Penny Stock Investment

I have been in a well-known financial institution long enough to understand the basics of trading stocks and other banking schematics and to invest in some of the best penny stocks available then. My tenure in the financial world was not too long to go deeper in the rudiments of investments and stocks.

I managed to invest some of my hard-earned money in IPOs or Initial Public Offering of multi-national corporations while I was young and sold all of them before I left the Philippines. I shelled out approximately $500 in one petroleum company and another $500 in one of the leading banks in the Philippines. I knew a trader who would constantly brief me of the comings and goings in the trading floor so as soon as I knew I was leaving the Philippines, I also got a call from my stock broker to sell both my stock investments. The timing could not be any better. I did not make a fortune but I managed to at least earn a decent out of the investments.

So, what is a stock, you might ask? In the corporate and business world, stock is the equity shares of the company's owners. Some of stocks are offered to the public as IPOs where common people like you and me can purchase a fraction of a company's stocks at a par value. A legal document called the stock certificate is issued to the investor indicating the type, value and the amount of the share bought.

There are many kinds of stock investment like income stock, common/preferred stock, blue chip stock, growth stock and penny stock. I will delve more on the latter as this is something the common people can afford.

Penny stock is a share of a company that trade at a very low price. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the US determines the penny stock as any stock selling below the $5 mark. In other countries, like in the UK, any share that is sold for a 1 GBP is in the penny stock category.

There is a caveat in dealing with penny stocks. Most investors consider it risky due to the fact that these stocks can be manipulated in the market by promoters and traders who uses the pump and dump scheme using newsletter releases, social media hypes and even chatrooms to promote the stock.

However, that is not always the case. A good investor and a keen trader can know the difference and can make wise judgment on investment by buying only known legit, small companies shares.

Personal Finance

Money was scarce last year and it may or may not continue to be for some this 2011. It is the case for most of us in global terms. Everyone has been tightening their belts and saving so much to make both ends meet. It has been a challenging feat but people are still struggling with whatever they have and can at the moment.

There are plenty of helpful tools to aid us in our drive to monitor our cash flow and expenses. Some people use the old method of tallying their monthly income by using budget worksheets. That is the old school style of recording every penny earned and spent. It may be useful to some who have conservative approach to their personal finance. However, modernity introduced faster and reliable ways of tracking personal finance for us. The use of software tools to do this endeavor has been a great help for many computer savvy people who value not just their money but their time. These financial softwares not only track expenditures but they also record home budget, investment and other means of income.

Another means of governing our hard-earned money is through the services of financial advisors who give sound and knowledgeable personal finance advice. Their opinion matters because they have a track record under their belt of achievement. Their experience and knowledge on the depth of the financial world makes them good authority in the field of finance. Plenty of people who have valuable assets to protect and invest use their trusted financial advisors for opinion on how to manage their wealth properly.

For some of us who cannot afford the service of a personal financial advisor, we can do our own managing with the samples I have given above. It may be old-school style of tracking or with the aid of computer software. We can still achieve the end result of managing our personal finance. 

Many people are devising ways to keep track of their money flow. And with the pressing times, it is wise to do so.

Banish Debts Completely

I have fallen prey to the credit card monsters here in Dubai. Back when recession was far from everyone's minds, banks here in the Gulf region offered great deals on credit cards. Some offered free-for-life scheme where annual fees were waived. Others had interest-free for a certain number of months. All those changed when recession hit the financial market. The banks issued new credit rules and interest rates were hiked.

I remember paying for a certain card for less than $100 only but now, I have to shell out extra money just to cover the minimum when I have not used the card recently. It seems like my credit card bill has not improved at all and I owe the bank more than what I have used because of interest charges.

Banishing my credit card bills is my primary concern. I want to be able to enjoy my earnings too and not waste it by paying credit cards every month. It is hard to accomplish this goal at this point because of many factors. Money is scarce. Our company has not given us any increment last year and other incidental expenses keep creeping up like school fees, car maintenance, house rental, mortgages and family to support in the Philippines. I am not even taking into consideration the medical bills I have to incur for my check-ups and medication.

I wish there is a fast way to reduce the card bills. I hope they can offer credit cards with small interest fee like TrueEarnings card and Starwood Preferred Guest Card which you can use for your basic needs like groceries and food items. At least, the purchase of groceries and food items is something I will not feel guilty of.

The US market is more flexible in helping consumers cut back on their spending and lessen the credit card bills. US offers great deals on cards and provides free credit standing checks to consumer. I have yet to see a financial institution here in Dubai to offer credit standing check. All I know is that, we are paying so much for the use of cards. To be able to maximize the payments we make, we must pay more than the minimum. This is a sure way to banish card debts completely and fast.

On Student Loans

When I was in university, I never had the opportunity to borrow money or apply for a student loan. Although our university offers such for students who needed financial assistance, I was not aware of it until I graduated.

Students these days are very lucky that more and more colleges and universities are offering financial assistance. Unlike before, there were only a handful which offers such aid to deserving students. The financial aid came in the form of scholarship and grants.

Debt Elimination - Do It Now

No one anticipated this global recession to be the Great Depression of our time. Numerous known companies have already folded. Mass lay-offs is occurring here and there. Unemployment rate escalate to a scary level. Available jobs are scarce. Banks are not lending money and interest rates given to loans or credits are going berserk.

Most of us have debts to settle. The amount varies from one's need to the other. Expatriates here in the Middle East have loans to pay and the bills are piling. Before the onset of the recession, the banks here were too generous in giving out loans and the expatriates took the bait. However, most of the people lost their jobs and are having difficulty in fulfilling their aim of debt elimination.

As debtors, we must familiarize ourselves to the debtors rights. Our credit score must be protected as well by the lenders. I have heard horror stories about some friends who have to dodge the collectors because of their inability to pay on time. These collectors can be very relentless so even if we owe the lenders, we should know our rights as well.

No one wants to be stuck here forever paying for the debts they owe the banks and financial lenders but they have to commit. Eliminate your debts now and see how that can be achieved at www.debtelimination.net.

What's in store for US of A?

Now that Mr. Obama has been elected as the 44th president of the US of A, he has a lot of cleaning up to do. He is going to face a big challenge when he starts his official day in the White House.

I cannot help but hope for the best to come for USA. I have always have this soft spot for the US since I have relatives and friends there. I hope and pray that US will come out of the financial quagmire it is in at the moment with the help of the able President Obama and his Vice.

We all go through burdens in our lives and so are our countries no matter where we reside. However, with the mighty US as one economic giant affecting other countries like my home country, we could only pray for positive things.

So, what's in store for US now that they have a new president? If I were to voice out my hopes, I want US to pull out from the crazy war and solve the war within (poverty, economic crisis, homeless people, recession, diseases and the thinning moral fiber of a nation), better education, support for the US troops and to provide more jobs to their people and to those who find greener pasture in the land of milk and honey.

These are just hopes from someone who is neither an American nor a resident of the US. Someone who believes that US will come out of whatever battle it has at the moment - a winner!

American Mortgage

With the advent of the recent economic slump that hit the US shores and rippled throughout the entire world, every American consumer (and everyone alike) is now wiser in his or her spending and paying habits.

A lot of people has bank obligations to mind like mortgages for their homes or cars or other valuables. The volatile market has left people reeling at their heels and anxious as to how they will keep up with the payments. Many have gone to lenders to refinance their mortgages. However, as a consumer, we would like to be sure of the services and amount of money we would be able to save when we take our loans to be re-financed or get a new one to cover our existing mortgages.

Amerisave mortgage is a good way to start solving your financing woes. They show you the rates upfront unlike other banks. This is a good full disclosure to wise consumers because who would like to be secretly billed with hidden charges or commit to an interest you are not even sure of, right?