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Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Tax Deferral as an Investment Strategy

By Don Burnham

Deferring taxes on your income is an investment strategy in which income taxes are paid at a later date for money invested now. The benefit of tax deferral is that it provides more money for you to invest now.

For example, you are able to deduct $1000 from your taxable income in the present year and then you invest that exact amount into an account that pays you an interest, therefore you will be able to pay around $200 less in income tax for that year. As a result of this, you are gaining $200 extra as compared to if you had not invested the $1000. Therefore if you add the invested amount with the deferred amount, you are making around $1200 more which is growing as an investment for you. There is also another tax deferral strategy that investors often go for; they defer the tax they have to pay for the interest they are earning. The invested amount thus becomes taxable, but the interest becomes tax free.

Another type of tax deferral used by investors is the deferment of taxes paid on interest earned. The dollars invested have already been taxed, but any interest earned is tax free.

The tax deferred accounts that you may create will protect your money from being taxed until you start withdrawing money at a time when you are entitled to pay less tax. The Investment vehicle that suits you therefore depends on your current situation.

The plan 401(K) is an investment plan that you could opt for. This is however one of the plans that are available only to those employees whose employer makes provisions for it. Such a plan will let you make contributions on an yearly basis which is deductible by tax and grows as deferred tax until you start withdrawing from that account. Your 401(K) plan might come with a bonus, if your employer agrees to add to your account on a yearly basis. Therefore you could make anywhere between 25%-100% on the invested money if your employer matches it as well.

By using the 401(k) planning, you could add more to your retirement plan, than most other plans. You can add around $9,500 to your retirement plan, and your employer can add another $30,000 every year. You can also add the yearly bonuses that you receive to this plan to help your retirement money grow even faster. If you leave your job or wish for more freedom with your money, you can always roll your assets over into an IRA account.

The 401(k) is the best suited plan for somebody who is new at investing or does not know what kind of stocks to invest in.

The other type of plan that has to be offered by your employer is the 403(b). This is only for employees working in public schools or other non profit organizations. For them, money invested in this plan is tax deductible and tax deferred. Here too, you can contribute up to $9,500 on a yearly basis.

With 403 (b) plans, beware of a few cautions. Your contributions are generally invested in a tax-sheltered annuity, which may have heavy sales charges and low guaranteed rates.

Any person who has an earned income or the spouse of somebody who has an earned income can open their own IRA and add up to $2000 to it yearly. The earnings are not subjected to tax unless you start withdrawing from the account, but you will be charged penalty if you start withdrawing before the age of 59 and a half. However, even if your money is not tax deductible, they will be tax deferred.

There are different kinds of investment that you could make with your IRA, but that depends on the custodian. However it is with the IRA that you will have most options compared to the other employer sponsored schemes.

The Keough plan is available to individuals who work for an unincorporated business or are self-employed. You can contribute up to 25% of your earned income up to a maximum of $30,000. All contributions are tax deductible and your earnings accrue tax deferred. You can contribute much more per year with a Keough than with an IRA. You can elect to contribute a fixed percentage annually, a different percentage annually, or a fixed amount which you decide on. There are three types of Keough plans available and a lawyer can assist you in setting one up.

The SEP or the Simplified Employee Plan is the other type of vehicle which is open to only those companies that have less than twenty five employees. According to this plan you can contribute up to $7,000 yourself and your employer can contribute the rest with the maximum of $30,000. However, at least half of the employees of the company must participate in the plan for it to function.

All the above mentioned investment vehicles are divided under these two categories: Qualified and Non - qualified plans.

The 401 (k) and 403 (b) plans are qualified plans. Qualified plans are employer-sponsored plans that provide good benefits but that are restricted to the types of investment options offered by the employer. As we already mentioned, 403 (b) plans often require you to invest your money in tax sheltered annuities. 401 (k) plans generally offer a broader range of conventional investment options, but still seem very limited when compared to non-qualified plans. You usually get to select from a preset choice of investment options such as fixed interest annuities, money market funds, stock in your company, and other traditional investments.

The second category of retirement plans is nonqualified plans. Nonqualified plans generally allow more freedom as to when, or if, a contribution has to be made, and they also offer more latitude in the type of investments that can be made. All IRAs fall into this category. Generally, investors have more control over their investments in a nonqualified plan than with a qualified one. Usually they are easier to work with, have less regulation, and require less reporting. Often, contributions to these plans can be deducted as a business expense.

Most investments made with the vehicles we have been discussing fall into one of two asset categories: The first is debt and the second is equity. As an investor, you are either an owner or a creditor. Equity owners are entitled to all free cash flows that exceed the debt payment obligations of the underlying economic entity. Creditors receive priority in agreed-upon future interest and principal payments.

When choosing a retirement plan, you want to be certain of the types of investments permitted with your plan. Do not open an account that does not give you the freedom to choose your own investment options, whether they are debt or equity investments. - 23204

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Trading Considerations: The Almighty Head And Shoulders Top Pattern

By Chris Blanchet

The Head and Shoulders Top is considered one of the most popular and reliable pattern when it comes to technical analysis. The reason for its popularity has to do with how easily new and seasoned investors can recognize it. And the reason it is considered one of the most reliable classic patterns is that it seldom produces false positives.

What a Head And Shoulders Top Looks Like Quite simply, the Head and Should Top pattern resembles a human. The head (the highest peak) has two shoulders on each side (smaller peaks). The patterns is formed when a rally experiences a pull-back, followed by another rally that reaches a higher high than the last, and then a third rally (the right shoulder) that reaches the same left as the first (left shoulder).

As far as technical analysis is concerned, the head and shoulders pattern also needs to meet a volume requirement. To prove the legitimacy of this pattern, the first rally (or left shoulder) should see heavier volume than the remaining rallies.

Technical Considerations Aside from the volume requirement and of course the visual appearance of the head and shoulders top, investors should consider that the two shoulder rallies will peak at the same price, or thereabouts. Another consideration would be the neckline (the line that can be drawn between the toughs following the first and second rallies). While necklines do not need to meet a particular criteria, when the neckline slopes upwards, the pattern is considered more bullish versus a flat or downward-sloping neckline (for strong, bearish trades seek downward sloping necklines).

Another key point is that the pattern should take shape above a comparable moving average (MA). Typically, the 50-day moving average will work just fine, but investors are advised to use the 200-day moving average for longer-term patterns. And speaking of Moving Averages, the MA should be trending in the same direction as the Head and Shoulders top. If it doesn't, then it simply means the pattern is less reliable.

Trading The Head and Shoulders Top Since this is a bearish pattern, investors are advised to sell their position or take a short position in the underlying security. Investors who look to make trades based on the head and shoulders pattern should understand that the longer it takes for the pattern to develop, the longer it will take for the price to reach its target level. With this in mind, investors should also look at the inbound trend to determine whether it simply a period of consolidation or a legitimate head and shoulders. The rule of thumb here is that the inbound trend is longer than the trend of the pattern itself.

There are literally hundreds of securities that create head and shoulders tops after every trading day. The strength of this pattern will differ from security to security, which makes it difficult for investors to trade. As well, considerable knowledge of technical analysis is generally needed to properly identify the pattern. Consequently, for beginners or hands-off traders, trading software is often recommended. - 23204

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Forex Trading Systems and What They Can Do for You

By Alex Miller

More and more people are becoming interested in trading on the Forex market but if you are interested in doing so, there are some things that you should understand upfront. Many people do not realize that the difference between the stock market and the Forex market is the fact that every trade on the Forex market has a winner and a loser. It is what is known as a zero-sum market, simply because everything is so structured. This can work for you or against you, depending on the systems that you are employing.

Finding your success on the Forex market can come in many different forms but one of the easiest ways for you to do it is by employing some of the Forex systems that are available. Because these cover a lot of different subjects and can help you in different ways, we put together a list of the three top types of Forex systems that are available and what they can do for you. We also thought we would tell you about some things to avoid.

The most popular of the Forex systems and the most plentiful that are available to help you to be able to tell which way the Forex market is going to move during the day. Most of these typically take a few minutes for you to run in the morning and they do a relatively good job of giving you some direction to go. You need to keep in mind, however, that trading on Forex is rather a volatile type of system so do not put all of your faith in these whenever something is moving. Some of them are also not any good, so make sure you look at reviews ahead of time.

You might be interested in upgrading to more of a semi automated system that will not only help you to gauge which direction the Forex market is going to move, they could take care of some of the trading for you. Most of these systems allow you to turn these functions on and off according to your comfort level. Being able to identify trends and then act on them automatically makes these types of tools a good idea.

The final type of Forex systems that we are going to discuss are fully automated systems. There are a dozen or so of these that are available for download over the Internet and most of them make the same promise. Simply upload them to your computer, turn them on and allow them to make money while you go about your day to day life. Some of these actually worked quite well but others will drain your account quickly. Make sure that you go into this type of Forex system with both eyes open.

A final word that we would like to say is the fact that it is always necessary for you to keep your common sense about you whenever you are trading on the Forex market. Never allow a program to simply run on its own and to use up your money without watching over its shoulder very carefully. Although these Forex systems are excellent tools that can help you to build a portfolio quickly, they are all so something that should be used along with your own knowledge about trading on Forex. - 23204

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Easy Penny Stocks Tips You Can Use To Cash In!

By Sam Lockwood

Since the 19th century, penny stocks have been part of the American investment world. This is where the stocks got their names, since modern penny stocks almost never cost a penny. They're usually more like ten cents to five dollars. Now, let's look at the risks of working with penny stocks, then the opportunities they can provide.

Penny stocks are share offerings made to investors by companies that are just too small or new to have a listing with the major stock exchanges. They have significant growth potential, and the initial investment can be quite small, but you run the risk of encountering a pump and dump scheme. Like anything else dealing in the OTC (over the counter) market, the buyer should beware.

Choosing penny stocks reasonably means that you need to have an independent appraisal of the company's business model. Much like buying shares of any other kind of publicly traded company, it's necessary to understand everything about the company. That means knowing what they do, what they make, what products are offered, how their business model works and who their major competitors are.

One of the most appealing things about penny stocks is that the majority of businesses offering them are quite simply put together. One typical type is that of a mining company, which will only be profitable when the price of the material it mines reaches a certain level. There are also some oil exploration stocks which use this kind of valuation.

Penny stocks are considered a high risk vehicle, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The risks you may encounter with these stocks include indirect and incomplete reporting of financial information, limited liquidity and even fraud. People using a day trading strategy can find that penny stocks that are in sudden demand create enormous volatility movements. Because of this, it's hard to short sell penny stocks.

The financial reporting guidelines on penny stocks are actually pretty loose. Unlike the national exchanges, not much is required of companies that list this way - in fact, sometimes these stocks will just de list for a few days! In the investment type called Pink Sheets, penny stocks have nearly no regulatory requirements at all, including few to no minimum accounting standards or reporting guidelines.

Due to this lack of standardization, this kind of stock is extremely vulnerable to being manipulated and even used for fraud. People posing as independent observers will use their influence to run up penny stock prices, then they'll sell and delist the stock. This is the classic scam referred to as pump and dump.

Of course, that doesn't mean you should never invest in penny stocks. There are lots of real, legitimate startup companies out there, and they need to have a good place to get up and running. If you're able to pick a winner, you'll get an impressive return.

If you have the ability to spot companies that have promise, your payout will be huge. Even if you lose on most of your stock picks, the single winner will be such a big gain that you'll forget about the ones that didn't work. - 23204

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Forex Fundamental & Technical Analysis - The Basics of Succeeding at Fx Trading

By John Eather

The testing of the politics, economics, asetts is the part of Fundamental analysis when it's made use of to appraise a currency against another. The Fundamental analysis exerts the pressure of government policies and this induces the demand and supply up to the economic demands. Consequently, not one view, or band of views, decides the Forex fundamental analysis.

All the same, fundamental analysis, virtually all of them at any rate, apply macroeconomic indices including prime rates of interest, economics, inflation, unemployment variations. If you think about it, the part of Forex fundamental factors that are involved in the shaping of currency movements.

Let's consider the economic indicators. The reports are issued by private or governments with details of a country's performance economically. The indices on the economics are issued annually, every quarter or even every month and are intermeshed around particular economic information. 2 basic factors are rates of interest and trade internationally. Additional factors are consumer durables orders, Consumer pricing Index (CPI), Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) and Producer Price Index (PPI).

The currency interest rates are fundamentally an economical function of all countries. When a nation interest rates ascend, unremarkably, the currency of that nation will fortify against another. Nonetheless, mounting rates of interest, for stock exchanges is sad news. It's a truth a lot of investors remove investments from a country where the rates are going up.

A crucial factor, of course, is the International Trade. The balance of trade bespeaks the difference of exports and imports. A deficit is possibly an economic calamity for a countries currency and it's politics. A deficit could come along when a country is exporting less than importing and implicates less money is coming in than is going out of that country. Entirely looked at, a deficit may be a beneficial issue and only damaging when the deficit is greater than predictions in the market, which may start adverse price movements.

A big difference from forex technical pushes past fundamental and is used only to price action and forex technical analysis consists of an variety of forex technical subjects. Each one used to detect the direction of the market. Technical analysis correlates the moves and outcome of current markets and currency expectations are short-term. Information produced during a trading day sets the markets interest and informs forex traders of a strong market. The Forex technical analysis marks trends of movement and produces widespread "trend is your friend" a phrase amongst Froex traders. The keystone for sustaining a good level of profit is the selling and buying at the right time and knowing when its good to enter or exit a trade.

The primary principals of Forex technical is support and resistance which are the steering points for a chart to describe repeating ups and down pressure levels. Support level is found at the low end while the resistance level is a high point. Buying and selling is the strategy used by many old hand traders during the resistance levels,

History frequently repeats itself and generally in the circumstance of price movements is a maxim of the technical analysis. The repetitive nature of price movements is oftentimes granted to the Forex marke psychology. Traders have a response to related inputs of the market in special periods of time. The technical analysis applies formulas to break down Forex movements within the market and translates the trends too.

In spite of this, numerous graphs have been and still are used nowadays and they still are considered genuinely relevant as they represent the price movement patterns often repeated. This should give you an approximation of the Fundamental and Technical Analysis and should be good for you once you are willing to commence your calling as an investor. Remember - never invest any money you have got or can't risk to throw down the drain. - 23204

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