I paid off the debt, the value of the things I bought decreased. Secondly, as I purchased "consumables", the interest I paid on these loans was not tax deductible. This makes for a very expensive borrowing.

Things have changed over the years. I learned that debt is much more efficient when spent on investments. So now my credit card debt is negligible and paid off every month. My personal loans are completely paid off. Despite this, I have a lot more debt. I have a massive debt on an investment property. I have a margin loan for share trading. And I have a FOREX investment account which is leveraged at 400:1 (Which means I borrow $400 for every $1 I put in)

What is the logic then of borrowing to invest?

When you borrow to invest, you increase your investment earnings potential. As you borrow money, you have more to invest. Therefore, the returns on your investments increase by the net returns on the borrowed money. Obviously the basic key here is to ensure your investment return rate is higher than the interest rates on the loan. If this is the case, you will always make money with the money you have borrowed.

Also, as you are borrowing with the intention of generating an income, there is a direct nexus between the borrowing costs (Ie. interest liabilities) and making money. Therefore, in many cases, the interest payments on these types of borrowed funds are tax deductible. You'll need to speak to your adviser to confirm this, bt typically this holds true. That means you basically get a discount on your loan. This in itself makes borrowing to invest more financially efficient than borrowing to buy consumer items.

Margin loans work similarly. Basically I buy a bunch of stocks, fund 50% of the purchases myself and borrow the other 50% in a margin loan. This means I can double the size of my share portfolio and hopefully make a lot more money. Because I borrowed money though to buy the stocks which will make me money, the interest accrued in the margin loan is tax deductible.

So there is definitely an argument for borrowing to invest where you can, instead of borrowing to fund personal purchases. There are risks associated with leverage too though you need to be aware of.

There is the risk of over-extending yourself. When you borrow, you need to do so in a way that does not leave you unable to meet your repayment obligations. In a normal loan (like a mortgage, or investment loan) this means you need to be able to fund all your agreed repayments. If you cannot meet these payments, your lender has every right to take your investments off you. This is not good.

Margin loans are a little bit different. They are set up so you are allowed to borrow a certain proportion of the value of the stocks held in the margin loan. The risk here is that if the value of your stock decreases rapidly and pushes your margin loan outside those boundaries, you will receive a margin call. The margin call will force you to repay a significant part of your margin loan debt, to ensure it is again within the stipulated proportion of your stock values. This can often be difficult as it requires you to fund the debt when you had not budgeted money to do so.

Finally there is the investment risk. When you borrow to invest, you do so with the intention that the income earned from the money you invest, exceeds the interest the borrowing accrues. If the interest is higher than the investment earnings, you are losing money.

There are strategies to protect yourself against these risks though which your financial advisor can help you with. In my experience, it is definitely worthwhile borrowing to invest, but only if you manage your risk and cashflow responsibilities properly. So the one piece of specific advice I will give you here, is speak to a licensed financial advisor or accountant about whether this is an appropriate strategy for you. Only then should you work out how to structure it to match your personal circumstances. - 23196

About the Author:

Gnifrus Urquart has had significant success investing over the years. As such, he likes discussing investment strategies and giving trading tips to anyone interested in investing

A Solution to Property Management: Property Management Software

By Layla Vanderbilt

Are you the type of manager that likes to have everything organized? This can be extremely difficult with the amount of paperwork that you have to deal with. This results in a lot of property managers misplacing their papers or losing them. So what?s a person supposed to do when they are so overwhelmed? The answer is to use management software that?s designed just for property managers.

The software is a great tool that will allow you to access your records at any given time. This means that you can also print out any type of reports or lease agreements that you may need when you need them rather than try to sort through a ton of papers. It will also show the calculations and breakdowns of rent payments, late fees, and other charges that occur. If a tenant wants to see his rent history all you will have to do is log into the system and print it off.

The software also tailors to those with multiple properties by offering several customization features. This allows property managers to break down their properties into separate complexes or by room type or even by price point. Not only will this make sorting your properties easier but you can do it in multiple ways depending on how you need it sorted at that given time.

Although the program will take a little time and effort to get it set up and to get all of the old information into it, it will be useful as it can hold an infinite amount of data entries. This means that you?ll never have to worry about keeping old records for the next few years because you can simply sort them separately. The options are endless with the program as you can enter everything from the address of the tenant to their renting price. By adding small details you will be able to have all the necessary information in one spot.

If you ever have the need to make a report or summary you can do so and print it off as soon as you need it or store it for a later date. The computer will automatically do any calculations that you need done. This will not only prevent human error but it will save you the effort of having to calculate it by hand.

Just about any type of property manager is able to benefit from these software programs. If you have over fifty tenants or multiple residences under your control, you should really find a software program. Even if you do not have a lot of computer experience, learning how to use the software will help you save plenty of time and money in the long run. It can also help you avoid making costly mistakes and errors. - 23196

About the Author:

Layla Vanderbilt is the content coordinator for a leading property management software review website which connects people with the leading property management tools.

Real Estate investors cash in on the RV Rental Business

By Mike Williams

RV Rentals Nationwide has set up a nationwide call center to handle the demand for motorhomes and travel trailer quotes that are starting to flood the line. They are now looking for owners of Motorhomes and Travel trailer that would like to make income with there RV Rental Property.

Call come in by the thousands each moth for people that want to travel to different events like NASCAR, Church Event and allot of other events that RV Rentals Nationwide has always participated in. RV Rentals Nationwide specialized in deliver the trailer to the customers campsite but now allows the RV Renter to tow there own unit if they like.

RV owners that don't use there RV that much now have the opportunity to make money in the RV Rental Business buy just signing up on a site to list there RV for Rent. This affiliate program came about because RV Rentals Nationwide had been referring out allot of the overflow business to other RV Rental companies. RV Owner will soon be able to showcase there RV for everyone to see. RV Owner will be able to sign up to deliver there RV to the customer and /or allow the customer to pick up the RV on there own. More money is to be made for Owner Operators that are willing to deliver there RV Rental property to the RV Renter on demand.

RV Rentals Nationwide is currently seeking more real estate investors to get involved in the RV Rental Market. As were most travel trailer are rented out for 6 to 7 months of the year, Motorhomes rent out 11 to 12 Months of the year. As a motorhome investor the Motorhome / Travel Trailer is insured under their million dollar RV rental policies. All drivers of motorhome are required to put up credit card deposits to cover any damages so there is literally no risk to the owner of the unit. "This is better than the Real Estate Business" says corporate Investor.

If you compare the purchase amount of a house and the purchase amount of a RV Rental Unit verses the income collected each month then the RV Rental Property would be the best way to go.

on a $100,000 home you would spend about $655 and you might be able to rent it out for $850.

Now take a $50,000 Motorhome. If a real-estate investor had the same terms on a Motorhome the monthly payment would be around $360.00 a month and would stand to make $2450 a month because RV Rentals Nationwide has the clients to keep the motorhome booked. That is easy math.... This is on 1 motorhome. 2 would be $4900 a month, 3 would be $7350 and so on and so fourth.

With GPS Tracking available the owners can always keep track of there RV Rental investment with one phone call.

Motorhome Fleet Management is available for all. For more information on the contents of this article please contact RV Rentals Nationwide Directly at (866) 610-4931 Ext 60. - 23196

About the Author:

Learn more about RV Rental Income. Stop by to find out all about Renting your RV and what it can do for you.

Beginners Introduction To ETF Trading System

By Patrick Deaton

When choosing an ETF trading system that will be effective a person will want to factor in their own eccentricities. Some people enjoy doing analytical work and following trends. Other people want to have a software program or web service that will do the leg work for them and give them the best bet on an ETF trade. The systems that are available run a wide gamut. ETF trading systems have hundreds of systems that work for some people and don't work for others.

The system that will work for a new trader will depend on the type of trading that is going to be done, the sectors that will be traded, and the style of trading that a person enjoys. A different system will work more effectively with high risk Leveraged ETFs than with long term ETFs. So, if a trader is going to diversity among several sectors they may need to have different systems in place that will work with each sector.

When selecting a system, it is important to remember that there is no magic trading system out there that will be effective all the time. When people start using a system that they have been told is the magic bullet they are disappointed and frustrated very quickly. The ETF is made up of millions of small moving parts that each affect the trades taking place. A system that may work for one person might not be as effective for another. Finding the system that works for you will be developed over a period of time as strategies and systems are tried and discarded or altered.

For a beginner, a minimal risk system that has been around a long time is the Exponential Moving Average system. The EMA involves following trends. It is used most commonly on the TLT, XLF, RTH, SMH, and a few other sectors. It has a decent risk rating with a high of about medium risk.

The system involves going long when the fast EMA crosses above the slow EMA and short when the reverse happens. The trader must always leave or reverse positions the day after the fast EMA and slow EMA cross. And, when the rules have been set up, the new trader needs to stick to them.

Even this simple system will require that a person do the necessary research on each sector and follow their trends to make effective trades. It is important to set buy and sell limits so that one does get caught up in trading and lose more than they intended.

Setting up a risk allotment will also be important. Setting a percentage of the total capital one is going to risk on a position then moving when the threshold is reached will be beneficial. Adding to an account once it has crossed the threshold is not advantageous to gains. Setting the number of losing trades that one will have in a row and the percentage that will be cut back after that threshold is crossed will also avoid slipping into losses.

When deciding on the system or method that will be most effective it is important to get as much information about the system as possible before implementing it. When a system is offered that has no history of consistent success it may not be the best system to start with. Talking to a person who has expertise in each ETF trading system will help a person to find the system that will be most effective for their needs and requirements. - 23196

About the Author:

Learn how it's very possible to make 6% per month in your investment accounts using etf trend trading! "Big A" is a recognized expert in the world of etf trend trading system and reveals trading and investment secrets that have been kept under wraps by hedge traders for years. Get his free report and webinar today!

Reasons For Investing In The Stock Market - Part 1

By Zigfred Diaz

In my previous articles, I gave a comprehensive introduction on how to invest in the Philippine stock market, particularly talking about the basic principles that each prospective investors should understand. In this article we are going to discuss the advantages of investing in the stock market.

As I said mentioned previously, the stock market is just another vehicle of investment. You might be wondering what is the reason why you should invest in the stock market? Is there an advantage in investing in the stock market ?

The following reasons could probably answer the above question. Take note, examples given refer to Philippine based companies and currency. If you wish to view the entire article please visit my blog.

1.) The allure of great returns - Most financial expert would tell you that in a bull run the market really goes up. Average returns could be as low as 30 % and as high as 200 %+ per annum or even more. Profit is always expected when you invest in the long term. For example, In 1997, the Globe Telecom Inc. (GLO) stocks price per share was only P152.00. during that time you only spend P 1,520.00 to buy the minimum board lot which is 10 shares. Currently the price per share of Globe is P 1,620.00+. The value of those 10 shares that you previously bought is right now P 16,200, meaning in ten years time your money has grown ten times. This is translated to an average of 30 % return per annum. This is far better than putting your money in a time deposit account at less than 4 % per annum. It is interesting to note that the Philippine stock market is at its highest these days. For the next 2 to 3 years, they say the market will still be in a bull run. Make the best out of this situation.

2.)"Ownership" in the companies that you are investing in. - Wouldn't it be so cool to have your own Jollibee franchise ? However the investment of 20 to 25 million pesos does not make it so cool considering that you also have to put in time and effort to run the store. So instead of owning a Jollibee franchise why not buy Jollibee instead through buying shares of stocks in the corporation ? The minimum board lot of JFC shares (Jollibee Foods Corporations - JFC) cost only P 5,000+. With this investment you indirectly own the more than 1414 stores in the Philippines and 175 in other countries not to mention Red Ribon, Chowking, Deli-France, A popular fastfood chain - Yonghe King in China and popular teahouse chain from Taiwan called Chun Shui Tang including Jollibee's pilot restaurant "Tio Pepe's Karinderia." So next time you eat at Jollibee tell your friends and that you like to eat there because you "own part of the company." You might want to own stocks of PLDT or Globe to help you become more prompt in paying your bills.

3.) Being part of a "Special group" -

When asked to join a multi-level marketing scheme, I always want to know when the company started. I ask this question because I believe that if it started a long time ago, my chances of recruiting other people will be lessened as most people that I know has already been recruited.

But investing in the stock market is not multi-level marketing. It does not matter whether the market is saturated or not. But it's good to know that we are among the first to exploit the market's potential.

Statistics released by the Asian Development Bank shows that as of 2005, only 600,000, out of the of the country's 87 million population, invest in the stock market. If you do the math that is only 1 % or roughly around 0.7 % Most of the market players are from the Class A and B segments. - 23196

About the Author:

Would you want to know more about investment strategies ? Visit the blog of Zigfred Diaz where he writes about several interesting topics such as investments, money management, business, making money online and Stock market investing