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Many of these fees are fixed but some can be negotiated.

Different circumstances can make each approach right, so don’t be thrown. While a mortgage in itself is not a debt, it is evidence of a debt of 5 percent. So how do you find a lender or broker you can trust? It is a transfer of an interest in land, from the owner to the mortgage lender, on the condition that this interest will be returned to the owner of the real estate when the terms of the mortgage have been satisfied or performed.

Arranging a mortgage is seen as the standard method by which individuals and businesses can purchase residential and commercial real estate without the need to pay the full value immediately. Different lenders charge different fees. In other words, the mortgage is a security for the loan that the lender makes to the borrower. Some will quote you precise, competitive rates 7 percent. Go for a new house with geld lenen met bkr registratie, 419383 euro .

Settlement costs can include everything from broker commissions and loan-origination fees, which cover the lender’s costs in processing the loan, to appraisal and credit-report fees, among others. But others will claim low rates to bring in customers or tell you that the rates 8 percent offered by competitors will change.

See which lenders are charging fees 9 percent and for how much. And of course, each loan and each borrower are different. See mortgage loan for residential mortgage lending, and commercial mortgage for lending against commercial property. In most jurisdictions mortgages are strongly associated with loans 9 percent secured on real estate rather than other property and in some cases only land may be mortgaged. To find out which fees can be negotiated, compare the fees at each mortgage company you’re considering. Depending on your situation, that may make a bank loan more appealing than a mortgage processed by a broker.

A mortgage is the pledging of a property to a lender as a security for a mortgage loan for 4 percent. Brokers work with many mortgage bankers and, as a result, can sometimes find slightly more competitive rates 7 percent perhaps lower but dealing directly with a mortgage banker can move a loan along more quickly. Although most mortgage experts say that rates 10 percent are pretty much the same wherever you go, give or take this tiny 3 percentage. Start with credibility. It’s not easy to know if the prices quoted by lenders are reliable. Both banks and brokers have their strengths and weaknesses. Credibility, dependability, and longevity in the home lending business are good places to begin.

The Property Index site has a vast range of property for sale in Spain, view the range online.

Regardless the fact that the Property Index is seen as a newcomer house, incorporated only in March 2007, they have quickly achieved expert status. They are actually a extremely artless house focusing on catering to everyone who is looking to buy, sell, rent or let land almost anywhere in the world. Their promise is to help you out laser target just what you have called for very swiftly and, too, painlessly. Real estate is available for the asking in most areas of the world currently, maybe the fanciest area being property for sale in Spain. It’s quite easy to list a slew of the fabulous properties on the market in Spain, one motive for picking realty here being the houses and apartments you can purchase and the phenomenal option of living right amid this high-spirited population.

It’s one of the truly well-liked property markets currently, and in view of the scenic beauty and the wonderful weather surrounding you, how could you be wrong! Real estate in Spain is immersed in culture, art and history, this country has been and still is home to a good number of indigenous civilizations. Only 20 years ago you’d find a mere trickle of English looking for properties in Spain. Ask anyone who has chosen to move to Spain and they’ll tell you the same. Many would look upon it as a simple fashion and others look upon it as a near to an addiction. People actually moving to this region will typically range from young freshly weds looking for a life perspective to retirees who intend to unwind and enjoy themselves.

Bear in mind, though, that you may hit on a few obstructions when acquiring properties in a foreign market — you’ll have to cover a million actions when strategising, visiting or purchasing. If you miss out on one single minute action this may kick up wide-ranging obstructions not to forget, most importantly, a failed investment. Obviously and expectably with this well-liked region, properties might be dear in this place which is clearly owing to the wide spread demand. Nevertheless the patron is spoilt in such a location so wonderful in terms of warm land and panorama. Actually it offers the whole shebang a client might ever yearn for and more.

Could you use more money? Of course, who couldn’t?

Whether you are overwhelmed with bills and expenses or just looking to save some extra cash for a nice family vacation, you basically have just two choices:

1. Make more money.

2. Lower your bills.

Making more money is easier said than done. Most people only get a salary increase that barely covers inflation and the increased cost of living. Add in the increased cost of healthcare, and many people actually have less money in their paycheck!

You can get a promotion and earn more, but that can take time. And in this day and age of massive layoffs, how secure do you feel at work?

You can find a new job that pays more, or get a second job. But take it from someone who has worked part-time jobs to get by…it’s exhausting, and you’ll have to say goodbye to a lot of your free time.

Lowering your bills is less likely to cause major strife in your life. Cutting your expenses and finding ways to save money is not as difficult as you might think. All it takes is a little thought, creativity, and perspective.

Sit down and take an honest look at where your money is going. You are likely to be surprised. Most people throw money down the drain everyday, often without even realizing it. Ask yourself these questions…

Did I really get the best price for the blouse I am wearing?

Could I have paid less for that new car in my driveway?

Am I going to be able to retire when I am ready or will I have to keep working until I die?

Hopefully, your answers were yes, no, and yes. If not, you probably lost out on an opportunity to save money.

Learning how to save money and achieve financial security is a skill that not everyone learns. After all, it is not something that is taught in schools. Here are some ideas to get you thinking about how you can improve your financial situation…

Set your priorities. Decide what is important to you. Do you want to retire early? Afford a bigger house? Go on a dream vacation? Set those goals, and keep them in mind whenever you’re about to spend. Before you drop $5 on a latte, consider whether or not it is worth putting off your dream.

Think about how you can lower your bills:

If you own your own home, can you refinance your mortgage at a lower interest rate? Even though interest rates are starting to creep back up, they are still at historic lows. You could save hundreds of dollars by refinancing.

How about your credit cards? If you are paying a high interest rate, you can transfer your balance to a card with a lower rate and save big money. Many cards now offer 0% introductory offers for a year or more! Transfer the balance and then pay off as much as possible before the 0% offer ends. Just be sure not to run up a big balance again.

Keep an eye on your credit report. So much depends on your credit score. How would you know if there is a problem or mistake on it? You should keep a close eye on it at all times. If you notice something is inaccurate, get it corrected immediately.

Mike Collins is the owner of www.saving-money-and-living-debt-free.com

While Forex trading is becoming more popular in the United
States, the vast majority of investors still do not understand
the massive advantages offered in the foreign currency market
when compared to equities or fixed income trading. When you
fully grasp the following concepts, you’ll understand why you
might want to reconsider your current investment strategies.

1. Currency prices are not heavily influenced by
institutional investors. In stock trading, there is a
limited amount of volume on a daily basis. Each stock has a
specific number of shares on the open market and trade prices
are governed by the number of people attempting to buy or sell
shares at a specific point in time. This makes the market
vulnerable to price swings when a large investor is attempting
to buy up or unload large amounts of shares. For example, if
some pension fund owns 10% of a company and suddenly decides to
liquidate their position, the market is now flooded with sell
orders. Since the amount of shares attempting to be sold will
outnumber the amount of buy orders, the price of the stock will
start to drop as the number of buyers days up. This creates
losses for the remaining shareholders. On the other hand, the
forex market is so massive and has so many investors that no
single investor can possibly have a major impact on pricing.
There are too many units of Euros, Dollars, Yen, etc for any
single institution to hold even close to a controlling interest
in any currency.

2. Margin requirements are significantly lower in forex
trading than equity trading. While the exact amount of
margin allowed is determined by each broker, the restrictions
are usually much less stringent when trading forex. Margin
allows the investor to “play with house money.” In essence,
you’re borrowing money from the broker to invest in your own
account. While this can be risky, it can also be insanely
profitable. For example, let’s say you have $10,000 of your own
money to invest. If you open up a margin account at an equity
broker, you can usually margin up to 50% of the value of stock.
So if you buy $10,000 in Microsoft stock, you can borrow another
$5,000 to own a total of $15,000 in value. With your forex
account, the margin requirement is often as low as 1%. Which
means that if you buy $10,000 in Euros, you can use your
broker’s money to buy another $1,000,000. So you now own over $1
million in Euros. Now lets say that the value of each investment
increases 10%. Your $15,000 in Microsoft stock is now worth
$16,500. You sell it, pay back the $5,000 you borrowed, and you
pocket $1,500 in profit (minus any fees or interest). Your
return on investment is 15%. If your Euros went up 10%, your $1
million is now worth $1.1 million. After selling and repaying
your broker, you profit $100,000 before any interest. That’s a
return on investment of over 1,000%. Of course, you need to be
extra careful when trading on margin. Imagine if the transaction
went the other way. You’d be in a much bigger hole in the forex
scenario. But the potential for enormous gain is there and is
one of the major reasons why forex trading is so attractive to
serious investors.

3. Forex trading is open 24 hours a day. Unlike the U.S.
stock markets, you can trade forex any time of day from Monday
through Friday. If a major news story breaks when you’re holding
stock, and it’s after hours, you’re stuck holding onto your
position until the market opens the next day. By the time this
happens, everyone else knows the news and there’s thousands of
buy/sell orders waiting when the opening bell rings. This will
dramatically influence your trade price and negate any advantage
you might have had by being one of the first to react. Keep in
mind that many corporations withhold major news such as earnings
reports and personnel moves until after the market closes. They
do this to minimize emotional trading, which is smart for them
to do but also hurts savvy investors. Since Forex trading is
open 24 hours, you can place your trade order whenever major
events occur.

4. The foreign exchange market is more liquid than the equity
market. Forex is the largest market in the world. Every day,
an average of $1.4 trillion dollars is traded, and the amount of
securities (foreign currencies) is minuscule when compared to
the number of companies traded in the equities market. This
means that there are always buyers to be matched with sellers,
which means that you’ll have a much better chance to get a fair
and accurate price on your trade than if you were trading a low
volume stock where the bid and ask spreads can be very large.

5. Forex trading offers the advantage of limited risk.
This is one of the large advantages over the futures market.
When you buy a futures contract, you are obligated to buy or
sell a specific amount of a specific commodity at a specific
time for a specific price. Which means that if disaster hits,
you’re out of luck. For example, lets say you buy a futures
contract to sell corn. If news breaks that reports an outbreak
of deaths caused by a pesticide used in corn crops, the price on
your contracts will drop through the floor, limits will drop,
and you could be stuck in your position and end up taking
massive losses. This would not happen in the forex market since
you can leave your position at any time.

Money Market Mutual Funds (MMF) are offered by banks, brokerages and mutual fund companies. Many people who sell stock place their proceeds in a MMF until they decide where to reinvest their money. But these accounts are excellent places to save money for an emergency fund or for other short-term goals.

No matter where you open a MMF, the accounts are not FDIC insured, so there is a slight risk associated. They often offer better interest rates than basic bank money market accounts.

The reason that the risk with MMFs is so minimal is that they are highly regulated. The money in the fund is invested in very safe, short-term debt securities such as certificates of deposits and U.S. Treasury bills. The goal of the fund is to maintain a share price of $1. There is no guarantee that the fund will maintain its share price, however, consumers haven’t lost any money in these funds.

You will pay a fee called the expense ratio. This fee helps to pay the cost of someone to oversee the fund and manage the investments in it. The expense ratio has already been deducted from the advertised yield. It is important to look for a fund with a low expense ratio. Vanguard has a reputation for charging low fees. For example, if their expense ratio is at .30%, then you can expect the industry average to be at .50%. You want to avoid funds that charge above the industry average. You can look in the fund prospectus or on many Web sites to find expense
ratio information.

There are two types of money market funds: taxable and tax-free. The taxable funds will usually pay a higher yield, but they aren’t for everyone. You can use a tax-equivalent yield formula to see which fund will give you the best overall return.

Most money market funds have a minimum dollar amount. They will allow you to write checks and make electronic transfers. Federal regulation limit electronic, telephone and preauthorized transactions to six per month, with only three by check, draft of debit card. Some institutions may impose a fee if you have a certain amount of withdrawals beyond your account minimum balance.

Martin Lukac, represents http://www.RateEmpire.com and http://www.1AmericanFinancial.com, a finance web-company specializing in real estate/mortgage market. We specialize in daily updates, rate predictions, mortgage rates and more. Find low home loan mortgage interest rates from hundreds of mortgage companies!

www.currencies.co.uk is the United Kingdoms prima independent foreign currency brokers, Foreign Currency Direct have been around from the year 2000 FCD are nowdays very good in the industry & possess an extraordinary team of brokers that can be found prepared and also waiting to serve you with anything you yourself can require. Currency brokers, Foreign Currency Direct, are an award winning firm, they have no hidden fees or commission and can potentially save you thousands of pounds.

currencies.co.uk offer one off overseas payment, so should you need to move a lump sum overseas. the company will supply customers with a specialist account manager to negotiate all of the stages of one’s transaction. Saving up to 0.04 if compared to regular rates sold by high street banks may make some transaction noticeably better value as well as stress free. They additionally offer spot contracts aimed at settlement within 2 working days and it’s direct transmission to the bank account people opt for, or possibly forward contracts to set a currency exchange rate aimed at the future, for an example, when a property completion are scheduled for some months time, by having a forward contract you are also able to know how much great British pounds one can often need in a future requirement found in a different countries currency.

www.currencies.co.uk also are experts in scheduled overseas payments, if you own a EUR mortgage for France, Spain or maybe Portugal there timely payment plan is a marvellous tactic to cut down the current monthly great British pounds cost. They offer free payments for transfers and no bank charges for payments over 300 pounds. Lastly FCD have expertise in moving money back to the U.K., for the reason that one’s selling some abroad villa and require to move foreign currency back home to the Great British Isles in GBP, then maybe the business will often serve you. Customers will use a worldly account managers who should share their trained knowledge with folk and also assist customers conduct each and every one of the necessary arrangements.

One of the most common forms of advice about investing is that you need to diversify. But the smart investor doesn’t just diversify: she diversifies into quality investments.

The point is that you shouldn’t just randomly buy up a bunch of different kinds of investments and feel content. Diversifying for its own sake can actually hurt your overall investment returns. The problem with mere diversification is that it can make the average investor susceptible to buying up both good and bad investments. The bad investments will be a drag on the overall return of your portfolio.

It is not uncommon for financial planners to suggest that you diversify across asset types like stocks, bonds and cash. This is actually a bad idea. It is an historical fact that stocks significantly outperform bonds and cash over most periods of time. If your money is earmarked for a time more than three years away, it should all be invested in the stock equities of strong companies.

If you choose to diversify across bonds and cash, you will actually significantly dampen the overall return of your money. This is the kind of risk that financial advisers tend not to emphasize. But in the long run it could amount to a difference of hundreds of thousands of dollars when you retire.

In addition to diversifying over asset types, many advisors recommend that you diversify across sectors like telecommunications, energy, manufacturing, etc. Again, we think this is a bad idea. The number one principle of investing is to chase after quality. But if your operating on the mantra that it is wise to diversify across sectors, then you might be tempted to buy the stocks of poor companies along with the good ones just because they fall within a sector. Remember: your first investment filter should always be quality. Any investment method that tempts you to overlook the quality of the investment should be abandoned.

The key to investment diversification is to make sure that your assets are spread over approximately 20-30 strong companies that you’re able to buy at reasonable prices. You can determine whether a company is reasonable by looking at its P/E ratio. You can determine whether a company is strong by looking at its return on equity and overall growth in market share.

The overall lesson is this: if you’re investing for the long-term, maximize your return by diversifying into good investments.

Just remember: Don’t diversify blindly!

Quentin James writes personal finance articles for The Common Sense Investor, with a focus on uncovering common investing errors. To see more personal finance tips from Quentin, go to: http://csinvestor.com

‘Evil ways of making money–what the rich won’t tell you’ declares that you need not be physically aggressive to make millions. You just have to be emotionally aggressive.

People who use their fist to get their way always end up charged with rape, thief, and all round fraud. Their bestiality makes them poor and unhappy. But those who have intense deceptive emotions look innocent but deadly. They are charming polite people intentionally presenting an exterior of innocence but they are exploitive. Their crime is not a crime though it could be a sin. They are not stealing, but borrowing, only that they won’t give it back.

The book is a practical and profitable money making guide that looks at the world of deception, corporate racket, and shows that there is hardly any activity, any enterprise of the super rich that is not tingle with evil. The rich have embraced the biggest risk that the poor dare not venture. Righteousness is seen as a tie and a hindrance hence the more honest you are, the less likely you will be rich. Frankly, there’s no way, on the basis of your salaries and allowances from the day you graduate, that you can be a millionaire, least a billionaire. It is impossible, except by embezzlement.

Poverty is the greatest illness man has ever suffered from. If you are fed up with poverty, you need to delude others, play on the ignorance of financial institutions, utilize the weakness of the law, create an illusion, bribe your way, and manipulate anything and everything to your advantage. It’s a never play by the rule, never pay in cash, never tell the truth game. You must genuinely and sincerely fake honesty. Have no conscience, no guilt, no sense of remorse, for money is made with debt, tax games, paper shuffle, arrogance, and wild and unpredictable swings.

Don’t waste your time building your resume, download the book free at www.oxcheck.com and learn the trick that works for achievers. When you read this work, your only regret will be that you didn’t see it early.

“Evil ways of making money–what the rich won’t tell you” is authored by Bright Johnson and can be downloaded free at http://www.oxcheck.com. You can publish this article.

The financial characteristics of the automobile dealership are attractive:

“. . . moderate growth and risk and high returns. Franchised new car dealer revenues have grown at a 7.2% annual rate since 1992, about twice the rate of GDP. Moreover, this growth has come with only moderate risk, as the dealer body didn’t lose money (on a pretax basis) for a single year in the last twenty - even during the 1989-1991 industry down-cycle. Finally, despite major changes in the auto industry’s structure, dealer returns have remained high, with pretax ROE averaging 26.1% over the last twenty years”. [MerrillLynch, April 19th, 2004 Report on “Automobile Dealers”.]

Athletes from almost every major sport have invested in new car dealerships: Rick Hendrick, Roger Penske, John Elway, Troy Aikman, Evander Holyfield, Arnold Palmer, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Alex Rodriguez to name a few.

The idea isn’t new. Johnny Lujack, 1947 Heisman Trophy winner and Chicago Bear Pro-Bower, started a business in 1954 that would eventually expand to 16 franchises; spread over 40 acres, with sales of over 10,000 vehicles and $150 million, per year. Lujack retired from the auto business after almost 50 years as a successful dealer.

WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME?

“This is the time you have been waiting for”, reports Greg Gilmore in the June 2005 issue of Dealer Magazine.
Dealer Executive reported that last year (2004) ranked as the 4th best for new unit sales by franchised new-vehicle dealers. Total dealership dollars exceeded $714 billion, up more than 2% from 2003.

The fact is that anytime is the right time. In 1991, in the depths of an automotive depression, John Elway asked me, prior to signing his purchase contract, if “this” (1991) was the right time to buy. I told him that it is how you buy it and how you sell it that count. That year he made a $20 million investment. At the time he had a single Mazda store on Arapahoe Road, in Englewood. I sold the Mazda franchise for him and Nissan gave him its franchise to put in the old Mazda building. Shortly thereafter, I put together another transaction that had John buy the Mazda store on 104th Avenue, in Thornton. John then terminated Suzuki and put the Mazda store with his Oldsmobile and Hyundai franchises. After that he bought one more dealership (a Ford franchise) and then, in 1995, sold the entire package to Republic Industries for $86 million.

A lot of people were afraid to buy a dealership in 1991 and thought that John took a big gamble. But, he didn’t “gamble”. He structured his purchases and sales correctly, and then capitalized on his investment.

For example, although GM and Ford lost money (as they did in 1991), individual dealers made millions, according to NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association) and Automotive News statistics, the average dealers’ pretax margin varies between one and two percent of their total sales. Why? The dealers capture a broader business base than the manufacturer. While the manufacturer makes its money on new car sales, the dealers have the additional balance of the parts departments, service departments, used car departments, finance departments, insurance departments and, in some instances, body shops. Consequently, while the manufacturer is dependent upon each year’s new car sales, a dealer’s success is based more on the total number of vehicles in operation.

DOES THE DEALERSHIP’S HISTORY MATTER?

A little, but don’t be intimidated by it. After Jimmy Vasser won the CART racing championship for Target, I put together a transaction for Jimmy to buy a dueled Chevrolet-Toyota franchise, in Napa, that lost money for the previous 10 consecutive years. I put Jimmy together with a dealership manager and Jimmy’s dad, who had some previous used car experience, signed-on as used car manager.

Subsequently, after going to dealer school and passing through the chairs, Jimmy’s dad took over as General Manager; the store thrived; and Jimmy not only bought the dealership land and facility, but bought the Ford store in the next town, and is currently building a new Toyota store so that his Chevrolet and Toyota franchises can have separate facilities.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE SUCCESSFUL?

Good advice. Good advice is both important and hard to find. In the words of Trace Armstrong, past president of the NFL Players Association: “There’s just so much bad advice out there being given to these guys. It’s really kind of scary.” [Reported by Eric Fisher, March 27, 2000.]

As with the Entertainment and Sports Industries, there is so much money in the car business, that everybody wants to get a piece of it. Consequently, everybody thinks he or she is an expert in analyzing and structuring deals, when in fact they just want to be a broker that gets a commission from the deal.
Sidebar: New car dealership revenues reached almost One Trillion Dollars in 2004. The dealerships and dealer related industries account of over 15% of the Gross National Product of the United States.

HOW TO CREATE A SUCCESSFUL TEAM?

An investor needs a team. Generally, it’s the same team they have, supplemented by an expert in the car business. Don’t get lulled into a false sense of security that loyalty is synonymous with the “factory” or “bankers”.

For example, Ford made one of its black dealers (a superstar athlete) the point man, brokering meetings with senior executives and acting as a conduit between the company and Jesse Jackson. He mediated disputes between Ford and its dealers, and he promoted the company in public appearances. He even had a close relationship with some Ford family members.

“He had some friends in high places,” said John Clissold, a retired Ford Credit executive. “[The head of Ford Credit] was a very strong supporter.” But, when trouble came, it didn’t matter. Business was business. ” . . . one factory executive familiar with the situation summed up the prevailing feeling at corporate headquarters: ‘[the superstar] was headed for a cliff and we weren’t going over with him.’” [Story by Bill Vlasic and Mark Truby / The Detroit News Sunday, May 26, 2002.]

The fact is that the factory and bank employees have a duty to do what is best for the factory or bank, not what is best for your client. It’s the law. They have a legal obligation to their shareholders - no matter how nice or how close your client is to them.

Financial statements and an accountant are not enough. Your client needs a member of your team that is a student of the industry. A profitable automotive statement can be certified and comply with every principle of accounting, yet still convey a false impression of success. There are so many nuisances in defining and structuring automotive transactions, that your client needs an expert in the field who can determine both what automotive deal is best for the athlete and what is the best way to get it.

So while your team may consist of accountant, attorneys, agents and managers that are excellent at their jobs, unless a student of the industry is added (someone who does nothing but structure buys and sells everyday), a key ingredient to success will be missing.

Think of it in terms of any sport or business. If a person wants to create a championship team in a particular sport, is it created with people who play the game 50% of the time, 75% of the time, or someone who plays it everyday?

Remember: The nicest thing they ever said about Richard Nixon was: “He looks like a used car salesman.”

John Pico holds a Doctorate of Jurisprudence, is a vice president of Automotive Advisors of America, Inc. and in the last 33 years has completed over 1,000 dealership transactions. In addition to lecturing about buying and selling automobile dealerships, Mr. Pico has published two books and numerous articles on the subject. For more tips, sources and a list of references and experience, go to http//:http://www.automotiveadvisors.com

© Automotive Advisors of America, Inc.

The one place to go for advice when investing in an automobile dealership is Automotive Advisors of America, Inc.

Disgruntled investors are going after Wall Street once again, this time accusing one of investment bank Morgan-Stanley’s high-tech mutual funds of making biased stock picks.

Recent lawsuits allege the Morgan Stanley Technology fund was influenced to buy and hold stocks of companies that delivered huge investment banking fees - or could potentially bring big business - to the investment bank.

According to the lawsuits, the Morgan Stanley fund followed the biased recommendations of the firm’s analysts - decisions that have cost shareholders millions of dollars since the portfolio’s October 2000 inception.

The fund lost 48 percent in 2001 and was down another 50 percent during the first nine months of 2002. While Morgan Stanley strongly denied the allegations, I fail to see how the management of the fund is somehow distinct from the other divisions of Morgan Stanley. Ultimately, they all work for the same boss.

The suits further claim that the tech fund failed to disclose that the firm had investment banking ties with a number of companies whose stocks were part of the portfolio. They also failed to reveal that those links could affect the fund’s buy or sell calls.

Why bring all this up? For one thing, it is interesting to note that Morgan Stanley offered four of these types of funds in October 2000. Just around the time when we sold all of our positions (Oct. 13, 2000) and it became clear, at least to those of us who were tracking long-term trends, that a major trend change had taken place.

More recently in the news it’s been Merrill Lynch who had a questionable deal involving transactions with failed energy trader Enron. Of course, the financial services industry regulates itself so well, that an $80 million payment to the SEC is sufficient to wrap up this case without admitting or denying wrongdoing.

What’s the moral of this story? While it is impossible to predict these alleged conflict of interest schemes, it is definitely possible to follow a disciplined approach and be on the “right” side of the market so you can avoid jumping aboard a sinking ship.

About The Author

Ulli Niemann is an investment advisor and has been writing about objective, methodical approaches to investing for over 10 years. He eluded the bear market of 2000 and has helped hundreds of people make better investment decisions. To find out more about his approach and his FREE Newsletter, please visit: www.successful-investment.com

ulli@successful-investment.com