Why Invest

Defining what you want your investment to do for you. Before anyone thinks about investing in Nicaragua one needs to ask themselves a few questions. Am I looking at investing in real estate in Nicaragua simply because it is an under developed country with impressive potential for international tourism? A return on my investment is a risk, [...]

The Year Ahead This is now the 14th post on the blog, so now feels like the time to give it a bit more of a personality! Blogs are generally very personal because the authors behind the site are what give the blog its ‘voice’. Everytime you visit any website you invest your personal time so it should be [...]

Why Invest in StockBy: Frank VanderlugtMany people today are watching the stock market go up and down on a regular basis. They hear the terms about the ‘bull’ and ‘bear’ on the evening news and most people know that this means that the market is very good or very bad. With all of the speculation within the stock market why would anyone want to invest in stocks?Today the stock market in the US is trading at over 13,000 and it is at an incredibility high rate and it seems to be staying fairly steady. Many people wonder why they should invest in the stock market when it is so high and the chances are that the numbers will go down. Overall the stock market has been fairly consistent by providing fairly good returns for most investors. There are, of course, people who lose money when th

While there are many people who seem to believe that investing in residential real estate and single-family homes is the way to go, investing in commercial properties is much better. Instead of focusing your real estate investing on residential properties focusing on commercial properties is a better option for a variety of reasons.First of all, when it comes to investing in commercial properties, you will not have to worry about personally qualifying for a loan. The property itself qualifies for the loan. You usually will not have to worry about personally guaranteeing the loans when it comes to investing in commercial properties. Non-recourse financing is the type of financing most often used for commercial real estate investing. If your loan is foreclosed on, the bank will take the prop

Most of us are quite comfortable with investing in cash deposits, government bonds, and stocks for conservative risk-averse investors. We hear these products discussed widely in the financial media. But rarely do we hear commodities discussed as an investment alternative. After all, what do commodities have to offer that stocks haven’t already provided? Here are reasons why commodities can be a good investment: - By diversifying your portfolio, the risk can be reduced, especially during recessionary periods such as bear markets where stocks tend to decline and lose value. Commodities tend to rise and this would counter the loss of portfolio value. - Commodities trend better than stocks, not only on individual or also stock sectors and stock indexes. As such they are a better long-term investment vehicle. Trends tend to last short term such as a few months to a few years. When the trend begins, it is very unlikely there will be sharp reversals or unpleasant surprise. - Commodity

When deciding to invest in any type of real estate, stock investment, or any other type of investment whether a CD or an oil well, these all include with them a risk however small or large. Depending on the risk you perceive in each type of investment you will expect or hope for a certain return. As the perceived risk goes up you will want a greater potential return and vice versa. According to most books and advice you get from investment advisors, real estate usually is regarded as being a safe investment as the downturns in real estate have usually been short-lived and have corrected themselves quickly. This is generally speaking and goes for most real estate markets. However, when you invest in markets that have one major employer or are dependent on a certain industry, you may run the risk of a long term decline in values and occupancy if something happens to that employer or industry. Like most investment real estate, mobile home parks are similar in that you typically expect the

Spurce (southafrica.com)South Africa is a country filled with diversity and opportunity. More and more people are coming to see this country, at the southern tip of Africa, as a great place to invest their money. Why? Over time South Africa has proved itself to be developing a dynamic emerging market economy. There are also a variety of opportunities in different sectors for those interested in putting their money into South Africa. Let us take a closer look at what South Africa has to offer foreign businesses.South Africa's economy presents foreign investors with an abundance of opportunities in all of its sectors. However, certain sectors do take the lead in growth potential. These include Agriprocessing, Automotive, Fishing, Banking and financial services, Mining and minerals, Chemicals, Property, Textiles, Tourism and Telecoms. South Africa's stock market is ripe for investment and the government has certainly done much to promote investment from other countries. There are many e

Why invest in art? One of the questions I am sure that you are asking yourself at the moment is WHY SHOULD I INVEST IN ART ??????.  Well there are several reasons.  First of all the art market is a relatively insulated market which means that outside influences such as the economy, the share market, interest rates etc. tend to have very little, if any, impact on the value of artworks.  This also means that the art market tends to be very stable compared to other investment markets.    Secondly art is an asset backed investment which means that you are investing in something tangible as opposed to the stock market where you could potentially end up with nothing.  An artwork will always have a value and if chosen correctly should not go down in value with a worst case scenario of the artwork holding its value for a period of time.   Thirdly the art market allows you to invest in something that is not only a good investment but also provides long lasting enjoyment, a factor